Yi Shuiyan couldn’t believe it.
If Ling Chen possessed such good aptitude, his name would definitely be among the top five on the Newcomer List.
Thinking this, Yi Shuiyan’s expression turned serious as he looked at Ling Chen, his eyes suddenly filled with coldness. With a change in his knife technique, his attacks became sharper, infusing a more dangerous killing intent into his moves.
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out, and the steel knife Yi Shuiyan swung was parried. Focusing his eyes, Ling Chen now wielded not a sword but a steel rod—unknown when he switched—that not only blocked Yi Shuiyan’s attack but also increased the distance between them slightly.
"Quite a variety of tricks, let’s see how long you can hold on."
Yi Shuiyan sneered and swung his steel knife to close in again. However, Ling Chen, now armed with the steel rod, no longer stayed passive and instead took the initiative to attack. Leveraging the length of the steel rod, Ling Chen controlled the distance between them, making it difficult for Yi Shuiyan to get close.
As long as Yi Shuiyan couldn’t get close, his knife skills were halved in strength, greatly reducing their threat.
Yi Shuiyan frowned, trying repeatedly to break through the restraint of the steel rod. However, Ling Chen skillfully took advantage of timing, retreating as Yi Shuiyan advanced, always maintaining a two-meter distance, rendering Yi Shuiyan’s skills ineffective.
Seeing this, Yi Shuiyan stopped his attack, staring coldly at Ling Chen and said, "You think you can delay ?"
Ling Chen shrugged his shoulders, remaining silent.
"No matter how much you’ve improved, I’ll show you the gap between us."
As he spoke, Yi Shuiyan lifted his steel knife high, his eyes fierce. In his hand, the blade of the knife trembled slightly, highly unusual.
Seeing this, Qiu Yong and others’ pupils contracted, a worried expression spontaneously appearing on their faces. They knew what this meant: Yi Shuiyan was getting serious now, and it was uncertain whether Ling Chen could withstand it.
Suddenly, Yi Shuiyan roared, leaped high off the ground, no longer seeking a chance to close in but instead striking directly at the steel rod.
Accompanied by another crisp sound, Ling Chen’s expression suddenly changed. Under the steel knife’s attack, the steel rod trembled violently, making the base of his palm go numb and both arms bear the brunt of the power.
Such strong Inner Strength!
Ling Chen exclaimed inwardly. Previously, Yi Shuiyan relied solely on his knife techniques, but now he had truly shown his formidable power.
Clearly, Yi Shuiyan intended to use his profound Inner Strength foundation to crush his opponent and quickly determine the outcome.
Amidst these thoughts, the fierce knife wind struck again, and without any hesitation, Ling Chen swung his steel rod to meet it.
As their weapons collided, a surging force as relentless as tidal waves came wave after wave. Struck by that power, Ling Chen instantly lost his footing, continually retreating several steps, his arms sore and swollen.
Noticing Ling Chen’s slightly trembling arms, Yi Shuiyan sneered, lifting his steel knife high and persistently advancing, intending to completely break Ling Chen’s defense.
Watching Yi Shuiyan advancing relentlessly, Ling Chen’s eyes flickered, his sharp-featured face losing its earlier calm as a trace of anxiety gradually spread in his eyes.
Yi Shuiyan’s personal strength, combined with the display of his Inner Strength, was unstoppable like a force majeure. If this continued, he couldn’t hold on for much longer.
Capturing the worry in Ling Chen’s eyes, a hint of smugness appeared on Yi Shuiyan’s face.
In the face of absolute strength, all tactics were futile; this was the gap between him and Ling Chen, and also the confidence behind his challenge to a duel to the death.
As the steel knife came slashing down, Ling Chen, who had been continuously clashing hard, felt numbness in his tiger’s mouth, and his arms swelled up as if drained of strength. The steel staff slipped from his hands and fell to the ground, rolling to the edge of the platform.
The audience in the stands gently sighed, feeling pity for Ling Chen. The disparity between the two was too great; Ling Chen had no chance of winning, and it was impressive that he had managed to hold on for so long.
At that moment on the platform, seeing Ling Chen’s weapon fall, Yi Shuiyan didn’t hesitate and with his steel knife aimed straight for Ling Chen’s chopping down. Clearly, he intended to disable Ling Chen’s arms.
Seeing Yi Shuiyan striking mercilessly, aiming to severely injure Ling Chen, Qiu Yong immediately stood up from his seat and rushed towards the platform. However, before he could ascend the platform, Zhu Jin of the Dangyang Sect had already made a move, blocking Qiu Yong’s path.
"Get out of the way!" Qiu Yong shouted coldly.
"Qiu Yong, a deal was made beforehand, regardless of life or death, everyone present can testify. The ’Eight Eccentrics’ always keep their word; are you trying to break this rule?"
Qiu Yong hadn’t finished speaking when suddenly a burst of exclamations erupted from the crowd. He quickly turned his head, peering past Zhu Jin’s shoulders towards the platform, just to see Ling Chen awkwardly dodging Yi Shuiyan’s steel knife.
Seeing this, Qiu Yong breathed a sigh of relief. However, seeing the aggressive Yi Shuiyan, Qiu Yong couldn’t help but worry about Ling Chen’s safety. He couldn’t be sure if Ling Chen would be lucky enough to dodge the next strike.
Thinking this, he clenched his teeth, determined to bring Ling Chen down from the platform unharmed, even at the cost of breaking his promise, to prevent him from being severely injured by Yi Shuiyan.
"Zhu Jin, we concede this fight, let me pass."
Hearing this, Zhu Jin sneered, "Qiu Yong, you are not Ling Chen. He hasn’t conceded, what right do you have to make decisions for him?"
"Fine! Then I want to see how you’ll stop me."
Just as Qiu Yong was about to make his move, he suddenly heard Ling Chen’s breathless voice coming from the platform.
"Big brother, step back, I’ll handle this myself."
Qiu Yong anxiously said, "Ling Cheng."
"Big brother..." Ling Chen turned to look at Qiu Yong, and with a slight smile and a firm look in his eyes, he said, "Trust me, nothing will happen." After saying that, Ling Chen turned his gaze back to Yi Shuiyan on the platform, his face unexpectedly showing a faint smile.
"You made a very serious mistake," Ling Chen muttered to himself, "You shouldn’t have proposed a fight to the death."
Yi Shuiyan scoffed, "I don’t think so, do you really think you still have a chance to resist?"
"Until the last moment, who knows what might happen?" As he spoke, Ling Chen reached into his clothes.
Seeing his action, the audience in the stands immediately widened their eyes, curiously watching Ling Chen.
Planning to use that move again?
The technique Ling Chen used against Shi Yong was still fresh in everyone’s memory. If he used that technique, maybe Ling Chen really would have a chance to turn defeat into victory.
"Do you think the same trick will work on me?" Yi Shuiyan scoffed, dismissive. He admitted Ling Chen’s technique was impressive, but he had already studied how to counter it and was not afraid at all.
Should Ling Chen dare to use that move, he would ensure Ling Chen suffered an even worse defeat.
As Ling Chen’s hand came out from his clothes, to everyone’s surprise, he held not a dagger.