Views on Love

At the same time, Zhang Gen released the bowstring, and seven arrows shot out simultaneously, forming an array along the way, emitting a dim, gloomy aura, as if swallowing the sunlight in the sky and bringing darkness with them.

The seven arrows of wind and thunder seemed to have a restraining effect. After a brief stalemate, they tore open the dark curtain and rushed in like birds of prey and beasts of lightning.

Helpless, Zhang Gen could only use his lightness skill to dodge, his body skimming across the lake like a dragonfly skimming the water. His leg skills were not weak either; although not as good as Chen Feiyan in the previous match, they were still better than Liang Zhenhuan's.

A figure darted swiftly through the wind and thunder, Zhang Gen the vast majority of its power. When he encountered something he couldn't dodge, he used his Six Jade Finger Rays to block it, managing to withstand the attack.

Before he could even catch his breath, a silver light slashed towards him—it was the spirit sword; the opponent was clearly going to press their advantage.

Zhang Gen was about to parry with a swift arrow when he reached out and discovered that his quiver was gone—it had been damaged by the force of wind and thunder during his dodge.

In a moment of hesitation, a flash of silver light grazed Zhang Gen's cheek, severing a strand of hair from his sideburns and leaving a shallow sword mark on his face.

Feng Liancheng sheathed his spirit sword, which floated in front of him, and asked, "Want to fight again?"

"... No need, I've already lost this match."

Zhang Gen ultimately didn't persist, shook his head, and leaped into the river.

Upon seeing this, the distant Master Wuguo immediately declared, "The Heavenly Martial Alliance wins the second match!"

Feng Liancheng returned victorious and approached Si Ming, saying, "As the Alliance Leader suggested, combining martial arts with Technique Method has yielded unexpected results. Moreover, with a stronger body, controlling the flying sword is much easier, and I can withstand stronger recoil. Furthermore, following your advice, Alliance Leader, I secretly modified a few Method Formula, and the effect is even better than before. I never expected that the Alliance Leader, who has never been exposed to Technique Method, would have such accurate insight. It's truly admirable."

"The great paths may differ, but they all lead to the same goal; martial arts and Technique Method also have common ground."

Si Ming was spouting nonsense. In reality, he took advantage of Hongdou's help in Soul Intent Diagram to secretly learn the "Taiyi Scripture of Deliverance from Sin). This is because Soul Intent Diagram is not something that can be done simply by holding a pen and pointing it at a person. Instead, it requires knowing a portion of the Method Formula. While the specific moves can be ignored, the general principles must be understood.

Duan Jinsu and his disciple did not pay attention to this, because knowing only the general principles was useless. This part was equivalent to the mental cultivation method. Although learning it could strengthen one's Spirit Essence, without understanding the moves and Method Formula, it was still useless, just like the part of a martial arts technique that focused on strengthening the body.

But neither of them expected that someone like Si Ming existed in the world.

With the general outline as a foundation, the talent for sudden enlightenment could finally take effect. Si Ming only watched Feng Liancheng perform a few Technique Method before successfully stealing the knowledge. However, he dared not use it in front of others for fear of being exposed.

"Alright, next up is the third round, Jiaren, it's your turn."

"Yes, Master."

The third match was relatively uneventful. The fighting took place in a flowerbed filled with creatures called Yin Butterfly. These creatures could absorb scattered Spiritual Qi, creating illusions and interfering with people's vision. This might be an extremely unfavorable environment for mages, but it didn't have much of an impact on martial artists. Even if their vision was affected, they could still accurately pinpoint their opponent's location using their other five senses.

Zhao Jiaren slowly stepped into the flower bushes, his mind calm and composed, unfazed by the outcome. He did not become nervous because it was an important match, and he treated it with a normal attitude.

However, when he saw his opponent in this match, his expression changed drastically, and he excitedly blurted out, "It's you! Li Xunrong... Your legs can really walk again!"

The young woman opposite Zhao Jiaren looked at him with a complicated expression and said, "I never expected that after being possessed by the Anomalies entity, you not only didn't die, but instead turned misfortune into blessing, becoming the disciple of the leader of the Heavenly Martial Alliance and embarking on the path of martial arts. This is a development I never anticipated when I transferred the Anomalies to you."

Chapter 355 Views on Love

Amidst the flowers, two figures darted and weaved, their movements swift and agile, their sharp sword flashes like lightning, startling a swarm of butterflies.

Only ten breaths had passed since the start of the duel, and the two sides had already passed the probing period and entered into a formal confrontation. Under the cover of the Yin Butterfly, it was difficult for outsiders to see the movements of the two. All that could be heard was a series of clanging and clashing sounds of metal clashing, and two sky-covering sword lights suddenly separated and merged as the cold light surged. Judging from the sound alone, it did not sound like two masters dueling with swordsmanship, but rather like dozens of blacksmiths simultaneously opening their furnaces to forge iron.

The offensive and defensive strategies of the two sides differed according to gender. Li Xunrong used her family's secret technique, "Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens Sword Art," a broad sword that completely enveloped her body, creating a sky full of sword shadows like a windmill. She would occasionally leap into the air, launching a fierce attack on her opponent with incredibly sharp and powerful slashes.

Despite being a woman, her swordsmanship was incredibly fierce, relentlessly attacking and advancing. This reminded Si Ming of Lin Qingtong, whom he had fought in Russia. However, Lin Qingtong's sword was heavier and more domineering, with a strength comparable to a heavy weapon. Although her sword speed was not fast, the wind she generated was enough to make up for the lack of speed. Ordinary martial artists would lose their courage to fight if they saw it.

In contrast, Zhao Jiaren, being a man, was determined to defend. He used the Tower Observatory Sword Art, with one hand behind his back Hand Seals for calculation, and the other hand wielding the sword to weave a dazzling silver net in front of him, firmly blocking his opponent's attack like an impenetrable wall. Although his sword speed was significantly slower than his opponent's, he defended flawlessly, and although the force he used was not particularly strong, he was able to block the opponent's powerful and heavy slashes.

When a sword strikes, the force is not evenly distributed across every part of the blade; it varies in strength. This has nothing to do with Swordsmanship skill; it is purely a matter of mechanics and structural engineering. Theoretically, finding the weakest point allows one to counteract the force with minimal effort.

Even with Zhao Jiaren's mastery of the Tower Observatory Sword Art, he couldn't calculate the weakest point of One Sword his opponent's sword strikes. Even if he did, he couldn't hit it accurately. Therefore, he had to settle for calculating the weaker points so that his opponent couldn't exert their full strength and could only unleash 70% of their power.

The two sides were like fire and water, one attacking and the other defending, one advancing and the other retreating, their positions clearly defined. Where the two sword lights rolled, the sword wind became increasingly fierce, blowing sand and stones around like a tornado passing through.

Seeing that she couldn't take it down after a while, Li Xunrong held back no more, and yellow electricity surged across her body, increasing her strength and speed by another three points.

Zhao Jiaren exerted all his strength, but still felt quite strained. The increased strength of his opponent was a minor issue; the key problem was that with the increased sword speed, it was difficult for him to pinpoint the weak points. He had to change his tactics, switching from holding the sword with one hand to two, and from blocking head-on to deflecting and moving around.

With each step he took, the ground cracked out in a radial pattern centered on his boots, and the wind from his sword grew increasingly fierce, whipping up flowers and butterflies like a tornado.

Si Shuiyun said, "Your disciple is at a disadvantage; his opponent has an unusual physique."

Si Ming, "Yes, she should have Lightning-Attribute Dao Physique, which is why she can unleash the Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens Sword Art at an extraordinary level. In terms of cultivation, she is actually only at the peak of the second tier, but with Swordsmanship of the same attribute, an ordinary first-tier expert probably couldn't withstand her three-hit combo. It's a pity that she was facing my disciple, who also has Lightning-Attribute Dao Physique and is not affected by her sword technique."

Ordinary people might not be able to see through her, but a master of internal martial arts with keen intuition could sense that every time Li Xunrong swung her sword, an electric current would surge along the blade into her opponent's body. If it were anyone else, they might be defeated after two or three moves, since normally everyone's weapons are made of metal, and metal conducts electricity. This is also why the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan sent Li Xunrong, a young master, to participate.

However, they did not expect that Zhao Jiaren was also Lightning-Attribute Dao Physique. Although he could not absorb the opponent's electric current for his own use, the electric shock had a negligible effect on him. The effect was similar to electrotherapy. His body was not only not numb, but he also became more and more energetic.

Hongdou tilted her head and said, "They seem to know each other?"

Although they were at least three hundred meters away from the battle, given the cultivation levels of everyone present, that distance was no different from three meters; if they wanted to listen, they could hear the conversation between the two clearly.

Si Ming snorted, "Based on my years of experience reading cheesy novels, it seems that this Li Clan girl was initially possessed by Anomalies entity. Unable to find a way to cleanse herself, she devised a scheme to frame someone else. She found someone with the same constitution and transferred the Anomalies to them. Then she set her sights on my stupid, adorable disciple. Following the typical story formula, she probably approached him intentionally, deliberately trying to please him, and then suddenly attacked after gaining his trust... She was probably heartbroken by love and realized her own powerlessness, which is why my useless disciple so decisively abandoned literature and martial arts."

Hongdou blinked, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and said with an artist's unique perspective, "Two people who once had a deep affection for each other were forced to separate by the cruel tricks of fate, and then, by fate's arrangement, they met again on the battlefield. But their identities were no longer lovers, but enemies. This must be what Xiao Ming often refers to as a love-hate relationship! Fate is truly wonderful!"

"Tch, that's why I said he's stupid, cute, and useless. Even setting aside such a brilliant method as severing ties of affection, he should at least know how to repay kindness and avenge wrongs. Just because he once loved someone, he doesn't even have the courage to draw his sword against his ex. What a waste! If it were me, I would have already taken my sword and sought revenge."

Si Shuiyun couldn't help but say, "This shows that your disciple is loyal and righteous. Do you think everyone is as cold-blooded and heartless as you?"

Si Ming Mingxu asked with narrowed eyes, "A man sells a woman who loves him to a brothel for money. The woman escapes and later meets the man again, but refuses to seek revenge, claiming that she still has feelings for him. What would you say about this woman?"

Si Shuiyun immediately retorted, "She's truly born with a cheap bone in her body; can't she live without a man? She should decisively take a knife and chop him into eight pieces to warn all the unfaithful men in the world!"

Si Ming was speechless at this blatant double standard. He turned his gaze back to the battlefield and said with dissatisfaction, "This kid's tactics are correct. He's stalling and conserving his energy. After all, his opponent is a woman, and her physical strength is at a disadvantage. She can't maintain a full-force offensive for long. Once her momentum wanes, that's her chance to counterattack and win. But looking at this kid's hesitant and preoccupied expression, I knew he was doomed to lose this match... Tch, I didn't expect this kid to be the male protagonist of an old-fashioned martial arts novel."

In traditional novels, if the male protagonist is betrayed by a woman he loves, he often can't bring himself to seek revenge. The two will then engage in a poignant love-hate relationship, whether due to differing stances on good versus evil or an irreconcilable feud over the murder of one's father. In short, they will love each other to the point of life and death, inseparable, yet unable to be together. After countless hardships, they will either have a profound realization, let go of their hatred, and come together to live in seclusion, or they will remain unable to let go, each carrying their own heartbreak, separated by vast distances.

In short, whether the two of them suffer or not is unknown, but those around them will definitely suffer because of them, and it might even cost a few lives. Yet, they will generously choose to forgive and let bygones be bygones.