Chapter 177: Combat Techniques

Lin Xiaobao did not think too much of it, and Ding Mengqiu was naturally not a scheming person either. Their casual back-and-forth banter sounded effortless, but to Zhuo Zhengyang's ears, it carried an entirely different flavor. "I will definitely make you regret today's words and actions!"

Even though he was once again pushed to the verge of a frenzy by Lin Xiaobao, Zhuo Zhengyang still remembered his status as an instructor and did not strike first.

"Then pardon me!" Lin Xiaobao did not stand on ceremony either. He knew that saying anything more at this point was a waste of breath. He had a certain understanding of Zhuo Zhengyang's personality; unless he produced strength that won the instructor's recognition, it would only make Zhuo Zhengyang dislike him more and more.

The moment his voice fell, Lin Xiaobao felt himself locked onto by the opponent's spiritual sense. Zhuo Zhengyang also seemed relatively true to his word, controlling the intensity of his spiritual sense to around the peak of the Ninth Stage of the Spirit Realm.

Lin Xiaobao likewise released his own spiritual sense to firmly lock onto his opponent. With a loud shout, he leaped backward by several zhang, widening the distance between them.

The Sixth Form of the Dragon-Slaying Sword Art—Purple Flame Dragon Slaughter!

The Azure Shadow Sword moved rapidly in Lin Xiaobao's hand, and in the blink of an eye, his entire body was suffused with a dazzling cyan glow. Driven by the True Essence Fire Art, the natal true fire within his body poured into the blade of the Azure Shadow Sword, filling the all-encompassing sword images with a violent, berserk aura.

Such a formidable aura! Just as Lin Xiaobao was gathering his momentum, every student present could sense his immense power. Even though those present considered themselves geniuses, many of them sighed in their hearts, feeling inferior upon seeing this display by Lin Xiaobao.

Even Ding Mengqiu looked at Lin Xiaobao with a hint of surprise. She had never witnessed Lin Xiaobao in combat before. She had always believed that Lin Xiaobao was merely riding on Chen Zhong's coattails to get by in the Profound Sect, and she assumed Chen Zhong had secretly pulled strings to help him bypass this entrance test. Yet at this moment, she had to admit that even if he had taken the test, Lin Xiaobao possessed the ability and the qualification to pass it.

Watching the steadily climbing momentum around Lin Xiaobao, a flash of excitement crossed Zhuo Zhengyang's eyes. Possessing a fiery temper, he was also a battle-hungry enthusiast. The strength Lin Xiaobao was displaying now seemed to have piqued his interest somewhat, at least giving him a bit more enthusiasm despite suppressing his cultivation to the Ninth Stage of the Spirit Realm.

Amidst the astonishment of the onlookers, accompanied by a shout like a clap of thunder, Lin Xiaobao's entire body erupted with streams of cyan light under the influence of his natal true fire. Like a burning god of fire carrying peerless, scorching spiritual power, he left a cyan afterimage in mid-air. In an instant, he appeared ten zhang to the side of Zhuo Zhengyang. Wielding his blazing, burning sword wrapped in ten zhang of roaring flames and an aura fierce enough to destroy everything in the world, he hacked down madly toward Zhuo Zhengyang.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of sword images mixed with raging fire formed an airtight attack net, enveloping Zhuo Zhengyang within it. The howling roar of the fire distorted the surrounding space.

What a powerful attack! If they had merely been in awe of Lin Xiaobao's momentum just a moment ago, then at this instant, they were praising his actual offensive power. Quite a few students even wondered if they were in Instructor Zhuo's shoes, would they be able to escape unscathed from Lin Xiaobao's assault?

As an instructor of the Soaring Dragon Academy, his strength was definitely incomparable to ordinary people, even though Zhuo Zhengyang had suppressed his cultivation to the peak of the Ninth Stage of the Spirit Realm.

Feeling the rolling wave of heat approaching from all directions, a trace of surprise stirred within Zhuo Zhengyang. Lin Xiaobao was merely at the Spirit Realm, yet he had already cultivated a natal true fire? However, while such an attack looked extremely fierce, to him, it was merely a bit troublesome.

Yes, just a bit troublesome.

"Everyone, look closely! This is what we have covered regarding how to find the weaknesses in an opponent's attack." Zhuo Zhengyang's voice penetrated Lin Xiaobao's barrier of natal true fire and reached the ears of everyone present. They saw him trace two rather peculiar arcs with his hands, and the crimson natal true fire immediately formed a rhombus-shaped cone in front of him, stabbing straight upward into the sky. At the same time, his entire body soared into the air, instantly piercing through Lin Xiaobao's attack. With a single pivot mid-air, he condensed his spiritual power with his natal true fire into the shape of a long whip, lashing out fiercely and directly toward Lin Xiaobao.

Seeing the opponent break through his defense with such effortless ease, Lin Xiaobao felt a slight shock in his heart. At that very moment, he sensed a powerful blast of fire carrying a thick, scorching heat rushing straight at him.

Lin Xiaobao instantly flicked his wrist and vibrated his sword. The countless fiery nets he had previously cast out immediately converged into a single mass to block Zhuo Zhengyang's spiritual whip.

However, the moment Lin Xiaobao's hitherto invincible spiritual power made contact with the opponent's attack, it immediately scattered outward to both sides. Lin Xiaobao could not help but rapidly retreat backward.

Scarlet Thunder Secret Flame!

From the tyrannical aura emanating from that spiritual whip, Lin Xiaobao instantly deduced that Zhuo Zhengyang's natal true fire had refined the Scarlet Thunder Secret Flame.

Among exotic fires, the Scarlet Thunder Secret Flame was considered top-tier. The tyrannical aura mixed within the flames was capable of tearing through almost any obstacle.

As Lin Xiaobao retreated, the spiritual whip in Zhuo Zhengyang's hand seemed to have grown eyes. Twisting its body like a poisonous snake thrusting its tongue, it continuously extended, wrapping around Lin Xiaobao's waist.

The spiritual whip did not erupt with an overwhelming momentum in Zhuo Zhengyang's hands, but its tricky, devious angles made it impossible to guard against.

So spiritual power could be utilized in this way! Lin Xiaobao suddenly realized that in his past battles, although his momentum always looked grand and shockingly impressive, the actual force effectively applied to his opponent was not all that much. Strictly speaking, it wasted a fair amount of spiritual power.

If he was facing opponents who were weaker or of the same rank, suppressing them with momentum alone could indeed rout the enemy in one fell swoop. However, against a genuine powerhouse, that style of combat was entirely unsuited for protracted warfare.

Having figured this out, Lin Xiaobao immediately adjusted his fighting style. Reining in his spiritual power, his overall momentum instantly became much more restrained. As the Azure Shadow Sword in his hand flashed with rapid cuts, Lin Xiaobao's figure continuously closed in on Zhuo Zhengyang.

The opponent had condensed his spiritual power into a whip; if the distance was too great, he would be at a disadvantage. Lin Xiaobao decided to press into close combat.

The long whip in Zhuo Zhengyang's hand was formed from spiritual power, and in terms of hardness, it naturally could not compare to the Azure Shadow Sword reinforced by Lin Xiaobao's spiritual energy. Although Zhuo Zhengyang possessed a wealth of combat techniques, he could hardly unleash even ten to twenty percent of his power under these conditions.

Clang... Clang... Clang... Both of them struck with extreme swiftness, continuously bursting forth with the sound of clashing metal. In the process, their figures were also closing in on one another step by step.

Seeing that Lin Xiaobao could realize his own weakness in such a short span of time and make the correct adjustment to counterattack, a trace of approval also flashed in Zhuo Zhengyang's eyes.

Just as Lin Xiaobao's figure drew near, Zhuo Zhengyang flicked his wrist, and the spiritual whip in his hand instantly transformed into a crimson spiritual sword.

Even though he had suppressed his cultivation to the peak of the Ninth Stage of the Spirit Realm, his own realm was still there after all, so the power of the Ninth Stage peak was executed by him with absolute perfection at this moment.

Once they engaged in close-quarters combat, the speed of both parties accelerated even further. Like two wisps of cyan smoke entwined together, for a moment, apart from the continuous ringing of weapons colliding, their figures could no longer be clearly distinguished.

Whether he deliberately intended to prompt Lin Xiaobao or genuinely planned to use this battle to instruct his student, Zhuo Zhengyang, who was currently locked in fierce combat, spoke up once more: "Everyone pay attention! Lin Xiaobao's speed is remarkably fast. From my perspective, I naturally must avoid my opponent's strengths, so right now I should choose to compete with him in raw power rather than speed!"