Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Narrow Victory

All eyes were on them.

Chu Lingguang and Lin Longde entered the arena together.

Chu Lingguang had repeatedly gained the upper hand on the way here, but Lin Longde’s Life-taking Linked Spear was formidable. He had learned the technique from an old Military General. And while his forms in the first round of the Spear Technique demonstration were not yet at Perfection, the power of his Life-taking Linked Spear was there for everyone to see.

No one dared to underestimate him.

Yan Chengdu watched the two of them.

’I never would have thought Chu Lingguang and Lin Longde would be the last two standing in the Spear Technique trial,’ he thought. ’All the Noble Family Descendants have been pushed out of the top ranks.’

’They all say the Martial Arts Examination in South City is of high quality.’

’What a load of bullshit that turned out to be.’

“Ready!”

“Begin!”

The examiner’s voice rang out as he struck a gong.

Hearing the command, Chu Lingguang ran toward the forest of training posts.

Lin Longde’s Life-taking Linked Spear was astonishingly powerful, but its accuracy was far inferior to his own. By fighting within the training posts, Chu Lingguang could press his advantage.

“Hmph!”

Lin Longde saw through Chu Lingguang’s plan and executed a lunging downward thrust, trying to block his path.

Chu Lingguang countered with a Retreating Spear. As their spearheads clashed, he borrowed Lin Longde’s momentum to swiftly move into the forest of posts.

CRACK!

Lin Longde’s Long Spear snapped a wooden post in half. He followed up with a Flower Dance Spear, thrusting at Chu Lingguang’s upper body.

Chu Lingguang didn’t meet the attack head-on, instead using the posts to dodge and weave. One after another, the posts before him were either snapped by Lin Longde’s Long Spear or sent flying.

Finally, Lin Longde’s spear pierced through three posts in a single thrust, aiming for Chu Lingguang’s abdomen.

Chu Lingguang blocked again.

His spear shaft collided with Lin Longde’s spearhead, and a powerful force traveled through it. Chu Lingguang managed to hold his ground but was inwardly astonished. ’To think that even after piercing three wooden posts, the spear’s momentum is still this strong!’

CRASH!

Lin Longde shook his Long Spear, and the three impaled posts shattered.

With the posts destroyed, a clearing finally opened up. Lin Longde immediately unleashed his Life-taking Linked Spear, thrusting rapidly at Chu Lingguang’s upper and lower body.

To Chu Lingguang, Lin Longde’s Long Spear felt like a dozen Poisonous Snakes striking at him relentlessly. The afterimages of the spear moved with extreme speed.

His Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques had reached Perfection, and his Qi Power was greater than Lin Longde’s. Yet, faced with this relentless, Shadow-Following Form of Spear Technique, he was momentarily thrown into disarray.

It felt as if his defensive barrier could be pierced by Lin Longde at any moment.

At the critical moment.

Chu Lingguang finally found an opportunity to use the second level of Skillful Force: Coil and Penetrate.

His Skillful Force had reached Perfection.

The second level of power had long since been activated.

The power of this Coil and Penetrate far exceeded Lin Longde’s own.

Relying on this coiling and penetrating power, Chu Lingguang finally felt Lin Longde’s Spear Technique slow down, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

“Hmm?”

Lin Longde sensed that something was wrong.

When his Long Spear clashed with Chu Lingguang’s, a suction-like force seemed to latch onto his own weapon. On top of that, a numbing power surged into his arm.

Having already cultivated the second level of Skillful Force himself, he could naturally tell that Chu Lingguang’s control over this power far surpassed his own.

He couldn’t let his Spear Technique slow down.

If he was no longer faster than Chu Lingguang, the Life-taking Linked Spear would lose its deadly power. So, he stomped his right foot hard, unleashing a burst of energy from his Power Transfer Method. He thrust his Long Spear, and empowered by this surge, he finally broke free of Chu Lingguang’s coiling force, even managing to knock Chu Lingguang’s spear aside.

Chu Lingguang was stunned. ’Lin Longde is a disciple from a local family in South City and was taught by an old Military General; of course he would have learned a Power Transfer Method. Although it might not be as good as Yan Chengdu’s Overlapping Wave Power Method, this sudden burst of power caught me completely off guard.’

Seeing that his opponent’s Spear Technique was about to become as swift and fierce as before, Chu Lingguang realized that staying on the defensive would be dangerous.

So, he threw caution to the wind.

He swung his Long Spear back and brought it slashing down at Lin Longde, seizing the initiative.

He applied the Borrowing Power Method from his Continuous Slash Saber Technique to his Long Spear, unleashing a series of sweeping slashes, each one stronger than the last.

However, with the Continuous Slash Saber Technique, the fifth slash would have a powerful stacking effect, granting it terrifying Attack Power but also completely draining Chu Lingguang’s Qi Power.

But now, Chu Lingguang was only applying the principle of the Borrowing Power Method to his Spear Technique; he couldn’t make the fifth spear strike’s power skyrocket in the same way.

But precisely because of this, he could perform his sweeping slashes in wave after wave. It was as if there was no limit; as long as he had enough Qi Power, he could keep applying the principle of Borrowing Power and continue his sweeping slashes.

Riding this momentum, Chu Lingguang advanced, slashing down with his Long Spear nine consecutive times, each strike stronger than the last. By the time the ninth slash fell, Lin Longde, though able to withstand the powerful impact, found his Life-taking Linked Spear completely suppressed, with no opportunity to use it.

When he tried to counterattack, a suction-like force coiled tightly around his Long Spear. He struggled to break free, his burly frame backing up against one of the remaining posts.

WHOOSH!

A Long Spear thrust forward.

A cold glint shot out.

The spearhead broke through his defense and stopped right at his throat.

At that moment, Lin Longde had only managed to raise his own spear to his chest, just an inch away from blocking Chu Lingguang’s strike.

“What excellent Spear Technique!”

Feng Junyi exclaimed, clapping his hands.

As the Chief Examiner, how could he not see what had happened? Chu Lingguang had been using nothing but the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques all along. He had managed to stop the Life-taking Linked Spear by relying on his Perfect Techniques, the principle of the Borrowing Power Method, and making the right choice at the critical moment.

Otherwise, when his Long Spear was knocked aside, if he had chosen to remain on the defensive, he would have never been able to block Lin Longde’s Linked Spear again.

It could be said that Chu Lingguang’s victory today contained a certain element of luck.

“Thank you for the match,”

Chu Lingguang said, breathing heavily as he cupped his fist at Lin Longde.

“If we fought again, you definitely wouldn’t win,”

Lin Longde said defiantly.

“Perhaps!”

Chu Lingguang gave a helpless smile.

’The Life-taking Linked Spear is a far higher-level technique than the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques,’ he thought. ’It really wasn’t easy to deal with. Especially when the Linked Spear achieves the state of a Shadow-Following Form, it becomes nearly impossible to defend against. No matter how perfect the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques are, you can’t block a Spear Technique that’s too fast to even see.’

’Last time, I misjudged Chu Lingguang. His Continuous Slash Saber Technique drains his Qi Power, and his Borrowing Power Method is far inferior to my Overlapping Wave Power Method. The only reason he could fight me on equal footing in the final round of the saber competition was because he’d cultivated an ordinary Force Application Method to its absolute peak. I also failed to see that he was already exhausted. If I had counterattacked at the critical moment, he would have been no match for me at all.’

Yan Chengdu, who had originally worn a look of defeat, saw that Chu Lingguang had only narrowly defeated Lin Longde through opportunistic tactics. With this realization, his confidence returned.

He hadn’t come to South City for the Martial Arts Examination alone; he had servants to attend to him and his master for guidance. After every stage, his master would help him analyze the outcome.

Now, seeing that Chu Lingguang’s nine consecutive slashes couldn’t even knock the spear from Lin Longde’s hands, and that he only won by taking advantage of a single move, the White Snake Flipping Spear Throat Lock, Yan Chengdu felt he had a much deeper understanding of Chu Lingguang’s true strength. If they were to face each other in the final stage, Yan Chengdu was confident that as long as he used his Ultimate Killing Saber Technique from the very beginning, Chu Lingguang would be no match for him. This was the confidence of a disciple from the Yan Family.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep