Chapter 275: What a huge hole
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
If they had to choose between Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu for the top spot, almost 80% of the officials would choose Yan Xiu.
The reason was simple.
Yan Xiu was from an influential family.
Naturally, Yan Xiu knew the rules of the court and the politics that were played within it.
Throughout history, there have always been battles between those of power and the commoners.
However, in the Great Xia Dynasty, none of these battles were intense. Those who came from the influential families often stood a great advantage.
After all, the empire was now flouris.h.i.+ng after many generations. The initial difficult phase was long over.
Now...
All the officials wanted was to maximise their gains, make a name for their family, and have their children inherit their post.
They simply could not accept a commoner entering the courts and disrupting the proceedings. At the very least, the commoner could not rise too high!
Fang Zhengzhi did not know what the officials were thinking.
He was more concerned about the two whirlpools under Yan Xiu’s feet. Furthermore, he wanted to know why Yan Xiu could damage the stage this way without a weapon.
Should he ask?
Fang Zhengzhi knew that if he asked Yan Xiu now, Yan Xiu would definitely tell him. However, they were in a duel. Since Yan Xiu didn’t want to say, he would not ask.
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi could see that Yan Xiu was in pain.
This meant that it was difficult for Yan Xiu to maintain this state. From this, Fang Zhengzhi a.s.sessed that he had learnt a technique to raise his power in a short period of time.
A moment of revelation.
Fang Zhengzhi knew that the best way was to drag the fight out. Apart from that, he had to waste Yan Xiu’s energy...
He couldn’t use the Traceless Sword. As such, some of the techniques he learnt at the Ice Wall could not be applied. He would have to make do with a lightsword.
Fang Zhengzhi leapt into action.
Before Yan Xiu could act, he threw out a jade green lightsword.
"One becomes two, two becomes three, three becomes millions, and it would keep going on!"
Fang Zhengzhi had seen Chi Guyan use this to block countless spears. Even though he did not think he was as adept as Chi Guyan, but...
He guessed that it could block an attack from Yan Xiu.
He thought that way, but he honestly had no idea.
Yan Xiu’s eyes glowed as the pain he felt became more intense. His legs seemed to sink even deeper into the whirlpool.
However, Yan Xiu did not seem to mind.
He had seen Fang Zhengzhi use this technique previously. He was not too surprised by it. That being said, the top secret technique of the Divine Constabulary was a powerful one.
It’s strength lay in its lack of a weakness.
It was the strongest possible defence.
No matter how fast one was, one could not be faster than a lightsword. As ohne tried to go around the lightsword, one would be swallowed by even more lightswords.
Once one was entangled, the only course of action was to charge.
When faced with the endless Million Sword Ill.u.s.tration, charging was a nightmare.
Yan Xiu chose to charge, but he charged in a slightly abnormal way.
When Fang Zhengzhi released his lightsword, Yan Xiu leapt into action. He went behind FanG Zhengzhi and drew a symbol with his right hand.
A thin pale red glow appeared.
It flew towards Fang Zhengzhi.
"Boom!"
Without any surprise, the pale red light clashed with the jade green lightsword.
Soon after, the lightsword exploded into a net of lightswords, the lightswords flying around inside it.
"I blocked it?" Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened. Just as he was about to compliment the technique, he realized that Yan Xiu had no intention of stopping.
Yan Xiu went behind him once again.
His speed was unimaginably quick.
At that moment, yet another pale red glow appeared.
Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. He reflexively threw out yet another lightsword. This lightsword may be able to break up into many pieces...
However, each piece was smaller than the previous one.
Furthermore...
Time was needed for these small lightswords to reform back into the one large lightsword.
Fang Zhengzhi did not fully understand everything about this technique. After all, he had just learnt it hours ago.
He could not have the lightswords form a giant net in the blink of an eye like Chi Guyan could.
Yan Xiu chose a point where Fang Zhengzhi could not block with his lightsword net. In order to block Yan Xiu’s attack, his only choice was to use yet another lightsword.
After the new lightsword left his hand...
It clashed together with the pale red glow. It immediately shattered and turned into a lightsword net.
However, at this point.
Yan Xiu had already taken up a new position. He fired yet another pale red glow.
Fang Zhengzhi finally understood what was going on.
Yan Xiu was using his speed advantage to run circles around Fang Zhengzhi. This way, Fang Zhengzhi had no other choice but defend.
But...
Was that all?
Fang Zhengzhi could not read Yan Xiu’s mind. However, Fang Zhengzhi did not like the feeling of being beaten. He liked to take the initiative.
That being said, he didn’t have much of a choice now.
The third lightsword left his hand.
...
Below the stage, all of the officials smiled as they watched red disc after red disc clash with the green lightswords.
"He is using his speed to get into favorable positions. Fang Zhengzhi cannot do anything but defend. I did not expect Yan Xiu to display such maturity."
"Mm, the Yan Family has always been strict. Having grown up in that environment, Yan Xiu is definitely extraordinary."
"He is able to showcase such powerful abilities at 16."
All of the officials commented as they watched the battle.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping glanced at Crown Prince Lin Tianrong, almost as if he was asking for an opinion.
Lin Tianrong squinted, playing with the jade in his hand. When he saw Yu Yiping’s gaze, he nodded slightly and turned to a youth behind him.
That was a youth in rank four official robes. He was no more than 30 years old. Ordinarily, he would not be standing behind Crown Prince Lin Tianrong.
But, he was there.
His name was Su Qing, Lin Tianrong’s new favorite.
"I understand!" Su Qing replied when he saw the Crown Prince’s gaze.
Lin Tianrong nodded. He knew about the friends.h.i.+p between Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi. However, he did not have to think about that as the Crown Prince.
All he needed to do was tell Su Qing what he wanted to do.
Then, he did not have to care how Su Qing got it done. As long as he did.
Su Qing also knew of the friends.h.i.+p between Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi. However, when the Crown Prince tasked him to do this, all he could do was nod and think of a plan.
That was what a strategist was supposed to do.
King Duan continued to look at Yan Xiu. However, he did not make any moves. He was more concerned by another question.
Why hasn’t Fang Zhengzhi drew his sword?!
No!
He definitely will. The time is simply not ripe yet.
King Duan a.s.sured himself as he glanced at Ping Yang, who was nearby.
Ping Yang looked extremely nervous. She gripped her skirt tightly as she stared at the battle on stage, unblinking.
She continued to mutter to herself.
"Is he really going to lose? Think of something! Use a trick! Aren’t you always very smart? Why have you become dumb all of a sudden?!"
...
Yan Xiu kept up the attacks and Fang Zhengzhi had no other choice but to defend. The atmosphere became tense as everyone waited for the result.
Fang Zhengzhi was not in a good place now.
When he was blocking Yan Xiu’s attacks, he realized something quite serious.
The more lightswords he had to use, the slower they became. Furthermore, controlling them was increasingly tiring.
"I see!" Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why Yan Xiu would use such a method of offense.
However, he could not understand why Yan Xiu could keep this up for so long?
Could it be that this technique was not just a temporary spike in power? Then why was he in so much pain? More importantly, why did such a technique exist?
This did not make any sense!
If this was a long term increase in power, that would make the user invincible! Why was Yan Xiu the only person using it?
Fang Zhengzhi did not understand this.
At that very moment...
An icy gust of wind rang out by his ear.
"What the h.e.l.l?" Fang Zhengzhi leaned backwards. The wind seemed to brush past his face. Then, a crack appeared just beneath his feet.
It was a good thing his face was untouched!
Fang Zhengzhi heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced in the direction of the attack.
The story was not over.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to curse.
What the f*ck!
Such a huge hole!
He had no idea whether he was hallucinating, or if there was an actual hole. Either way, there was a gaping hole in the sword net to Fang Zhengzhi’s left.
Just as he was about to mend it with his energy, he heard a gust of wind to his right.
"G.o.d d.a.m.n it!" Fang Zhengzhi realized that his sword net was broken. Furthermore, it was being broken from all sides.
I thought this was just a temporary buff?
Why is he just as strong even after five minutes of intense battle?
Fang Zhengzhi felt that it was time to change his strategy. However, Yan Xiu did not give him much time to think.
After the wind attacks...
Yan Xiu arrived next to Fang Zhengzhi.
They were less than a meter apart. Fang Zhengzhi could clearly see the beads of sweat on Yan Xiu’s forehead, as well as the two pale red whirlpools beneath his feet.
A strange feeling rose in his heart.
Fang Zhengzhi felt like there was a familiar aura from the whirlpools. He had felt this somewhere before.
But where?
Fang Zhengzhi could not recall.
In all honesty, he did not have much time to think either. Yan Xiu had already begun his attacks. Every swipe was quick and vicious.
"Kacha!"
Fang Zhengzhi’s sleeve was sliced once again when he dodged a little more slowly.
His short sleeved s.h.i.+rt was about to be sliced into a singlet.
For the first time, Fang Zhengzhi was being embarra.s.sed on stage. Furthermore, the person embarra.s.sing him was none other than Yan Xiu.
"Secret Weapon!"
At such a critical moment, Fang Zhengzhi had no choice but to use his secret weapon.
In that instant, the entire sky exploded in a ball of light. All sorts of weapons were thrown out into the sky.
However...
It was no f*cking use.
Yan Xiu seemed to have predicted that Fang Zhengzhi would do that. A faint red glow immediately appeared in front of him.
All of those cheap weapons fell to the ground. They were of absolutely no threat.
Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze froze. He knew that these weapons would not cause any harm to Yan Xiu. However, he wanted to buy some time.
He wanted to push Yan Xiu back and give himself some breathing s.p.a.ce.
However, the ease with which Yan Xiu blocked the attack made him unsettled.
He had seen this before.
Xing Hou had done something similar back at the Divine Constabulary. All of his secret weapons were of no use.
And now...
Yan Xiu was using a similar technique.
What in the world is going on?!
In that moment, Fang Zhengzhi thought about the battle between Xing Yuanguo and Bai Xing in The Vast World. At that time, Xing Yuanguo was surrounded by a dense purple glow.
Bai Xing was surrounded by a silver light.
"Could it be..." Fang Zhengzhi looked at the pale red whirlpool beneath Yan Xiu’s feet. He suddenly thought of a nearly impossible idea.
Even though he did not want to admit it, he thought that there was a 50% chance that it was true.
No way?
If that was the case, I doubt we can still play in the future?