“Dragon Grasping Hand” is one of the foundations for cultivating the “Dust Sealing Sword Art”, and another essential foundation is the “Wandering Dragon Art”.
There was simply no other way, as the sword techniques of the “Dust Sealing Sword Art” possessed extraordinary speed, making them incredibly difficult to control with ordinary cultivation and a mortal body.
One must understand that a sword, unlike a hammer or a spear, relies heavily on the flexibility of the wrists when wielded. When the speed of the techniques reaches a certain level, the wrists absolutely cannot endure the strain without the protection of a sufficiently high cultivation realm. Forcing the execution would inevitably lead to dislocated tendons and ruined wrists.
Therefore, the “Thirty-Six Dragon Grasping Hands”, as the foundation for cultivating the sword art, serves largely as a safeguard to protect the wrists and prevent injury.
Naturally, it is not merely about protection. The sword art states, “Only when the hand holds the intent to grasp the dragon can one bind the azure dragon.”
The meaning is not hard to understand. To wield a sword and compete, one must first be able to hold onto the sword firmly.
As for the “Wandering Dragon Art”, it is the movement technique used to execute the sword art. The complete form of thirty-six swords in a single breath complements the “Thirty-Six Wandering Dragon Art” and is further divided into the Yin and Yang Arts. Striking thirty-six swords in a single breath to defend all around is a defensive stance, known as the Yin Art. Striking thirty-six swords in a single breath to surround and attack the enemy is an offensive stance, known as the Yang Art.
Regardless of whether it is the Yin Art or the Yang Art, creating an offensive and defensive presence all around cannot be achieved by the hands alone. It requires the coordination of extremely agile movement techniques, which is precisely the Wandering Dragon Art.
Since cultivating the “Dust Sealing Sword Art”, he had never actually fought anyone using its complete form. The ones who had endured more of his sword techniques were actually Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, meaning those two senior brothers had suffered the most from his sword art.
Fighting others using only the “Dragon Grasping Hand” without any sword moves was something he had never even tried.
However, the text in the sword manual that instructed him to first practice the hand and movement techniques did note that mastering the “Dragon Grasping Hand” and the “Wandering Dragon Art” would also facilitate self-defence when unarmed.
Today was the first time he had encountered an opponent who did not use heavy or sharp objects as weapons, relying solely on a pair of iron chain gauntlets. Adding to this the thought that Xiang Zhen’s sword had been snatched by the opponent, he wanted to test the waters first before deciding whether or not to draw his sword.
Although he harboured these considerations in his mind, he could not lose out in bearing and demeanour. He simply had to put on an appearance of not wanting to take advantage of his opponent.
Zhong Ruochen felt insulted, yet she did not dare to be careless. Since the opponent dared to act this way, how could she afford to be negligent?
Since the opponent wanted to see if she had the ability to make him draw his sword, she would not hold back.
She knew Yu Qing’s sword was fast, and his hand speed was certainly not slow either. There was no need to compare who was faster, and in short, there was no point in challenging the opponent’s strengths.
Therefore, she did not bother with any probing exchanges. Her very first move was a profound technique not lightly used, an overwhelming and decisive technique meant to secure victory!
She casually swept her hand through the air between them, and instantly, ripples rose from the flat ground as a vortex took shape.
Yu Qing noticed the hand gesture she made. There were specific hand seals used when driving internal energy outward to cast spells.
Her hand flicked again like a swaying fish tail, and the vortex rapidly expanded. The originally faint vortex instantly sucked up a massive amount of dust from the ground. Driven by her technique, it grew fiercely in an instant, quickly forming a massive tornado.
The arena, which had previously been quickly levelled and restored, was damaged once more. Dust rushed towards them with a howling sound, creating an astonishing momentum.
Yu Qing, standing the closest, felt this most profoundly. In the blink of an eye, he felt as though he were in the centre of a storm. His clothes fluttered wildly, and the powerful suction seemed as if it would pull him right into the wind pillar.
He had already been forced back by the growing wind pillar. He quickly circulated his energy and cast a spell, releasing a protective aura that stabilised his face mask and robes, which were nearly torn away.
The spectator stands were also being swept by the strong winds. Wen Xin and Xiao Hong lacked cultivation to protect their bodies, making it difficult for them to even keep their eyes open. Squinting, they linked arms and held tightly onto each other.
Nan Zhu, Mu Aotie, and the others were naturally extremely worried.
Wen Ruowei, whose face mask fluttered restlessly, also had eyes full of worry. She had not expected her senior sister to use such a powerful technique right from the start without any transition.
Moreover, the method to cast this technique was something she had yet to comprehend.
They were taught by the same master and had begun their cultivation at the same time. Yet, along the path of cultivation, her senior sister simply progressed faster and comprehended spells more quickly, which greatly pleased their master. Of course, the master had also told her that there was no need to compare herself to her senior sister. Failing to comprehend this method now was not a problem, as it would normally take many years to truly grasp it.
At this moment, the entire arena was truly in a state of turbulent upheaval. Banners, cloth curtains, and other shields on the hosting platform and the VIP seats were nearly torn away by the wind.
Long Xingyun, who had been waving a folding fan, noticed the wind was getting rather strong. He looked at the fan in his hand, his mouth twitched slightly, and after glancing left and right, he quickly folded it away. Looking back at Yu Qing, who seemed to have nowhere to strike in the arena, his face immediately showed gleeful schadenfreude.
Most people were marvelling at the wind pillar before them, which seemed to connect the heavens and the earth. They found it hard to imagine how someone at the Initial Mystery realm of cultivation could unleash and control such immense power.
Seeing the suction of the wind pillar growing stronger, Yu Qing’s mindset of responding to endless changes with a constant stance finally snapped. He quickly flashed into motion, darting rapidly in circles around the base of the wind pillar. However, he found that Zhong Ruochen was nowhere to be seen behind the pillar, and after circling it completely, her figure was still missing.
Not knowing where she had gone, he quickly looked around in all directions.
However, quite a few people in the stands saw where Zhong Ruochen had gone. She had ridden the wind and entered directly into the wind pillar.
In the VIP seats, Princess Zhaoyang was getting restless again. She stood up to look around and said rather impatiently, “Why is it blowing dust everywhere again? We cannot even see the people clearly, so what is the point of watching the match? Does Kunling Mountain not even have the money to lay down a few stone slabs?”
Zhao Dengzi smiled and nodded beside her, saying, “The Princess speaks the truth. It is just that the arena is too large, and it is too late to pave it now. The next assembly will naturally learn from this lesson.”
He had completely deferred the princess’s complaint to the next assembly. The problem was that it was not even certain whether Kunling Mountain would get the turn to host the next Zhaoyang Assembly.
“Sect Leader Zhao, stop teasing her,” Li Chenghu chuckled, explaining, “Zhaoyang, paving with stone is impractical. It would be ruined after just a few matches. It is better to have normal ground that can bear weight and withstand strikes, and it recovers quickly. It is right that the dust is flying and obscuring our vision. This is an illusion technique controlled by her spellcasting.”
Yan Yi glanced at her daughter and, seizing an appropriate opportunity, did not mind offering a bit of guidance. “It can also harm people. Did you see how tattered and torn Xiang Zhen’s clothes were earlier? This wind pillar is even more severe. It can kill.”
“Kill?” Princess Zhaoyang immediately stared intently at the wind pillar.
Yu Qing also looked up at the wind pillar before him, realising that Zhong Ruochen must be hiding inside it. He wanted to use the Observation Art to track her whereabouts, but faced with this rolling momentum, his cultivation was insufficient. It was no different from being blind with his eyes open, and he could not discern anything.
However, he was not intimidated by this scene. Just this? What could it do to him?
He simply refused to believe that such a massive thing could catch up with him within the arena. No matter what tricks Shang Yue wanted to play, he just would not take the bait, waiting to see how long Shang Yue could keep rolling this massive thing around.
Thus, he flashed back a bit further, standing leisurely with his hands behind his back, simply waiting it out.
At this moment, Zhong Ruochen was in the centre of the vortex, floating high in the eye of the storm by means of buoyancy. She waved her hand to cast spells from time to time, floating above like a goddess, while her surroundings were turbid and majestic.
In fact, maintaining such a massive tornado did not consume much of her magical power. Those who did not understand thought it was difficult, but for those who knew the method, it was not hard at all.
Initiate the momentum, let the momentum form, and then take advantage of it. That was all there was to it. It was similar to using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds, yet even more profound.
It sounded simple, but comprehending its profundity was not so easy, and not just anyone could master it.
Within the rolling dragon-like wind pillar, transparent tears occasionally ripped through the turbidity due to Zhong Ruochen’s spellcasting. However, against the contrasting background, the outside world could not see them, but she, situated in the eye of the storm, could clearly see the outside world through them.
Seeing whichever direction she wanted in the outside world was merely a matter of turning her hand.
At this moment, Yu Qing could not see her, but she could see Yu Qing’s every move. She had been waiting to see how Yu Qing would break her profound technique, but instead, she saw him standing leisurely with his hands behind his back, watching the spectacle. She instantly understood his intentions and could not help but grit her teeth in annoyance.
She immediately waved her arms, and floating in the eye of the storm, she began to spin as well, making grand and sweeping gestures with her arms to cast her spells.
“If this wind keeps blowing like this, everyone better be careful not to be dried into jerky.”
“I say, why is the little moustache standing there with his hands behind his back?”
“Do you even need to ask? He is obviously stalling Shang Yue.”
“Is this guy waiting until Shang Yue cannot spin it anymore before making his move? Shang Yue is not that stupid, is she?”
“Whether she is stupid or not, I do not know, but responding this way is not a bad strategy.”
A group of contestants standing below the stage discussed it amongst themselves, exchanging remarks one after another.
Inside the arena, Yu Qing, feeling the howling strong winds, sensed that something was wrong. He was the first to notice that the rotational momentum of the wind pillar seemed to have intensified. Just as he was observing vigilantly, his eyes suddenly widened, and he flashed backwards in a rapid retreat.
Rumble, rumble. A series of rapid, cannon-like impacts struck the spot where he had just been standing, bombing all the way in the direction he was dodging.
Stones of various shapes and sizes were being flung out from the tornado. The large ones were about the size of a fist, and the small ones were mere pebbles.
It was an incredibly dense and violent barrage of critical strikes, relentlessly bombing Top Scholar Yu.
“Stop retreating! If you step back any further, you will hit us!”
In the stands, someone used a spell to shout loudly, which immediately provoked the disciples of Kunling Mountain to go over and warn him. They warned him not to interfere with the match, or he would bear the consequences.
Yu Qing, who had leaped backwards twice in succession, heard the shout and glanced back. He realised that if he leaped back any further, he might jump out of the arena’s boundary at any moment.
Meanwhile, the massive tornado had moved entirely, rolling towards him to crush him. The main issue was the rumbling stones being smashed at him, along with the pebbles hitting the ground with a chirping sound. No matter where he leaped, they could adjust their firing angle to launch a comprehensive attack against him.
Seeing the howling and whistling sounds chasing after him, he drew his sword with a swift swoosh. In an instant, sword light flashed, clinking and clanking as he resisted the rain-like bombardment of chaotic stones.
He had wanted to test his Dragon Grasping Hand without drawing his sword, but now he realised he had boasted too early. After just one exchange, he was frantically drawing his sword in a panic.
Fortunately, his earlier boast had only been heard by Zhong Ruochen alone.
At this moment, he could no longer care about his pride. To his left, right, and behind him, the exploding ground and erupting dust were like chaotic clouds and cascading waterfalls rolling backwards, swept away by the howling winds.
He too was enveloped in the constantly exploding dust.
After defending for a short while, he was no longer willing to endure it. Braving the bombardment, he wielded his sword light and charged towards the massive tornado.
There was no other way. The opponent’s stones seemed endless, and their endurance and density far surpassed Chan Shaoting’s Rain of a Thousand Swords. Fortunately, the attack power was not as strong as Chan Shaoting’s sword rain, but he had already taken at least dozens of hits. If it were not for his protective aura blocking some of it, he would have likely been battered black and blue.
Although this kind of attack could not kill someone of his cultivation level in a short time, he would not be able to withstand it for long.
Where did so many stones come from?
A brief thought told him what was going on. There were plenty of stones underground, and the tornado could continuously destroy the surface to dig up stones from below.
How could he dare to sit and wait for death? He had no choice but to charge forward and fight head-on.