Feixiao was somewhat speechless too.
She had not been all that curious about Lingchen's origins at first. After all, undiscovered worlds were hardly uncommon in this universe.
But Lingchen's explanation was so absurd that it actually made her curious about where he came from.
After all, she had never heard of any of the things he mentioned.
Jing Yuan's projection beside them was speechless as well.
Compared with the information he had received, this was an entirely different version of events.
He really should have brought Yanqing along to witness today's spectacle.
Even setting aside Yanqing's long-standing wish to see Lingchen's Scythe Combat Method, someone with his talent would certainly learn something from a battle between two powerful fighters.
However, because of their decisions, Yanqing, the Cloud Knight Lieutenant, had been busy lately. Even his time training with Lingchen had been almost entirely squeezed out.
Still, there was one thing Jing Yuan found reassuring: Yanqing seemed to have earned some positive reviews lately.
For example, he had begun prioritizing mission efficiency, choosing to defeat enemies with a single effective strike instead of blindly competing with others.
"Ahem, none of that matters. Fine, since that's what you want to ask, I'll have to name a matching reward for winning."
"Go ahead."
"If I win, let me touch your ears."
"Well... all right!" Feixiao was not one to fuss over things.
Since Lingchen had proposed it, she simply agreed.
"Then let's begin."
White and purple petals bloomed in Lingchen's palm. Countless lifeless vines, resembling streams of light, grew from the petals before twisting together into the shape of a scythe.
The Path of Life-Reaping! "So this is your weapon."
"It certainly looks magnificent. And enormous."
It was a true giant scythe, one that would have been extremely difficult even to swing.
Yet in Lingchen's hands, before he had even begun using it, it already possessed a sense of effortless elegance.
Feixiao took a deep breath, and two gunblades appeared in her hands.
An instant later, shattered stones burst from the ground beneath her feet as her figure appeared before Lingchen.
Metal clashed. The butt of the scythe's shaft blocked both of Feixiao's gunblades at an exceptionally tricky angle. A moment later, the scythe blade swept past, forcing Feixiao to retreat hastily.
The very next instant, Feixiao closed in again.
Her excellent combat instincts and close-quarters experience were on full display.
Fast-blindingly fast attacks! Of everyone present, only Jing Yuan could still follow her movements. To the Cloud Knights watching from a distance, she looked more like a streak of light darting back and forth as she attacked Lingchen. In contrast, Lingchen's movements remained clearly visible.
But against Lingchen's scythe blade, even Feixiao could not hold out with her gunblades.
After several hundred exchanges, Feixiao switched to a battle-axe.
"You really are a monster."
She had no choice. The gunblades' reach was too short, while Lingchen wielded his giant scythe as naturally as an extension of his own limbs. She could not get within two meters of him, rendering the gunblades useless.
Worse, the strange ways Lingchen attacked with his scythe nearly forced Feixiao to concede several times.
"It's practically art."
P.S. Thanks to No-Gacha-for-the-Unlucky, Stinking Aeon Masnei, and 19306, the numbers boss, for the monthly tickets.
Thanks to Moon Leisure, Di Yang, and Ink-Dyed Beauty for the monthly tickets.
Thank you all for your support.
Chapter 67: Were People Nowadays Really This Open?
As an Emanator, Jing Yuan could clearly see all of Lingchen's movements.
It was not because Lingchen swung his scythe slowly. Rather, every motion not only blocked Feixiao's attacks but also posed a threat to her.
Man and scythe moved as one. Lingchen's fighting style looked less like a method of attack and more like an aristocrat's elegant dance.
A scythe dance suited it better than scythe combat! Moreover, Lingchen was probably holding back a little-or perhaps he lacked the space to fully unleash his techniques. Jing Yuan personally leaned toward the latter.
After all, Tingyun had reported that when Lingchen saved her, his scythe had been several meters long, whereas its current reach covered only a two-meter radius. Even the Cloud Knights watching from afar could now perceive a certain beauty in Lingchen's movements.
"Why does it look like an exceptionally elegant, distinguished gentleman dancing?" "Exactly, so you see it too..." Masculine without being harsh, graceful without being seductive, elegant without being showy.
Lingchen's fighting style undoubtedly embodied beauty.
On the Training Grounds, Feixiao's attacks grew increasingly fierce. The enormous battle-axe seemed weightless in her hands, yet she still could not get close to Lingchen.
"I concede, but aren't you going to attack even once?" Feixiao caught her breath, then asked with some lingering frustration.
Throughout their lengthy battle, she had been attacking while Lingchen defended.
Lingchen's brow shifted slightly. He seemed to catch something in Feixiao's eyes.
"As you wish."
The next instant, Lingchen spun the scythe once in his left hand, then kicked it. As the scythe spun into the air, he was already behind Feixiao.
Now, one of his hands gripped the scythe's shaft, while its blade hovered just one centimeter from Feixiao's neck.
It all happened so quickly that Feixiao had only managed to raise her battle-axe.
"So this is your Scythe Combat Method. I concede."
"You really are strong."
As Feixiao straightened, her earlier frustration had vanished, leaving only easy acceptance.
He had completely surpassed her in both defense and offense. A loss was a loss, and she could accept it.
"Why don't you two come sit at the Seat of Divine Foresight? Come to think of it, Heavenly Strike General, you haven't visited since arriving on the Luofu."
"I've already arranged for Qingzu to prepare tea for you both."
Jing Yuan's projection spoke up.
"Why is it tea again?"
Feixiao grumbled, while Jing Yuan's projection continued smiling.
There was a message from Jiaoqiu in his Jade Abacus: "Please make absolutely certain the Heavenly Strike General does not touch a single drop of alcohol."
Although Jing Yuan was curious whether Feixiao really did become a drunken menace after only a few drinks, as the rumors claimed, he ultimately suppressed that inquisitive impulse.
"Sure. I hadn't had enough to drink earlier anyway."
Lingchen agreed readily.
The three left, leaving behind only the amazed voices of the Cloud Knights watching from afar.
Who could have imagined they would witness such a spectacular battle today?
At the Seat of Divine Foresight, Qingzu was pouring the last cup of tea.
"You two certainly got here quickly."
"Of course. General Jing Yuan toils over paperwork every day and forgets to rest once he starts working. Naturally, I had to hurry over so the general could get back to work sooner."
Qingzu glanced at Jing Yuan without saying a word.
Jing Yuan laughed. Lately, waking up at nine had made even the scenery feel different.
The only problem was that he could no longer slack off quite as much as before while working.
Fu Xuan occasionally mentioned Qingque, and Lingchen had previously told him that Qingque was exceptionally capable.
He had also learned that although the girl slacked off, she was actually quite intelligent and worked extremely efficiently. One could say that making her General Qingque would be perfectly reasonable.
But clearly, Qingque was also highly skilled in divination, and Fu Xuan seemed determined to nurture her.
The thought made Jing Yuan want to sigh.
Honestly, aside from her slacking, Qingque was better than Fu Xuan in certain respects. After all, Qingque did not have Fu Xuan's past and had never been overly fixated on fate.
"What, thinking about Qingque again?" "Ah, if Qingque came to work under me and trained from the ground up, she might one day become a strategist general."
"Forget it. Fu Xuan has already picked her. Qingque's divination skills can even keep Fu Xuan from finding her for a short time."
"If she left the Divination Commission, that would be a loss for the Xianzhou."
Lingchen pursed his lips. He thought Jing Yuan should give up. Over the past few months, Qingque had already developed thirteen methods of preventing Fu Xuan from divining her location.
Although she was caught every time, Qingque never tired of it. She had truly devoted herself to slacking off.
"I never imagined the Luofu had someone so talented that two sides would compete over her."
"I'm almost tempted to see whether I could bring her to the Yaoqing."
Feixiao sat beside Lingchen, looking curious.
"Haha, don't let Qingque hear that. Otherwise, she'd probably be too panicked to play Imperial Jade properly for days. By then, she might even lose her underwear to me."
What on earth were they wagering when they played?! Hearing this for the first time, Jing Yuan and Feixiao were deeply shocked.
Were people nowadays really this open? "Lingchen, that Scythe Combat Method you used wasn't an ordinary fighting style, was it? If I'm not mistaken, it's already comparable to Taixu Swordsmanship."
"Although my Scythe Combat Method itself is at the Emanator level, it's still a little behind Taixu Swordsmanship. But perhaps a single moment of enlightenment could push it beyond."
Lingchen held his fingers a tiny distance apart.
Taixu Swordsmanship could almost be called a divine technique. When fully unleashed, it could instantly destroy an Emanator's entire consciousness and temporarily strip away all their Emanator authority. In fact, if
one risked everything, it could even erase that authority permanently.
And if the opponent's body was even slightly too weak, their physical form would vanish outright as well.
The moment he obtained his Jade Abacus, Lingchen had used his own methods to acquire that information.
Although he had yet to learn it, he understood the level of Taixu Swordsmanship.
He had to admit that Marshal Hua of the Xianzhou Alliance still stood at the pinnacle of martial arts.
His Scythe Combat Method was similarly powerful. Indeed, the method alone, combined with a decent amount of Imaginary Energy, could allow him to fight an Emanator, since the method itself was already at that level. In a direct clash of energy, it could rival Taixu Swordsmanship, and it held its own in other forms of combat too.
Ultimately, however, his Scythe Combat Method did not yet possess the ability to directly annihilate consciousness or temporarily strip away authority. Those final two abilities marked the difference.
Still, Lingchen was not worried. After all, he might receive further rewards for this Scythe Combat Method later.
"You really are a monster."
In the end, Feixiao said those words again.
She might not have believed anyone else, but Lingchen, who surpassed ordinary Emanators and had attracted special attention from at least two Aeons, probably really could do it.
Now she finally understood the gap between her combat techniques and Lingchen's.
After all, she was an Emanator only because of Lan's blessing. Her combat techniques alone could not be ranked at the Emanator level.
"Hmm? This tea seems exactly the same as the tea at Lingchen's place."
"..."
Chapter 68: Wasn't That a Poor Comparison?
Feixiao took a sip of tea, then looked at her cup in puzzlement.
"Do you two happen to have the same taste?" Given Lingchen's and Jing Yuan's standing, it was not as though the Luofu lacked varieties of tea.
Jing Yuan: "..." "Actually, the tea at my place was also generously supplied by Jing Yuan."
"Oh? The general certainly is generous. Even someone who knows nothing about tea would have to say this tastes good."
Just seeing Jing Yuan's speechless expression made Feixiao feel she had uncovered the truth. Still, this was the first time she had seen Jing Yuan display so many emotions without concealing them.
"Not at all. If you like it, Heavenly Strike General, feel free to take some with you when you leave."
"Then never mind. I still prefer alcohol. Speaking of which, is there no alcohol here?" After all, her only official business here was delivering Marshal Hua's message. The rest was her personal time.
"Ahem, the Luofu values healthy living, so everyone generally drinks tea."
Jing Yuan looked around. This was the Seat of Divine Foresight; he had better restrain his curiosity.
"I see."
Feixiao seemed a little disappointed, but recovered a moment later.