Chapter 52: Defeating Lin Hu Again

Fang Han’s casual words were like adding fuel to a fire, instantly igniting the suppressed rage and humiliation within Lin Hu.

"Enough talk! Face my blade!"

Lin Hu roared, his patience completely gone. With a CLANG, the long saber at his waist flew from its scabbard, trailing a streak of blinding, cold light.

He stomped his foot, and the wooden stage groaned under the strain. His imposing frame was enveloped in a fierce and tyrannical aura as he pounced toward Fang Han like a Mad Tiger released from its cage.

The wind from his saber was sharp and piercing—it was the opening move of the Mountain-Breaking Saber Technique: Mountain-Splitting Stone-Shattering.

Compared to half a month ago, this strike was faster and more powerful. Its unyielding, forward-pressing determination was several degrees stronger, a clear sign he had been training relentlessly.

Fang Han did not meet this earth-shattering strike head-on.

With a light tap of his toes, his body seemed to lose all weight, like a willow catkin carried on a gust of wind.

Having practiced the Qingfeng Swordsmanship, his movements were already nimble, but with the boost from his Minor Achievement Step Technique, his speed became incredibly fast.

In an instant, he slid half a step back and to the side.

SWISH!

The vicious blade grazed past his collar, slicing through the air but failing to harm him in the slightest.

"So fast!"

A wave of gasps rose from the crowd below the stage.

Many hadn’t seen clearly how Fang Han had dodged. To them, it was just a blur, and he had already avoided what they considered an unstoppable blow from Lin Hu.

Lin Hu’s strike missed, fanning the flames of his anger. He flipped his wrist, using the momentum to swing into a horizontal slash. The transition was lightning-fast, a continuous assault meant to give Fang Han no room to breathe!

However, in that fleeting instant—the spark of time between his old force fading and new force yet to be summoned—

TSING!

A clear sword-song rang out across the stage. Fang Han’s right hand, which had been resting on his hilt, finally moved.

The Cyan Blade Sword shot from its sheath, a flash of cyan lightning. It wasn’t a parry, but a direct thrust at the opening on Lin Hu’s right shoulder, exposed by his wide horizontal slash.

The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, its timing impossibly cunning!

Lin Hu’s pupils contracted. A chill shot up his spine.

He never expected Fang Han’s counterattack to be so swift. He was forced to twist his body and bring his saber back to block.

CLANG—!

Saber and sword collided violently, creating a deafening clang as sparks flew in all directions.

Lin Hu felt a concentrated Power transmitted from the sword’s tip, shaking his wrist and making it go numb. He was horrified.

’His strength... it’s so much greater than half a month ago?!’

Before he could dwell on it, Fang Han’s Sword Momentum was already in full swing.

He wasn’t using the Low Grade Xunfeng Swordsmanship, which he had only reached the Entry Level with and whose power was not yet impressive. Instead, he was using his Perfection Level Qingfeng Swordsmanship.

The Perfection Level Qingfeng Swordsmanship was like flowing mercury, seeping into every possible opening.

The light from his sword flickered—at times as gentle as a breeze on the cheek, ethereal and unpredictable; at others, as swift and sharp as cold lightning streaking across the sky.

But what was even more frightening was his unpredictable Body Technique!

His Minor Achievement Level Gale Step, combined with the nimbleness of his Perfection Qingfeng Swordsmanship, made Fang Han’s figure a phantom on the stage—now left, now right, now forward, now back.

He would dodge Lin Hu’s fierce onslaughts from impossible angles, while his own sword would thrust out from the most cunning positions, forcing Lin Hu into a flustered and wretched defense.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—!

The sound of metal on metal was as dense and rapid as a sudden downpour.

The crowd below was dazzled, their hearts pounding with excitement.

They could only see Lin Hu roaring again and again, his saber technique full of wide, aggressive sweeps, yet it was as if he were always striking at empty air, unable to truly threaten Fang Han.

In contrast, Fang Han’s sword was like a maggot in the bone, each flash adding a new wound to Lin Hu’s body.

RIP!

Lin Hu’s sleeve was torn, revealing a bloody gash.

RIP!

The trousers on his thigh were split open, and blood seeped out.

RIP!

A lock of hair next to Lin Hu’s cheek was sliced off—a hair’s breadth from disaster.

The longer Lin Hu fought, the more terrified and aggrieved he became.

He felt as if he had fallen into an invisible bog, possessing immense strength with no way to apply it. Every burst of power was easily redirected or neutralized, while his opponent’s sword always found his openings with pinpoint accuracy.

The progress he thought he had made during his seclusion seemed so pale and pathetic in the face of his opponent’s effortless swordsmanship and ghostly speed.

’Am I going to lose again?!’

Lin Hu roared in his heart. His eyes turned completely bloodshot, and he practically lost his mind. His saber technique became even wilder, but in doing so, he exposed an even greater opening.

Fang Han’s eyes narrowed, seizing the instant after a powerful downward chop left his opponent’s center wide open.

He activated his Gale Step, his body shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

At the same time, his Cyan Blade Sword let out a crisp hum. He focused his Perfection Level Qingfeng Swordsmanship into a single point, and the very air at the tip of his sword seemed to compress.

"Gentle Breeze Piercing the Sun!"

A tangible bolt of Qi Force suddenly shot from his sword, aiming straight for Lin Hu’s chest.

Horrified, Lin Hu desperately swung his saber back to block.

BOOM!

The Qi Force slammed into the saber blade. In his hasty defense, Lin Hu felt an irresistible force crash into him.

The webbing of his hand split open, and he nearly lost his grip on his saber as he staggered backward.

In the instant he was unsteady and wide open, Fang Han’s physical body arrived, sticking to him like a shadow.

The physical blade of the Cyan Blade Sword became a thin cyan line, nearly invisible to the naked eye, as it bypassed Lin Hu’s defense.

PSHFF—!

A spray of blood erupted.

The robes on Lin Hu’s chest were instantly shredded by the sharp Sword Qi, revealing a gash so deep the bone was visible. Blood gushed out wildly.

He let out a pained, unwilling grunt. No longer able to keep his footing, he was sent flying backward by the powerful force contained in the blow, his feet leaving the ground.

Like a kite with a snapped string, he crashed heavily onto the ground below the stage, kicking up a cloud of dust.

PTUI!

After landing, Lin Hu violently spat out another mouthful of blood. His face was ashen, and after struggling twice, he found he couldn’t get back up.

The entire arena fell deathly silent!

Everyone looked from the green-robed young man standing on the stage with his sword to the wretched Lin Hu below, who had clearly lost all ability to fight.

The winner was decided!

Fang Han had won again! And this victory was even more decisive than the last!

After a moment of silence, a huge uproar erupted.

"My god, Lin Hu couldn’t even fight back?!"

"That Body Technique, that Swordsmanship... it was a complete rout!"

"The Fang Family’s Qilin’er! His reputation is well-deserved!"

"He’s lost twice now. The Lin Family... has truly lost face..."

Cries of surprise, shouts of praise, and waves of discussion surged through the crowd.

In the Fang Family pavilion, Fang Wen and the others looked pleasantly surprised.

A faint ripple passed through Fang Xue’s eyes, while Fang Hong watched Fang Han on the stage with a look of open admiration.

Fang Han represented the Fang Family. His victory was their glory.

From the direction of the Lin Family pavilion, however, there was only dead silence.

Lin Ao’s expression was so dark it looked like ink might drip from it. The teacup in his hand had been crushed to powder. The other Lin Family disciples were shocked, enraged, and overcome with unbearable shame.

Fang Han slowly sheathed his sword without a single glance at the loser below. He gave a slight salute to the audience, then his figure drifted back to his family’s pavilion as if he had just done something utterly trivial.

Only the gasps still echoing around the lake testified to the impact of the battle.