Free Web NovelChapter 318: Chapter 264: A King’s Contempt (2)
"Strike again!"
The Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze, Second Form!
Shen Ning’Er dodged again.
Then, she continued to beckon with her finger.
’Trying to provoke me? I’m not Qu Ran. My heart is as steady as a rock!’ Cheng Cai’s eyes narrowed, his grip on his sword growing steadier. He didn’t use the third form, because Shen Ning’Er had already broken through it.
He used the fourth form.
And the result was still the same: Shen Ning’Er dodged.
Her finger continued to beckon.
’She hasn’t broken through any of my last three moves? So what happened before really was a coincidence. Shen Ning’Er is just trying to provoke me. What a naive idea! Am I, Cheng Cai, someone who can be so easily provoked?’ At this point, Cheng Cai’s heart settled. The Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze were full of endless variations. He refused to believe Shen Ning’Er could dodge every time.
He struck!
He struck again!
And again!
He completely ignored Shen Ning’Er’s incessantly beckoning finger.
Streams of rosy light flowed across the arena.
The rosy light was the light of his sword.
But the sword’s glint wasn’t necessarily within the rosy light. It could be hidden, concealed beneath the glow, or behind it, or even be completely unrelated to it.
"Cheng Cai is steady after all. His state of mind hasn’t been affected!" Watching this scene, the two Elders’ anxious hearts finally settled.
"Mm, if this continues, he has a seventy percent chance of winning this match!" Sect Leader Hua nodded in agreement.
Shen Ning’Er had changed her fighting style.
It seemed she had gained an advantage in the first exchange.
But in doing so, she had also given up her own strengths. This allowed Cheng Cai to seize the initiative. As long as nothing unexpected happened, he could keep her suppressed.
Meanwhile, on the arena stage, a glimmer of understanding also dawned on Cheng Cai.
He attacked with his sword again and again.
The more he attacked, the more his confidence grew, and the calmer his heart became. After all, from the looks of it, all Shen Ning’Er could do was dodge.
’This is a sure win!’
"Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze, Eighth Form!" Cheng Cai smiled as he executed the eighth sword move.
But this time...
Shen Ning’Er didn’t dodge.
She struck again, also with a single spear thrust.
It was just like before—pure, extreme speed.
"Huh?!" The smile on Cheng Cai’s face froze. He subconsciously glanced at his thigh, where another thumb-sized, bloody hole had appeared.
THUD!
Cheng Cai dropped to his knees.
The rosy light scattered once again.
"..." Sect Leader Hua.
"..." The two Elders.
"..." The crowd of reporters.
Silence.
And after the silence came a roar like a tsunami.
"Shen Ning’Er!"
"Shen Ning’Er!"
"She’s just too strong! They’re not even in the same league! She’s attacked twice and wounded Cheng Cai both times!"
"..."
The reporters’ excitement soared.
But the spirits of Sect Leader Hua and the two Elders, which had just begun to rise, plummeted to a freezing point in an instant.
’It happened again?!’
’Why did it happen again?!’
’This doesn’t make any sense!’
’Seeing through the move once could be a coincidence, but seeing through it twice... can you still call that a coincidence?’
"Sect Leader, what do you think?" the two Elders asked, looking at Sect Leader Hua.
"..." Sect Leader Hua didn’t speak.
’What could he say?’
’He didn’t want to say anything at all!’
He only knew that Cheng Cai’s emotional state was not right.
Very not right.
Kneeling in front of everyone...
’How could Cheng Cai’s emotions possibly be right?!’
"Why is this happening?! This is impossible... My Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze can’t be broken this easily!" Cheng Cai was indeed much more composed than Qu Ran.
But no matter how composed he was, it was impossible for his heart to remain calm when he saw Shen Ning’Er still standing there, endlessly beckoning with her finger.
Shen Ning’Er hadn’t said a word.
But this silent provocation was like a magic spell.
Cheng Cai felt as if a voice was repeating itself over and over in his mind.
"Come on!"
"I dare you!"
"Whatever moves you have, just use them!"
"..."
Cheng Cai shook his head violently. It was as if two consciousnesses were warring in his mind.
One consciousness told him, ’Don’t believe it. Don’t believe it, whatever you do! You have to stay calm! Both times were a coincidence. Shen Ning’Er must be doing this on purpose. She has to be.’
While the other consciousness was saying, ’There’s no such thing as a coincidence like this. No such thing...’
"AHH! I don’t believe it!" Cheng Cai let out a furious roar. He began chanting again, "My heart is still water, my heart is still water, my heart is still water..."
Of course, he didn’t realize that his emotions were already on the verge of spiraling out of control.
And Shen Ning’Er was still just standing there, beckoning with her finger.
One beckon!
Two beckons!
Three beckons!
Cheng Cai finally moved again.
"I still have my strongest move, the final form of the Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze!" Cheng Cai leaped up, his figure instantly vanishing in mid-air. He was about to use the thirteenth form.
His ultimate strike!
His body would transform into thirteen streams of rosy light.
However, he had only just leaped...
...when the shadow of a spear was already in front of his face.
PCHI!
The tip of the spear pierced his shoulder.
Cheng Cai hadn’t even had time to execute his thirteenth form before the immense force of the spear thrust knocked him out of the air. His body slammed directly onto the arena stage.
Then, Shen Ning’Er retracted her spear, stepped back to her original position, and extended her right hand. She curled one finger and began to beckon at Cheng Cai again... and again...
"..." Cheng Cai.
"..." The two Elders.
"Cheng Cai, don’t be impulsive! You must stay calm!" Sect Leader Hua was stunned for a moment, then he could no longer hold back and shouted loudly.
But it was too late.
Cheng Cai’s eyes were already bloodshot.
He was still muttering, "My heart is still water, my heart is still water..." but the veins on his face were bulging.
"Hahaha, you idiot, Cheng Cai! Hurry up and surrender! Sister Ning’Er is magnificent!" Fang Tangtang’s excited voice rang out at the perfect moment.
And the surrounding reporters also began to cheer at this moment.
"What incredible spearmanship!"
"Today’s battle is truly spectacular!"
"The Military Department’s super genius, Shen Ning’Er, changed her usual fighting style. With only three spear thrusts, she has severely wounded Cheng Cai. This is absolutely the strategy of a genius!"
While cheering, the reporters didn’t forget to post some live commentary.
Meanwhile, Gao Neng let out a leisurely sigh from the side. "Ai, I guess another one’s about to go crazy."
The words had barely left his lips when Cheng Cai was already lunging at Shen Ning’Er.
"I’m going to kill you!" At this moment, Cheng Cai no longer had his previous composure, nor did he use any of his Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze. This was a completely desperate, all-out attack.
ROAR!
A giant, fiery dragon soared into the air.
’A desperate fight?’
When it came to desperate, domineering fighting styles, Shen Ning’Er’s was the absolute pinnacle.
Energy Manifestation!
And on top of that, a set of golden feathered garments appeared around her.
Shen Ning’Er’s finger was no longer beckoning, but her combat power was skyrocketing.
The way she chose to end this battle...
...was surprisingly the same as Gao Neng’s!
RUMBLE!
Lightning flashed and thunder roared.
This spear thrust was no longer just about speed. It seemed to be laced with lightning, and furthermore, it carried a terrifying spiritual pressure.
BOOM!
The longsword in Cheng Cai’s hand was shattered into two pieces by the spear.
His body was thrown into the air uncontrollably, tracing an 82-degree arc before he crashed headfirst to the ground.
"She’s also testing her spear!!!" Sect Leader Hua’s fists clenched instantly. Even he had felt a terrifying sense of threat when Shen Ning’Er made that thrust.
And his strength...
...was at the Ninth Tier!
A spear thrust from a young woman at the Tier Six Late Stage had made him, a Ninth Tier expert, feel a hint of a threat. What kind of concept was that?!
Shen Ning’Er was strong.
In fact, she was absolutely, overwhelmingly strong.
Her Spiritual Power and spearmanship had fused into one.
This was a high-tier combat technique!
If Shen Ning’Er had used this thrust from the very beginning, Cheng Cai... would have been defeated long ago!
But Shen Ning’Er hadn’t used her spear like that.
She just kept breaking through his weak points to infuriate Cheng Cai.
Then, she forced him to go all-out and engage her in a head-on clash.
So...
The combined conclusion was...
’These two, Shen Ning’Er and Gao Neng... one was testing his blade, and the other was testing her spear?!’
(I drove for six or seven hours on the highway, and when I got back to my hometown, I had to make the bed, clean up, help with chores, and prepare things for ancestor worship. I’m totally exhausted, but I still gritted my teeth and wrote. I really can’t manage a second Chapter today, I’m too sleepy. It’s two in the morning, and I have to get up early tomorrow to spend the day in the mountains. Sorry!)
