Chapter 100: Copying Everything

Metal clashed against metal, sparks flying around as Ye Jun and Lin Xuan gauged each other.

Ye Jun had to say he was mildly surprised his opponent didn’t start with his strongest attack. That would have been problematic for his plan.

’It works though.’

They separated, looking into each other’s eyes and once again lunged at each other. Martial arts flowed smoothly, as their weapons collided many times in various positions, each trying to penetrate the other’s defense, but it wasn’t easy.

’He is good. Not better than Ye Chen though.’

Their first battle was purely Martial Arts-based, and they proved to be equal in that regard. Mostly because Ye Jun was still not familiar enough with Qi to use it unconsciously in battles, while his opponent was.

[Strength +3]

[Qi +4]

[Flowing Tide Art +1]

It didn’t matter though.

He simply needed to defend and persevere. This was his strategy for the battle. Be in a passive state.

Lin Xuan tried his best, trying to push the sword at unnatural angles at an incredible speed to get past his defense, but his weapon was a dagger.

It wasn’t good against a sword in a straight battle because of its short range, but this time it was different. He wasn’t attacking, but defending. So handling a short weapon was easier.

Whenever his opponent tried to pierce with the sword, he would quickly block it with the blunt side of his dagger, followed by quick footwork that would put him outside of his offensive zone.

With every second passing, Lin Xuan was getting frustrated. That made Ye Jun smile faintly.

’You really think I can’t read your thoughts?’ Ye Jun thought. ’You are still a kiddo.’

Lin Xuan had planned to use simple Martial Arts to bring him down, to show everyone his superiority. He wanted the world to know he was so much better than him that he could defeat Ye Jun without using Mysterious Techniques.

’Alright, let’s test this a bit.’

Ye Jun thought, as he finally began his counterattack. His posture changed, the footwork he was using, the way he held his dagger, even his demeanor changed.

Lin Xuan took a pause, wondering about the change, but then snorted and continued his assault, only to be dumbfounded.

’I-Impossible!’

Ye Jun now moved like a flowing tide, attacking him using moves that should be done by a sword, so it felt weird with the dagger. But Lin Xuan recognized the Martial Arts.

Flowing Tide Art, his family’s martial art, something he grew up seeing and learning.

Now, someone else was performing it against him. It was sloppy, clearly unmastered, but it was still his family’s martial art.

It froze his mind, making him slower to react against Ye Jun’s blow. The pain brought him back to reality, as anger surged within him.

“Bastard! You stole my family’s martial arts!!” Lin Xuan shouted. “From where did you get it?”

“You gave it to me, of course,” Ye Jun smiled and said, still continuing with his offense.

“Shut up! I didn’t give anything!” Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, as yellow flames burst out of his sword. Or perhaps it was him who coated it with flames. “I will kill you for this crime!”

’Finally!’ Ye Jun’s eyes lit up. ’And it’s fire! Praise the horny luck goddess.’

He backed away as a flame slash struck before him, leaving a scratch on the arena floor. The material was made to endure battles worse than this one.

Most of the disciples couldn’t see it, but the senior disciples quickly recognized the Martial Arts too. They also couldn’t believe their eyes and came to the same conclusion as Lin Xuan.

Ye Jun must have stolen or at least found a stolen copy of that martial art and practiced it. They didn’t even want to think about the other possibility, which was too absurd to believe anyway.

But Meihui and Song Liangxue were different. They shared a glance, finally understanding Ye Jun’s plan. It was a bit reckless, but also very reasonable.

He planned to defeat Lin Xuan in his own expertise, all because of his ridiculous Innate Physique. They also knew he had fire affinity, so it was even easier to accomplish.

They smiled, approving of the plan. As they expected, Ye Jun might seem reckless and impulsive, but his upbringing made him a person who always thought things through.

Meanwhile, Ye Jun kept some distance and continued, “You’re so unreasonable, Senior Brother. I don’t even know you, so how can I have stolen your Martial Arts?”

Lin Xuan paused, taking deep breaths to take a small break, and said, “If it’s not that, then someone else stole it and you bought it. Either way, I’m going to hunt you. Then, find that bastard who stole it.”

“Sure,” Ye Jun grinned widely. “Then, kindly kill yourself.”

“The hell are you saying!” Lin Xuan got even more annoyed, his eyes blazing with fire.

“I’m saying you’re the one who gave it to me,” Ye Jun explained. “You see, I’m not just a pretty face, but a very handsome man with a mind far above stupid people like you.”

Finally understanding his meaning, Lin Xuan scoffed, “I’m not stupid enough to believe your bullshit. Who would believe that you learned my Martial Arts just by looking at it for some time?”

“Intelligent people,” Ye Jun said. “That’s why you don’t believe it.”

“Heh! Then try to learn this!”

Lin Xuan burst into motion, as his speed increased greatly and his presence also seemed much deeper. Flames danced around the blade as he executed his quick footwork to reach Ye Jun.

However, Ye Jun didn’t meet this head-on. Instead, he dashed to the sides, maintaining some distance between the two. Ashen Phantom Steps came in great help, as it also confused Lin Xuan about his true positioning.

’The dancing flames are a distraction to make others believe the flames are unruled.’ Ye Jun thought. ’Beneath it, the fire is condensed around the sword. Interesting.’

It would increase the sword’s sharpness, making its penetration power higher. If the attack connected, it would also leave behind burning wounds.

Ye Jun was sure that his opponent had reached a higher stage, which also meant that there were probably more things this Mysterious Technique could do.

Just as he had expected, Lin Xuan grew frustrated because of him running around and cursed, “Stop running and face me, you coward.”

“You can’t even catch me,” Ye Jun retorted. “Why should I bother with someone like you?”

Lin Xuan roared and slashed his sword diagonally into the empty air. The next second, a flaming slash formed and was sent hurling towards Ye Jun.

Without wasting a second, Ye Jun used the Ashen Phantom Steps twice in a row and escaped the flaming slash. It struck the barrier behind him, though it did no damage to it.

Before he could have room to breathe, Lin Xuan was upon him, stabbing at his vital organs with his sword coated in flames. Sensing the danger ahead, Ye Jun flipped the dagger into its trajectory and intercepted it just in time.

’It’s powerful.’

His hand shook from the impact, and a quick glance at the dagger told him that it wouldn’t survive long if he continued defending like this. It was just a Tier 2 dagger, after all.

’A bit more.’

[Agility +2]

[Fire +1]

[Qi +3]

[Blazing Edge Technique +2]

Ye Jun didn’t waste a second and ran away again after defending against the attack.

Lin Xuan pursued, trying his best to attack him. But who could compete with an assassin in the context of movement and escape? This was basically Ye Jun’s life, so even though supernatural stuff was involved now, he was still the king of assassins.

The audience watched everything with mixed reactions. They couldn’t understand what to say about this battle. Clearly, Lin Xuan was in the lead and pressing him.

But they felt a bad foreboding. Ye Jun had done the same a few moments ago before using Lin Xuan’s Martial Arts against him. They didn’t want to believe his words, but in the back of their minds, they were afraid of the possibility.

The more their match progressed, the more they felt uneasy about all of this.

This was especially the case with Lin Xuan, who was expending every bit of his effort to defeat Ye Jun, but he was like a slippery eel. No matter what he did, he couldn’t catch him.

“Fight me!” he yelled, afraid of the possibility coming true.

“As you wish!”

Ye Jun stopped, having a stupid grin on his face.

“I’m also done learning.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep