Second Match, Su Chen Enters Himself

The young girl finished her sentence.

The wind near the spectator stands seemed to skip a beat.

She stepped out from the crowd, her black training gear clinging to her frame. The slender spear in her hand dragged along the ground, its tip scraping against the bluestone and emitting a harsh, grating sound.

Xiao Wu had just finished her match; she hadn't even caught her breath, and sweat still clung to her forehead.

She glanced at the girl first, then turned to look at Su Chen.

"Is she here for you?"

Su Chen gave a hum of affirmation.

"I can tell."

Shen Zhi's expression, however, shifted slightly.

"How did she get dragged into this?"

Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow.

"You know her?"

Shen Zhi lowered his voice.

"Among this batch of special recruits in Suotuo City, she is the most troublesome one."

"Lu Qingci, level twenty-nine, Tool Spirit, Wind-Splitting Spear."

"She isn't the same type as Zhou Ling."

"She is steady, precise, and ruthless."

After hearing this, Xiao Wu frowned for a moment before stepping forward.

"So what if she's level twenty-nine?"

"I can still—"

"Go down and rest."

Su Chen interrupted her.

Xiao Wu was stunned.

"You're going up yourself?"

"What else?"

Su Chen watched the girl in black approach step by step.

"She challenged me."

Xiao Wu pursed her lips.

She wanted to keep fighting.

But the previous match had consumed a lot of her energy, and her legs were still aching.

If she forced it, it might not end well.

She looked at Su Chen for two seconds before taking a half-step back.

"Fine."

"Just don't take too long."

"I just won, and if you drag this out longer than I did, I'll laugh at you."

Su Chen glanced at her sideways.

"Don't worry, I'll save you the trouble."

By then, the girl in black had already reached the edge of the arena.

She braced her hand and vaulted onto the stage, landing lightly, yet her spear remained perfectly steady without a tremor.

She didn't look at the presiding instructor first.

Nor did she look at the people from Suotuo City.

She only stared at Su Chen.

"Zhou Ling wasn't enough."

"You come."

As soon as these words were spoken, a commotion rippled through the surroundings.

The Suotuo City side, previously sullen over Zhou Ling's defeat, suddenly had their spirits lifted.

"Lu Qingci is up."

"Now this will be worth watching."

"She isn't the type to just brute-force it like Zhou Ling."

"If this Holy Son actually dares to step down, today is going to get lively."

The presiding instructor stood at the edge of the stage, clearly taken aback as well.

"Th-this match wasn't originally—"

"It is now."

Lu Qingci didn't even turn her head.

"Since Nuoding City can field a second person, Suotuo City can make a substitution as well."

As she finished speaking, she slammed the butt of her spear against the ground.

Thud.

The layer of sand trembled.

Shen Zhi raised a hand to rub his brow.

"The moment she spoke, today's event stopped being just a special recruitment."

Xiao Wu crossed her arms, staring at the stage.

"What do you mean?"

"It means she wants to win back some face for Suotuo City."

Shen Zhi said in a low voice.

"With Zhou Ling losing to you, Suotuo City has already lost its reputation."

"If she can suppress Su Chen now, they can still hold their heads high."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately sneered.

"She's dreaming."

Su Chen was already walking toward the arena.

His pace was unhurried.

The hem of his black outer robe was lifted slightly by the breeze.

As he walked up the steps, the noise from the sidelines gradually died down.

Many were seeing him up close for the first time.

He wasn't old.

Yet his presence commanded the entire arena.

No bluster, no airs.

The more understated he was, the more unfathomable he seemed.

Su Chen stepped onto the stage and stopped opposite Lu Qingci.

Seven or eight paces separated them.

Lu Qingci finally spoke again.

"They all say you're strong."

"I don't like listening to what others say."

"I prefer to test it myself."

Su Chen looked at the spear in her hand.

The shaft was slender and pitch-black, the spearhead gleaming with a cold, cyan light.

It bore the marks of years of constant honing.

This person wasn't just posing with a weapon.

She had truly trained for this.

"Then test it."

Su Chen's tone was flat.

"I'll give you that chance."

Lu Qingci's eyes turned cold.

Clearly, she did not appreciate a tone even more indifferent than her own.

"You aren't using your Martial Soul?"

"That depends on whether you're worth it."

As soon as he said this, the Suotuo City side erupted.

"Too arrogant!"

"Lu Qingci is already on stage, and he still won't release his Martial Soul?"

"He's overdoing the act."

"Does he really think he can just suppress a level 29 fighter?"

Xiao Wu grew annoyed, turning her head to glare at them.

"Shut up."

"One more word and I'll throw you down first."

The faces of those few people darkened, but they truly didn't continue to shout.

The presiding instructor swallowed hard and hurriedly raised a hand.

"Both sides, prepare."

"Stop at the point of contact, no malicious--"

"Begin."

The final two words had barely fallen.

Lu Qingci moved first.

She was not like Zhou Ling, who relied on direct suppression.

Nor was she like Xiao Wu, who favored close-quarters aggression.

Her feet tapped three times in succession, her entire body gliding across the ground like an arrow; her first strike did not aim for the center, but instead slanted upward to pick at Su Chen's right shoulder.

The spear moved in a narrow path.

It was fast.

The angle was also tricky.

The viewing platform fell silent at once.

Those who knew their craft could see that this strike was not for show.

It was aimed purely at testing his reaction.

Su Chen did not retreat.

Just as the spear tip reached his shoulder, he raised his right hand and pressed two fingers together.

Ding.

The spear tip was caught directly by him.

The sound was as crisp as a strike against a sheet of iron.

Lu Qingci's pupils constricted.

She had not expected her first strike to fail to even touch the corner of his clothes, nor had she expected him to receive it in such a manner.

Two fingers.

Hard-catching the spear tip.

She immediately twisted her wrist, the spear shaft vibrating to break free, and followed up with a horizontal sweep aimed directly at his waist.

It was fast.

So fast that it left only a black arc in its wake.

This time, Su Chen moved.

He shifted his feet, sliding half a step backward, the spear tip grazing past his hem and stirring up a wisp of wind.

Lu Qingci did not retract.

Her greatest strength was never the first strike.

It was the momentum that followed a missed shot.

Point, shake, collapse, pierce.

The four movements were almost fused into a single line.

The shadow of the spear unfolded instantly.

Like dense, fine rain, it pressed straight toward Su Chen's chest.

Exclamations erupted from the surrounding crowd.

"She's suppressed him."

"Lu Qingci's spear momentum has risen."

"If he can't handle this sequence, he'll be forced back for the rest of the fight."

Xiao Wu also stared intently at the stage.

When she fought Zhou Ling earlier, it had been on her own rhythm.

Now, watching Lu Qingci's spear, she realized that this person and Zhou Ling were not of the same path at all.

Zhou Ling relied on weight.

She relied on density.

A density so suffocating it left no room to breathe.

Yet Su Chen did not retreat.

He simply stood there, shifting his feet twice, lowering his shoulder line, his body moving only a fraction of an inch each time.

A fraction was enough.

Spear after spear grazed his body.

Spear after spear missed its mark.

By the time Lu Qingci unleashed her seventh strike, her breathing had changed.

It was not chaotic.

But it had tightened.

Because she realized that even though she had seized the rhythm, she simply could not touch him.

Su Chen seemed to know where the spear was coming from a step ahead of time.

When she moved left, he was already waiting on the left.

When she shifted to the center, his body had already leaned away.

What bothered her most was that her opponent had not truly made a move yet.

He was only dodging.

He was only watching.

As if he were measuring exactly how much weight her spear carried.

"Is that it?"

Su Chen finally spoke.

His voice was not loud.

Yet it pierced into her rhythm like a needle.

Lu Qingci's eyes sharpened; she stomped her foot, and her First Soul Skill instantly flared.

The yellow soul ring vibrated.

Her entire Wind-Splitting Spear let out a low whistle.

A layer of cyan wind patterns that tore through the air manifested around the shaft.

"Enough."

No sooner had the words left her lips than she surged forward.

This time, it was not a series of thrusts.

It was a straight, center-piercing strike.

It was very direct.

And very ruthless.

Before the spear even arrived, the fine sand in the center of the arena had already been carved into a straight line by the wind patterns.

Shen Zhi's expression darkened.

"Wind-Splitting Spear's First Soul Skill, Piercing Wind."

"This isn't a test anymore."

"She really wants to suppress him."

Xiao Wu instinctively took a step forward.

She, too, could see that this strike was heavier than all the previous ones combined.

The surrounding noise died down.

Everyone stared at that single line of the spear tip.

And at the very moment the spear reached him.

Su Chen finally made his move.

He did not release his martial soul.

He did not light up a soul ring.

He simply reached out with his right hand, fingers splayed, and clamped directly onto the middle of the spear shaft.

The momentum of the spear plummeted.

The wind patterns surging outward hit a wall and shattered on the spot.

Lu Qingci felt a sudden heaviness in her hands, as if the entire spear had been weighted down by a thousand pounds of iron.

Her wrist went numb, and her forward momentum was brought to a dead halt.

"Your spear, it's straight enough."

Su Chen gripped the shaft, lifting his eyes to look at her.

"A pity, not steady enough."

With that, he suddenly shook his arm.

Not to grab the spear.

But to use the spear to transfer force.

With a muffled bang.

Lu Qingci's tiger's mouth immediately cracked, her palm felt hot, and the Wind-Splitting Spear almost flew out of her hand.

Her reaction was extremely fast, she immediately let go halfway, using the force to retreat.

But Su Chen had already caught up.

A very simple step.

Yet it was so fast it was like he had teleported from his original spot directly in front of her.

Lu Qingci didn't have time to raise her spear, so she could only block with her arm.

Su Chen didn't use a heavy punch.

He simply curled his finger and tapped the back of his finger against her wrist.

Snap.

A very light sound.

The Wind-Splitting Spear flew out of her hand, spinning as it embedded itself into a crack in the black stone at the edge of the arena.

The tail of the spear was still trembling slightly.

The entire audience fell silent.

Lu Qingci stood in place, her right hand empty.

Half of her arm was numb.

She stared at the spear stuck far away, her chest rising and falling more noticeably.

Su Chen stood in front of her, two steps away, and didn't pursue further.

"Still want to fight?"

Lu Qingci slowly looked up.

There was no panic in her eyes, only a hint of fire that was being forcibly suppressed.

"Fight."

Her second spirit ring lit up.

A flash of yellow light.

Her figure flickered, and she didn't go to retrieve her spear. Instead, she used her spirit ability to accelerate, closing in empty-handed.

Few people knew that after the Wind-Splitting Spear was disarmed, she was actually most dangerous in close combat.

Elbow strikes, knee kicks, close-quarters grappling.

These were all things she usually held back and didn't use.

Someone in the audience cried out first.

"She was hiding this move too?"

"Isn't she a spear user?"

"This is called having many skills."

Xiao Wu stared at the stage, her eyes also moved slightly.

She could understand.

The path Lu Qingci wanted to take now was somewhat similar to hers.

Just harder.

More direct.

But Su Chen still didn't let her get close.

As her elbow strike reached him, he raised his palm to block.

As her knee kick came up, he raised his leg to press it down.

The two were so close they were almost touching.

But each time, Lu Qingci was pushed back half an inch first.

Half an inch wasn't much.

But each time it was enough to break her next attack.

The third time she was pushed back, Lu Qingci's breathing had already become heavy.

She suddenly understood.

Su Chen was not holding back his strength.

He was simply applying just enough force each time.

Just enough to disrupt her rhythm.

Just enough to prevent her from gaining momentum for her next move.

This style of fighting was far more agonizing than being crushed head-on.

Because it forced one to see the gap with absolute clarity.

Not just a little.

But an entire tier.

Lu Qingci gritted her teeth, preparing to advance again.

But Su Chen raised his hand first, pressing it onto her shoulder.

It wasn't heavy.

Nor was it meant to harm.

Yet, this single touch pinned her entire body in place.

"That's enough."

Su Chen looked at her.

"Your spearwork is decent, and you're more capable than Zhou Ling."

"If we keep fighting, your defeat will only look uglier."

A breeze swept across the edge of the arena.

Lu Qingci stood there, her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

She did not retreat immediately.

Nor did she concede at once.

After a few breaths, she slowly exhaled.

"I lost."

The moment those three words left her lips, the sidelines erupted as if a bomb had gone off.

"She actually conceded?"

"Even Lu Qingci conceded?"

"He didn't even activate his Martial Soul."

"Is he even human?"

The students from Suotuo City all wore stiff expressions.

When Zhou Ling lost, they could still claim he had underestimated his opponent.

But Lu Qingci had lost as well.

And she had lost in the very area where she was most steady.

This was not something that could be brushed off with the excuse of underestimating an opponent.

The presiding instructor finally snapped out of his daze and hurried onto the stage.

"Second match, Su Chen wins!"

As the voice fell.

The crowd from Nuoding City exploded first.

Wang Sheng and the others shouted until their voices cracked.

"Boss!"

"Boss won!"

"He won without even using his Martial Soul!"

Xiao Wu stood below the stage, her eyes shining brilliantly.

She had intended to hold back.

But in the end, she couldn't resist, and she shouted toward the stage.

"Su Chen, you're so cool!"

After the words left her mouth, she froze for a moment.

The people around her also froze.

The tips of Xiao Wu's ears burned red, and she immediately straightened her face, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Su Chen stood on the stage and glanced in her direction.

The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

At this moment, Lu Qingci walked over to where the Wind-Splitting Spear was embedded and pulled it out.

She did not look at anyone else, walking straight up to Su Chen before speaking in a low voice.

"I came up here today, not just for the sake of Zhou Ling."

"I know."

Su Chen replied.

"Who else did you come for?"

Lu Qingci gripped the spear and fell silent for a moment.

"There are people in the Suotuo Branch Hall who do not submit to you."

"Since he cannot enter the arena openly, he wants to use our hands to test you first."

Hearing this from below the stage, Shen Zhi's expression darkened instantly.

Su Chen, however, was not surprised.

"Which one?"

Lu Qingci raised her eyes.

"The Vice Hall Master, Han Su."

"Zhou Ling is his man."

"I am not."

She paused, then added another sentence.

"That is why if I lose, I will admit it."

Su Chen looked at her.

"You went out of your way to tell me this; what do you want in exchange?"

Lu Qingci's grip on the spear tightened.

"A chance."

"What kind of chance?"

"To fight again in the future."

Su Chen smiled.

"Fine."

"Come back when you have truly trained to the point where you can force me to summon my Martial Soul."

Lu Qingci's eyes trembled.

She did not speak.

She merely tightened her grip on the spear once more, then turned and walked off the stage.

Xiao Wu had already come up by this time.

As soon as she arrived, she stared at Su Chen for a moment.

"Were you just trying to look cool on purpose?"

"No."

"Liar."

Xiao Wu huffed.

"You clearly could have knocked her spear away at the very beginning, yet you insisted on playing along with her for so long."

"That was for you to see."

Su Chen looked at her.

"To let you know that when you encounter a spearman like that, do not stick too close; break her rhythm first."

Xiao Wu was stunned.

The little temper that had been about to flare up vanished instantly.

She blinked, though she remained stubborn with her words.

"You're quite good at teaching people on the fly."

"What else?"

"So, do I have to thank you?"

"A verbal thank you will suffice."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately recalled their previous agreement regarding a reward.

Just as she was about to speak, a much larger commotion suddenly erupted from the other side of the training grounds.

Below the high platform on the side of the Suotuo City Branch Hall, several Deacons hurriedly cleared a path.

A middle-aged man dressed in grey-gold robes walked out slowly.

His face was gaunt with deep-set eye sockets, and while his pace was unhurried, his cuffs were pressed with meticulous precision.

The moment he appeared, even the presiding instructor immediately lowered his head in a salute.

Shen Zhi's expression changed completely.

"Han Su has come."