Chapter 169: Xie Xiaojiu's Defeat

Chapter 169: Xie Xiaojiu's Defeat

On the arena stage, Lin Qingyi's voice resonated in Jiang Ning's ears, and he immediately turned to glance at the platform.

He saw Lin Qingyi sitting in a corner of the spectator stand, enveloped in shadows.

Lin Qingyi noticed Jiang Ning looking over at her, and a faint sense of guilt flashed in her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Her voice echoed in Jiang Ning's ears again.

All this happened in an instant.

Jiang Ning smiled at Lin Qingyi, then turned back to look at the black-clad sword-wielding woman on the stage, Xie Xiaojiu.

"I heard you're skilled with the sword?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Indeed!" Xie Xiaojiu nodded slightly.

"Good! It seems you want to compete with me in blade techniques!" Jiang Ning said, nodding.

Then, turning to the host beside him, he said, "Sir, I need a long sword!"

"No problem!" The host of the assessment replied, and he grabbed a long sword from the weapon rack on the nearby stage, tossing it towards Jiang Ning.

"Take it! Show us what you've got!"

"Thank you!" Jiang Ning caught the sword and expressed his gratitude.

As soon as he held the long sword, the characteristic of man and sword becoming one instantly took effect.

The long sword in his hand seemed to transform into an extension of his arm, under his command.

Jiang Ning was also aware of the weight of this long sword, a hefty eighty-five pounds, and three feet seven inches long.

"Do you know why I came to the arena?" Xie Xiaojiu suddenly spoke up.

"Do I need a reason?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Of course!" Xie Xiaojiu tightened her grip on the long sword and continued, "Sister Qingyi has been repeatedly mentioning you in front of me lately, saying that my talent is inferior to yours! I can't accept that!"

"So!" Xie Xiaojiu emphasized her words, slowly drawing out her long sword. "So, I want to prove to Sister Qingyi that her judgment is no less than Shen Congyun's! I, Xie Xiaojiu, am no less than you, Jiang Ning!"

"I see!" Jiang Ning nodded and then said, "If you lose, will you join my command?"

"Yes!" Xie Xiaojiu replied, "If I lose, I'll follow your lead!"

Xie Xiaojiu immediately agreed to Jiang Ning's proposal, seemingly without a hint of hesitation.

Jiang Ning was slightly surprised by this.

Then he smiled, "Alright, let's begin!"

At this moment, Jiang Ning felt a sense of pleasure.

Xie Xiaojiu's strength was undoubtedly at the eighth-rank level or above.

As the genius favored by Lin Qingyi, she must possess exceptional talent.

After today, whether he secured the position of Captain or Deputy Leader, he would need capable individuals.

Xie Xiaojiu was evidently a relatively capable talent.

After all, she had a connection with Lin Qingyi, and his relationship with Lin Qingyi seemed to be on good terms as well.

Moreover, Xie Xiaojiu was quite a beauty, with fair skin, stunning looks, and a tall figure.

Having such a subordinate would be a visual delight, even as a decorative vase, as everyone loves beauty, let alone her being one of the few martial geniuses in Luoshui County.

At this moment, Xie Xiaojiu lightly brandished her sword.

Buzz—

The sword trembled, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

"Are you ready?" Xie Xiaojiu asked.

"Come on!" Jiang Ning held the long sword and waved it lightly.

Whoosh—

The sound of the blade slicing through the air suddenly rang out.

In an instant.

Xie Xiaojiu's toes tapped the ground, and her entire body instantly transformed into a black shadow rushing towards Jiang Ning.

Such incredible speed!

Jiang Ning's gaze intensified.

As Xie Xiaojiu moved, Jiang Ning immediately recognized the exceptional nature of her mobility technique.

She must have specifically cultivated this mobility technique, and it was undoubtedly of an extremely high level.

"Miss Xie's ninth daughter is so fast!"

"Indeed! Her body is like a shadow, her Willow Dew Technique is probably already at the Mastery stage, or even perfected!"

"Is this the martial genius? Not yet twenty years old, not only has she already reached the eighth-rank in martial arts, but her mobility technique is also so outstanding. Most importantly, Xie Xiaojiu, the ninth daughter of the Xie family, is renowned for her innate Sword Heart!"

"Such a genius! No wonder the Lin Louzhu of Wan Hua Tower had his eyes on her from an early age!"

For a moment, the crowd below exclaimed in unison.

At this moment on the arena.

The ten-foot distance in front of Xie Xiaojiu was instantly crossed.

Clang—

As Xie Xiaojiu closed in, the sword's light shone like snow.

When the crowd saw clearly, Xie Xiaojiu's sword tip was already blocked by Jiang Ning's horizontal sword.

Jiang Ning's upper body slightly leaned back, using the strength of his waist and abdomen to neutralize Xie Xiaojiu's thrust, which carried the momentum of a thundering charge.

With this strike, both of their movements abruptly froze.

"Such formidable strength!" Jiang Ning's gaze intensified as he felt the immense power transmitted through Xie Xiaojiu's sword tip.

Xie Xiaojiu was estimated to have a strength of around three thousand pounds.

With just a simple strike, Jiang Ning instantly made his judgment.

Such formidable strength! Xie Xiaojiu looked at Jiang Ning, who was within arm's reach, and a flash of astonishment passed through her eyes.

She was very clear about her own strength.

Her strength was around two thousand eight hundred pounds.

As a woman, reaching this level of strength in martial arts at the eighth-rank was extremely impressive.

If it weren't for the fact that she was the ninth young miss of the Xie family, if it weren't for her exceptional martial talent that was highly regarded, and if it weren't for the attention and assistance she received from Lin Qingyi.

Without any one of these factors, she wouldn't have been able to reach the eighth level of the Martial Way as a woman with this level of power.

She had originally thought that with her current strength, even if she couldn't dominate at the eighth level of the Martial Way, she would at least stand out like a crane among chickens.

She never imagined that on her first independent mission, she would face the prospect of failure before even getting started.

It's worth noting that she had held nothing back with this sword strike, and she had aimed to defeat her opponent with a single blow.

After charging forward like a thunderbolt, the speed and power of this sword strike were two to three times greater than her normal capabilities.

Yet, Jiang Ning simply stood his ground and effortlessly blocked her most ferocious attack with his blade.

After the initial surprise, the onlookers could only perceive Xie Xiaojiu's swift movements and Jiang Ning's calm composure in the face of danger.

The next moment, Jiang Ning's right arm, which held the blade, trembled slightly, and his force channeled through the blade. Xie Xiaojiu's expression changed again, and her body, like willow catkins, drifted backward.

Swish!

The blade sliced through the air, creating a sharp whistling sound.

Facing this blade, Xie Xiaojiu's body in mid-air seemed like a cluster of willow catkins, affected by the gust of wind generated by the descending blade. Her body drifted slightly once more.

A slight deviation could lead to a thousand miles of difference.

The blade grazed past Xie Xiaojiu's shoulder.

Suddenly, the descending blade halted halfway through its trajectory, suspended in mid-air.

Then, as Jiang Ning's wrist exerted force, the blade's trajectory shifted from a downward slash to a horizontal chop.

This blade was aimed directly at Xie Xiaojiu's shoulder.

At the moment the blade's momentum paused, Xie Xiaojiu's eyes, which had turned slightly cold, suddenly sank. Her upper body swayed and fell backward.

Xie Xiaojiu instantly displayed her supple and boneless waist, and as her black ponytail swept across the ground, she had already evaded the horizontal chop.

The blade grazed past Xie Xiaojiu's supple waist, slicing through the corner of her tight-fitting black garment.

After that, the blade, which had descended halfway, halted again, and Jiang Ning was about to change from a horizontal chop to a downward slash.

But Xie Xiaojiu had already anticipated this move, and as her waist bent, she...

Her toes lightly tapped the ground, and her calf muscles exerted force.

She spun around Jiang Ning like a windmill, moving to his side.

"This Xie family's ninth young miss has incredible adaptability and remarkable agility!"

"Indeed! With such agility, Xie Xiaojiu's Willow Dew Technique must have reached perfection! If even her agility has reached perfection, then Xie Xiaojiu's martial talent is truly unimaginable!"

"Forget about Xie Xiaojiu; Jiang Ning is clearly much stronger than we anticipated!"

"It's true; with such smooth and effortless transitions in his blade techniques, Jiang Ning's skills are not to be underestimated!"

"There's something I've always been curious about. Is it true that Jiang Ning only started practicing martial arts a few months ago?"

"That's definitely not a mistake! I have a friend who drank with Jiang Ning, and he personally told me about it."

". . ."

Chapter 69

Witnessing the thrilling scene on the arena, the crowd couldn't help but exclaim.

At that moment, in the arena, Xie Xiaojiu employed her agility, moving from Jiang Ning's front to his side. Then, her sword tip flickered, pressing towards Jiang Ning's right arm.

Perceiving this, Jiang Ning's blade tip shifted, and his blade speed surged again.

Although his combat experience was still lacking, in most cases, Jiang Ning had previously dispatched his opponents with a few strikes.

But at this moment, Jiang Ning remained calm without any sign of hesitation.

In his eyes, the art of combat was simple.

As long as one's reactions were fast enough, they could overcome all experiences.

With fast enough reactions, one could effortlessly respond to any enemy attack.

With sufficient speed, one could achieve the principle of 'arriving before the opponent despite starting later,' and thus, handle any situation with ease.

At this moment, Jiang Ning's five senses were incredibly sharp.

Every subtle change in Xie Xiaojiu's movements was instantly noticed by him.

Even behind him, Jiang Ning felt as if he had eyes on his back, easily perceiving all the changes around him through the variations in the wind and air currents.

Clang!

The sword clashed with the blade, and a flash of fire passed by.

Xie Xiaojiu's expression changed abruptly.

Jiang Ning's sudden acceleration with the blade completely caught her off guard.

This strike not only conveyed power but also left her heart trembling.

Under the impact, her right arm went numb, and she almost couldn't maintain her grip on the sword hilt.

Her entire balance was disrupted by Jiang Ning's single strike.

This strike also deflected the longsword in Xie Xiaojiu's hand, leaving her completely exposed.

The next moment, she saw Jiang Ning's left hand palm strike, which took advantage of her open stance, landing on her chest.

"It's over!" Jiang Ning's voice sounded faintly in her ear.

Xie Xiaojiu then felt an immense and overwhelming force transmitted through Jiang Ning's palm, landing on her soft chest.

Her body was struck, flying towards the edge of the arena behind her.

Bang—

Her unbalanced body landed firmly on the ground below the arena.

"My apologies!" Jiang Ning spoke.

"Thank you!" Xie Xiaojiu stood up, her eyes fixed deeply on Jiang Ning, before turning and leaving.

Even though her chest was slightly aching at that moment, she knew Jiang Ning must have held back.

If he hadn't, considering the power she had just felt from him.

A single palm strike would have been enough to make her internal organs tremble, causing her to spit out fresh blood.

Instead of just a slight pain like this.

Feeling the pain in her chest, Xie Xiaojiu really wanted to reach out and rub it.

But thinking about being in the training ground, and with so many people around, she could only suppress her thoughts.

In front of such a large crowd, rubbing her injured chest, especially as a young girl, would indeed be quite inappropriate.

On the arena.

"It seems I underestimated her! This Miss Xie's Ninth Young Miss is quite something!" Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

Then he added silently in his heart.

But this was a bit too forward.

I hope she keeps the promise we just made.

Xie Xiaojiu's strength is much more formidable than I had imagined.

I estimate that even Shi Xiaoyuan in his transformed state wouldn't be a match for Xie Xiaojiu.

Below the arena, discussions were already buzzing.

"Is it over already?"

"It's over! Xie Xiaojiu was a bit careless, and Jiang Ning struck her chest with a palm. Then, with Xie Xiaojiu behind Jiang Ning, she was too close to the edge of the arena, so naturally, she lost when she fell off!"

"You can't say it like that! Losing is losing, there's no such thing as losing lightly or not losing lightly!"

"It's clearly underestimating her! Brother, can't you see that? Xie Xiaojiu is known for her sword talent. She didn't even use her sword to her full potential, and she still fell off the arena. Clearly, this isn't her true strength!"

"Speaking of which, I really envy Jiang Ning! He can openly take advantage of Xie's Ninth Young Miss."

"Brother, you're being a bit despicable!!!"

". . ."

On the other side.

Zhou Xing's mouth slightly agape: "Brother Jiang is actually this powerful?"

"Brother Jiang is indeed very capable!" Li Qing's face showed a hint of jealousy.

"Good! Well done!" Wang Jin's face lit up with joy.

Especially when he saw Yu Yuan, who was standing beside him with a look of surprise, he felt even more delighted.

When the disciple excels, the master's face shines.

In the direction of the Cao, Liu, and Xie families.

"Xie Xiaojiu actually lost?" Cao Zijian's face showed astonishment.

"Damn! This kid actually took advantage of Xiaojiu just now!" Liu Zhao Nan muttered with anger.

"Pfft!" Cao Zijian heard this and laughed, then said, "Brother Nan, are you angry?"

Liu Zhao Nan said, "This isn't anger, this is jealousy!!"

Then Liu Zhao Nan continued, "Xie Xiaojiu is so beautiful, talented, and she's the Ninth Young Miss of the Xie family. How could he take advantage of such a good thing?!"

"Brother Nan, you're a man of integrity!" Cao Zijian thought for a moment, and only then did he manage to utter these words.

In the direction of the Martial Academy disciples.

The pale and thin He Jinyun also showed a hint of surprise.

"This person is quite formidable. Not only is his mobility technique exceptional, but his mastery and control of the blade have reached the level of moving as his heart desires. His bladework is clearly extraordinary!"

"Indeed extraordinary!" Qin Xuan also nodded slightly and continued, "If no true expert challenges his arena, this Jiang Ning might become the first Captain of Luoshui County."

"The chances are slim, unless he can defeat Lu Renyao!" He Jinyun said calmly.

"Lu Renyao, look over there!" He Jinyun said indifferently.

Qin Xuan followed his gaze and immediately saw Lu Renyao's figure walking towards the front.

"Is he going to challenge this boy's arena?"

"Most likely!" He Jinyun nodded, "Lu Renyao is one who holds grudges. In the first round of tests, he specifically targeted Jiang Ning, who had embarrassed him. Given Lu Renyao's personality, he will definitely seek revenge on the spot if he has the chance."

Qin Xuan glanced at Lu Renyao's back and smiled slightly, "It'll be interesting if Lu Renyao loses!"

"For Lu Renyao to lose, that's too difficult! Although he's not as good as you and me, he's still stronger than that trash Liu Sansheng. Lu Renyao's strength is said to be over 2,500 jin, plus his perfect mobility technique and his mastery of the Iterating Cloud Palm. How could he lose in such a small place?!"

"I think Lu Renyao might lose!" Qin Xuan said.

"Oh? You're quite optimistic about this Luoshui County boy?"

"He gives off a different feeling!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end