Chapter 720: Chapter 725: Battle with Tong Nan (2)
Using the Yanyue Blade, a weapon with a long handle, was an intentional choice by Ling Chen. Tong Nan was a master of the Earthly List, and every master on the Earthly List was proficient in the Hua Realm, capable of injuring someone from a distance of one meter without physical contact. Therefore, Ling Chen had to use a long weapon to increase the distance between them, preventing Tong Nan from getting the chance to close in.
Wielding the Yanyue Blade, Ling Chen whipped it around with a windstorm-like ferocity, the harsh blade edge forcing Tong Nan closer and closer. In just a short while, Tong Nan was pushed to the edge of the arena. One more step, and he would tumble off. Seeing this, Tong Nan snorted coldly, his toes thrusting forcefully off the ground; he leaped over the incoming Yanyue Blade and landed in front of a rack of weapons.
By the time Ling Chen reacted, Tong Nan had already picked up two scimitars.
"I’d like to see just how long you can hold on," Tong Nan sneered menacingly, his legs coordinating with his waist to leap high off the ground. Mid-air, Tong Nan twisted his waist, initiating a spin that brought his body around, the scimitars in his hands extended straight out like a whirligig, chopping down one stroke after another.
Facing the fierce whirlwind of blade edges, Ling Chen retreated swiftly, raising the Yanyue Blade overhead, using its long handle to fend off the scimitar attacks.
Clang clang!
For a moment, the two scimitars continuously chopped down on the shaft of the Yanyue Blade, emitting sharp, clear sounds, each strike faster and more ruthless than the last. In the blink of an eye, Tong Nan wielded the scimitars, delivering over twenty successive chops, each packed with immense power, forcing Ling Chen to retreat step by step, unable to even stand steadily.
Most fortunate was that the shaft of the Yanyue Blade was made of pure steel, incredibly sturdy. If it were just an ordinary wooden one, it would have likely snapped long ago.
Seeing that Tong Nan had no intention of stopping, Ling Chen suddenly sensed trouble. At this moment, he was less than two meters from the edge of the arena, and if this continued, Tong Nan would eventually force him off. However, Tong Nan’s strength was far superior to his own, so if Ling Chen couldn’t find a way to neutralize the attacks, defeat was only a matter of time.
"Alas, what a pity!"
At this time, the crowd watching below shook their heads and sighed quietly upon seeing Ling Chen at a disadvantage. They were not worried about Ling Chen’s precarious situation, but rather felt it was a shame for Su He. Even though Ling Chen was Su He’s disciple, his strength was too weak, not even reaching the realm of the Earthly List. Regardless of how adept his techniques were, the gap in strength was there and not something that techniques could compensate for.
Moreover, Tong Nan was not a novice on the Earthly List. With his current strength, he could be ranked at least ninth on the Earthly List, having long mastered the use of the Hua Realm. Therefore, after witnessing Ling Chen’s capabilities, the crowd did not have high hopes for him.
"Tch! Elder Su may be formidable, but his eye for choosing disciples is truly poor. I don’t understand what he’s thinking, taking in Ling Chen as a disciple and allowing him to come to the Yangxin Pavilion. Could it be that Elder Su isn’t worried about Ling Chen completely ruining his reputation?"
Up in the stands, Huang Zheng jeered sarcastically.
Du Kang covered the wine gourd in his hand and spoke indifferently, "Elder Su’s realm is not something you can compare to. Besides, do you think he cares about those superficial honors? Since he dared to bring Ling Chen here, it shows that he doesn’t care about others’ opinions." Pausing for a moment, Du Kang continued, "In fact, Elder Su’s purpose in bringing Ling Chen here was not to compete for the Nine Elements Pill, but to train his own disciple, to give him the opportunity to spar with masters of the Earthly List. As martial artists, it is only through occasional defeats that one can make greater progress."
Hearing these words, Liang Tian replied with a smirk that was neither friendly nor sincere, "Elder Du, are you referring to your disciple Yang Tao? To be honest, I rather admire you. A loss is a loss; why bother looking for so many excuses? We’ve all known each other for so long, and no one will laugh at you. Don’t you think?"
"Making a joke about me?" Du Kang shook his head and smiled: "Do you think I care? Elder Liang, you should talk less. If you ask me, you should hurry up and find yourself a disciple, so as not to have no one to succeed your skills."
Having said that, Du Kang looked at Ling Chen and Tong Nan fighting on the stage, and said no more. In fact, his reason for saying so much just now wasn’t to save face for himself, but to preserve Elder Su’s dignity.
Ling Chen is a master from the Dragon List, while Tong Nan is from the Earthly List. The gap in their abilities is evident to anyone. Even Du Kang himself didn’t have much confidence in Ling Chen. Hence, by saying all those words beforehand, if Ling Chen were to lose, it would also save some face for Elder Su.
At this moment, Ling Chen was in a precarious position on the stage, less than half a meter from the edge, at any moment in danger of falling off.
Seeing this situation, Ling Chen suddenly pushed off with his legs and leaped backwards. Upon seeing his move, everyone was stunned. The spot where Ling Chen was positioned was already at the very edge of the stage, and this leap seemed to take him out of the bounds of the stage. Could it be... that Ling Chen knew he was no match for Tong Nan and chose to give up?
Just when everyone was puzzled, Ling Chen, who had jumped out of the stage, suddenly swung the Yanyue Blade in his hand and stabbed fiercely forward, the sharp tip directly piercing into the floor of the stage. Immediately after, he gripped the pole with both hands, vigorously rotated his body, and leaped onto the other side of the stage. Then he landed steadily, successfully avoiding Tong Nan’s line of attack.
*Tsk, tsk!*
Everyone silently nodded, praising Ling Chen’s adaptability. They had thought he was about to give up, but didn’t expect him to use such a method to dodge Tong Nan’s offensive and seize a sliver of opportunity for himself.
"Hmph!" Tong Nan gave a cold laugh, his eyes cynically fixed on Ling Chen as he said contemptuously, "You can avoid the first day, but not the fifteenth. Ling Chen, you might as well give up gracefully, don’t waste your energy, you are no match for me."
Ling Chen flicked his wrist, raising the Yanyue Blade slightly, its blade pointing straight at Tong Nan, his expression indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard Tong Nan’s words.
Seeing Ling Chen unmoved, Tong Nan’s expression cooled, and he shouted, "Get down from here!"
The instant the words fell, Tong Nan’s toes touched the ground repeatedly, moving at a breakneck speed, like a rushing gust of wind, and in a moment, he was right in front of Ling Chen, his curved blade chopping straight down at Ling Chen’s head.
The blade wind neared, and Ling Chen still stood his ground, not moving an inch, like a solid rock, unswayed by the blustering wind and rain.
Two meters... one meter... half a meter...
Watching the curved blade rapidly enlarge before his eyes, Ling Chen, who stood still, suddenly jumped up from his spot. At the same time, he loosened his grip on the Yanyue Blade, letting it drop to the ground with a ’clang’ sound.
Without the weight of the Yanyue Blade, Ling Chen’s body instantly jumped over a meter high. Before Tong Nan could change his move, Ling Chen’s toes tapped on the blade of the curved sword, using it to push himself up again, his body rising to a height of two meters.
Upon reaching the highest point, Ling Chen twisted his waist, his head and feet immediately swapped positions, and his fists came thundering down from the sky, aiming straight for Tong Nan’s head.