In the depths of Luoshui Lake.
With the overlay of two techniques, Jiang Ning felt that there was no opponent he couldn't defeat with a single strike of his blade.
And if one strike wasn't enough, he would simply strike again.
The next moment.
Jiang Ning, taking advantage of his condescending position, roared:
"Kill!"
With a thunderous force, his blade descended, carrying the weight of a thousand pounds.
"Bring it on!" Tian Buyi thought to himself.
Seeing this, he remained calm.
His fingers clenched into a fist, covered by a pair of black gloves that clung tightly to his skin.
It was these gloves that gave him the confidence to face Jiang Ning's blade head-on.
Countless ordinary weapons had shattered against his Black Spider Silk Gloves.
That was why he dared to confront Jiang Ning's blade with nothing but his bare fists.
Boom!
A powerful collision sent shockwaves through the deep waters.
Jiang Ning and Tian Buyi were forced apart, moving in opposite directions.
"So strong!!" Jiang Ning thought, feeling the numbness in his right arm and the base of his thumb.
He then assessed the condition of his right arm and thought, "I can probably deliver four more strikes. If I don't make progress after that, I'll retreat."
"If I force myself to strike again, the injury to my right arm won't heal in just a few days. If it's too severe, it might even affect my entry into the Inspection Bureau in half a month."
Meanwhile.
After blocking Jiang Ning's strike.
Tian Buyi's eyes widened like copper bells.
"How is this possible!!!" He was utterly shocked by the power of Jiang Ning's blade.
Then, he felt a metallic taste rise in his throat, and a sharp pain spread through his chest.
"No! My internal injuries have reopened!"
As panic set in.
Jiang Ning halted his upward momentum and, like a swift fish, dove back down, charging straight at Tian Buyi.
Before Tian Buyi could fully prepare himself.
Jiang Ning's blade struck again.
This time, the blade split the water, creating a thin line that resembled a crack in the lake.
"Break!" Tian Buyi thought, clenching his right fist and channeling all his strength into a powerful punch.
Boom!
Another muffled sound echoed through the water.
The force of the collision sent both of them flying in opposite directions.
Jiang Ning was thrown toward the surface, while Tian Buyi sank deeper into the lake.
"Ugh!"
The impact of the strike forced Tian Buyi to spit out the blood he had been holding back.
His expression changed drastically.
With that exhale, the last bit of oxygen in his lungs was expelled.
"No!"
At this moment, Tian Buyi's eyes filled with panic.
Looking up at the faint light of the surface, he felt the cold breath of death.
His internal injuries had reopened, his lungs were starved of oxygen, and he was trapped in the deep waters.
Above him was an enemy far stronger than he had anticipated.
All these factors are stacked together, leaving Tian Buyi unable to see a way out.
"Am I going to die here?" he asked himself.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning felt the pain in his right arm intensify, a sharp, tearing sensation spreading through his muscles.
But instead of concern, a smile crept onto his face.
He had seen the blood Tian Buyi spat out and the darkening hue of his face.
"It's working!"
Jiang Ning's eyes turned sharp and focused.
He tightened his grip on the blade.
Then.
He adjusted his posture, dissipating the upward force, and dove back down, charging at Tian Buyi once more.
Boom!
Another strike.
Tian Buyi's body sank further, closer to the lake bed.
Jiang Ning noticed more blood spilling from Tian Buyi's mouth.
He adjusted his position and prepared to strike again.
Positioning himself above Tian Buyi, he raised his blade and brought it down with all his strength, overlay fourfold strength.
Tian Buyi looked up at Jiang Ning, who now seemed like a god descending from the heavens, and felt nothing but despair.
"How is this possible!"
"How can he be this strong!!"
"How can he unleash such terrifying attacks one after another!!"
"What kind of monster has Cao Rong provoked!!!"
At this moment.
Tian Buyi felt his strength fading. His internal organs felt as though they had been displaced, sending waves of agony through his body.
Blood continued to gush from his throat, impossible to suppress.
"If I weren't injured!"
"If I weren't underwater!"
"If I had another chance, I wouldn't end up like this!!"
Tian Buyi stared at the descending blade, his eyes filled with resentment.
Boom!
Another underwater explosion.
Tian Buyi took the full force of Jiang Ning's strike, sinking deeper and vomiting more blood.
After the strike, Jiang Ning was thrown back but quickly stabilized himself.
He circulated his qi to soothe the muscles in his right arm.
Then, he floated calmly above Tian Buyi, watching him coldly.
At this point, he knew he didn't need to strike again.
The continuous flow of blood from Tian Buyi's mouth indicated severe internal injuries.
Moreover, Tian Buyi had long since run out of oxygen, his face now a sickly shade of blue.
In his current state, Tian Buyi had no hope of reaching the surface to breathe.
Jiang Ning knew all he had to do was wait, like a hunter watching his prey die, before collecting the body.
Tian Buyi floated motionless in the water, blood still spilling from his mouth.
His eyes locked onto Jiang Ning as if trying to burn Jiang Ning's image into his mind, so he could take Jiang Ning with him in death.
"I can't accept this!"
"I was on the verge of breaking through to the peak of the Divine Strength Realm! I had the Leopard Fetus Bone-Remolding Pill to reshape my foundation. I was destined to reach the seventh rank, even the sixth or fifth rank!"
"And yet, today, I die at the hands of a mere boy, destined to feed the fish at the bottom of this lake. I can't accept this!!"
"..."
After a while.
When Tian Buyi showed no further signs of movement, Jiang Ning waited a little longer before cautiously approaching.
After confirming that Tian Buyi was truly dead, Jiang Ning finally relaxed.
"That was tough!"
"An eighth-rank martial artist is indeed powerful! He took four of my full-force strikes and still held on!"
"If we weren't underwater, and if Tian Buyi hadn't been injured beforehand, I wouldn't have had much hope of defeating him."
"It seems eighth-rank martial artists are even stronger than I thought. My current strength still isn't enough."
"If an eighth-rank is this formidable, what about someone like Cao Rong, a seventh-rank?"
"And the Cao family, from what I know, didn't rise to power solely because of Cao Rong."
"The Cao family has at least one other seventh-rank martial artist, and at least ten eighth-ranks!"
"The fact that the Cao family sent Tian Buyi to kill me shows they're determined to eliminate me."
"With my current strength, I'm far from being able to protect myself against the Cao family. I need to find a powerful backer."
"In half a month, I must join the Inspection Bureau. Only by relying on this towering tree can I truly have a chance to protect myself against the Cao family."
"The Cao family..."
Jiang Ning murmured to himself, lost in thought.
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