With his current Advanced Martial Realm cultivation, Wu Jinliang could punch the cliff and achieve the same effect.
However, if he used a blade, the force would be too concentrated to cause such broad destruction unless there was something wrong with the rock itself.
But there was no problem with the hardness of these rocks.
He had personally dug a cave here before.
Moreover, whether using a blade or a sword, the strength of slashing is more effective when focused.
If the power were to spread like this, it would lose the value of using these weapons.
Wu Jinliang had just blocked a slash and clearly felt the power of Shi Chun's strike.
There was no sign of power diffusion leading to a decrease in attack force, but rather, there seemed to be an increasingly formidable sense of power, as if only thirty percent of his strength was used.
He was puzzled and couldn't quite figure out what was peculiar about Shi Chun's blade technique.
Standing still with the blade in hand before the large cavity, Shi Chun silently contemplated the process by which this recent slash's power exploded.
In the moment when the blade, enveloped in azure mist, fiercely slashed, it was as if it cut through water, leaving numerous whirlpools in its wake.
The azure mist transformed into countless mini-tornadoes, which stirred the mist into action.
Indeed, the azure mist stirred the base color in the fantastical world of his right eye, swirling and blending into the tornado, which then ignited, turning into a bizarre hue of red with black undertones.
The pointed tip of the tornado was dark, while the spiraling tail was crimson.
This eerie color, upon impact with an object, collided and crashed, exploding into a burst of red light that vanished instantly without a trace.
The scene seen through his right eye was like this.
Meanwhile, his left eye didn't witness any illusions, only a slash into the stone wall, where some mysterious force of the void wrenched it apart, causing the stone wall to explode.
He had a different feeling in his hand.
When his blade struck, he didn't fully perceive the stone wall's resistance.
The portion the blade could reach simply exploded away.
Just like when he tested the blade with Wu Jinliang earlier, where Wu admitted to using sixty percent of his power, Shi Chun was puzzled.
Was it because he had refined the mystical fire, making his cultivation higher than Wu Jinliang’s? His blade hadn't seemed to experience any strong impact.
Comparing the two instances, Shi Chun figured out the reason thanks to the explosion's power.
The explosion both neutralized Wu Jinliang's blade force and eliminated the stone wall’s resistance, making the sensation on Shi Chun’s hand somewhat deceptive.
The nature of that void matter explosion didn't affect the material laid down by Shi Chun's cultivation technique on his blade.
So, his hand couldn't feel this explosion's power, akin to feeling the elusive material in an Immobilization Talisman, blurring the line between reality and illusion.
This was the source of the "Void Demon Blade's" power.
Previously, he couldn't unleash this blade technique due to cultivation constraints and limited abilities to project his cultivation techniques outward.
Thus, he couldn’t form its power.
After the illusion in his right eye faded, Shi Chun snapped out of his musings, returned to where he had discarded the sheath, and with a grasp through the air, brought it into his hand.
He sheathed the blade, tied the sheath, and slung it on his back.
In this situation, there was no need to pretend to be refined, nor ask Wu Jinliang to carry the blade for him.
Turning around to call Wu Jinliang, he saw Wu also holding a large blade and approaching the stone wall.
Suddenly, Wu grunted, swung the blade with both hands, and hacked it fiercely.
Clang! Stone fragments scattered as if the blade had cut through tofu, embedding deeply into the wall.
Pulling out the blade, Wu seemed puzzled, touching his chin while observing the wall.
Unexpectedly, the subsequent power of this slash was immense.
The cracks around the cavity created by Shi Chun earlier widened with a crunching sound, causing a massive collapse that almost buried Wu alive.
Luckily, Wu reacted quickly, dodging away as the stones fell, narrowly escaping being trapped.
Both hurriedly fled the cloudy canyon to the cliff edge, looking down as Shi Chun exclaimed, "Jinliang, your blade strike is much more powerful than mine. Comparable to an Ascendant Realm already!"
"Hmph, if you say so, I have no choice but to accept it."
Wu Jinliang snorted twice, waved away the rising dust with a hand, shouldered the blade, and moved away, contemplating over the vast wilderness.
"Less than two months left. Should we still compete for first place in the Heavenly Rain Meteor Conference? What's the next step?"
Shi Chun walked over, "Do you want the million sandalwood gold?"
"I do."
"Do you want a house in the Imperial Capital?"
"Of course I do."
"We’ve been forced to become disciples of Wukang Mountain. Without fame, how can we shed this identity? It's just a trivial Wukang Mountain. I don't think much of it. I don't want to be trapped by it. Run away? Becoming a sect traitor, always hiding and being looked down upon, who wants to live like that? Jinliang, such a major event is our chance to become famous across the lands. How could we miss it?"
Shi Chun's eyes shone, thinking of the woman who used to sit with him on the mountain cliff watching the sunset.
He missed her...
Wu Jinliang, with the blade on his shoulder, thumped his chest, filled with enthusiasm, "Alright, we’ll take first place. First and second are ours. We’ll ignore the third. We call the shots here! The money, the house, and the women in the Imperial Capital will be ours!"
He turned and asked, "This place is huge, just the two of us, facing over a million people. Where do we start?"
Shi Chun, walking ahead, said, "Before shutting myself off, didn’t I find a point to start with?"
Wu Jinliang thought for a moment.
After pondering, he was still at a loss.
But he knew Shi Chun wouldn't make baseless claims, so he humbly asked, "Did you? Where? I don’t remember."
Shi Chun: "When I talked to the Heavenly Court people, did you not hear?"
Wu Jinliang recalled, "I heard. You didn’t mention any method, absolutely not. If you did, I’d recall. Or I'll cut my head off and play kickball with it."
"Alright, you’ve probably pledged your head countless times, keep it for yourself," Shi Chun smirked, reminding, "What was the last thing I asked the Heavenly Court people?"
Wu Jinliang promptly recalled, "You asked which sect was most likely to win the first place, right?"
Shi Chun: "And what did the Heavenly Court say?"
Wu Jinliang: "They said it's the Primordial Origin Sect of Sheng Prefecture..."
He paused, seemingly understanding, "Rob the Primordial Origin Sect?"
Shi Chun: "Exactly. Want the first place? Who else to target but those holding the top Insect Essence Crystals. I initially thought of gathering a group to fight for the first place, but hearing from the Heavenly Court, Primordial Origin Sect has united all the Xuan Prefecture forces. That’s about ten thousand people. However strong our gathering is, we can't surpass so many sects in a few months. Their forces are so mighty that forming alliances now is meaningless. As stated by the Heavenly Court, victory in their hands is practically assured."
Wu Jinliang chuckled, appreciating how adept the Big Boss was at such endeavors.
A single question, and he'd already identified their target—robbery, indeed, was right in his wheelhouse.
No wonder he asked those Heavenly Court folks that question back then.
He spread his hand, "Alright, let’s do it. How exactly?"
Shi Chun countered, "How do you propose we do it?"
Wu Jinliang shrugged nonchalantly, "We've heard of the prestige of Sheng Prefecture's largest sect, Primordial Origin Sect. Not only are they strong, but they also have thousands of followers. Direct confrontation is impossible. The method is simple—the old way. Infiltrate, learn from within, find their weaknesses, and dismantle from the inside. That’ll be easier."
Shi Chun: "Alright, we’ll proceed as you said. First, find the Primordial Origin Sect, confirm their position as potential winners. We don’t want to bark up the wrong tree."
He, too, was straightforward because that's the line they’d been in since childhood, almost second nature now.
Wu Jinliang looked around, "The world’s vast. Who knows where the Primordial Origin Sect is? Finding them could be an issue."
Shi Chun: "Locate the Xun Gate entry point for Xuan Prefecture people in the Contest Grounds and inquire along the way. We'll also acquire identities from fellow Xuan Prefecture sect members."
Wu Jinliang: "Good idea. But where is Xuan Prefecture's Xun Gate? It’s troublesome to find. We’d need to ask around for someone who knows the info."
Shi Chun gestured to the boundary, "Not really. Walk around the perimeter to find the next Xun Gate. Ask the Heavenly Guard there."
"Exactly."
Wu Jinliang slapped his thigh in excitement, "They’ll definitely know. Let's go do that."
The duo immediately set out to accomplish their plan.
Before the sun set, they spotted the next Xun Gate in their line of sight and the group of Heavenly Court Guards stationed there.
The guards at the Xun Gate noticed the two approaching figures and observed them, wondering why these two were wandering around aimlessly.
As Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang approached, the guards saw their faces clearly.
One of the guards muttered, "Dressed in chestnut-colored garb, skin dark, one tall, one short, the big guy wielding an exaggeratedly large blade."
He called back, "Old Chen, come see if these are the two guys you saw in the Heaven-Gazing Mirror images outside."
A bearded man stepped forward, peering closely before chuckling, "No mistake, it’s them. A lot of people were asking about them back then; I remember it clearly—they’re disciples of Sheng Prefecture's Wukang Mountain. What are they doing wandering over here?"
Approaching the boundary, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang shouted at the Heavenly Court guards.
The guards waved them off, pointing to their mouths and ears, indicating that communication through the boundary was impossible.
Shi Chun used a stone board, carving several lines onto it, and lifted it for the guards to see: "We are from a Xuan Prefecture sect, seeking the Xun Gate entrance for Xuan Prefecture forces, lost our way. Kindly grant directions, Heavenly Officials."
Wu Jinliang placed the blade down, bowed, and gestured with multiple expressions of gratitude.