Chapter 651: Next Time We Meet, I Will Force You to Go All Out (Part 2)
Chapter 651: Chapter 624: Next Time We Meet, I Will Force You to Go All Out (Part 2)
It was a jet-black Giant Fan, a full 2.3 meters long. The fan had nine ribs, and between each rib were sharp Fan Blades that seemed to be forged from Xuan Iron. Streaks of golden Runes were engraved across the surfaces of the blades, though their meaning was a complete mystery. At the hilt, where the nine ribs converged, was a large ring—evidently, the grip. This object was, of course, none other than the long-unseen Profound Jade Fan!
Mu Chen turned his head, a smirk playing on his lips. He abruptly raised his arm and spread his fingers. As if answering a summons, the Profound Jade Fan, which had been floating in midair, circled once before descending swiftly into his hand.
SNAP!
With a crisp snap, Mu Chen’s fingers locked tightly around the Profound Jade Fan’s ring. A feeling of perfect harmony washed over him. Even though he hadn’t used it in a year, the moment he held it, he could still feel the distinct connection deep within his soul.
He brandished it a few times, the Fan Blades slicing through the air with a series of whooshes. A faint smile touched his lips as Mu Chen said, “Let’s fight!”
Yu Wen Tuo and Wan Xian’Er exchanged a glance and retreated, stopping only when they had left enough room for the two combatants. The young masters and geniuses who had participated in the betrothal ceremony hadn’t left yet. Seeing that Mu Chen and Tuoba Rui were about to fight again, they all sat down to watch. After all, observing a battle between experts was an immense help for improving one’s own skills, and they weren’t about to miss such an opportunity.
Tuoba Rui, for his part, completely cast aside his reservations. Mu Chen’s Giant Fan, even larger than the Nether Fire Blade, was certainly a shock, but he remained confident in his own Swordsmanship. The sword, after all, was the King of Ten Thousand Soldiers.
HISS!
With a focused gesture, his fingers swiped through the air, and a Spatial Rift appeared out of nowhere. Tuoba Rui reached his right hand in and pulled out the Nether Fire Blade he had put away earlier. It had to be said, the sword was truly massive—not because of its length, but its width! It was a full half-meter wide, almost like a door plank.
Lightly stroking the Sword Blade, Tuoba Rui suddenly pointed the tip at Mu Chen. With a surge of Primordial Power, the white bandages wrapped around the sword all snapped and fell away. A bladeless Heavy Sword, completely enveloped in azure Fire Flame, appeared before Mu Chen, and a wave of scorching heat rushed toward him. Azure fire! A variant flame!
“Nether Fire Blade!”
“Profound Jade Fan!”
Having announced the names of their weapons, the two exchanged no more words. With a push of their feet, they moved. There was no Primordial Power, only elusive footwork!
SWOOSH!
In a flash, Tuoba Rui vanished. ‘To be honest, I didn’t even see him move.’ Since he couldn’t use Primordial Power, he had naturally forgone the use of his Ice Extreme Demon Pupils.
But just because he couldn’t see him didn’t mean he was helpless. Over the past year, he had been trained extensively by that old deviant, Feng Chaoming, and the result of that training was…!
Without a single thought, without a moment’s hesitation, every muscle and cell in his body reacted as if they had rehearsed this move countless times, executing the perfect response on their own. He brought the Fan Blade around horizontally, his fingers sliding on the ring as he instantly whipped the Profound Jade Fan behind him.
CLANG!
With a dull metallic clang, Tuoba Rui’s figure materialized behind Mu Chen. With a clench of his hand, the fully opened Profound Jade Fan snapped shut, its ribs clamping down and trapping the Nether Fire Blade!
With his Sword Blade trapped, the force behind Tuoba Rui’s attack dissipated completely. He staggered, looking at Mu Chen in astonishment.
He wasn’t the only one astonished; everyone present was. Mu Chen’s actions had been completely contradictory. His posture clearly indicated he was about to move forward—his gaze was fixed ahead, his center of gravity shifted forward. They were all Martial Artists; they knew what his next move should have been. That’s right, he had been about to attack forward. The truly baffling part was that while his intent and posture all signaled a forward attack, his arm seemed to possess a will of its own, acting in defiance of his brain’s commands.
He had blocked backward! And even counterattacked!
Tuoba Rui abruptly wrenched the Nether Fire Blade free and stood there, stunned. He muttered, “What just happened?”
Mu Chen gave an awkward laugh. “To be honest, I don’t really know either.”
As he spoke, Mu Chen twisted his body, shifted his footwork, and his fingers slid across the ring again. The Profound Jade Fan instantly flipped from a horizontal to a vertical orientation and slashed down, targeting Tuoba Rui’s left shoulder! Gripping the fan’s ring from different positions created different attacks and angles. Over the past year, he had stripped all superfluous movements from his attacks, so this strike was clean and direct, with no trickery or deceit.
Tuoba Rui hadn’t expected Mu Chen to strike so abruptly. He reacted in a hurry, raising his Sword Blade horizontally and flicking it upward, parrying the Profound Jade Fan with a shower of sparks. Using the force of the recoil, he spun around and sent his blade roaring toward Mu Chen’s waist.
‘It’s this move again.’ This was the second time today he had faced an attack aimed at his waist. However, unlike Zhang Lie’s sweep, Tuoba Rui’s was far more vicious and cunningly angled. Not only was he exploiting the opening created when his own strike was parried to attack a vital point, but he was also using the searing aura of the Nether Fire Blade to distort the space, causing the angle of the attack to shift in Mu Chen’s perception!
This was a Sword Cultivator who specialized in Swordsmanship! They used everything to their advantage—visual misdirection, external elements—anything that could trigger a butterfly effect would be exploited and transformed into a fatal blow!
“Impressive!”
Despite his admiration, Mu Chen’s movements were not the least bit slow. The memory etched into his muscles and cells kept pace perfectly with the strike. ‘If he can use the force of the recoil, why can’t I?’ The Profound Jade Fan had been knocked skyward by the Nether Fire Blade; riding that momentum, Mu Chen fell backward. The tip of the Fan Blade touched the ground, bringing his entire body nearly parallel to it. The Nether Fire Blade scraped past his abdomen by a hair’s breadth, failing to inflict any damage whatsoever!
The instant he used the Profound Jade Fan to touch the ground and ducked under the waist-high slash, Mu Chen bent his right arm. Using the grounded fan as a fulcrum, he launched himself forward like a razor-sharp blade, landing a solid kick on Tuoba Rui’s chest with a THUD.
“Hmph.”
With a soft grunt, Tuoba Rui was knocked back several steps. Holding his sword in one hand, he dusted off his chest with the other and laughed loudly. “A fine taste of my own medicine! Again!”
With that, his Nether Fire Blade swept out. Slashes, hacks, flicks, chops—Tuoba Rui executed all the basic attacks of the Sword System with the grace of flowing water. His Swordsmanship was grand and expansive, creating an imposing presence. Surprisingly, his style carried the solid weight of a Mountain Range!
Mu Chen, in turn, refused to be outdone. His fan opened and closed, spun and smashed, slashed and pierced in a multitude of transformations. His attacks were as dense as a downpour. In his hands, the Giant Fan moved like lofty mountains and flowing rivers, an endless torrent. ‘No matter how expansive your attacks, I will use offense as my defense, countering every move you make.’
“Again!”
“Bring it on!”
The clash between these two completely different styles gave the onlookers a sense of exceptionally profound beauty. With every collision, neither could gain the slightest advantage over the other. The battle lasted for a full half-hour before it finally ended. The result: a draw!
“You’re very strong! I have learned a great deal from this.”
Clutching the Nether Fire Blade, Tuoba Rui was panting heavily, his body drenched in sweat. He had never experienced such an intense clash of Spirit and strength. Today’s fight had been incredibly exhilarating.
Mu Chen was in no better state. His face was also covered in beads of sweat, but an excited smile played on his lips. Panting lightly, he said, “The same goes for you. In terms of Swordsmanship, you are the strongest I have ever seen among my peers.”
“Is that so?” Tuoba Rui smiled. “Then I am truly honored. However, I’m still a step behind you.”
Mu Chen was slightly surprised to hear this. “How so?”
Tuoba Rui turned, slung the Nether Fire Blade over his back, and chuckled. “From the start of the battle to its end, you never once used your left hand. I have a feeling that if you had, the fight wouldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes. Hmph. The next time we meet, I will definitely force you to use your full strength.”
With that said, Tuoba Rui’s figure sank directly into space, vanishing from the platform in the blink of an eye. Mu Chen stared at the spot where he had disappeared, remaining silent for a long time. Only when his breathing had steadied did Mu Chen close his Profound Jade Fan, return it to the Profound Jade Box on his back, and say to the empty air, “Until next time. I will.”