The place where Kang Rulin stood and the location of the previous incident are at least over 20 kilometers apart in a straight line, with the layered buildings of Stone District and rolling hills in between, making it impossible to detect any commotion over there.Mei Guyu just smiled slightly: "Whether it’s excitement or subtleties, just make sure to watch closely."
He Kao thought for a moment and took out the Shadow Mirror again. The Mirror Reflection had already locked onto the dueling arena, and now with some casting, he could see Kang Rulin, but it was difficult to see clearly.
The clever use of the Shadow Mirror is similar to the Bone-Penetrating Treasure Mirror, capable of reflecting a person’s viscera, blood flow, and life energy circulation, but currently, He Kao could only see the person Kang Rulin, let alone the life energy and blood, it was hard even to distinguish truth from falsehood.
This is understandable, considering that experts like Kang Rulin are conserving and storing energy for a major battle, naturally capable of restraining divine qi to shield from prying. How could they let their details be easily seen?
He Kao had never dealt directly with Kang Rulin, he just judged by intuition based on the other party’s tone that the person should be Kang Rulin... Could he have been mistaken, and the expert just now was not Kang Rulin?
Holding the mirror in his left hand and a paperweight in his right, Mei Guyu curiously asked, "What treasure have you picked up again?"
He Kao handed the item to Mei Guyu and said, "A trophy just now, it seems quite decent."
The paperweight, also known as a ’gan chi’, functions similarly to a paperweight, used to flatten and press paper. But the paperweight is wider and thicker, usually used for corners, while the ’gan chi’ is slender, longer, and thinner, typically used for the edges.
The more exquisite ’gan chi’ might also have carved patterns and inscriptions, and sometimes even be used by school teachers as a disciplinary tool, to hit disobedient students’ palms, or as a gavel to knock on tables.
This ’gan chi’ is about one foot and two inches long, one inch wide, and two millimeters thick, with inscriptions on both sides. The slightly curved side reads "Ever Vigorous", and the polished side reads "Virtuous and Capacitious".
Mei Guyu: "Seeing these inscriptions, I almost thought it was the Heart Plate Sect’s sect’s sacred artifact, the Qian Kun Ruler!"
He Kao exclaimed: "The Qian Kun Ruler?"
Mei Guyu: "Of course not, the Qian Kun Ruler is still in the Observing Wind Hall of Feather Realm Grotto Heaven. This item should be the Observation Hall Ruler, haven’t you heard of it?"
He Kao was both surprised and delighted, saying: "Wow, so it’s the Observation Hall Ruler! Could you tell me what its mystical uses and powers are?"
Several elders had taught He Kao a lot of background knowledge, including a brief introduction to sect artifacts, both those collected in the current Ancestral Hall and those used by cultivators, as well as some lost a thousand years ago.
The Observation Hall Ruler was mentioned, tracing its origins to the Heart Plate Sect’s sacred artifact, the Qian Kun Ruler, but it was once a passed-down magical artifact of the Xingshen Sect.
In the Grotto Heaven of the Heart Plate Sect, there is a building complex with a hall named Observing Wind Hall where the sect’s sacred artifact is stored. There is a couplet in front of the Observing Wind Hall: "The Qian Kun ruler, the righteous rule of heaven and earth," penned by an ancestor.
A sect leader from Xingshen Sect borrowed the Qian Kun Ruler, and after returning it, he crafted his own magical treasure.
This magical treasure drew from the Qian Kun Ruler’s form and clever use, but it was not entirely a replica of the Qian Kun Ruler, and combined with the characteristics of the Spirit Awakening Skill, creating a new magical artifact named the Observation Hall Ruler.
He Kao only knew this record, but he didn’t know what the Observation Hall Ruler looked like, nor its mystical uses, because it was lost during the internecine chaos and division of the Magic Sect a thousand years ago.
Unexpectedly, today he "picked" this magical treasure from Hailari, a pleasant surprise indeed.
It was said that Hailari turned over the Celestial Net Umbrella a few days ago, and as a part of the exchange, he selected a magical artifact from the Xiao Alliance’s treasury, which turns out to be this Observation Hall Ruler.
It seems Hailari better stay alive, as he seems to be a deliverer of treasures!
Mei Guyu still smiling said: "The Qian Kun Ruler can seal and bind a domain of heaven and earth, transforming rivers and mountains into a grand array, but exactly how much power it can wield depends on the user’s cultivation and mana.
But it can seal and bind a domain of heaven and earth, which should be precisely the bane of your Hidden Moth..."
He Kao smiled wryly: "I wasn’t asking about the Qian Kun Ruler, but this ’堂前尺’."
Mei Guyu: "The ’堂前尺’, while not entirely modeled after the Qian Kun Ruler, borrows some aspects. It comes with an inherent array with partial sealing effects, but whether it can restrain a master like yourself depends on the situation.
After all, it is a magical treasure of the Xingshen lineage, its main use is to intimidate the divine soul in the confined space, revealing the hidden, and indeed it has the power to impact the divine soul.
The Hidden Moth lineage has the divine technique of Yin Spirit Travel, but within the power range of the ’堂前尺’, it can detect and harm the Yin Spirit, so it can be regarded as a bane to this technique."
He Kao widened his eyes and said: "So it’s all targeted at me?"
Mei Guyu laughed again: "Not deliberately targeting you, comparing various magical techniques and methods is about restraint and counter-restraint, it mainly depends on cultivation realm and on-the-spot performance.
Though Hailari held the Observation Hall Ruler, he was still knocked down by you..."
He Kao quickly took back the ’堂前尺’, needing to keep this treasure safe.
The two, while talking, suddenly stopped because there was finally movement from the dueling area, as someone leisurely walked towards Kang Rulin.
The time was exactly noon, and the person approaching was Hu Weidong. He stopped three zhang away, cupped his hands in salute, and said: "Elder Kang! I’m Pill Master Hu Weidong from the Xiao Alliance, here according to the dueling agreement to seek advice!"
Kang Rulin looked up and said: "I’m here in a private capacity, no need to call me Elder Kang. You are clear about the rules of this duel, right?"
Hu Weidong: "Of course, I am clear, and have no objections."
Kang Rulin waved a hand: "Please go ahead."
Hu Weidong: "You’re the esteemed guest from afar, Elder Kang, please go first!"
Kang Rulin no longer wasted words, soared forward, and threw a punch... Those watching were taken aback, many people’s mouths agape almost wide enough to fit an egg, where are the magical treasures, the divine artifacts? Kang Rulin was using his fists!
Hu Weidong treated it as a formidable foe, having already summoned the Fusang Bow, which formed a magical arrow to shoot at Kang Rulin’s fist. Kang Rulin did not dodge nor evade, his whole body already soaring into the air, his fist and forearm morphing into an unusual shape.
The front end of the slender cylindrical shape was sharp, was that a hammer? By traditional artifact standards, it should be called a cone! How could a human hand become a sharp cone, was Kang Rulin a spirit of a cone?
The sharp cone shattered the magical arrow, amidst the mana turbulence, everyone’s divine sense wavered, making it hard to discern the details of the encounter between the two, rather relying on visual observation.
After smashing the magical arrow, Kang Rulin swung the cone at Hu Weidong, but was blocked by a semi-transparent shield — the Fusang Bow’s clever use.
The shield formed a semi-transparent film, dented by the impact, and ripples of rainbow light emanated from the point of impact, creating a dazzling spectacle.
Kang Rulin’s cone failed to break the technique, while Hu Weidong pointed a finger, the shield trembled as brilliance condensed into another magical arrow and shot out. The Fusang Bow was no longer in hand, or rather the shield was the bow’s ridge, and his finger was plucking at the invisible bowstring.
Unless Kang Rulin abandoned the showdown and fled, this arrow could not be avoided. He swung the cone again to strike, his form immediately transforming into a whirlwind, swerving around Hu Weidong on all sides.
This is not a metaphor; whether viewed with naked eyes or divine sense, Kang Rulin’s form was indistinct, it felt as if it was a gust of wind, or a cone head with a whirlwind tail.
Not to mention others, even He Kao was dumbfounded, this scene was too eerie, how could a living person transform into a gust of wind? Impossible unless he... wasn’t human!
In a distant secluded place, Arthur and Mei Lin sat together, watching a mirror with the duel between Hu Weidong and Kang Rulin reflected.
Arthur: "Can you discern his background?"
Mei Lin: "Kang Rulin is very cautious, he didn’t come in person, as for which doppelganger, I’m unsure."
Arthur: "A puppet body technique?"
Mei Lin shook his head: "Certainly not that, as it doesn’t change like this. The greatest possibility is the Paint Body Technique..."
Arthur’s tone was a bit skeptical: "Can Paint Body Technique have such power?"
Mei Lin: "That’s why I dare not confirm, but his true background should become clear after the duel concludes!"
Arthur: "Even if Hu is useless, Kang thinks he can win with just a doppelganger?"
Mei Lin: "This doppelganger is not ordinary, even I must respond cautiously. His true body hasn’t appeared yet, but at a critical moment, it can deliver a decisive strike. At that time, Hu will be in trouble."
Arthur gave a cold laugh: "Just want to give him a lesson!"
As they spoken, the duel reached a fever pitch, the shield’s multicolored light shimmering violently, as a series of magical arrows shot out. Outside the shield, a whirlwind danced, with cone strikes lashing out repeatedly.
From afar, Hu Weidong looked like a glowing porcupine, trapped by a tornado.
Both exerted precise control over their mana, preventing it from affecting beyond the arena, the observers could not even hear any sounds, yet an invisible roar echoed within their primordial spirits, causing their blood and qi to churn.
All couldn’t help but ponder a question — if they were in their place in the duel, whether standing with Kang Rulin or Hu Weidong, what would it feel like?
It surely would be impossible to withstand, utterly impossible!
The people on the Stone Gang side were at least somewhat reassured, not knowing much about Hu Weidong, only aware he was a newly elected Great Elder to the Supreme Council.
Yet many from the Xiao Alliance were secretly alarmed, initially harboring some disdain for Hu Weidong, now they dared not entertain such thoughts.
Time seemed to halt in the intense state of watching, though about ten minutes passed — an eternity against the standard of high-level duel.
A duel that’s only about victory, not life or death, should not last that long... Suddenly a light whistle mixed with a loud shout erupted in the field, accompanied by a surge of powerful mana.
Everyone’s divine sense turned chaotic, was it finally the moment to determine victory?
The visible light distorted, in the swirling brilliance the shield shattered audibly, was Hu Weidong finally defeated? But as the shield shattered, all lights converged into a beam, shooting towards the whirlwind.
Turns out Hu Weidong finally abandoned defense, knowing that holding on is not achievable, he risked everything, concentrating all his power into the strongest strike.
The whirlwind and magical arrow simultaneously disintegrated, remaining wisps of breeze reformed Kang Rulin’s shape three meters away. The cone disappeared, as Kang Rulin’s entire right arm was no longer there.
Kang Rulin lost his right arm, yet no blood dripped, eerily as if a trace was erased from a painting.
**