Chapter 134: Traces of Falling Bamboo Leaves

Chapter 134: Traces of Falling Bamboo Leaves

"Ha!"

Hao Tian charged forward, thrusting his staff towards Lu Ran's face.

Lu Ran slightly tilted his head, and the staff grazed past his ear, barely missing him.

"Good!" Hao Tian's eyes lit up with passion, and he shouted.

Hao Tian was well aware of Lu Ran's signature skill, but he hadn't expected Lu Ran's control over distance to be so precise!

The tip of the bamboo staff was just a centimeter away from Lu Ran's face.

The key was that this blindfolded youth wasn't even a Northwind Follower!

It was simply incredible!

Oh, right, what sect did he belong to again?

Hmm... Never mind, it's not important!

"Again!" Hao Tian had a lot on his mind, but his actions were not slow in the slightest.

He immediately swept his staff, aiming to cleave Lu Ran's head.

"Dong!"

Lu Ran blocked the sweeping attack with a slender bamboo staff in his left hand, while the one in his right hand was already thrusting towards Hao Tian's face.

Tit for tat!

"Huh?" Hao Tian took a step back, using his staff to deflect Lu Ran's slender staff.

The two exchanged blows, and then quickly separated.

"I didn't realize you had such strong arm strength, Lu brother?" Hao Tian was quite surprised.

As a powerful being from the River Basin Realm, Hao Tian was naturally expected to overpower Lu Ran in terms of strength.

Hao Tian was afraid that if he struck with full force, he might send Lu Ran flying into the bamboo forest.

So, subconsciously, he held back, but he didn't expect Lu Ran to block so decisively, causing his hand to tremble!

"Fair enough," Lu Ran said casually.

"Hmph," Hao Tian grunted, seeing Lu Ran's nonchalant attitude.

Who wasn't a prodigy?

Hao Tian said, "Since that's the case, I'll add a bit more strength! Lu brother, if you can't handle it, just let me know, okay?"

Lu Ran's energy surged in his palm, enveloping the pair of slender bamboo staffs with divine power: "You too."

"Here I come!" Hao Tian took a big step forward, repeatedly thrusting with his staff.

He aimed for Lu Ran's face, chest, left shoulder, and right leg.

Lu Ran continuously retreated.

Tilting his head, blocking, sidestepping, and thrusting forward.

It was this forward thrust that caused Hao Tian's expression to change.

Lu Ran's speed was unbelievably fast!

The slender staff in his hand directly tapped on Hao Tian's chest.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

Hao Tian retreated several steps, his face filled with astonishment, looking at the youth with the red scarf covering his eyes.

What... What was this?

Why was this happening?

For a moment, the sparring figures paused once more.

Hao Tian was genuinely surprised: "Lu brother, your speed is incredible too?"

Lu Ran twirled the slender staff in his hand, repeating his previous words with a calm tone:

"In the River Basin Realm, if you want to kill, you kill."

"Good, then I won't hold back!" Hao Tian shouted sternly and took a step forward with his staff.

A dignified Second Rank Deity and follower of Dong Ting was not one to be trifled with!

Followers like him were not only competitive but also arrogant and haughty!

Even though Hao Tian had a good character, he couldn't help but be influenced by his deity, especially in battle.

Under the Fangtian Ji, all warriors bowed!

"Here I come!" Hao Tian's offensive indeed intensified, and even the thick bamboo staff in his hand creaked.

During their sparring, both sides had been using divine energy to envelop their bamboo staffs.

Fortunately, these were "Evil Bamboo" that grew in the Demon Cave, otherwise, their staffs would have shattered by now.

"Crack!"

The sound of bamboo clashing was crisp.

One attacked, and the other defended, and divine energy overflowed from their clash.

The wind blew through the bamboo forest, causing the leaves to dance gracefully, creating a beautiful sight.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten exchanges had passed, and the two were locked in a fierce battle.

Deng Yutang watched this scene with rapt attention, unable to hold back a shout: "Incredible!"

"Ran! Ran! Ran!" Chang Ying cheered loudly.

As teammates, it was only natural for her to cheer and support Lu Ran.

But Lu Ran had a reason to believe that Chang Ying was more interested in the basket of duck wings.

"Huh? I don't believe it!" Hao Tian, unable to break through after a long time, felt a bit embarrassed.

He suddenly took a step back, raising one hand high.

As energy surged, dark clouds quickly gathered in the sky.

"Hey, you!" Chang Ying immediately protested, "Why are you using spells now?"

Tian Tian whispered, "That's not fair."

Deng Yutang crossed his arms in front of his chest: "It seems you've lost."

Hao Tian's face stiffened!

To be honest, he had indeed gotten carried away, focusing solely on breaking through Lu Ran's defense.

By the time he came to his senses, dark clouds had already gathered above his head.

For a moment, Hao Tian froze, standing in place.

Embarrassing!

Lu Ran spoke softly: "You wanted to spar with me because you thought I was strong.

Now we're having a back-and-forth exchange, but it's you who's unhappy."

Hao Tian stammered: "I... I..."

Lu Ran smiled, giving him a classic expression:

"Duck Wing Bro, you're a bit hard to please."

Hao Tian's initial arrogance and ferocity instantly diminished.

His face turned slightly embarrassed: "No, buddy!

You can be strong, but you can't be this strong!"

A follower of Dong Ting could indeed go and learn the unique skills of a Stream Realm minion.

But it should be a situation where they hold the upper hand, not an evenly matched battle!

These short exchanges completely shattered Hao Tian's perception, and the psychological gap was enormous!

He was among the top ten students in his university year, admired by many.

Yet, in this low-level Demon Cave, the Bamboo Sea, he could encounter a random passerby who could match him?

You must be joking!

Did I attend a fake university?

No, that's not right! I attend Qiantang River University, which requires exceptionally high scores.

Lu Ran remained calm and composed, even fearless: "Since you've summoned the dark clouds, go ahead."

Hao Tian hesitated for a moment but eventually summoned a bolt of lightning.

"Crack!"

Instead of striking his opponent, the lightning struck himself.

"Zzzz~ Zzzz~"

In an instant, purple electricity, like tiny snakes, crawled all over Hao Tian's body.

Thunder Reverberation Spell!

As the name suggests, when a follower of Dong Ting activates this spell, they can slightly embody the essence of the deity Dong Ting.

This technique, like the Red Scarf Technique - Crimson Veil Soul, had a similar effect of being a variation on a theme.

With the help of the purple electric current, Hao Tian's body was greatly activated, and all his attributes soared!

"Hmm."

Lu Ran slightly tilted his head, listening to everything.

The sound of the wind, the sound of clouds, the sound of falling leaves dancing in the air.

Each sound entered his ears.

Over the past seven days, Lu Ran had been striving to improve himself.

He had been keeping a matter hidden in his heart, not sharing it with anyone.

He often went to listen to the sound of falling bamboo leaves.

Trying to investigate those elusive falling trajectories.

The bamboo leaves

Suddenly left, suddenly right, suddenly stopping, suddenly falling.

Dancing with the wind, gracefully floating and sinking.

Lu Ran really wanted to gain some insight from this.

One, the leaves' unpredictability, and two, following the flow and taking advantage of the situation.

In this battle, with a strong enemy ahead, it might be an excellent catalyst.

"It's over here, Brother Lu!" Hao Tian's voice became increasingly resonant.

"Don't shout," Lu Ran suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?"

"Using the Thunder Reverberation Spell, you can't use the Thunder Roar Spell." Lu Ran raised his legs and gripped the bamboo sticks tightly.

The Thunder Roar Spell was a battle cry technique.

When Dong Ting believers use this technique, their roar is like thunder, causing those who hear it to become dizzy and stunned.

This technique was extremely effective against Lu Ran!

Hao Tian was fair and aboveboard, never using this technique.

To deal with Lu Ran, who had excellent hearing, if Hao Tian shouted, it would stun Lu Ran completely!

"Brother Lu, you underestimate me! This is just a friendly spar, why would I use a spell to bully you?" Hao Tian immediately said.

Hearing this, Lu Ran tilted his head, looking at the dense, unyielding dark clouds above Hao Tian's head.

Hao Tian: "..."

So awkward!

"Pffft~" Tian Tian couldn't help but giggle.

However, her smile quickly faded, and she became a little worried.

But Hao Tian charged forward!

"Take this!" Hao Tian's speed was so fast it was frightening, and the evil bamboo current flashed in his hand.

Fortunately, the evil bamboo material was not of high quality, mostly used for making household items.

Even if it were made into a weapon, it would be for beginners.

In other words, Hao Tian couldn't infuse more divine energy into the evil bamboo, or else the bamboo stick would explode.

"Boom!"

The long stick, like a halberd, slammed into the ground.

Lu Ran lightly sidestepped, falling to the side.

Using the Evil Agility Technique, Lu Ran's control over his body increased, becoming more agile and nimble.

With the Evil Perception Technique, Lu Ran's vision and hearing of the world were vastly different from ordinary people.

He could perform many exquisite and subtle maneuvers.

This was a huge advantage!

Lu Ran truly believed that he could be like the swaying bamboo leaves, his figure elusive and unpredictable, entangling the enemy!

Entangling them until the end, entangling them to death!

On the battlefield, there was no need to escape with one strike or rapidly create distance from the enemy.

As for the bamboo leaves "dancing with the wind" and taking advantage of the situation, it should be a more advanced application.

Currently, Lu Ran wasn't aiming too high.

After all, he didn't even have a water armor.

If Lu Ran got too close to the enemy, he might be injured by the enemy's explosive energy.

If he was too far, he couldn't take advantage of the situation and move with the wind.

This balance between the two was indeed challenging to control without defensive clothing.

So, what Lu Ran wanted to imitate and understand was the elusive dance of the bamboo leaves.

"Boom!"

Lu Ran landed firmly on one foot.

Even before Hao Tian slashed down with the bamboo stick, Lu Ran had already tilted his body and lightly tapped the ground with his toes.

"Whoosh~"

Lu Ran swiftly raised his left hand, holding the thin stick, and slashed sideways.

"Hmph!" Hao Tian let out a cold snort, holding up the thick stick to block at his side.

He then exerted force, lifting the bottom of the stick and fiercely sweeping it upwards.

As Lu Ran dodged, he swept the stick towards the enemy's thigh.

Hao Tian was still lifting the stick and couldn't block, so he leaped backward.

Lu Ran followed like a shadow, also jumping, and with one thin stick in each hand, he attacked again!

From the posture, it seemed he intended to chop off the enemy's thigh.

"Dream on!" Hao Tian, who was backing away, had already retracted the thick stick and smashed it towards Lu Ran again.

Lu Ran's offensive suddenly changed!

He lightly tapped the ground with his toes, and instead of attacking Hao Tian's right leg, he suddenly advanced towards Hao Tian's left side.

The sudden change in direction startled Hao Tian, making his scalp tingle!

Whether it was a sudden realization or a premeditated plan,

In that instant, the brilliance Lu Ran displayed...

was indeed like the bamboo leaves flipping and falling in the air, elusive and unpredictable.

"Sizzle~ Sizzle~"

Hao Tian's body flashed with electric currents, and the spell suddenly activated.

This was purely a warrior's muscle memory, and Hao Tian's speed was astonishing as he quickly retreated.

Dong Ting Spell - Swift Shadow Spell!

When Dong Ting believers use this technique, they can move at high speed in a short time, cutting into and out of the battlefield.

"Huff!"

Almost simultaneously, mist erupted from under Lu Ran's feet.

Celestial Ram Spell - Heavenly Hoof!

Lu Ran's figure suddenly surged forward!

Hmm. Didn't catch up.

The speed of the Heavenly Hoof was indeed fast, but what Lu Ran displayed was, after all, a Stream Realm technique.

Speaking of which, Lu Ran had nothing to regret.

Even if the quality of both parties' spells was the same, the Dong Ting Spell - Swift Shadow Spell was still faster than the Heavenly Hoof!

This was a difference in spell level, something believers couldn't make up for.

"Damn!"

Hao Tian leaned against a cluster of bamboo, his expression filled with disbelief.

He had already planned to apologize, as he had made a mistake and subconsciously used the Swift Shadow Spell.

If Hao Tian had activated this technique, there would have been no need for a friendly spar.

But he never imagined that this Swift Shadow Spell would also trigger Lu Ran's spell!

The mist-shrouded calf, the drifting celestial mist along the way...

What was this?

"Celestial Ram Believer?"

Hao Tian's expression was extremely vivid as he realized what was happening!

I, a dignified Second Rank Deity and Dong Ting Believer, am I fighting a lowly Ninth Rank Deity and Celestial Ram Believer?

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"Baa."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end