Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 158 - 148: Xie Jin’an’s Strength
The snow in the sky was falling heavier and heavier.
The entire imperial city of Luochuan was already covered in a layer of brilliant white snow.
"The snow in Tianjue must be even thicker, right?"
Qin Qing walked briskly through the Great Qian Martial Institute, looking at the world around him that resembled an icy, snowy land, and couldn’t help but feel emotional.
The climate in Tianjue was harsher than in Luochuan.
Often when the snow in Luochuan had melted, that in Tianjue would still be three inches thick.
In Qin Qing’s mind, images surfaced of his younger days, playing and frolicking in the snow with his parents and sister, the whole family together.
"With this battle, defeating Xie Jin’an, I’ve truly made a name for myself in the Great Qian Martial Institute, and I should also be able to enter the field of vision of those princes in the Imperial Court!"
"Perhaps through this, I could find out more information about my parents..."
Qin Qing thought to himself.
The Martial Arts Ground of the Great Qian Martial Institute.
Just like that, the heavy snow fell, and the snowflakes swirling in the air wove into a vast curtain, shrouding the mountains and rivers of the land.
However, at the high platforms where the spectators were, and where the disciples stood, spiritual arrays enveloped the area, evaporating the snowflakes as soon as they touched the array in an instant.
It was only on the Cloud Palace arena that the spiritual array to resist the snow and wind hadn’t been activated, and the hard, black Xuanwu stone on the ground of the arena was quickly covered with snow. Unnoticed, the snow had already accumulated more than half a foot high!
Everyone was waiting, waiting for Qin Qing’s return.
Half an hour was soon coming to an end.
And at this moment, a blue figure appeared, walking through the wind and snow with swift and steady steps.
"Senior Qin is here!"
A disciple from the West Courtyard shouted loudly.
"Senior Qin!"
"Senior Qin..."
Quite a few West Courtyard Disciples came to greet Qin Qing.
Fervent gazes locked onto Qin Qing, all filled with reverence and admiration!
Almost all the disciples from the West Courtyard had thought that this year’s year-end assessment would be no different from previous years.
The West Courtyard would be swept away again, its disciples cruelly trampled by the likes of Gu Fengxian and Xie Jin’an.
Therefore, even many of the top-ranking disciples in the West Courtyard dared not come forth to fight.
But Qin Qing’s emergence changed the tide.
Not only did he lead the West Courtyard to a complete victory over the East Campus in the year-end assessment of new disciples,
but he also played a pivotal role in the battles among senior disciples!
It can be said that Qin Qing had established absolute prestige among all the disciples of the West Courtyard, and he had become a legend in the hearts of all the disciples!
"Qin Qing, you’ve finally arrived!"
Xie Jin’an watched Qin Qing being welcomed in procession, a trace of derision hidden in his expression.
Qin Qing smiled faintly, responding with a smile to the surrounding West Courtyard disciples, then turned his gaze back to the center of the arena.
Xie Jin’an had been standing there as if he hadn’t moved at all, so much so that his body was also covered in a layer of snow.
"Now that you’re here, let’s just start!"
Xie Jin’an sneered, and with a ’Peng’, his spiritual power burst forth, shaking all the snow that had settled on him into the air, scattering in all directions.
Qin Qing still ascended the platform step by step.
His feet treading through the thick layer of snow.
Snowflakes from the sky landed on his newly changed blue robe.
"Buzz buzz!"
Suddenly.
Spiritual power rippled around Xie Jin’an.
In that instant, Qin Qing sensed a hint of danger.
Xie Jin’an’s strength, it seemed, was no less than Gu Fengxian’s...
Xie Jin’an stood in place, his robe billowing, and from his eyes, a light as brilliant as the stars suddenly shot forth.
Majestic as a sword!
This is the essence of a sword cultivator, still until they strike, and once they do, they are like a drawn sword, displaying their sharpness for all to see.
He pointed towards Qin Qing through the void.
At his fingertip, a dazzling point of white light coalesced.
The next moment, the wind and snow pervading the sky, along with the bone-chilling coldness, all converged towards the point on his fingertip.
Instantly, all the chilliness gathered into a strand of sword qi.
"Whoosh!"
The sword qi cut through the air, slashing directly at Qin Qing’s face.
Qin Qing’s pupils shrank, and without any hesitation, the blue flames around his body burst into a fierce blaze in an instant.
At the same time, he clenched his left hand into a fist and, with a thunderous punch, struck towards the oncoming sword qi.
"Boom!"
Spiritual power surged, flames erupted, and the chill shattered.
In that instant, the Cloud Palace platform seemed to transform into an ocean of ice, snow, and flames.
Qin Qing and Xie Jin’an both took five or six steps back, fixing their gazes on each other with eyes filled with shock and deep wariness. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
With just this one strike, Qin Qing could confirm that Xie Jin’an’s strength was definitely above Gu Fengxian’s.
Similarly, Qin Chang, Xu Fang, and others, upon seeing this strike, came to the same realization.
"This Xie Jin’an... he has improved a lot in this one year!" Even Gu Fengxian couldn’t help but show a bitter smile.
Although he was seriously injured, he did not rush to leave. After treating his wounds and taking an elixir, he stayed in the Cloud Palace arena, wanting to witness the battle between Xie Jin’an and Qin Qing with his own eyes.
"No wonder Xie Jin’an climbed the Ascension Ladder faster than me... his strength has already surpassed mine!" Gu Fengxian thought to himself.
"A year ago, Xie Jin’an’s strength was still below Gu Fengxian’s, but in the span of this year, his growth has already surpassed that of Gu Fengxian!" Linghu Leiyue’s face showed a smile, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"A sword cultivator is indeed a sword cultivator, their potential is greater than that of typical martial cultivators!" Lu Xunxue said.
Shangguan Yong, standing to the side, had a faint look of displeasure on his face.
The better Xie Jin’an performed, the more impressive Qin Qing appeared.
Right now, he wished nothing more than for Qin Qing to drop dead immediately; he had no interest in listening to others praise Xie Jin’an or Qin Qing.
Seeing Shangguan Yong’s displeasure, Jun Jiulin spoke up, "Qin Qing gave his all in his battle with Gu Fengxian, and he must have sustained serious injuries. Now, he’s able to withstand a strike from Xie Jin’an? However... I think he might be at the end of his tether!"
Upon hearing Jun Jiulin’s words, the other Elder Martial Cultivators from the East Campus nodded in agreement.
No matter how powerful Qin Qing was, no matter how great his talent, what of it?
Everyone saw his exhaustive battle with Gu Fengxian.
The extent of Qin Qing’s exhaustion was clear to all.
Although Qin Qing was given an hour to recuperate,
What could half an hour do?
But in reality, how could they know that Qin Qing’s injuries were almost completely healed, and his condition was nearly fully restored?
They measured Qin Qing with conventional wisdom without knowing that Qin Qing was not someone who could be gauged by conventional standards.
At this moment, on the Cloud Palace platform, the battle intensified.
Xie Jin’an’s Martial Spirit had manifested.
His Martial Spirit was actually a sword!
"Sword Martial Spirit!"
Qin Qing was equally shocked in his heart.
The existence of an Instrument Martial Spirit was already rare, much less common than a Beast Martial Spirit.
And a Sword Martial Spirit was the pinnacle among Instrument Martial Spirits, giving its wielder a unique advantage in practicing the way of the sword!
"Qin Qing, how many more moves can you withstand?"
Xie Jin’an’s body roiled with Sword Intent, and a fierce aura of killing filled the air. He stepped towards Qin Qing, his body surrounded by swirling sword qi, and the sound of it slicing through the air was unceasing...
