Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

”I just need you to have my back, Senior Sister,” Song Changsheng said with a faint smile, his gaze fixed forward.

With that, Song Changsheng glanced toward Zhuang Yuechan and the Grand Elder, then with a light tap of his feet, he floated onto the arena.

”And who are you?” Jin Yue asked, crossing his arms and looking at Song Changsheng with utter disdain.

In truth, he knew the intelligence on every competitor like the back of his hand. This was just a deliberate show of contempt.

”Song Changsheng, from Luoxia City. I ask for your guidance, sir,” Song Changsheng said calmly, unfazed, and cupped his hands in a salute.

”Hah. Since when did Luoxia City have someone like you? I don’t fight nobodies. Tell Yinn Shang to face me,” Jin Yue sneered, the disdain in his eyes deepening.

”Defeat me, and you will naturally earn the right to face my Senior Brother.”

”Heh heh, don’t tell me Yinn Shang is scared,” Jin Yue said, his face a mask of provocation.

Although he didn’t think he would lose to Song Changsheng, he much preferred to fight Yinn Shang at his peak and inflict a serious injury. That way, he could affect Luoxia City’s chances in the final battle tomorrow.

”Mr. Jin, stop wasting your breath. You won’t be seeing my Senior Brother today,” Song Changsheng said, drawing the Book Language Sword. His tone had taken on a cold edge.

”Hmph. Then I’ll finish you first. Let’s see if Yinn Shang can still sit back and watch then.”

Jin Yue snorted coldly. He extended a hand, and a jet-black Fangtian Halberd appeared in his grasp. Its Moon Blades glinted ominously in the light of the setting sun.

A grave expression appeared in Song Changsheng’s eyes as he focused his full attention.

According to the intelligence, Jin Yue was a Body Refiner born with Divine Power. He specialized in using Heavy Magical Artifacts. The Fangtian Halberd in his hand was said to weigh over ten thousand jin; even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a mere graze would cause injury, and a direct hit meant certain death.

”Die!”

With a thunderous roar, Jin Yue’s arm suddenly swelled in size. He swung the Fangtian Halberd in a horizontal sweep toward Song Changsheng, setting off a series of sonic booms in the air.

To Song Changsheng’s eyes, Jin Yue’s Fangtian Halberd was already moving so fast it left afterimages.

”Fleeting Shadows!”

Song Changsheng’s figure flickered, and in an instant, he appeared behind Jin Yue. His sword swept out, unleashing a torrent of sharp Sword Qi aimed straight for Jin Yue’s back.

”You’re fast, but not fast enough!”

Jin Yue’s figure suddenly vanished from Song Changsheng’s sight, and his voice echoed from directly above him.

With no time to wonder how Jin Yue had done it, Song Changsheng instinctively raised the Book Language Sword horizontally to block.

CLANG!

Sparks flew. An overwhelming force traveled from the Fangtian Halberd into Song Changsheng’s arms. His body buckled, and his feet sank into the Refined Iron Arena.

The qi and blood in his body roiled. Gritting his teeth, he slowly straightened his bent knees. A coppery taste rose in his throat, but he forced it back down.

In the very first exchange, Song Changsheng was already at a disadvantage.

In terms of physical fortitude, Jin Yue might not have been Song Changsheng’s equal, but in pure strength, Song Changsheng was far inferior. Clashing head-on was a huge mistake.

”Back!” Song Changsheng roared, the sound like a clap of thunder. A massive, illusory dragon sigil appeared, letting out a piercing draconic cry.

The sudden sonic attack shook Jin Yue’s Divine Soul for an instant.

”Seven Extremes!”

Seizing the rare opportunity, Song Changsheng flicked his wrist and executed the first form of the Seven Extremes Sword Technique. A Cross Sword Qi shot straight for Jin Yue’s face.

SWOOSH!

Jin Yue’s figure vanished once again.

Instantly, alarm bells screamed in Song Changsheng’s mind, and he instinctively sidestepped.

The next moment, the dark Great Halberd crashed down where he had just been standing. With a thunderous BOOM, the Fangtian Halberd left a ten-foot-long crack in the Refined Iron Arena.

”Little Divine Technique: Mountain-Flipping Seal!”

The image of a Brocade River and Mountain appeared in Song Changsheng’s palm, condensing into a large, seemingly solid seal that he slammed down toward Jin Yue’s forehead.

”Get back!” Jin Yue roared. His Fangtian Halberd sliced a half-moon arc through the air, colliding with the great seal with the sound of grinding metal.

Jin Yue’s arms swelled again, and his tight-fitting sleeves burst apart, turning into a cloud of torn fabric. Veins bulged on his thick arms, and a rushing sound like the tide emanated from them.

CRACK!

To Song Changsheng’s astonishment, the great seal was cleaved in two. The Fangtian Halberd continued its descent, its momentum unbroken, heading straight for him.

”Little Divine Technique: Celestial Spirit Shield!”

BOOOM—

Spitting blood, Song Changsheng was sent flying.

In the viewing stands, Zhuang Yuechan’s body went taut. Her nails dug into her palms without her noticing, and she only snapped back to her senses when she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

Song Changsheng slammed heavily into the edge of the arena, leaving a human-shaped crater.

”Cough, cough...”

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he struggled back to his feet, his expression graver than ever before.

As the saying goes, brute force breaks all techniques. In the face of absolute power, everything else seemed pale and feeble. And not only did Jin Yue possess the strength to completely suppress him, but he also had inconceivable speed.

If this continued, his defeat was certain.

Song Changsheng’s mind raced, searching for a counter-strategy.

Just then, the last sliver of the sun disappeared below the horizon. In the sky above, the stars, previously hidden by the sun’s brilliance, gradually revealed themselves, casting a faint glow upon the earth.

’I’ve got it.’

Song Changsheng’s eyes lit up.

”Go!”

With a wave of his sleeve, eighty-one Tier Two Top-grade Array Banners formed a long dragon, circling by his side, ready to be deployed.

”Setting up an array in front of me? I can’t tell if you’re confident or just arrogant.” Jin Yue hefted his Fangtian Halberd and advanced on Song Changsheng step by step like a war god, his eyes full of ridicule.

”Your Body Technique is indeed superior to mine, but I’ve already found its flaw!” Song Changsheng declared, looking calm and composed as if he held all the cards.

In reality, he hadn’t found any flaw in Jin Yue’s Body Technique at all. He was just stalling for time.

Jin Yue was unmoved, but the aura around him grew increasingly dangerous. He wasn’t standing idle; he was using another of the Celestial Vein Sect’s ultimate techniques, the Void Stepping Step. Each step built up his momentum, and by now, his power had reached its peak.

”Little Divine Technique: Mountain-Opening!”

At that moment, he poured all of his strength into the Fangtian Halberd. It pulsed with a dark light as it chopped down with an indomitable aura, accompanied by the faint roar of a savage beast.

”Stepping on Snow Without Trace!”

Song Changsheng’s figure blurred, dodging aside like a phantom.

The Fangtian Halberd slammed into the arena, causing the ground to shake violently. It nearly split the entire stage in two.

’If I hadn’t dodged that, I would have been turned into meat paste.’ Seeing this, Song Changsheng broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, he had been saving this trump card. It was the first time he had ever used this Escape Technique since he’d learned it, saving it for precisely this moment.

”Celestial Light Prison Spirit Array, rise!”

Song Changsheng roared. The eighty-one Array Banners flew out at high speed and vanished into the arena. He then tossed out over a thousand Spirit Stones, their surfaces inscribed with Array Patterns, which also merged into the stage. In an instant, a Grand Array took shape.

Boundless starlight was drawn down from the heavens, forming a circular cage in the center of the arena that trapped Jin Yue within.

”He formed an array in a single instant! How did he do that?” In the viewing stands, the elder beside Hex Tai cried out in shock. What Song Changsheng had just done was beyond his comprehension.

”Master Bai, can you tell how the boy managed it?” Bai Zimo asked Bai Yan, who was standing beside him.

”He inscribed the Array Patterns on the Spirit Stones in advance, which saved him the time of carving the patterns and burying the power source. He then combined it with the Broken Array Foundation from Niu Dazhuang’s previously defeated array. That’s how he was able to form it in an instant. This boy... his talent is astounding.” Bai Yan’s expression was grim; after all, the more brilliant Song Changsheng was, the more danger Jin Yue was in.

”Truly inconceivable. Does he not even need to think when he performs Array Formation?” Bai Zimo said with a hint of awe, seemingly oblivious to Bai Yan’s dark expression.

A rare smile finally broke through Zhan Tianxia’s stern expression. He explained to Zhuang Yuechan and the others, ”He’s been planning this since the moment he stepped onto the stage. Every word he exchanged with Jin Yue was just a way to stall for time.”

Song Changsheng had proposed this exact tactic back in Luoxia City. He never expected to actually use it, but the effect was surprisingly good.

With his room to maneuver severely restricted, Jin Yue had lost one of his greatest advantages. In an instant, the tables had turned!

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