CHAPTER 1072: CHAPTER 1028: BATTLE AGAIN

As Ma Chao spoke, he made his move, using absolute speed to let the subsequent sound waves chase the initial sound. Although it was just sound, the force unleashed after being compressed to a certain extent was still enough to cause harm.

"Boom!" Like thunder, Ma Chao and Yue Ji clashed once more. Unlike before, this time Ma Chao successfully suppressed Yue Ji, and unlike previous encounters, a power of thunder and lightning entwined like a persistent ailment wrapped around as they exchanged blows.

With a single move, Yue Ji was forced to retreat. Ma Chao relentlessly pursued and thrust his spear again. The waves of Qi unleashed from the clash automatically split under Ma Chao’s formidable pressure, making him appear truly like a Celestial God amidst the crackling lightning.

Though Yue Ji had first spent a large amount of Inner Qi to appear superior, and then used a self-damaging secret technique to hasten the battle to a conclusion, even in such unfavorable conditions, Ma Chao still hadn’t defeated this opponent after several moves. No matter how lacking the opponent was, that amount of Inner Qi was not just for show!

"Thud!" Ma Chao pressed all his Qi power onto the tip of his spear, striking the shaft of Yue Ji’s long-handled iron hammer. He was acutely aware that while his current displayed strength surpassed the limit of this level, the ultimate Inner Qi manifestation was still the ultimate Inner Qi manifestation; hoping to defeat someone within dozens of moves was impossible!

Under that blow, Yue Ji clearly felt the numbness in his hands. The most troublesome part of Ma Chao’s inner thunder power was this aspect. Even in battles of the same level, as long as one was still of flesh and blood, the thunder would affect them. Not even someone as skilled as Lyu Bu could ignore this.

[I can’t go on like this, I’ll have to fight fiercely!] Yue Ji felt the numbness in his hands and realized that if Ma Chao’s lightning power was a bit stronger, the force a bit more intense, and the speed a bit faster, that previous move would have been enough to knock his weapon out of his hands.

In fact, at this level, Yue Ji no longer had any need to continue fighting. After all, his task was essentially to act as a trial for the selection of the King of Qiang, not to genuinely battle with the future king. In truth, he had already gone against the ancestral teachings.

However, at this moment, these things no longer mattered. Yue Ji was essentially just stifling a flame in his chest. After all, he had never reached this stage back in his day, while Ma Chao had so easily stood equal to him, and even reached a higher position. Jealousy is a psychological trap that mortals can never escape.

"Thud!" Yue Ji mustered his remaining strength to smash down on Ma Chao, but unlike before when he was at a disadvantage, this time he successfully held Ma Chao to a draw.

Ma Chao was struck and flew a mere hundred meters away. Instantly, he stomped hard, causing the air to explode with sound, and used the leverage to turn back and charge towards Yue Ji, while Yue Ji was slowed by Ma Chao’s thunder power and had yet to readjust himself.

Before Yue Ji could reposition himself, Ma Chao’s spear, mixed with thunder and fierce Inner Qi, fiercely stabbed towards Yue Ji.

Another booming sound erupted as the massive recoil from their clash slightly distorted their movements. However, Ma Chao adjusted much faster than Yue Ji. Before Yue Ji could recover, Ma Chao launched another follow-up strike, and this time, Yue Ji’s movements were evidently off.

Even so, the power Yue Ji unleashed using a secret technique still injured Ma Chao internally, but instead of taking time to recover, Ma Chao acted like an injured lone wolf, becoming even more berserk.

Ma Chao didn’t bother to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, his sharp eyes with a vicious tinge locked onto Yue Ji, continuously unleashing his peak strength to suppress Yue Ji’s counterattacks relentlessly.

From evenly matched, to struggling to hold on, to being steadily pushed back, the intensity of Ma Chao and Yue Ji’s battle increased, while Yue Ji’s predicament grew more difficult. With each collision, Ma Chao’s momentum rose, and finally, within thirty moves, he succeeded in suppressing Yue Ji with a desperate fight.

[The final move!] Ma Chao once again stabbed towards Yue Ji, and this time he managed to cut a gash on Yue Ji’s body. More importantly, at the moment their weapons clashed and sparks flew, Ma Chao saw the crack on the handle near the hammer head of Yue Ji’s weapon!

"Defeat for me!" After smashing Yue Ji away with one strike, Ma Chao summoned all his strength. Inner Qi and lightning burst out madly. Holding his spear, Ma Chao transformed into a radiant streak of light, crashing towards Yue Ji with a speed beyond his control.

This time, Ma Chao did not use his spear to attack. He fiercely kicked towards Yue Ji, an action Yue Ji saw as deeply insulting. Naturally, he couldn’t tolerate it and swung his long-handled iron hammer towards Ma Chao. But Ma Chao didn’t dodge, his foot directly striking the hammerhead of Yue Ji’s weapon.

In disbelief, Yue Ji watched his long-handled hammer, which had accompanied him for years, get its head kicked off by Ma Chao. Then, Ma Chao’s foot, its momentum unabated, crushed into Yue Ji’s chest. The cracking sounds clearly indicated how many of Yue Ji’s ribs had been broken.

Objects nurtured by Inner Qi, fundamentally speaking, are still composed of their original elements, but through nurturing with Inner Qi, the structure of the material is enhanced in line with what the heart desires.

Just as graphite and diamond are identical on an atomic level, yet their different structures make them completely distinct on a material level.

In essence, the nurturing of Inner Qi is this kind of change; it doesn’t alter the original, but changes its structure, importantly strengthening the material’s structure in the direction the heart wishes to improve.

Those with weapons think they need strength, armor needs defense, thus Inner Qi slowly develops the structure of the material in that direction since Inner Qi also originates from life.

This is why weapons nurtured by Inner Qi cannot be melted and recast because that would destroy the already set structure of the material, and once the structure is destroyed, the original nurturing effects naturally vanish.

Similarly, the limit of any material’s nurturing becomes clear. When the structural change approaches perfection, the nurturing yields no further changes. However, it’s generally difficult to nurture to that extent, as the closer one gets, the higher the grade of Inner Qi required, and the longer the time it takes.

From this perspective, higher-grade Inner Qi becomes more personalized, and as it washes over, the material structure becomes fully imbued with the user’s Inner Qi attributes.

Under the intense will-driven Inner Qi wash, everything progresses towards the user’s needs, and thus the concept of ’Spirit’ becomes a natural occurrence. Romantic Huaxia People have, in myths added to classic books, forcibly created the idea that all things have spirit. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian [qidian.com] to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)