Finally, the sword struck Zhou Dingshan’s body.
The tip of the sword collided with his Gang Force, creating a deep, thunderous boom.
It was like two massive boulders crashing into each other, the impact making everyone’s ears ring.
An invisible shockwave radiated from the point of impact, sending dust swirling into the air across the arena stage.
Zhou Dingshan remained motionless.
He stood there, his feet planted firmly on the stage. His body didn’t sway; not even the corner of his robe stirred.
The layer of Gang Force covering his body flickered continuously with light.
The Gang Force dented slightly where the sword tip pressed against it, looking as if it was about to be pierced.
But in the end, the layer of Gang Force held.
No matter how much force was applied, the sword tip could not break through.
Zhang Su’s sword still couldn’t penetrate Zhou Dingshan’s Gang Force.
"That was a powerful strike. A pity it’s still not quite enough."
Zhou Dingshan grinned.
’Just as I thought. Whether it’s Ye Ling’s Nine Spirits Sword Technique or Zhang Su’s burst of Pill Force, they’re both only equivalent to the power of the Nine Spirits Sword Technique’s Sixth Sword. They still can’t break my Gang Force of Four Elements Unite. Even if I just stand here and let him use all the Swordsmanship he wants, he can’t do a thing to me.’
However, Zhang Su didn’t give up.
He unleashed strike after strike, each one a combined burst of Pill Force and Twelve Layers of Internal Strength.
He even incorporated techniques like the Triple Wave Sword Technique.
The Triple Wave Sword Technique splits Inner Strength into three waves, striking one after another with increasing power.
Zhang Su integrated the principles of Triple Wave into his Twelve Layers Killing Sword, elevating its power to another level.
Zhang Su was using every method he had to enhance the power of his Swordsmanship.
The variety of sword techniques he displayed was simply dazzling.
Nine Shadows Sword Technique, Wind and Thunder Sword Technique, Light and Shadow Killing Sword, Twelve Layers Killing Sword, Triple Wave... All these different sword techniques appeared one after another in his hands, each executed to its absolute limit.
Flashes of sword light and flurries of sword shadows filled the air, accompanied by the ceaseless roar of wind and thunder.
It was only then that many in the crowd realized with a start.
Zhang Su had actually cultivated so many different sword techniques?
And it seemed he had reached Perfection in every single one.
Nine Shadows Sword Technique Perfection, Wind and Thunder Sword Technique Perfection, Light and Shadow Killing Sword Perfection, Twelve Layers Killing Sword Perfection.
But a person’s energy is finite.
How could Zhang Su have managed to cultivate so many Martial Techniques?
This wasn’t some casual practice.
To bring a single sword technique to the level of Perfection required an immense amount of time and effort.
Even for a highly talented Martial Artist, mastering one sword technique to Perfection could take several years, or even decades.
This alone showed just how terrifying Zhang Su’s talent in Swordsmanship was.
However, no matter how many sword techniques he knew, it was useless.
The facts proved that Zhou Dingshan’s Four Elements Unite Gang Force was like an unbreakable turtle shell.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break through his opponent’s Gang Force.
With the Rock Gang Force as its foundation, the Defense Power of the Four Elements Unite Gang Force was pushed to the absolute extreme.
High in the stands, Gu Peiyuan, the Sect Leader of Medicine Valley, watched the battle on the stage, slowly shaking his head with a sigh.
"This Zhou Dingshan... If it were just an ordinary Four Elements Unite, it wouldn’t be this strong. But he’s very clever. He knew he probably couldn’t achieve Five Elements Unite, so he played to his greatest strength, using his Rock Gang Force as the primary and fusing the other three elements into it. The resulting Rock Gang Force from this four-element fusion is exceptionally tough. He has truly maximized his advantages."
The Sect Leader of the Five Elements Sect, Zhong Taiheng, also nodded.
A faint smile played on his lips, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
He knew very well that Shi Buyi’s status was unshakable.
For any genius in the Five Elements Sect, Shi Buyi was the benchmark.
Everyone wanted to achieve Five Elements Unite, willing to spend immense time and energy to do so.
Five Elements Unite was the most profound Cultivation Technique of the Five Elements Sect. Once mastered, the five types of Inner Strength would flow endlessly, granting infinite power.
But this path was too difficult. So difficult that in the last hundred years, only Shi Buyi had succeeded.
Other disciples got stuck at Three Elements Unite or Four Elements Unite, unable to break through for their entire lives.
But Zhou Dingshan was different.
He looked burly and rugged, but in reality, he was very level-headed.
He never blindly pursued Five Elements Unite.
After reaching Four Elements Unite, he spared no expense to obtain a Cyan Wood Spirit Pill, hoping to cultivate Inner Strength and ascend to the Postnatal Realm.
He knew he couldn’t walk the path of Five Elements Unite, so he didn’t waste any more time on it.
Instead, he forged a new path, focusing on his Rock Gang Force, fusing it with the other three elements, and dedicating himself to the way of defense.
And on this path, he succeeded.
With such a clear mind, even if he couldn’t become a Celestial Pride of the Five Elements Sect, he would one day become one of its pillars—a powerful expert in the Postnatal Realm.
"Sect Leader, I’m afraid things don’t look good for Zhang Su..."
Elder Tang Tianwen said softly.
He stood beside Meng Shouzhen, his gaze fixed on the arena stage, his brow slightly furrowed with a hint of worry.
Meng Shouzhen, the Sect Leader of the Guiyuan Sect, wore a grim expression.
The earlier smile was gone from his face, replaced by a solemn look.
In truth, he didn’t need Tang Tianwen to tell him. He could naturally see that Zhang Su was indeed in a bad situation.
Zhang Su was executing one dazzling sword technique after another.
Yet he just couldn’t break through Zhou Dingshan’s Gang Force.
If this continued, Zhang Su’s defeat was certain.
No matter how profound his Inner Strength was, it couldn’t withstand this rate of consumption.
Every attack consumed a massive amount of Inner Strength, while Zhou Dingshan, standing motionless, was definitely expending far less.
As one’s strength waned and the other’s was preserved, Zhang Su would sooner or later run out of energy.
"He is, after all, only at the Embracing Pill realm and just seventeen years old. It’s perfectly normal that he can’t match Zhou Dingshan."