Chapter 761: Ban Ji: If Only I Had a Shield

Ban Ji gritted his teeth, and his right hand shook violently.

The heavy bronze chain hammer was like a poisonous python coming out of a hole, the hammer head whistling as it smashed straight at the bronze saber!

The bronze saber took the initiative to meet it, then stuck to the hammer head, leading and pulling, causing the chain hammer to change direction and smash into the wall on the side, embedding itself deeply into it.

Ban Ji used force with his right hand, wanting to pull back the hammer head, while his left hand held the nunchucks, waving them fiercely.

The nunchucks were danced into a gust of wind, protecting the vital parts in front of Ban Ji, not seeking to hurt the enemy, but only to protect himself.

Ban Ji was very clear about the power of the Master-level realm and dared not be the slightest bit careless.

But the next moment, the bronze saber suddenly inserted diagonally, stuck to the chain of the chain hammer, and twisted the saber body fiercely.

Ban Ji was using force to pull back the hammer head, and with such assistance from the bronze saber, he immediately lost his measure, and the entire hammer head rushed towards him at an accelerated speed.

Ban Ji was taken aback and hurriedly retreated to dodge.

But this change was too fast, and he was already too late; in his haste, he couldn't think much and could only use the nunchucks to block.

"Dang—!" Sparks exploded!

The nunchucks in Ban Ji's hand were almost knocked out of his hand by his own chain hammer.

At the same time, his arm shook violently, and his defense collapsed instantly.

The bronze saber followed the momentum and pointed lightly at Ban Ji.

A chill rose in Ban Ji's heart, and he hurriedly rolled backward, but his left shoulder clavicle was still hit.

Crack.

The crisp sound of bone cracking, accompanied by a groan of pain from Ban Ji, echoed on this battlefield.

The bronze blade did not pursue the victory; instead, it hovered quietly in place, its tip slanted downward. Several drops of viscous fresh blood were slowly sliding down the rust-spotted blade, dripping onto the cold floor tiles and rapidly blooming into a small, jarring patch of dark red.

If someone were holding the hilt, they would probably be looking down at Ban Ji with a disdainful master's posture at this time.

Ban Ji gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and stood up.

The Master-level realm, above the Martial Artisan level, took another step up in the utilization of the battlefield environment and the game of the opponent's reaction.

The bronze saber used the chain hammer to break the defense of the nunchucks, filling Ban Ji's heart with bitterness.

"I am not skilled with these weapons; if I had a saber or sword in my hand, no, even if it were just one, I would definitely be more composed than now!"

"Hold on!"

"I still have to go to the third round and step Ning Zhuo under my feet!"

"If I am eliminated in the second round, I will inevitably be ridiculed by Ning Zhuo, and the face of the family will be lost by me!"

"I must win and take this bronze saber!"

Ban Ji boosted his morale and fought with all his might.

The mace was swung by him with fierce fearlessness, the flying knives were used by him with trickery and suddenness, the chain hammer combined dominance and clever force, and the speed and dexterity of the nunchucks were also displayed by Ban Ji.

However, in front of the bronze saber, these were as ridiculous as a child waving a wooden stick.

Ban Ji's injuries increased rapidly, and the more he fought, the colder his heart became.

The bronze saber had no earth-shattering momentum, no complex and flashy moves. It was just there, every movement as natural as breathing, every block, every counterattack coming at its fingertips, as if it had long predicted all his struggles, all his trajectories.

Its moves were very simplified, even more like a child waving a wooden stick. But every time Ban Ji attacked, it was easily resolved.

It firmly grasped the rhythm of the battle, and Ban Ji was just a chess piece on the chessboard being played with at will.

This is the true no move beats having a move, abandoning the complex for the simple.

Ban Ji's body could not help but tremble slightly due to the severe pain and excessive blood loss.

His vision also became blurred, and the pain tore at his nerves at all times.

His four weapons were also cut to pieces by the blade, becoming increasingly difficult to use in battle.

The bronze saber slowly extended its blade, as if a master had lost interest in playing and wanted to end the battle.

At the critical moment of victory or defeat, a scene from the past appeared in Ban Ji's mind.

In the family's martial arts field, he asked the instructor: "When can I reach the Master realm of no move beats having a move?"

The instructor shook his head and said: "Ban Ji, I have been teaching you for five years. You have made rapid progress, and even if you don't choose mechanism arts, you can have great prospects in the path of martial arts."

"You have been able to master eighteen types of weapons in these five years, master many combo moves, and even achieve subtlety in both saber and sword, and in actual combat, you can change according to the enemy, from rigid to flexible. This is already very remarkable!"

"You were promoted from a Martial Disciple to a Martial Artisan, and it only took a mere five years. Most people, including me, who specialize in martial arts, also take a few decades."

"No move beats having a move—I only realized it in my fifty-sixth year of practicing martial arts."

A flash of greed flashed in Ban Ji's eyes, and he asked: "How to realize it, is there any secret?"

His instructor shook his head again, his face a bit serious: "No! It is not accurate to say it is realization; my promotion was extremely natural, as simple as breathing."

"This is not because I have good aptitude. In fact, I am far worse than you."

"I just accumulated enough."

"The Martial Disciple level is learning moves and mastering them to a fine and subtle degree. But battle has never been just about yourself; it's also about the opponent."

"Therefore, when you reach the Martial Artisan level, you must have tactical considerations and constantly play games with your opponent. There will be feints and real moves, and there will be showing weakness and selling flaws like traps."

"The Martial Disciple masters moves, and the Martial Artisan uses moves, making them free and practical."

"But becoming practical does not mean abandoning moves. Every seemingly casual swing still maximizes the excellent principles of force exertion and so on."

"Next, you need constant accumulation, and then accumulation."

"Until one day, you have mastered every move thoroughly, even if you swing casually, your body texture will follow the martial arts force. You can gain insight into the battle situation, and the use of reality and illusion is already clear in your heart, knowing the shortest path to victory."

"The superposition of these two is no move beats having a move, which can make you a Master of martial arts!"

Ban Ji's face was a bit ugly after hearing this introduction.

It was impossible for him to spend a huge amount of time and energy on close-quarters fighting. His main practice was still mechanism arts and demonic arts.

"The remaining time is probably not enough for me to become a martial arts Master." Ban Ji assessed.

The instructor expressed approval: "Ban Ji, although your aptitude is very excellent, becoming a Master is not simple."

"You may be able to become a Master in less time than others, and less time than me. But this is definitely not one five years, nor two five years."

Ban Ji nodded and thought for a while: "Then, teacher, I am going to participate in the Xingyun Trial of the Nine-Layer Profound Weapon Armor, and I will definitely encounter a Profound Weapon Armor of this martial arts realm. How should I face no move beats having a move?"

The instructor smiled slightly: "There is a method."

"It's very simple."

"You just need to keep these four words in mind."

After a pause, he said: "Break skill with clumsiness."

The thoughts froze at this moment, Ban Ji opened his eyes suddenly, his expression twisted, filled with a kind of almost crazy barbarism.

"Good, then I will break skill with clumsiness!!"

He roared, did not dodge or avoid, reached out his right hand, like iron pliers, and reached directly towards the bronze saber, regardless of the sharpness of the blade.

The bronze saber cut lightly, cutting off several fingers of Ban Ji's right hand. Ban Ji took the opportunity to stand up, letting the cold bronze blade stab fiercely into his body.

Puchi!

The sharp blade entered the flesh and pierced the bone, blood arrows flying wildly!

The severe pain drowned his nerves like a tsunami, but Ban Ji let out a beast-like wild laugh, his muscles and bones locking tightly regardless of everything!

If Zhang Wangxing saw this scene, he would definitely give a thumbs up. Ban Ji was forced into a desperate situation and adopted the same tactics as him.

The bronze saber trembled violently, but it was difficult to break free from this prison of flesh and blood for a while!

Opportunity, only for an instant!

"Rise!" Ban Ji's eyes were about to split, and his spiritual sense mobilized the mace, flying knives, chain hammer, and nunchucks.

The bronze saber had just pulled out of Ban Ji's body, but the four bronze weapons arrived immediately, all hitting it!

The explosive sound of dang dang dang echoed on this battlefield.

The bronze saber was knocked to the ground.

Ban Ji staggered and pounced, grabbing the bronze saber hilt tightly, refining it with all his might.

The wound on his right shoulder was bloody and almost unrecognizable, and he let out a wanton and happy cry after succeeding.

The bronze saber trembled crazily, but after all, it was only one piece, difficult to resist the suppression of the four bronze wares, and Ban Ji's refining, finally becoming completely calm.

"I succeeded!"

"Hahahaha."

Ban Ji wanted to laugh out loud, but his physical strength was at the bottom. He could only lie in the pool of blood, twitching the corners of his mouth, making a weak, almost silent laugh.

"Breaking skill with clumsiness, wonderful!"

"Ning Zhuo—I will apply this feeling to you, and let you experience it too."

"Saber, I finally have a saber."

"Hehehe, hahaha."

"Next, if the sixth one is another sword—" Ban Ji's eyes turned gloomy while he was daydreaming.

He looked at the few broken fingers on the ground not far away.

His right hand fingers were cut off, leaving only the ring finger and little finger.

He could not grasp both the saber and the sword at the same time.

Realizing this, Ban Ji couldn't laugh anymore.

"If I could have a shield in this round, I might have won without injury and refined the bronze saber!"

Although the Profound Weapon Armor can also turn into armor plates for close protection, this is not its main function, and the actual combat protection effect is not good.

"Sigh—"

"My luck is not good this time, I am afraid I am suffering from the suppression of Ning Zhuo, this human tribulation. How could I encounter a shield?" Ban Ji shook his head in his heart, then closed his eyes weakly and fell into a deep sleep.

At this time, refining the fifth Profound Weapon Armor was equivalent to getting an admission ticket to the third round.

Ban Ji had no burden, followed his body's instinct for rest, fell directly into a deep sleep, and seized every time and opportunity to rest and recuperate.

Ning Zhuo was facing his fifth Profound Weapon Armor.

This was a long spear.

Without warning, the tip of the spear was so fast that it turned into a green light, tearing through Ning Zhuo's vision and stabbing straight over.

Ning Zhuo mobilized his spiritual sense, and the bronze saber and sword met it.

The spear body was like a spirit snake spitting out its tongue, easily bypassing the saber and sword, the tip of the spear shook, shaking out three spear shadows, taking Ning Zhuo's brow, throat, and heart respectively.

Ning Zhuo's pupils shrank violently, and in an instant, there was no thought of dodging.

Dang!

With an explosive sound, Ning Zhuo's footsteps did not move a bit. At the critical moment, he raised the bronze shield on his left arm, the thick shield surface covering his body, blocking all three spear shadows.

The floating bronze sword stabbed out silently, and the bronze saber followed immediately.

After the long spear clashed with the saber and sword, it retreated with a slight tremor.

The spear body hummed, as if unwilling.

The next moment, the long spear was no longer stabbing, but turned around fiercely with the momentum of retreating, like a giant python turning over, sweeping across the army, smashing fiercely at Ning Zhuo's left ribs!

Ning Zhuo's hair stood on end, and he immediately understood that if he blocked it directly, both sides would likely suffer. His own arm bone would also be shattered.

He took half a step back, his body sank slightly, and his center of gravity fell like a rock.

The shield followed the direction of the spear tail's smash, turning from vertical blocking to slight tilting in an instant!

But almost at the same time, the sweeping spear body was also changing the angle of attack.

Ning Zhuo took the initiative to raise the shield and meet it.

At the moment of contact, he sensed the change in the force of the bronze spear, immediately made a subtle reaction, and adjusted the angle of the shield, his left arm, and even his body's footing.

Bang.

With a muffled sound, the spear body smashed onto the tilted shield surface, and the huge force was guided obliquely downward along the tilted angle, into the stone brick ground under Ning Zhuo's feet.

In an instant, stone chips splashed.

Ning Zhuo's body swayed, but his footing never messed up.

He manipulated with his spiritual sense, and the bronze saber and sword attacked along the shield, cutting towards the middle section of the spear shaft, forcing the long spear to change moves and defend again.

Not only that, the two bronze gauntlets also took the opportunity to launch subsequent attacks, knocking the long spear back.

The long spear attacked, Ning Zhuo defended with the shield, the long spear attacked to no avail, and Ning Zhuo took the opportunity to counterattack.

The long spear had the realm of a Master, the spear technique was quite outstanding, no move beats having a move, often able to quickly repel the successive attacks of the saber, sword, and gauntlets.

But facing Ning Zhuo, it could never break through the defense of the shield.

Ning Zhuo also did not use the shield to participate in the attack, only to protect himself, using almost clumsy tactics, steady and steady.

When it comes to move clashing, the long spear is bound to be superior to Ning Zhuo and the four Profound Weapon Armors Ning Zhuo mastered. But Ning Zhuo relied on this tactic to drag the long spear to a situation where it could not exert its strengths.

Stab, blocked by the shield; sweep, force unloaded; collapse, patted away; entangle, cut off by saber and sword—no matter how miraculous the spear technique is, it cannot be displayed.

Finally, Ning Zhuo used the shield to hold the middle section of the spear shaft, pressing it firmly to the ground. The saber, sword, and gauntlets also fell together, assisting Ning Zhuo in suppressing the long spear.

Spirit Refining, Law Refining!

The struggling force of the bronze long spear weakened rapidly until it disappeared completely.

Ning Zhuo let out a long breath of turbid air, and his tense mood finally relaxed.

He looked at the shield surface full of scars, and then glanced at the bronze long spear, sighing sincerely: "Fortunately, I got this shield, otherwise, to win, the injuries I would suffer would definitely not be light."

One inch long, one inch strong.

This battlefield is very open. Ning Zhuo knew clearly that relying solely on gauntlets, saber, and sword to circle with this dragon-like long spear in an open area, he would have been poked with countless holes by the spear tip long ago.

But the shield stands like a wall, no matter how many changes you have, I will block them one by one. Not seeking merit but seeking no fault, as cautious as a turtle, as steady as an old dog.

The cultivators who saw this scene were all speechless.

"Ning Zhuo is really lucky to have obtained the only shield."

"In the battle of the fifth Profound Weapon Armor, he was the most relaxed. Even the three Golden Core cultivators were more embarrassed than him."

"Ban Ji is still in a coma."

The cultivators who were anxious for him before and felt that Ning Zhuo was wasting time all closed their mouths now.

Some people sighed sincerely: "This is a first-class genius!"