Chapter 754: A genius in actual combat

Not good, not good!" Another cultivator has the same feeling as Ban Ji.

He hides his appearance and identity, very low-key, and has been watching from the sidelines.

But now, he knows he can't stay still.

He takes the initiative to walk to Ban Ji’s side: "Young Master Ban Ji, I am here to help you!"

He reveals his true appearance and speaks loudly on purpose, attracting everyone’s attention.

Ban Ji is surprised, looks at the person, finds it is an old acquaintance, and immediately snorts coldly: "Why is it you?"

The person is none other than the Rust Disaster Craftsman.

He is shrouded in a dark red iron robe, and the outline of a metal skeleton is vaguely visible under the robe. Every move he makes will make a dull metal friction sound, and sometimes rust slag falls down.

The Rust Disaster Craftsman transmits his voice, not polite at all: "Hmph! If it weren't for Ban Jie’s heavy invitation, asking me to help you secretly, do you think I would come? To see your stinky face?"

The Rust Disaster Craftsman previously accepted Ban Ji’s heavy money, planning to deal with Ning Zhuo, but Ning Zhuo acted in a high-profile manner, making him realize the latter’s strength, and coupled with the disappearance of the Disk-Spinning Lady, the Rust Disaster Craftsman decisively found Ban Ji with the other two, forced a refund, and withdrew.

Ban Ji naturally has no good face for the Rust Disaster Craftsman.

The Rust Disaster Craftsman continues to communicate via divine sense: "Do you think I want to stand out and support your scene on the spot? Keep your temper; do you still think you are in the Ban family?"

"If this continues, maybe you will be targeted collectively again."

"Think about the experience on Green Bamboo Peak!"

Ban Ji grinds his teeth: "That time, I was just careless."

Rust Disaster Craftsman: "Don't say I didn't remind you!"

Ban Ji narrows his eye slits and falls into silence.

After a few breaths, he moves his legs and comes to Lu Zeng, first thanking the latter. After all, just now, Lu Zeng took the initiative to send him a jade tablet.

Lu Zeng is a businessman, so he naturally won't offend Ban Ji.

Ban Ji gets a good response and goes to visit Ao Pan. Ao Pan’s attitude toward him is as enthusiastic as it is toward Ning Zhuo.

Ao Pan is a person from abroad and needs to make friends widely. Since Ban Ji takes the initiative to visit, he also wants to establish a good connection with Ban Ji and

the Ban family.

In his view: You Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji are not right, but it doesn't hinder me from being good to both!

Ao Pan then visits Tie Zheng, who responds coldly.

Then he visits Zhang Wangxing. The two sides communicate via divine sense and look at Ning Zhuo frequently, seeming to be negotiating and talking.

Ning Zhuo naturally pays attention to Ban Ji all the time, and understands in his heart: "Ban Ji was cultivated by the Ban family since childhood and also has political literacy. There is a reason for choosing the object of conversation, and the order is also correct."

Ban Ji breaks the deadlock with the help of Lu Ban and Ao Pan’s attitude. Soon, many cultivators take the initiative to chat with him.

Ban Ji is, after all, a representative of the Ban family.

The Ban family is a famous righteous sect, and the Myriad Phenomena Sect has never minded the joining of demonic cultivators. As long as such cultivators join the sect, they follow the sect rules.

The sect rules of the Myriad Phenomena Sect are almost the fewest and most lenient among the super sects.

Ban Ji was forced down by Ning Zhuo, but he also has skills. He learned from his mistakes and successfully decomposed many of Ning Zhuo’s forces, turning from a big defeat to a small loss.

A Golden Core level cultivator walks out of the Profound Armor Cave and announces that the time has come and the Rising Cloud Small Trial has officially begun.

Everyone gets permission and takes out their identity tablets one after another, pouring into the cave.

The identity tablets are almost all wooden tablets; only the ones in Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji’s hands are stone tablets.

The moment Ning Zhuo steps into the cave, his vision changes suddenly.

He is in darkness, and no matter which direction he walks, there are invisible barriers, as if the air is a wall, sealing him inside.

Ning Zhuo is not panicked; he memorized the intelligence about this Rising Cloud Small Trial before coming.

Like the Evil-Slaying Hall, the Rising Cloud Small Trial for the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor is almost unchanged.

Sure enough, the next moment, a divine sense comes from the darkness, teaching Ning Zhuo to use divine sense to open the way.

Ning Zhuo drives his divine sense, trying his best to spread it forward.

The divine sense is like pushing away a layer of mud, leaving a gap of similar size for Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo moves his legs and keeps moving forward, his divine sense opening the way in front, creating a temporary passage for him to enter and exit.

"This is the first level of the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor’s small trial, the Divine Sense Level."

"Without abundant divine sense, it is impossible to pass through here."

Ao Pan hunches his back, but walks with the momentum of a dragon and a tiger.

Tie Zheng hugs his arms, expressionless, with a calm posture.

Lu Zeng rubs the ruler on his chest, his divine sense surrounding his body, constantly radiating, propping up a spherical void around him.

This level does not forbid cultivation, so Golden Core cultivators can basically pass. After all, their cultivation is a level higher, and their divine sense,

magic power, energy, etc., are often superior to Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

And Foundation Establishment stage cultivators have to show their abilities.

The surface of Zhang Wangxing’s robe ripples like waves, and he walks very slowly.

Ban Ji’s eyes are red, glaring forward; the "Greedy Mechanism Demon Heart Art" mainly cultivates the upper dantian, and in terms of the scale of divine sense, he is a leader among the Foundation Establishment stage, so he has no obstacles.

Ning Zhuo did not make any preparations in this regard. The reason is that he cultivates three dantians, and the cultivation of the Mirror Platform Spirit-Connecting Art makes his divine sense foundation far exceed that of cultivators of the same level who practice the Qi sea and Essence sea.

His advantage in divine sense, unlike Ban Ji, lies in control. So he radiates his divine sense precisely, only pushing away the size that can accommodate him, forming a passage, saving time and effort.

Zhang Dadan doesn't say a word; he mainly cultivates the Essence sea, and his divine sense uses secret arts, tenacious and difficult to disperse, but there is no problem in protecting himself.

The Rust Disaster Craftsman’s divine sense is very special; when he chisels the road ahead, it makes a hissing sound, corroding the invisible barriers completely. Although the time is slower, it is very easy.

The cultivators who came to participate in this Rising Cloud Small Trial have almost all investigated the intelligence in advance. Even if not, the previous divine sense transmission also informed the participating cultivators of the relevant content.

Everyone shows their means and keeps moving forward.

There is endless darkness around, without any reference objects, but they are not worried about the direction.

Because the rules have already been stated, even if you walk in circles, it doesn't matter; as long as you persist for a period of time and the distance meets the standard, you can enter the next level.

Among the three Golden Cores, Tie Zheng is the first to break away and enter the second level.

His divine sense is the sharpest because he used secret arts to modify it.

Followed by Lu Ban and Ao Pan.

Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, Ban Ji arrived first, followed by Ning Zhuo. Zhang Wangxing, at the peak of Foundation Establishment, fell behind; divine sense is his weakness. Even Zhang Dadan passed faster than him.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes suddenly brighten, and he is in a spherical space.

This is still the space within the array, just with a different structure.

In front of Ning Zhuo, a sword is suspended and flying.

The sword body is bronze, and the tip of the sword faces the ground vertically.

The divine sense transmission tells the rules, and Ning Zhuo listens, finding that the trial rules of the second level are exactly the same as before, without the slightest change.

The divine sense transmission begins to count down.

After counting from ten to one, the suspended bronze sword, as if held by someone, lunges fiercely at Ning Zhuo.

The tip of the sword breaks through the air, the speed making a short and shrill sharp whistle, stabbing directly at Ning Zhuo’s throat.

Ning Zhuo’s pupils shrink, his waist bending backward fiercely as if pulled by a strong bow.

Iron Bridge!

The cold sword wind brushes past the tip of his nose, cutting off a few strands of flying hair.

The sword misses, but the bronze sword does not delay in the slightest; the sword body trembles, and it follows the momentum, changing from a stab to a slice, horizontally wiping Ning Zhuo’s neck exposed by his backward tilt.

The sword blade cuts through the air, extremely sharp, making a hissing sound like tearing silk.

Ning Zhuo twists his body.

His physical foundation is very solid, and his body can still forcibly rotate sideways in such an awkward posture, driving his entire body to fall to one side.

Swish————

Ning Zhuo’s lapel is cut by the sword edge, opening a neat cut. A blood line is also left on his neck; after a few drops of blood seep out, the muscles tighten, and the bleeding stops.

Although it is just a scratch, it burns with pain.

Ning Zhuo tilts his body, retreating continuously, and before he can adjust his posture, the bronze sword comes again.

This time it is a sweep from bottom to top, the sword light like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, extremely tricky, directly taking Ning Zhuo’s lower body which is not standing firmly.

Ning Zhuo’s eyes sink, his left foot steps on the ground fiercely, his body bounces backward borrowing the force, and at the same time, his right palm slaps down like lightning.

He naturally won't shake the sword edge hard, but uses the edge of his palm to cut diagonally into the middle of the sword spine; the speed, angle, and force are all very precise.

The bronze sword is slapped down, hitting the ground, and Ning Zhuo steps forward, but misses.

The bronze sword withdraws, avoids Ning Zhuo’s step, and then stabs forward immediately.

Ning Zhuo adjusts his posture at the critical moment, but the outside of his thigh is still cut, adding another blood mark.

The bronze sword does not take Ning Zhuo down, changes tactics, the sword momentum changes, becoming endless, like a surging river, rushing forward!

Point, stab, wipe, pick, slice, chop————various basic sword styles are exerted to the extreme, dragging out dozens of green residual images in the air, weaving into a fatal sword net, firmly shrouding Ning Zhuo!

Ning Zhuo’s figure tosses and turns in this death storm, like a lone boat in a stormy sea.

Sweat mixed with blood beads seeping from the wounds draws wet marks on his skin.

"Swish!" His left cheek feels cold, and a strand of hair flies up with a trail of blood beads. The tip of the sword brushes past his cheekbone.

"Puff!" His right rib hemp cloth is cut open, the flesh rolls, and the blood instantly dyes his lapel red.

"Clang!" He fails to dodge, and can only use the outside of his left forearm to block a diagonal chop; the arm bone feels like it is splitting, the sleeve shatters, a deep wound revealing the bone appears, dripping with blood.

Although it is dangerous and wounds are constantly added, Ning Zhuo’s eyes are getting brighter and brighter.

Such difficulty is within expectation and not surprising.

"My close-quarters combat and fist-and-foot skills only laid a foundation in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."

"It wasn't until I reached the Myriad Medicine Sect that I made up for this shortcoming."

"In the Great War of the Two-Country Thousand Peaks Forest, I learned some military combat methods, simple and direct, adding bravery."

"Usually dealing with peers, it is generally enough. But put into the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor’s Rising Cloud Small Trial, it is not enough."

"The difficulty of the second level is progressive. The first weapon I encountered challenged the difficulty at the lowest level, but it already exceeded my upper limit by a small margin."

Ning Zhuo’s close-quarters martial arts are no longer a shortcoming, but they have never been a strength.

The second level of the Nine-Layer Profound Soldier Armor trial is screening out cultivators who are good at martial arts and eliminating those who are mediocre.

Facing such a trial, Ning Zhuo is suppressed and sealed by the magic array, unable to mobilize other forces, and can only use martial arts to resist, naturally dangerous and extremely embarrassed.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, they would have been seriously injured and exhausted, and eliminated.

Ning Zhuo can support for so long, thanks to his strong physical body. His physical body can carry the souls of millions of people, and many small wounds can heal quickly.

Ning Zhuo’s persistence is not a meaningless struggle; in the fierce competition, his martial arts are improving rapidly.

His footwork was just dodging constantly at first, but now it gradually has a pattern.

Sometimes he steps on the stars, dodging the sharpness in small steps; sometimes he walks in the mud, his figure is sluggish but he avoids the sword blade dangerously; sometimes he turns like a whirlwind, residual images and sword light intertwine, indistinguishable from each other, but no new sword wounds are added.

"Review successful!" Ning Zhuo is excited.

He uses the Soul-Searching Art to implement righteous sanctions on a pile of demonic souls. His innate talent protects him, and the Burning Boat Soul-Crossing Art makes his foundation soar.

Among these demonic cultivators, there is no lack of people proficient in close-quarters combat, and their lifelong relevant experience has become one of Ning Zhuo’s foundations.

It’s just that Ning Zhuo didn't have time to practice, and in the fierce battle with the bronze sword, he quickly reviewed it, mastered it all, and truly made it his own.

The more Ning Zhuo fights, the steadier his position, and he is also calm.

His heaviest injury is on his left forearm, but his physical body is really strong; even the deep wound revealing the bone is still bleeding, but it has stopped bleeding in the fierce exercise and has begun to heal slowly.

There is another reason here, which is that the bronze sword itself does not carry magic power, just relying on the sharpness of the sword edge.

This level examines martial arts and close-quarters combat.

For this kind of flesh wound, Ning Zhuo’s physical foundation is enough to support it.

"It’s this moment!"

Ning Zhuo’s eyes explode with sharp light, suddenly lowering his body and raising his foot, aiming his toe at the sword body, kicking hard, kicking the bronze sword away.

The bronze sword is forced to open the distance from Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo is excited; this is his first effective counterattack.

The bronze sword attacks again, Ning Zhuo’s eyes are bright, his confidence is fuller, and he welcomes the challenge.

After several rounds of competition, Ning Zhuo’s physical strength is endless, and the frequency of the bronze sword being kicked away is getting higher and higher.

The bronze sword stabs directly at Ning Zhuo’s heart, Ning Zhuo advances instead of retreating, confidently turning sideways, calmly avoiding the sword edge, his left hand like piercing flowers and brushing willows, his five fingers spread, grabbing the hilt, and holding it tightly.

The bronze sword struggles with all its might in his hand.

Ning Zhuo could have suppressed it, but he smiles and takes the initiative to let go, letting it escape into mid-air like a swimming fish, escaping again.

"Come again." He claps his hands at the bronze sword that has opened the distance, taking the initiative to provoke.

Just like this, Ning Zhuo uses the bronze sword to train himself, and his close-quarters combat strength climbs step by step. Such a scene attracts the attention of the cultivators hosting the trial.

"What is going on with this Ning Zhuo?"

"At first I thought he was just so-so, purely here to make a fool of himself. I didn't expect that in half a cup of tea, he would improve so much!"

"It’s hard to imagine! But all this happened. Is his comprehension in martial arts so strong?!"

"Being able to grow so quickly from actual combat is extremely rare!"

The cultivators exclaim repeatedly.