Chapter 865: Bell Versus Li Tangxin
Up on stage, Bell was staring at Li Tangxin, who was stretching her arms and legs, readying herself to fight. Bell watched as she finished her stretches and then stood straight up and gazed at her. "Bell, we may be from the same sect, and you also may be Kana"s daughter, and well, I can probably not beat you at all, but I still plan to go all out. Do not show me mercy either. I do not wish to fight a meaningless fight. I want to see how far I have truly come."
"If that is what you wish, then I will not hold back. Be prepared." Bell replied with a smile. She would not treat someone who was her Mama"s friend rudely by not giving her a proper battle.
Sect master Tian walked onto the stage and looked at the two girls. He never thought that not only did Kana"s children and grandchildren make it this far but also two other disciples from Moon Crest Academy as well. He could only sigh. His own sect only had one person left, and that person was going up against Kana"s grandson, who really liked punching people until they bled.
Just thinking about it gave sect master Tian a headache. "Battle start!" Sect master Tian quickly jumped off the stage. It was a good thing he did because a blur pa.s.sed right past the spot he was standing.
Li Tangxin chuckled inwardly as she saw Bell disappear. She knew this was not going to be an easy battle but still. She readied her sword and tried to feel her surroundings. It was only when she felt a slight change in the air to her left that she moved. Her sword swung to the left, and the sound of metal against metal reverberated across the stage. Bell looked at Li Tangxin with a big smile as she said: "Good! Let"s see just how far you have grown."
Li Tangxin was unable to even move from where she stood. She could only spin around in a circle, blocking attack after attack. Bell was just too fast. If it was not for her keen sense of detecting the change in air currents, she would have already completely lost this battle. But she was still smiling. This was because she was actually able to block the attacks that were slamming down on her. Each attack, one after the other, was fast and fierce. Each one also aimed for a lethal point.
At this moment, Li Tangxin was thankful to Bell for not showing her mercy and treating her like a real opponent. For any cultivator who was trying to better themselves, it hurts their pride when someone goes easy on them. But Li Tang Xin knew that Bell was actually only using the power that was a few steps above her own. Li Tangxin did not mind this because otherwise, it would be an utter defeat, and she would not be able to find out just how strong she had come.
This kind of treatment was not looking down on her, but evening the playing field as no training could be found against an opponent that was too strong. But still, Li Tangxin wanted more than this. She wanted to stop defending and actually try to get a strike in if possible.
Bell had kept the speed of someone who was about three times stronger than her. It was just enough to keep her on her toes without overdoing it. Li Tangxin closed her eyes. She wanted to tune out the crowd. She wanted to tune out what was in front of her. Her eyes couldn"t follow Bell in the first place, so they were useless in this situation.
Soon Li Tangxin fell into a kind of trance. She could feel the air around her. She could feel the ever-so-subtle vibration in the stage with each step Bell took. It was so faint that unless you were in Li Tangxin"s current state, you would never feel it. Her mind came to show a silhouette of a young woman moving at an incredible speed. Each step she took, it was as if her figure instantly transferred to another spot.
She watched as the sword of the silhouette thrust at her throat. She raised her own sword and easily parried it. But the figure quickly jumped back and returned back to running circles around her. Li Tnagxin, at this moment, was trying to find an opening. A pattern, anything that could give her a chance to get a single strike in. As the seconds pa.s.sed and many blocks later. Li Tangxin suddenly noticed a small insignificant opening when Bell attacked. She just had to wait for the right moment.
One attack, two attacks, three attacks, and twenty attacks later, Li Tangxin was still unable to get a strike in due to how Bell attacked her. She still had to defend and could make no room for a counterattack. LI Tangxin wondered if Bell knew about her own opening, and this was why she quickly retreated with each failed attack. If this was the case, then she would need to move her body before Bell"s attack reached her to give her no time to retreat.
The battle continued on for another twenty minutes when suddenly Li Tangxin seemed to have leaned the wrong way. Bell, who was going for the final strike, continued to follow through in hopes of quickly ending the match, but to her surprise, Li Tangxin, who still had her eyes closed, suddenly bent all the way back, causing Bell"s thrust to miss. Li Tangxin"s hand then suddenly grabbed Bell"s wrist and, with a swift kick to her legs, knocked Bell off balance, causing her to have to spin her body around and block the incoming sword attack. At that moment, as the metal against metal rang throughout the battle stage Li Tangxin opened up her eyes with a bright smile. "I give up."
These words came, and a gust of air caused her hair to flutter in the wind generated by the foot that was only centimeters away from her face. Bell put her foot down and looked at Li Tangxin with a big smile. "That last attack was perfect. If I did not have a flexible body, I would have lost for sure."
"I was only going in for the one strike. I already knew I was going to lose. It was just a matter of time. But I wanted to get at least one counterattack in, and I was able to get two. I am satisfied with this outcome."