Chapter 123: Chapter 123 Left Knife, Right Sword (Part 2)
"Given the skill he has displayed, I fear that apart from Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Shen, and the Four Greats, there’s no one else here who can match him."
After watching for a while, one of the disciples from the Truth Sword Sect murmured this statement.
Some wanted to rebut, but looking at the evenly matched duel between Shi Xiaole and Shen Canghai rendered them speechless.
In their hearts they knew, if they were in the arena, they would have succumbed to his aggressive onslaught combining internal power and secret techniques by now.
"So this is your true strength?"
Su Junhao forced a bitter smile.
He always took pride in his own talents, and even the Four Greats, including Bai Yuxue and Shen Canghai, couldn’t pressure him too much.
Because he knew, catching up with these people was just a matter of time.
But facing Shi Xiaole, Su Junhao felt a sense of defeat for the first time.
"If they continue fighting like this, who knows who will win?"
A disciple from the Chongyang Sect couldn’t help but comment.
Upon hearing this, the laugh of Zhao Yihuan echoed through the air, full of contempt, as she answered leisurely, "You’re not implying that Senior Brother Shen, who is on par with Bai Yuxue, has only this much up his sleeve, are you? He simply disdains to use his full strength."
Tong Song seemed to be inspired by these words, quickly nodding in agreement, "Correct, how could Senior Brother Shen ever lose to one surnamed Shi."
Clang!
After another head-on collision, Shen Canghai retreated laughing heartily, "What a thrill! Brother Shi, you’re pushing me to my limits."
The implication being that he was yet to reach his maximum potential.
"I urge Senior Brother Shen to demonstrate his strength."
Shi Xiaole responded calmly.
Of course, he didn’t believe that Shen Canghai only had this much strength. At the very least, the latter hadn’t even used a secondary martial art technique. Given his skills and status, how could he not have a secondary technique?
"Alright."
With just one word, a level of seriousness never seen before appeared on Shen Canghai’s face.
At the main seat, Bai Yuxue couldn’t help but glance at Shi Xiaole.
No one understood better than her how troublesome Shen Canghai can be when he is serious. Even at the same level, she would have to fight with all her might to defeat him.
Whoosh!
The cold wind grew stronger, and slowly, snowflakes started falling from the sky. The snowflakes hitting the furnace emitted crackling combustion sounds, which were particularly harsh in the quiet Snow Appreciation Pavillion.
For some reason, everyone’s hearts jumped at that moment.
Boom...
With a stomp on the snowy ground, Shen Canghai took the lead. His massive body moved only a few times but it was enough to confront Shi Xiaole bringing about an assault like a wild beast.
Third-class superior flying skill, Dragon Soaring Tiger Leaping.
Even seasoned Martial World experts had difficulty learning one, yet a top genius like Shen Canghai mastered two.
One Foot Movement was for avoidance and counterattacks.
Dragon Soaring Tiger Leaping was a speed-based flying skill, for offence and defence, and in combination with other offensive martial arts, could render opponents helpless.
Before many could register what was happening, Shen Canghai’s Mountain Shifting Divine Palm had already come crashing towards Shi Xiaole’s face. The wild internal power was suffocating.
The dim purple light of the Shattered Snow Blade clashed with the Mountain Shifting Divine Palm once again, sending the snowflakes in the air scurrying as the force expanded from the two of them.
"Brother Shi, be careful."
The Mountain Shifting Divine Palm was only an appetizer, as Shen Canghai clenched his left fist and with a belated action dealt a powerful blow, like an enraged dragon.
The incoming force caused Shi Xiaole’s hair to stand on end and he instinctively defended with the Shattered Snow Blade.
Bang!
Shi Xiaole uncontrollably retreated.
However, this was not over; the internal power attached to the Shattered Snow Blade suddenly exploded, resulting in an accelerated collision that caused Shi Xiaole’s left arm to go numb, nearly causing him to drop the blade.
"Not right."
His heart skipped a beat and without any thought, Shi Xiaole swung his arm, directly colliding with the third wave of internal power; his body was blasted away several tens of meters.
"Brother Shi, you unexpectedly managed to block my River and Sea Triple Strength."
Shen Canghai was somewhat surprised, but then gave a thumbs up.
River and Sea Triple Strength was a secondary low-grade fist technique.
Once perfected, it could be divided into three offensive layers, hard to resist even for those well-acquainted with this technique, and impossible not to retreat for those encountering it for the first time.
Shen Canghai thought that once this killer move was used, the competition would be over. He was surprised when all it did was drive back Shi Xiaole.
How could he not be startled?
Also startled were the Four Greats.
In fact, they had experienced the same treatment as Shi Xiaole today.
At that time they were at the third level of Qi Absorption, and Shen Canghai’s skills were not as strong as today, but under the attack of the River and Sea Triple Strength, they were quickly defeated.
So they were naturally taken aback when they saw Shi Xiaole block the attack.
With a slight pressure on her finger, Zhao Yihuan crushed the teacup.
On the other side, Tang Juran looked somewhat dazed.
"River and Sea Triple Strength, each one is not to be taken lightly, and when to explode is up to the user. I don’t know how many times you can withstand it."
Bai Yuxue murmured to herself.
She didn’t realize that the calm lake in her heart was starting to ripple because of this contest.
Uses the Dragon Soaring Tiger Leaping again, Shen Canghai quickly rushed towards Shi Xiaole. This time there was no testing the waters; both fists swung out, resulting in a double River and Sea Triple Strength.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang.
Six consecutive explosive sounds left everyone’s ears ringing. The kind of blast and damage created by the invisible internal power could be felt just from the gust of wind that hit their faces.
The most crucial part was, due to the sequential nature of River and Sea Triple Strength, by the time one attack had ended, Shen Canghai was already prepared for the second one.
The opponent, Shi Xiaole, could only fall back into passivity until he was defeated.
At this moment, everyone finally realized how powerful Shen Canghai was. Even if he only used 30% of his internal power, it was enough to crush most of the young individuals.
However, it was this power that emphasized Shi Xiaole’s extraordinary skills, prompting others to exclaim in admiration.
"You’ve done well holding out until now," Zhu Xiuling sighed.
"Lose, lose already!" Tong Song was cursing with malice in his heart, his face almost twisted.
His only hope now was that Shen Canghai could severely injure Shi Xiaole, or at the very least, make the latter embarrass himself.
In the relentless attack, Shi Xiaole wasn’t as panicked or disheartened as everyone had anticipated.
To him, there were methods for turning defeat into victory.
For instance, the Soul Transfer Great Method.
However, he did not plan to use the Pupil Skill until a crisis moment as winning in that manner would not feel particularly satisfying. Besides, Shen Canghai might not necessarily be affected by it.
As confederates in battle, one must win fair and square.
"Junior Brother Shi, your strength far exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately, you still lack maturity. Accept defeat," Shen Canghai changed his footwork and pushed his internal power to the maximum 30%. This time, he launched four consecutive waves of River and Sea Triple Strength.
Simultaneously, with the explosion noises.
Shi Xiaole tilted his body and blocked ten continuous internal power attacks with his spiritual perception. Unfortunately, two more internal power attacks were approaching him at an alarming speed.
At this point, he had exhausted all of his techniques.
"Hahaha, finally you’ve lost! A splendid defeat!" Tong Song couldn’t help shouting out in his excitement.
"Still, he failed in the end," Su Junhao shook his head, a relief washing over him. If this round had been won by Shi Xiaole, he wouldn’t even know how to describe his feelings.
Just when the remaining two waves of attack were about to hit Shi Xiaole, Bai Yuxue was already preparing to intervene.
In a flash, Shi Xiaole’s right hand moved, drawing out an aqua-colored sword aura amidst the clear sound of sword resonating.
Following that, everyone present witnessed a moment they wouldn’t forget for decades.
After blocking the eleventh power attack with a swing of his right hand, Shi Xiaole buffered with a decaying blade technique, then swung out a Shattered Snow Blade aura with the momentum.
To everyone’s eyes, it seemed as though he wielded different swordplay and knife techniques with each hand at the same time.
"What?!"
In this moment, everyone was shocked and stood up.
Even Bai Yuxue couldn’t keep her calm. Her cherry lips were slightly ajar and her eyes were shimmering with extreme excitement.
Even if one is highly talented, it’s hard to simultaneously display two types of martial arts.
Because each martial art’s power release, control, and movements are completely different. Two vastly different martial arts being used simultaneously would appear disorderly, let alone display their full strength.
But just now, Shi Xiaole displayed swordplay with his right hand and knife technique with his left. He not only used two different martial arts at almost the same time, but did so without damaging their unique charm and power. This shocked everyone present, as it completely overturned their understanding of martial arts.
"Impossible, there must be a sequence. It’s only because he moved too quickly that we couldn’t see clearly," Tong Song’s face alternated between green and white as he forced himself to remain calm.
Snow was falling heavily like scattered goose feathers. However, the sight of Shi Xiaole’s upright figure in the green gown in the snowstorm was incredibly striking.
"Senior Brother Shen, be prepared."
In a clear voice, Shi Xiaole flew forward, his swords and blades surrounded by a shimmering purple aura. He raised his Shattered Snow Blade with his left hand, unleashing a wild storm of knife light.
At the same time, his right hand was level with his shoulder as his cyan-tinted sword burst forth with an incredibly peculiar and ever-changing azure light.
Wild Wind Blade Technique.
Cloud Mist Thirteen Styles.
Left-handed blade, right-handed sword, dual attacks!
This moment was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, exploding before everyone’s eyes.
The cold wind and heavy snow disappeared entirely. In everyone’s eyes, there was only the elegant figure in the green gown, and the godly dance of the blade and sword light.
If Shen Canghai’s River and Sea Triple Strength was tough to deal with, then Shi Xiaole’s left-handed knife and right-handed sword made everyone wonder if they were in a dream.
Even Shen Canghai himself, despite being in the midst of battle, was momentarily stunned until the glimmering light of the sword and knife descended upon him, awakening him to defend.
Unfortunately, his River and Sea Triple Strength could no longer threaten Shi Xiaole.
With the simultaneous deployment of a blade and sword, Shi Xiaole’s capabilities were comparable to two people. While his prowess was somewhat divided, it was just right to deal with the consecutive triple strength attacks.
In the drifting white snow, Shi Xiaole swung his left hand, drawing a twisted arc that left people in a trance.
Bloody Chaos Kill.
His right hand swung out a dangerous and aggressive sword light.
A glimmer of hope.
Blade and sword played together, dual kill!
Two hissing sounds.
Shen Canghai took a few steps back, looked at his torn sleeve, suppressed the astonishment in his heart and said reluctantly, "Junior Brother Shi, I admit defeat."
