Chapter 44: Second Duel II
Ming Yue, aware of his waning momentum, pushed forward with a focused intensity. She closed the distance between them with measured steps, her single-handed wooden sword slicing through the air.
In one particularly decisive move, she parried a final surge of spirit qi with her blade, her timing precise enough to redirect his attack away from his center. The resulting contact forced Jiang Hao to stumble back, a deep bruise forming across his ribcage.
Even as the bruise darkened, his healing abilities began their work, the pain ebbing away as quickly as it had come.
"Junior Brother, use your qi more wisely"
As their battle wore on, the exchange of attacks became a continuous loop of action. Jiang Hao’s spirit qi surged forth in new combinations, each attack more daring than the last
Despite the increasing severity of his injuries, a split in his lip reopened from a particularly sharp strike, a bruise forming around his shoulder where ice had grazed him, he pressed on, driven by the necessity to test his limits against Ming Yue’s refined techniques.
Ming Yue maintained her disciplined offense. With her sword and ice, she countered each move with deliberate precision, her focus unwavering as she navigated the ebb and flow of their conflict.
Every time Jiang Hao’s qi met her icy defense, the contact was clean and clinical, a demonstration of their practiced skills rather than a contest of words.
At one point, Jiang Hao aimed a final, concentrated thrust of spirit qi at Ming Yue’s torso. Recognizing the move instantly, Ming Yue countered by extending her arm and summoning a compact, hardened shard of ice that intercepted the attack.
The collision sent a shudder through both fighters; Jiang Hao’s chest bore the brunt of the impact, leaving him with a fresh, jagged bruise that quickly began the healing process.
The battle persisted in this measured cadence. Jiang Hao’s relentless spirit qi met the ever-adapting ice of Ming Yue in a cycle of offense and defense that kept both combatants continuously alert.