Chapter 79 - 79 One Strike
Their gazes landed on Lin Shen, and the seniors discussed animatedly.
"Is that Lin Shen?"
"He doesn't seem all that special."
"I heard he was at the ninth level of the Qi Transformation Stage and has even reached Perfection in Blazing Sun Palm!"
"That's not all. You guys know about Condensed Strings, right? I heard Lin Shen has mastered a sound wave martial technique that could suppress Condensed Strings!"
"Really? He even has such a rare martial technique?"
"So what? In terms of martial arts attainments, any one of us here is at least as good as him!"
Many senior students agreed with the last sentence.
The senior students present had cultivated in the academy for at least a year.
Their cultivation levels might not be higher than Lin Shen's, but in terms of martial arts attainments, no one would think they were inferior to him.
Qiao He thought so too.
He knew Peng Xinyuan was bullying Lin Shen and forcing him to go on stage, but Qiao He didn't care about this.
To be honest, Qiao He also wanted to fight Lin Shen, the first top freshman in the history of the Nine Yang Academy who wasn't from an influential family.
If Qiao He could defeat Lin Shen in a head-on battle, his reputation in the academy would definitely soar.
Such a good opportunity was rare!
Hence, Qiao He immediately looked at Lin Shen and raised his voice. "Junior Brother Lin, do you want to spar with me?"
Peng Xinyuan and Kuang Bao looked at each other and smiled.
The expectation was already so high. If Lin Shen still didn't go on stage, he would definitely be labeled as a coward.
It didn't matter if a cultivator was weaker. He just had to work hard to cultivate and improve.
However, if he didn't have the fearless heart to overcome all obstacles and defeat the strong, then no matter how talented he was, his final achievements would definitely be very limited.
The path of cultivation didn't only depend on talent. The mentality was also an indispensable and important factor.
Furthermore...
Peng Xinyuan looked at the wooden building in the distance. He could vaguely see a few figures in the corridor on the third floor.
Not only were the new students and seniors present for today's guided battle, but several institute heads and tutors were also paying attention to the new students’ performance.
Whether Lin Shen was afraid to fight or suffer a miserable defeat, it would lower his value in the eyes of the institute head and tutors.
As for Lin Shen, he was a disciple from a commoner background. If he didn't gain the recognition of the institute head and tutors, he would definitely have a hard time in the academy in the future!
At the thought of this, Peng Xinyuan smiled and looked at Lin Shen mockingly.
"I want to see how you deal with this situation!"
Yang Zhongyi and Su Nian frowned and looked at Lin Shen worriedly.
On the other hand, Lin Shen remained calm in the face of everyone's expectant or amused gazes.
Lin Shen slowly walked out of the crowd and stood in the middle of the square.
"Senior Brother Qiao, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Junior Brother Lin."
Excitement flashed in Qiao He's eyes as he pulled out the weapon at his waist for the first time.
The sharp blade glinted under the sunlight, making one's heart palpitate.
"Junior Brother Lin, don't you use weapons?"
"I didn't cultivate any weapon-type martial techniques."
Qiao He was stunned, then came to a realization.
Lin Shen wasn't from an influential family, so it wasn't surprising that he didn't have any weapon-type martial techniques.
Even so, Qiao He had no intention of abandoning his weapon.
The guided battle didn't prohibit the use of weapons, and he cultivated weapon-type martial techniques. He didn't feel using weapons was taking advantage of Lin Shen.
Moreover, Lin Shen was the top new student. Like him, he was at the ninth level of Qi Transformation. His strength couldn't be underestimated.
If he lost to Lin Shen because he didn't use his weapon, he would probably regret it! Go all out!
That was the only thought in Qiao He's mind.
The center of the square quickly fell silent. The two of them faced each other from afar, and the surrounding air seemed to have become stagnant.
Sensing that something was about to erupt, the new students couldn't help but discuss among themselves.
"I wonder who will win?"
"It's hard to say. Their cultivation levels are about the same."
"Senior Brother Qiao has a higher chance of winning. After all, he has the advantage of a weapon, and his martial arts attainments are very high!"
"Lin Shen's attainments in martial arts aren't weak either, right?"
"Stop talking. We'll know once we watch the battle!"
The discussion quickly disappeared. Everyone held their breaths and stared at the center of the square.
Qiao He had wanted Lin Shen to attack first because of his seniority, but seeing that the latter had been standing there calmly without moving, he finally exhausted his patience. He suddenly let out a low shout and slashed his saber forward.
Swoosh!
The air seemed to burn in an instant, and a large wave of air resembling a fire cloud suddenly appeared. As Qiao He's saber rolled forward, it swept toward Lin Shen with an incomparably powerful aura.
Burning Cloud Blade!
During the exam, Yan Xing also used this saber technique.
However, in terms of momentum and power, Yan Xing was clearly far inferior to Qiao He.
With this slash, everyone present had the illusion that their vision was filled with fire clouds!
The new students with weaker willpower almost thought that they were in a sea of fire. They immediately broke out in cold sweats.
Meng Dong's eyes lit up.
"Mastery! Qiao He's Burning Cloud Saber has broken through again!" Then, he shook his head regretfully.
Mastery Spirit Burning Cloud Saber was extremely ferocious. Lin Shen, who was unarmed, couldn't deal with it at all.
What a pity. If Qiao He hadn't broken through, Lin Shen still had a chance of winning.
Thinking of this, Meng Dong couldn't help but look at Lin Shen with a hint of regret.
At the same time, many senior students also discovered the profundity of Qiao He's saber move and looked surprised.
Peng Xinyuan and Kuang Bao were overjoyed.
It seemed like there was no need for them to make a move. Qiao He was enough to defeat Lin Shen!
Sympathy, regret, worry, gloating... Under the gazes of many people around him, Lin Shen remained calm. It was only when the fire cloud approached that he casually slapped out.
It was only an ordinary palm strike, and he didn't even use any martial techniques. However, when the mighty fire cloud collided with the slender palm, it was as if it had collided with an iron wall and instantly shattered!
The fire clouds that filled the sky suddenly dissipated, and the cold blade was suddenly grabbed by a hand!
Qiao He was shocked and exerted all his strength, but no matter how the blade buzzed, it couldn't break free from that palm.
"What happened?"
Qiao He looked over in shock. Only then did he realize the surface of Lin Shen's palm was covered in a layer of force that was almost invisible to the naked eye.
Even though the layer of energy was very thin, it was firmly protecting his palm. No matter how sharp the long saber was, it couldn't hurt his palm at all.
"Spiritual essence!"
Qiao He's expression changed.
The moment Qjao He exclaimed, Lin Shen suddenly closed his fingers. With an ear-piercing sound, he twisted the front of the long saber into a ball.
Before Qiao He could react, Lin Shen struck him in the chest.
In an instant, Qiao He was sent flying like a kite with a broken string.
He fell to the ground with a bang, and before he could howl in pain, he fainted and lost consciousness.
Silence!
Everybody fell silent!
Whether it was the seniors or the new students, everyone was dumbfounded as they watched this scene. Their mouths were wide open, and they were speechless for a long time..