In the third match, Chen Huan stepped onto the stage. With a swift thrust of her sword, she easily defeated her opponent before he could bring his raised sword down.
In the fourth match, the blond young man Sears stepped onto the stage. He dodged lightly, then closed in and struck his opponent's sword hand with the hilt, successfully disarming him.
The fifth match.
Lin Sheng stood up, took his sword, put on his helmet, and stepped onto the stage from the right. He stopped and waited.
His opponent was a burly man who stood across from him, a full head taller. Judging by his build, he was at least twice Lin Sheng's size.
"Kid, with a body that skinny, there's no point in getting onstage. Get down. I don't want to hurt you," the burly man called to Lin Sheng.
Lin Sheng couldn't be bothered to waste his breath.
Clang. The gong rang.
The referee chopped both hands downward to signal the start, then quickly retreated.
Lin Sheng took a step forward and angled his sword.
Just then, the burly man let out a furious roar and swung his sword down hard, striking the edge of Lin Sheng's blade.
Clang!!
Lin Sheng's sword braced against the man's blade and was levered violently aside by the tremendous impact.
The burly man's own immense strength sent Lin Sheng's hilt rebounding like a lever. With a thump, it struck his faceplate.
"Fuck!" Hit hard by the force of his own blow, the burly man's head spun. He staggered halfway around the stage, then dropped to his knees with a thud.
Lin Sheng casually drew back his sword and slashed diagonally downward.
The blade struck the burly man's neck with ease, knocking him to the ground.
This was the sword technique he'd acquired from the Rotten Swordsman: Glance Slash.
It wasn't actually some secret sword art, just a common, ordinary technique used to deal with hulking opponents who relied on brute force and wild swings.
It used a special technique to borrow their strength and turn it against them. Naxi Swordsmanship had techniques like this, too.
But after gaining the Rotten Swordsman's memories, Lin Sheng had effectively mastered over a decade of practice in an instant. He'd breezed through the beginner stage and could use the technique with ease.
"Steel Scale Club's Lin Sheng wins!" The referee came forward, confirmed the burly man wasn't getting up, then raised a hand to announce the winner.
Lin Sheng walked off the stage, bored, and saw Chen Huan glaring at him through gritted teeth.
Next came another draw among the winners.
Xiayin went up and drew again. Her opponent turned out to be the blond young man, Sears.
That piqued Lin Sheng's interest a little.
His match was the second one. The first was Chen Huan against another tall, long-armed swordsman.
The long-armed swordsman had barely won his previous match thanks to his reach. But against Chen Huan, his sword was knocked from his hand in a single exchange.
As the referee declared her victory, he walked off the stage dejectedly. There was nothing entertaining about the match.
Lin Sheng guessed that the matches ended too quickly to entertain the audience. That was probably why swordsmanship competitions weren't popular.
Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about that.
"Second match: Lin Sheng of the Steel Scale Club against Sears."
Lin Sheng stood up with his sword. Behind him, Russell loudly cheered him on. Madilan and Xiayin also applauded with all their might.
He gave them a slight nod, stepped onto the platform, and looked at the blond young man across from him.
This guy's a real fighter! Lin Sheng took one look at his opponent and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Sears stared intently back at Lin Sheng.
What a powerful presence! His expression stayed unchanged, but his heart jolted.
The man opposite him was simply standing there, not even drawing his sword, his face impassive. Yet he gave off a faintly sharp, dangerous aura.
It was the kind of aura Sears had seen only in his former personal bodyguard.
It was the air of someone who had been through a killing ground!
Sears drew his sword slowly.
He held it upright in front of him, its tip pointing upward—the standard Crown Stance he used only when facing a powerful opponent.
His sword was held before him, but Sears kept his eyes fixed on his opponent, ready to watch for any sign of movement.
"Begin!"
The referee's voice rang out without warning.
Sears's tense muscles suddenly surged as he prepared to swing his sword down. But in the next instant, his vision blurred.
"Where is he?!" He lost sight of his target completely.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure behind and to the side.
Clang!!
The two swords collided at high speed, bounced apart, then clashed again.
Sears rolled and rose to one knee, about to counterattack. Suddenly, he froze.
A silver longsword gleamed like a mirror as its point came to rest directly against his forehead.
"That kind of speed!!" He looked up at his opponent, shocked to the core.
Even against his former personal bodyguard, he could have held his own for more than a dozen exchanges.
He wasn't some flashy amateur. In real sword combat, he could easily use his sword to take down several attackers at once.
But now...
"I've opened a training class. If you're interested, come by and we can exchange pointers." Lin Sheng's expression was calm as he lowered his sword.
"Lin Sheng of the Steel Scale Club wins!" the referee announced loudly.
Lin Sheng walked off the stage at an unhurried pace, his expression calm.
To him, Sears was simply someone who knew how to fight with a sword. Nothing more.
After he stepped down, Russell, Xiayin, and the others congratulated him, their faces bright with delight.
Even the strongest competitor, Sears, had been defeated in an instant. Chen Huan, who had already lost to Lin Sheng, didn't stand a chance. He was certain to take first place.
In the next match, Chen Huan faced the fifth competitor, who had received a bye, and won easily.
Then, when it was time to face Lin Sheng, she chose to forfeit.
When Lin Sheng looked at her, she gritted her teeth and lowered her head. He couldn't tell what expression she wore.
The so-called qualifying tournament came to a complete end by noon.
The organizers gave Lin Sheng a provincial competition qualification certificate, which recorded his placing in the local competition and other information.
As for the prize money, it would all be awarded after the finals.
The provincial competition would take place a week later at Greenery Stadium in the provincial capital, Yadian City.
The team would consist of the winners, Lin Sheng and Chen Huan.
The competition ended before eleven.
Lin Sheng had just walked out of the stadium with Russell and the others in the crowd when several people hurried after them.
"Brother Lin Sheng!"
The blond young man, Sears, came hurrying out with a smile and called to them.
Lin Sheng turned around and looked at him in confusion. He had no idea why the man had come after them.
Sears gave him a charming smile.
"It's rare to meet a real sword fighter in Huaisha City. How about we grab a coffee and sit down for a chat? My treat."
Lin Sheng considered it briefly, then nodded. He was a little curious about Sears, too.
"You go on ahead. I'll talk with Mr. Sears," he said quietly over his shoulder.
"Master Lin, be careful. Sears's background is a little shady," Xiayin leaned closer and warned him in a low voice.
Lin Sheng's heart tightened. He nodded slightly.
"We'll wait for you at the club, then. Master Lin, you really should get a phone. It's so inconvenient without one," Russell complained loudly.
The three of them got into the family car waiting outside and soon drove away.
Lin Sheng went with Sears to a Red Sausage Cafe beside the stadium.
Sears's sister wasn't with him. After sitting down, he sent his bodyguard to wait by the entrance.
There weren't many people in the café. The two of them took seats in the innermost corner.
"What would you like?" Sears had changed into a shirt and slacks. His handsome face wore a charming smile. His short blond hair shimmered faintly in the bright light.
By comparison, Lin Sheng looked utterly ordinary. He seemed like an average high school student. Aside from his sharp eyes, there was nothing particularly distinctive about him.
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