Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 379: Chapter 375: Thunder Spirit Body

"Yun Dingtian’s tea banquet."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the many Martial Artists present lit up with excitement.

A tea banquet was different from a tea party. A tea party was a competitive event, focusing on making friends through martial arts with sparring matches as the main activity.

A tea banquet, on the other hand, was a feast focused on social exchange.

"I’ve heard that Yun Dingtian’s tea banquet has a rule: you must leave a mark on the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele to be qualified to enter."

"Anyone who can leave a mark is at least among the top thirty in Liang Province."

"I was so close to leaving a mark last time. I’ll definitely do it this time!"

Everyone was thrilled and hurried forward.

Being able to attend Yun Dingtian’s tea banquet was also a symbol of status and strength.

A short while later, everyone arrived at a courtyard.

Though called a courtyard, it was actually enormous.

In their line of sight was a large lake, and floating above it was a hall.

Although this hall wasn’t suspended high in the air like the four palaces in the sky, it was still quite astonishing.

"I heard this hall was a gift from the Extreme Heaven Sect’s Sect Leader, specially bestowed upon Yun Dingtian. The meaning is that when Yun Dingtian one day ascends, he can stand among them as an equal."

Many Martial Artists’ eyes filled with envy.

The hall was only suspended three zhang high, but it was enough to show Yun Dingtian’s extraordinary status within the Extreme Heaven Sect.

"Let’s go."

The crowd approached the shore.

Guards were stationed on the shore. Seeing the crowd, one said indifferently, "You all know the rules. If you want to go inside, go try it for yourselves."

The crowd nodded.

Beside the guard stood a massive ancient stele.

The stele was entirely black, covered in lines that shimmered with a metallic luster.

This was the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele, a precious metal that, if used for Artifact Refining, would be enough to forge a Top Level Middle Grade Treasure Artifact.

"I’ll go first."

A Martial Artist stepped forward, gathered his full strength, and unleashed a powerful strike.

"Hah!"

He threw a punch that made the air crackle. It was ferocious and unstoppable; a strike like that could shatter a mountain without issue.

But when it landed on the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele, it only produced a loud BANG, leaving no trace behind.

"Damn it." The Martial Artist’s face was full of frustration.

"Next."

The guard said flatly, accustomed to such failures.

One by one, the Martial Artists attacked the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele. Most of them failed to leave a mark; only a small fraction succeeded.

When it was Ye Ying’s turn, the guard’s expression changed. "Young Master Ye, you can go straight in. There’s no need for you to test."

"No need. Since it’s the rule, I’d like to have a little fun myself."

Ye Ying grinned. The next moment, an incomparably sharp wave of Spiritual Power shot out from between his brows like an awl.

"PSSHHT!"

The surrounding crowd was dumbfounded. A large hole, clean through from front to back, had appeared on the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele.

"Young Master Ye’s strength has improved again. Congratulations," the guard said, offering his felicitations.

Ye Ying didn’t hurry inside. Instead, his gaze shifted as he said, "Lan Nongyu, I’d like to see just what kind of mark this man of yours can leave."

Just because he hadn’t fought Ning Jiang earlier didn’t mean Ye Ying had forgotten about it.

This was the perfect opportunity for a contest.

Ning Jiang remained expressionless. As he passed the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele, he simply cocked his middle finger back and gave it a light flick.

"TCH."

A small pit appeared on the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele, but it was very shallow—a far cry from what Ye Ying had done.

"You may pass," the guard nodded.

"Tch, and I thought he had some skill. So that’s all he’s got," Feng Sisi scoffed. "Ye Ying, let’s go. He’s not even worthy of competing with you."

"Indeed."

Ye Ying nodded, and the two of them left one after the other.

After them, a few more people passed the test of the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele and successfully entered.

’How did that kid get in?’

None of the few people from the Nine Profound Sect had passed. At this moment, Fang Heng was puzzled; Ning Jiang didn’t seem like someone with that kind of strength.

Lü Qinghe thought for a moment and said, "Maybe Lan Nongyu is taking him inside."

"That must be it."

After the test concluded, only about thirty people had made it inside. The rest departed.

The guards watching the stele shook their heads. "Looks like no newcomers are standing out this year. The strong ones are still the same old faces."

"Huh? Wait, look!"

Suddenly, one of the guards cried out in alarm.

"What is it?"

"Where did these cracks come from?"

They saw that the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele was now covered in fine cracks.

"Hm? That is strange!"

All of them were stunned.

It was as if some immense power had fractured the ancient stele from within.

"Look, the cracks are densest here."

Everyone’s gaze fell on a small pit in the center of the ancient stele. It was a finger mark, left by Ning Jiang’s flick.

Around this finger mark, the cracks were dense and numerous, spreading outwards like a spiderweb.

"Could it be... that man cracked the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele with a single flick? How is that possible?"

The guards looked at each other, sheer shock in their eyes.

If that were true, then the hole blasted by Ye Ying would be completely insignificant in comparison to what Ning Jiang had done.

"It’s probably just a coincidence. The area around that finger mark took the most attacks. It’s likely the cumulative effect of everyone’s strikes that gradually fractured the Black Patterned Profound Gold Stele."

"Perhaps."

...

The thirty-odd figures entered the Ancient Hall in the center of the lake.

This Ancient Hall was vast and spacious. The first thing they noticed upon entering was the rich, fragrant scent of flowers that filled the air.

Looking around, they saw the place was decorated with numerous flowers, all in full, exquisite bloom.

"I’ve heard Hua Hailan adores all kinds of flowers. I imagine this arrangement is her handiwork, don’t you think?"

"Has Hua Hailan already moved in? If so, her relationship with Yun Dingtian must be official."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, and some of the women looked especially envious.

"Who is this Yun Dingtian? You haven’t told me about him yet," Ning Jiang said to Lan Nongyu beside him.

"You don’t know him?" Lan Nongyu was taken aback for a moment, but then she remembered Ning Jiang was from out of town, so it was normal for him not to know. She explained, "He is the Young Sect Leader of the Extreme Heaven Sect, a man of incredibly high status. But of course, that’s not the most important part. The key is, he was born with a... Thunder Spirit Body!"

"A Thunder Spirit Body?"

A peculiar light flickered in Ning Jiang’s eyes.

Physiques were divided into Spirit Bodies, King’s Bodies, Sacred Bodies, and Dao Bodies.

Back when he was in Qing Province, he had never encountered anyone with a Spirit Body, as such beings were quite rare.

People born with Spirit Bodies possessed tyrannical combat power far exceeding their peers. For them, fighting opponents of a higher rank was as simple as eating and drinking.

As for King’s Bodies, they were even stronger. However, King’s Bodies were exceedingly rare. Currently, the only known King’s Body in the Six Eastern Provinces was Sword King Body Ling Tianxu.

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