Chapter 69
Chapter 69: Withering Thriving
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“This kind of test is slightly childish . But because we are all childish students , this kind of trial and competition suits us . However, He Zhaoxi is not puerile at all . ”
Some weak roars made their way out of Xie Changsheng’s belly , albeit out of hunger . He chose to talk to his friend than go to the mountain path to get food .
His words were laughable and boring . Even so Xu Heshan could understand his mood at this moment . Ding Ning and He Zhaoxi’s performances had given Xie Changsheng great food for thought .
“It seems we need to work harder . Otherwise, we will be left far behind by people like He Zhaoxi and Gu Xichun . ” Xu Heshan nodded and dropped to a whisper . “Nangong Caishu and Ding Ning are in danger . ”
Xie Changsheng took a deep breath . “While I know the probability is not much, I will still hope that the two of them can win,” he said, seriously,
Under their worried gazes, Nangong Caishu and Ding Ning had made their ways to He Zhaoxi’s side .
Nangong Caishu moved in the thin mist .
Compared to the majority in the valley, she seemed to have been very fortunate thus far . Other than encountering a vine trap twice, she hadn’t encountered any White Goat Cave and Green Vine Sword School disciples . Nor had she been attacked by the armored lizards . But this meant that she could not rest today . She had to find enough food, and even had to fight once with another student .
Abruptly, she stopped walking .
Deep roars traversed through the winds at this moment .
The formations in the sword trial valley rendered chaos to the primal energies of the universe, so much so that they quelled all other vibrations . Ergo, she could not feel ordinary vibrations in the air and on the ground .
However, at this very moment, she could clearly hear that deep sound . This could only mean one thing- the source of this loud sound was in close proximity to her .
“He Zhaoxi!” She thought for a moment and almost instinctively called this name .
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There was a sudden change in the wind suddenly . Waves of blue mist were blown apart by the wind . A slightly wild figure charged out of the mist from her side, accompanied by falling leaves .
“As expected, it is you . ”
Nangong Caishu’s demeanour turned chilly . Her right hand slowly landed on the hilt of the scaled metal sword she carried on her back .
The wild figure suddenly halted in his tracks . A wave of wind expanded outwards, and he stood still .
At this time, He Zhaoxi’s chest was completely exposed, fine sweat coming out of his slightly red skin before evaporating due to body heat . His abdomen still gave off croaking sounds . His eyes burned with fighting spirit as they centered on Nangong Caishu . “Actually, I did not wish to encounter you,” he said, sincerely .
“Only because you feel that I have hopes of entering the top three, and not because you feel you cannot defeat me . ” Nangong Caishu’s eyes started burning with fighting spirit . She slowly pulled out the scaled sword on her back and held it horizontally across her body . “I do not like the way you think, even if you want to yield to me . Since we have met, I think you will definitely fight . Also, I too have longed to fight you for a long time, and see what kind of disparity exists between us . I had not had a breakthrough in the past, and was an entire realm away from you . I feared before that I would lose too terribly and not feel a thing . ”
He Zhaoxi held the yellow longsword across his body and said, “I am in a good condition, and I have higher cultivation so will yield you three moves . ”
“Up to you . That is your decision . ”
Nangong Caishu started to pace . A wild wind formed at her feet, blowing away the dried leaves and dust on the ground to reveal the hard yellow earth underneath . She started to charge in a straight line, just like she had when she found Li Lingjun’s subordinate Chen Moli .
However, because she was in Vital Energy Realm now, the present was very different from the past . Vital energy, as if it were water, rapidly flowed out from her fingertips and into the squamous metal sword in her hand . The fish scales on this heavy and black sword shone and surged with sticky silver light . It looked as though the sword was filled with liquid silver and about to leak out of the seals . But something seemed to be holding it back .
The scaly sword itself seemed incapable of enduring this power . The body of the sword, that had curved slightly due to battle, started to straighten and then tremble violently; emitting rays of silver light . In an instant, in Nangong Caishu’s hand, this thick black sword seemed to have changed into one large silvery fish .
Splash!
The large silver fish swayed violently . When it reached the apex, it finally broke free of hands, sounding as though it had leapt back into the water . All of the silver light broke free and flew forwards
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In the air, there seemed to be a fish-like silver sword beam advancing towards He Zhaoxi who was about fifteen meters away . But the black metal sword was still in Nangong Caishu’s firm grasp .
“Secret Fish Sword Form?”
He Zhaoxi exclaimed softly as though surprised that Nangong Caishu did not use the City Connection Sword of her family . He swung his sword as though he was casually swinging into the air in front of him .
His yellow sword drew a curve in the air . A bright yet transparent sword energy lit up at the tip of the sword . This sword energy shot straight towards Nangong Caishu at a stunning speed .
In this moment, he attacked instead of defending . His attack was faster than Nangong Caishu’s . As his attack cut through the air, in a flash, it was two feet from Nangong Caishu’s eyes!
The big silver fish leaping through the air was still ten feet away from him!
Facing a counterattack instantly after attacking at full power, especially when Nangong Caishu was still moving forward, made this counterattack hard to defend against .
Nangong Caishu’s pupils fiercely contracted . Fortunately, she still had a sword .
When this bright yet transparent sword light was just an inch away from her forehead, a green sword beam flew out of her left hand . The vine-like sword lights managed to block this transparent sword light .
As if the popping sound was a cue, Nangong Caishu instinctively closed her eyes and stilled herself from moving forward . Fragments of sword energy and wind blew her hair backwards, leaving multiple bloody bruises on her face .
Boom!
In this moment, in her perception, that big silver fish was slapped away by a yellow wave . A section of the yellow sword came out of the wave and cut towards her .
At the start, He Zhaoxi said he would yield the first three moves . Now the two had started to fight . Clearly, He Zhaoxi did not intend to go easy on her .
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But Nangong Caishu knew this was no ruse . On the contrary, He Zhaoxi understood her intentions well and this was a mark of his respect towards her .
In this moment she could not dodge, so crossed her swords in front of her . Vital energy surged into her swords . A yellow ball of light and a silver and green ball of light crossed in mid-air .
Thunder once again resounded in the valley . A sphere-like wave once again spread outwards, blowing away the surrounding vines and the leaves on the tree branches .
He Zhaoxi’s charging body suddenly halted . Dissonant cracking sounds made their way from underneath his feet, and his cloth shoes were in tatters .
Nangong Caishu’s body flew backwards in an appalling state . She smashed a hole through the vines and trees behind her before falling hard to the ground . Nangong Caishu left several bloody marks on the ground before her . However, her bloodied hands still had a firm grip on the swords even as scarlet droplets, by way of her robes, soaked the ground .
Yet, she did not utter a sound and struggled to stand up .
He Zhaoxi wore a solemn face . He did not say much, just held his sword horizontally and said, “Please!”
Nangong Caishu started to run again . She created a straight passage through the thin mist . Her bloodied sword hilts once again gave off blinding light . She attacked with both swords .
The vital energy that rolled into the sword seals gathered some primal energies of the universe and flew out . A bunch of vines formed in front of her .
Silver light flashed between the vines . This time, there was no big silver fish charging out, but countless scale-like silver lights .
Using two sword forms at once was harder than using one . This was why Green Vine Sword School rarely had people that used dual swords like Nangong Caishu .
But even in the face of Nangong Caishu’s pressurizing attack, He Zhaoxi only struck once . He tilted the sword turned horizontally and swung forward .
This seemed to be a method of brute force . Albeit the power in this strike, apparently, was not enough to block all the sword lights that Nangong Caishu had released .
So most of the people watching from the viewing platform were puzzled .
Yet, right then, a strange transformation came about He Zhaoxi’s body . The skin on the left side of his body had immediately turned a dry yellow, while the right side of his body brimmed with vitality .
It was as though a great tree whose one side withered in an instant and the other side absorbed that very vitality and quickly grew in strength . .
Boom!
A powerful force came out of his right arm and surged into the yellow longsword in his hand . Light rays scattered through his yellow sword and his power detonated .
Nangong Caishu almost stopped breathing . She could not pull her sword back in time . A more stifled explosion greeted her .
Her feet left the ground again . A powerful wave passed from her sword hilt to her arm . Her sleeves were torn apart, and the shreds flew off her hands like butterflies .
The powerful force sent her flying t instantly and she landed even further away .
Xie Changsheng and the others on the viewing platform were shocked . Many stood speechless, mouths agape in incredulity .
Was this the power of the Thriving Withering Art of Green Vine Sword School?
Ding Ning was eating his cooked meat .
When the first muffled explosion reached his ears, he paused and listened intently . On the second, he felt the ground tremble .
He frowned and stood up .