Echoes of the Battlefield

On one side, Ding Buling was covered in wounds. On the other, Ning Jin’s True Qi was exhausted. But both shared one thing: a will that would never yield.

The battle had initially been a contest of strength, speed, and then strategy. Now, what would determine victory or defeat was their iron spirit and endurance. Between the two, whoever could not persevere longer would fail, perhaps even paying with their life.

As one of the Six Blades, bearing the name Speed Blade, Ning Jin would not easily give up on victory. To him, victory was as precious as life itself.

Ding Buling was different. Victory was not as important to him as it was to Ning Jin, but he had to win because his dream of becoming the World's Number One Great General had yet to be realized, and because of his promise to help Zheng Donglin unify Annan. He carried a burden on his shoulders that no one expected, so he could not be defeated.

Sweat mixed with blood flowed from his forehead to his chin; Ding Buling panted heavily, extreme pain radiating from everywhere in his body. On the other side, Ning Jin was no better; his face was pale, his True Qi significantly shrunken, and his eyes never left Ding Buling’s every movement.

Currently, both were at the end of their strength. A single small mistake would decide the outcome, forcing them to concentrate their spirits to the extreme. As his spirit grew as taut as a bowstring, the veins on Ding Buling’s forehead bulged, and his head throbbed as if it were about to split.

Ning Jin panted, biting his lower lip; a stream of red blood seeped between his teeth, helping him stay a bit more alert.

In a state of absolute spiritual concentration, Ding Buling experienced a strange sensation he had never felt before. The sound of weapons clashing, the screams of soldiers on both sides, the heartbeats of everyone... everything converged, becoming the "voice of the battlefield." A sound that everyone could hear but no one could perceive now appeared clearly in his mind.

Inside his body, the sixty star-grains in the acupuncture points that had just been opened after breaking through to the Fifth Grade Realm were now stirring again. The sixty-first star-grain emitted a faint light.

Sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty-three... Five consecutive acupuncture points were cleared! The aura on Ding Buling’s body suddenly surged, officially entering the Middle Stage of the Fifth Grade Realm.

"Huh?" Ning Jin sensed the aura on Ding Buling’s body become unstable, then suddenly surge continuously until he entered the Middle Stage of the Fifth Grade Realm. He widened his eyes, unable to believe the opponent could break through right in the middle of a battle.

Just hearing the voice of the battlefield had helped Ding Buling clear five acupuncture points and enter the Middle Stage of the Fifth Grade. He himself could hardly believe it. Upon entering the Middle Stage, the Tai Xuan Art within him was enhanced by another level. The wounds on Ding Buling’s body were also partially healed by the Tai Xuan Art.

Ding Buling rejoiced in his heart; his greatsword, covered in Tai Xuan True Qi, grew even more powerful, his blade momentum containing a terrifying gravitational force. Ning Jin gnashed his teeth; it seemed he had no choice but to break through. Thinking of being forced to break through, he looked at Ding Buling with hatred. He had originally wanted to temper himself on the battlefield to refine his cultivation, waiting until his True Qi was perfect to break through naturally, which would make his realm even more flawless. Who would have thought his plan would be ruined by Ding Buling alone?

The aura on Ning Jin’s body continuously rose, and in an instant, he reached the Early Stage of the Seventh Grade Realm. His True Qi was thus more than half recovered. With the replenished True Qi, Ning Jin continued to launch his Speed Blade, even faster and sharper, aimed straight at Ding Buling.

"I can keep up with your speed now, Ning Jin!" Ding Buling’s eyes suddenly widened. From being unable to see Ning Jin’s trajectory, he could now vaguely see the direction of the long blade.

"This is it!" Ding Buling shouted loudly, his greatsword fiercely slashing at the Speed Blade.

"Boom!"

Ding Buling retreated three steps, and Ning Jin retreated two steps.

"Hmph!" Ning Jin snorted coldly. Although Ding Buling had seen the direction of the blade, he still had to take three other strikes.

"Ning Jin is still too fast." Ding Buling seriously examined the new wounds on his body.

"I am Ning Jin, one of the Six Blades, named the Speed Blade; I will not be defeated by you!" Ning Jin swung his long blade, pointing it straight at him, and shouted loudly. With those words, a sky full of blade shadows descended, submerging Ding Buling.

"It seems the battle ends here," the Da Li Heavenly Human General said. To him, although Ning Jin had met an unpredictable opponent today, he would not fail because of it. The Six Blades had a resounding reputation; how could he lose?

Ding Buling frantically circulated sixty-five acupuncture points, concentrating all his True Qi into a single strike—a strike to decide the outcome of the match. The greatsword, covered in earthy yellow True Qi, seemed to swell, tearing through the heavens as it crashed down on Ning Jin.

"Ah!" Ding Buling roared.

"Ah!" Ning Jin also widened his eyes and roared back.

…

"Ding Buling, do you know what a blade is?" a middle-aged man with a handsome face asked.

"I don't know," Ding Buling answered honestly.

"Think before you speak." The middle-aged man smirked, wanting to give him a kick.

"I hear people say the blade is the gentleman of weapons." Ding Buling thought and then said.

"Hmph, what gentleman of weapons? The blade is the king of weapons," the middle-aged man said with contempt.

"Yes, Old Uncle, I will listen to you."

"If you want to learn the blade, remember this: the blade must be domineering. Where one blade passes, everything turns to dust. Only when your blade is truly domineering will you grasp the true intent of the blade."

…

"Ning Jin, you are a martial arts genius; your blade techniques are rarely seen. But you must not be conceited, for there is always a higher mountain." Ning Jin’s master said.

"I don't believe there is anyone better than me," the young Ning Jin said arrogantly.

"Then what about me?"

"Master doesn't count. You taught me blade techniques, and besides, I'm still young. In a few years, even you won't be able to beat me."

Ning Jin’s master raised an eyebrow, feeling his heart ache from having such a headstrong disciple. He sighed, looking at the sky, thinking that one day someone would appear to teach Ning Jin a lesson. That might be when he felt his worst, but once he overcame it, he would make a great leap forward.

…

Back to reality.

Ding Buling stood motionless, his gaze locked tightly onto Ning Jin. The opponent also responded with a similar posture. Both just stared at each other intently, not wanting to miss any detail.

"What are they doing?" Some soldiers noticed the strange scene and asked.

"What's the situation?" The Xi Shan Heavenly Human General focused solely on Ding Buling, unable to help but frown.

"Naturally, Ning Jin will win," the Da Li Heavenly Human General said confidently.

"Hmph!" The Xi Shan Heavenly Human General swung his long blade to express his displeasure.

"Just wait and see." The Da Li Heavenly Human General blocked the strike, laughing gleefully.

Suddenly, Ding Buling spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Immediately after, countless streams of blood erupted from the wounds on his body, turning him into a man of blood.

The Xi Shan Heavenly Human General couldn't bear to look anymore. Ding Buling’s appearance showed he had lost. He sighed. *Young man, you surprised me so much; why couldn't you go further? Perhaps I expected too much of you, when your opponent was one of the Six Blades.*

"Lord Ning Jin is victorious!" the Da Li soldiers cheered thunderously. Conversely, the Xi Shan soldiers looked dejected and unwilling.

At the same time, a large spray of blood also erupted from Ning Jin’s body, stretching from his shoulder down to his hip. His figure wobbled and then he fell backward. The sudden turn of events left the entire Da Li army stunned.

"You... won," Ning Jin said weakly, his eyes looking at the distant sky.

"You lost," Ding Buling spoke with difficulty, staggering toward Ning Jin to finish him.

Having struggled to reach Ning Jin’s side, he raised his greatsword high, the blade's light reflecting on his face.

"I thought I would continue to challenge the rest of the Six Blades; I didn't expect to be defeated by you today. What can I say? I am truly unwilling." Ning Jin showed no fear.

"Die!" A Da Li soldier who had been ready with his bow since realizing Ning Jin was defeated suddenly attacked when he saw Ding Buling raise his blade.

The arrow flew out unexpectedly. Ding Buling was exhausted and could not dodge; the arrow struck him in the side.

"What are you doing?" Ning Jin saw Ding Buling being sniped by his own army and roared in fury. He didn't want the result of his match to be interfered with by others.