29: Chapter 29 Testing

He had heard Liang Qiming describe the Primarch's power before and had always felt it was somewhat exaggerated, thinking they were merely "savage boors" with a bit more strength.

Experiencing it personally now, he realized the gap was like a heavenly chasm. The opponent had merely parried casually; it couldn't even be considered a real attack.

The power spear in Fulgrim's hand remained motionless.

He glanced at the spot on the spear shaft where the frost greatsword had struck; a clear white mark was left there, but it had failed to break through the outer armor.

"Passable strength, commendable courage," Fulgrim commented, his gaze burning as it fixed on the sword in Liang Chengping's hand—more accurately, on the point where the blade had contacted his power spear.

The material of his power spear was extraordinary. Although he hadn't used his full strength just now, ordinary metals or even low-grade alloys would have long since deformed or snapped under such a collision.

Yet this sword was actually unscathed?

Liang Chengping leaned on his sword, panting. The pain in his internal organs and the numbness in his arms caused cold sweat to seep from his forehead.

Looking at Fulgrim's still elegant and composed posture—as if he had merely swatted away a fly—a surge of fury at being utterly dismissed suddenly rushed to his heart.

His original intention was merely to showcase the sword's might to raise the price. Now, this anger overrode his reason.

"Rise!"

Liang Chengping gave a low shout. Ignoring the swelling pain in his meridians, he frantically poured his remaining mana into the frost greatsword while rapidly chanting the formula for the Object Control Technique—this was a basic method for cultivators to manipulate Magical Artifacts, nowhere near as sophisticated as true Sword Kinesis, but enough to make heavy objects briefly float and accelerate.

Buzz!

The blade of the frost greatsword plunged into the ground shook violently, emitting a low hum.

In the next moment, it actually pulled itself out of the ground. With a "whoosh," it turned into a streak of ice-blue light, stabbing straight toward Fulgrim's face at a speed far exceeding a manual swing!

For the first time, a look of obvious surprise appeared on Fulgrim's flawless face.

"Levitation? Autonomous attack?" A light of inquiry shone in his eyes. "This artifact possesses such a function?"

Surprise was one thing, but his reaction was incredibly fast. No longer sitting calmly, his tall, perfect frame stood up instantly.

The phoenix power spear in his hand was no longer used for a casual parry. Instead, it traced a precise, swift arc full of aesthetic power. The spear tip lit up with the blazing blue light of a disintegration field, accurately striking the tip of the flying sword.

Clang——!!!!

The sound of this collision was ten times more violent than before! A sharp sonic boom exploded within the VIP room, tearing the air. Even Liang Qiming in the distance felt a stinging pain in his eardrums and involuntarily took half a step back.

The ice-blue sword light and the blue glow of the disintegration field collided violently and annihilated each other.

The frost greatsword was violently knocked away by this unmatched, colossal force. It tumbled through the air in a chaotic trajectory, its sharp blade easily slicing through expensive solid wood tables, chairs, and decorative sculptures along the way, sending fragments flying.

But it was only out of control for an instant before being forcibly turned under the guidance of the Object Control Technique that Liang Chengping maintained through gritted teeth. It traced a tricky arc and lunged at Fulgrim's ribs again!

Ding! Ding! Clang! Clang!

Inside the VIP room, the ice-blue sword light and the violet-blue spear shadows rapidly interlaced and collided! Every impact erupted with a deafening roar and scattered ice crystal frost.

Liang Chengping's face grew paler and paler. The Object Control Technique placed a massive drain on his mind and mana, let alone wielding such a heavy sword for high-frequency attacks.

After the fifth collision.

The frost greatsword was once again swiped aside by the terrifying power contained within the power spear. This time, Liang Chengping finally couldn't maintain it; his mana stalled.

The greatsword lost control, spinning as it flew diagonally. With a "thud," it embedded itself deeply into the metal-trimmed wall in the distance, the blade still trembling incessantly as frost spread out from it.

Liang Qiming sighed softly to the side.

The Object Control Technique was ultimately a trick; it was fine for dealing with mortals or low-level cultivators, but facing an opponent like Fulgrim, whose strength, speed, and skill had reached the pinnacle of perfection, the gap was immediately exposed.

If the family had a true Sword Kinesis inheritance, even just the basics, the situation might have been different.

Panting, Liang Chengping looked at Fulgrim. The anger in his eyes had already extinguished, replaced by a clear realization—the gap was too large.

It wasn't that the sword wasn't good enough; it was that he was too weak.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his churning blood, and cupped his hands toward Fulgrim again. This time, he was even more solemn.

"Lord Fulgrim's strength is extraordinary. I... am impressed."

This gesture was both an admission of defeat and a sign that this sudden, brief, yet intense "sparring match" had officially ended.

Fulgrim did not respond immediately.

He stood with his spear retracted, his gaze first lingering for a moment on the frost greatsword embedded in the wall, still radiating cold. Then, he slowly shifted his eyes to the pale-faced Liang Chengping, and finally, settled on Liang Qiming, who had never removed his hood and whose aura was even more obscure.

The surprise on his perfect face had long since faded, replaced by a deeper, more intense interest.

"Interesting."

Fulgrim spoke slowly: "The sword is very interesting. You... are also very interesting."

His interest in this "artifact," which combined "elegance," "toughness," "extreme cold," and "suspected remote control capabilities," had reached its peak.

And his interest in the Tiangong United Trading Company, which could produce such a thing, was equally strong.

"Now," Fulgrim sat down again, his posture still perfect but now carrying the specific air of a negotiator, "we can have a proper talk about this sword, and... your true purpose for coming."

-

A brief silence filled the VIP room.

Fulgrim did not press for details on the manipulation of the flying sword; he simply waited quietly for an explanation with those eyes full of wisdom and insight.

Liang Qiming's mind raced, and he quickly took over the conversation. His voice was steady as it came from beneath the hood: "The abrupt move just now was to demonstrate some of the wondrous aspects of this sword to your lordship. The art of controlling the sword is merely a crude application of 'psionic' power by my companion. Please forgive us for the disturbance."

He attributed the Object Control Technique of the Immortal Realm cultivators to "psionics," which also existed in the Warhammer universe but was more widely known.

As for why no psionic fluctuations could be sensed? Perhaps they possessed some unique concealment technique, or perhaps this form of "psionic energy" was special.

For a Primarch who was well-traveled and possessed great psionic potential himself, this was not incomprehensible, nor did it require deep scrutiny—at least, not until the other party showed greater value or threat.

Fulgrim was noncommittal. He was more interested in the actual effects.

He looked down at the magnificent phoenix power spear in his hand.

The spear tip and a section of the shaft nearby were now covered in a stubborn layer of frost, with the low temperature continuously seeping inward.

He could feel that the precise energy conduction circuits and miniature field generators inside the spear shaft had already been slightly affected, their operation showing an imperceptible sluggishness.

If the collision just now had lasted a few more times, or if the wielder of this frost greatsword had been stronger...

The value of this sword was immediately highlighted. It wasn't just a hard piece of art; it was a special weapon that could actually affect or even damage an enemy's sophisticated power weapons in battle.

For Fulgrim, who pursued perfection on the battlefield and was also keen on collecting "elegant solutions" for the battlefield, the attraction doubled.