I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 22

“Trying to outsmart me, kid? You’re still too green,” Wang Hongde sneered arrogantly.

Shen Lian paused, staring at the tightly sealed cave entrance, feeling a sense of helplessness. He hesitated for just a moment before turning to flee in another direction.

His initial plan was to escape into the cave; the complex, maze-like underground passages would have given him a slim chance, even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Wang Hongde. In confined spaces, not even a Foundation Establishment expert could fully unleash their power.

But his plan was crushed before it even began. Wang Hongde had followed Shen Lian the entire way and had waited outside the cave, monitoring with his divine sense precisely to prevent such a maneuver. With the foresight and preparation of a Foundation Establishment expert, Shen Lian’s escape attempt was futile.

Wang Hongde’s reflexes were incredibly fast. Even while appearing distracted, he immediately reacted when Shen Lian made his move, effortlessly sealing off the cave entrance with a single gesture.

Wang Hongde smirked coldly. Without any noticeable movement, a flying sword suddenly appeared in midair and settled beneath his feet.

Whoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart echoed as Wang Hongde rode his sword, flying at a speed that vastly outpaced Shen Lian’s sprint. In a mere moment, he was ahead of Shen Lian, blocking his path with a mocking look in his eyes.

“Go on, keep running, little rat. I want to see how far you think you can go.”

Shen Lian stopped in his tracks, staring at the hovering Wang Hongde. A deep sense of powerlessness washed over him. How was he supposed to outrun someone who could fly while he was stuck on foot?

With no chance of escape, only one option remained: fight. Surrendering was never an option; in both his previous life and this one, Shen Lian had never been one to accept being at the mercy of others.

Swish!

Shen Lian drew his sword, pushing off the ground with all his might. His body left behind a trail of afterimages as he leaped toward Wang Hongde, aiming his sword directly at him.

“Hmm? Interesting movement technique. Not one of Azure Cloud Sect’s,” Wang Hongde mused, his arms crossed as he floated in midair, calmly observing Shen Lian’s approach.

To Wang Hongde, Shen Lian’s flashy technique might confuse those below the Qi Refinement stage, but against someone with divine sense, it was utterly useless. Wang Hongde’s divine sense locked onto Shen Lian’s true form, and just as Shen Lian closed in, he lazily formed a sword gesture.

Swish!

Wang Hongde’s spiritual sword arced through the air and shot forward, aiming straight at Shen Lian’s throat. Shen Lian’s pupils contracted, realizing that at the speed of the spiritual sword, he would be skewered before he even reached his target.

Flying on a sword, attacking from a distance with precision—Foundation Establishment cultivators were terrifying.

Cursing inwardly, Shen Lian twisted his body mid-air, releasing a burst of spiritual energy to force a sharp descent. But Wang Hongde wasn’t about to let him off easily. His sword followed like a shadow.

Upon landing, Shen Lian quickly turned and unleashed a flurry of sword flowers with his blade.

“Breaking Sword Style!”

A low shout accompanied the sudden sound of clashing metal as Shen Lian rapidly struck out a dozen times. He felt his hand lighten as his sword shattered into seven or eight pieces, leaving only the hilt in his grip.

“Huh? Such a refined sword technique!” Wang Hongde’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Shen Lian had managed to fend off his spiritual sword with mere mortal swordsmanship, something he hadn’t anticipated.

The spiritual sword was unmatched in sharpness and had shattered Shen Lian’s blade, but it was also knocked off course, flung away.

“Now’s my chance!”

Seizing the moment, Shen Lian sprang forward without hesitation, aiming directly at Wang Hongde.

“Hmph! Courting death!”

Enraged by Shen Lian’s relentless defiance, Wang Hongde’s expression darkened. To him, dealing with a mere Qi Refinement cultivator should have been instant, yet Shen Lian had resisted at every turn—first running, then blocking his sword.

This was intolerable. Wang Hongde’s pride as a Foundation Establishment cultivator was wounded. With a flick of his fingers, he regained control of the spiritual sword, directing it to strike Shen Lian’s back.

Shen Lian felt the sharp aura approaching but did not dodge. His eyes remained fixed on Wang Hongde, his focus singular and unyielding.

As they closed to within three meters, Shen Lian’s right hand clenched. The broken hilt of his previous sword was long discarded, and in its place appeared a blade glowing with a blue light—the Blue Jade Sword, a mid-grade spiritual weapon.

Shen Lian poured all his spiritual energy into the blade, slashing down at Wang Hongde with every ounce of his will, infusing the strike with all his comprehension of sword intent.

Clang!

Ding!

A metallic ring and a sharp, resonant hum erupted simultaneously. Shen Lian shuddered, coughing up blood as his body plummeted to the ground.

“It didn’t pierce? So, you’ve got a spiritual armor protecting you,” Wang Hongde sneered from above, unfazed. “Not bad, kid. A spiritual weapon sword and armor—you’re carrying some fine treasures, but your strength is lacking. Even pouring all your energy into that strike, you couldn’t touch me.”

Wang Hongde floated leisurely, preparing to descend when his body suddenly stiffened. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Shen Lian.

“How… how is this possible? You… when did you…”

Wang Hongde’s voice choked in his throat. The next instant—

Bang!

His body split in two. From his head down to his abdomen, Wang Hongde was cleanly severed, his insides spilling out in a gruesome display. Blood rained down like a torrential shower as his lifeless halves collapsed.

The spiritual sword, bereft of its master, clattered to the ground with a sharp ring.

Thud!

Shen Lian coughed, struggling to his feet. Despite appearing to miss Wang Hongde earlier, Shen Lian’s sword intent had cut through the very fabric of space, slicing through Wang Hongde without him ever realizing it.

Wang Hongde’s senses, keen as they were, couldn’t detect the intangible presence of sword intent. He died without even comprehending the attack that ended him.

A child wielding a toy gun may not stand a chance against a special forces soldier, but if that toy fired a real bullet unexpectedly, the soldier could still fall.

Ignorance and overconfidence led to Wang Hongde’s demise. It wasn’t strange at all that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had fallen to Shen Lian.

This was the power of having a hidden trump card.

Wiping the blood from his lips, Shen Lian moved forward to search Wang Hongde’s corpse, retrieving his storage pouch before picking up the fallen spiritual sword.