NOVEL SIMPLE 016
"You want to challenge me?"
Hearing Tang San's words, Lin Ye furrowed his brow, feeling a bit surprised.
But as he glanced at Tang San, recalling how easily Tang San worked the forge, demonstrating his strength, Lin Ye's long-held suspicions about whether Tang San practiced martial arts resurfaced. After only a moment's consideration, Lin Ye decided to agree.
"Alright. I accept. When do you want to do it?"
"A month from now." Tang San took a deep breath, glancing at the iron lump on his anvil, now forged into a disc, and replied in a determined tone.
"Fine! One month it is."
______
A month quickly passed.
On this day, the morning sun rose in a fiery blaze, painting the sky with hues of red and gold.
At the foot of the Holy Soul Village's back mountain, halfway up the slope, Lin Ye stood under a few large trees, gripping a long sword. His eyes were shut tight, as though he were feeling the pulse of something around him.
Suddenly, a light breeze stirred the trees, causing a flurry of leaves to cascade down from above.
Sensing the falling leaves, Lin Ye abruptly opened his eyes. With a swift movement, he swung his sword.
Swish!
With a sharp whistle, a flash of silver light streaked through the air. Lin Ye's sword pierced clean through a falling leaf.
Then, his eyes gleaming, he shifted his stance, and his right hand moved with lightning speed, the sword darting out repeatedly.
Amidst the whistling of the sword, flashes of light flickered in the air. In just a few breaths, as the sword's movements ceased, Lin Ye's blade was adorned with a string of leaves skewered along its length.
"Hah…"
Finishing his practice, Lin Ye shook off the leaves from his sword, sheathed it, and exhaled deeply.
In swordsmanship, the most fundamental and crucial aspect is vision. And piercing falling leaves is one of the most effective ways to train it. After nearly two months of such practice, Lin Ye's eyesight had met the necessary standard.
With this foundation established, Lin Ye had now also begun to grasp the basics of the Dugu Nine Swords. Though he hadn't fully mastered the technique, he could already proficiently wield all nine forms of the Dugu Nine Swords.
Just as Lin Ye finished his practice, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps from the base of the mountain.
Moments later, a young boy in simple linen clothes came jogging up. It was none other than Tang San.
"A month has passed. Are you ready?" Lin Ye asked calmly, sheathing his sword and stepping forward as Tang San drew near.
"I'm ready " Tang San replied, his tone serious. He instinctively touched the iron ring on his wrist.
"Good! Let's begin now." Lin Ye said, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Lin Ye, you're not using your sword?" Tang San asked, surprised to see Lin Ye had already put his sword back into the wooden scabbard on his back, showing no intention of using it.
"Since you don't have a weapon, I won't use mine either. I don't want to win unfairly," Lin Ye responded with a casual smile, shaking his head.
Hearing this, Tang San's furrowed brows relaxed, and he thought to himself, I almost forgot. Lin Ye doesn't know about my hidden weapons.
However, since this is a duel, and I wasn't planning on using my hidden weapons anyway, we'll just settle this with pure martial arts.
Tang San's eyes grew more focused.
"Let's start then!"
With that, Lin Ye took a few steps back, and Tang San did the same. The two of them naturally left a distance of about ten meters between each other.
Boom!
As the duel began, Tang San, as the challenger, took the initiative. His foot slammed into the ground with a dull thud, propelling him forward with explosive force. His right fist clenched tightly as he threw a punch straight toward Lin Ye's face.
But even as Tang San's fist hurtled toward him, Lin Ye remained calm, almost indifferent.
Just as the punch was about to land, Lin Ye moved with the grace of a feather caught in the wind. He sidestepped effortlessly, his body drifting backward, and in the same motion, he knocked Tang San's punch away with a swift counter.
Seeing how Lin Ye handled his attack with such ease, Tang San's expression turned serious. Letting out a low grunt, he immediately threw another punch with his other hand while simultaneously aiming a quick kick at Lin Ye's abdomen with his right foot.
But once again, Lin Ye's figure seemed to dance, dodging with fluid precision. With a quick flick of his wrist, he deflected Tang San's attacks without retaliating.
"How is this possible?"
Tang San's disbelief grew as he attacked relentlessly. His strikes weren't slow, so how was Lin Ye able to dodge them all so effortlessly? Could Lin Ye have already seen through his moves?
"I don't believe it."
Gritting his teeth, Tang San decided to up his game. In an instant, his speed increased severalfold, his body blurring into a shadowy figure as he used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track technique.
Initially, Tang San had been attacking from a single direction. But now, with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he launched an attack from in front of Lin Ye, then instantly reappeared behind him, delivering another strike.
Seeing Tang San's sudden burst of speed, Lin Ye finally became serious.
Phoenix Dance of Six Illusions, which he had been using only for evasion, was now fully activated. Lin Ye unleashed his own speed, which was no less than Tang San's, and began to meet Tang San's strikes head-on, exchanging blows.
The two figures danced across the open grassy field, one moment clashing near a sea of flowers, the next beneath a towering tree. Their silhouettes collided repeatedly, moving at breakneck speeds.
However, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was a footwork technique designed to be used in tandem with hidden weapons. Since hidden weapons are meant to be lethal with a single strike, the technique didn't require endurance.
Thus, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track sacrificed stamina for bursts of agility and flexibility. Compared to Lin Ye's Phoenix Dance of Six Illusions, it couldn't match up in terms of speed or endurance.
As time passed, Lin Ye, now taking the fight seriously, began to shift the momentum. Tang San, who had been on the offensive, found himself gradually forced into a defensive stance.
At first, the fight had been evenly matched, but as Tang San's body started to wear down from the prolonged use of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he began to struggle.
Now, to keep up with Lin Ye's relentless attacks, Tang San had to activate his Purple Demon Eye technique in conjunction with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track just to hold his ground.
"This won't do I need to end this quickly."
Realizing the tide was turning against him, and that defeat was looming, Tang San weighed his options and made a decisive choice.
"I'll have to use Mysterious Heaven Skill now. With Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Purple Demon Eye, I'll combine them with my Profound Jade Hand for one final strike. If I fail, I'll admit defeat."
Having no other options, Tang San resolved to put everything on the line for a decisive blow.
After exchanging another flurry of blows with Lin Ye, Tang San leaped back several meters.
In that moment, Tang San gathered all of the remaining inner strength from his Mysterious Heaven Skill, activating his Profound Jade Hand. Simultaneously, his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Purple Demon Eye reached their peak.
"One strike to decide it all."
With a low shout, Tang San surged forward like a shadow. His Purple Demon Eye glowed with a sharp, violet light, while his right hand, now gleaming like white jade, pulsed with an overwhelming force.
As he closed in, he swung his fist, heavy with the power of Profound Jade Hand, straight toward Lin Ye.
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