LRAB Page 84
Page 84
"He couldn't bear to see such a talented person perish, so he chose to back down."
"That was the seventh duel. Li Chungang did not use 'One Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate'. Wang Xianzhi finally gained a slight advantage and shattered Li Chungang's sword with a punch."
"Li Chungang's status as the best in the world enabled Wang Xianzhi to become invincible."
"Wang Xianzhi also knew that Li Chungang had held back in that battle, so he insisted on calling himself the second best in the world, leaving the position of the best in the world vacant for a full sixty years."
"People think that Wang Xianzhi's claim of being second is a sign of humility."
"That's not actually the case."
"The reason why Wang Xianzhi called himself the second best in the world is because the position of 'the best in the world' should be reserved for Li Chungang."
"Therefore, Li Chungang's seclusion has nothing to do with Wang Xianzhi."
"What truly broke his heart and led him to retire from the world was a woman."
"A woman who once stood at the pinnacle of the Jianghu in Liyang."
Inside the Dengtian Pavilion, there was a great deal of noise.
All the martial arts practitioners stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing.
Rumors about the battle between Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi have been circulating in the martial arts world, with some saying that Wang Xianzhi defeated Li Chungang by cleaving something in two with a single palm strike.
Even the Liyang Martial Arts Ranking of that year took this battle into account and ranked Wang Xianzhi at the top of the ranking for the first time.
Whether this battle actually took place, and whether Wang Xianzhi really won as rumored, remains uncertain in the martial arts world.
After all, no one else witnessed the battle between Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi.
Li Chungang disappeared without a trace afterward, and Wang Xianzhi never mentioned the matter either, so there is no direct evidence whatsoever.
Only now did everyone finally learn the truth from Su Chen.
Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi, two powerful figures who once stood at the pinnacle of Liyang martial arts, did indeed fight each other.
And they fought a total of seven times.
Because Li Chungang's talent, like his sword intent, was fierce and progressive, his cultivation speed in the early stages was much faster than Wang Xianzhi's.
In their first six encounters, Li Chungang emerged victorious.
However, Wang Xianzhi was a late bloomer who gradually grew faster and faster as time went on, eventually closing the gap with Li Chungang.
By their seventh battle, the two had reached the same level—the Land Celestial Realm!
This news shocked everyone present.
Li Chungang, the God of Swordsmanship!
The God of Martial Arts, Immortal Branch!
They were the highest peaks and the longest rivers in the Jianghu of Liyang sixty years ago.
Sixty years have passed.
Li Chungang was continuously deified through the stories told by generations of swordsmen, becoming a symbol of invincibility.
Wang Xianzhi, on the other hand, guarded the Martial Emperor City alone, looked down on all the dynasties, and controlled the Liyang Martial Ranking for a full sixty years.
It can be said that even after sixty years, no one in the Jianghu of Liyang can surpass their style.
However, this also means that their cultivation level has always been a mystery, and no one knows exactly what realm they have reached.
Because no one has ever been able to get the two of them to use their full strength.
Only now did people finally have a clearer understanding of the terrifying strength of Wang Xianzhi and Li Chungang.
These two people had already reached the terrestrial celestial realm sixty years ago!
It has reached the legendary realm where the clouds in the heavens hang low and the waters of the four seas are reversed.
What a terrifying state this is.
At that moment, everyone felt the powerful deterrent force represented by this name.
Without a doubt, he is currently the only terrestrial Celestial Realm expert recognized by the Celestial Immortal.
Having already reached the level of a terrestrial being sixty years ago, and having continuously faced challenges over the past sixty years, no one can imagine just how strong Wang Xianzhi has become now.
At the same time, the doubts that had been in everyone's minds for a long time were also answered.
That's why Wang Xianzhi insisted on calling himself the second best in the world, and even had Li Yang Martial Arts Ranking rank him eleventh.
Although Wang Xianzhi is known for her eccentric personality, this action is rather strange.
Now everyone finally understands.
Wang Xianzhi's self-proclaimed status as the second best in the world was not out of modesty, but rather as a form of compensation to Li Chungang.
Li Chungang sacrificed his invincible reputation to achieve his invincibility, and the throne of the world's number one that should have belonged to him will be guarded by him.
What surprised people the most was Su Chen's last words.
Li Chungang's seclusion has nothing to do with Wang Xianzhi, but rather with a woman—a woman who once stood at the pinnacle of the Jianghu in Liyang.
This is very interesting.
Even heroes have always found it difficult to overcome certain obstacles.
No one expected that even someone as carefree as Li Chungang would succumb to this hurdle.
Immediately, everyone began to speculate about the woman's identity.
Although the world of Liyang is vast, it is still largely a man's domain.
Very few women can reach the pinnacle of skill, let alone stand at the top of the martial arts world.
After a brief silence, the people in the hall began to murmur among themselves:
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! I never imagined that Wang Xianzhi and Li Chungang had actually fought once, no, seven times!"
"There used to be rumors in the martial arts world that Wang Xianzhi defeated Li Chungang, but I never believed it. It turns out I was right."
"Li Chungang is too powerful. Wang Xianzhi has already reached the Land Celestial Realm, but she still couldn't stop his 'One Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate'. How strong must that sword be?"
"I never imagined that Wang Xianzhi and Li Chungang had already reached the Land Celestial Realm sixty years ago. No wonder no one has been able to surpass them in the past sixty years."
"That was a duel between terrestrial celestial beings, it's a pity I couldn't witness it in person."
"The clouds in the nine heavens hang down, and the waters of the four seas are reversed. Is this the power of a terrestrial Celestial Realm expert?"
"There are 80,000 characters in the world, but the most troublesome one is the character 'love'. I never thought that even a master as upright as Li Chungang could not escape the tribulations of love."
"Who exactly was the woman who made Li Chungang retire from the martial arts world? There aren't many people who have ever stood at the pinnacle of the martial arts world in Liyang."
In the second private room on the south side of the fourteenth floor.
Chapter 53 Defeat
Xu Fengnian, Jian Jiuhuang, Ning Emei, and the others couldn't help but swallow hard, their eyes filled with astonishment.
They still remembered what the one-armed old man had said earlier, that he didn't even take the terrestrial celestial realm, where "the clouds of the nine heavens all hang low and the waters of the four seas all stand," seriously.
The words of the Celestial Immortal perfectly confirm this.
It turns out that Li Chungang had already reached the terrestrial realm of "the clouds of the nine heavens all hang low, and the waters of the four seas all stand upright" sixty years ago.
For Li Chungang, this was nothing at all.
Could this one-armed, short, slovenly, and rather unpleasant-looking old man in front of me really be Li Chungang?
"What? You still don't believe me?"
Li Chungang glanced at them sideways, looking down on them.
"Senior, please have a drink."
Jian Jiuhuang, being the most courteous, quickly filled the empty bowl in front of Li Chungang with wine.
Xu Fengnian then turned his attention to Bai Yutai.
At this moment, he no longer had any doubts about Li Chungang's identity, but he still had many questions.
He knew that Li Chungang himself would definitely not give him an answer, so he could only rely on the Celestial Immortal.
It's the fifth private room on the east side of the fourteenth floor.
Lu Xiaofeng said, "I've long heard of the great name of Li Chungang, the God of Liyang Swordsmanship. Today I've witnessed his prowess firsthand."
"A martial arts master like Wang Xianzhi was defeated by Li Chungang seven times in seven battles. His strength is truly admirable."
"No wonder the martial arts world of Liyang highly praises him, calling him a sword genius who appears only once every five hundred years, and some even compare him to Lu Zu."
Xie Xiaofeng said with emotion.
Both being renowned sword masters in the martial arts world, he admitted that he was far inferior to Li Chungang.
The two are not even in the same league.
Li Chungang single-handedly created a golden age of swordsmanship, one that the Jianghu of Liyang has been unable to ignore for three hundred years.
He was merely a fleeting figure in the world of martial arts during the Ming Dynasty.
But this did not discourage him; instead, it fueled his fighting spirit.
Li Chungang is indeed formidable, but he also has an advantage: he is young!
He has a lifetime to catch up with Li Chungang!
As if sensing the sword energy surging from Xie Xiaofeng, Ximen Chuixue's eyes sharpened, and he said coldly:
"Xie Xiaofeng, once I break through to the half-step Divine Realm, I will definitely fight you."
Even Dugu Qiubai, standing before the railing, was deeply moved.
"The clouds of the nine heavens all hang low, and the waters of the four seas all stand upright!"
Even he could only look up to such a level, and dared not even dream of it.
Su Chen, however, said that Wang Xianzhi and Li Chungang had already reached this level sixty years ago, and had even fought each other.
This made Dugu Qiubai feel regretful, lamenting that he was born at the wrong time.
If he were born in the Jianghu of Liyang, how exhilarating it would be to witness the battle between two powerful cultivators at the Celestial Realm.