Meng Jiao grumbled, "This kid really has some tricks up his sleeve. He has challenged more than a dozen martial arts veins so far, and nobody has been able to gauge his depth."
"Yue Qingshan of the Qingtian Martial Vein, with his âShaking Mountain Yi,â you remember him, donât you, senior brother? This person has integrated divine skills into his saber techniques, having long reached a transformational realm. He possesses the ancestral divine skill âThousand Layers of Heaven.â Yet he admitted defeat voluntarily after enduring one hundred and sixteen strikes from this kid without managing to land a single blow himself!"
The man in black nodded gravely.
That âThousand Layers of Heavenâ is the highest divine skill of the Qingtian Martial Vein. Once unleashed, it is relentless and ever-intensifying; beneath a thousand layers, it has the power to create heavens and sunder earths!
Years ago, Qingyuanâs Ancestor cultivated this divine skill to Great Success, capable of crushing stars and grasping moons between his fingers.
Before his departure, Yue Qingshan had just broken free from the third Chains. Now, at most, he is at the stage of Five or possibly Six Breakthroughs. One hundred and sixteen consecutive strikes should be his limit.
Ji Jingqiu could face and withstand his strongest techniques directly, not even needing to continue the fight.
Absolutely no chance of victory!
Meng Jiao continued his torrent of words:
"Qu Zhushang of the Heavenly Snake Martial Vein, having cultivated the âHeavenly Snake Transformation Dragon Chapterâ to Great Success, achieved Five Breakthroughs in his corporeal body, yet not entering Heart Image. With his âHeavenly Dragon Struggle Sky Techniqueâ that could shake heaven and strike earth, even I felt uneasy watching. Yet in the first sixty-seven moves, Ji Jingqiu only defended and did not attack, finally subduing him with a spiritual palm strike!"
"And there was Ye Linjiang of the Donglin Dojo, master of the âCall Riverâ divine skill. The two came to blows on the banks of that great river which spans the Donglin Star, with Ye Linjiang having every advantage of home turf â drawing upon the strength of the Yangtze. Still, he was defeated by Ji Jingqiuâs first strike severing the river, and the second striking down the enemy."
"Yun Xuanfei of the Heart Sword Lineage... well, letâs not talk too much about her. Specialized in spiritual divine powers, Ji Jingqiu conversed and debated with her in a clash of spirits. Though it took dozens of minutes to determine the victor, Yun Xuanfei voluntarily revealed afterwards that her defeat was not much different from the othersâ..."
"And thereâs Yu Mingcong of the Star Cutting Lineage..."
"These people, strictly speaking, havenât even managed to withstand three moves from Ji Jingqiu!"
"This kid isnât just making courtesy calls to ask about Dao, heâs outright sweeping across all veins!"
"There are already Heavenly Humans who have suggested that the Hundred Veins consider gathering together, rather than letting Ji Jingqiu run around."
Meng Jiao clenched his teeth in frustration. It was because such battle achievements kept coming in, causing all parties to be flabbergasted, that strategies were thrown into disarray, especially for those martial arts veins facing imminent challenges...
Not to mention, their Sun and Moon Dojo and Dragon Tiger Dojo had old grievances with him.
Their master had already issued them a death order: they werenât required to defeat Ji Jingqiu, but they must at least withstand three moves!
Meng Jiao listed four or five examples, leaving Tian Zuijianâs expression ever more astonished.
Through his junior brotherâs explanation, Tian Zuijian grasped the impressive track record of Ji Jingqiu in recent times.
These people were all of his generation, or slightly younger, at least three or four decades older than that Ji Jingqiu.
The divine skills they wielded were also core heritages of the Federationâs Hundred Veins.
The Federationâs current strength might not be comparable to those top-tier civilization collectives, but the Hundred Veinsâ legacy passed down for ten thousand years is second to none!
This was something Tian Zuijian, a martial artist who had fought on the Heavenly Road for many years, was very much aware of and took pride in. In all realms, there were legends of the Flame Brillianceâs rare talent over a span of ten thousand years.
But in the end, Ji Jingqiu started with only defense and overcame his opponent with a final move.
"This truly is Dao Asking of the Hundred Veins..."
Licking his dry lips, a fiery combat desire gleamed in Tian Zuijianâs eyes.
He was convinced that Ji Jingqiuâs defensive stance was "stealing learning," or rather, Observing Dao.
This was common on the Heavenly Road, where everyone frequently sparred, using the otherâs divine skills to hone their own, observing and absorbing the true essence of the otherâs Daoist skills and integrating it into their own Martial Arts.
However...
In just a few dozen moves, Ji Jingqiu had discerned the true essence of divine skills?
That was astonishing!
Whether it was âThousand Layers of Heavenâ or the âHeavenly Snake Transformation Dragon Chapter,â both were Grandmaster heritages of the Federation. Discerning their essence within just dozens of moves, what level of comprehension is that?
"Do you think this guy is a monster? At just a couple of years old, he achieved the Spiritual Fetal Breath, rampaging through the Chains Realm, heâs simply a freak!"
Meng Jiao said indignantly,
"Even against the core Grandmaster legacies of various martial arts veins, he not only repels them but turns them around and restrains them!"
"There are no invincible techniques, only invincible individuals," Tian Zuijian sighed. "To speak of Grandmaster inheritance, how many of their followers have truly followed the old path to realize Grandmaster status? On the contrary, the current Grandmasters have stepped out of the boundaries of the Hundred Veins, carving their own paths."
"Of course, that Ji Jingqiu is still terrifying!" Tian Zuijian said gravely, "If he is really as I suspect, perceiving the true essence of divine skills within a few dozen moves, such comprehension..."
He paused, then said solemnly:
"Will not be inferior to those of the top echelon geniuses that have emerged on the Heavenly Road in recent years! He might even surpass them!"
"Youâve never been to the Heavenly Road. If you had seen those geniuses from various worlds on the Heavenly Road, you wouldnât be so surprised."
"For those individuals, overcoming a major realm to defeat opponents of a higher level is a quite common occurrence."
"Some of them, even without becoming Heavenly Humans, have managed to escape with their lives from our own Heavenly Human Martial Artists!"
At these words, Meng Jiaoâs eyelids twitched, and he blurted out, "Are they Quasi-heavenly?"
Tian Zuijian shook his head: "From what I know, at least one of them has not even entered Heart Image."
Meng Jiao was startled. The gap between Heavenly Humans and those below was so vast that it was said to be even greater than that between Heart Image and Body Refining.
Even the top ten of the Federationâs Hidden Dragon List, those Quasi-heavenly close to becoming Heavenly Humans, at best, had only earned the right to fight evenly.