Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum, a True Two-Person Fighting Method
Before setting out on their mission.
Dong Jian and Li Man did not collect their supplies immediately.
Instead, they went over their fight with Tang San and Xiao Wu again in the bamboo grove.
Four green bamboo shadows stood around them.
Dong Jian stood at the center of the Green Bamboo Binding Formation.
"The last rebound yesterday was too slow."
He said:
"If Xiao Wu had used Waist Bow half a step earlier, you wouldn't have had time to pull me away."
"The Soul Skill wasn't slow."
Li Man replied.
"You were beyond the bamboo vines' most stable range."
"Green Bamboo Binding Formation only has a radius of twelve meters."
"The closer you get to the edge, the weaker the control."
"Then let's make the range smaller."
"If we make it smaller, Tang San can wear us down more easily from outside with Blue Silver Grass."
The two were not satisfied just because they had come close to a draw.
A real battle would not let them stop and discuss things.
Li Man made the first bamboo shadow bend.
A bamboo vine coiled around Dong Jian's waist.
"This time, I'm not pulling you back."
"I'm sending you out."
"I'm ready."
Rebound!
Dong Jian flew forward.
His legs grew lighter.
His speed increased again.
But with the two bursts of acceleration combined, he could not steady himself in time when he landed.
He tumbled forward.
And crashed into a wooden post.
"The speed was enough."
Li Man said.
"Your center of gravity wasn't stable enough."
Dong Jian climbed to his feet.
"Again."
The second attempt.
Li Man reduced the bamboo shadow's rebound force.
Dong Jian made his waist heavier in midair.
His body sank early.
He landed steadily, but lost most of his speed.
The third attempt.
Dong Jian no longer adjusted his waist.
Instead, he made his right foot heavier just before landing.
The sole became a temporary pivot.
His body rotated around his right leg.
His shoulder lined up perfectly with the wooden post.
Mountain-Leaning Collision!
Bang!
The wooden post snapped in the middle.
Both stopped at the same time.
"You don't need to wait until after you land to exert force again."
Li Man said.
"The rebound itself is part of Mountain-Leaning Collision."
Dong Jian looked at the broken post.
Before, Li Man's bamboo shadows had only helped him get close to the enemy.
Now they could directly provide the force behind his attack.
"Give it a name?"
Dong Jian asked.
"It's just a way of working together."
"We can't keep shouting 'the move from the third training attempt earlier' in future battles."
Li Man thought for a moment.
"Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum."
"That works."
After that, the two continued developing it in different directions.
A bamboo shadow rebounded backward.
Helping Dong Jian retreat out of a control area.
A bamboo shadow rebounded sideways.
Letting Mountain-Leaning Collision change direction in midair.
Two bamboo shadows passed him between them in succession.
Dong Jian could accelerate a second time without landing.
This was no longer Li Man assisting Dong Jian on her own.
For every rebound, she had to judge the angle in real time based on the enemy's position.
If the angle was off by half a chi.
Dong Jian could brush right past the enemy.
If the force was too great.
He would lose control.
If the force was too weak.
The attack would pose no threat.
Their coordination was built on mutual trust.
Dong Jian had to trust that the bamboo vine would appear at the right time.
Li Man also had to trust that he could withstand the impact of the rebound.
Training continued into the afternoon.
Xiao Wu suddenly appeared at the edge of the bamboo grove.
"Are you two secretly practicing new moves again?"
"We're not doing it secretly."
Dong Jian said.
"Anyone can come here."
Xiao Wu looked at the broken wooden post on the ground.
"Yesterday, you two fought the two of us, and there still wasn't a real winner."
"Let's go again today."
Tang San also stepped out from behind her.
Clearly, he had been dragged here against his will.
"The teacher told us to record our Soul Skill consumption."
"We can get some combat practice in while we're at it."
The second two-on-two fight began immediately.
This time, Tang San did not make Li Man his first target.
Blue Silver Grass spread over a wide area.
Blocking the places where the four bamboo shadows might appear.
Xiao Wu charged straight at Dong Jian.
She wanted to force Li Man to rescue him with Green Bamboo Binding Formation.
Dong Jian activated Bear Astral Energy Body Protection.
Taking Waist Bow head-on.
Xiao Wu locked her legs around his shoulders and neck.
Just as she was about to exert force, a bamboo vine suddenly coiled around Dong Jian's waist.
"This move again!"
Xiao Wu was prepared for it.
She deliberately relaxed her legs.
Intending to use the rebound to get close to Li Man along with him.
But the bamboo shadow did not pull backward.
It bent to the side instead.
Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum!
Dong Jian and Xiao Wu were both sent toward Tang San.
Tang San was just about to use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
When Li Man's second bamboo shadow blocked his landing point in advance.
Xiao Wu let go of Dong Jian in midair.
She spun and landed.
Dong Jian, however, used the rebound to keep accelerating.
Weight concentrated in his shoulder.
Tang San could only use Mysterious Jade Hand to block him head-on.
Bang!
Dong Jian and Tang San both staggered back.
Blue Silver Grass coiled around Dong Jian's ankles from underground.
Li Man's third bamboo shadow rose.
Pulling him directly away from the direction in which the vines were growing.
The Blue Silver Grass was forced to change direction.
Dong Jian used Bear Astral Energy Body Protection to break free.
The pace of the battle grew faster and faster.
Xiao Wu kicked two bamboo shadows apart in succession.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass also encroached on the third.
Li Man's Soul Power consumption increased noticeably.
"I can't keep the full formation up."
She dismissed two bamboo shadows herself.
Leaving only the last one.
Tang San thought her control range had weakened.
Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he circled behind Li Man.
Li Man did not look back.
The last bamboo shadow suddenly bent.
Its rebound force sent her toward Dong Jian.
At the same time, a bamboo vine coiled around Dong Jian's arm.
The two exchanged positions in midair.
Tang San's attack missed.
Dong Jian was pulled to the spot where Li Man had been standing.
Facing Tang San head-on.
Xiao Wu wanted to help.
But Li Man had already landed in front of her.
Green Jade Bamboo swept across.
The two girls fought at close quarters on the other side.
Dong Jian and Tang San likewise clashed in quick succession.
Blue Silver Grass, Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon.
Bear Astral Energy Body Protection, Light-Heavy Conversion, Circular Force Redirection.
The final clash.
Dong Jian deliberately let Tang San's Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon pull him in.
He moved closer with the force.
Tang San immediately retreated.
But the last bamboo shadow had already risen behind him.
His path of retreat was blocked.
Mountain-Leaning Collision stopped in front of his chest.
Meanwhile,
Xiao Wu wrapped both legs around Li Man's waist.
The tip of Li Man's Green Jade Bamboo was also pressed against her shoulder.
Both sides stopped at the same time again.
There was still no clear winner.
But this time,
For the first time, Tang San and Xiao Wu had been held in check by Green Bamboo Borrowing Momentum from beginning to end.
"You trained specifically to counter us,"
Tang San said.
"You can do the same to us,"
Dong Jian replied.
Xiao Wu let go of Li Man.
"Next time, I'll never let bamboo stop me."
Li Man withdrew her Green Jade Bamboo.
"Next time, I'll use it differently."
The rivalry did not completely ruin the relationship between the four of them.
Instead, it kept pushing them to improve.
On the day they set out for the mission,
The level-twenty-seven Soul Grandmaster teacher in charge of escorting them looked over their records and said:
"This is your first time going out for real combat."
"If you run into danger, listen to orders first."
Dong Jian and Li Man nodded in unison.
They did not underestimate a real mission just because they had performed well in sparring at the academy.
Three wagons carrying medicinal herbs slowly rolled out of Nuoding City.
As they entered the northern canyon,
The birdsong that had been with them all along suddenly fell silent.
Li Man raised a hand.
"Stop."
The escorting teacher frowned.
"Why?"
Li Man pressed the tip of her Green Jade Bamboo into the ground.
Six distinct vibrations traveled through the bamboo.
"There are people on both sides of the road."
"At least six."
In the grass,
Cold blades were already flashing.
Their first real academy mission-
Had begun.