https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-143-The-Hand-Cannon-and-the-Ninth-Degree-Martial-Artist/12550838/
Chapter 144: Flash of Blades, Shadow of Swords
Chapter 144: Flash of Blades, Shadow of Swords
Ji Xinghuo opened his opponent's profile, which was also in anonymous mode, revealing no information, just like his own.
However, he could still deduce some things from her character's appearance.
To ensure they performed at their best, people usually created their avatars on the Martial Arts Platform based on a body scan.
This meant that her real-life physique was most likely similar to that of her avatar.
"A woman who's 1.8 meters tall..."
Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in admiration; she was the same height as him.
Even in the 23rd century, it was rare to see a woman of such stature.
Moreover, her figure was almost perfect, with curves that adhered to the golden ratio. Her especially long and slender legs were straight and graceful, and just having her stand there was a sight to behold.
The countdown began.
Shaking off his random thoughts, Ji Xinghuo took a step toward the center of the light curtain, facing his opponent just as he had done in the over a thousand matches before. He tried to exert pressure on her, a display of absolute confidence in his strength and a manifestation of his aggressive intent.
As soon as Ji Xinghuo took a step, she also moved.
Both of them walked towards each other, like a mutual attraction. Realizing this, they both stopped, observing each other once more. Then, in the next second, they continued walking forward simultaneously, undeterred by their matching choices.
The two, separated by the light curtain, took a step, stopped, and then moved again, completely in sync as if they were mirror images of each other.
But this time, neither of them halted.
10... 9... 8...
When the countdown reached zero, the light curtain disappeared, and with only three steps between them, their weapons moved in unison, instantly closing in on each other.
As soon as Ji Xinghuo made his move, he realized that her speed exceeded his own.
Her sword would reach him half a step faster.
He immediately changed his knife technique, switching from a chopping motion to a collapsing one. The blade of his knife knocked against her long sword, attempting to block it and take the opportunity to slash her arm.
Just as the knife and sword were about to collide, the long sword suddenly rotated counterclockwise, causing his move to miss.
The long sword was like a venomous snake, circumventing his war knife and stabbing at Ji Xinghuo's lower abdomen from below. Her empty hand slapped towards the blade, her palm filled with 'Iron Shirt Energy', unafraid of the knife's sharpness.
"Iron Shirt Energy," Ji Xinghuo recognized it and sidestepped just in time, allowing the long sword to graze past his abdomen by a hair's breadth.
The war knife in his hand turned back, and the hilt sank down, striking her kneecap with a dull thud. The collision between the knee and the knife hilt made it difficult for her to exert force, causing the long sword to only tear through Ji Xinghuo's clothes instead of his abdomen.
Seizing the opportunity, Ji Xinghuo took a quick step to the side, positioning himself at her flank.
He slashed with his knife.
The war knife sliced through an afterimage as she sidestepped almost simultaneously. Ji Xinghuo sensed a long sword aiming for his ribs and sidestepped once more.
Both the knife and the sword missed their marks.
But this was just the beginning.
Ji Xinghuo took four consecutive sidesteps, each followed by a knife strike, each one more vicious than the last. However, his opponent always managed to sidestep at the last moment, immediately counterattacking with a sword strike faster than the last, forcing him to sidestep and counter again.
The two exchanged blows, their weapons creating a dazzling display of light and shadow that enveloped the area in a several-meter radius. They swapped positions multiple times, each exchange fraught with danger.
However, despite this intense back-and-forth, neither of them had managed to inflict any damage.
In fact, their weapons hadn't even clashed once.
Ji Xinghuo was astounded. With his microscopic perception, he was always aware of his surroundings, yet he felt a bit helpless against this opponent.
Each of his knife strikes was slightly different; they were not mindless, speed-reliant hacks.
He varied his speed, alternating his strikes.
Yet, she always made the right decisions, reacting with unimaginable speed. From start to finish, she hadn't shown a single opening, nor had she fallen into the trap of being bogged down by defense. Instead, she maintained a balance between offense and defense, counterattacking with increasing ferocity.
In a swift change of tactics, Ji Xinghuo once again disappeared from sight, but this time, it wasn't a sidestep.
It was an instant step!
He seemed to teleport, passing through the path of her sword light, his body untouched by her blade. The tip of his knife darted towards her heart like a venomous snake.
To most people, there was no discernible difference between a sidestep and an instant step—they were equally fast.
But to experts, the two were as different as heaven and earth.
A slight ripple finally appeared in her eyes, not one of shock or panic, but of surprise, and she maintained her calm. Her body retreated explosively, and instead of retreating in the same direction, she used an instant step to face Ji Xinghuo directly. Her long sword spun at several times its previous speed, guarding her chest.
Clang!
For the first time since the start of their duel, their weapons clashed head-on, metal ringing out.
Ji Xinghuo's knife was imbued with 'Penetrating Energy', a type of Stellar Energy that enhanced the penetrating power of weapons. The knife tip struck the sword blade, but it slipped slightly, as if it had hit an invisible barrier, and its force was diminished.
He had anticipated this, and his Stellar Energy burst forth.
Using brute force to overcome skill!
After his instant step, Ji Xinghuo took another sidestep, bracing the knife's hilt with both hands. Like a speeding train, he rammed into his opponent.
One retreated, the other advanced, and the distance between them only shortened, bringing them even closer.
Retreating was always less advantageous than advancing when it came to exerting force.
A crisp crack rang out.
Under the dual impact of the knife tip and the Stellar Energy, the long sword finally broke. The remaining force of Ji Xinghuo's war knife thrust forward, the knife tip piercing her chest.
Even in this dire situation, she remained composed. She had already discarded her sword, and now she clamped down on Ji Xinghuo's knife blade with both hands, her palms as hard as iron. The knife blade managed to pierce her skin, but it couldn't go any further, its momentum halted.
She realized this as well and her face showed a hint of helplessness as she allowed herself to fall.
A flash of white light brought them back to their starting positions, separated by the light curtain in the center of the stage.
"That wasn't easy," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself, shaking his head internally. This brief half-minute exchange had exhausted him mentally more than any other battle he had fought before.
Ever since gaining microscopic perception, this was the first time someone had lasted more than ten seconds against him.
And it had been a difficult victory.
If he had been any less careful, he might have been defeated.
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but scrutinize his opponent further. She was definitely not a ninth-level martial artist. In fact, she was at least a Martial Arts Master... No, he immediately realized his mistake. Tu Hongda was also a Martial Arts Master, yet he didn't exude the same oppressive aura as this woman; there was a significant gap in their strengths.
Could she be a Martial Arts Grandmaster?
A spark of insight flashed in Ji Xinghuo's mind. She was 1.8 meters tall, a swordswoman, and a female Martial Arts Grandmaster. There was only one person in the world who fit all these criteria.
Zhao Manying!
"Holy crap?" Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat. What were the odds of this? He had unknowingly faced off against Zhao Manying on the Martial Arts Platform and even defeated her!
Zhao Manying was currently at the pinnacle of her popularity.
The Imperial Star Team she led had won back-to-back championships in the Asia-Commonwealth Super League. During these two seasons, they had defeated numerous top teams from various countries and consecutively won the International Invitational three times.
Even if Zhao Manying retired now, her league achievements would secure her a top-ten spot in the world's historical rankings.
Moreover, she was still young.
At the end of last year, after achieving the quintuple crown, she had topped the ladder rankings.
First on the Ladder!
This was the glory that all superhumans yearned for, signifying the number one position beneath the global legends.
The title of "First on the Ladder" resonated louder than most legends. Every person who had held that title had not only advanced to become a legend but had also mostly become a Celestial.
Ji Xinghuo suddenly felt like he was in a dream.
At that moment, his opponent sent another challenge request, and after some hesitation, he accepted.
A countdown appeared on the light curtain.
Both players observed each other, and Ji Xinghuo, having guessed that she was Zhao Manying, felt a shift in his mindset, giving extra attention to this globally renowned opponent. Beyond the light curtain, his opponent was also observing him, her eyes filled with doubt but driven by a strong desire to defeat a formidable foe.
In the second round, neither player rushed to attack.
As the light curtain disappeared, Ji Xinghuo held his war knife and sidestepped left and right, his eyes fixed on his opponent, looking for an opening to strike.
She did the same.
The two circled each other with the midpoint between them as the center.
"Zhao Manying?" Ji Xinghuo suddenly spoke out, testing his guess.
This was the first time he had spoken on the Martial Arts Platform, and his youthful voice was recognizable. She raised an eyebrow and countered, "Who are you? I don't recall any Martial Arts Grandmaster using this low-key account, nor have I seen you before."
Her voice was different from what he had imagined Zhao Manying's to be.
Could it be a voice changer? Ji Xinghuo was now a little uncertain.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the day he became a superhuman, when Zhao Manying had advanced to become a Superhuman, shocking the world, while he was just an unknown peer.
So he replied calmly, "I'm just a nobody."
"Is that so?" She obviously didn't believe him and scrutinized him again before proposing, "How about we make a bet on this round? Whoever loses will reveal their identity to the other. What do you say?"
Ji Xinghuo hesitated.
He was 99% sure that his opponent was Zhao Manying, and he would be at a disadvantage with this bet.
"You don't agree?" She smiled, exuding confidence, "I can add more stakes, or you can set the conditions."
"No need, let's keep it simple." Ji Xinghuo shook his head, "I won't lose."
"Hehe..."
"I like confident men." She said casually, "But I like defeating confident men even more."
Before her words faded, she appeared in front of Ji Xinghuo, her sword already in motion.
Clang!
Ji Xinghuo was prepared and blocked her attack with his raised hand, the war knife and long sword colliding and sparking.
Both their weapons were imbued with Stellar Energy, and the invisible energy burst caused Ji Xinghuo to involuntarily take a few steps back. The force transmitted through the war knife was much greater than he had anticipated, almost double.
Block and counterattack?
Ji Xinghuo now understood that she could use her long sword to block and then counterattack, reflecting his own strength back at him.
In that fleeting moment of knife and sword collision, it was extremely difficult to seize the opportunity to execute a block and counterattack.
Even he couldn't guarantee success every time.
"Even if she isn't Zhao Manying, her strength is definitely not far off," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.
However, his actions were smooth and unhindered as he executed a sidestep just before her long sword could launch a tidal wave of attacks. In an instant, he created an eight-meter gap, crossing half the stage and moving out of the long sword's offensive range.
Her face showed a hint of surprise, and she immediately gave chase.
As soon as Ji Xinghuo stabilized himself, he sidestepped again, returning to the offensive, his war knife clashing with her long sword. The two combatants became a blur of motion, enveloped in the radiance of their weapons, with the occasional ring of metal on metal.
A world-class martial arts battle had commenced.
(End of Chapter)
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