Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

Ruan Yuqing and the Rotten Gambler reacted similarly, taking two steps back.

Li Tianxin’s figure wavered slightly. His gaze swept the area, and he quietly retreated three steps.

BANG!

Just as the group had cleared the area, a sudden crack exploded from under Jiang Ran’s feet.

He had shattered a large, black glazed stone with a single step. Looking up, they saw that the eyes beneath the Ghost King’s mask were filled with fury.

And this person’s Inner Strength was bizarre.

It was not only immensely dense but also radiated an indescribable sense of decay, as if it could cause all things to wither and snuff out all life.

If not for the fact that Jiang Ran’s own Inner Energy was so profound as to be almost unbelievable, combined with the regenerative power of his Genesis Heart Scripture—with its ceaseless flow and generation of yin and yang—he likely would have been consumed by this Inner Strength, his body withering away and his life force extinguished.

But recalling what the Ghost King had said before he struck, Jiang Ran asked while resisting the incredibly heavy palm strike:

"Lord Ghost King, you know me?"

The Ghost King was taken aback.

The martial art he practiced was the Eternal Hundred Floating Diagrams, a skill passed down through generations in the Ghost King Palace.

The "Eternal" in Eternal Hundred Floating Diagrams did not refer to the Eternal Hell.

When all things wither, they first enter the Eternal state, then the underworld.

The state between yin and yang *is* the Eternal!

Therefore, this skill possessed the ability to wither life force and dissipate a person’s power.

It forces one to shed their vitality and enter that Eternal state.

Now, as he struck in a rage, his withering and sinister Inner Strength surged like the murky waves of the Yellow Springs, mingled with the wailing of phantoms.

An ordinary person clashing palms with him would be stripped of all reason, as if trapped in that Eternal state, and would wither and die in an instant.

How could anyone else possibly remain as clear-headed and rational as Jiang Ran under such an assault?

But this only enraged the Ghost King further:

"You’re still trying to play games with me?"

He had initially attacked with only one palm. But as he spoke, his free hand flipped over and shot out in another palm strike.

Jiang Ran’s brow twitched. He met the attack with his Thirteen Frenzied Devil Claws of Kun.

And so the two of them fought, one pair of hands locked in a ceaseless contest of Inner Strength, while their other hands constantly exchanged and countered moves.

While it wasn’t quite fighting with a divided mind, the danger involved was still shocking to witness.

Seeing this, Ruan Yuqing and the others wanted to rush forward.

But the Rotten Gambler let out a great shout:

"Don’t go any closer! The Master’s Profound Skill is divine, which is the only reason he can withstand Lord Ghost King’s Eternal Hundred Floating Diagrams."

"If any of us step in rashly, our life force will be stolen, and we’ll die on the spot!"

"Eternal Hundred Floating Diagrams? What kind of martial art is that?"

Ruan Yuqing’s expression soured. As an expert from the Shuiyue Sword Sect, she considered herself worldly and knowledgeable.

Yet she had never heard of such a martial art.

But Ruan Yuqing couldn’t be blamed for her ignorance.

The Ghost Kings of the Ghost King Palace had, for generations, remained separate from the martial world.

Naturally, no legends of this skill existed in the martial world.

Only members of the Ghost King Palace, those who stumbled upon it by accident, or those who deliberately sought it out and set foot inside the royal hall, ever had a chance to encounter this technique.

Of those people, some remained in the Ghost King Palace forever, becoming one of its many demonic denizens.

Others, even if they managed to leave, would have their memories wiped by the Enchanting Order.

The information they could take with them was scant.

And certainly nothing about the Eternal Hundred Floating Diagrams.

In the space of a single thought, Jiang Ran and the Ghost King of the Eternal had already exchanged thirty to fifty moves.

At that moment, Jiang Ran suddenly stomped one foot on the ground. With a WHISTLE, a spiritual manifestation surged into existence behind him as his palm descended. It was the Great Brahma Palm!

The moment this divine skill of the Buddhist Sect appeared, the ghostly aura instantly dissipated.

Normally, when Jiang Ran used this martial art, the spiritual manifestation should have been radiant with golden light.

But with his Genesis Heart Scripture as the foundation, the manifestation that enveloped him seemed as pure as a clear moon in a gentle breeze.

There was no glimmer of gold, only a roiling white light.

The black and white energies collided.

Another deafening explosion!

This one was far more violent than the last.

A powerful blast of Gang Qi erupted, injuring Ruan Yuqing and the other onlookers, who couldn’t stop blood from trickling down their lips.

Jiang Ran and the Ghost King of the Eternal were both sent flying backward simultaneously.

One of them stumbled back to the black throne, his legs giving way as he collapsed onto it. Blood trickled down from beneath his deathly pale mask.

A withered look appeared on Jiang Ran’s face. He shook his head lightly and also spat out a mouthful of blood.

He looked up, met the Ghost King of the Eternal’s gaze, and nodded repeatedly.

"Truly the Ghost King of the Eternal!"

He immediately spun around, sat down cross-legged, and began circulating his Inner Energy with the Genesis Heart Scripture to heal himself.

The Ghost King of the Eternal had no time to press the attack. He tapped several acupoints on his chest, and a roiling, black, misty energy enveloped him as he sat down to meditate and heal.

The two men, who had been locked in a life-or-death battle just a moment ago, were now both focused on healing their wounds.

Ruan Yuqing, Luo Qingyi, and Li Tianxin hurried to form a protective circle around Jiang Ran.

The Rotten Gambler and the six dice-headed oddballs glanced from one side to the other, unsure of what to do.

Finally, the Rotten Gambler stomped his foot and took up a position in front of Jiang Ran.

The Ghost King of the Eternal looked up, his gaze instantly turning grim.

"Rotten Gambler... you... who do you serve?"

"My apologies, Lord Ghost King."

The Rotten Gambler hastily cupped his fists.

"A moment ago, I lost myself to my new master in a wager. You know me, I might welsh on any other debt in my life, but I would never dare default on a gambling debt."

"So, I came here to find you, Lord Ghost King, and make it clear that I plan to leave Eternal Town with my master."

"...Good. Very good, indeed!"

The Ghost King of the Eternal glared at Jiang Ran: