Chapter 759

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise.

"I actually encountered a bronze shield; this is pretty good luck."

He was well-versed in the information about the Profound Armor Cave's Xingyun Trial and knew that the Profound Armored Shells were almost all in the form of various weapons and arms; this kind of shield was truly rare.

Of course, there were things even rarer than shields, such as some large-scale weapons, crossbow carts, battering rams, and so on.

Ning Zhuo then looked around and discovered that the combat environment had also changed.

The previous three battles were all in a spherical area, with open space and plenty of room to maneuver.

But now, the Profound Armor Cave's array had condensed into an alley, and the room for maneuvering was greatly reduced. And the bronze shield in front of Ning Zhuo directly occupied most of the space in the passage.

"From the fourth battle onward, every fight will have a specific environment."

The alley was deep as a throat, with moss covering the slippery brick walls on both sides, and the end submerged into a thick, impenetrable darkness.

The bronze shield turned from static to dynamic.

It took the initiative to attack, not with a clumsy collision, but by skimming rapidly along the ground, sweeping directly at Ning Zhuo's lower body.

"Such fast speed." Ning Zhuo's pupils shrank slightly.

The bronze shield was so fast that it left a bronze afterimage in Ning Zhuo's eyes.

Ning Zhuo retreated in a hurry.

As he retreated, the walls on both sides seemed to squeeze in, bringing more pressure to Ning Zhuo.

He couldn't open up the distance!

But from the moment he began to retreat, Ning Zhuo knew he only needed to buy time to set up his stance.

Blade in left, sword in right.

Ning Zhuo gave a low shout, and the blade and sword slashed out almost simultaneously. The blade chopped down hard, hitting the shield's surface. The sword was very fast, also leaving an afterimage as it stabbed at the edge of the shield.

The next moment, a piercing sound of metal clashing exploded.

The shield's forward momentum was stalled by the blade's force, but although the sword tip hit, it couldn't advance an inch.

A counter-shock force struck, and Ning Zhuo's right arm took the strain; his wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder immediately followed the momentum, digesting and absorbing the counter-shock force.

Ning Zhuo continued to retreat, while the left blade slashed hard again, and after the right sword was retracted, he regrouped.

Clang, clang, clang...

Several stabs sparked a flurry of fire.

Continuous blade chops and sword stabs gradually neutralized the shield's offensive.

Clang!

The blade and sword combo clashed hard, finally forcing the shield back.

Ning Zhuo jumped back a step, looked down at his blade and sword, and his expression turned somewhat ugly.

The bronze sword was severely worn, and fine cracks had even appeared on the blade. The edge of the bronze blade was somewhat rolled.

"The bronze sword was used the most."

"The bronze blade was chopped onto the shield and was countered."

Between weapons and arms, because of different construction and structure, there naturally existed a relationship of mutual restraint.

But Ning Zhuo knew that more of the reason lay in the wear and tear.

"Conventional weapons will have wear and tear if used frequently. Of course, the Profound Armored Shells also have this problem, and it's even more serious."

The Profound Armored Shells can change their form, and the material itself is very peculiar. But changing form also means that they are not fixed securely.

Therefore, the Profound Armored Shells are not durable.

"In the first few times, I practiced and learned many times, and the amount I used the blade and sword was much more than others."

"The blade and sword cannot be used anymore; they need to be repaired!"

Ning Zhuo threw the blade and sword behind him, letting them float and follow, while he straightened his arms and slightly spread the fingers of both hands.

The bronze gauntlets turned into two streams of copper water, poured directly into Ning Zhuo's hands, and then quickly solidified, becoming a pair of bronze gauntlets.

Ning Zhuo brandished the gauntlets, took the initiative to attack, and fought against the shield.

The shield was heavy and powerful, but Ning Zhuo was more than twice as flexible as before.

Compared to a blade and sword, fists are naturally more flexible and free. After all, humans are born with two hands, and hands are used the most in daily life.

Among the magic cultivator experiences Ning Zhuo obtained, fist and kick techniques were also the most numerous.

Ning Zhuo threw punches continuously, the copper fists flying into shadows, constantly attacking around the shield. His movement was flexible, stepping on the walls on both sides to flip and constantly borrowing force.

He easily gained the upper hand.

It was different from before!

Ning Zhuo's memory was activated, his close-quarters martial arts skills advanced by leaps and bounds, and the gauntlets were another weapon that could be used almost immediately, making him like a tiger with wings.

Even if the memory and the physical body didn't match, the gauntlets themselves had basic moves, constantly calibrating Ning Zhuo's actions.

"In just an hour or so, my martial arts strength has at least tripled compared to before participating in the trial!"

Ning Zhuo was jubilant; he was the person involved, and he felt it most deeply.

Before, his close-quarters combat could only be said to be solidly grounded and no longer a glaring weakness. But with Ning Zhuo's great leaps in five-element spells and puppet arts, close-quarters combat had become a weakness again; this was an undeniable fact.

But now, his close-quarters combat ability was also making a great leap!

The shield was hit hard by Ning Zhuo's fists and slammed into the ground.

Borrowing the counter-shock force, the shield floated up, suddenly tilted upward, and with a flexibility that defied common sense, avoided Ning Zhuo's fist and arrived above the alley.

"Not good." Ning Zhuo looked up and saw the heavy shield like the front hoof of a giant beast being lifted, falling down on his head!

Ning Zhuo hurriedly retreated and dodged.

The shield changed its trajectory in mid-air, making full use of the narrow terrain of the alley, forcing Ning Zhuo step by step to the wall, with nowhere to hide!

Ning Zhuo could only grit his teeth, turn his fists into palms, and meet the shield strike head-on.

Clang!

His arms sank as if he were trying to prop up a collapsing mountain.

A massive, irresistible force was transmitted over, and Ning Zhuo's knees went soft, and he was smashed to his knees on the ground.

His knees collided violently with the floor tiles, directly shattering the bricks and sinking slightly into the pit.

Ning Zhuo's vision went black, and his throat tasted of blood.

The next moment, Ning Zhuo gave a low shout, exerting all his strength, turning from a single-knee kneel to a rebound; his whole body seemed to be compressed to the limit and then exploded suddenly.

The bronze shield was pushed away by him by an inch!

With space, Ning Zhuo hurriedly dodged and then turned to counterattack.

The bronze shield, however, was different from before, becoming more flexible; it was clearly "adapted" to Ning Zhuo's change from blade and sword to gauntlets and had targeted him.

Ning Zhuo was not surprised; the gauntlets could have such martial arts attainments before, and the bronze shield was stronger than the gauntlets, so naturally, it could too.

"Compared to the gauntlets, the shield adds the utilization of the environment!"

Ning Zhuo had keenly sensed the shield's greater strength.

The gauntlets fighting here didn't know how to use the alley and would instead be constrained. But the shield sometimes stuck to the wall, sometimes used the shield body to squeeze Ning Zhuo's space, and sometimes used the shield edge to collide between the walls, pressing Ning Zhuo into a disadvantage again.

Ning Zhuo could only barely parry and was injured one after another.

His face, however, was full of excitement, and his heart was joyful: "Learned it, learned it!"

Before, the pressure wasn't enough, and the gauntlets could match his physical body, but Ning Zhuo himself faced countless choices in his memory and was in a state of internal friction.

But now, the bronze shield brought great pressure to Ning Zhuo, leaving the latter no time to think, forcing him to rely on instinct and follow his heart, making him subconsciously choose the moves that best suited his temperament.

These moves were performed, which was equivalent to practice. Arduous and exceptional practice naturally benefited Ning Zhuo greatly.

He felt himself gradually merging with the gauntlets, various moves becoming gradually proficient, and some even coming to him naturally.

This feeling of ease was something he couldn't feel when using the blade and sword. After all, fists and feet are closer to instinct than blades and swords. The bronze shield suddenly accelerated, breaking through the wind all the way, and slammed straight into Ning Zhuo's face.

Ning Zhuo first dodged, then kicked the wall bricks and turned back to strike.

In this strike, he infused spiritual power, the muscles of his right arm bulged, and he swung the gauntlet to strike the side of the shield heavily.

The shield was hit and stuck into the wall bricks on one side; in his urgency, he couldn't pull it out.

"Opportunity!" Ning Zhuo's eyes gleamed, and he pressed his advantage.

Clang, clang, clang...

A series of explosions, and the shield's aura declined rapidly.

Suddenly, one side of the shield turned into copper water, easily breaking free from the wall's shackles.

The shield spun wildly, the shield body shrank by a circle, and the shield edge deformed, turning into a series of dense sawteeth.

As the sawteeth rotated rapidly, cold light overflowed, tearing the air and cutting fiercely toward Ning Zhuo.

This change was unprecedented, and Ning Zhuo was caught off guard, falling into a passive position.

The bronze shield's counterattack happened to catch him at the awkward node where his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been born; it was clearly "planned" for a long time.

"The shield hitting the wall before was just a trap!"

Ning Zhuo realized in an instant, realizing that he had actually fallen for a shield's scheme.

He had no time to dodge and could only raise his hands, using his palms to resist the violent cutting of the shield's edge.

A series of sparks splashed out, and at the same time, the piercing sound of metal friction echoed fiercely in the alley.

Ning Zhuo's bronze gauntlets and the shield were of the same material, so there was no difference in quality, allowing him to block it temporarily.

But Ning Zhuo's strength could not compare to the thick shield. His arms and hands were pushed apart to the left and right, exposing his midsection.

The sawteeth of the shield edge cut open Ning Zhuo's abdomen, and the cold metal edge embedded deeply into his flesh! The intense pain flooded Ning Zhuo like a tide, making his vision go black.

If this continued, he was afraid he would be cut in two.

Although there were Profound Armor Cave cultivators watching from the sidelines who could provide timely treatment, Ning Zhuo would undoubtedly be defeated here!

One moment of carelessness, and the situation plummeted, leaving him on the cliff's edge of defeat.

The youth wanted to dodge, but the bronze shield had deliberately laid out a plan, directly pushing Ning Zhuo until his back hit the wall, his waist embedded with sawteeth, giving him no room to escape.

Some onlookers saw this scene and couldn't help but exclaim.

Just as Ning Zhuo was on the verge of failure, some memories in Ning Zhuo's mind suddenly became incredibly vivid.

A magic cultivator used a long sword to block an opponent's blade chop. The spine of the sword in his hand suddenly "sensed" the opponent's blade force sinking, intending to change to a scraping move.

The magic cultivator immediately twisted his wrist slightly, tilting the angle of the sword body, guiding the scraping trajectory of the enemy's great blade to shift outward by half an inch. The opponent's blade was deflected, and the magic cultivator took the opportunity to counterattack, piercing the opponent's heart with one sword!

"Magic cultivator, pay with your life for my wife and children!" The enemy clenched his fist and struck straight.

The magic cultivator met it head-on with his palm; at the moment of contact, he sensed that the opponent's fist force was insufficient and his center of gravity was slightly floating.

The magic cultivator immediately changed his move, his palm like a swimming fish guiding backward in the direction of the punch, while turning his body to let the line of force pass.

The enemy's fist was guided into empty air, and his center of gravity was even more deflected, causing him to lunge forward directly. The magic cultivator took the opportunity to sink his shoulder and added an elbow strike, hitting the enemy's rib gap heavily.

Pfft!

The enemy fell to the ground, spitting blood.

"I treated you as a brother, and you treat me like this?! In today's battle, only one person can leave alive!"

The magic cultivator's short halberd locked with the opponent's hook claws, falling into a state of stalemate and wrestling.

The magic cultivator suddenly sensed that the opponent wanted to burst out with inch-force and knee him.

The magic cultivator took the opportunity to suddenly relax his force and withdraw, while lowering his body and stepping aside.

The enemy's burst and knee strike missed, and he lost his balance instead. The magic cultivator took the opportunity to free his short halberd and slashed upward from below, piercing from the enemy's chin into his brain.

Various memories were quite similar to Ning Zhuo's current situation.

Ning Zhuo didn't even think and acted according to his memory. His fingers pinched the upper and lower sides of the shield, and he also sensed the changes in the shield's force.

"Guide the force!"

Ning Zhuo's eyes flashed with intensity, his wrists turned, and his body stuck to the wall, standing upside down like a windmill, using rotation to drive rotation, deflecting the shield.

The shield was deeply embedded into the wall, and Ning Zhuo successfully escaped!

Turning danger into safety!

The watching cultivators all breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn't want Ning Zhuo to be eliminated now; they were looking forward to the confrontation between Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji.

"Ning Zhuo's injuries are very heavy; his intestines are even exposed."

"Although he escaped, the situation is still dangerous."

Many people broke into a sweat for Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo's face was pale, and he had lost a lot of blood. One hand pressed hard against the huge gash in his abdomen, making the flesh and blood fit together as much as possible. The other hand held his palm upright, facing the bronze shield's subsequent attacks.

He was in constant danger, frequently rolling on the ground, retreating and dodging step by step, falling into a complete disadvantage.

But he showed resilience; although the scene was ugly, he never fell down.

"Eh?" Gradually, some cultivators showed surprise, keenly noticing Ning Zhuo's improvement.

"He broke through in the heat of battle and suddenly understood the essence of martial arts regarding the virtual and the real."

"Some of the bronze shield's feints, Ning Zhuo can now keenly detect changes by sensing the force, discerning the trend of what's to come."

"This is equivalent to 'predicting' in advance and making preparations in advance. Therefore, even if he can only defend with one hand, he has held on."

"Is this what a genius is?"

Everyone looked at each other in silence. Some people had felt that Ning Zhuo sharpening his spear at the last minute was futile, but the result was that Ning Zhuo's improvement was huge and the results were remarkable, playing out right before their eyes.

"It wasn't until I was over sixty that my experience accumulated enough for me to 'sense' the changes in force and have the feeling of merging with the weapon in my hand!"

"How old is Ning Zhuo?"

"Terrifying comprehension! Clearly, at the very beginning, his martial arts attainments were still very shallow."

Cultivator Hao's attention was also drawn, and he sighed sincerely: "A genius cannot be measured by common sense."

These words struck everyone in the arena, causing a silence to fall over the crowd.

Sourness, helplessness, bitterness, grievance, and even jealousy... the cultivators were filled with mixed feelings.

Thinking of their own hard-earned accumulation and then looking at Ning Zhuo's performance, comparing people really can make one die of anger.

A moment later.

Clang.

Ning Zhuo smashed down with both fists, knocking the shield to the ground.

He stepped down hard, suppressing the shield, and then quickly refined it.

Ning Zhuo was panting, his clothes stained with blood, but his eyes were shining and his spirit was high.

"I have a massive amount of other people's memories, which saves me the long process of accumulation and practice."

"This kind of real combat is the most valuable to me!"