CHAPTER 147: CHAPTER 148 BRIGHT AWAKENING AS IF STEPPING ON 9 HEAVENS (3000 WORDS!!1)

It’s almost there!

At this moment, Lu Ren’s heart was like a high-powered pump, constantly sending nutrient-rich blood into all his limbs and bones. His blood was completely boiling, and his eyes seemed to flash under the illumination of the Lamp of Freedom observing his state.

Everyone was shocked by Lu Ren’s sudden change, but martial arts family members who are deeply immersed in the Martial Path knew exactly what it meant when Lu Ren fully manifested his will, reaching the Taoist concept of ’Void Generating White’.

The most surprising thing was that Lu Ren entered this state during battle, indicating he had advanced to a profound level in the Mind Visualization Training Method.

Lei Li couldn’t help but say in a deep voice, "If he can get through this, there won’t be a single obstacle in achieving Bright Awakening... Your Security Bureau found a great talent among civilians. Why not let him train in our unit for a while?"

"Don’t even think about it!"

Zhang Li, still in shock, did not hesitate to refuse Lei Li’s sneaky proposal.

What a joke! If Lei Li managed to bring him into the unit, it would be like throwing away a meat bun to a dog, never to return.

She kept her gaze tightly fixed on Lu Ren, ready to act if anything went wrong.

Lei Li also knew that his own trainees were all below par; discovering someone not belonging to any martial arts style, how could he not guard them closely?

Feeling a bit envious, Lei Li chuckled softly, "Let’s talk again once he’s past this hurdle."

With Lu Ren’s sword, he began continuously channeling Power through the Phoenix Falcon Fist method.

Huang Jixuan’s long sword attacks were as numerous as a storm, electric flashes and thunder rolling beneath vast waves.

He was like a leaf caught in a sea storm, and a single misstep would mean being devoured by the ocean.

The sword’s edge sliced his body, swift as beans in a torrential shower, hindering his forward steps. He curled up his body, seeking to unleash a powerful counterattack.

Clang!!!

A loud, clear sound, like the penetrating cry of a Phoenix Falcon suddenly erupted, tearing through the storm of relentless attacks from Huang Jixuan’s long sword.

The Phoenix Falcon was transforming, resembling a True Phoenix reborn in flames, radiating intense light and heat to illuminate the dark sky, ripping through thick dark clouds, revealing light once more.

In reality, Lu Ren’s entire skeleton exploded suddenly, and the blood within even made a faint rushing sound.

Under Huang Jixuan’s frenzied assault, his body and mind sprang forth, his dual swords acting like wings, like claws, driving forcefully towards Huang Jixuan.

"He wants to risk his life!"

Everyone present saw the fierce aura emanating from Lu Ren and thought of this idea.

Lu Ren didn’t evade Huang Jixuan’s whistling attack. He never intended to dodge, but merely adjusted his posture, advancing with the armor plates of his close-combat suit.

Clang!! Rip!

A metal collision, two ripping sounds, deeply cut into his skin and the muscle tissue of his arms, reverberated suddenly.

Three consecutive sword strikes, one struck the armor plate, followed by two deeply cutting into his skin and arm muscles, even reaching the bone. Blood splattered on the ground, more severe than any previous injury, with the last blade even slicing into his chest, faintly visible organs within.

This attack was far more severe than any previous injury, yet Lu Ren seemed completely unaware, as if unharmed, his actions growing swifter.

The dual swords flapped like Phoenix Falcon wings, fighting across the sky.

Illuminated by the Lamp of Freedom, imprinting heart with heart.

In this moment, Lu Ren exerted all means and Power, willing to sacrifice for injury, determined to break the present stalemate and regain the rhythm into his hands.

Seeing this scene stirred Lei Wenfeng’s heart, able to immediately discern, in the duel between Lu Ren and Huang Jixuan, should Huang Jixuan withstand Lu Ren’s burning will formed by the Lamp of Freedom observation, there’d be an eighty percent chance of winning. If unable, the outcome would naturally be defeat and demise.

Under the burst of Heart Burst, Huang Jixuan’s calm and scattered gaze began to recollect, falling back swiftly from this peculiar state, even the power in his grasped long sword grew unstable.

His pupils restored focus, indicating awakening from the self-hypnotic state of ’Hidden Dragon Inner Realm’.

A Celestial Being is ultimately no Celestial Being, when struck down by a Dragon Slayer into the mortal realm.

Ultimately, Huang Jixuan could not resist Lu Ren’s 30 Spirit Attribute, coupled with the Lamp of Freedom Observation’s Spirit augmentation power that erupted instantly.

He lost focus for a moment!

Yet in the eyes of top martial artists, that moment could settle multiple lives.

Let alone Huang Jixuan.

Clang!!

When Huang Jixuan snapped back to his senses, refocusing his attention, he suddenly heard an extremely piercing sonic boom by his ear. Lu Ren’s left hand with the Han Sword knocked Huang Jixuan’s longsword high up, while his right hand in Yan Form drove straight in, piercing directly towards Huang Jixuan’s chest.

He wanted to withdraw his sword for defense and take a step back to dodge, but it was simply too late. Huang Jixuan seemed only able to watch as the steadfast blade pierced into his chest, ending his life.

However, there was no panic in his eyes, only a supreme calmness, as if he had long anticipated that upon losing his composure, he would face Lu Ren’s thunderous attack.

He had no intention of dodging, or rather, there was simply no room for evasion at this moment. Instead, Huang Jixuan proactively moved his left hand towards the incoming longsword.

Splurt!!

A soft sound came as the sharp sword tip effortlessly pierced through his palm, emerging from the back of his hand, yet his hand did not retreat at all. As he leaned forward, pushing his arm, the longsword swiftly penetrated, his palm without hesitation went to the sword hilt, then clasped tightly on it as he abruptly pulled.

In such a life-threatening situation, the blade aimed at his heart was deflected, yet together with his palm, it pierced through his left shoulder.

Huang Jixuan disregarded the wound, only to see him leverage his feet, his body suddenly turning, delivering a side kick towards Lu Ren’s abdomen, his toes like arrows, creating a thunderous whirling.

Seeing this, Lu Ren didn’t hesitate and swiftly retreated, withdrawing the Han Sword accordingly, avoiding Huang Jixuan’s arrow-like kick with a quick dodge.

Meanwhile, Huang Jixuan took advantage of the moment to kick back, swiftly distancing himself from Lu Ren.

Although he paid a significant price, the perilous and lethal strike was ultimately successfully parried!!

Drip! Drip!

In the memorial hall, you could hear a pin drop, it was dead silent. Everyone just stared tightly at this scene, their eyes unblinking, afraid of missing anything, resulting in only the sound of blood dripping onto the ground and the slightly hurried breathing of the surrounding people slowly reverberating.

Huang Jixuan’s left hand was completely pierced through, his scapula penetrated, blood streaming uncontrollably down his arm, making his left hand basically unable to exert any role in this battle anymore, even possibly leaving permanent damage if not treated timely.

On the other side, Lu Ren also looked extremely miserable, his martial arts uniform tattered and nearly soaked through with blood, especially just now having taken three direct hits from Huang Jixuan, two of which were almost bone-deep, though he still had the ability to move.

But due to his injuries, despite trying his best to close the wound by controlling his muscles, any intense high-intensity fight would require all his muscle power to respond, causing the wound to split open again.

In just a few exchanges, several shifts between offense and defense ensued, all teetering on life and death, yet unexpectedly, they each managed to intercept the other’s offensive, leaving the martial arts community spectators present dazzled and enamored.

Both these individuals were indubitably elite martial artists. Without Huang Jixuan’s mention, it was unknown which corners Lu Ren emerged from, but he overturned Tie Feng, passed through Assassination Swordsmanship, and even in this life-and-death battle, managed to balance the scales with the renowned-for-decades Huang Jixuan.

At this very moment, he even had the upper hand.

On the side, Cheng Tianle even felt his breathing was a bit difficult. After a while, he couldn’t help but utter in a low voice, "After all this, can’t they just concede?"

Uncle Tan slightly shook his head, saying, "By now, it’s no longer just about the two of them. Once one side concedes, then..."

...the force behind the conceding side will face a severe blow; Assassination Swordsmanship will be in perpetual decline, or the Security Bureau will lose all its dignity, years of work in the Southwest will be utterly destroyed.

Lu Ren did not want to lose, nor did Huang Jixuan. Neither side wanted to lose!

Huang Jixuan knew even better that regardless of winning or losing, he would be relentlessly and clearly eliminated by the Security Bureau, but his existence ultimately held a certain value, allowing him to preserve some people.

Once he was defeated and perished, everything would dissipate like smoke.

But at this moment, they truly discarded thoughts of life and death, let go of the instinctual fear of humans, entirely immersing themselves in the battle.

"Divine and clear, it lies in the person; awakened and carried out, it resides in the heart. So that’s it, I finally understand."

Huang Jixuan’s eyes remained calm, the piercing pain from his pierced palm and shoulder couldn’t provoke any fluctuations in his gaze, as tranquil as an ancient, uneventful well, as if the wounds were not on his body.

Facing Huang Jixuan directly, Lu Ren could clearly feel at this moment that the opponent’s spirit and will were continuously expanding, until it exceeded some barrier.

The powerful martial artists present could distinctly sense that some peculiar barrier seemed to have been breached on Huang Jixuan.

The always calm Lei Li finally changed expressions.

"Is this, Bright Awakening?!"

Then he also felt a bit expected, as Huang Jixuan was originally someone who had one foot into Bright Awakening. Although breaking through to Bright Awakening was extremely difficult, saying one foot means only having one foot lifted on the peak of the mountain, yet still incredibly far from the Bright Awakening above the nine heavens.

Wanting to break through the ether into the nine skies.

Throughout history, how many had such capability?

Yet in this life-and-death battle, under significant emergency stimulation of spirit, he unbelievably comprehended the true intent of divine and clear, awakened and carried out, thereby taking a great stride into Bright Awakening.