Three moves!
The military officers at the drill ground perked up.
Chen Qing's performance was too terrifying. To be honest, even if the emperor spoke up and sided with Wutu Gu, forcibly preventing Chen Qing from using magic techniques, they did not think Chen Qing would lose in a real fight. This could be seen from the fact that Chen Qing was able to dodge the opponent's attacks while setting up a barrier.
Chen Qing's close combat skills are by no means inferior, and may even completely overwhelm Wutu Gu!
But these three methods are a bit too overconfident!
Wutu Gu's strength was beyond imagination. Even if Chen Qing was strong enough, it would be too much of an exaggeration to think he could defeat him within three moves. This might be an opportunity!
Chen Qing's performance just now was already impressive enough, and he wouldn't cause the Great Jin to lose face. If he were to lose the match now because of the claim of three moves, it would only be the result of being too arrogant and overconfident. At least in terms of public opinion, it wouldn't be too one-sided.
If Chen Qing doesn't win, his reputation will plummet. Those who have pledged allegiance to Chen Qing in Jiangnan are all formidable figures: Duke of Qi Tian Heng of Qi, the Grand Master Ziyue, and the ambitious Shen Family. If Chen Qing wants to suppress them, he needs sufficient prestige and skill. If he loses face this time, the already troublesome situation in Jiangnan will become even more turbulent upon his return, which will also play an important role in the court's reconquest of Jiangnan.
The sorcerer families thought the same way. To be honest, they didn't like Jiangnan's meritocratic style, as it would allow many talented young people from lower-level families to rise up and potentially break the monopoly of the major families.
They would much rather have Jiangnan completely under their control than be in the current passive state.
"They're here!"
Yuchi Peng whispered excitedly, and many young masters from prominent families around him quickly looked towards the stage. The two had not yet made a move, and it was unclear how Yuchi Peng had judged that it was about to begin.
But soon it was proven that Yuchi Peng's guess was correct, Wutu Gu took action without any symptoms.
Actually, it wasn't entirely without warning. Any martial artist with a discerning eye could see that Wutu Gu was gathering his aura. However, due to the barrier, no one on the viewing platform could feel Wutu Gu's direct aura. Otherwise, given his terrifying performance earlier, everyone watching would probably be in an even more sorry state than when they were coughing up blood.
However, martial artists have different observational abilities than ordinary people. Even if their aura is shrouded in a barrier, they can still judge through observation that Wutu Gu's aura has reached its peak at this moment.
Strangely, they could tell that Chen Qing didn't seem to care much about the other party's aura. He didn't deliberately interrupt, nor did he try to gather his own aura like the other party.
He stood there from the very beginning, like a steadfast pine tree, giving the impression of watching a play.
"Die!!"
Wutu Gu's eyes were bloodshot. When his aura reached its peak, he found that his opponent had not made a move. No matter how cautious he was, his chest was filled with rage at this moment. His veins bulged all over his body. With his astonishing aura, he felt that he could shatter anything in the world with this one blow!
Ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang!
Aren't you moving?
Wutu Gu stared intently at Chen Qing, concentrating all his strength on one point while retaining enough angle to change his move.
No one on the outside could see his movements, but he could sense the distance himself—three zhang away. At his speed, even that terrifying Snake Mother wouldn't dare to remain motionless, would she?
Finally, Chen Qing made a move.
With the short sword in his hand slightly raised, he adopted an elegant starting stance. From the sword's momentum to the sudden attack, in that instant, the sword energy soared into the sky!
"Excellent swordsmanship!"
Wutu Gu's mind was filled with this thought. The sword moves were indescribably exquisite, like a fiery phoenix soaring into the sky, making him instantly lose himself in the sword style. By the time he came to his senses and marveled at the skill of the swordsmanship, the move was already over.
Wutu Gu didn't remember how he landed. He only felt lightheaded and powerless. He couldn't turn around to see what Chen Qing would do next. He even felt that breathing was extremely difficult at this moment.
Only those on the outside could see clearly that at this moment, there wasn't a single good piece of flesh on his body; he wasn't even a bloody mess, but rather a skeleton!
"The trident is a weapon favored by the massive guards and True Dragon Breed of the Dragon Palace. Its origin lies in a technique obtained from a martial arts master surnamed Lü a thousand years ago. Countless millennia have passed since then. It might have been considered exquisite at the time, but in the Great Jin today, even some martial arts practitioners without bloodlines wouldn't consider it a valuable skill. It has been obsolete for countless years."
"I don't know why you still use such an ancient and outdated method, even if you use it so clumsily, you still insist on it. Is it just because this technique comes from the powerful memories of Dragon Transformation?"
Unable to turn back, Wutu Gu could only reply in bewilderment, "You mean the techniques of that powerful creature were obsolete?"
"Strength is innate, not skill," Chen Qing laughed. "Don't underestimate the human race. With hundreds of thousands of years of honing their skills, how could they possibly lag behind the past? In terms of combat techniques, the human race today, and the Central Plains today, are stronger than ever before!"
"Is it really that powerful?" Wutu Gu asked, bewildered.
That's how amazing it is.
Chen Qing's voice wasn't loud, but it traveled through the barrier and reached everyone's ears. The people of the Central Plains, especially martial artists who were skilled in combat techniques, all straightened their backs.
Even the military generals from those aristocratic families were inexplicably filled with heroic spirit at this moment.
Our ancestors drove the demons out of the Central Plains in just three generations. We warriors have refined our skills generation after generation, and at the same level, killing demons is as easy as slaughtering pigs and dogs!
Under the iron cavalry, demons only dared to plot secretly in the shadows; it was these men who had won with their fists.
How could these Southern Barbarians understand?
"You didn't lose badly!" Chen Qing sheathed his sword and said without turning his head, "Her Highness the Princess is a first-rate martial arts master in the Central Plains. The three moves she taught me are things you couldn't learn even if you worshipped those damned evil gods for a hundred years. It's a pity that I don't know any lower-level techniques. I only know the three moves Her Highness taught me, which is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, a bit of a waste. You, on the other hand, benefited. With your abilities, you weren't even qualified to see this sword technique."
boom!
The barrier shattered, and the energy gently dispersed, warming the entire cold arena like springtime. However, after Chen Qing finished speaking, Wu Tu Gu, Wutu Gu was now just a skeleton, bent his spine and his body visibly crumbled.
He deeply regretted using this unfamiliar trident. If he had used the tiger-mouth broadsword he had wielded since childhood, and shown his opponent the skills he had honed through countless battles against masters, perhaps he wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat.
At least I wouldn't get that kind of feedback, right?
When did I start to lose confidence in my own skills?
Was it when he was intimidated by that woman in the main hall?
Or was it after Dragon Transformation, when he witnessed the power of the dragon race?
No wonder the other party didn't even glance at me properly after I took out the trident.
Perhaps from that moment on, that guy never considered himself an opponent again?
That's really embarrassing.
"The outcome is decided." Chen Qing stepped out of the martial arts arena and came to the viewing platform below. He stood straight and stared directly at the terrifyingly powerful figure he had once feared the most.
"I beg Your Majesty to fulfill the imperial decree of that year and return my wife to me!"