True Romance of the Three Kingdoms

True Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Once Tian Hao entered combat mode, his attention became intensely focused. His expression was solemn, and Tang Hao was the only person left in his eyes.

Though the spear in his hand had only one move—a straight thrust—its speed and frequency were astonishing, nearly reaching the limits of an ordinary human body. It moved so fast that it almost left afterimages.

In his previous life, the fastest punching speed had been roughly thirteen punches per second, and that was with both fists combined. After years of rigorous training, along with the boost Soul Power gave to explosive force, Tian Hao could thrust ten times per second if he disregarded power and pursued only speed and frequency.

Combined with his relentless attacks at the lower body and the instability of the ball beneath their feet, even someone as strong as Tang Hao was thrown into a miserable state for a time.

But he was a Soul Douluo after all. Though speed and agility were not his specialties, that was only relative. Even while dealing with the attacks in a sorry state, he still did not allow Tian Hao to break through the defensive circle formed by his hands.

Then Tian Hao, who had been focusing on Tang Hao's lower body, suddenly flicked his arm. The spear tip rose and stabbed toward Tang Hao's wide-open shoulder.

"Trying that trick on me? You're still too green, kid."

As if he had been prepared all along, Tang Hao suddenly raised his right hand and firmly seized the sharp spear tip. This time, Tang Hao smiled.

He had grown up through battle. He had experienced countless fights and life-or-death struggles, and had even been to the City of Slaughter. What kind of scene had he not seen? Tian Hao's little tricks were child's play.

Now that he had caught the spear tip, he could finally make use of his advantage in strength.

Yet before the smile on his face could last long, it froze. He stared blankly at the spear tip that had slipped free and been pulled back.

"Oil?"

Recalling that slippery sensation from just now, Tang Hao understood that the brat had definitely smeared grease on the spearhead.

How cunning!

Tian Hao gave Tang Hao no chance to rest. He continued thrusting his spear rapidly, forcing Tang Hao into an increasingly awkward defense.

Although he was at a disadvantage, Tang Hao still kept himself steady atop the Stone Ball and showed no intention of jumping down to fight on the ground.

Since he had accepted the challenge, he had effectively agreed to these rules. If he abandoned the Stone Ball and landed on the ground now, it would be the same as admitting defeat.

He could not afford to lose that kind of face, especially with Ah Yin watching from the side.

Besides, this method was quite interesting. It could greatly train one's stability. Tang Hao was even considering passing this training method on to the Clear Sky Sect once he returned.

What Tang Hao did not know was that as he learned this training method, strands of his fate continued to pass through the air to Tian Hao's Jade Disc of Creation.

Sensing more fate continuously flowing into his account, Tian Hao rejoiced inwardly. Then, seeing Tang Hao gradually adapt, he decisively activated the Jade Disc of Creation's enlightenment function.

He did not want to lose. Otherwise, judging by Tang Hao's vicious grin, he might end up being hung up and beaten. That would be far too humiliating.

At the same time, it was the perfect chance to test the enlightenment function's effects.

Under the enhancement of the enlightenment function, his thinking speed instantly accelerated several times over. Even Tang Hao's movements became slow motion, like bullet time in a movie.

And that was not all. Every aspect of his consciousness and thought was elevated. The feeling was profoundly mysterious, somewhat like the brain-boosting drug in the movie Limitless, except its effects were even fiercer.

As he entered the enlightened state, Tian Hao's physical abilities did not improve, but his consciousness rose by several levels.

That bullet time alone, brought about by accelerated thought, caused his combat strength to soar. In an instant, he once again suppressed Tang Hao, who had only just started adapting.

Tang Hao's face darkened at Tian Hao's sudden improvement. He only assumed that Tian Hao had been holding back part of his strength earlier, letting him adapt to this style of combat first.

He, Tang Hao, had actually been given concessions by someone—and a mere teenager at that.

How embarrassing!

Unwilling to accept it, he tried to counterattack with all his might. But the more anxious he became, the harder it was to steady himself. Several times, he nearly could not resist using Soul Power, but thankfully restrained himself in the end.

He forcibly calmed down and continued defending passively, while further adapting to this combat state.

The battle continued, and Tian Hao's combat strength kept rising. In particular, his spear techniques grew smoother and more refined.

His offense was no longer limited to thrusts. Other variations gradually began to appear.

Though they were only basic spear techniques, they still left Tang Hao dealing with them in a miserable state.

This feeling of having strength but nowhere to use it was unbearably frustrating.

As the battle continued, the haphazard quality in Tian Hao's spearwork gradually faded. The transitions between moves became increasingly fluid, and the openings grew fewer and fewer.

This was the strength of the enlightenment function. It could assist cultivation and improve oneself more efficiently.

Ah Yin, watching from the side, saw everything. She could not help gathering a spear in her hand, eager to give it a try.

Though her martial soul was the Blue Silver Emperor, she was not purely a control-type soul master. Her close-combat ability was not weak either.

This fighting method interested her greatly, especially since Tian Hao was also using a spear. It made her hands itch.

After looking around, she walked toward a huge boulder nearby. The Blue Silver Overlord Spear danced in her hand, and she quickly carved it into a smooth Stone Ball.

Before the sharpness of the Blue Silver Overlord Spear, hard rock was not much tougher than tofu.

She leaped onto the Stone Ball and copied Tian Hao's stance to stabilize herself. She even slowly rolled the ball with both feet, moving forward, backward, left, and right.

Perhaps women were naturally better at balance than men. Ah Yin quickly adapted for the most part, then rolled her Stone Ball into the battle and attacked both Tian Hao and Tang Hao at once.

Of course, she did not use Soul Power to enhance herself either. She relied solely on her physical abilities.

Tian Hao had no choice but to divide his attention and attack Ah Yin, using offense against offense. However, their spears never collided. Instead, they targeted each other's openings, forcing the other to dodge repeatedly and alter their attacks.

Having to endure attacks from both sides left Tang Hao so frustrated he nearly spat blood. Fortunately, each of them was only directing half their offense at him. Otherwise, he would have fallen long ago.

With no other choice, he could only work even harder to adapt to the ball beneath his feet, and he quickly began to see results.

"Take my fist!"

After adapting to a certain extent, Tang Hao decisively rolled his Stone Ball toward Tian Hao with both feet, preparing to suppress him with his fists.

As long as he got close, that brat would be finished.

But Tian Hao was not a wooden post. Why would he stand still and let his opponent charge at him?

He rolled his own Stone Ball away with both feet, dodging Tang Hao while continuing his exchange with Ah Yin without missing a beat.

Thus, the two circled around Ah Yin's Stone Ball again and again, chasing each other while all three remained in a straight line.

"You brat, if you've got the guts, stop running!"

After circling several times and still failing to catch him, Tang Hao was driven mad with rage.

Especially when he watched his girlfriend spar so enthusiastically with that brat while he seemed like an unnecessary extra, the frustration nearly made him explode.

Ah Yin had also finally adapted for the most part. She swiftly rolled the Stone Ball beneath her feet and began pursuing Tian Hao.

Of course, she was not merely chasing Tian Hao. She also continued helping intercept and counterattack Tang Hao.

This game was so fun that she did not want it to end too soon.

The three of them, each atop a ball, staged a Romance of the Three Kingdoms across the entire field, chasing one another back and forth.

Unfortunately, neither Ah Yin nor Tang Hao used Soul Power, so there were no special effects at all. The visual spectacle was terribly lacking.

Tian Hao's Soul Power was limited after all. They had been fighting for three or four minutes since the beginning, and he had reached his limit.

"Pause!"

Tian Hao suddenly withdrew his spear. While panting heavily, he raised a hand to signal a halt.

His entire body was like a steamer, heat rising from him. His forehead in particular was frighteningly red, and his eyes were filled with bloodshot veins. Clearly, the previous exertion had been no small matter.

The physical exhaustion was secondary. The crucial issue was that the enlightened state placed too much strain on his brain.

It was like overclocking a CPU—it generated enormous heat. With powerful air cooling or water cooling to keep it under control, it would be fine, but without them, the system would definitely crash.

Unfortunately, Tian Hao had no equipment like air cooling or water cooling to lower the temperature. He felt as though his brain was about to boil, and his head was splitting apart.

(Ah Yin: Hey, kid, come spar with your big sister and let's see whether your spear technique is fiercer, or mine is more domineering!)