Chapter 276 - 274: A Draw
As the clock struck 10, Xu Bamboo and Jiang Xin’s ranking challenge was about to begin.
The crowd gathered in the small area voluntarily cleared a space.
As the supervising teacher walked onto the field, Xu Bamboo needed no prompting. She leaped into the arena, her movements light and nimble.
She was dressed in a form-fitting athletic suit today, free of any frills. Cradling a longsword, she seemed as pure and tenacious as bamboo on a green mountain.
Everyone present was captivated by her bearing.
However, there was still no sign of Jiang Xin.
The supervising teacher looked at his watch. "If he is more than three minutes late, it will be considered a forfeit. The rankings will be swapped, and an additional ten ranks will be deducted."
Xu Bamboo’s brow furrowed slightly, but she waited in silence.
Only when the supervising teacher began the countdown did a blurred figure suddenly appear in the arena like a gust of wind.
He was incredibly fast, but speed wasn’t the key. It was the uncanny feeling that he simply ignored inertia.
One moment he was sprinting, and the next, he froze in place as if he were a still frame, looking at his wrist.
It was as bizarre as something out of an old-school comedy.
Jiang Xin looked at the non-existent watch on his wrist. "Perfect. Right on time."
The supervising teacher frowned but didn’t comment. "Warm up."
Jiang Xin stretched his waist, first glancing up at Yang Shen, who was looking down from the stands. He even gave a wave before his gaze finally fell on Xu Bamboo.
"Before we start, a question: What’s your relationship with Xu Cheng?"
At his words, most of the onlookers were confused; after all, Xu Cheng was a figure from over a decade ago.
Only the disciples from the Martial Arts Families looked surprised.
In the stands, a certain woman stirred unconsciously.
Xu Bamboo’s brows knitted tightly, but she didn’t answer. Jiang Xin continued on his own,
"So there is a connection. Otherwise, you would’ve just said you didn’t know him..."
Xu Bamboo drew her sword. She tossed the scabbard behind her, and it landed perfectly, sticking upright in the grass. "Yang Shen was right. Ever since you comprehended Fist Intent, you’ve gotten awfully chatty..."
Jiang Xin beckoned, and someone brought him a pair of Dual Blades. "I’ve been practicing with these recently. I was planning to give Flame Fist a surprise, but I feel like they’re still missing something. Guess I’ll have to make do against you."
With that, he tossed the Dual Blades into the air. They spun as they fell, and he caught them perfectly.
SHING!
They were now held crossed in front of him, forming an X.
A sharp, murderous aura began to rise from him.
Xu Bamboo simply let her longsword hang by her side, held in one hand. "You’re not worthy to challenge him. Beat me first."
The supervising teacher stated flatly, "Fighters, take your marks."
"3... 2... 1... Begin!"
The next moment, Xu Bamboo moved first! She clearly had a strategy.
Jiang Xin had his family’s Secret Technique, *Zizai Extreme*, which already made his speed far superior to other Martial Artists at his level. Now that he had also comprehended a speed-related Fist Intent, he was bound to be even faster.
Therefore, Xu Bamboo’s strategy was to engage him in close quarters, forcing him to make a mistake in the heat of the moment.
Xu Bamboo’s swordsmanship had always been impressive, characterized by its swift, unadorned style and its restrained, sharp edge.
Each strike was like a stalk of green bamboo, bending to build up power to its absolute limit before releasing it in an explosive burst.
A flash of sword light cut through the air, its crisp hum the sound of metal vibrating intensely against it.
Extending from the blade’s edge, a transparent crescent of refracted air flew forward. It was clear she had put her Martial Arts to use.
"Hidden Blade."
It was one of Jiangti’s rather difficult sword-based Martial Arts, nicknamed "Little True Gang."
Knowing how to use Martial Arts was nothing special; the number of Martial Arts one could learn at Jiangti was countless. But to execute it so flawlessly, as if without a trace, showed it was already an integral part of her style.
It was exquisite and decisive.
Even Jiang Xin looked somewhat astonished by this strike.
But with a flicker of his body, like a skipped frame in a film, he reappeared three centimeters to the side, dodging "Hidden Blade."
The sharp edge of the attack tore up the turf, its powerful force sending dirt flying even though the blade itself never made contact.
Simultaneously, Jiang Xin swung his Dual Blades.
Xu Bamboo flicked her right wrist. Her longsword flashed in a circle of light as she switched to a reverse grip and swung it out horizontally.
BANG! With a tremendous crash, the surrounding spectators felt a powerful shockwave. Their clothes and hair billowed, revealing the formidable Power of the Middle Stage of Innate.
The two weapons crashed together, locking them in a brief contest of strength.
The force of the impact blew back the bangs from Xu Bamboo’s forehead, revealing a pair of bright, sharp eyes.
In terms of Power, the two were evenly matched.
This was now a battle of speed versus technique!
...
In the stands, Yang Shen stood up, his hands in his pockets.
He was, after all, paying close attention.
’Zhuzi’s strength is a cut above others at her level. And she has a kill under her belt from Jinshui Villa. There’s a big difference between those who’ve drawn blood and those who haven’t.’
’But Jiang Xin is also one of the rare exceptions of his generation.’
’If it weren’t for the variable I represent, this guy could very well be the best in the nation.’
Yang Shen also devoted some of his attention to the area behind him.
To the woman in the wide-brimmed hat—Xu Nan.
’Deng Ming mentioned that although Xu Mo is the current Patriarch and only male heir of the Xu Family, his energy is mostly focused on research.’
’Or rather, among the three Xu siblings back in the day, the eldest brother’s light shone so brightly that no one ever imagined the title of Patriarch would fall to Xu Mo.’
’Now, the one who truly manages the Xu Family’s business and affairs is Xu Nan.’
’Her age... should be around 30 to 35. When Xu Cheng passed away, she was still just a high school student.’
’She’s conveniently kept a low profile ever since Ye Qingyao’s time... She didn’t show her face even when Ye Qingyao died, and she never even contacted Xu Bamboo.’
’And yet today she’s here at Jiangti... to watch one of Xu Bamboo’s challenge matches.’
’A change of heart?’
As he was lost in thought, a sudden cry of alarm rose from the field.
It was Jiang Xin’s tempestuous assault, which had quickly turned into the rhythmic CLANG CLANG CLANG of striking metal.
Inertia seemed not to apply to Jiang Xin. Any furious attack he launched had that same jumpy, frame-skipping quality. One second he would be mid-slash, the next he’d be standing perfectly still, as if at ease.
It was an incredibly flashy fighting style.
Watching him for too long could even make one feel dizzy, as the visual input conflicted with the brain’s accumulated common sense.
Although Jiang Xin hadn’t reached the stage of "Fist Intent Infection" where he could affect his surroundings, his own speed was truly phantom-like.
As a result, Xu Bamboo was quickly forced onto the defensive and was being completely suppressed.
Each clash echoed like a muffled explosion in the stadium!
An onlooker covered his ears and commented, "Xu Bamboo is very strong, but her strength is still... conventional. Jiang Xin’s strength, on the other hand, can be considered exceptional."
"Yeah. After all, Martial Dao Will is incredibly profound, a one-in-a-million talent... Take Flame Fist, for example."
"That’s not quite right... Flame Fist’s strength isn’t just his Martial Dao Will. Last time, he didn’t even use his fire, and he still defeated Jiang Xin head-on."
"Bro, you were here last time too? I missed it. What’s the story with Flame Fist?"
"He’s an absolute freak..."
Just as Xu Bamboo was stuck on the defensive, continuously suppressed by Jiang Xin, and everyone thought this was the end of it...
Xu Bamboo’s bright eyes narrowed slightly.
’The probing is over...’
The next moment, her left hand formed a Finger Technique. As Jiang Xin attacked again, she suddenly moved.
With speed and agility far beyond what she had shown, she didn’t advance but instead fell back, then abruptly burst forward like a long rainbow.
’What?’
Two blurred figures crossed paths, followed by a sweeping gust of wind. Jiang Xin came to an abrupt halt and touched his cheek...
A shallow cut... so shallow no blood seeped out, yet it still stung.
In that hair’s breadth of a moment, Jiang Xin’s speed had been a fraction faster. But the move had been too sudden, completely unexpected. Xu Bamboo’s sword had practically scraped across his face.
Jiang Xin suddenly laughed. "This move is very familiar... Yang Shen really teaches you everything, huh."
This method of movement—erasing inertia and moving at extreme speeds—was something Yang Shen had used before...
In a way, his own "Fist Intent" had been awakened after being stimulated by that very move from Yang Shen.
Someone on the side exclaimed, "What is this Step Technique? So fast!"
"It must be a Secret Transmission of the Yang Family! Just how many good things does Flame Fist have!"
Even Xu Nan, in the rear of the stands, leaned forward subconsciously, an inscrutable look in her eyes.
What Xu Bamboo used was precisely "Wood Element Escape."
It was also the most agile Escape Technique among the Five Elements Escape Technique.
Xu Bamboo had no intention of wasting her breath mid-battle and attacked again directly.
The two rapidly crossed paths again! This time, Xu Bamboo’s speed was not the least bit weaker!
’Exceptional?’
As far as the Yang Family was concerned, they had plenty of "exceptional" things to go around.
Any Cultivation Technique or Magic taken from their arsenal would be considered a precious and unique specialty on Cyan Blue!
Jiang Xin finally felt the pressure. Xu Bamboo’s sword clung to him like a disease, keeping him perpetually within her danger zone.
The fight became spectacular. The sound of metal on metal was incessant as both fighters, with their uncanny speed, could no longer be contained by the small field and began to chase each other over a wider area.
The crowd descended into chaos, but thankfully, they were all Martial Artists. They reacted quickly and scattered.
Occasionally, a sword’s edge or a blade’s tip would scar the turf, leaving deep, chaotic gashes in the ground.
The supervising teacher showed no reaction. The original purpose of the ranking challenge system was "real combat," not "sporting competition."
Going out of bounds during a fight was common. Losing just for stepping over a line? That didn’t happen here.
How could Martial Arts be shackled by such trivialities!
Yang Shen’s eyes were like torches, tracking the two fighters.
’Speed... Jiang Xin is still faster.’
’But in technique, Xu Bamboo is superior.’
’How can his Dual Blades, which he’s practiced for a month at most, compare to Xu Bamboo’s swordsmanship?’
’It’s just that with the buff of ’extreme speed,’ any technique is amplified, flaws are erased, and the margin for error increases dramatically.’
’Speed really is a cure-all. As long as you’re fast enough, your enemy is slow enough. You could kill someone with a ladder...’
The two chased and fought for a long time, so long that the crowd’s excitement began to wane... The match had already lasted for more than ten minutes.
Jiang Xin and Xu Bamboo had both expended a great deal of stamina, but Xu Bamboo was actually the more exhausted of the two.
She was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer and didn’t have a Qi Sea yet... Releasing the Escape Technique deducted from her Qi and Blood Value.
And it deducted a lot.
Jiang Xin, on the other hand, was using purely Martial Arts Side methods, which were always very energy-efficient.
Xu Bamboo must have also sensed the problem. Her attacks grew fiercer, but Jiang Xin’s trajectory was too hard to grasp.
Sure enough, when 15 minutes were up, the supervising teacher raised his hand. "Stop! This match is recorded as a draw!"
The two blurred figures came to a halt. Xu Bamboo looked somewhat annoyed, but Jiang Xin had a look of sheer delight. "Amazing! Truly amazing! Just as expected from the bloodline of the great Xu Cheng! Now *this* is more like it!"
"When you first enrolled, you were only ranked 48th in your year. I knew something was off. It seems a lack of resources was holding you back before. Now that you’ve joined the Yang Family, your resources have caught up!"
Jiang Xin looked at Yang Shen and gave a thumbs up.
Xu Bamboo didn’t want to engage with this lunatic—she felt like she’d lose brain cells just by talking to him—so she simply gave a cold snort.
But this was the second time Jiang Xin had mentioned "Xu Cheng’s" name in front of so many people.
This guy whose brain was addled by Fist Intent naturally said whatever he wanted, but it had indeed piqued many people’s curiosity...
In the stands, Xu Nan’s expression grew even more complex.