Section 12: Lightning? It Can't Block My Path!

"Green Vine Garment." He stretched his limbs, allowing the Thunder Vine to spread across his body. The vines intertwined and knotted, weaving in the blink of an eye into an impenetrable, full-body suit of blue-vine armor.

Chu Yun had already charged within range.

"Step back. The Dao technique I am about to use is immensely powerful; it is not something a freshman like you can withstand. Admit defeat now to avoid physical suffering. It wouldn't be good for you to be bedridden from severe injuries right at the start of your enrollment," Yan Que said, his tone cold and condescending, advising surrender with the air of a senior student.

Chu Yun's momentum did not falter.

"Hmph, I offered you kind advice, but you insist on courting disaster. Don't blame me, then. Thunder Vine, take root and block the enemy!" Yan Que sneered, issuing a new command.

The Thunder Vine quickly pierced the surface of the arena, digging deep into the earth to draw upon the world's essence. Simultaneously, it either launched leaf-blades or wove vine-whips to obstruct Chu Yun's charge.

"Oh no, looking at this formation, Senior Yan Que is going to use that move!"

"That technique has massive power and indiscriminate range; it's practically unsolvable!"

"The Young Tiger Chu Yun is in for a world of hurt. Unless he retreats immediately."

"He isn't retreating; he's still pushing forward. Sigh! Such reckless bravado. The outcome is already decided."

The crowd trembled in unison, cold sweat breaking out as they witnessed Yan Que's stance. They let out a collective sigh, convinced that Chu Yun was blind to the situation and doomed to fail.

Chu Yun's expression remained icy. The Drunken Snow Blade danced in his hands, forming a sphere of snowy shadows, exuding a biting chill and the faint scent of wine. His blade-light was sharp and unstoppable, shredding countless branches along his path, sending broken vines and ruined leaves flying in every direction.

"Freshman, ignorance is weakness. Let me show you the origin of the Thunder Vine's name. Detonate!" Having reached this point, Yan Que appeared calm and composed as he leisurely issued the order to detonate.

The vines had been continuously absorbing the earth's essence; now, the branches shuddered, rapidly sprouting clusters of deep blue fruit. These were the renowned Thunder Fruits, capable of erupting with plasma and lightning, powerful enough to shatter stone and blast mountains.

"It's over." Yan Que watched the approaching Chu Yun and sighed. "Learn from your mistakes and accumulate knowledge. Remember, battles between Spirit Beast Masters require knowing yourself and your enemy. I know you inside and out, yet you know nothing of my Dao techniques. Your defeat was sealed from the very beginning."

"Chu Yun is finished!"

"Senior Yan Que is truly a cut above."

A chorus of laments rose from the crowd, some of whom covered their eyes, unable to bear witnessing the carnage about to unfold.

"Thunder Fruits, detonate!" Yan Que suddenly roared.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At that moment, a series of deafening explosions erupted. The light was blinding; the arena was filled with flashing lightning and spraying plasma. The spectators scrambled to cover their ears and shut their eyes.

Each Thunder Fruit exploded with immense power. The blasts were so intense they even endangered the Thunder Vine itself, with many vines being torn asunder by the shockwaves. Shredded vines and leaves filled the air, blotting out the sky.

"The explosion of the Thunder Fruits is a tactic that kills a thousand enemies while suffering eight hundred losses. Chu Yun, you should feel honored to have forced me to use this move. Remember this feeling well, so that when you oppose us commoner scholars in the future, you can reflect upon it."

Yan Que sneered inwardly. Though he was protected by the Green Vine Garment, the shock of the explosions still left his body reeling and his chest tight. After this battle, his spirit plant, the Thunder Vine, would see its cultivation drop by twenty years. Furthermore, he would need to spend half a month in careful recovery, unable to perform a second Thunder Fruit detonation.

Yet, compared to the victory he had secured, this sacrifice was worth it.

However, just as he believed the outcome was set, a collective gasp of shock from the spectators reached his ears!

"Impossible! Am I seeing things?" someone exclaimed.

"In the midst of such dense explosions, the Young Tiger is still advancing! Is this a dream?" Another person slapped himself, then clutched his face, hissing in pain.

The Thunder Fruit explosions continued, but they were no longer as dense as before. Scattered and sporadic, the lightning no longer blinded the eyes. The crowd outside the arena stood dumbfounded, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.

Chu Yun was advancing!

Amidst the explosions, amidst the flashing lightning and thunder, he stepped forward, never once retreating!

"How can this be? This blade technique, this blade technique!" Once he saw clearly, even Yan Que was stunned.

The surrounding Thunder Fruits were exploding violently, yet they could not stop Chu Yun's advance. The Drunken Snow Blade danced and wove in his hands, carving out a brilliant, snowy arc of light.

Cleaving, sweeping, cutting, and slicing—the four basic blade techniques were executed with effortless mastery in Chu Yun's hands. They flowed together in a seamless cycle, without the slightest hesitation or obstruction.

At this moment, Ning Yiyi's eyes widened, Hua Ying's mouth fell open, and Jin Bihan stared in a daze. Everyone was struck dumb, their hearts shaken to the core.

"The Young Tiger, this is the Young Tiger! He is too fierce; even the thunder cannot stop his advance!"

"With a blade in hand, he is invincible! No wonder he could slay the Remnant Wolf; this is no stroke of luck—this is pure strength!"

The shockwaves of the explosions reached him, only to be dismantled by his blade-force. The lightning struck, only to be guided away by his blade. Chu Yun had mastered the Drunken Snow Blade to such a degree that it moved as if it were an extension of his own body.

"Such blade technique is only possessed by wanderers who have honed their spirit blades for decades, living on the edge of life and death. Could it be that Chu Yun has been practicing his blade techniques since he was in the womb?"

Yan Que could hardly believe his eyes. This level of blade technique was already perfected; man and blade had become one, forming an inseparable whole.

"Chu Yun is only thirteen; there is no mistake about that. Then it can only mean he is a peerless genius of the blade! I thought I had the victory in my grasp, that I held the overwhelming advantage. To think, the one with the true advantage was my opponent all along!" Yan Que could only find such an explanation in his heart, his spirit shaken, his fighting will already crumbling.

"One strike to end it!" Chu Yun cleaved through the lightning and lunged forward. He unleashed the final move of the Shu Family Island style. In an instant, the blade-light retracted, the blade-force vanished, leaving only the Drunken Snow Blade, which looked as if it had been carved from ice and snow.

The blade traced an unfathomable, mysterious trajectory, piercing directly through the Green Vine Garment and slashing into Yan Que's chest.

Blood sprayed out, and the Thunder Vine branches shuddered like they had been electrocuted before quickly falling still. Yan Que's eyes bulged as he collapsed backward!

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence, which only broke into a roar after a long moment.

"He won! The Young Tiger Chu Yun has defeated Senior Yan Que. He truly is the strongest freshman in history!"

"He hacked his way through without a moment's pause. No matter how Senior Yan Que attacked, he met force with force, and with that final strike, Senior Yan Que fell."

"Damn it, we can't get into the arena. Senior Yan Que's injury looks very serious..."

"Cough, cough... you won. I never imagined you would be this strong. Cough, I misjudged you." Yan Que lay on the ground, a massive blade wound running from his upper right to his lower left chest, blood pouring out like a fountain. One hand was nowhere near enough to cover it.

His injury was severe, but not fatal.

At the final moment, Chu Yun reined in a sliver of his blade's momentum, yet left behind a sufficient lesson.

"I said I only let facts do the talking. I have zero interest in the struggle between commoners and the noble clans. Do not obstruct my path forward, Yan Que." Chu Yun looked down at his fallen opponent and slowly slid the bloodless Drunken Snow Blade back into the scabbard on his back.

As he opened his mouth, it was as if he carried a certain magic, and the surroundings fell silent. Throughout the entire arena, only his indifferent words could be heard.

Having finished his sentence, he remained expressionless, stepped over Yan Que's body, and walked out of the arena. The crowd parted automatically; not a single student dared to stand in his way.