Chapter 11: A Single Move

Jiang Ning noticed that Erhuang was no longer injured by the white light triggered by the killing formation. He had intervened with the force of thunder, breaking Zhang Yanli’s control over the array. He let out a sigh of relief.

“You useless fool, you actually tried to cripple me?!” Zhang Yanli screeched, her demeanor that of a shrew. Paired with her sharp, bitter face, she was indistinguishable from a quarrelsome middle-aged woman on the street. The crowd was speechless. Zhang Yanli’s insult lacked finesse—calling someone useless when she herself nearly got crippled. Wasn’t she cursing herself?

But most people were itching for Jiang Ning to be brought down. They wanted those senior and junior sisters who fancied Jiang Ning to see that being handsome didn’t necessarily mean being good.

“Senior Brother Jiang Ning, go for it!” A junior sister stood atop another peak, cheering for him.

“…”

“At first I thought he was fine, but now I can’t wait to see him defeated,” said several junior sisters who had just entered the inner sect after the last outer court competition. Not yet at the Enlightenment Stage, unable to fly, they had climbed up for a better view, drawn by Jiang Ning’s looks. Each one was becoming a young woman, coveted by the inner sect brothers, but all had their own favorites.

“Senior Brother Jiang Ning is the most handsome!”

Another girl shouted.

“Now I just want to give him a beating,” muttered a few inner sect disciples, their faces dark. These were the ones whose Spirit Liquid had been stolen by Erhuang last time, coming to collect their debt, only to have Li Zhenyu peacefully resolve the matter.

“If you want to make a move, fight us first.”

Wang Shuo had also heard the shouts, and the sinister smile on his face deepened. He wanted to trample Jiang Ning right here and now.

“Fine, let’s fight—but release them first.”

Jiang Ning repeated himself, still holding the array core.

“Tell me the incantation and hand signs to unlock the array.”

“You won’t be able to do it,” Zhao Feng replied with a calm air. His spirit-powered flying sword still hovered above Jiang Ning’s head. “If you mess with the array core, there might be consequences like what just happened…” His words were a warning. He was also making it clear that if Erhuang had died just now, it wouldn’t have been their fault.

Unlike Wang Shuo, who had backing and seemed unconcerned about Jiang Ning’s status as a personal disciple, Zhao Feng was still somewhat wary. He was a smooth operator, renowned for his elegance among the inner sect disciples, not as fierce as Wang Shuo.

“Tell me how to unlock it.”

Even with the sword at his brow, Jiang Ning did not back down.

“Attack!”

Wang Shuo could not wait, launching straight into action without another confrontation. With a shout, the flying sword before him shot toward Jiang Ning, detonating mid-air.

“Bang!!”

Jiang Ning kicked off, retreating rapidly. This was not as he had planned. He had intended to rescue Erhuang and refuse to fight, so everyone would only know he had reached the Enlightenment Stage and could travel by rainbow light—a common feat among inner disciples, nothing special.

But with Zhang Yanli ahead and Wang Shuo behind, both forced him to act.

“Zhang Yanli has only just entered the Enlightenment Stage. Let’s see if you can withstand me!” Wang Shuo’s face twisted viciously, as if this were a feud of life and death. An outsider might think there was some deep grudge between them. “Jiang Ning, even a personal disciple is just a joke!”

Jiang Ning retreated swiftly. As Wang Shuo’s sword exploded, the shockwave also shook the one Zhao Feng had at his brow, giving Jiang Ning a chance to escape. He circulated his spiritual energy, forming a small cycle within his body at the tenth layer of the Enlightenment Stage. His aura was cut off from heaven and earth; others could not sense his true level.

“Jiang Ning!”

Wang Shuo pressed forward, fists pounding with the force of the Dao.

“Don’t call me that, it sounds so mushy,” Jiang Ning dodged, spiritual energy spreading across his feet, continually avoiding Wang Shuo’s attacks.

“Senior Brother Wang Shuo must have reached the sixth layer of the Enlightenment Stage!” someone in the crowd sensed the fluctuations, somewhere between the sixth and seventh layers.

“To comprehend traces of the Dao at the sixth layer—Senior Brother Wang Shuo really has remarkable talent…”

“Jiang Ning is in danger. His aura is suppressed, probably just a few rounds before the outcome is decided.”

Li Qiaochan remained silent. Standing at the back, her beautiful eyes flickered, fixed on Jiang Ning, as if pondering something.

“Senior Brother Wang Shuo, kill him!” Zhang Yanli was even more spiteful now, having been slapped by Jiang Ning in public. Driven by real anger, she wished to imprison and slap him repeatedly, so despite the sect’s prohibition against infighting, her words remained venomous.

Jiang Ning hesitated at this moment.

“With the strength of the tenth layer, I could break all spells with one punch and defeat him within ten rounds, but that would reveal how much stronger I am.”

He narrowly avoided Wang Shuo’s fists each time, feeling this couldn’t continue. If any of the sect’s old monsters of the Nine Heavens of Demons and Gods were watching, he would surely expose the secret of his immortal spirit body.

“Better to reveal my strength than the immortal spirit body!”

There was no time to think further.

“Hmph.”

Wang Shuo was surprised Jiang Ning dodged his attacks, but then a cold smile appeared at his lips. The spatial ring on his hand began to shine.

“He’s about to use a weapon! End it quickly!”

Jiang Ning made up his mind. His spiritual energy roared, and in his ears sounded the Dao’s music, audible only to him. He noticed that the Dao patterns imprinted in his meridians and bones also faintly appeared, but with the fight in full swing, he had no time to pay attention. He threw a punch.

“Boom!”

Wang Shuo’s face changed dramatically.

“What powerful spiritual energy!”

“This guy…”

Li Qiaochan’s eyes brightened, staring intently at Jiang Ning.

In the next instant, like a storm sweeping through dead wood, Wang Shuo could not withstand the blow. He staggered back, yet the force wrapped in spiritual energy did not relent.

“Shh—”

Before the crowd’s eyes, Wang Shuo spat blood, then was sent flying over ten meters before crashing to the ground.

One move!

Wang Shuo was knocked out cold.

“Damn, I’m this strong?”

Jiang Ning had never fought anyone before. Having reached the legendary tenth layer of Enlightenment, this was his first bout in the inner sect. He used all his strength—almost everything he had—and Wang Shuo couldn’t take it.

“This…”

The spectators were speechless, silence fell all around.

“There’s one more!”

Without hesitation, Jiang Ning pressed toward Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng, terrified, tried to fly away, but was slower than Jiang Ning. This time Jiang Ning controlled his strength, merely knocking him back. Zhao Feng couldn’t endure it either, falling heavily and sitting on the ground.

Jiang Ning seized his flying sword, pressing it to Zhao Feng’s forehead.

“Unlock the formation for me!”

Only now did the crowd recall that Jiang Ning still held the array core. With a single punch, his spiritual energy was overwhelmingly dominant, defeating both Zhao Feng and Wang Shuo.

Zhang Yanli was even more stunned. The venom on her face turned to terror; if Jiang Ning attacked her, he might not kill her, but crippling her would be a matter of one move.

“Damn, I really am this strong…”

Jiang Ning thought to himself. He knew he was stronger than others, but hadn’t realized the gap was this wide.

“Gulp…”

In the silence, someone swallowed audibly.

Only now did people slowly accept the reality before them.

Li Qiaochan’s eyes flickered, looking at Jiang Ning, with a new light in her gaze.

“Senior Brother Jiang Ning is too strong!”

“Senior Brother Jiang Ning, I love you!”

Only the few newly promoted outer court junior sisters cheered from the mountainside of another peak.