A cut appeared on Lu Mingshu’s left arm, and it was dangerously close to her joint. If Lu Mingshu had not been alert, her left arm’s mobility would have been badly affected right now.
She turned a blind eye to the cut. What’s new?
She stared intensely at the weapon in Huo Jiang’s hand and tried to replay that moment.
As soon as the match started, she planned to fight fast and end it fast in order to prevent wasting too much energy. She started out fiercely, and the match was going as she wanted; Huo Jiang was trapped under her sword-energy, unable to do much.
Strangely, she suddenly felt a great threat one second, and the next, she was cut.
She couldn’t feel anything about where or how the concealed weapon was shot out.
This was unusual. All martial artists were very sharp, and she was always working on her senses. Even if she was fighting blindfolded, she would still be able to figure out what was going on and fight normally.
How did Huo Jiang do it without me noticing? Weapons that could injure a martial artist would have mystic light. How could mystic light go unnoticed?
After pausing for a while, Lu Mingshu attacked again, driving Huo Jiang into a corner.
Huo Jiang frantically raised his weapon up to block the attack, but it served no purpose since his defence was crushed by her sword-energy.
Swift and fierce sword-energy nearly materialized in the air. Mild gold mystic light hung mid-air distinctively, the murderous spirit filling the stage.
“She wants to finish it quickly,” Kou Wei commented. “It’s risky, but it may work.”
Putting Lu Mingshu aside, even Kou Wei, a spectator, couldn’t tell where the concealed weapon came from. He could only guess that it had to do with Huo Jiang’s special weapon. Being trapped in such a scenario, the best method was to get it over with as quickly as possible before he seized another chance to use the concealed weapon against her.
“What on earth!?” As soon as Kou Wei finished speaking, he was taken aback by what he saw.
Lu Mingshu suddenly stopped her attacks.
This time, her waist was injured.
Bright red blood couldn’t stop flowing out. Since she was wearing white, it was very obvious, and it stained a big part of her clothes.
The spectators all gasped in surprise.
“What happened? Where did that cut come from?”
“Concealed weapon! It must be a concealed weapon! It’s weird that he managed to do it so stealthily. He must be extremely skilful. Looks like he might have a chance to be part of the New Generation Ranking.”
“That’s not right. If he’s so capable, why would he be out to fight so early?”
“Tsk, this Huo Jiang, doesn’t he have any protective feelings for girls? Look, she’s just a young beauty. How can he bear to make her bleed some much? I would love her dearly, man!” someone commented carelessly.
But he was immediately spat at. “If he doesn’t bear it, he would just be waiting to die. Look at that girl; could you live after ten attacks?”
On the seats of the Seventh Truth Platform, somebody was more than happy to see Lu Mingshu in this state. “Well, isn’t she powerful, eh? It’s only day one and she’s already down!”
Yu Kuang nudged State Master Jia Yan softly. “Little Junior Sister, lower your volume. You’re embarrassing me!”
State Master Jia Yan rolled her eyes. “I’m not even talking about you!”
“But I lost to her….”
“That doesn’t count.”
After arguing with State Master Jia Yan for a while, Yu Kuang started focusing on the match. He could see Xie Lianzhen from the corner of his eye. Xie Lianzhen’s eyes were glued to the match, and he looked gloomy. I wonder what’s on his mind?
“Senior Brother, what should she do?” Qi Sheng was on pins and needles. “Miss Lu’s injuries are serious!”
“No, they’re minor injuries.” Kou Wei pushed Qi Sheng’s forehead. “They’re just flesh wounds. It only looks gory. As long as she does something to the wounds after this match, it won’t affect things much.”
“But she can’t continue on like this! What if she loses too much blood?”
Yes. She can’t continue on like this. To any apex martial artist, even a minor problem could affect the outcome. The injury may be minor, but it would still more or less affect the result of the match.
Kou Wei knocked on Qi Sheng’s forehead. “Two ways. One, try to defeat him as soon as possible while accumulating even more injuries. Secondly, find a way to destroy the concealed weapon.”
“What kind of stupid ideas are those?” Qi Sheng rolled his eyes. “The first one is like digging your own freaking grave. And why would someone make a concealed weapon that is easy to destroy? You idiot Senior Brother!” The longer she takes, the more injured she’ll become, and that’s exactly what the opponent wants!
Kou Wei stared at him coldly, unlike anything Qi Sheng had experienced before. “There’s no free lunch in this world, my dear Junior Brother.”
On the stage, Lu Mingshu moved. She stabbed her sword into the ground and fished out a handkerchief from her sleeve.
Everybody thought that she was going to use it to stop her bleeding. However, she blindfolded herself.
“What the hell?” There was an uproar in the tents.
“She’s in such a state and she’s blindfolding herself? She can’t wait to die, eh?”
“Senior Brother!” Panicking, Qi Sheng screamed into Kou Wei’s ear.
Kou Wei was taken aback by her actions at first, but after realizing what was going on, he turned and smiled at Qi Sheng. “As expected. She’s Lu Mingshu indeed.”
She’s choosing the second way. It’s not a smart one… if she doesn’t succeed, she will be digging her own grave.
But that’s what Kou Wei admired about her. For example, before the Qilin festival, she went to compete at every arena in Tianyun City without fail just to get closer to her goal.
The handkerchief blocked all light, and without her sight, her other senses became much more powerful. She had already planned out the exact scenario in her mind without leaving a single detail out.
Lu Mingshu started to attack again. This time around, her sword-light shone even brighter, and the mystic light almost turned solid.
Huo Jiang was still being pushed into the corner, with no way to counterattack.
However, new injuries kept appearing, on her thighs, back, hands, and more.
“Just give up!” someone shouted. “What’s the use of fighting on? Yes, you have powerful skills, but just admit defeat if you are going to lose anyway!”
“What do you know? She’s doing all this because she knows that she’s going to lose!”
“You’re right….”
Qi Sheng looked at the match anxiously. He nudged Kou Wei softly. “Senior Brother…”
“Shut the hell up!” Kou Wei was trying to focus on the match and Qi Sheng kept interrupting him. He smacked his fan on Qi Sheng’s head hard. “Can’t you just keep your mouth shut-”
Ding! A noise cut him off, and they both looked at the stage. The mystic light of Lu Mingshu’s sword was still shining brightly and swirling around the sword like a dragon.
The sword-light flickered and burst into sparks, which fell to the ground like snow. She removed the handkerchief and pointed to the tip of the sword. “This is it, huh?”
What is it?
Kou Wei squinted his eyes to get a clearer look. An item was stuck to the tip of her sword. It was as thin as a cicada wing, and it was so transparent that one could hardly see it. Kou Wei wouldn’t have seen it if Lu Mingshu hadn’t grabbed it and flicked it, which caused it to make some noise.
That’s the concealed weapon?
“And here I thought it was something powerful. Who knew it was just because of its material.” Lu Mingshu cleaned it up before putting it in her pocket. She started attacking again before Huo Jiang could react.
The mystic light shone brighter, pushing Huo Jiang down. This time around, Huo Jiang didn’t even get to stand up. All the spectators could see was the sword manifesting into a dragon, swimming toward Huo Jiang.
Ding—–! Another concealed weapon was stuck on the tip of the sword.
Huo Jiang’s main weapon flew away as well.
Lin Zixin then announced, “Nine Jade Palace, Lu Mingshu wins!