Chapter 106: All-Out Battle, Narrow Victory

Yun Man was far faster than Yu Heguang had expected. In an instant, she was behind him.

He switched from attack to defense. As she struck, he swept his saber behind his back and just managed to block her sword.

Her first strike failed, and Yun Man drew back at once to look for another opening.

Yu Heguang knew his eyes alone could not keep up with her. He closed them.

He spread his Divine Sense to track her movements.

Yun Man tried several more attacks, but he anticipated and blocked every one.

When those attempts failed, she drew back and stopped attacking.

If she could not break through, she would wait for him to attack. An attack would leave an opening she could exploit.

Yu Heguang had stayed in one place, devoted entirely to defense. Unless she could break through by force, this would become a pointless battle of attrition.

“I already held you in high regard, but I still underestimated you. Your speed is indeed good, but if I don’t give you a chance, you can’t hurt me.”

Yu Heguang had been forced to defend without a chance to counterattack, but he was right: if he chose to, he could keep defending.

“I’ve already attacked; now it’s your turn.”

Yun Man stood where she was, leaving the next move to him.

“Since you’re so strong, I’ll also go all out.”

Yu Heguang became fully alert.

Yun Man had taken the initiative and forced him to defend. Now that she was letting him attack, he would show her she was not the only one with a movement technique.

He accelerated abruptly, matching the speed she had shown.

Forcing his speed so high came at a cost. His special movement technique consumed a great deal of energy. Yun Man relied on the boots Qin Xiao had lent her, which cost her far less.

Even at this speed, he dared not strike carelessly. An opening would let Yun Man turn the tables and take the initiative back.

Yun Man stayed still, but she too released her Divine Sense. Strengthened by the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, it was far stronger than his and tracked his movements more precisely.

As Yu Heguang shifted about, Yun Man maintained her defense and waited for him to strike.

He found her defense no weaker than his own. Attacking at close range would be difficult.

Yu Heguang suddenly drew back and began his technique. Before Yun Man could react, he had prepared Hundred-Shadow Slash, the first form of Thousand Saber Slash.

He had underestimated the reach of Yun Man’s Divine Sense. He thought he was safely beyond it, but she could still sense him.

As he slashed at Yun Man, her figure slowly faded. It was only an afterimage. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.

“Not good, I’ve been tricked.”

As the afterimage faded, Yu Heguang realized Yun Man was behind him and hurriedly brought his saber back to block.

No clash sounded behind his back. Instead, pain shot through his calf. A sword point had pierced it.

“You think I’d do the same thing twice?”

Yun Man withdrew her sword and spoke slowly.

With his leg injured, he could no longer reach that speed, and even his defense would have gaps. The outcome looked all but decided.

“I indeed underestimated you, but do you think this is my full strength?”

Yu Heguang took out a Pill and swallowed it.

“This is a Mad Blood Pill. It temporarily raises cultivation and shuts off all pain. It won’t raise me a full minor stage like a Spirit-Burst Pill, but it will give me half a stage. You can be proud of forcing me this far.”

His blood energy surged, stirring his Spiritual Qi. His cultivation rose sharply.

Seeing this, Yun Man darted away.

“That’s a Mad Blood Pill! Qin Xiao, get Yun Man down at once!”

Lin Tiancheng had recognized the Pill and shouted to Qin Xiao.

He knew Yun Man would not obey him; she listened only to Qin Xiao. With her strength, they had a real chance at fifth place. There was no need for her to be injured here.

“Sect Leader, don’t worry. If the situation turns bad, Yun Man will come down; she knows her limits.”

Qin Xiao was worried too, but Yun Man also had a Pill that temporarily raised cultivation. Since she had not used it, the situation must still be manageable.

Yun Man was undecided. Forcing Yu Heguang to use a trump card was already enough, but should she take a Pill herself?

Without one, she would need to show more of her own trump cards to win, risking exposure. But once a Pill’s effect wore off, she could not take another for a day. That would reduce her chances against the top three teams’ fighters. Her master’s wager had not even begun.

“Disciple, if you’re confident, fight; if not, come back. Your master is here.”

Seeing her draw back and hesitate without doing anything, Qin Xiao called out to her.

“Master, don’t worry, I’m confident.”

Suddenly, Yun Man realized she might need neither her other trump cards nor a Pill. Last night’s sword manual contained three moves. She was proficient in Mountain Severance, though not yet in the second. If she could use that second move, she might win.

Yun Man’s talent was remarkable. After the same single night of practice, Lin Shimeng could use only the first move; she had not even grasped the basics of the second. Yun Man could already use the second, if only barely. Visit NovelPing for the full chapter.

“Since you let me fully absorb the Pill’s effects, to show respect, I’ll also use my ultimate move in return.”

Yu Heguang seemed much larger now. The Mad Blood Pill had made his blood circulate furiously, driving his Spiritual Qi into a surge.

Yun Man did not want to let him complete his technique. She raised her sword horizontally before her chest, gathering Spiritual Qi rapidly.

“Mountain Severance.”

A ring of sword Qi swept outward from Yun Man as she spoke.

“What? You know this move too?”

Still gathering power, Yu Heguang had not expected Yun Man to know the move too. He had thought it was one of Lin Shimeng’s signature techniques.

She gave no answer. After Mountain Severance, she kept moving and leaped into the air.

Yu Heguang used a protective treasure to block the attack. His own technique was ready now, and he leaped into the air too.

The two faced each other, simultaneously unleashing their strongest attacks.

“Thousand Saber Slash’s strongest move, Thousand-Shadow Slash.”

Yu Heguang directly used all the Spiritual Qi in his body.

“Earth Rending.”

Yun Man also didn’t retreat, similarly using all the Spiritual Qi in her body.

“Boom!”

A huge explosion sounded in mid-air.

Every Soul Formation cultivator present acted at once, pouring Spiritual Qi into the Formation. They sensed the power of both attacks and knew the Formation could not hold without their help.

The whole arena shook.

After the explosion’s dust cleared, Yu Heguang was spitting blood but still standing.

Yun Man, by contrast, lay on the ground a short distance away.

Just as everyone thought she had lost, Yun Man slowly got up, brushed off the dust, and took out Spirit Liquid to drink.

She had to replenish her strength quickly. She did not know whether Yu Heguang had any trump cards left.

“I never expected Qingzhou to have such a prodigy. I concede.”

Yu Heguang wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke to her with admiration.

Yu Heguang left the platform. Tianyuan Sect had won the match.