Defeating Xiao Haijie Again

A muffled thud sounded in the air.

Xiao Haijie lunged at Qi Dao in an instant.

To avoid a repeat of last time, he even unleashed his first Soul Skill.

His first Soul Skill was called Hunting Claws. It gave him a sudden burst of speed, allowing him to rake his target with his claws in a flurry of strikes.

He refused to believe Qi Dao could withstand even his Soul Skill.

Unfortunately for him, Qi Dao had been watching his every move.

The moment Xiao Haijie's Soul Ring lit up, Qi Dao entered the Heart Sword State!

In an instant, Qi Dao pushed himself beyond his limits again, and the world before his eyes became startlingly clear.

Every movement of Xiao Haijie's attack lay bare before him.

Qi Dao bent at the waist and raised the Peerless Sword across his brow. Cold light ran along the blade, reflected in his calm eyes.

His rear leg was already driving forward, toes pressing against the ground as though compressing a spring.

As Xiao Haijie lunged, that spring reached its limit and suddenly released.

Power surged from Qi Dao's toes through his hips and waist, then drove forward with all their force.

Legs and waist moved as one. The power long gathered in Qi Dao's bent back poured out like a mountain flood.

His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string.

The tip of the Peerless Sword became a cold star that flashed and vanished.

Of all martial arts under heaven, only speed could not be broken!

Swordsmanship did not need so many flashy tricks.

Find the opening and finish the opponent in one move!

Xiao Haijie had been prepared. He even caught Qi Dao's trajectory the moment Qi Dao burst forward, but his reactions could not keep up.

That was the terror of Qi Dao's Heart Sword State: his mind and reactions could match his speed.

So when Xiao Haijie's claws came tearing toward him, Qi Dao slipped aside and swung his sword.

Light flashed off the blade before Xiao Haijie's eyes.

Once again, the two passed each other.

Qi Dao stopped and sheathed the Peerless Sword. His face turned deathly pale, but he was far better off than last time, when he could barely stand.

Clearly, his breakthrough and recent training had not been for nothing.

On the other side, Xiao Haijie's attack had missed, but he had not crashed to the ground as he had last time.

The sixth-year students burst into cheers.

"Great! That kid's spent, and Boss Xiao is still standing!"

"I knew Boss Xiao only lost last time because he let his guard down. Once he used Martial Soul Possession, that first-year brat couldn't hurt him at all."

Among the first-years...

"Xiao, it looks like Boss lost. What do we do?"

Seeing Xiao Haijie still standing, Xiao Chenyu could not help swallowing.

But then he looked at Qi Dao.

Qi Dao's face was a little pale, yet his expression was calm. He did not look defeated.

Xiao Chenyu shook his head.

"Not necessarily!"

"Boss might not have lost!"

"But Xiao Haijie is still standing, and Boss can only use that one strike!"

"Keep watching!"

Elsewhere...

Behind the crowd, Headmaster Hans and the other two looked stunned.

Headmaster Hans murmured, "That child really does have a knack for miracles!"

"He won again!"

Director Su said, "And he won more comfortably this time. If he hadn't held back just now, that sword strike could have taken Xiao Haijie's head clean off."

"We must never let him spar with other students again."

"The swordsmanship that child uses is meant to kill!"

As he spoke, a chill of lingering fear rose in his heart.

If Qi Dao had failed to control the force behind his sword, it would have been a disaster!

The city lord would never have let the matter rest.

Headmaster Hans realized it too and hurriedly agreed.

"Exactly. We can't let that child use that move at the academy again."

"It's far too dangerous!"

Listening to them, Yu Xiaogang stood to one side, his face dark.

He had declared with absolute confidence that Xiao Haijie would win, only for Qi Dao to slap him in the face with his actions moments later.

At least he had seen the sword strike Qi Dao used to defeat Xiao Haijie. That made the embarrassment worthwhile.

With his extraordinary intellect, he had grasped the principle behind Qi Dao's move at a glance.

Did he happen to create a boosting Self-Created Soul Skill when he sparred with Xiao Haijie last time?

It seems his Martial Soul really is just a Trash Martial Soul warped by a harmful mutation.

He only has such unreasonable combat power because he relies on that Self-Created Soul Skill.

But...

No matter how strong a Self-Created Soul Skill is, Soul Power is the foundation of a Soul Master.

Yu Xiaogang secretly felt fortunate again.

Good thing he had not taken Qi Dao as his disciple. With Qi Dao's talent, he might not even have reached his current level yet.

Then Yu Xiaogang would have been laughed at along with him!

Meanwhile...

Xiao Haijie remembered the icy flash that had crossed his vision and the strange sensation at his neck. His scalp tingled. Once again, he felt how close death had come.

Sensing something wet at his neck, he touched it and looked at his hand.

Blood!

Horror seized him, and his legs went weak.

But he quickly realized the wound was shallow. A little treatment would take care of it.

The others soon noticed too.

"Boss Xiao's neck is bleeding!"

"He's hurt!"

The first-years saw it as well, and excitement surged through them.

The tables had turned!

Boss had not lost!

They looked toward Qi Dao. He slowly turned and said, "You lost!"

Xiao Haijie turned too and growled, his face still tight with fear.

"You nearly killed me just now!"

Qi Dao said calmly, "But you're not dead, are you?"

"You..."

Xiao Haijie was left speechless.

"You're a madman!"

"If something had happened to me, you'd have been finished too!"

Qi Dao replied, "I have absolute confidence in my swordsmanship!"

Don't ask why!

The answer was instinct!

"Here. Your spoils!"

"I lost this time!"

Xiao Haijie snorted. The pain in his neck left him unwilling to say another word to a madman like Qi Dao. He simply flicked a gold card from his hand.

Qi Dao caught the card and smiled faintly.

The first-years immediately crowded around him.

"He won! Boss won again!"

"So Xiao Haijie was hurt after all. Boss had just held back?"

Compared with the lively first-years, the sixth-years were as lifeless as a graveyard.

Their Boss Xiao had lost again!

Just then, three figures came through the crowd.

"Headmaster! Director Su!"

The students nearby bowed when they saw them.

As for Yu Xiaogang...

He was not a teacher at Notting Academy!

The three approached Qi Dao.

"Headmaster, Director Su, even you two heard about this?" Qi Dao said with a smile.

He ignored Yu Xiaogang, of course.

That thoroughly irritated Yu Xiaogang, who gave a quiet snort.

Hans smiled. "You caused such a commotion that we couldn't help hearing about it!"

Director Su added, "We saw the match. You did well and pulled off another miracle. But..."

His tone shifted, and his expression grew serious.

"That move of yours is too dangerous. If you lose control, it could end in tragedy."

"So when you spar with classmates from now on, you must not use that move again. And avoid vital points whenever possible."

"This is an academy, after all!"

Qi Dao listened and nodded.

"Don't worry, Director Su. I know where to draw the line!"

Only then did Director Su and Hans leave with Yu Xiaogang, satisfied.