Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Chapter 74 - 4 Cao Rong’s Apprehension!

Chapter 74: Chapter 4 Cao Rong’s Apprehension!

Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

Wang Jin saw Cao Rong in the distance, his bowstring fully drawn.

“Not good!”

He felt a thud in his heart.

The next moment, Wang Jin’s figure suddenly burst forth, covering a distance of three zhang in one step.

Swoosh—

A constable’s long saber was instantaneously snatched from his hand by Wang Jin.

At this moment,

Cao Rong’s bowstring was released again.

Thud—

The arrow cleaved through the wind and waves, trailing a long white tail, heading straight for the facade of Jiang Ning.

Now, at a distance of less than two hundred meters, it would only take about one quarter of a breath for Cao Rong’s arrow to reach the facade of Jiang Ning at such a blistering speed.

At this moment, Jiang Ning had no time to think too much, his Qi-Blood instantly permeated his legs, and all the muscles and bones in his body erupted with full force.

Even his internal organs were fully functioning, bursting with potential, providing him with overloaded support.

“Faster!”

“Even faster!!”

Noticing the arrow heading straight for him, this was the only thought in Jiang Ning’s mind.

Facing this arrow from Cao Rong, he could only do his best to dodge.

He had no right to block it directly.

This type of arrow, capable of creating a sonic boom, would tear flesh and scatter blood even with a mere graze, let alone a direct hit.

On the other side,

After Wang Jin had snatched the saber, his body seemed to lack any inertia, instantly changing direction, the long saber in hand as he leaped.

His gaze was firmly fixed on the arrow that tore through the air.

Suddenly,

Five Layers of power overlaid.

Hum—

With the immense power bolstering it, the blade vibrated ceaselessly.

“Break—”

Wang Jin burst into a shout, and the long saber in his hand chopped directly at the incoming arrowhead.

At that moment, the air currents were parted by Wang Jin like flowing water.

Then, the moment the blade met the arrowhead.

Boom—

A roaring sound echoed in mid-air.

Under the impact of the arrow, Wang Jin’s figure was blasted in the opposite direction from which the arrow came.

At this moment, the long saber in his hand was already ruined, twisted out of the shape of a saber.

Wang Jin’s right arm hidden beneath his robes was also trembling slightly.

“The power of a single arrow, truly fearsome indeed. No wonder he is the Cao family’s prodigious talent! He has already stepped into the Martial Arts Seventh Grade, a strongman at the Refining Muscle stage!” Wang Jin felt a bit shocked in his heart.

At this time, his arm felt somewhat powerless, and his tiger’s mouth was numb.

He could feel that, facing arrows of this intensity, he could at most directly block two or three more.

If it were a normal situation, facing Cao Rong’s archery, he could simply dodge without blocking, primarily focusing on dodging.

He could even use the technique of using power to lead, applying the principle of using four ounces to redirect a thousand pounds.

But now it was impossible because Cao Rong had already seen through him.

Jiang Ning was his vulnerability; as long as Cao Rong aimed at Jiang Ning, he had to block directly.

Wang Jin gave a somewhat grim and bitter smile in his heart.

He hadn’t felt this kind of frustration in a long time.

He wished he could directly rush over and let Cao Rong witness his true strength.

The Canglang Blade Skill, when fully mastered, could let him stack five layers of power in an eruption, which in Wang Jin’s eyes was enough to dominate peers of his level.

If he got close, just one explosive strike would determine the victor.

But at this moment, Wang Jin could only think about it in his mind.

Unless he no longer cared about Jiang Ning’s life and death, he could not rush out of the Martial Arts Hall’s gate.

On the other side,

Cao Rong smiled, “As expected, that minor character Jiang Ning is your old man’s Achilles’ heel! I didn’t expect it! You, old man, place such importance on this child that you’d go so far as to turn against my Cao family.”

His gaze suddenly intensified, “Since that’s the case, no matter the reason, this boy cannot be left alive!”

Following that,

Cao Rong once again drew his bowstring taut, the arrow firmly fixed on Jiang Ning with a confident look on his face.

Archery strongmen, their favorite scenario is precisely this one.

Having someone the adversary must save means the adversary can neither close the distance nor choose to dodge, forced to confront head-on.

Under such circumstances, not to mention Wang Jin was merely another Seventh Grade Mastery Martial Arts strongman like him.

Even facing a Martial Arts Sixth Grade strongman, he dared to engage in battle.

With a vulnerability present, a high-skilled archer like him was inherently in an invincible position, able to exploit the vulnerability to strike aggressively or retreat and attack the vulnerability, making it impossible for the opponent to pursue.

This was an overwhelming advantage.

Just at this moment,

Suddenly, a strong sense of palpitation engulfed Cao Rong, and he could feel that he was currently in a situation where pulling one hair could move the whole body.

If he dared to let go, he would unleash a force powerful enough to crush him.

The next moment, Cao Rong turned his gaze toward a direction on the street below.

“Shen Congyun!” his pupils contracted.

Then he saw a woman in green clothing beside Shen Congyun, his pupils tightened again: “Lin Qingyi!”

“Why did the two deputy masters of Wanhua Building suddenly appear, and why was Shen Congyun’s aura locked onto me?”

Cao Rong’s gaze once again fell on Shen Congyun, settling on the green leaf between his fingers.

He saw that the green leaf was enveloped by a white mist, causing his pupils to contract once again.

“Inner Breath!”

“This is… Inner Breath!!!”

At that moment, Cao Rong felt an overwhelming sense of alarm.

As the chosen son of the Cao family who had left Luoshui County to participate in the Martial Examinations at Dongling City, he naturally recognized that the green leaf Shen Congyun was pinching was filled with Inner Breath.

The Inner Breath cultivated by Shen Congyun.

Once Inner Breath adhered to a leaf, even an ordinary fluttering leaf could shatter stone and sever metal.

Moreover, it could change direction in midair, striking invisibly.

How could he not know now that he was clearly targeted by Shen Congyun’s aura?

If he dared to release this arrow, it would trigger a chain reaction, causing the leaf in Shen Congyun’s hand to shoot straight at his face.

Normally, Inner Breath symbolizes the realm of Martial Arts Fifth Grade.

He knew that as soon as Shen Congyun made a move, just with the Inner Breath wrapped around that leaf,

he would either be gravely injured or killed.

And this represented Shen Congyun’s intention, a warning to him.

At the same time.

Seeing Cao Rong look his way, Shen Congyun revealed a slight smile.

His lips moved slightly, and although the sound did not seem to travel through the air, it immediately rang in Cao Rong’s ears.

“Cao Rong, how about you do me a favor? How about sparing that young man’s life?”

Upon hearing this, Cao Rong’s mind whirled with thoughts.

He then slowly relaxed the string he had been pulling back and completely stopped.

“Since Building Owner Shen has spoken, I should indeed give him this respect!” Cao Rong laughed.

He hung his bow and arrow on his back and then jumped down from the rooftop, walking towards Shen Congyun.

On the other side.

Lin Qingyi frowned as she watched Shen Congyun.

“Have you thought this through? By suddenly stepping into the conflict of Luoshui County, you are violating a major taboo of the building owner, and you will be punished.”

Shen Congyun smiled lightly: “Sister Qingyi, since I have chosen to step in, I have naturally thought through the consequences.”

“I don’t understand!” Lin Qingyi shook her head: “How could such a young newcomer, who hasn’t even made his mark in Martial Arts, be worth your intervention.”

Shen Congyun shook his head with a smile: “What’s there to understand or not understand? I just found the lad likable and pitiful, so I decided to help him out.”

“You don’t seem like that kind of person to me!” Lin Qingyi shook her head, but she did not continue to question.

She had worked with Shen Congyun for many years and knew some aspects of his temperament and character well. Pressing him on matters he chose to keep quiet was meaningless.

Yet at this moment, her heart was filled with intense curiosity about Jiang Ning.

It was this curiosity that had made her follow Shen Congyun out of Wanhua Building just now.

She really wanted to see what was different about Jiang Ning that prompted Shen Congyun to break the building’s rules and step in to extricate Jiang Ning from his predicament.

The potential repercussions were severe, and she knew without asking that Shen Congyun would certainly face punishment from the building owner afterward.

On the other side.

Cao Rong’s thoughts were complex and full of doubts.

The sudden appearance of Shen Congyun and Lin Qingyi, two building masters of Wanhua Building, was completely unexpected.

Especially Shen Congyun’s intentions, which he could not comprehend.

Wanhua Building’s eternal neutrality was the root of its expansion across the Thirty-Six Prefectures of the Great Xia.

Shen Congyun’s actions today were a clear violation of the rules set by Wanhua Building.

He could not understand this at all.

Especially because Shen Congyun had acted for such a nondescript youth, someone whom he saw as very unremarkable.

This made him even more baffled!

He then thought of Wang Jin’s performance today.

“Could it be that this young man is actually an undiscovered prodigy?”

A moment later.

Cao Rong appeared in front of Shen Congyun.

“Building Owner Shen! Master Lin!” Cao Rong greeted with a bow.

Shen Congyun showed a smile: “I must thank Brother Cao for giving me some face.”

Cao Rong immediately laughed, as though the earlier tense situation had never existed.

He then said: “Since Mr. Shen has spoken, how could I not show respect? But I am curious, Mr. Shen, did you speak up because of the person I was targeting?”

Shen Congyun nodded slightly: “Yes, him!”

“I see!” Cao Rong showed a sudden realization.

“Would Brother Cao join me?” Shen Congyun asked.

“Together!” Cao Rong nodded.

Then Cao Rong added: “I am curious, Mr. Shen, what is your relationship with that young man that you would go so far as to stand up for him?”

Shen Congyun laughed lightly, clearly understanding the real intent behind Cao Rong’s words.

He then spoke: “What relationship? I just find the lad likable, that’s all!”

“Admirable!” Cao Rong exclaimed: “Mr. Shen is indeed a man of character!”

Then Cao Rong sighed lightly and continued: “I was born into the Cao family, nurtured by the clan, but also burdened by familial responsibilities, unable to act as freely as Mr. Shen.”

Shen Congyun laughed again and said no more.

At this moment, Lin Qingyi, the other deputy master of Wanhua Building, quietly followed beside Shen Congyun, silent like a spectator.

Then the three walked along the quiet streets, heading directly towards the location of Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

The brief conflict had caused the nearby streets to be deserted for a short time, as everyone had already hidden inside their houses to avoid the aftermath.

Now, as the commotion outside had subsided, they dared to stealthily peek outside through the cracks of doors and windows.