Chapter 193: A rival [2]
Jin Wei's jaw tightened and she stepped forward, her own sword glowing with her sword intent as she poured her focus into it.
*woosh* Without another word, she lunged, her blade slicing through the air with incredible speed, aiming for his shoulder in a powerful arc.
*clang* The first strike hit with a forceful clang as her sword met Zhang Yuan's branch.
He didn't bulge and... instead, he deflected her attack effortlessly, his wrist barely moving as he parried.
Their eyes met briefly, as Jin Wei looked at his calm smile.
*woosh* Jin Wei launched another attack, her movements are like a blur of speed as she sent a flurry of slashes his way.
*clank* Zhang Yuan responded smoothly, his branch meeting her blade at every strike with an ease.
*thrish* Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, illuminating the forest with bursts of light that seemed to reflect Jin Wei's frustration.
The ground beneath them began to tremble as their sword intents intensified.
With each strike, Jin Wei's frustration grew that she couldn't even land a hit and she shifted her footing, swinging her blade in a wide, powerful arc that sliced clean through a nearby tree as Zhang Yuan sidestepped, allowing it to fall to the ground with a heavy crash.
*THOOOOM* The force of her intent split the ground beneath her, carving deep furrows into the earth.
Yet, Zhang Yuan evaded each blow with calm precision, his branch dancing around her sword with an elegance that left her seething.
In the background, Ming Yuelin, Xue Hua, and Long Yue watched in stunned silence, their gazes fixed on the two Masters as they moved across the battlefield.
Jin Wei's sword glowed with a fierce, silver aura as she intensified her attacks, her strikes creating gusts of wind that whipped through the trees and tore through the foliage around them.
"His mastery… it's beyond what I imagined," Xue Hua murmured, her eyes wide with admiration.
"He's toying with her," Ming Yuelin observed, shaking her head in awe.
"And he's only using a branch. It's like he's holding back his true power."
Long Yue nodded, her gaze never leaving Zhang Yuan. "Even though she's giving it her all, Master isn't even breaking a sweat."
Chen Wei shook her head helplessly "I know this will happen.. and I don't know what is her real intention."
*swoosh* Jin Wei lunged at him again, swinging her blade in a desperate attempt to break through his defenses.
But Zhang Yuan deflected her blade once more, this time with a simple flick of his branch.
*creech* The force of his counter sent her stumbling backward, her feet skidding across the ground as she struggled to regain her balance.
*feeeen* In a desperate attempt to regain control, Jin Wei channeled her sword intent to its maximum, unleashing a powerful slash that split the air in front of her, sending a shockwave barreling toward Zhang Yuan.
Trees splintered and rocks shattered in its path, the very earth beneath them breaking apart as her power radiated outward.
He raised his branch, his eyes narrowing slightly as he channeled his own sword intent.
The branch began to glow, and with a single, fluid movement, he met her shockwave head-on, his branch cutting through it as if it were nothing more than mist.
*swoosh* The force of his strike dissipated her energy completely, leaving only silence in its wake.
With a smile, Zhang Yuan spoke "Don't hold back.. you can use your wind element."
Jin Wei gave a nod and her eyes glinted in green energy as she summoned a fierce gale, swirling with wind intent around her, whipping her hair and clothes as she infused her blade with the energy of the wind.
Jin Wei dashed toward him and attacked him again, this time with even more intensity.
Her sword now had an aura of razor-sharp wind that trailed with every swing, sending cutting gusts toward Zhang Yuan, who remained poised and calm.
The forest around them felt the brunt of her power as trees cracked and splintered, leaves tore from branches, and the ground beneath their feet fractured from the shockwaves of her attacks.
Jin Wei spun, unleashing a powerful downward slash that sent a torrent of wind directly at him, creating a hurricane-force gust that tore the earth in its path.
With a smooth motion, Zhang Yuan raised the branch.
Channeling his sword intent, he infused the wooden branch with a force that seemed to counteract Jin Wei's wind with ease.
*clank* When her powerful gusts collided with the branch, they dispersed as if hitting an immovable wall. Not a single blade of air could touch him.
Jin Wei's eyes widened in shock as Zhang Yuan raised the branch once more, this time making a sweeping motion with it.
*swoosh* His sword intent flared, and he dashed forward, deflecting each of her wind-enhanced strikes with precision, and each parry released a wave of energy that countered her attacks, breaking apart the wind blades mid-air.
Jin Wei gathered her wind intent into one final, massive burst, a swirling vortex around her blade, and thrust it toward Zhang Yuan with everything she had.
With a calm expression, Zhang Yuan raised the branch, pouring a surge of sword intent into it that radiated like a golden aura around the wood.
With a single, precise strike, he cut through her vortex, dissipating the whirlwind in a shockwave that flattened the grass and shattered the surrounding rocks.
*THOOOMMM*
From the sidelines, Ming Yuelin, Xue Hua, and Long Yue stood breathless, stunned by the raw power Zhang Yuan wielded with only a branch.
"Master is… on a completely different level," Ming Yuelin whispered, awestruck by his control.
Long Yue also nodded fascinated that she is going to get sword training from Zhgang Yuan "He always has that calm aura.. but seeing him fighting like this, it feels strange."
Chen Wei gritted her teeth. "Why is this woman embarrassing herself? Haaa.. this idiotic woman."
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I hope you guys liked this chapter!