Chapter 85: Chapter 85: The Power of Swordsmanship
Clank clank clank.
Lu Yan intended to provoke a fight, to wipe away his past humiliation. On the other hand, Zuo Feiyang was driven by a surge of rage. Right after they started, the situation heated up tremendously.
Streams of sword light intersected, and amidst the intense sparks, both figures were soon enveloped.
"Wind Sword!"
With a twist of the wrist, Zuo Feiyang thrust his long sword at an unprecedented speed. In the end, people could no longer see how many swords he had wielded.
In comparison, Lu Yan’s movements were much slower, even slower, in fact, than Ba Renxiong’s from the other day.
However, his swordsmanship was quite solid. With one slash, it was like the sun setting, and incredibly enough, it limited Zuo Feiyang’s sword speed.
The clash between the two inadvertently affected the Piaoxu Building and everyone else.
Fortunately, the Piaoxu Building was spacious enough and everyone managed to dodge in time, so no one was injured.
"Zuo Feiyang, you can’t handle my Wind Sword anymore."
Lu Yan laughed arrogantly as he swung his sword.
This time, to defeat Zuo Feiyang, he had deliberately consulted his master and learned a third-rate superior sword technique specifically designed to counter fast swords. With the prepared killer move, he was confident that he could defeat Zuo Feiyang.
"The speed of the Wind Sword has been restricted."
Xiong Ni looked surprised.
As Zuo Feiyang’s old rival, he knew the properties of the Wind Sword better than anyone else. Once the speed of this sword technique is elevated, it becomes extraordinarily powerful.
On the contrary, if the speed is restricted, the lethal power is significantly reduced, at least by more than half.
It seemed that Zuo Feiyang was in a bit of a bad situation.
Not only Xiong Ni, but other people’s faces changed slightly too.
At the Cloud Sky Alliance meeting, everyone was a competitor, but they were all disciples of the rogue school. When they encountered bullies from orthodox schools, they instinctively joined forces against them.
"Sky Falling River!"
Lu Yan roared, slashing out with his long sword. The Qi absorbed transformed into a weighty force. As soon as this force fell, it seemed like a heavy burden, suddenly making Zuo Feiyang’s speed decrease again and again.
And the people in the back were influenced by this force, feeling a strange sense of suffocation in their chests.
Clang!
With a loud noise, Zuo Feiyang was nearly brought to his knees by Lu Yan’s sword.
"Senior Brother!"
The faces of Jiang Qingzhou and others changed dramatically.
"Zuo Feiyang, won’t you admit defeat?"
Lu Yan sneered arrogantly, looking down at his opponent.
"Admit defeat? You’re not worthy."
Zuo Feiyang also laughed. Just as his body was leaning over, he gripped the sword in both hands, the blade scraped past his opponent, releasing an invisible wave of Qi.
This was his killer move, the Divine Wind Sword!
"So that’s it. Zuo Feiyang’s Wind Sword was restrained, so he deliberately showed weakness to the enemy. He waited until they were close, then executed his killer move for an instant victory."
Ba Renxiong saw the situation and couldn’t help admiring the quick wit of his old opponent.
Sometimes, what decides the outcome of a fight is not just strength, but also flexibility under unexpected circumstances. With that, Ba Renxiong couldn’t help but look towards Shi Xiaole in the distance.
"Rudimentary skills, Sunset Slash!"
Just as people thought Zuo Feiyang would win, Lu Yan’s arm sunk low and his long sword suddenly unleashed a force like a mountain, crudely splitting the simulated Sword Qi into several segments.
With a harsh sound, several segments of Sword Qi pierced through the tables and chairs. Lu Yan put forward a leg and shot Zuo Feiyang, whether intentionally or not, directly in front of Piaoxu.
"Young warrior Zuo, are you alright?"
Piaoxu hastily got up to assist Zuo Feiyang, her pretty face filled with worry.
Zuo Feiyang didn’t say a word, his face bleak.
He couldn’t believe that he, who hadn’t lost at the Cloud Sky Alliance meeting, was defeated here, in front of the woman he loved.
Piaoxu’s caring gaze made Zuo Feiyang feel both touched and embarrassed. With him in such a sorry state, he didn’t know what this girl would think.
"HaHaHa, Zuo Feiyang, you’re nothing but a loser."
Lu Yan kept laughing heartily, cruelly mocking his opponent.
For the past six months, he had been suppressing this for far too long. Now, having finally defeated his old rival, the exhilaration in his heart simply could not be put into words.
"Lu, you better not push it too far!"
Jiang Qingzhou and several other disciples of the Cloud Sword Pavilion stood up, unable to bear Lu Yan’s arrogance.
"Push it too far? I have already spared your senior brother from grievous injury, which is quite merciful. If you’re not satisfied, you’re welcome to try."
Lu Yan beckoned with his fingers, his actions filled with contempt.
Jiang Qingzhou and the others were so angry that they turned pale, but considering even their highly skilled senior brother had been defeated, going up there would only mean getting beaten and losing face even more, their feet seemed to be nailed in place.
Lu Yan shook his head, looking at the crowd and chuckling: "Does anyone know where that kid named ’Exceptional with Sword and Blade’ is?"
Having defeated Zuo Feiyang, Lu Yan’s confidence skyrocketed.
According to the information he had, Shi Xiaole and Zuo Feiyang both defeated Ba Renxiong with their killer moves. From the looks of it, there was a meager difference between their strengths.
So, Lu Yan decided to continue his winning streak and knock over Shi Xiaole as well. In doing so, he would not only greatly enhance his reputation but also slap the Cloud Sky Alliance, representing the orthodox martial arts forces, fiercely on the face.
As for the two young talents, Lu Yan didn’t think he was their rival just yet. It would not be too late to challenge them in the future.
Just as his words fell, the atmosphere on the scene turned strange.
"What, no one knows? Or are you afraid that the ’Exceptional with Sword and Blade’ will also be defeated, so you dare not say?"
Lu Yan sneered coldly; his contemptuous demeanor irritated everyone present.
"If you want to know Shi Xiaole’s whereabouts, you can find out for yourself, why do you need to ask us?"
Xiong Ni sneaked a glance at Shi Xiaole and said.
Lu Yan’s words had indeed foreseen what all others were thinking.
Even Zuo Feiyang was defeated, most people did not believe that Shi Xiaole could win, so no one spoke up and no one pointed out Shi Xiaole for Lu Yan.
Otherwise, the scene of two outstanding geniuses who had made their name in the Cloud Sky Alliance being defeated by a disciple from an orthodox sect would be a huge joke.
"Truly disappointing, it seems I still need to make an effort."
Unable to get any answers, Lu Yan was ready to turn and leave.
"Wait a moment."
Then, a clear voice reached his ears.
"Junior Brother, have you lost your mind?"
Xiao Yuanbo was the first to react, hurriedly grabbing Shi Xiaole’s hand, he spoke in a tone of both helplessness and urgency.
Others also looked at Shi Xiaole, revealing various expressions of confusion, anger, and admiration.
"Why are you stopping me, do you want to challenge me?"
Lu Yan responded annoyedly.
"I am Shi Xiaole."
Shi Xiaole casually mentioned.
He was not eager to show off, nor was he interested in being in the limelight. From Lu Yan’s current attitude, it was clear that he would not rest until he found Shi Xiaole.
If a fight was inevitable anyway, why not just settle it then and there.
"You... good, very good. You played dumb just now, but now you know you can’t escape, so you decide to rush to your death, right?"
Lu Yan laughed grimly, and with an air of triumph, glanced at the onlookers who displayed different expressions.
You guys tried every possible means to conceal, yet the person in question was intimidated by my reputation and stepped up. As punishment for you all, I’m going to utterly defeat this greenhorn and let him remember this day for the rest of his life.
"Kid, don’t you want to concede?"
With a plan in mind, Lu Yan deliberately asked.
Shi Xiaole said nothing, just tightened his grip on the handle of his sword. His calm and clear gaze, without a hint of turmoil, unreasonably enraged Lu Yan.
Boom!
Flexing his arm muscle, Lu Yan directly used the Sky Falling Sword Technique that had overpowered Zuo Feiyang. The strong Qi clung to the sword, seemingly smashing the air, and immediately caused many people’s ears to ring.
Unexpectedly, Shi Xiaole didn’t draw his sword but used the Golden Goose Skill to retreat rapidly.
"Dangerous! The force of Lu Yan’s sword technique is too strong, Shi Xiaole can’t draw his sword under this pressure."
Seeing this, Ba Renxiong suddenly shouted.
The ensuing scene seemed to verify Ba Renxiong’s words bit by bit.
Lu Yan’s momentum was like a tiger coming out of the gate. In his fierce onslaught, Shi Xiaole could only dodge left and right with the Golden Goose Skill, but he was always in danger.
To the audience, it appeared as if he were a small boat in a great wave, in danger of capsizing at any moment.
"Shi Xiaole’s strength lies in the power of his moves, but he’s at a severe disadvantage in terms of internal power. Lu Yan’s sword techniques effectively suppress him, putting him under pressure from the get-go, it’s a very unfavorable situation."
Xiong Ni shook his head.
"Why was Shi Xiaole so impulsive today? Once word of today’s events spreads, not only will he lose face, but the Cloud Sky Alliance will also be embarrassed."
Many people secretly stomped their feet in frustration, but they were helpless.
"You...shouldn’t have tried to play the hero."
Zuo Feiyang had already been helped up by Piaoxu, he sighed as he watched the battle unfold.
"Kid, is this your strength? Dual Mastery of Sword and Knife, is nothing more than an insult to these words."
Amidst scornful laughter, Lu Yan gave it his all, and swung his sword fiercely. He was ready to end the battle.
"My title is not for you to judge."
His voice was still calm and unbothered, facing Lu Yan’s full-force slash, this time Shi Xiaole advanced instead of retreating, and with a clang, a cyan sword light was suddenly drawn out.
Indeed, Lu Yan’s swordplay style did have a certain suppressing effect on Shi Xiaole.
But what others didn’t know was that a few days ago, Shi Xiaole had already broken through with his internal power. Merely with sword momentum, Lu Yan couldn’t suppress him at all.
Shi Xiaole didn’t unsheathe his sword earlier because he was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would leave Lu Yan with no chance of turning the tables.
The so-called extreme prosperity leads to decline, for a swordsman like Lu Yan, who relies on momentum and strength to win, the peak of his sword technique also marks the beginning of his decline.
Shhh.
Shi Xiaole’s sword was undoubtedly fast, but definitely not as fast as Zuo Feiyang. Yet strangely enough, it diminished the strength of Lu Yan’s sword technique.
Before people had fully reacted, Shi Xiaole demonstrated what a comeback was, what momentum was.
You could see his arm swinging continuously, the swordplay pouring out like a gushing river, moving east one moment, west the next, its trace completely unpredictable, effectively thwarting Lu Yan, completely disrupting his swordplay.
"Hidden Qi at the eighth level, did Junior Brother breakthrough again?"
Yuan Qiuwei and the other two were greatly surprised, but thinking that Shi Xiaole had been on the brink of breakthrough made them breathe a sigh of relief.
But what’s the deal with his swordplay? Where did he learn it?
"Kid, you’re asking for death!"
Seeing himself cornered, Lu Yan was about to unleash his killer move in fury.
But quickly, to his horror, he discovered that under Shi Xiaole’s not as swift as Zuo Feiyang’s swordplay, he didn’t even have the chance to use his killing moves.
What exactly is the sword technique that this kid is employing?
