The First Round Ends

After thinking it over, Si Ming decided to use some of the more "low-level" martial arts to stall for time as much as possible, and then persuade his opponent to retreat in the end, so as not to make his opponent lose too badly.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, jolting the wooden sword into the air. He held it in his palm and then twirled it in a flourish. Unlike the usual flourishes that come from a single shake, his movements were incredibly slow, as if he were facing immense resistance. To an outsider, every movement of the wooden sword was clearly visible, and it seemed as if a flower was slowly blooming before their eyes.

"Please." After flashing his sword, Si Ming struck a pose reminiscent of a pine tree welcoming guests.

Chen Shimi nearby, also displayed his Sword Control Technique skills, manipulating three swords to fly into the air and float behind him, their tips pointing towards his opponent like a drawn crossbow bolt—his Internal Cultivation had reached level seven, allowing him to control more swords than before.

Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming of Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School looked at each other, their expressions becoming serious. The Second Martial Arts Club of the other side was indeed not simple. You can tell a person's skill as soon as they make a move. Just by the way the other side flicked their knife, it was enough to prove that their knife skills had reached the master level of making light work of heavy objects.

As for the other student who used the Sword Control Technique, nothing particularly special has been observed yet. Sword Control Technique might have fooled many people a hundred years ago, before the martial arts revolution, but nowadays, even schools explain the characteristics and weaknesses of various martial arts. Everyone already knows how to deal with Sword Control Technique. The simplest way is to strike with all your might to send the flying sword flying, ideally sending it dozens of meters away in one breath, and then defeat the sword controller before the flying sword returns.

However, this is not a one-on-one battle, but a two-on-two battle. The martial artist using the Sword Control Technique can hide in the back and control the flying sword with peace of mind, while the partner blocks the opponent from getting close. They can also cooperate with their partner to launch a sneak attack. The combined power of close and long range is far greater than two. This tactic is not uncommon in Martial Dao League. If the opponent is not prepared in advance, it will often be a big headache.

Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming, lacking prophetic abilities, were naturally unable to anticipate their opponent's tactics. They had no choice but to proceed despite the danger. The two exchanged glances, their years of tacit understanding requiring no words. Ye Zhaozhong charged towards Si Ming with his sword, determined to entangle him and buy time, while Deng Ming swiftly attacked Chen Shimi, intending to defeat him as soon as possible.

This tactic is a common method for dealing with two-person Sword Control Technique- wielding combat, but it is theoretical and there are always many differences when it is put into practice.

Si Ming swung his arm, and his long sword, like a bolt of lightning, drew an arc towards his opponent. Before the sword energy even arrived, a fierce aura of tiger's might swept over them, covering all directions. The two people opposite each other were three meters apart, but they were both enveloped by the sword energy.

[Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique: Powerful but slow, consumes a lot of Internal Cultivation True Qi. The entry level is level one, and the maximum level is level ten. When practicing, first visualize the might of a fierce tiger, nurture a tiger king in your heart, and then suppress it with Buddhist teachings. Only by controlling it freely can you achieve mastery.]

[Note: This is a basic Buddhist School sword technique created by a one-armed monk, and therefore it is a one-armed sword technique. It is easy for able-bodied people to become unbalanced when practicing it. There are rumors that the monk's surname was Wu before he became a monk.]

The speed in martial arts evaluation refers to the attack frequency, not the speed of the blade. How fast the blade is depends entirely on how strong a person's arm strength is. At this moment, Si Ming is wielding the blade with his right hand. Although he does not have the superhuman strength of his left hand, he is still far superior to ordinary people. At least in the eyes of the two people from Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School, he is already as fast as the wind.

Ye Zhaozhong was originally targeting Si Ming, so he was the first to touch the blade. He immediately felt a powerful force surge towards him, and he was unable to use any of his subsequent Swordsmanship techniques. He was knocked back with just one strike.

Si Ming's sword strike continued unabated, aimed at Deng Ming beside him. Deng Ming was a woman, and although she was physically strong due to her martial arts training and not as slender as an ordinary woman, even her senior brother Ye Zhaozhong was forced back by a single strike, so she naturally shouldn't take the hit. She changed her stance, retreated backward, avoided the sword strike, and returned to her companion's side.

Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming exchanged a glance, each revealing a wry smile. Having failed to seize the opportunity at the beginning, it seemed impossible for them to continue with the tactic of flanking the enemy from behind.

However, the fact that their opponent didn't seize the opportunity to launch a flying sword attack puzzled the two. Looking up, they saw the sword-wielding warrior standing motionless with his arms crossed, looking completely calm. Behind him, three flying swords hovered in mid-air, equally motionless.

"It seems we've been looked down upon." Ye Zhaozhong a deep breath, feeling a surge of anger at being slighted.

A slight smile appeared on Deng Ming's lips, "It's good that they're being looked down upon. Their carelessness gives us a chance to win."

The two were of one mind and needed no further words. They immediately changed their tactical objective, deciding to put Si Ming Chen Shimi and defeat Siming first. Regardless of whether their opponent was truly careless or had other plans, the opportunity was right in front of them, and there was no reason to let it slip away. They attacked side by side, their swords merging together like a phoenix dancing and a dragon coiling, complementing each other perfectly.

The two activated their Internal Cultivation, and the tips of their wooden swords emitted Sword-Ray light. In an instant, the sword light flashed, and each of them unleashed four consecutive Sword Qi. The eight sword energies connected with each other, forming a formation resembling the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). They flew continuously, without ceasing, and their sword momentum was fierce and astonishing.

This is the Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's Rain-Covering Sword Technique, which absorbs the essence of Daoist School Yin-Yang and Eight Trigrams. It emphasizes speed over strength, since the sharpness of the Sword Qi energy is used to injure the enemy, and the strength of the force is not important. By the way, there is no Overturning Cloud Saber Technique or Overturning Cloud Swordsmanship.

In terms of technique, both of their Swordsmanship had reached a point where there were no flaws, at least at their level. There were no weaknesses to be found, but Swordsmanship without flaws does not mean it is unblockable.

Si Ming concealed the tiger's ferocity with a flick of his blade, his divine will becoming inward. When the wooden sword was drawn again, it revealed a hint of wisdom and enlightenment—it was the Bodhi Demon-Subduing Saber Art.

The swords clashed rapidly in a few breaths, and forty-nine times had already been exchanged in the blink of an eye. Si Ming's sword speed was not fast, but he managed to block all the Sword Qi of his two opponents. Instead of retreating, he took three steps forward, forcing his opponents to retreat.

Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming were shocked. This was the first time they had encountered such a situation. Their moves were not broken, yet they could not gain any advantage. They had been defeated before when they combined their swords, but those were when there was a large difference in their Foundation, and they were crushed by each other's strength or forced to create openings by their superior speed.

The two retreated step by step, moving towards the edge of the arena. Knowing they could not continue, they immediately activated their Internal Cultivation and used their ultimate moves.

"The Stars Part and Rain Scatters!"

The originally steady Sword Qi suddenly became chaotic, crisscrossing and changing in countless ways, like a sudden rainstorm, yet following the principles of Bagua, fast but not chaotic. One Sword strike was a full-force One Sword, and the eight swords were intertwined in succession. The sword energy was agile, clear and lively, yet also majestic and powerful, as if the gentle spring rain had turned into a thunderous summer rain.

Suddenly, a fierce wind of swords howled through the sky. Si Ming felt as if he were standing in the middle of a storm, with continuous sword light coming straight at him, forming a gale and rain that seemed to cut him into thousands of pieces.

But there was no panic on his face. The Bodhi Subduing Demon Blade Intent at its perfect state made his mind as clear as a mirror. The endless sword light was clear to him without any omissions, because at this moment he was not using his physical eyes, but his mind's eyes, and a mind's eyes as clear as a mirror. All of his opponent's sword moves were reflected in the mirror, as clear as the lines on his palm.

"Bodhi Immortal!"

The wooden sword swung to both sides like a pendulum, creating eight sword shadows that appeared slow but were actually fast, striking the opponent's eight sword lights respectively, producing a dense sound like raindrops hitting banana leaves. The sound of the collisions echoed throughout the martial arts hall, each strike accompanied by a vibration of True Qi, which merged into an invisible sound wave that impacted in all directions.

The audience who heard the sounds, despite witnessing a fierce and dangerous confrontation, felt an inexplicable sense of tranquility. Their minds were cleared of all distractions, and their thinking became incredibly sharp.

Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming were no exception. In fact, because their attention was so focused on Si Ming, they were even more affected. Their minds suddenly entered a state of clarity and understanding, allowing them to break free from the "blindness of those involved" and view the battle from a third-party perspective.

Then, both men lost all fighting spirit, gave a wry smile, sheathed their swords, retreated, and turned to the referee, saying, "We concede."

"Uh, are you sure you want to give up?"

The referee was stunned for a moment, then asked a question in bewilderment. Judging from the situation, the two from Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School did not seem to be losing. Although their special move was blocked, they were only slightly at a disadvantage. Moreover, there were many variables in a fight, and they still had a lot of room for maneuver.

Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming shook their heads and said, "We're sure."

It was precisely because "the onlooker sees most of the game" that the two realized they had no chance of winning this battle. Because their minds were as clear as a mirror, they were able to glimpse a portion of Si Ming's strength. And it was this portion of his strength that made them lose their will to fight, knowing that their chances of winning were slim, not to mention that there was a sword-wielding warrior standing behind them who had not yet made a move.

Even more tragically, this "clear-sightedness from the sidelines" was only achieved with the help of their opponents; otherwise, they would have continued fighting in a daze until they brought shame upon themselves.

Watching the two figures walk off the stage, Si Ming stroked his chin and pondered, "I'm a fucking genius. I actually managed to come up with such a perfect way to persuade them to withdraw, preserving my composure without revealing too much of my strength."

After secretly feeling smug for a moment, he turned to call Chen Shimi to go down with him, only to see that Chen Shimi was still in the same posture as when the duel started—arms crossed, flying sword hovering behind him—and he snorted with utter arrogance, "Mere trash, you don't even have the qualifications to make me, the king, take action."

At that moment, Si Ming felt as if he had lost.

Chapter 451 The First Round Ends

When Ye Zhaozhong and Deng Ming returned to the rest area, they were naturally met with a barrage of questions.

Why give up when you weren't even injured?

"Surrendering without a fight, do you two still have any sense of responsibility as martial artists?"

"That's two consecutive losses. I should have been the one to play. You've really brought shame to the martial arts school!"

The two ignored the crowd's questions and walked up to their Captain Yue Xuan, saying apologetically, "We're sorry to have disappointed our senior."