Chapter 510: Cold Abyss Body — Lu Zhen

The lingering heat from Cheng Feng's draw with Lu Zhen had not yet dissipated when, the next day, the Hengyang Lu Clan took the stage again.

There are no weaklings among the teams that can make it to the top ten.

Not to mention, the Lu Clan's Cold Abyss Body is famous far and wide.

In the front hall of Lan Yuan, white silk was spread out, the ink still wet.

Liu Yu used a charcoal pencil to sketch the outline of the West Two Array Platform on the white silk, with several circles and dots marking the positions of the Duan Dao Sect and Lu Clan teams.

Huo Luan lay by the table, holding half a cake in one hand and a pen in the other, drawing wherever Liu Yu pointed, not caring that cake crumbs were falling onto the white silk.

Gu Niangzi sat leaning against the window, a red armored beetle spinning on her fingertip, a black jade snake coiled around her wrist, occasionally flicking its tongue.

Wang Ji sat at the head of the table, her gaze falling upon the increasingly complete array diagram, her expression unreadable.

"Those five from the Duan Dao Sect follow a path of close-quarters strangulation," Liu Yu said.

"I watched their first two matches; they like to compress their formation into a wedge shape, with two people charging in first to tear open the opponent's line, and the others following behind. When they run into a tough opponent, they take turns wearing you down until you die."

"Those four collateral members of the Lu Clan are likely unable to stop them," Wang Ji said.

"They definitely can't stop them," Liu Yu nodded, "so the key depends on when Lu Zhen makes his move."

"If he acts too early, the Duan Dao Sect will have the chance to take out one or two of them before he exerts his full strength."

"If he acts too late, those four from the Lu Clan will have no choice but to be used as fodder first."

"But at least it preserves the face of the Immortal Seed, and it looks better to the Immortal Sect."

Wang Ji said indifferently: "The Lu Clan is a great clan. Great clans are best at calculating."

"Lu Zhen will not reveal the Cold Abyss Body too early."

"Although I know the name of his constitution is the Cold Abyss Body, it is not yet certain to what extent he has awakened."

"Just watch; for the first half of the round, the Lu Clan will surely be on the defensive."

"Let's go, let's head over and take a look."

The group stood up, boarded a carriage from the back door of Lan Yuan, and took advantage of the last bit of time before the match to rush to the Great Drill Ground.

Because his injuries had not yet healed, Cheng Feng was left at Lan Yuan by Wang Ji to recuperate and did not come along.

He was happy for the peace and quiet; at this moment, he was sitting cross-legged in his room, using the Snake Coil Seal to nourish his meridians.

It was just that the commotion from that group in the front hall was quite loud, reaching his room several times.

Knowing that an Immortal Seed was to make a move today, he could not calm his heart either.

At the Great Drill Ground, the spectators were even more crowded than the previous two days.

This match between the Hengyang Lu Clan and the Xichuan Duan Dao Sect was, on the surface, a battle between a noble clan and a sect, but in secret, it stirred the calculations of countless people.

The gambling house's odds changed again and again, from the Lu Clan giving a two-to-one handicap to having no more room to give by the time the match started.

"The Duan Dao Sect is not weak," an old martial artist squeezed into the front row of the stands, analyzing to the person next to him.

"All five are ruthless men at Organ Refining Peak, and that wedge formation of theirs has been practiced for at least ten years. They don't fear death when they fight; once they charge the formation, it falls into chaos."

"But Lu Zhen is an Immortal Seed after all. Immortal Seeds are different from us," the person next to him shook his head.

"People like them are born a cut above others."

"Look at the way he stands there; from beginning to end, he hasn't looked at anyone properly."

As they were speaking, the sound of drums erupted.

On the West Two Array Platform, the two teams were already separated at both ends.

The five men of the Duan Dao Sect were all in black tight-fitting outfits, with broad shoulders and thick arms, short blades tucked behind their waists, each one like a vicious wolf waiting to devour someone.

The four members of the Lu Clan were dressed in neat armor, long swords at their waists, arranged in a fan shape, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Lu Zhen was still in a moon-white robe, standing at the very back with his hands behind his back, like a jade tree growing in the dead of winter, completely out of place with the surrounding bloody killing intent.

"Begin the fight!"

The five men of the Duan Dao Sect surged forward simultaneously. The two in the lead were like two black arrows, plunging straight into the Lu Clan's formation.

The blade light went left and right, one aiming for the throat, the other for the lower abdomen, shockingly fast.

The four Lu Clan martial artists formed a fan shape, blades and swords crossing, forcefully blocking this wave of the charge five steps away.

But the Duan Dao Sect's second strike followed immediately, the blade momentum even more urgent and heavy.

Only a crisp "Crack!" was heard; the long sword in the hand of one Lu Clan martial artist was sliced in half, half the blade flying into the air, and the martial artist was also shaken back several steps, blood flowing from the web of his hand.

The second man from the Duan Dao Sect followed like a shadow, his short blade horizontal, cutting straight for his throat.

Just at this moment, Lu Zhen moved.

He had originally been standing behind the formation, watching with his hands behind his back, as if observing a match that had nothing to do with him.

Now he finally lifted his eyelids, slid his feet, and was already at the side of the second Duan Dao Sect man.

That man reacted quickly, his short blade slashing back, the blade light sweeping toward Lu Zhen's waist and ribs.

Lu Zhen did not block or dodge, only extending a single finger to tap lightly on the blade.

A layer of white frost grew wildly along the blade, covering the entire surface in the blink of an eye and spreading to the wrist of the man holding the blade.

The man's hand stiffened; hearing several crisp "crack" sounds, half the blade actually shattered into three or four pieces like a withered branch, falling to the ground with a clatter.

Terrified, he tried to pull back to retreat, but Lu Zhen was already in front of him, pressing his palm against the man's chest.

White mist exploded, a patch of ice flowers bloomed on the man's chest, and he was sent flying backward as if struck by a giant tree, covered in frost when he landed, unable to crawl up again.

"So fast," Huo Luan said, holding half a cake in her hand, forgetting to bring it to her mouth.

"What kind of technique is that?" Gu Niangzi frowned.

"An innate technique of the Cold Abyss Body," Wang Ji said.

"Ice Silence. Those touched by him have cold energy enter their bodies, and their blood vessels freeze."

"Light cases result in half the body stiffening, while heavy cases result in the heart pulse freezing to death."

"And this is still without being fully awakened."

"If he truly awakens it, he could freeze an opponent from several paces away."

Liu Yu added: "The most terrifying aspect of the Cold Abyss Body is not the ice. It is the 'Ice Silence'. The cold within his body is generated by his True Qi and bloodline, unlike the ice and snow outside; ordinary True Qi cannot block it at all.

To get close to him, one must use True Qi to protect the heart meridian, but for those at the Organ Refining realm, their True Qi has not yet fully manifested externally, so what can they use to protect it?

Therefore, the Cold Abyss Body is most lethal to those Martial Artists who specialize in body tempering."

Everyone was silent. Aside from Wang Ji, their biggest trump card was Cheng Feng, this body-tempering Martial Artist.

Yet, was this Cold Abyss Body a natural counter to body-tempering Martial Artists?

"All things in the world have their mutual generation and restraint." Wang Ji seemed to see through their thoughts, her tone calm. "The cold aura of the Cold Abyss Body seeps into the meridians and is specifically designed to break body-tempering physiques.

If Cheng Feng were to fight Lu Zhen to the death, he must not let him make contact. But since he uses a close-quarters fighting style, this will be difficult."

"Not necessarily." Liu Yu pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Although the Ice Silence of the Cold Abyss Body is overbearing, Lu Zhen has not yet fully awakened.

If he really wants to fight Cheng Feng, he must get close to channel the cold energy in.

If Cheng Feng can keep the distance outside of Lu Zhen's arm reach and use his weapon to wear him down, he might be able to drag it out until his cold energy runs dry."

"But Lu Zhen's True Qi is much more profound than Cheng Feng's." Gu Niangzi interjected. "Cheng Feng is at Organ Refining, while Lu Zhen is at the True Qi Realm.

One is close-quarters, the other is mid-range; if they drag it out, the first one to collapse will be Cheng Feng."

Wang Ji did not refute this, only saying: "That is why I said that when the time comes, I should also make my move."

Huo Luan sat up straight with a "clatter": "You are going to make a move? Didn't you say that an Immortal Seed cannot be easily used?"

"That was during the early melee." Wang Ji smiled, though there was no real warmth in her eyes.

"Now that we have reached the top five, the top three, if I still stand in the center of the Battle Platform pretending to be dead, that is no longer self-preservation, but a burden.

Since Lu Zhen has already drawn his Sword, I should also let them see that the title of Zhennan Prince's daughter is not just for show."

Liu Yu and Huo Luan exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking.

They both knew that if Wang Ji truly made her move, it would be equivalent to formally revealing her identity and strength as an Immortal Seed at the Martial Dao competition.

From that point on, there would be no turning back for any match.

After that, it would be a battle between Immortal Seeds.

On the Battle Platform, the Duan Dao Sect was already in chaos.

Lu Zhen struck twice in succession, once shattering a blade, once freezing a person; his movements were extremely fast.

Even several elders of the Immortal Sects high up in the spectator stands began to sit up straight. One of the elders said: "Such methods are already no less than the Ganying Realm."

The others nodded slightly, remaining calm.

The remaining three members of the Duan Dao Sect were shocked and furious; ignoring any battle formations, the three of them lunged together, three blades striking simultaneously, slashing at Lu Zhen from the upper, middle, and lower paths.

The blade wind was fierce, as if they were prepared to perish together.

Lu Zhen did not even lift his eyes, gently exhaling a breath of white air.

The white air did not dissipate in the air, suddenly transforming into a cold current that circled around him like a white snake.

The three short blades struck simultaneously within three inches of his body; before the blade tips could reach him, they were wrapped by the cold current.

Frost exploded on the blades, and fine ice crystals formed on the wrists and cheeks of the three men simultaneously; their entire bodies stiffened in place, as if they had been frozen.

Lu Zhen walked slowly between the three of them; with every step he took, the complexions of the three men turned a shade paler.

By the time he reached the edge of the Battle Platform, the three men behind him fell to the ground almost simultaneously, their short blades slipping from their hands and making three crisp sounds.

The entire audience was silent at first, followed by an uproar.

"The Duan Dao Sect has no one left to fight. The Hengyang Lu Clan wins!" the referee shouted.

The entire arena was silent for several breaths before an overwhelming roar of astonishment erupted.

"Damn it... so this is an Immortal Seed." Huo Luan slammed the pancake in his hand onto the table, his voice changing pitch.

Liu Yu did not speak. He stared at the snow-white figure on the Battle Platform, but in his mind, he was thinking that in three days, they might truly have to face the Lu Clan on the Battle Platform to decide the victor.

Wang Ji seemed to see through his thoughts and said in a low voice: "It is fine. When the time comes, I should also make my move."

After she finished speaking, she turned and left the spectator stand, her robes fluttering like a sword slowly being drawn from its sheath.

The others followed behind, no one speaking another word. Only Huo Luan walked a few steps, suddenly looked back at the frost-covered Battle Platform, and whispered: "Can that blockhead Cheng Feng really fight this monster?"

Liu Yu did not answer.

This question no longer had an answer. If they truly met in the next match, the outcome would be revealed.