Chapter 173: Embrace... Apologies!

Chapter 173: Embrace... Apologies!

On the arena.

In the blink of an eye, the first round had already concluded.

Just moments ago, there were twelve participants, but now only six remain.

Among the six, the only remaining local competitor from Luoshui County is Jiang Ning.

The other five are all students from the Martial Academy in Dongling City.

Below the arena.

"Indeed! The elite students from the Martial Academy are truly formidable. I couldn't even win a single match!" Liu Zhaonan sighed lightly, his expression filled with admiration.

"Brother Zhaonan, you've truly impressed me. To think that you've managed to claim the position of Captain. I'm nowhere near your level!" Cao Zijian, standing beside him, looked at Liu Zhaonan with a complex expression in his eyes.

He never expected that Liu Zhaonan, who was once behind him, would surpass him to such an extent without him even realizing it.

Cao Zijian had just stepped onto the stage and personally faced the elite students from the Martial Academy. This firsthand experience gave him a profound understanding of their strength.

It was a level of suppression that left him with no hope of victory.

At that moment, upon hearing Cao Zijian's words, Liu Zhaonan couldn't help but sigh softly and shake his head.

"What have I achieved compared to Jiang Ning? He's the one who truly challenges our perceptions. Who could have imagined that an ordinary commoner like him, after only a few months of cultivation, would reach such heights? Even a once-in-a-century genius from Luoshui County would struggle to match him."

Hearing Liu Zhaonan mention Jiang Ning, Cao Zijian's expression became even more complex.

"Indeed! Who could have imagined he possessed such strength? Even my cousin Cao Rong doesn't compare to him in terms of talent!"

"Fortunately, my cousin Cao Bin chose to reconcile with him. If they had continued their feud, with Jiang Ning's current influence, my Cao family would have been in real trouble by now!"

Hearing Cao Zijian's words of admiration, Liu Zhaonan couldn't help but smile slightly.

He didn't share Cao Zijian's concerns.

The Cao family's current pillar was Cao Rong, who held a military position in Dongling City's Divine Bow Unit.

Although Cao Rong held a high position, his military duties kept him away from Luoshui County for most of the year.

His influence in Luoshui County was limited.

If Jiang Ning were to target the Cao family after becoming a captain in the Inspection Office, as Cao Zijian suggested, the Cao family would indeed face significant trouble.

With power in hand, causing trouble would be all too easy.

However, Liu Zhaonan's situation was different.

In the past few months, he had received extensive cultivation support from his clan, and now he had successfully claimed the position of Captain.

As a fellow captain in the Inspection Office, he admired Jiang Ning's strength, but unlike Cao Zijian, he didn't fear him.

With Liu Zhaonan as a captain in the Inspection Office, the Liu family could weather any future storms in Luoshui County.

But the same couldn't be said for the Cao family or the Xie family.

Xie Xiaojiu, the most outstanding member of the Xie family, had just lost to Jiang Ning in the competition for the captaincy. Like the Cao family, the Xie family also failed to produce a captain.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhaonan felt a surge of secret satisfaction.

A few months ago, Cao Rong had emerged from obscurity, propelling the Cao family from its position as the weakest of the three major families to a status that overshadowed both the Liu and Xie families.

Now, it was Liu Zhaonan's turn to create his own legend.

On the arena.

With the first round concluded, only six participants remained eligible for the second round of competition.

Qin Xuan was the first to step onto the stage.

Holding a slightly tilted longsword, he exuded an aura of prestige in his black, gold-trimmed robe.

"Who's next?" Qin Xuan challenged the remaining five.

Without hesitation, a man stepped forward.

With only one Deputy Leader position available, securing it would require defeating everyone present.

To become the sole victor, it didn't matter who went first or last.

Thus, the man didn't hesitate.

After one battle, Qin Xuan emerged victorious.

In this fight, he sustained no additional injuries.

If He Jinyun were here, he would notice that Qin Xuan had significantly improved compared to over a month ago.

The next moment.

Jiang Ning took the initiative and stepped onto the stage.

"Who's up for a weapon battle?" He challenged the remaining three.

Then, he turned to the examiner standing nearby. "Please provide me with a blade."

"Here!" The examiner grabbed a heavier blade from the nearby weapon rack and threw it towards Jiang Ning.

The long blade sliced through the air, and Jiang Ning caught it with an outstretched hand.

As the blade entered his grasp, its attributes appeared in his mind.

It was a rare and exceptional blade, measuring three feet and five inches long and weighing one hundred and thirty-seven pounds.

The mirror-like surface of the blade reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight.

At that moment.

A woman stepped forward.

She was the only remaining female among the few remaining participants.

Clad in a fiery red leather battle armor, she held a long spear in her hand, her hair tied back with a hairband, resembling a ponytail that swayed behind her. She exuded a valiant and spirited aura.

"I'll do it!" The woman stepped onto the arena, standing before Jiang Ning.

"I prefer weapon combat!" She lightly brandished the spear in her hand, and the red tassel at the end seemed to flash like a trail of fire.

"My name is Feng Jiuge!"

"Jiang Ning!"

Jiang Ning had some knowledge about this woman because his five senses were extraordinary. Just by standing here, he could hear the hushed discussions from various corners below the arena.

So, during the time spent at the training ground, he learned a lot of new information from the whispers around him.

Among them was the news about this woman in a red skirt and battle armor standing before him.

She was the daughter of the Commander of Dong Ling City, and her martial skills were imbued with the style of a seasoned soldier. In the previous battle, she had displayed a grand and open fighting style.

This style, in theory, was not suitable for arena combat but more fitting for charging on the battlefield.

But her presence here, as one of the remaining six people, clearly demonstrated her extraordinary strength.

"Are you ready?" The woman spoke to Jiang Ning.

"Bring it on!" Jiang Ning replied.

As his words fell, the woman's figure moved, and a surge of killing intent suddenly enveloped him.

What formidable killing intent!

It seemed this woman had experienced the battlefield!

Jiang Ning immediately made a judgment in his heart.

At this moment, his mind was free of any distracting thoughts.

He raised his hand and slashed with his blade, and the air parted before the blade.

Block—

Metal clashed against metal, and a flash of fire appeared.

Feng Jiuge's spear in her hand suddenly shook, and her heart was startled as the spearhead flew away.

"What terrifying strength!"

"At least three thousand eight hundred to nine hundred jin."

"My strength is only three thousand jin, and I'm no match for his strength!"

Feng Jiuge immediately made a judgment in her heart.

Then, gripping the spear, she shifted her body back.

The spearhead that had just been thrown away suddenly straightened, and the spearhead, glinting with cold light, slashed horizontally towards Jiang Ning's throat.

Jiang Ning's figure slightly retreated, avoiding Feng Jiuge's attack.

Then, his long knife swept upwards.

His knife technique was now both heavy and fast.

In an instant, he slashed at the spear shaft.

But as Feng Jiuge's spear shaft rose, under her control, the flexible and resilient spear shaft easily neutralized the force.

"Indeed, it works!" Feng Jiuge's eyes slightly narrowed.

"It's time to end this!" She thought to herself.

The next moment, under the cover of the red tassel, the spear blazed like fire.

Hidden within the fire was a spearhead like a venomous snake.

Clang—

Clang—

Clang—

Flashes of fire passed by.

Jiang Ning continuously retreated.

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"What formidable power!" Jiang Ning felt the feedback from the blade in his hand and silently acknowledged it.

He could clearly sense that Feng Jiuge's strength was far greater than before.

With each clash of their weapons, he had to retreat to neutralize the force.

"It's a bit like the Nine Levels of Power!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.

At this moment, Feng Jiuge's spear became increasingly fierce.

The spearhead seemed to transform into a flame, expanding and trapping Jiang Ning, not giving him a moment to catch his breath.

"Such a formidable style!" On the arena, Qin Xuan witnessed the intense battle and muttered to himself.

"Qin, do you recognize this Feng Jiuge?" A man beside him asked.

"Feng Jiuge uses the Miao family's Blaze Blade Technique, a mid-rank martial art. The Commander of Dong Ling City rose to prominence relying on this mid-rank martial art." Qin Xuan explained.

"In your opinion, Qin, can Jiang Ning handle Feng Jiuge's all-out attack?" The man asked again.

Qin Xuan opened his mouth, about to give his assessment, but then shook his head slightly, "Let's watch first!"

On the other side.

In the arena.

Under Feng Jiuge's fierce attack, Jiang Ning had retreated to half the arena.

He was now only two zhang away from the edge of the arena.

Blaze Blade Technique?

Hearing these words, Jiang Ning was taken aback.

He immediately thought of Wang Jin's words when he passed on the Canglang Blade Technique.

According to Wang Jin, the Canglang Blade Technique was an exceptional mid-rank martial art, capable of cultivating the Nine Levels of Power.

With this technique, one could unleash the power of nine blades in a single strike, merging their force into a single devastating blow.

The ability to fight across borders.

At the same time, Wang Jin also possessed the Blaze Blade Technique, a mid-rank martial art similar to the Canglang Sword Technique.

If one could master both the Blaze Blade and the Canglang Sword Techniques, and reach perfection in both, merging them into one, they would then be able to grasp an advanced-rank martial art.

"Blaze Blade Technique? Or Blaze Spear Technique?"

"Could this be a variation of the sword technique?"

Jiang Ning fought while pondering these thoughts.

At this moment, even with Feng Jiuge giving it her all, Jiang Ning didn't feel any pressure.

The spear technique was fierce and flashy.

But in front of Jiang Ning's powerful senses, the trajectory of Feng Jiuge's spear was clearly visible to him.

Every time the spearhead emerged from the red tassel, Jiang Ning effortlessly detected its movement and slashed it away with his blade.

He didn't use his full strength to knock Feng Jiuge out of the ring; instead, he merely wanted to keep her as a tool to gain combat experience.

After all, his opponent was too weak to provide any value in enhancing his combat skills.

As for opponents as outstanding as Feng Jiuge, they were hard to find even in Luoshui County, so there was no need to rush.

However, after this brief exchange, Jiang Ning realized that this approach seemed useless.

Because he discovered that the so-called combat experience was merely the muscle memory and bodily instincts developed during battles.

For other martial artists, it was challenging to fully capture every move and technique of an equally skilled opponent.

In situations where one couldn't see clearly, the ability to adapt and respond to critical moments was extremely important.

But in Jiang Ning's eyes, every move and change in his opponent's actions were clearly visible.

His powerful senses gave him the means to perceive every change and discern the reality behind every action.

Therefore, even with Feng Jiuge's aggressive and flashy attacks, Jiang Ning could effortlessly understand everything.

Moreover, his mastery of the blade had reached the level of man and blade as one, where the blade moved as he willed.

His eyes followed the blade's movements.

The breakthrough in his blade technique also allowed him to swing his blade with a speed akin to a startled swan, enabling him to precisely defend against the incoming spearhead.

On the arena.

Feng Jiuge became more and more astonished as the fight continued.

As Jiang Ning's opponent on the arena, she could clearly sense his terror.

It seemed like she had the upper hand, but she knew that her situation was dire.

She had attacked with her spear dozens of times, but each time, Jiang Ning effortlessly blocked them with his long blade, not once failing to do so.

Up to this point, it appeared that Jiang Ning was completely suppressed, but she realized that she hadn't broken through his defense once, nor had she injured him in any way.

In this situation, she couldn't help but realize that despite appearing to have the advantage, she had actually fallen into a disadvantage.

The moment Jiang Ning counterattacked would be the moment of her defeat.

Thinking of this, she clenched her teeth.

"Hah!"

Feng Jiuge let out a loud shout and became even more ferocious and swift in her attacks.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she fixed her gaze on Jiang Ning, closely observing his every move.

She knew that victory or defeat would be decided in the next few breaths.

Since she couldn't inflict even a scratch, she decided to use her fierce offense to force Jiang Ning off the arena.

That way, she could also win.

Because that was the rule of the arena; falling off meant defeat.

Feeling Feng Jiuge's intensified offense,

"It's time to end this!" he shouted.

The next moment,

Powerful forces gathered in his hand, like a mighty roar of the mountains and seas.

Clang!

He slashed out with his blade once more.

This strike unleashed the power of five essences.

The force was so strong that it shocked Feng Jiuge.

Even though she was holding the tail of her long spear at this moment, the power transmitted through the spear shaft was limited.

But at this moment, Feng Jiuge almost couldn't hold on to the spear handle.

And at this time, although the force transmitted back to her arm was weak, her control over the spear significantly decreased.

Under Jiang Ning's fierce blade strike, the spearhead was directly flung away, flying several yards outside the ring.

Feng Jiuge's body quickly retreated, and her arms forcefully pushed, intending to straighten the long spear in her hand and regain control.

But at this moment,

Feng Jiuge retreated quickly, but Jiang Ning charged forward even faster.

In just a few steps, Jiang Ning rushed into the range of Feng Jiuge's long spear.

Then, taking advantage of the spear's uncontrolled state,

Jiang Ning raised his hand and grabbed the spear shaft.

"Let go!" Jiang Ning shouted.

With a force from his left arm, he pulled the spear away, causing Feng Jiuge's body to stagger forward.

She bumped into Jiang Ning's chest.

"H-hug..." Feng Jiuge pushed away from Jiang Ning's chest, her words stumbling out.

Her face flushed with a red hue!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end