Jiang Chen didnât fear Mad Fiend even in close-quarters combat, but among the myriad of techniques heâd mastered, the melee ones were the least advanced.
On the other hand, Mad Fiend most preferred fighting in close distance. However, he was prevented from tapping into his full power because of Jiang Chenâs golden bell.
Their fight was caught in a gridlock.
Mad Fiend couldnât break out of the golden bellâs restraint, and Jiang Chen couldnât find an opening to attack with his Holy Dragon Bow. After being refined, the bellâs power was no joke.
Even the old manâs golden staff couldnât break the bellâs restraint, which made him antsy.
âAre you going to fight me properly, kid? Or are you just gonna rely on your damn bell?â
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. âIn the martial dao world, all cultivators have their strengths. I have many means of attack against you. Why would I choose the one you prefer?â
The old man cried in anger, âDonât forget that Iâm the defender of the fourth palace! I get to decide whether you pass!â
Jiang Chen chuckled. âIâll find a way.â
âHmph, dream on!â The old man brandished his staff. âYouâre never going to leave this palace without defeating me!â
The old man was rather put out. He wanted the challenger to meet him head-on and fight him in close quarters without abandon.
In truth, Jiang Chen wasnât opposed to that, but he could tell the old manâs staff was not to be underestimated. He had a good number of fine weapons in his own possession, but none could rival the staff.
That was why he wasnât willing to play the old manâs game.
Although heâd acquired some demigod level weapons some time ago from the empyrean experts heâd killed, none of them had caught his eye. Heâd either given them away, or put them aside without refining them.
In the martial dao world, instant connection was important for picking both weapons and cultivation methods. Anything he didnât take an instant liking to werenât meant for him.
Of all the demigod and empyrean weapons heâd acquired, the golden bell was the only one that caught his fancy. The others, he wasnât interested in at all.
Therefore, he hadnât upgraded any weapons other than the ones heâd been using since he was at emperor realm and great emperor, such as the Pentecolor Divine Swords.
The swords had been a gift from Emperor Peafowl. When he was at great emperor, they were the finest weapons he could get his hands on, and they were still useful at initial empyrean realm. However, after reaching intermediate empyrean or later, advanced empyrean, the swords wouldnât be powerful enough.
Jiang Chen had also refined a few swords for the Heavenly Chalice Sword Formation.
They were of good quality, but their full power could only be reached in concert with the formation, as that was how theyâd been designed. Used in a one-on-one fight, the swords fell short. To put it simply, they were specialized for group attack rather than single-target attack.
He had some other weapons like the nameless sword, but due to his rapid progress, he really didnât have any weapons that could go toe-to-toe with the golden staff at the moment.
The Holy Dragon Bow ranked as high as the staff, but it was a ranged weapon and not suitable for melee battle.
Ah, that reminded him.
The bow was just one of the items heâd acquired from the ancient Primosanct Sect. There was another item heâd gotten - a giant writing brush called True Spirit Post.
It was the perfect item to create glyphs and formations with. He hadnât had the chance to use it yet. It seemed to be a great weapon as well. According to the Primosanct Sectâs records, the brush could be used as a spear.
Jiang Chen looked at the insistently blabbering old man and laughed. âSenior, youâre just trying to talk me into fighting you in close quarters. Itâs unbecoming of a senior to use your power to bully others.â
âMe? Bully you?â The old man glared at him. âWatch your tongue, kid. If Iâd wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldâve fought you with my full strength. Do you think youâd have the slightest hope of passing the challenge then?â
The old man was naturally much more powerful than heâd let on.
He was here because of an oath he sworn to the master of the Veluriyam Pagoda. He had to fight the challenger at the challengerâs level rather than his own peak strength, unless the challenger was as powerful as he was.
He couldnât go back on his oath.
Jiang Chen chuckled. âThatâs not what I meant.â
âThen what do you mean?â the old man asked in an irritated tone.
âYour staff, of course. I donât have a weapon thatâs as good as yours, which puts me at a disadvantage. How am I supposed to fight you? You have your staff. I have my golden bell for defense and my bow for offense. Iâve simply been fighting you with my advantages.â
âYou donât have a good weapon?â The old man paused. Heâd actually never considered the possibility before.
He might be unhinged, but he was proud and a man of his word. He didnât want to be thought of as a bully taking advantage of a young man. âHmph, what do you want then? Are we to fight without weapons?â
Jiang Chen shrugged. âIâm game if thatâs the case.â
âA physical brawl?â muttered the old man. âThatâs so primitive. Itâs as crude as the way regular villagers fight. Whatâs the fun in that?â
âThen we can only use all the techniques available to us and see who wins.â
âIf you donât have a weapon, kid, I can give you one,â the old man suddenly suggested.
Jiang Chen didnât know how good the weapon gifted by the old man would be. He shook his head. âIt seems that you want us to fight with weapons. Well, I do have one, but I havenât refined it before. I need some time to get familiar with it.â