Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
June 24th, 1986, year of the tiger.
Fuyi Tower.
Judy and Red Ghost were sitting on the sofa in the private cabin, their attention fixed on the weapon in Li Yan’s hands.
Li Yan was holding an eight-sided Han Sword. It was 1.3 metres in length and the width of three fingers. Light scattered off the blade, while the blood troughs remained cast in shadow. On the sword, eight characters were carved on it “气生万景,环成屈龙”. It was a forbidding weapon.
Zhang Mingyuan wielded his pipe spear. The pipe was ninety centimetres long, and the width of the pipe’s bowl and blade was easily more than four fingers wide. Each end of the pipe was made of steel, whereas the middle was a mottled wooden pole. The mouthpiece of the pipe was slightly curved, like the shape of a beak.
“Red, where did you get that sword? Is it reliable?”
Judy was a little worried.
“Don’t worry, Judy. It’s from Grand Duke’s personal collection. It’s a sharp sword that has seen blood. There won’t be any problems.”
A length of 1.3 metres did not sound long, but when the Han Sword was in Li Yan’s hands, it was clearly much longer than one would imagine of a steel sword. It was an oppressive sight.
Yu Shu sat in the crowd, her glossy black ponytail over her chest. She could hear the other audience members murmuring to each other or themselves.
“The Han Sword may be powerful, but it expends a lot of strength. He didn’t seem like an death-seeking idiot before, but could I have made a mistake?”
In the fighting ring, which shone like white jade, the two men faced each other.
Zhang Mingyuan drew a deep breath. The people of Kowloon had never heard of the Skinny Tiger of Hejian, but he knew well how famous it was.
The 81% in Ancient Wushu, which was seen through A Strong Impression, had already made clear the difference in skill between the two. This was why Li Yan was surprised when he heard Zhang Mingyuan request for a duel to determine the victor.
However, Zhang Mingyuan did not think he would lose.
The young man held his fist in a salute. “Cape Jasmine Sect, Zhang Mingyuan.”
Li Yan, looking serene and dignified with the Han Sword in his hand, raised his head when he heard Zhang Mingyuan speak. He replied, “Hejian, Li Yan.”
Zhang Mingyuan held the pipe in one hand, both legs slightly bent. There was a rubbing sound from the friction of his footsteps, and suddenly he flew straight towards Li Yan.
Li Yan flicked the sword in his hand upwards in one well-practiced motion, the blade going straight for Zhang Mingyuan’s wrist. Zhang Mingyuan did not evade. He brought down his pipe onto the sword, hooking it with the bowl and guiding the sword to his side. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he continued dashing ahead, sliding the bladed edge of the pipe bowl towards Li Yan’s fingers.
“Connect!”
Zhang Mingyuan roared.
Li Yan had no time to retreat. He made a quick decision to let go of the sword. At the same time, he tilted his body backwards and turned his right foot around, pivoting on his toes to send his right heel kicking upwards at Zhang Mingyuan’s head.
“Oh no!”
Judy saw Li Yan abandon his Han Sword in the first exchange and spilt her wine in shock. She didn’t even notice her clothes getting wet.
Zhang Mingyuan was overjoyed. He leaned backwards to avoid Li Yan’s right heel, but only just enough for it to brush past his face. Immediately, he leaned forward again, not allowing Li Yan the chance to catch his breath. But the moment Li Yan’s right foot went past him, the tip of a sword flashed right in front of his eyes and slashed towards his neck!
What?!
Zhang Mingyuan was grasping at straws. With unbelievable waist strength, he managed to lean far back as though he were performing a bridge. He managed to avoid the tragic end of a slit throat but still ended up with a long red line drawn from his neck to his chin.
Li Yan’s move was seen clearly by all of the audience. Li Yan had let go of his sword and twisted his body around to perform a back kick with his heel. But at the same time, his left hand had managed to grab on to the falling Han Sword. Using his right leg to obscure his opponent’s vision, he drew a large arc with the Han Sword slashing towards Zhang Mingyuan’s neck.
Zhang Mingyuan could lean backwards to avoid Li Yan’s right foot, but he could not avoid a 1.3 metre long Han Sword!
Hejian Li Family, unparalleled in sword and spear. Duelling Swords Origin Stance, Twenty-Fourth Form, Hidden Moon!
“Wudang swordplay?” Yu Shu said with intrigue, sipping from her gourd of wine.
Zhang Mingyuan wiped away the blood dripping from his neck. He stopped attacking and instead slowly circled around Li Yan.
Li Yan was in no rush. He switched his eight-sided Han Sword back to his right hand and kept a watchful pair of eyes at Zhang Mingyuan’s every step. The blood on the Han Sword slowly trickled down the blade, and in no time at all, the blade was clean and white as snow once more.
Li Yan’s eyes lit up. “A fine sword!”
As he said those words, Zhang Mingyuan charged forward! Li Yan nimbly rushed ahead as well. With a flick of his wrist, the long sword slashed from bottom up, towards Zhang Mingyuan’s crotch.
Zhang Mingyuan blocked Li Yan’s blade with a downward motion of the pipe in his hand and lifted his whole body into the air! Using Chuojiao Fist’s One-inch Kick, he hooked his feet around Li Yan’s neck, catching Li Yan. This Flight of the Celestial Horse move caught Li Yan completely off guard, allowing Zhang Mingyuan to successfully pull it off.
Zhang Mingyuan was in the air with both of his feet locked around Li Yan’s neck. He twisted his waist, sending an explosive force through his legs. At the same time, the mouthpiece of the pipe spear was thrust straight at Li Yan’s eyeball.
Suddenly, Zhang Mingyuan gave a painful grunt, losing the strength in his legs and falling to the ground. He rolled on the ground and stood quickly to his feet. His right ankle was bleeding profusely.
Li Yan withdrew his long sword and kept it behind him with a simple turn of the wrist. This sharp, vicious weapon moved to his every command as though it were an extension of his own arm. Earlier, though the pipe spear managed to reach less than an inch from his eyeball, there was not the slightest hint of fear on his face. Li Yan looked down at the pale-faced young man and said, “You are not my match. Yield and leave the ring, or don’t blame me if you die.”
Zhang Mingyuan gritted his teeth and stood upright. “Almost there.”
Li Yan squinted. He curled his fingers towards Zhang Mingyuan.
“Activate! A Strong Impression!”
“You have chosen to activate A Strong Impression against the target.”
“Target confirmed: Li Yan. This lock-on can be negated at any time.”
“Unfortunately, you have not obtained any weaknesses regarding your opponent. Locking onto a target with A Strong Impression for an extended period of time will increase the chances of finding the target’s weaknesses.”
You have obtained the following information:
Name: Li Yan
Status effects: None
Talents: Ancient Wushu 81% / 100%
Skills: None (Li Yan did not purchase A Strong Impression himself; rather, the time he used it against He Andong was from a direct purchase with Yanfu points)
Threat level: Dark red
Remarks: As a novice who is experiencing a Yanfu Case for the first time, this man has not experienced the power of Yanfu. Trust me, this is your only chance.
Li Yan flew forward, taking the initiative to attack. The longer A Strong Impression was maintained, the more likely it was to discover the target’s weaknesses. Li Yan had not been able to uncover any weaknesses against He Andong, but he did not wish to experience that right now.
The Han Sword and the pipe bowl clashed. The black ripples in Zhang Mingyuan’s eyes rippled fiercely. The pipe spear in his hand moved as quick as lightning, and at the same time, he raised his right knee and used Chuojiao Fist’s Emperor Kick to attack Li Yan’s calf.
Li Yan kept slashing downwards with his Han Sword, forcing Zhang Mingyuan’s leg to retreat. Under the state of A Strong Impression, Zhang Mingyuan noticed that Li Yan was not yet ready for a second attack. He raised his pipe spear and sent a thrust towards Li Yan’s neck with the beak-like mouthpiece!
This is the kind of…
Li Yan gave an internal sigh. He had used A Strong Impression before, and he had his own understanding of this skill that was classified as normal-grade.
If this skill were used by an untrained person, activating it would make it seem as though the opponent’s movements had become extraordinarily slow. No matter how small and fine the movements were, they would be plain to see.
However, for people like Li Yan and Zhang Mingyuan who were well-versed in the art of combat, A Strong Impression would increase their reaction speed, allowing them to deal with any threat with much more composure. The effects in this case would be phenomenal. When Zhang Mingyuan was dealing with Li Yan’s sword earlier, he did not have this same level of observation and reaction.