The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 765 - The Duel With Donggong Taiqing

The audiences below focused their attention on the two men standing above the arena. Qing Shui and Donggong Taiqing exchanged death stares as they stood opposite to one another without making their first moves.

"This day has finally come. Today, the matters regarding the Old Ancestor will be settled once and for all. You will be the first one in line, Donggong Taiqing." A smile curled on Qing Shui's face. He was quite calm as he stood on the arena in anticipation of what was to come.

Donggong Taiqing continued to stare at Qing Shui as he remembered the absurd words the latter had said three days ago. Being so arrogant and disrespectful in his presence, who did this guy think he was? Qing Shui had even made him wait on the arena for 30 minutes. Although this wasn't excessively long, it still pissed him off.

"Do you regret standing here? No matter how wise your smart mouth is, it's utterly useless in the arena." Donggong Taiqing scoffed at Qing Shui when he saw his insincere smile.

"Regret? No, I don't feel any regrets. All I feel is the anticipation of killing an inhumane freak like you. It's too bad though. If you die, I won't be able to see your clownish acts of stupidity and ignorance ever again. That'll be less entertaining for me then." Qing Shui shook his head and forced a frown as he laughed insolently.

"So you still want to be a wise-ass, even though you are going to die soon. I will make sure to make the end of your life a living hell." Donggong Taiqing turned pale with anger.

He didn't understand why he had been so easily infuriated by Qing Shui's words at this point. The young man in front of Donggong Taiqing seemed calm as he remained indifferent to his death threat. Because of that nonchalant attitude, Donggong Taiqing felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Is your grandfather Donggong Maisun?" Qing Shui shouted, albeit in a somewhat restrained voice. Regardless, everyone could hear him, especially the members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan.

Donggong Maisun was among the spectators below the arena. He had no idea why this young man would mention his name, even though many people, including the younger generation of other clans, knew who he was.

"Don't take this too far. You should be thinking of how to protect your own life when the fight starts." Donggong Taiqing wasn't concerned with Qing Shui's question, although he couldn't make sense of the reason why Qing Shui would ask.

"The Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan threatens people aggressively and arrogantly. I wonder if that's the signature style of your precious clan. I'm curious as to why no one has annihilated you all yet." Qing Shui completely ignored Donggong Taiqing's words. He seemed like he was talking to himself, narrating the bad side of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan.

"There are reasons why we exist. We have never threatened anyone with aggressiveness or anything of that sort. You, on the other hand, have been intentionally picking a fight with us. Even when you are about to die, you still want to humiliate our clan." Of course Donggong Taiqing would never admit his own clan's methods of treating other people, even if they really were being aggressive or arrogant.

"The sins the Donggong Aristocrats have committed must have piled up like a mountain. I suppose you wouldn't remember all of it. It's a miracle that a clan like yours has survived until now."

"Enough!"

Donggong Taiqing shouted as he flew up to the sky. He felt that he would vomit blood if he had to listen to anymore of Qing Shui's nonsense. Initially, he had wanted to humiliate Qing Shui before the fight began, but now all he wanted to do was kill Qing Shui as quickly as possible. Qing Shui hadn't even been listening to him in the first place, rambling about things that came to his mind and pointing out the faults of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. Anyone would be angry if his family's bad points were publicly dragged across mud.

While floating in the sky, Donggong Taiqing let out a soft roar, tearing his outer clothes instantly. Inside was a set of dark green battle armor that gleamed brilliantly green after it had been imbued with the qi of Xiantian.

Jade-Armored Immortal Garb!

The crowd below gasped in surprise. Even Qing Shui was surprised that Donggong Taiqing would have such a rare treasure. It seemed that the duel today wouldn't be as simple as he initially thought.

The Jade-Armored Immortal Garb had the worth of a treasured gem, its defensive skill allowing the deflection of half of all damage taken. It could also deflect a deadly attack once per day.

"Old Man Donggong, no wonder you were completely confident that Taiqing would win. I see now it's because of the Jade-Armored Immortal Garb on his body." said Old Man Wuma as smiled towards Old Man Donggong, who didn't reply.

"How will anyone defeat him? He is already strong, but with this Jade-Armored Immortal Garb, he can also deflect half of the damage he takes. In order to defeat him, his opponent must possess much stronger abilities. But how many young men in this world could possess such tremendous power?" exclaimed an audience member as he sighed.

"It seems that there will be no suspense in this battle today." Another person added.

"The sons of aristocrats sure have it good. Donggong Taiqing can just wear a simple disguised armor and his ability will be practically doubled. This must be the benefit of being born in a strong aristocrat clan."

"When will we get an Jade-Armored Immortal Garb as well? Our lives would be protected if we wore it everyday, essentially having two lives in one day. But why did Donggong Taiqing show it off now? If he had kept it a secret, he would have had the chance to kill Qing Shui after deflecting a deadly hit." One of the spectators was suspicious about Donggong Taiqing's intentions.

"Actually, it's simple. Donggong Taiqing didn't feel the need to hide it. Qing Shui is not worth his time, so doing this was a move to decrease his confidence. He wants to make Qing Shui feel despair, that he has no chance of winning against him." A handsome young man explained frankly.

Swish!

Donggong Taiqing unsheathed a three-foot sharp green sword. Qing Shui was shocked after he took a closer look. The weapon Donggong Taiqing was holding had a strong venomous aura that seemed quite familiar.

The weapon had been grinded from a Poison Beast's giant tooth. The tooth itself was poisonous and contained a strong venom as well. The penetrating force, the sharpness, and the armor breaking ability of the weapon had all been doubled from the original tooth.

Donggong Taiqing not only had the Jade-Armored Immortal Garb that deflected half the damage he took and allowed him to gain another life, he also had a poisonous tooth weapon that could double his attack damage.

Donggong Taiqing was considered a very important person in the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan, so his family members would never allow anything bad to happen to him. He might have already been given all the rare treasures in the household. Qing Shui also managed to steal a glance at Donggong Taiqing's boots as he ascended into the sky.

Donggong Taiqing was wearing a pair of azure blue boots that was imbued with an abundance of spiritual powers. Even though his boots were not on par with Qing Shui's Nine Continent Boots, it was still decent. Of course, Qing Shui's boots were superior due to their Nine Continents Steps Effect and their ability to decrease the energy consumption of the skill. After all, the Nine Continents Steps Effect was strongest ability possible for the Nine Continent Boots.

Qing Shui then slowly ascended into the air himself. He took out the Thunder God and the Violet Gold Divine Shield as he slowly began to circulate his abilities and strength.

"Wow, that's Thunder God!"

"This is getting interesting. This young man wasn't as strong as Donggong Taiqing before, but with the Thunder God, he might actually have a chance. It's too bad he won't be able to break Donggong Taiqing's defence, unless he is able to at least exploit his weaknesses twice. The chances of this man winning are still slim though." A random person pointed out the key problem regarding Qing Shui's weapon.

"You see that giant shield? That might have tremendous power too. Qing Shui doesn't seem nervous at all. Maybe he has a final move or something."

……...

"He has a future, that young man." The old man from the Tantai Aristocrat Clan said calmly. It wasn't clear whether he was making that statement to someone or just simply voicing his thoughts.

"Haha, I have the same thoughts as Old Tantai. I think this young man is not as bad as everything thinks." Old Man Wuma spoke with a smile on his face.

Old Man Tantai and Old Man Wuma spoke without restraint even in the presence of the members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. Even though the Tantai Aristocrat Clan was not the strongest of the aristocratic clans, the old man's prestige was considerably high. His ability was also one of the best of his generation. The statements he made were accurate about 80% of the time, which was why the members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan felt a bit nervous when he commented about Qing Shui.

"Go to hell!"

Donggong Taiqing shouted abruptly and rushed towards Qing Shui, his body a flash of green light. After seeing how quickly Donggong Taiqing moved, Qing Shui sighed a breath of relief. His opponent's speed wasn't as fast as his own. In fact, Donggong Taiqing was moving much slower than he had anticipated.

Cloudmist Steps!

Qing Shui shifted as if he had become multiples flashes of his own silhouette. He rushed towards the incoming Donggong Taiqing in a flash as he aimed a strike with his Thunder God, which gleamed a frightening purple light.

Bang!

Donggong Taiqing countered Qing Shui's Thunder God without hesitation!

Ten Thousand Great Thunderbolt!

The outcome had left Qing Shui bewildered, but to some extent, he had expected it. The paralyzing effect of his technique was ineffective towards Donggong Taiqing as the gleaming green light of his garb deflected the attack.

Qing Shui was forced backwards by the clashing of their weapons. Nonetheless, he was still unharmed. He had an inkling that his opponent's strength was about 50 percent higher than his own. When they had clashed, Donggong Taiqing had used his Taichi force to try and wound Qing Shui. Fortunately, Qing Shui had been able to withstand his attack after being forced back a distance.

Even if Donggong Taiqing had used a stronger force to attempt to knock him out, Qing Shui would have still been able to stand up without any injuries. However, he had to stay extra vigilant for the next few attacks as he might be critically injured if he wasn't careful.

The first clash may have been just a test, but that had already left Donggong Taiqing and the others in a state of shock. To be more precise, everyone was shocked when Qing Shui began to circulate his supplementary skills and prepare his Heavenly Talismans for the next move.

He was truly a well-rounded martial warrior…...

Donggong Taiqing was beginning to panic a little bit. Nonetheless, he still had confidence that would be able to kill Qing Shui eventually. He could also tell that Qing Shui was a bit weaker than him after sensing his strength and abilities.

Qing Shui had a careful mindset in approaching this duel. He didn't want to reveal too many of his abilities, so he decided to put off using his trump cards for the time being.

Descending Heavens Talisman!

The talisman managed to decrease Donggong Taiqing's strength by about 700 countries. His speed and other attributes were also cut by 2%. Although it seemed small, 2% was actually a great deal, sometimes deciding a person's fate in battle.

Art of Pursuing!

Boom!

Even with such a disparity between their strengths, Qing Shui could still find ways to weaken his opponent until Donggong Taiqing had become significantly weaker. This was provided that he could still be in melee range of Donggong Taiqing during the weakening process.

Donggong Taiqing was obviously distressed when his speed had been decreased by 20% and his weight had been increased by 20%. He was immediately thrown into a state of depression, to the point of almost vomiting blood.

Body Securing Talisman!

Binding Talisman!

Qing Shui found another opportunity to hit more Heavenly Talismans towards Donggong Taiqing. While the Body Securing Talisman was ineffective against him, the Binding Talisman had a positive result due to Qing Shui's agility advantage. Donggong Taiqing's speed was further reduced from when he had previously been subdued by the Descending Heavens Talisman and the Art of Pursuing. Donggong Taiqing immediately shifted into defensive mode after that.

The crucial key in any battle would always be the speed!

Donggong Taiqing was quite surprised and a little bit alarmed. Even though Qing Shui's defense was not as strong as his, Qing Shui's large shield and hammer could definitely withstand his attack. Moreover, Qing Shui had the speed advantage, while his own speed had been greatly reduced by more than 30%.......

Shield Attack!

Bang!

Qing Shui's Shield Attack managed to thrust Donggong Taiqing backwards due to the minor difference between their powers. However, Qing Shui was shocked, because Donggong Taiqing was completely rendered in a state of dizziness.

After a while, Qing Shui remembered that his Shield Attack had a small chance of staggering his opponent, but it had never happened before until now, which was why he had forgotten about it.

But now, it had indeed appeared. Qing Shui was suspicious about Donggong Taiqing's character, thinking that maybe he had some sort of "problem". Qing Shui had used the Shield Attack numerous times before, but the staggering had never occurred. It seemed to Qing Shui that he should further cultivate the Shield Attack after all.

Qing Shui would never pass up this great opportunity, even if it was only for a split-second. With no interruption, he focused his force on his Thunder God and struck Donggong Taiqing's head swiftly and violently.

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