Martial Arts Master

Two days later. Jiuwen Stadium, Hexi City.

Jiuwen stadium was built for the sole purpose of hosting the Battle of the Warrior Sage and had existed for many years. Recently, it had been refurbished to host more audience members and had an additional layer of protection added to it.

The bluestone mat arena exceeded three hundred meters in both length and width. Often renovated due to serious damage, it had no blemishes. Left of the Warrior’s Passage exit was a stone slab that bore the ink writing of Mister Lin Zhongxun, the founder of the professional league:

“The Sage of Warriors!”

When the Battle of Warrior Sage was left with the top thirty-two finalists, there was no need for other venues, so all matches were held here at nighttime, just as before.

On the first day, Lou Cheng’s match was the last of the eight matches. He hadn’t paid much attention to the battles that took place before his. In his mind, he went through what he learned watching Feng Zhi’s fight footage over and over again. He was focused and serious, sometimes examining closely and sometimes deep in thought.

He stopped what he was doing when the second to last match began, so as to not get too tense.

His eyes lingered on the big screen in the resting room. He saw Peng Leyun being dominated by Kirin, Dong Baxian, taking a consistently passive position. A few times, he attempted to counterattack or stall with his agility, but these attempts were short-lived waves.

“That’s the ‘Top Three in the World’ for you…” mused Lou Cheng, amused and in awe.

If I was in Priest’s shoes, I wouldn’t fare much better!

As he watched the battle, he arbitrarily scanned through some news and picked up his phone to send a link to Yan Zheke with a “shuddering” emoji.

“The deciding battle!”

“Words alone won’t put you in the final arena!”

“Lou Cheng’s trial has arrived!”

“He’ll only win if he’s truly a superclass!”

…

Yan Zheke replied quickly with a “flipping table” emoji.

“Why are you worrying yourself by looking at these? I even made the effort to not share these with you!”

She had been afraid they would affect Lou Cheng’s state of mind.

Lou Cheng replied with a “snickering” emoji.

“Why not? It will motivate me if I think of this as my last stand!”

“If you say so… [stunned dog emoji]” she wrote.

She thought about the combining of heart and will into one and roughly understood his rationale, so she left it at that. She then said,

“You shouldn’t just think of this as your last stand! You need to look down on him tactically, hold him in contempt, and tell yourself you’re going to win for sure!”

“Other than having hair, I can’t think of anything I can do better than him…” jested Lou Cheng.

“Nonsense! [reprimanding glare]” wrote Yan Zheke. “You have a wife, and he doesn’t!”

“You have a point there!” Lou Cheng almost laughed. Then he remembered gossip he had heard recently, which he shared with Ke Ke enthusiastically. “I heard Empress Luo talking about this yesterday, saying that when Feng Zhi was a professional ninth-pin, he visited a shady brothel with bad company for the first time. They had a bunch of girls lined up in a row, and when others took their picks, he picked the old procuress!”

At that time, no one could have foreseen that Feng Zhi would ultimately become a super-class Mighty One, so none of his shitty friends tried to cover it up for him, but rather spread it as a joke. From there, as he grew stronger, the tale of his unique preferences spread further.

“It’s hard to tell just by looking at him… You really can’t judge a book by its cover! [sweating emoji]” wrote Yan Zheke.

Feng Zhi looked like an honest, down-to-earth guy with an innocent air, and his early balding made him look like one of those old farmers on Mt. Kongtong.

As they chatted idly, the match between Peng Leyun and Dong Baxian was coming to an end. The former had managed to impress the audience by struggling back from the edge of defeat time and time again, but in the end, he couldn’t make the miracle happen.

Poor Priest, thought Lou Cheng. Then, to Yan Zheke, he said,

“I’ll go get ready with some final preparations.”

“Mm-hmm! Do your best!” she replied at once. Then, chewing her lips, she added, “If you win this fight, I…I will listen to, um, e…everything you say for one day!”

When Lou Cheng imagined his girl’s expression as she typed those words, the corner of his mouth curved into a smile. Half-jokingly, he replied,

“If I end up losing, it’s definitely because I couldn’t calm down after looking at your message…”

“So it’s my fault now?” she replied, amused and peevish.

The couple didn’t continue their conversation. Lou Cheng laid down his phone and shut his eyes. His mind formed into an Ice Heart duly reflected the condition of his body.

…

In one of the resting rooms at the other end, Feng Zhi was standing before mirror rubbing hair gel onto his scarce hair, arranging it into the appropriate style.

His eyes were focused and his countenance solemn, like how a swordsman of olden times would pray, go vegan, bathe, and change into a new set of clothes before going into a duel.

True to the sword, respectful to the enemy.

When all that was done, Feng Zhi brushed the dust off of his white martial arts suit, straightening up. He slowly walked towards the table where the Heaven’s Equal Sword laid.

His right hand reached out to grab the hilt of the sword. He solemnly lifted it up and a gentle breeze immediately surrounded him. He turned, gazed at the door, and walked towards it.

…

Fifteen minutes later, the curtains were lifted for the eighth match of the top thirty-two. At one end of the well-lit road, Lou Cheng, clad in navy blue, and Feng Zhi, donning a white robe, appeared simultaneously.

They each converged their auras, their eye contact peaceful as they walked on the recently repaired bluestone venue. They came to their designated spots at the referee’s two ends.

Without delay, the conversation time commenced.

Feng Zhi raised his left hand, hilt in hand, and bowed. His movements were flawless, as though the match was sacred to him.

He said nothing as Lou Cheng returned the bow, standing dully as though he lacked eloquence. But Lou Cheng knew Feng Zhi was quirky and conversational in public.

He did not speak, only because it was an insult to the sword.

Any sort of psychological warfare or trash-talk was disrespectful to the sword.

Neither did Lou Cheng have any plans to provoke his enemy with the dirt he had on him. Who knows, maybe Feng Zhi was even proud of it. Therefore Lou Cheng kept his silence, hiding his aura as he formed the five-colored flames which orbited around him.

Three minutes passed. The referee, who had retreated to the edge of the arena, raised his right hand and swung it down.

“Begin!”

Shing!

The tinkle of the metal rang in the air as Feng Zhi drew his sword, a longsword reminiscent of autumn. He slashed forward twice, as though drawing a cross on an imaginary sheet.

Swish, swish. The blade, thin as a cicada’s wing, tore through the air and drew two brilliant blue crescents.

Lou Cheng didn’t avoid. The golden fireball behind him swirled and blasted forward.

The crescent-like sword light approached, cutting the fireball into four equal pieces like a real weapon, passing through it without losing much momentum.

That was when the golden fireball suddenly lost stability and exploded on the spot. The shockwaves swallowed the sword’s light, as though it was still under control.

After testing the waters, Feng Zhi pushed off from his feet to pounce at his enemy, the longsword in his hand slashing and cutting, creating rays of lightning-fast blue crescents that filled the air.

Lou Cheng turned and swept up a frigid wind, blocking, evading, and attacking methodically and patiently.

Amidst the blue crescents, there was a sudden flare, followed by a quick thrust of Feng Zhi’s longsword. In its wake was a dirt-filled hurricane shaped like a dragon and a sound that lagged behind.

As though he had predicted it, Lou Cheng had already swung out his arm, thrashing diagonally at the Heaven’s Equal Sword. The Five Flames hastened in their orbits, as though they were about to converge.

He ended up abandoning the impulsive thought of ending it all in one move, knowing that a super-class Mighty One would never offer such a convenient opening. It was not yet the time for Nine Rotations of Five Flames, Descent of the Sun.

He must have a follow-up move up his sleeve, and he used this move to bait me to converge the Five Flames… As the thought flitted across, Lou Cheng steadied himself, channeling all the Ice Force permeating in his body into his fist, planning to block the longsword with Lament of the Ice Queen.

Right as they were about to clash, the sword light suddenly spread apart into raging gales. Feng Zhi hid himself in it, making it hard to spot him.

The Third Style of the Wind Sect, Wolffia!

This was an evasive, force-mitigating secret art.

Whoosh! The sound of wind filled his ears. The wind blustered against his face like knives. Lou Cheng felt a sudden twitch at the center of his forehead. He quickly jerked his shoulders, switching his right fist into a claw to block his face.

In the raging gust, the thin tip of the sword, shimmering with a metallic luster and encircled with specks of blue, stabbed at his forehead. However, since Lou Cheng had already predicted it, it seemed as though it was heading towards a trap.

Bam! Lou Cheng’s blue-black fingers ripped apart the specks of blue around the sword’s tip.

The specks of blue were wind created through force that maintained the balance of the longsword. Once they were shattered, the tip of the sword trembled, shifting slightly and snaking up the back of Lou Cheng’s hand to stab at his face. The cruel, icy quality of it gave Lou Cheng goosebumps.

Whimsical Blade!

This was a set of sword techniques created and perfected by generations of Kongtong School experts, based off techniques from the Wind Sect. It was known for its unpredictability.

The trick of this set of sword techniques was that the wind force attached to the sword was not there to injure, but to support the blade and maintain its balance. Once the sword came into contact with a large amount of external force, the wind force would destabilize, causing the sword to veer in a direction the opponent couldn’t predict.

As to where the sword would stab in the end, even the user himself had no way of telling, therefore earning it the name Whimsical Blade.

The hair on Lou Cheng’s skin bristled, as though venomous snakes had slithered across it. However, he wasn’t anxious to dodge the longsword. Instead, he tilted his head, tensed his muscles, jerked his knee, lifted his left foot, and threw a whip kick forward.

Bam!

His kick landed on the scabbard of the sword that had been secretly making its way to Lou Cheng’s lower abdomen.

This was Feng Zhi’s real killer move.

On the upper body, he used Whimsical Blade to cause his opponents to panic, and at the lower body, he dealt his deadly blow with the scabbard.

If the opponent had prior knowledge of his moves and made preparations in advance, he would use Whimsical Blade as the main attack instead.

Of course, there’s no such thing as a perfect move. It was hard to control the Whimsical Blade, so Feng Zhi had no way of multi-tasking and stabbing with the scabbard while piloting the sword. He could only wait for the balance to be disrupted and the uncontrolled wind force to veer the sword by itself before he could make his next step.

This meant that there was a time gap between the two moves.

Right as Lou Cheng’s flying kick landed on the scabbard, a white fist permeated from his palm, glimmering and pellucid, freezing the air currents soundlessly.

He was going to use the air as a medium for Lament of the Ice Queen.

The ice crystals stacked up. The tip of the sword, despite its remaining inertia and push from the wind, gradually slowed down and struggled to advance. Lou Cheng managed to dodge it in time.

Whoo!

With his move failing, Feng Zhi slipped away, turning into a black tornado whose top joined with the well-lit sky and whose bottom cracked the bluestone, like a hurricane in a documentary.

Lou Cheng, in the eye of the storm, felt a sharpness from the black tornado that felt like it was made from Feng Zhi’s sword light. He couldn’t take it lightly.

If he let the tornado close in on him, he would be ripped and shredded by ten thousand blades. Lou Cheng knew his opponent’s move was both a strong move and a psychological attack. First it would seek to disrupt his mind, then it would shred his body.

The Eighth Style of Wind Sect, Dark Disaster, Terrible Tornado!

What was scarier was the faint smell of blood in the wind that slowly ate away at Lou Cheng’s body.

The best thing for him to do was to blast the Five Flames and destroy the tornado with shockwaves from the explosion, so that Feng Zhi’s swirling, slashing longsword would show its form.

This was what Lou Cheng did. However, he made sure to preserve the golden and light blue fireball, and only combined three flames.

Bam! His left fist smashed forth, the three fireballs congregating into one and expanding.

The dazzling light tore through the darkness, illuminating the arena in a blinding white. The tumbling clouds disintegrated the tornado and created turbulence. The mighty explosion shook the ground, leaving a wide crater.

Lou Cheng’s clothes fluttered in the air, his senses at their minimal performance. However, without thinking, he half-turned and swung his right arm to his back.

Clang!

His fist landed accurately on the longsword emerging from the fire whirl, knocking it back.

This was partly enabled by his danger premonition, and partly thanks to his astute judgment. When the three flames congregated, the only place that wasn’t affected and allowed his opponent to strike was the area behind him.

Failing his sneak attack, Feng Zhi kicked forward and moved backwards. With the aid of the wind, he floated weightlessly, then hovered in the air surrounded by blue wind.

With his mastery of the Wind Sect secret arts, he could maintain flight for a period of time. This was an advantage he had over most Physical Invulnerability experts.

Whoosh!

Feng Zhi dove down like an eagle with the gales for wings, leaving blue light trails in the air with his longsword. Sometimes, he hovered high and sent sword light swirling down. Other times, he tried to corner his opponent with the sword light.

In that time, he moved freely and used the wind to gain altitude, without needing to rely on collision.

Swish, swish, swish! Lou Cheng blocked and evaded, using his golden and light blue fireball as a base to rapidly form more fireballs which he bombarded at his enemy.

However, Feng Zhi dodged his attacks gracefully, with a swiftness and agility that surpassed even birds.

Pompf! After throwing out a faint blue fireball, Lou Cheng lagged in his evasion. Two rays of sword light hit him in the back, slicing through his ice armor to leave a bloody gash.

Pom, pom, pom! For three whole minutes, he struggled like a trapped beast but couldn’t turn the tide because of his inability to fly. The wounds on his body were increasing. It seemed like only a matter of time before an inevitable defeat.

Another twenty seconds passed. Midair, Feng Zhi suddenly turned upside down. Using his longsword as a drill, he swept up a terrible, condensed tornado.

At the moment the tornado descended upon Lou Cheng, he curved his sword and sprang up once more, floating into the distance.

His flying ability was made possible by the use of force and secret arts from the Wind Sect, so he couldn’t maintain it for a prolonged amount of time and had to take a break every so often.

Of course, Feng Zhi was no fool, and he didn’t wait until he had used everything before taking a break. He always left spare energy to prevent an accident when he was in midair to prevent his movements from lagging. If that happened, he would be descend and fall prey to his opponent.

At this moment, light suddenly gathered in Lou Cheng’s eyes. Ignoring the approaching tornado, he used Force Concentration and channelled his Dan Force to his legs.

Bam! He sprang into the air, the ground cracking below him, surrounded by his golden, faint purple, and light blue fireballs as he launched himself at Feng Zhi like a cannonball.

He had endured and waited for this moment.

Among the Physical Invulnerability experts, it was widely-known that Feng Zhi couldn’t maintain his flight for long. However, only the Shushan Sect Mighty Ones who specialized in Fighting Sect secret arts seeked to punish this. This was because Feng Zhi would never be caught in his weakest state. Because it was his speciality, trying to capitalize on this weakness could very well end up backfiring and push them to the edge of defeat.

When Lou Cheng analyzed Feng Zhi’s fight footage, he astutely realized that this might be his only chance. Otherwise, he had no way to fight this opponent who had a gross advantage and was in his prime.

He wasn’t counting on Feng Zhi to be careless or overconfident, yet peace always dulls one’s senses, and he was fairly certain that Feng Zhi wouldn’t take extra precautions against a non-Shushan study enemy.

After all, no one has ever attempted it, right?

This is my chance!

If we’re talking about a short-duration flight, I can do it too!

It’s do or die!

Like a rocket blasting off, Lou Cheng whistled toward his opponent at great speed.

Seeing this, Feng Zhi’s eyes gleamed. The gales around him raged, letting him drift in the air. The sword in his hand went up, slashing at the enemy flying towards him.

Bam! Detonating the Emperor Yan Force within his body, Lou Cheng veered midair to avoid the blue sword light.

Whoosh! Impassive, Feng Zhi kept turning and slashing.

Bam, bam! Lou Cheng veered once more, closing in further.

The whistling of the wind became a howl as Feng Zhi flew up, as though he was supported by wires. The Heaven’s Equal Sword in his hand shimmered, chasing at his enemy who was at the end of his momentum and about to fall.

At that moment, faint blue flames shot out of Lou Cheng’s feet, incinerating his shoes and propelling him higher.

Counter Jet Spray, Blast Off!

Feng Zhi’s eyes gleamed. Half of the wind around him died. He whistled down.

Boom!

There was a sudden explosion. The golden fireball that Lou Cheng had been saving up earlier exploded and turned into raging shockwaves, wounding his back but pushing him forward at the same time.

Feng Zhi’s pupils shrunk, disintegrating all of the remaining blue wind as he moved horizontally and slashed out sword light.

Boom! Boom!

Light blue and faint purple exploded in succession, one to block the sword light and one to aid his veering.

The tumbling clouds split apart as Lou Cheng emerged from them, finally getting closer to Feng Zhi.

At this crucial moment, Feng Zhi’s martial arts suit bloated, as though he had generated a gale from the inside of his body. In an instant, he rose even higher.

Right as the audience felt sorry for Lou Cheng’s futile struggle, Lou Cheng’s body suddenly floated as though he was weightless. The flames below his feet burned madly, causing hot air to rise and cold air to sink.

The Ice Spirit dark void in his body symbolized the coldness of space, a silence without matter.

With a light tap of his feet, Lou Cheng sprang up and threw a left punch at Feng Zhi.

This time, Feng Zhi didn’t veer or maneuver. The longsword in hands gleamed and sliced down savagely.

His flight had reached its limit.

Lou Cheng snapped open his fist, knuckles cracking, as he grabbed at the blade and infused his Ice Spirit Force into it.

A layer of frost formed and extended towards Feng Zhi. At the same time, Lou Cheng’s right hand caught the scabbard whipping at him.

Bam, bam, bam! Bing, bang, boom!

Their legs went out in kicks, whips, punts, and taps, ceaselessly colliding at the same time.

As they fell, Lou Cheng used a Simplified Army Formula while Feng Zhi used Nature’s Wail as they launched assaults on the other’s minds simultaneously. A giddy look shone in both of their eyes, but neither had the liberty to adjust their conditions and prepare their ultimate abilities.

But for Lou Cheng, it was the best he could hope for.

That’s because the Ice Spirit Force he was injecting into Feng Zhi was affecting his movements, nullifying the Wind Force within his body. On the other hand, due to the equilibrium between Ice and Fire, the Fire Force within Lou Cheng’s body had been gradually building up.

Bam, bam, bam!

When they were about to land, Lou Cheng suddenly released the longsword and scabbard in his hands, dishing out two dense faint purple fireballs.

Boom!

The fireballs exploded, wounding Feng Zhi and tossing him into the air with the shockwaves. Lou Cheng, who had retracted his hands and hugged his body tightly, used the recoil to get an early landing. Without adjusting, he formed a hand seal and uttered,

“Formation!”

The air current contracted and shackled Feng Zhi who could no longer fly. He was at the end of his momentum, failing to free himself in time.

Bam! Concentrating his Qi and blood, Lou Cheng took the air once more, grabbing onto Feng Zhi who just broke free from confinement.

Boom!

As the dust settled, a crater could be seen, inside which laid Feng Zhi, barely conscious. With his last ounce of strength, Lou Cheng dropped onto him and put his elbow against his throat.

Clang!

His Heaven’s Equal Sword fell at the edge of the crater with tinkling noise.

The referee raised his right hand.

“Lou Cheng wins!”