Chapter 407: To Fight or Not to Fight, It’s Entirely Up to the Mind
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The wind from the mountains raged and the forest was stained in gold by sun rays. Meng Qi looked at the Dragon, Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and Giant Bird monks next to him and replied, slightly raising his eyebrows, “Your Highness, what if I don’t want to make a bet?”
He seemed to say something insignificant with a leisurely demeanor.
Before Zhao Qian had a chance to speak, the eunuch next to him sneered, “If you are too timid to accept the challenge which is not much different from your level, you must be unworthy of the nickname Killing Blade and will be teased by people all over the world. When the news is spread, the alias for the likes of you who ranked sixth on the Ranking List of Young Masters won’t be Killing Blade anymore, but Mouse Blade. You are as timid as a rabbit and your long saber seems to have turned rusty. What’s more, you are afraid of the challenge, and have a weak will!”
He was provoking Meng Qi by criticizing his ability.
Meng Qi was still calm. Although he loved to display his skill in front of others and put his nickname on display, he had been used to the condition of being repeatedly “struck”. So what did the provocation matter?
Wearing a smile on his lips, he said without anger, “I have a bad temper and it is up to my mood to decide to fight or not. I won’t be affected by others or rumors. No one can stop me if I decide to fight, and even the most powerful opponent cannot frighten me. If I don’t want to fight, I will just take the endless words from your mouth and the slander from people as the breeze caressing my cheeks and the bright moon shining on the river.”
He had changed the way he referred to himself by not using modest vocabulary, but unreservedly calling himself “I”.
As for Meng Qi’s attitude, Jiang Zhiwei nodded with approval, believing that it was indeed the mind of a Martial Artist.
“It seems that Killing Blade is not as eager to kill,” Zhao Qian sighed. “One of my promises can change a lot of things, so numerous people all over the world earnestly long for it.”
Zhao Qian tempted him with the benefits after the provocation didn’t work.
Meng Qi laughed out loud and said, “I’ve lived for so many years without any promises from Crown Prince, and I am fine, so what do you think? I can still rank sixth in the Ranking List of Young Masters, being a world-famous man. Why do I have to be concerned about whether I make a bet or not?”
“I just turned eighteen and have been in the top ten of Ranking List of Young Masters. Perhaps my promise will be as good as yours with the hope of becoming a Dharmakaya!”
His was effusively confident and generous, making Zhao Qian squint his eyes a bit. After listening to his words, the eunuch’s expression changed to one full of hatred. “How dare he compare himself to the Crown Prince!”
“Hope of becoming a Dharmakaya? Ha! How many generations of the top ten in Ranking List of Young Masters could produce a Dharmakaya?”
The surrounding guards’ faces also changed because they never thought that Su Meng was so arrogant.
“You are worthy of your nickname ‘Killing Blade’.” Jiang Zhiwei smiled relaying a Secret Voice-sending to tease Meng Qi following Crown Prince Zhao Qian’s words.
Of course, he had cultivated Eight Nine Mysteries and also practiced Heavenly Golden Scripture, the first movement of The Buddha’s Palm and the first movement of Nine Annihilation at Heavenly Nights. So he thought that he could not keep a foothold in Jianghu if he was not confident of his skills! Meng Qi stared at Zhao Qian with a determined look.
Zhao Qian laughed, clapping his hands. “You are not disturbed by so much slander from others, so Young Master Su, you have a Buddha nature. And I just focus on the appearance. Now that you don’t want to make a bet, we will not do it.”
“Thanks for your kindness.” Meng Qi said cheerily, cupping one hand in the other before his chest. Then he exclaimed with a serious look,
“Five masters, I would like to accept your challenge!”
“Huh?” This turn of events was beyond eveyone’s expectation. Even Hua Yan divine monk was dumbfounded. His joyous appearance became stiff, and it was obvious that he did not understand Meng Qi’s thought.
Only Jiang Zhiwei chuckled. The little monk’s temper was similar to hers in this respect.
“Su Meng! You do not want to make a bet, right?” The eunuch said angrily while stepping forward. His voice was squeaky, like the scratching of a blackboard with a fingernail. It spread to Meng Qi, bringing about a feeling of numbness. At the same time, the gentle cold air was like the sword and needle, coming into nothingness. Meng Qi could not help but shudder.
Meng Qi did not change his smile and said as peacefully as usual, “I don’t want to make a bet, but I’m still willing to fight.”
“I will not be happy if I am fettered by a bet driven fight. So I don’t want to make a bet.”
“But I will feel relaxed and comfortable without the bet, so I would like to fight all of the masters with my sword. Crown Prince said that the five masters will not be inferior than any one from the top ten in the Ranking List of Young Masters if they team up. I am glad to meet them and would like to try!”
His voice was not very loud, but stunning. The same thought occurred in many of guards. “He is a real Martial Artist!”
“Now that, is logic.” Jiang Zhiwei whispered.
After a moment’s silence, Zhao Qian smiled again and said, “It is five Masters’ decision to accept the challenge or not. I cannot make this decision.”
The eunuch sent a Secret Voice-sending message to the Dragon, Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and Giant Bird monks and said, “Fight him for me! Teach him a good lesson!”
“How dare he play tricks on Crown Prince and I. Maybe he takes this request asdesperation !”
Master Dragon put his palms together and said in a deep voice, “Since Donor Su wants to launch a challenge, I must accept your challenge along with my senior and younger brothers.”
“Great!” Meng Qi turned around and walked to an open area outside of the pavilion with his sword.
His momentum unleashed, very rigid and sturdy. And with every step he made people feel that his figure increased by about 3.3cm. In the end, he seemed to turn into a giant who could touch the sky.
Jiang Zhiwei’ beautiful eyes grew wide. It seemed that the little monk had not only completed all the movements of Five Thunder Bombardment of Sky, but also had a preliminary comprehension. There was a kind of feeling like taking the punishment for heaven and dominating in the present world with his every move when combining with the effect of Muscle-bone Strengthening Scripture.
Dragon, Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and Giant Bird followed him out, in the shape of semi arc. Their positions looked like a long rolling snake being coiled up.
“Amitabha.” The five monks read the Buddha’s name together.
The Buddha’s name seemed to open some secret door, and their momentum changed accordingly, twisting together and connecting with each other. It was peaceful and quiet around, and the surroundings were full of Zen. There seemed to be an exchange between the breath and genuine Qi at some point.
With the entanglement and exchange, Meng Qi only felt their genuine Qi steadily rising. They had broken through the limitation of enlightening the Apertures quickly and made themselves change. They seemed to be illusory, integrating into one along with the surroundings. No one could feel the existence of the five with their eyes closed.
In addition, their genuine Qi and breath strangely merged with each other, flowing and turning in their five bodies and the emptiness among them. All of their genuine Qi and breath made no difference, and the join-hand secret art was different from others.
They seemed to become one person, including a head and four limbs. Once one of them was Oneness of Heaven and Men, so were the other four.
It would not make sense if Meng Qi’s head had reached Oneness of Heaven and Men but his hands had not!
It was really extraordinary…Meng Qi kept his eyes half-open, holding the handle of his sword in his right hand.
He had a reputation outside and his fight in the Mountain God Temple astonished Jianghu. He was also well-known for being good at fighting with a group of opponents. Zhao Qian must know and there must be something to rely on, since he still wanted to appoint five people to fight him by teaming up. And they were as outstanding as expected when appearing in front of Meng Qi!
“Amitabha.” The five monks chanted the Buddha’s name again.
There was an indication of turning the place outside of Half-mountain pavilion into a peaceful quiet place and there did not seem to be the dirtiness of the soil on the ground. Fighting, exasperation, fighting spirit, and the like had melted inside the heart, making people abandon the thought of drawing their sword or striking.
What an amazing Zen martial art. Meng Qi restrained his state of mind and resisted the peaceful and quiet spirit with his mind of violating the dogma. He then put forth his strength with his right hand, pulling the long saber out of the scabbard.
A dash of silvery white shone in front of their eyes and as Heaven Inflicted Pain was pulled out and the Thunder Light jumped. Meng Qi seemed to be larger and stronger than before. He charged with one blade, stepping on a Thunderbolt Python!
His knife momentum was heavy, like a high mountain and it pressed the air and made a dull thunder crash at this moment. Those before him could feel their blood churning in their thorax and abdomen, and started breathing with difficulty.
Master Tiger held Prayer Beads in one hand and pushed his other palm out.
Most of the momentum among them gathered in Master Tiger to make his palms glow dark gold. His palms became powerful, firm and fierce, able to chop gold stones into pieces.
“Bang!”
The palm struck the blade side and Meng Qi felt that it was too hard for him to keep off, since the palm was very powerful. It felt as if he had returned to the practicing field of Six Fan School in Ying City. He became Yan Chong and the five monks were Aunt Bai!
He did not persistently resist them, but turned to another direction by borrowing that strength to jump on Master Elephant after keeping off more than half of their momentum by using the heavy thunder momentum. His moves suddenly sped up, so did the blade in his hand, like a streak of lightning striking in winter.
However, the momentum of five monks shifted at an ultra-fast speed beyond Meng Qi’s imagination. The shift was like the transfer of genuine Qi in his body, without any obstruction. The momentum arrived wherever his thoughts were.
Although Meng Qi’s blade had moved so quickly, Master Elephant struck with his palm at a high speed also. Lowering his eyebrows and eyes, he pushed his palm out just right, showing off the extraordinary power of Vajra, and causing people to have to elude the sharp rays of light!
At the same time, the other four monks who shared the rest of the breath slapped at Meng Qi from different angles, sealing up the areas to dodge. It left him feeling that it was difficult to escape the tribulation and that he had to drop his blade to become a Buddha immediately!
Meng Qi’s long saber led his movement, turning his slices into guidance. He went round and round, defusing the strength from the five monks while borrowing strength from them. He chopped away and broke from the siege of five palms like a ghost, with knife energy flashing continuously.
“He has such Dharma Access to borrow and defuse strength. No wonder he is not afraid of group fights.” Zhao Qian sighed with emotion.
The eunuch said with a cold smile, “He is forced to use the secret art, and I really want to see how he can defuse or borrow strength under the conditions that the five monks have prepared in advance!”
Meng Qi unveiled his Body Movements, making some of them illusory, some real, some fast and some eerie. He did not give five monks the chance to restict him. With his knife energy continuously flashing, he slashed in front of each of them. Some of his actions were fierce, some passionate, some quick and some slow, and they sometimes seemed to be illusory, and at other times real.
However, the breath of the five monks flowed and turned, and all of them that withstood his blade had strength reaching the Oneness of Heaven and Men level. An ordinary Vajra palm could defuse Meng Qi’s Knife Momentum which contained numerous changes or possessed genuine Qi power rising to the peak. They did not give him the chance to use the Exterior killing stroke or break free from their siege by rushing past one of them!
They took each movement steadily and surely, going ahead slowly. After five strokes, the range that Meng Qi could evade, spin and move could be narrowed quickly. If they continued to take five strokes, Meng Qi may have been forced to fight against them head-on, one vs five.
“Amitabha.” Master Dragon declared the Buddha’s name. Then he turned his palms into claws which fingers were powerful, seeming to capture the dragon.
At the same time, the Tiger, Leopard, Elephant and Giant Bird monks struck in coordination with each other. Some of them had the power of Vajra in the palms, crushing stones and splitting the ground, some could make their fingers sway without shadow and some could crash into a hole with their fists, striking a distant place…
It was the first time that they had attacked on their initiatives since the beginning of the fight. They covered Meng Qi from five directions, as if they were catching a turtle in the jar.
Their breath flowed and rotated, with the power of their fingers, palms, fists and claws changing ceaselessly. No one could tell the main power from the assistant!
Meng Qi took a deep breath and his figure became taller suddenly. When five strong strengths came to him, he folded his body to change direction under the situation that he was in in the air and had no place to use his strength, causing the five monks to fail to catch him!
Seizing the opportunity, he made a downward stroke, being high up in the air. His long saber swung toward Master Leopard.
The knife energy was empty and vague, turning into red dust to disturb the Zen mind and chop off the purification!
“As expected of the Disciple of Seven Masters.” After watching the change just now, the divine monk Hua Yan smiled with understanding.
Zhao Qian stood, with his hands crossed behind his back. He did not change his smile, seeming to believe that it was not difficult for the Dragon, Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and Giant Bird masters to deal with such a change.