Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Grand Flourish and the Returning Spear

"Ah, traditional martial arts truly are not the strongest among the various systems. I began training from childhood, first learning Plum Blossom Fist, then Mantis Fist, Xingyi Fist, later practicing the Shaking Spear and single-handed sword. Eventually, I created my own dual mantis sword technique. I cannot count the hardships I endured. However..." Sword Saint Yu spoke in a deep voice, "In the Dreamspace, martial arts are by no means weak!"

He lifted a great spear. The spear was as thick as a wine cup, exceedingly long and heavy, towering several heads above a man. Its surface was dark and gleaming with a dense metallic sheen, unmistakably forged of steel! Such a weapon in ancient times would have belonged to the top generals in cavalry, capable of piercing both rider and horse in a single thrust.

"Heh..." The old man hoisted what must have been a sixty or seventy-pound iron spear, bracing the butt against his ribs. Using the strength of his waist and arms, he raised it level, the long shaft utterly steady, with the spear tip pointing forward. His body moved up and down, storing energy for the strike.

Power! It began in the waist and kidneys, extended to the four limbs. The spear shaft began to tremble, vibrations rippling from the body to the tip, growing ever stronger. Sword Saint Yu thrust and withdrew the spear, thrust and withdrew, again and again. With each movement, the tip traced arcs, forming circles in the air. "Woo... woo..." A chilling wind howled from the spear, mingling with the clang of metal.

The Shaking Spear!

To shake a wooden spear into wide circles was already mastery, but this old man managed to shake an iron spear as if performing Tai Chi Sword—holding the butt in his left hand, thrusting and retracting without wavering, the tip vibrating into circles, one circle following another without pause.

"Hmm?" Yan Luo’s gaze sharpened. He saw, as the spear trembled, visible streams of air converging, like a guide. Just as Mu Bai’s deadly dagger technique drew lines in the air, the spear tip, as it moved, drew white streaks of airflow.

Wind element!

Clearly, wind-type energy was gathered upon the spear. The piercing sonic booms, the metallic resonance, and the deep hum of steel were like a temple bell rung in a stormy night, the howling wind and clanging metal echoing like the wails of ghosts, chilling the legs and striking terror in the heart.

In a short time, the old man shook the iron spear into a stormy vortex, the tip spinning into a high-speed white cyclone.

Wang Dongwei, standing nearby, hurriedly stepped back; the spinning force almost swept him off his feet. The shrill sonic blasts and trembling metallic notes made his jaw go numb.

"Boy, do you see? This is the Wind-Spinning Silk Spear."

Sword Saint Yu paused, the wind element gathered at the tip dissipating. He breathed deeply, slightly out of breath—age had caught up with him.

"This is a fusion of spear technique and psychic power: the wind element. Only us, the world modulators, can manifest such skills. Now, let me show you an ancestral technique—the Returning Horse Spear! Combined with psychic power, the Thunderclap Returning Horse Spear."

His expression was calm and solemn, touched by an inexplicable dignity.

"Xiao Xu, fetch the iron shield from the stall and help demonstrate."

The man known as the Iron Butcher, a bald, burly figure in his forties, grabbed a large iron shield from the stall. It was all metal, covering half the body, nearly two fingers thick, with a black iron handle.

Heftier than any Western tower shield.

The bald man raised the shield before him, covering his upper body. In the Dreamspace, no harm could come to others, but facing Sword Saint Yu, he cautiously activated his prized Iron Shirt technique—instantly his skin was coated in a blue-black sheen, as if clad in a protective layer.

"I'm starting now," Sword Saint Yu announced, turning his back to the shield bearer.

"Zzz..." Blue currents of electricity surged over his body, flowing down his arms and into the iron spear. The currents raced across the steel shaft, throwing off sparks and a pungent scent of iron.

"Watch closely—the ancestor’s technique!"

Suddenly, Sword Saint Yu dropped his shoulder, tucked his neck, bent his body, and sprang up! Power exploded from his waist; the spear became a great dragon, surging with thunderclap, arcing overhead. "Boom-boom-boom!" A rumbling thunder rolled, the spear moving so fast it defied the eye, thrusting backward like a bolt of lightning!

"Boom!"

The iron shield, nearly two fingers thick, burst apart under the Returning Horse Spear’s thunderbolt thrust! Fragments of iron, arcing electricity, and sparks flew everywhere.

The whole street fell silent.

Even those world modulators not gathered at the stall were stunned by this spear—the Thunderclap Returning Horse Spear. Fat Zhu Xiaoyong’s mouth hung wide open; he could hardly believe the impact of traditional martial arts combined with elemental energy.

The scene was straight out of a Hong Kong comic!

"Huff... huff..." The old man panted heavily, his aura visibly fading. No longer could age rely on sinews and bones; at over seventy, he had marshaled all his vitality, ignited his gene-activated psychic power, and unleashed a spear like a burning life force. Afterwards, weakness was inevitable.

"Martial arts are never weak!"

Sword Saint Yu set down the iron spear and looked at Yan Luo. He did not mention taking on a disciple again; as both elder and Sword Saint, he possessed his own dignity—the pride and honor of a martial artist.

He took out paper and pen, writing down a number and address.

"This is my phone, and my real-world address. If you’re interested, come find me. Regardless of its practical use, practicing martial arts to strengthen the body and fighting skills is never wrong—even if, in the future, you pursue another system."

"Alright."

Yan Luo took the slip of paper.

Zhu Xiaoyong spent a thousand points at the stall to buy a Ghost-Headed Broadsword. This heavy, broad-bladed weapon was ideal for chopping—its power considerable. It was an upgraded street thug’s cleaver, suitable for slaughtering both pigs and men, with a ghost head engraved on the blade for extra flair.

The broadsword weighed three jin; for reference, the most common European medieval greatsword weighed 1.5kg, or three jin. The heaviest two-handed swords were no more than five jin. Excessive weight on the battlefield was fatal—this three-jin blade was already heavy for an ordinary person.

Zhu Xiaoyong had not yet activated his gene; he intended to use his gene points for "Basic Strength."

Yan Luo now had six thousand bio-energy points. The stall’s weapons were decent but all cost a thousand points; he wanted something finer. Sword Saint Yu took out two prized weapons from his phone-space.

The Coiling Dragon Staff
The Mandarin Duck Blades

Staff and blades were the easiest to master.

The Coiling Dragon Staff was a great iron rod, 2.4 meters long, weighing sixty-two jin! Crafted from refined steel, its color was pure, forged by a famed smith in the martial world. Cold white steel formed the body, with iron powder particles fused into the surface, creating a winding, clawed black dragon, as if a real dragon were coiled about the staff.

These iron powder dragons were not mere decoration—their chief purpose was to increase friction between hand and staff, allowing greater force in the grip.

The Mandarin Duck Blades were not the television version—the term refers to a matched pair, as in the famous paired axes. These blades were two large, palm-sized knives, midway between a dagger and a machete, combining the agility of a dagger with the chopping power of a cleaver.

Both staff and blades were forged by the same master; their steel was exceptional, and the handles bore iron powder patterns—one blade marked with a mandarin, the other with a duck.

Whether staff or blades, these were masterpieces—even without enchantments or magical effects, they were marvels of cold weapon forging in the low-martial world. Such weapons should cost no less than five thousand bio-energy points.

Sword Saint Yu sold them to Yan Luo for three thousand apiece, six thousand in total.

The Coiling Dragon Staff was a long weapon; the Mandarin Duck Blades were short. Both had their uses—a perfect combination for practical combat. And after witnessing Sword Saint Yu's display, Yan Luo felt that before settling on his true path, practicing martial arts would not be amiss.

At the very least, it could unlock the potential of his body.

Moreover, these two weapons were precisely those included in a certain fist style—a style not difficult to master, without flashy routines, but truly practical, a technique for real combat and killing!