Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Absolute Defense
Bai Zhanmei was known for his exceptional Flying Skill, further augmented by his understanding of the Flying Eagle Intent Realm, which greatly increased his speed. So much so, that when he moved, his figure whirred into a flurry of black.
On this basis, the power of his killer move, Eagle Eating Thirds, was undoubtedly greatly enhanced. The uncertainty of not knowing which figure is real often left opponents defenseless, as Bai’s attacks had already arrived before they could even capture his Qi.
"Boy, you should have no complaints about losing to this attack," Bai thought, grinning inwardly. He stretched all ten fingers and suddenly caught Shi Xiaole’s shoulders. But it turned out; he had grabbed nothing but an afterimage.
Jumping upwards in a reversal motion, Bai Zhanmei flew high. Far away, he saw Shi Xiaole standing three yards away, laughing at him. This smile seemed full of mockery, causing a fire of rage to burn in his chest.
Yet, Bai Zhanmei didn’t lose his cool. The fact that the opponent could dodge his weakest move demonstrated that his responsiveness was beyond Bai’s expectation and should not be underestimated.
"The other two killer moves, should not be used unless necessary. Well, in order to create an illusionary effect, Eagle Eating Thirds sacrifices speed, which means I will have to slowly grind down his Internal Power with the Eagle Flying Skill," he thought.
Unable to defeat his enemy in one move, Bai Zhanmei was a little disappointed but quickly adjusted his attitude, pushing his Flying Skill to its limit.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Bai’s feet barely touched the ground as he flew through the air. His speed had increased again. Landing within the sight of others, his figure looked like a dynamic black line, speedily surrounding Shi Xiaole.
In the end, the spectators couldn’t discern his exact position.
"Is this the Eagle Flying Skill? If it were me up there, I’d probably be dizzy."
"In the martial arts world, speed is invincible. This is true for sword skills as well as for movement skills. Bai Zhanmei has mastered the art of movement; if you can’t catch up with him, you can never defeat him. But catching up with such speed is easier said than done."
The audience was broadening their horizons.
A person’s strength is not only gauged by offensive and defensive power; speed is equally vital. Those who had previously gone against Bai Zhanmei were undeserving of his display of speed. Now that he was displaying it, many high-ranking competitors in the tournament frowned, finding it challenging.
"Eagle Passing Leaving Traces"
The Flying Eagle Sect Master looked satisfied.
As a secondary lower-class movement skill, the highest realm of Eagle Flying Skill is Eagle Passing Leaving Traces. Coupled with Bai Zhanmei’s Flying Eagle Intent Realm, his speed almost reached the limit of secondary middle-class movement skills, only lacking in subtlety.
From the perspective of the Flying Eagle Sect Master, unless faced with a few select individuals, Bai Zhanmei was naturally at an advantage and unlikely to be defeated.
"Impossible to capture with the naked eye."
Amid the mass of shadows, Shi Xiaole nodded silently as a gust of wind whisked past him.
With only his eyes and ears, even he couldn’t figure out Bai Zhanmei’s specific location, let alone defend against his attacks. However, no matter how fast a person is, they can’t hide their Qi and are naturally within Shi Xiaole’s control.
The black shadows overlap in chaos, sometimes surging upwards, sometimes diving down, sometimes attacking continuously, all completely unpredictable, but never once hitting Shi Xiaole.
Later on, a faint shadow of green appeared, writhing with the black, making the spectators’ heads spin.
"Did he catch up with Bai Zhanmei’s rhythm?"
Lin Xuanyuan, who lost to Fang Shenwu, spoke incredulously.
"His speed may not match Bai Zhanmei, but his reaction is even quicker. Bai Zhanmei can’t best him purely based on speed."
Ye Liushuang’s tone was cold, revealing a rare hint of appreciation.
Among the peers present, she was the only one who shadowed Bai Zhanmei’s speed, hence she saw more clearly.
Honestly speaking, Shi Xiaole’s agility had surpassed that of most people in the audience by two levels. This fact considerably neutralized Bai Zhanmei’s advantage of speed. Thus, the match seemed somewhat disadvantageous for the latter.
"If speed attacks are no use, then switch ways. He’s so rigid."
Bali Wen shook his head, chuckling disdainfully.
"Damn it, how is this possible?"
No one was more astonished than Bai Zhanmei.
If the Eagle Flying Skill couldn’t hit the opponent, it was not an advantage but a disadvantage. Compared to Shi Xiaole, who was firmly rooted, Bai used up much more energy in each round of attacks.
What the outsiders didn’t know was that it wasn’t that Bai Zhanmei didn’t want to change his attack method, but he couldn’t. Shi Xiaole’s qi had him locked from a distance, and if he changed his Qi in the middle of the fight, the opponent’s thundering strike would be welcomed.
Unknowingly, the roles of the two were reversed. Yet the twists and turns were even unclear to Bai, the person involved.
All of a sudden, an unprecedented chill ran through his body.
If Shi Xiaole was deliberately setting a trap to lure him into battle, it would be fine. What startled him was that from beginning to end, the opponent had been reacting to his moves, and effortlessly turned the disadvantage around.
"How powerful are you, really?"
Realizing that continuing in this manner would deplete him, Bai Zhanmei clenched his teeth. In the blink of an eye, he rushed towards Shi Xiaole: "Eagle Dominates the Sky!"
The airflow reversed in front of him, and the boundless Internal Power surged out like an apocalypse. This was Bai Zhanmei’s second killer move.
"Perfect timing."
Shi Xiaole revved his counterforce to the limit. Propelled by the massive force, after a few swift maneuvers, Shi Xiaole sprung out from the sea of dark light like a green lightning bolt, completely unscathed.
"He’s so fast, his speed is comparable to the Eagle Flying Skill, his speed is no worse than Bai Zhanmei’s."
Someone screamed.
"Eagle Rules the World!"
Bai Zhanmei roared, and in a pouncing motion, the Internal Power that had gathered in front of him formed into a fuzzy, immense black eagle, fiercely hurling towards Shi Xiaole.
Never before had he felt so defensive, so stifled. If he didn’t let his opponent taste his power, he felt like he would be suffocated by his frustration.
Shi Xiaole’s profound eyes did not waver as he continued to dodge with his light footwork. At last, his left hand reached for the handle of the blade at his waist for the first time.
"Go down."
At the next moment, Bai Zhanmei suddenly appeared in front of Shi Xiaole, laughing ferociously as he swung both arms.
Eagles dominate the sky, one real, one illusionary, creating a combined fatal attack.
"I’ve experienced your strength, but unfortunately, it’s you who will be going down."
If it weren’t for gaining more insights, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t have drawn it out this long. Now, everything should end. With a forceful left arm, the Shattered Snow Blade swiftly slides back into its sheath. From bottom to top, the blade cuts diagonally out.
Nobody can describe how fast this strike was, just as nobody can describe how fast the wind is.
In the previous battle with Pan Yue, Shi Xiaole still held back a lot. Facing Bai Zhanmei, who was faster and stronger, he integrated all his Wind Intent Realm into his Draw Sword Skill, perfecting this strike.
Swish!
At the same time as the blade came out, Bai Zhanmei’s protective Qi shattered and his body flew straight out of the arena, yet he appeared completely unharmed.
"You..."
Bai Zhanmei stood up from the ground, his eyebrows twitching.
On one hand, he was angry about his humiliating defeat. On the other hand, he was secretly grateful that Shi Xiaole showed mercy, not injuring him and affecting his following competitions.
Whoosh!
The crowd was stirred.
With just one strike, from the beginning till now, Shi Xiaole only unsheathed his blade once. Bai Zhanmei, who was ranked thirteenth in the previous season, was defeated.
Those talents who expected a fierce battle were looking at each other and could only force a bitter smile.
"Bai Zhanmei’s advantage was his Flying Skill. However, upon facing Shi Xiaole, whose Flying Skill was not inferior and whose swordsmanship was beyond exceptional, he was dominated the entire time. Just think about Pan Yue before, it was the same."
"Indeed, unless Shi Xiaole’s Flying Skill can be restrained, whoever faces him will have a major headache."
The crowd ignited in discussion. Through this battle, Shi Xiaole was completely placed on the same level as Yue Tianlin and other peerless talents.
The one who was most affected in the crowd was probably Xu Nianxue.
When she first saw him at the Astonishing Dragon Castle, she was confident that she could defeat him in three moves. But now, she found herself completely unsure. At least facing Bai Zhanmei, she couldn’t be as relaxed as Shi Xiaole.
"It must be a problem with the styles. I may still have the hope of defeating him."
Clutching her fist, Xu Nianxue turned her gaze away from Shi Xiaole.
After two more battles, the first round of the ranking contest ended.
The second round began immediately.
After the stimulation of the first round, people gradually grew numb to competitions that ended in one strike. Of course, it was also because they could already predict the outcome upon hearing certain names.
Overall, there were many intense battles in this round, but no so-called clash of titans happened.
At this point, anyone with discerning eyes could see that the top twenty contestants of this competition will essentially be the nine seeded contestants, along with several rising stars.
The only suspense left was the rankings of these people.
The third round.
The fourth round.
When the competition reached the seventh round, a battle that everyone was looking forward to finally emerged.
"Gu Zhihang vs Wang Zuying."
Gu Zhihang, the top disciple of Twin Absolute Palace, was ranked eighteenth in the last competition. Strictly speaking, he is not a rising star, but his strength and popularity are no less than Yue Tianlin and others.
No introduction is needed for Wang Zuying, as she was ranked twelfth in the last competition and is one of the nine seeded contestants in this competition. She is an accomplished and beautiful woman and has long been recognized by countless people.
Boom!
The moment he stepped into the arena, Gu Zhihang showed no sign of chivalry. He swung his sword and knife with both hands, creating layers of shadows that enveloped Wang Zuying.
As Wang Zuying activated her techniques to dodge, she did not forget to strike back with her palm. The force of her palm and the shadows of the blades collided, setting off a wave of energy.
"In the same realm, I’m no weaker than anyone else, let alone you who are lower than me. Defeated!"
The true might of Qi Absorption’s eighth level bursts forth. Gu Zhihang’s black hair fluttered, and a sharp light emerged from his blade and sword simultaneously. When both were combined, they shot out like electric drills.
"Heavenly Sea Curtain!"
Wang Zuying drew a circle with both hands. A square, yellow halo appeared in front of her. With each rotation, a part of the blade’s Qi was neutralized, until all the enemy’s attacks were completely dissipated.
"Wild Style!"
Just as she completed this, Gu Zhihang’s secret technique appeared. He swung both arms at a fast frequency, generating cyclones of blade and sword winds.
The cyclones cut through the air, making a sizzling sound. The most terrifying thing was that even the indestructible arena surface started to show traces of damage. Its horrifying destructive power made everyone gasp in shock.
"Power close to a Xuan Qi stage one expert."
Some disciples from the Mechanism Pavilion exclaimed, shocking the crowd.
Even a peak master of Qi Absorption’s ninth stage couldn’t have an attack power close to a Xuan Qi stage one expert. Yet, Gu Zhihang was only at the Qi Absorption’s eighth stage, showing how exceptional his innate talent was.
Twenty moves.
Thirty moves.
Under Gu Zhihang’s ferocious onslaught, it seemed like Wang Zuying only had the power to defend. However, Shi Xiaole’s opinion was different. He thought that Wang Zuying was clearly building up energy for a counterattack.
"Curtain Covering the Four Seas!"
Sure enough, after the thirty-fifth move, Wang Zuying spun around. Wherever her energy had been released, air shields appeared one after another. Overlapping one another, they firmly protected her inside, impervious to the rain of swords and knives.
