Wu Qianjun’s slash missed, but his face showed no surprise or impatience. His momentum unabated, he flicked his wrist, transforming the chop into an upward slash. The blade’s light traced a crescent arc, chasing after Yang Wenqing’s waist and abdomen!
The speed of his attack and the fluidity of its transition were pure instinct, honed in countless life-and-death battles.
Yang Wenqing retreated swiftly again, his right hand forming a sign for his Sword Formulas.
"CLANG!"
The Cyan Blade short sword shot out of its sheath, transforming into a streak of cyan light that stabbed straight for the wrist of Wu Qianjun’s saber-wielding hand!
Wu Qianjun’s eyes were icy. In response to the incoming flying sword, he simply raised the refined steel shield on his left arm, ’Immovable,’ which he had yet to use.
"CLINK!"
Sparks flew as the flying sword struck the shield’s surface with a crisp clang.
The defensive runes on the shield’s surface glowed with an earthy-yellow halo, holding perfectly still. The flying sword, however, was sent recoiling back through the air.
Meanwhile, the long saber in Wu Qianjun’s right hand was almost completely unaffected. It continued to pursue Yang Wenqing, its blade flashing. At times, its swings were sweeping and powerful, breaking through defenses with unstoppable force; at others, they were cunning and vicious, aimed specifically at the joints of his lower body.
Each slash carried the distinct simplicity and lethality of the battlefield. He had compressed his Spiritual Qi so tightly into the blade’s edge that almost none was wasted, causing Yang Wenqing’s Golden Light Body Protection Spell to flicker repeatedly as the cracks upon it grew.
Yang Wenqing pushed his Light Body Spell to its limit, combining it with basic footwork to constantly evade and maneuver around the ring. He either directed his flying sword to harass Wu Qianjun from the flanks or cast the Immobilization Spell in an attempt to slow his opponent’s movements.
But Wu Qianjun’s will was like steel. The glow of the Immobilization Spell washed over him like a stone into the sea, vanishing without a trace. It only managed to make him pause for a fraction of a second before being scattered by his formidable vitality and willpower. The harassing attacks from the flying sword were also easily blocked by the astonishingly defensive ’Immovable’ shield.
A one-sided suppression was unfolding in the ring. In the stands, the smile on Director Qiming’s face was plain to see, and many of his colleagues were already wearing expressions of undisguised glee. Perhaps even Wang Jianchao and Wang Ren, who knew Yang Wenqing, felt a sense of satisfaction. It was a classic case of human jealousy.
But Vice Director Gao, who was officiating the duel by the side of the ring, wasn’t worried. He even had the leisure to look up, scan the crowd in the stands, and take in their expressions.
"CLANG!"
The duel in the ring continued.
Wu Qianjun was like a tireless Fierce Beast of war, pressing forward step by step. Yang Wenqing, in contrast, was like a lone skiff on a stormy sea, looking as if he might capsize at any moment. He could only rely on his Golden Light Body Protection Spell and agile Body Technique to desperately hold on, constantly creating distance, completely unable to counter-attack.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Wu Qianjun’s assault remained ferocious, but his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He could sense that the young police captain was astonishingly slippery. ’His Cultivation is clearly lower than mine, but his Golden Light Body Protection Spell shatters only to be instantly repaired, over and over. The recovery rate of his Spiritual Power is unnaturally fast!’
’Trying to wear me down?’
Wu Qianjun snorted coldly to himself. He had endured far longer wars of attrition on the battlefields of the Northern Border. While maintaining his assault, his left hand stealthily reached for a small leather pouch at his waist.
After forcing Yang Wenqing back once more and blocking the returning flying sword with his saber and shield, Wu Qianjun seized the instant Yang Wenqing was retreating to adjust. He abruptly took half a step back, swiftly pulled a pill the size of a longan fruit from the pouch, and tossed it into his mouth without a second glance.
A Qi Gathering Pill!
The pill dissolved the moment it entered his mouth. Surging medicinal power instantly converted into pure Spiritual Qi, replenishing what Wu Qianjun had expended in his continuous, high-intensity assault. However, it also caused minor damage to his meridians. He had to end this fight quickly.
Yang Wenqing’s eyes narrowed. He knew that in a contest of pill reserves and mental fortitude, he was likely no match for a battle-hardened veteran like this. At the exact moment Wu Qianjun swallowed the pill and prepared to launch an even more ferocious assault, Yang Wenqing, who had been passively dodging the entire time, took his first voluntary step forward.
At the same time, his left hand formed a series of hand signs with phantom-like speed...
Golden Light Body Protection Spell!
Light Body Spell!
Blinding Spell!
Three Spells were cast in an instant. Two of them were cast on himself, while the Blinding Spell used Spiritual Qi to create an illusionary mist, blurring Wu Qianjun’s vision and senses for a split second.
And in that exact moment, Yang Wenqing fiercely activated his right-handed Sword Formulas!
The Cyan Blade, which had been lying in wait to the side, let out a clear, ringing hum. The cold glint on its blade, condensed from many days of cultivating the Jingzhe formula, suddenly erupted in a blinding flash of light...
Jingzhe: Thunder Rolls Through the Nine Heavens!
There was no flashy trajectory, no complex maneuver. The cyan short sword transformed into a bolt of lightning, letting out a deafening sonic boom as it shot straight for the weak point between Wu Qianjun’s right shoulder blade and armpit—the pivot point for his attacks and a blind spot at the edge of the ’Immovable’ shield’s defensive arc!
This strike seized the perfect opportunity created by the lapse in Wu Qianjun’s defense as he shifted his momentum, perfectly embodying the essence of the Jingzhe formula: ’A blade concealed, a strike like sudden thunder.’
The moment the Blinding Spell hit, alarm bells went off in Wu Qianjun’s mind. As the sword light shot toward him, his combat instincts took over, forcing him to twist his body and jerk the ’Immovable’ shield to the right to block, while his right hand tried to intercept with the long saber.
But he was half a beat too slow!
"SCHLICK!"
The lightning-fast flying sword viciously plunged into the outer side of Wu Qianjun’s right bicep. The highly condensed Sword Qi instantly tore through his protective Spiritual Power and tough muscle, sending a spray of fresh blood into the air!
"Hmph!"
Wu Qianjun let out a muffled grunt, his face turning pale. The movement in his right arm stiffened, and the speed at which he withdrew his long saber faltered for a moment.