Dan Lei saw that Yan Qing was his examiner and knew he could forget about passing today without even using Magecraft.
A normal examiner would test Dan Lei's combat ability and announce that he had passed once they had fought enough.
But Yan Qing was currently in the stage of a gifted young man whose brilliance had yet to be tempered. Before being defeated in turn by seasoned seniors and the Stellar Core Spirit, all he had in his eyes was victory, not examinations.
The proof was that when he noticed Dan Lei's gaze becoming complicated, he assumed Dan Lei was puzzled by his age. He immediately stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and said,
"Mr. Dan Lei, please don't look down on me just because I'm young.
Although I'm merely a Cloud Knight soldier, I've still cut off the head of the Beast of Artifact 'Fang Feng.'"
Dan Lei immediately gave a wry smile and looked toward Jing Yuan, who was sitting in the Audience Seats of the training arena.
Jing Yuan had not come alone today. Beside him was a petite pink-haired girl—the Divination Department's Diviner, Fu Xuan.
It was obvious that Jing Yuan wanted to see through Dan Lei's fighting style by observing this battle.
Thus, Dan Lei sighed silently and said to Yan Qing,
"Yan Qing, I wasn't looking down on you. I just didn't expect my combat assessment to already require the general's personal disciple as my examiner."
Yan Qing was also very easygoing. Hearing Dan Lei's confusion, he immediately explained,
"Normally speaking, Yan Qing shouldn't have been responsible for this assessment.
But I bought two extra flying swords this month and am truly short on money. I can only eat the general's food and use the general's things. When I was assigned this extra task, I simply couldn't refuse.
Besides, the general said that if Yan Qing wins this match, I can receive an extra bonus next month. Then I'll be able to purchase another flying sword.
So, let me apologize in advance, Mr. Dan Lei. Although this is an assessment, Yan Qing will give it his all."
After hearing this, Dan Lei was speechless at Jing Yuan's schemes. He could only summon the fully upgraded Nichirin Greatsword, which had transformed into a flying sword, and hold it in a sword salute.
"I have no sect or faction. Dan Lei. Please advise me."
Seeing this, Yan Qing's expression instantly turned solemn. He likewise held his sword in a salute and said,
"Cloud Knights, Yan Qing. Please advise me."
After politely saluting, the two immediately assumed their opening stances. Yan Qing stood sideways, holding his sword in his right hand at shoulder level in a straight-thrusting position.
Dan Lei, meanwhile, held his greatsword in front of him with both hands in the standard heavy-sword stance—the opening stance of Artoria's Saber class in Fate.
At this moment, their intentions were clear. Yan Qing had adopted a standard offensive stance, while Dan Lei was preparing to defend and counterattack.
Thus, in the next second, Yan Qing transformed into a streak of azure light, his long sword thrusting straight toward Dan Lei.
Dan Lei inhaled deeply and reinforced his entire body with magical power before knocking down Yan Qing's incoming sword with a single slash.
However, Yan Qing used the force to spin, swept his long sword around, and slashed down again.
But Dan Lei saw it coming. He stepped sideways to evade the downward slash while sweeping his greatsword horizontally.
With a clang, Dan Lei remained rooted to the spot, while Yan Qing blocked with his sword and then leaped high to disperse the force.
After that exchange, the advantages and disadvantages of both sides were obvious.
Neither side had used the Power of the Path in that exchange; it had merely been a test. Dan Lei clearly had greater physical strength, while Yan Qing was faster.
As for swordsmanship, it was impossible to tell after just one move. But Yan Qing now knew that today's opponent would not be easy to deal with.
Thus, Yan Qing was the first to activate the Power of the Path. As the Power of the Path of the Hunt surrounded his body, cold air spread everywhere. At the same time, he pointed forward with his left hand, and six flying swords emerged from the void and shot toward Dan Lei.
Facing the six flying swords, Dan Lei did not take them head-on. Instead, he flung out Magecraft Threads from his hand and linked them together in pairs.
Yan Qing's flying swords were capable of piercing through the armor of the Buli Ren's Ironwolf Formation. Magecraft Threads alone could not possibly restrain them.
However, by linking them together in pairs, Dan Lei caused Yan Qing's own force to interfere with his control. In an instant, the six flying swords lost control.
Dan Lei took the opportunity to step on a whirlwind, raise his sword, and thrust forward. In a single advance, he reached Yan Qing. As Imaginary Energy surged from his mouth, the Power of the Path of the Hunt reinforced his body. Lightning coiled around the blade of the Nichirin Greatsword, which descended in an instant.
Yan Qing had no time to control the flying swords and call them back. The elemental energy contained in Dan Lei's sword also proved that this would not be a simple downward slash. Taking it head-on would be foolish, while dodging might still leave him caught in the elemental attack.
Thus, Yan Qing leaped sideways. As he evaded Dan Lei's downward slash, his long sword flew beneath his feet and carried him straight into the air, allowing him to avoid the AOE lightning attack that erupted when the greatsword struck the ground.
While airborne, Yan Qing recalled his six flying swords and made them circle around him. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked,
"Mr. Dan Lei, what technique did you just use? Did you absorb ownerless Imaginary Energy to increase the power of your sword technique? I've never heard of anything like it."
Dan Lei did not hide anything in response. The boy was still very pure-hearted, and there was no need to treat a sparring match like a battle to the death.
Thus, Dan Lei inhaled deeply again. Dragon-shaped markings appeared beneath his clothes, and he said,
"This is a cultivation method I salvaged from my memories, originating from a remote planet. It's called the Breathing Technique.
The people on that planet used the Breathing Technique to absorb energy from the atmosphere and wield elemental power against monsters and abominations.
I modified it somewhat and turned it into a version that absorbs Imaginary Energy. I call it [Dragon's Breath]."
After saying that, Dan Lei immediately swung his sword at Yan Qing in the sky, sending several enormous wind blades toward him. Yan Qing was forced to dodge constantly while also using the flying swords around him to block.
Seeing this, Dan Lei sped up his attacks and changed from single wind blades to a mixture of lightning and wind blades.
Dan Lei still remembered that when Yan Qing was a boss in the game, his weaknesses were Wind, Lightning, and Imaginary.
Now that he thought about it, there was some logic behind that elemental distribution.
Yan Qing liked fighting guerrilla-style in the air, but he himself could not fly. He relied on the mobility of his flying swords, so when he encountered elements like Wind and Lightning, which traveled at high speeds, he became somewhat flustered.
However, Yan Qing was clearly a sword fanatic. Even while being pursued and attacked, he still laughed loudly upon seeing a technique he had never encountered before and said,
"Dragon's Breath? Interesting. But Yan Qing can't disgrace himself! Behold my [Swallow Returns]!"
As he spoke, the cold air around Yan Qing suddenly condensed into four flying swords. Centered around him, they formed a sword formation, blocking all of Dan Lei's elemental attacks with the four Ice Swords.
However, the sword formation was clearly consuming the swords' lifespans. After blocking the attacks, cracks had appeared across the ice blades. Forget powerful attacks—even a few more low-powered attacks would shatter the swords.
Moreover, these swords had been formed from Yan Qing's Power of the Path. Once they were all shattered, they would lose the reinforcement of Path energy, leaving a huge opening for the enemy.
But the reverse was also true.
Before all the flying swords formed from the Power of the Path around him were destroyed, Yan Qing could attack with his full strength without restraint.
Thus, Yan Qing stepped onto a long sword and controlled the six flying swords as they charged straight toward Dan Lei once more. He clearly intended to defeat Dan Lei before his sword formation was broken and secure victory that way.
The Stellar Core Spirit was the opponent who defeated Yan Qing during Kafka's companion mission.
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