No Matter the Victory or Defeat, We're Friends

Fang Che nodded repeatedly. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me and understanding me, Brother Ding."

He let out a long sigh. "As for what happened with Ximen Xuri before, I won't defend myself. Who was right or wrong, what was correct or mistaken—there's no meaning in bringing it up now. But I truly don't want anything involving bloodshed like that to happen again."

He turned solemnly to face the two referee instructors, his voice low and grave. "Teachers, I have a saber technique. If I'm forced into an absolute corner, using it will instantly evaporate all the blood qi in my body and multiply my combat strength. But once I use that move, I won't be able to control it myself!"

"I completely won't be able to control the outcome."

Fang Che looked at the two referee instructors with earnest expectation.

The two referees exchanged a glance and both nodded. "Don't worry. If Ding Ziran is unable to hold out then, we'll intervene immediately. Nothing tragic will happen."

Fang Che nodded gratefully and bowed. "Thank you, Teacher."

He then turned to Ding Ziran and said apologetically, "Brother Ding, don't take it the wrong way. I don't mean to look down on you. It's just that move is truly strange and overbearing, while my cultivation is honestly still shallow."

Instead, hearing him say this made Ding Ziran feel his sincerity even more. He slowly nodded, his face stiff, and said, "I don't blame you."

After thinking it over, he felt that Fang Che had been friendly all along while he himself had remained cold as ice. That wasn't quite right, so he spoke again. "If it really comes to that, I'll admit defeat. But I may not be unable to withstand it!"

That was a lot of words.

Fang Che guessed that this was probably the longest sentence Ding Ziran had spoken all year.

He nodded and laughed heartily. "Brother Ding, remember this: no matter whether we win or lose..."

A faint smile creased Ding Ziran's rigid face as he finished, "We're friends!"

As he said this, his usually silent eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hahahaha!"

Fang Che laughed loudly. With a tremor of both arms, his black cloak patterned with dark gold flew out like a cloud of blackness.

A flash of saber light streaked forth.

The long saber was in his hand.

Across from him, a clang rang out as Sword Qi surged into the air.

Fang Che's eyes flashed, and he immediately recalled the information Sun Yuan had given him: Ding Ziran possessed an Innate Sword Bone, had a cold and aloof personality, was difficult to approach, and rarely smiled or spoke. Normally, he could go an entire day without saying a single word.

Ding Ziran's sword was exceptionally sharp.

But Fang Che had watched Ding Ziran fight several times, and he always felt that something was off.

Having experienced more than a thousand battles in his previous life, Fang Che could tell at a glance that Ding Ziran was definitely still hiding something.

Because he had once seen quite a few people with Innate Sword Bones.

Ding Ziran's sword was indeed already outstanding. But compared with the astonishing talent of an Innate Sword Bone that could suppress all others of the same realm in an era, there was still a gap! "If he truly has an Innate Sword Bone, it's impossible for him to be only this strong. And if he didn't have an Innate Sword Bone, it wouldn't be easy for an ordinary scion of a great family to cultivate to this level either!"

"So when something goes against the norm, there must be something strange behind it!"

Fang Che gathered his spirit.

His long saber unfurled Sun Yuan's Sweeping Earth Saber Technique, leaving no opening for wind or rain.

Below, everyone's expressions grew strange.

They all wore the look of, Haven't I seen this episode before?

Because the current battle situation was exactly the same as Fang Che's previous battle with Ximen Xuri.

It was practically a carbon copy.

Fang Che had once again... fallen into the disadvantage!

He was suppressed again! Just like before, he attacked three parts and defended seven, struggling to hold on!

Quite a few senior Martial Students had already reached the Great Grandmaster realm, or even the General-level or Marshal-level. Every one of them was muttering inwardly: This kid isn't going to act out the previous episode again, is he?

Saber light flowed in dense layers, while Sword Qi was chilling enough to pierce the bones!

The two fought back and forth, rolling and surging, and in the blink of an eye had exchanged several hundred moves on the platform.

Suddenly, a thunderous clang rang out.

Saber and sword collided, scattering dazzling sparks.

As expected, Fang Che relied on brute force to forcibly clash with him once before pulling away. Then he shouted and leaped into the air.

Saber light suddenly spread out, pouring down like quicksilver carpeting the earth.

It was precisely the Flying Sky Saber Technique that had made Sun Yuan famous.

The name Flying Saber King had come from this very set of saber techniques!

"The technique is exquisite, but its potential is ordinary. It can't be considered a high-level battle art. Still, it has been mastered with extraordinary proficiency. As far as this one technique is concerned, it has already reached the pinnacle of perfection."

The two referees stared at the battlefield, secretly evaluating him.

Clang, clang, clang...

A string of weapon clashes rang out—the sound of saber and sword colliding countless times.

Sparks scattered in a continuous stream.

The situation reversed in an instant.

Fang Che seized nine-tenths of the offensive, while Ding Ziran struggled bitterly on the ground! With another clang, saber and sword collided once more. Fang Che rose again amid a blaze of saber light and spun through the air.

The saber light was fierce and biting, descending from the sky like a long dragon.

"Excellent!"

Ding Ziran roared, and a trace of feverish battle intent flashed across his normally stern and rigid face.

His long sword trembled, and a great spray of sword flowers suddenly blossomed.

With another clang, Fang Che's body flew up again, then plunged downward once more.

Fang Che seemed to have transformed into a bird, repeatedly descending and rising. For a full quarter of an hour, neither of his feet touched the ground! The force of merely brushing the saber tip against the surface was enough for him to borrow momentum, rise again, and strike downward once more! He was like a nimble eagle continuously pouncing on a rabbit below.

The saber light was cold and sinister, and every moment brought the calamity of bloodshed! It kept Ding Ziran firmly suppressed.

Whenever Ding Ziran's sword light showed signs of surging, Fang Che immediately crushed it down with even greater force!

Fang Che plunged downward, then plunged again, and again.

He had to force out Ding Ziran's trump card! Otherwise, this matter would remain lodged in his heart.

Boom! Another great crash rang out. Ding Ziran staggered backward, and a gap had already appeared in the long sword in his hand.

After all, a long sword was a light and agile weapon, not one meant for this kind of head-on collision.

The reason Fang Che was forcing him into such brutal clashes was that Fang Che used a saber!

He had an innate advantage.

In a head-on clash, the saber countered the sword!

Ding Ziran's retreat carried him a full fifteen zhang, all the way to the edge of the platform!

Then he suddenly made a move: the sword in his hand shifted to his left hand! He pushed off with both feet, and sword light abruptly shot into the heavens.

The air hissed. Sword Qi actually cut across the sky! As Ding Ziran surged upward, he was like a sword itself, shining brilliantly as he shot up, as though he intended to pierce straight into the white clouds!

Fang Che circled through the sky, and his eyes flashed.

As expected, my guess was right. His trump card is here!

I knew it. If this kid truly has an Innate Sword Bone, there's no way his current combat strength is all he has!

So it was the Left Hand Sword.

He was left-handed! Since he had forced out his opponent's hidden move, Fang Che no longer held back.

As the sword light rose, Fang Che shouted, "Saber Performance of Stupa!"

He likewise drove his saber light into the sky. This surge carried him a full seven zhang into the air!

Then he spun in midair! The saber light traced a complete circle, leaving a clear mark in the air. He then turned upside down, and layer upon layer of saber mountains formed before him, like a precious pagoda! The tip of the pagoda kept forming below, while the tower above grew thicker and broader!

A violent killing intent spilled outward.

With the bearing of heavenly thunder descending upon the world, he suddenly fell!

The power of this strike had already reached the level of a Martial Ancestor! This saber strike was from a set of saber techniques Fang Che had obtained in his previous life: the Stupa Three Sabers!

Since he had always used a sword in his previous life, he had never used them.

Now, he had unleashed the first move! Although Ding Ziran possessed an Innate Sword Bone, how could he possibly stand against Fang Che, whose cultivation had been multiplied several times? What was more, this strike carried a murderous aura so dense that it practically enveloped Ding Ziran's entire body! Saber light and sword light collided. After only two sharp rings, the long sword snapped with a crack.

The saber mountain and stupa crashed down! Holding the broken sword, Ding Ziran staggered backward. Yet battle intent burst from his dead-silent eyes, and he waved the broken sword again and again to block the Blade Qi.

But he was clearly no longer strong enough.

A thin line of blood appeared on his body. The Blade Qi had already cut his skin.

Then the broken sword was completely swallowed by the saber light.

Ding Ziran was about to be chopped into a thousand pieces by Fang Che.

Suddenly, a figure flashed. An instructor appeared behind Ding Ziran, seized him by the collar with one hand, and threw him away. With the other hand, he reached forward.

He actually thrust it straight into Fang Che's saber light. Two pale fingers lightly and effortlessly pinched the saber tip, like a little girl catching a butterfly by its wings as she played.

Clang! The body of the long saber twisted in midair like a snake caught by the seven inches.

The saber light abruptly vanished.

Fang Che held the saber in one hand, his head below his feet as he hung suspended in midair.

The saber tip was in the instructor's hand.

They remained locked for the blink of an eye before Fang Che flipped over and landed. Covered in sweat, he first exhaled, dispersed the saber intent in his chest, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher!"

The instructor released the saber tip and smiled. "The move you said you couldn't control—that was this one, right?"

"Yes."

Fang Che nodded in admission. Looking at the instructor with fervor in his eyes, he said, "Instructor, you're amazing. You caught it with just two fingers... Now that I think about what I said before the battle, I'm truly embarrassed and ashamed."

The instructor laughed. "How many days have you even been in contact with martial arts? Yet you've already reached this level of cultivation and possess such killing techniques and battle arts, all mastered so proficiently. Clearly, you've put in genuine hard work. When I was your age, I wasn't nearly as formidable as you."

"Teacher, you're being modest. There are still far too many areas where I need to improve!"

Fang Che said this.

He then turned to look at Ding Ziran and strode over. "Brother Ding, are you all right?"

Still shaken, Ding Ziran nodded. "I couldn't withstand that strike."

Fang Che said, "As long as you're all right."

Then he laughed cheerfully. "Don't forget our agreement. No matter whether we win or lose..."

A trace of struggle and hesitation flashed through Ding Ziran's eyes. Then he smiled. "Naturally, I won't forget... No matter whether we win or lose, we're friends! In times of crisis, we'll watch over and help each other, becoming shields for one another!"

Unlike Fang Che's sincere enthusiasm when he said those words, Ding Ziran spoke the phrases "No matter whether we win or lose, we're friends! In times of crisis, we'll watch over and help each other, becoming shields for one another!" one word at a time, his expression serious and his voice stiff and solemn.

When he reached the final four words, "becoming shields for one another," his voice grew even weightier, as though he were taking an oath.

As he spoke those words, his dead-silent eyes suddenly blazed like flames.

This abruptly added a few traces of color to his usually rigid, lifeless face.

Amid Fang Che's hearty laughter, a sharp smack rang out.

Their two palms struck together in midair.

Fang Che wore a bright, sincere smile.

Ding Ziran's face remained stiff, with a smile that seemed squeezed out.

Yet there was something strangely warm about the scene.

Below the platform.

Mo Ganyun leaped up and shouted, "Count me in!"

Then he burst into loud laughter.