Chapter 20

Xu Yi stood to the side, a look of interest appearing on her face.

"Everyone else, step back. I'm starting."

Seeing someone actually dare to challenge Coach Chen Huan, several students became interested and stepped aside to watch the match.

Feng Xia stood to the side clutching her hand, staring intently at Lin Sheng. She didn't feel she had lost; she just hadn't been in good form yesterday and hadn't rested well.

Watch how this kid dies! she muttered viciously.

She was a veteran in the class, having been here for over two months, and to be defeated by a newcomer was simply...

"Begin!"

"Kill!!"

A sudden, explosive shout rang out.

Two swords clashed fiercely together.

Bang!!

In that instant, everyone, including Xu Yi, felt as if they were watching two real swords clashing, not two wooden sticks.

Chen Huan stepped forward, her wooden stick pinning Lin Sheng's down, and she followed through with an elbow strike, intending to knock the weapon from his hand.

This was a disarming technique she hadn't taught yet. Although it was just a simple combination of grappling and swordplay, it still required long practice to become instinctual.

At this moment, she was also shocked.

She had held nothing back just now, intending to defeat Lin Sheng in the first round to demonstrate her prowess as a coach. She hadn't expected that both of them would maintain the maximum possible distance.

Now that she couldn't take him down in one move, she had to follow up with another, or she would lose face if the match dragged on.

"Impressive!" Xu Yi's expression turned solemn.

"Naxi Swordsmanship prioritizes distance calculation. The essence of the exchange just now was to stay at a distance where the opponent couldn't strike, then find an opportunity to maximize the reach of the sword tip to strike at vital points."

"But Chen Huan isn't gaining the upper hand. This newcomer is quite something."

"Is he really that good?" a newly joined student gasped. He had some foundation before joining the club and had sparred with Chen Huan many times, only to be struck down in an instant each time.

Seeing Chen Huan and Lin Sheng trading blows back and forth for several moves, he couldn't help but feel astonished.

"He's improving too fast!" a male student said in a low voice. "I remember he's only been here for a little over three weeks. Did he learn this before?"

"Doesn't look like it. He must be naturally gifted at this kind of sport," Xu Yi shook her head.

Just as they were speaking, the situation on the field changed again.

Chen Huan's repeated attacks were all nimbly dodged by Lin Sheng, and she began to feel anxious.

She was the coach; if she couldn't even take down a student who had only been learning for three weeks, how could she teach others in the future?

She had to win, and she had to win beautifully!

The more this emotion accumulated, the more anxious she became.

Chen Huan's movements began to distort slightly, and her face flushed a deep red.

Lin Sheng noticed this as well.

He had been immersed in the instinctual control of muscle memory and hadn't realized it at first, but now that he had come to his senses, he realized he might have gone too far.

With a thought, Lin Sheng quickly exposed a flaw, his right-side block a beat too slow.

Chen Huan's eyes lit up with joy, and she thrust her wooden stick toward the opening with lightning speed.

Thwack.

Lin Sheng was struck in the right rib, leaving his chest wide open, and he stumbled back a step.

He was just about to concede.

"Kill!!"

Suddenly, a sharp roar erupted, and another strike came crashing down toward his face.

Chen Huan's eyes were bloodshot as she gripped the wooden stick with both hands and swung down with all her might.

She felt that Lin Sheng had exposed the flaw on purpose, but the match had dragged on for too long.

She was the coach, and she had spent far too long fighting a student.

Therefore, she needed an absolute victory to re-establish her authority!

Even though she knew Lin Sheng was intentionally conceding, she hardened her heart and followed through with the downward strike, moving with extreme speed to ensure he wouldn't have the chance to speak.

Bang!

Lin Sheng had already prepared to stop, so he was caught off guard and didn't see Chen Huan's shift in intent.

It was too late to block.

His body instinctively sensed the danger; he tightened his grip on the stick with one hand and thrust forward while turning his body to the side.

Whoosh.

Chen Huan's wooden stick grazed right past his face mask.

Such immense strength!

If that had struck her head, even with a fencing mask on, something would have definitely gone wrong!

Swish.

Almost at the same time.

Lin Sheng's wooden sword struck Chen Huan hard in the abdomen.

A muffled groan.

Lin Sheng immediately felt that something was wrong and looked at Chen Huan again.

She was clutching her stomach, crouching on the ground with a pale face, her wooden sword dropped to the side. It looked quite serious.

"Lin Sheng!!"

Xu Yi, standing to the side, shouted sharply. "What are you doing!? This is just a practice bout, how could you strike with such force!?"

She hurried over, crouched beside Chen Huan, and helped check her injuries.

Because the movements were so fast, the people around them hadn't understood what happened, and it was already over.

"..." Lin Sheng stood silently in place, saying nothing.

He had acted entirely on instinct just now—dodging, then counterattacking.

In that instant, what controlled his body was entirely Ravel's muscle memory.

It seemed this instinctive strike had caused Chen Huan great pain; even with the bamboo-woven armor for protection, she was still crouching on the ground, unable to get up for a moment.

But if he hadn't counterattacked just now, Chen Huan's final strike...

She was clearly doing it on purpose, deliberately pretending not to notice that the opening was one Lin Sheng had intentionally exposed.

"How many years have you been training? Tell the truth, don't try to fool us with that 'beginner' act!" Xu Yi stood up and said coldly.

"What do you mean, how many years?" Lin Sheng was stunned.

"Still playing dumb!? You're here from the club next door to stir up trouble, aren't you?" Xu Yi felt she had guessed the truth.

"We'll refund your tuition, now get out! You aren't welcome here!" She pointed at the door and shouted.

She had just checked Chen Huan's injury; there was a large patch of bruising on her abdomen, all swollen and purple. She hadn't expected Lin Sheng to strike so heavily.

Lin Sheng didn't say anything more.

This was actually just a misunderstanding.

Chen Huan, concerned about her pride, had intentionally seized the opening to strike hard, only to be countered by him.

If he were an ordinary student, this might never have happened. But he was no ordinary student.

However, his goal had been achieved; he had truly tested just how formidable Ravel's swordsmanship was.

"It seems you have no intention of clearing this up. In that case, goodbye." Lin Sheng saw that Chen Huan had no intention of getting up to explain, and the gazes of the surrounding students, guided by Xu Yi, had become somewhat hostile.

He couldn't be bothered to stay here any longer.

He quickly took off his protective gear and helmet, dropped the wooden sword, and strode toward the classroom door.

Only then did he notice that the commotion had already attracted quite a few people to the doorway.

Among them were female students from the opposite side, as well as some people he didn't recognize.

"Excuse me, please." Lin Sheng didn't drag things out; he went straight to the office, where the staff quickly settled his account and refunded him a hundred yuan.

Taking the money, Lin Sheng turned and headed straight down to the second floor.

The sky was slowly growing dark.

He stood downstairs and looked back at the sign for the Tengchong Fencing Club.

He hadn't expected to say goodbye so soon to the place where he had spent the last three weeks.

Chen Huan had been fine at first; he hadn't expected her to act like this just because of her pride.

There was nothing to say.

Lin Sheng shook his head; he couldn't explain his situation anyway.

Turning around, he was just about to leave.

"Wait, buddy!"

Suddenly, a tall man rushed up from behind and slapped him on the shoulder.