Chapter 398 - 57: Liu Su’s Crushing Defeat
Upon hearing Liu Su’s words, Zhao Zhen sincerely said:
"Junior Sister He, you are naturally gifted, yet you shouldn’t be so arrogantly lazy. As we are about to become opponents, you should remain vigilant."
He wore a black robe, with long whiskers on his chin and temples, resembling a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, speaking in an old-fashioned, leisurely manner.
Liu Su disliked this kind of person the most, impatiently saying:
"Who do you think you are, acting like you know me so well? Ridiculous!"
Zhao Zhen remained serious, cupping his hands in greeting, "Junior Sister He’s words are misguided. If you know yourself and your enemy, you will win every battle. I have studied and assessed every participant in this Outer Sect competition, and my assessment of Junior Sister He consists of the eight characters I mentioned earlier."
Liu Su looked at him in disbelief, had this person actually researched all his opponents in detail?
This piqued her interest, and she asked curiously with a blink of her eyes:
"Which eight characters are your assessment of me?"
Zhao Zhen replied, "Naturally gifted, arrogantly lazy."
"You..." Liu Su’s expression turned grim.
"Oh, there are four more characters." Zhao Zhen added, "Nothing to worry about."
"..."
Liu Su sneered, "You ugly fool, are you looking for trouble?"
With a wave of her hand, everyone’s vision blurred, and a faint Sword Aura had already flown out, reaching Zhao Zhen in the blink of an eye!
"Such a fast sword!"
"Why is the Supreme As-Heart Sword so quick?!"
The Supreme As-Heart Sword is balanced and harmonious, combining offense and defense, emphasizing the natural flow of Dao, neither rushed nor sluggish.
But the Supreme As-Heart Sword in Liu Su’s hand was as swift as lightning, which clearly showed she had mastered this Cultivation Technique and incorporated her own improvements.
Aside from Qin Gengyun and Mo Xiaolan who knew her well, the other disciples from Xiyue Peak were all shocked.
They had all practiced together on Xiyue Peak, naturally understanding that Zhao Zhen’s assessment of Junior Sister He was not unfounded.
That Junior Sister He was indeed too lazy!
While the others were practicing, she was playing.
While the others were contemplating Dao, she was playing.
While the others were sparring, she was still playing.
She was hardly ever seen seriously training.
Yet she still made it all the way into the final eight, and now she showcased her own understanding of the Supreme As-Heart Sword right from the start.
A talent like this is extremely rare.
Before anyone could react, the lightning-fast Sword Qi had already struck Zhao Zhen!
"Wow!"
"Is it over just like that?"
"Can’t believe Senior Brother Zhao would be defeated so quickly!"
The disciples from Forgetful Peak were almost leaping out of their seats, but the Zhao Zhen struck by the lightning Sword Qi turned out to be unharmed!
Upon closer inspection, it was actually a puppet!
"I was mistaken, Junior Sister He is not naturally gifted but gifted beyond compare."
Zhao Zhen’s voice echoed in the air, Liu Su looked up but couldn’t find him.
"Concealment Array?"
Liu Su, having followed Xia Qinglian for a long time, naturally knew this was a Concealment Array, yet she was usually too lazy to bother learning the Arrays, which seemed to give her headaches.
Even though she realized Zhao Zhen was using an Array to conceal himself, she didn’t know how to crack it.
"Junior Sister He, this Array Puppet was reserved for the final battle. For you to force its use with just one attack is quite the accomplishment."
Although Zhao Zhen’s words sounded arrogant, his tone was extremely calm, making him appear not arrogant but offering the most objective and serene assessment.
Liu Su scoffed, "What kind of Array Puppet is it, a grown man hiding and afraid to face someone is ridiculous. If you have the guts, come out and fight me properly!"
However, Zhao Zhen remained unmoved by her provocation, still calm:
"Junior Sister He, be careful."
The puppet that closely resembled Zhao Zhen suddenly grew bigger, its clothes shredding into pieces amidst numerous gasps.
The puppet was covered in Arrays, with intricate Array Patterns on its limbs, torso, and head.
"This is Senior Brother Zhao’s most powerful Array Puppet!"
Zhao Zhen was a rare Array Master and Puppet Master, and this Array Puppet was a weapon he created by combining the two skills.
Liu Su looked at it and sneered, "Isn’t it just drawing some Arrays to boost power and speed on the puppet’s body? What’s so amazing about it."
The puppet grew to three stories tall, its body resembling a small mountain, holding two giant blades over a meter long in its hands.
Liu Su scoffed, "Growing that big makes it as dumb as a pig. What good is it?!"
Outside the arena, Xia Qinglian frowned, and Qin Gengyun shouted at Liu Su, "Sister, be careful!"
Suddenly, the seemingly gigantic and clumsy puppet vanished.
The next instant, it appeared above Liu Su, swinging the blades down at her!
Oh no!
Liu Su was taken aback, her figure darting around, the blade’s edge almost slicing into the ground beside her forehead, creating a long trench!
Liu Su broke into a cold sweat, "You ugly fool, trying to kill me?!"
She taunted while continuously shooting lightning-fast Sword Aura, aiming at the puppet’s arms.
But the puppet’s speed was faster than the Sword Aura, and in an instant, it disappeared again, reappearing behind Liu Su with the blades swinging down once more.
"Oh my gosh!"
This time Liu Su dodged more awkwardly, performing a lazy donkey roll, her clothing corner cut off.
The puppet kept chasing and hacking at her, leaving Liu Su no chance to fight back.
The puppet’s speed was so fast that weaker Outer Sect disciples couldn’t even discern its movement trajectory.
"Such a big body with such speed, how can anyone fight this?"
"Senior Brother Zhao’s Array Puppet is too powerful!"
Liu Su was chased and hacked by the puppet, her dodges getting harder each time, cursing inwardly.
Damn it, should have worked harder in practice all along!
Ahhh! When has this madam ever been treated like this!
After dodging for a stick of incense, Liu Su’s forehead was drenched with fragrant sweat, panting heavily, almost unable to run anymore.
But the puppet showed no signs of tiring, still as fierce as at the beginning, disappearing, and in the next instant, its blades were swinging towards Liu Su’s head.
"I surrender, I surrender!"
Liu Su quickly shouted, and the puppet stopped mere inches from her neck.
Zhao Zhen’s figure finally emerged slowly, cupping his hands, "Junior Sister He, well done."
Liu Su glared at him, "If you have guts, fight me yourself! Does using a puppet count as winning?"
Zhao Zhen replied, "The Outer Sect competition doesn’t prohibit using puppets. Junior Sister He, I did not break any rules."
"You!" Liu Su stomped her foot and turned to exit the arena, grabbing Qin Gengyun’s arm:
"I’m so angry! Brother, you have to help me get back at him!!"
Qin Gengyun tapped her on the head, "The wife always said you were too lazy, but you never listened. Do you understand now?"
Liu Su pouted, still reminding, "That guy’s puppet is too fast; Brother, be careful if you encounter it."
Qin Gengyun said, "To counter his Array Puppet, you should focus on the Arrays. If you can render the Arrays ineffective, then the Array Puppet is nothing to worry about."
Liu Su asked, "Can you crack his Arrays?"
Qin Gengyun shook his head, "I’m not an Array Master."
"Then what should we do? Who can crack that guy’s Arrays?"