A Silent Clash

The impact of Ji Juechen's battle with Xiao Hongchen was like a stone cast into a tranquil lake, its ripples continuing to spread through the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. The name "Sword Fanatic" was no longer merely a distant-sounding nickname; it had taken on an awe-inspiring edge.

Yet for Ji Juechen, at the center of the storm, life seemed unchanged. He still appeared at the same corner of the training grounds at the same time each day, iron sword in his arms, eyes closed in concentration. Only now, the gazes resting upon him carried far more scrutiny, reverence, and even a trace of fear.

Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection had also become more cautious and covert, like invisible tendrils carefully hovering around the edge of the unseen "Forbidden Zone" surrounding Ji Juechen, trying to capture more information. Ji Juechen could clearly "feel" that probing, and the system panel would occasionally flash a notification: [Subjected to sustained low-intensity spiritual scanning]. Yet he no longer reacted as fiercely as he had the first time. So long as it did not cross the line in his heart, he could not be bothered to care.

This delicate balance was broken one evening several days later.

The setting sun dyed the sky a magnificent orange-red, and the training grounds had grown sparsely populated. Ji Juechen was preparing to leave when Huo Yuhao appeared before him, blocking his path. Wang Donger followed close behind, her eyes filled with vigilance and a hint of curiosity.

"Ji Juechen." Huo Yuhao spoke calmly but firmly. "I want to fight you."

It was not a provocation. It was more like... a verification.

The system panel activated instantly:

[High-value target has initiated a challenge.]

[Target: Huo Yuhao. Current state: peak Soul King, spiritual power active, fighting spirit pure.]

[Analysis: This is an excellent opportunity to verify the host's strength and collect high-value combat data.]

[Recommendation: Accept the challenge.]

Ji Juechen looked into Huo Yuhao's clear yet resolute Spiritual Eyes. The iron sword in his arms gave off a faint, nearly imperceptible hum. He could sense that this youth before him was an entirely different kind of person from Xiao Hongchen. His power was more restrained, and also more... complex.

"Fine." Ji Juechen was as concise as ever.

There was no unnecessary talk. The two of them simultaneously darted backward, opening the battle. Wang Donger and Jing Ziyan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, automatically retreated to the edge of the field, becoming the only two spectators of this silent clash.

Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath. A pale golden flash gleamed in his eyes as Spirit Detection expanded at full force! This time, he was no longer cautious. It was as if he had spread an invisible Large Net, attempting to bring every one of Ji Juechen's movements under his control. At the same time, his footwork shifted—it was the Tang Sect's supreme art, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!

He moved! His figure became ghostlike, trailing a string of afterimages as he closed in on Ji Juechen in an instant. Mysterious Jade Hand, carrying a chilling aura, struck directly at the Sword Scabbard of the iron sword in Ji Juechen's arms! His tactic was perfectly clear—engage in close combat, use Spirit Detection's predictive ability and the Tang Sect's supreme arts to suppress that strange iron sword!

Yet within his Spirit Detection, Ji Juechen's response once again surpassed his expectations.

Ji Juechen did not draw his sword. He did not even look at Huo Yuhao's dazzling footwork. Within the vision of [Weakness Insight] (cooldown complete), the transition points in Huo Yuhao's exquisite Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and the paths of his shifting center of gravity seemed to be marked by invisible lines. The distribution of strength within the energy flow of Mysterious Jade Hand, which contained the chill of Extreme Ice, was equally clear at a glance.

He merely turned sideways and shifted his step. His movements were minimal to the extreme, yet he always evaded Huo Yuhao's most threatening attacks at the very last possible moment. The iron sword remained in his arms, as though it were the fulcrum keeping his body balanced.

"Hiss!"

Huo Yuhao changed his palm strike into a finger thrust. A concentrated chill from Ice Empress's Claw shot out like an arrow, aimed straight at Ji Juechen's shoulder blade. It was incomparably fast and came from a vicious angle!

Ji Juechen's gaze sharpened slightly. The right hand that had been holding his sword finally moved. He did not draw the blade. Instead, he gripped the sheathed sword like a short staff and gave it a precise knock toward his side-front!

"Smack!"

The end of the Sword Scabbard struck without the slightest deviation upon the weakest point in the cold energy's flow—the crucial "node" through which its power was transmitted!

Ice fragments scattered everywhere! That fierce stream of cold energy was shattered and annihilated with a single tap!

Huo Yuhao's heart shook violently! His Spirit Detection had clearly "seen" Ji Juechen move and predicted his action, but that seemingly prescient strike, precise down to the finest detail, had completely ignored every feint and variation in his attack and gone straight for the core! This was no longer merely technique. It was more like... seeing through things at the level of rules!

"Your eyes..." Huo Yuhao could not help blurting out. His footwork did not stop, and both palms shot forward as the embryonic form of Eternal Frost Domain quietly spread out, trying to restrict Ji Juechen's movements with area-wide Extreme Ice.

Ji Juechen finally retreated for the first time. With the system's assistance, he could clearly "see" the temperature within that area plummeting and the paths of energy flowing through the freezing air. He moved as though gliding across ice, always finding fleeting gaps before the cold could close in around him.

At the same time, amid the wildly refreshing data on the system panel, a message suddenly appeared:

[Special patterns detected within target's footwork. Record and analyze? Deduction and Simulation may be attempted.]

Record, Ji Juechen silently said in his heart.

[Recording initiated... Analysis in progress... Target footwork logic complexity: High. Deduction progress: 1%...]

Jing Ziyan, standing at the edge of the field, was dazzled. She had never seen anyone remain so composed beneath Huo Yuhao's bizarre movement technique and terrifying cold aura. Wang Donger, meanwhile, grew more alarmed the longer she watched. Ji Juechen's way of fighting—anticipating the enemy and using simplicity to break complexity—sent a chill through her.

Huo Yuhao had attacked for a long time without success. His thoughts raced, and he knew conventional methods would make victory difficult. A sharp light flashed through his eyes as he decided to use one of his trump cards. His body abruptly stilled, and a deeper, more terrifying aura began to gather in his right hand. The air around him seemed as though it would freeze, while the phantom of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion faintly emerged—it was the powerful Emperor Palm: Great Cold Without Snow!

Yet just before that ultimate move was unleashed!

Ji Juechen moved! This time, he was no longer evading or blocking.

With the system's warning a fraction of a second in advance and the aid of [Weakness Insight], he caught the nearly undetectable instant of stiffness that occurred when Huo Yuhao gathered Soul Power and changed moves!

"Clang—!"

The iron sword finally left its sheath!

There was no dazzling radiance, no earth-shaking momentum. There was only a jet-black Sword Light, condensed to the extreme, as if it could absorb all light! This strike was faster than the eye could follow, stabbing directly at the opening Huo Yuhao had exposed while charging his attack—the unavoidable route of his Soul Power Circulation!

Huo Yuhao's Emperor Palm was forcibly interrupted! In alarm, he hurriedly pushed the gathered cold aura forward, forming a heavy ice shield.

"Pfft!"

The black light pierced the ice shield. It did not destroy it through brute force; instead, like a hot knife through butter, it precisely penetrated the most unstable point in the shield's energy structure! Cracks instantly spread across the ice shield!

The sword tip stopped steadily less than an inch from Huo Yuhao's chest.

The icy sword intent made goosebumps rise across Huo Yuhao's skin.

The entire training ground fell silent.

Ji Juechen looked at the cold sweat seeping from Huo Yuhao's brow and slowly returned his sword to its sheath. The system notification sounded again:

[Large quantity of combat data recorded. Target Huo Yuhao Combat Model construction progress: 15%.]

[Host's combined application rating for "Weakness Insight" and "Combat Deduction": Excellent.]

"You lost." Ji Juechen calmly stated the fact.

Huo Yuhao looked at Ji Juechen and slowly dispersed his Soul Power. The ice shield shattered and fell to the ground. There was no anger at defeat on his face, only profound shock and contemplation.

"I lost," he admitted frankly. Then he stared at Ji Juechen with blazing eyes. "Not because of strength, but because... you saw through everything."

Ji Juechen did not answer. He merely held his sword and turned to leave. This time, Huo Yuhao did not stop him.

Watching Ji Juechen's back disappear into the twilight, Huo Yuhao spoke solemnly to Wang Donger beside him, as well as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Empress within his consciousness.

"His strength does not lie in soul skills or Soul Power Level... It lies in those 'eyes' that can 'see' the weaknesses of all things."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice carried an unprecedented seriousness. "This guy... he's practically a humanoid soul-engineering computational core! This is ridiculous!"

The Ice Empress's cool voice carried a trace of gravity as well. "His sword was born to 'slay weaknesses.' Yuhao, until you find a way to deal with his ability to 'see through' things, do not fight him to the death."

Huo Yuhao nodded heavily, engraving the name "Ji Juechen" firmly at the top of the list of strongest opponents in his heart.

Meanwhile, as Ji Juechen walked away, the system's final notification echoed in his mind:

[Recommendation: Continue collecting data on target Huo Yuhao. His value in improving the host's Combat Model database is extremely high.]

A silent clash had laid the foundation for the complex relationship between them. Both of them knew that this was only the beginning.