Wuxia Across the Heavens: I Collect Side Effects

Chapter 115 The Contest with Linghu Chong

Linghu Chong slowly stepped onto the dueling platform, his gaze fixed on Ning Xin opposite him with a complex expression.

He drew his longsword, flicked his wrist to create a graceful and swift sword flourish, and said with a touch of chivalrous spirit, "Junior brother, go ahead and make your move!"

Ning Xin did not move immediately. Instead, he turned to Yue Buqun, who was sitting on the platform, and bowed, saying, "Please, Master, cover for us."

Yue Buqun was slightly taken aback, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, wondering why Ning Xin had made this special request.

Ning Xin calmly explained, "I recently had some insights while practicing swordsmanship, and my martial arts realm is faintly approaching a breakthrough point. I just wanted to take advantage of today's sparring session with my senior brother to break through the barrier."

Yue Buqun immediately understood, looked deeply at the two people on the stage, and sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately, Linghu Chong was naturally carefree and undisciplined, and despite his great talent, he was unwilling to put in the hard work.

Ning Xin then turned to Linghu Chong and said solemnly, "I ask that you go all out later, senior brother, and don't hold back. I'll take advantage of your strength to help me break through to the next realm."

Linghu Chong was slightly taken aback, then nodded solemnly, a sense of admiration rising in his heart.

It's important to understand that a full-force fight is fraught with unpredictable dangers. Even with Yue Buqun providing support, there's still a risk of injury. Ning Xin dared to borrow...

To forcefully break through to the next level in a martial arts competition—this courage and composure are truly rare.

"Alright! Junior brother, just go ahead and do your thing, but be careful too."

Suddenly, Yue Lingshan's anxious voice rang out from below the stage: "Senior Brother, you must be careful!"

Linghu Chong felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this, secretly gratified: his junior sister still cared about him after all.

But the next second, Yue Lingshan's words came slowly: "Don't go too far and hurt your junior brother."

Linghu Chong:

He chuckled helplessly, then twirled his sword again, suppressing the bitterness in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Junior brother, please make your move."

Ning Xin no longer hesitated or held back. His aura suddenly solidified, and the moment the Azure Water Sword was drawn, its extreme sharpness swept across the entire area as he unleashed the full power of the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual.

The sword light crisscrossed, moving so fast that only afterimages remained, the sound of it tearing through the air was continuous and chilling.

Linghu Chong knew Ning Xin's terrifying speed and dared not hold back in the slightest, so he immediately unleashed the Huashan Xiyi Sword Technique.

This sword technique embodies the profound meaning of "the greatest sound is silent" and "the greatest form is formless." The broader one's mind and the greater one's vision, the more one can grasp its essence. It is naturally in line with Linghu Chong's free and unrestrained nature.

The Xi Yi sword technique is based on the four principles of lightness, speed, unpredictability, and danger:

His movements were light and graceful, flowing smoothly without any hesitation.

The attack was swift as lightning, arriving in an instant;

His swordplay is unconventional, with unpredictable and tricky angles, and he excels at deceiving and luring his enemies.

They do not seek to defend and maintain stability, but prefer to seek victory in dangerous situations, with every move targeting weaknesses and being ruthless and decisive.

One is the ultimate speed of warding off evil, abandoning evil spirits and ghosts, seeking only to be the fastest in the world;

One is the ethereal and swift nature of Xi Yi, which is unpredictable, free, and spontaneous.

The two extremely fast sword techniques collided with a thunderous roar, the sound of metal clashing so dense that it became a continuous line, making it impossible to distinguish individual moves. All that could be seen was the flowing sword light and the fleeting figures, moving faster than the limits of the naked eye could perceive.

The Huashan disciples below the stage were all dumbfounded, their eyes gleaming with amazement, and they couldn't help but exclaim in hushed tones.

"Senior Brother is too strong! His Xi Yi Sword Technique is simply divine!"

"Junior Brother is truly terrifying! Even though it's not the Huashan style, his swordsmanship is so fast; you can't even see his moves!"

"A duel between these two was truly an eye-opener today!"

Laudenau, standing in the crowd, kept his eyes fixed on Ning Xin on the stage, his curiosity and apprehension growing stronger.

For the past month, he had been secretly investigating and deliberately trying to probe Ning Xin, but he still couldn't figure out Ning Xin's background or the foundation of his skills. The other party was extremely shrewd and kept no secrets, refusing to reveal even the slightest detail. He was truly strange and unpredictable.

Watching Ning Xin's focused duel from the stage, Ning Zhongze murmured to Yue Buqun, "Judging from this, Xin'er's martial arts talent seems to be slightly better than Chong'er's."

Yue Buqun nodded slowly and commented calmly: "Their talents are roughly equal, but Chong'er is too carefree and undisciplined, unwilling to concentrate on hard work; Ning Xin, on the other hand, is extremely determined, single-minded, and focused solely on martial arts."

"Yes," Ning Zhongze sighed softly, "With such a temperament, he is fully qualified to take over as the leader of the Huashan Sect in the future."

Yue Buqun shook his head, his gaze fixed on Ning Xin, who was focused on the swordplay competition on the stage: "Ning Xin is naturally incapable of cultivating the Huashan Sect's internal energy, so according to the rules, he is not qualified to be the sect leader. Moreover, given his temperament, his martial arts will surely surpass Chong'er's in the future, but he is a pure martial arts fanatic at heart, obsessed only with breaking through realms and honing his swordsmanship. Even if I were to hand over the position of Huashan Sect Leader to him, he probably wouldn't even give it a second glance."

Ning Zhongze recalled how Ning Xin had practiced swordsmanship alone every day for the past two months, ignoring worldly affairs, and couldn't help but nod deeply.

My nephew is truly obsessed with martial arts to the core; power, sects, and worldly affairs have never caught his eye.

On the dueling platform, swords flashed and figures clashed. In the blink of an eye, Ning Xin and Linghu Chong had already exchanged more than a hundred blows.

Both wielded fast swords, but their styles were completely different.

Ning Xin's sword is pure speed, eliminating all unnecessary details and aiming straight for the vitals. There is no superfluous trickery, only unstoppable swiftness and sharpness. Every sword strike seizes the initiative and seals off all room for evasion.

Linghu Chong's sword carries a free and unrestrained spirit, his figure is unpredictable, his sword path does not follow the rules, it is like flowing clouds and water, and he does whatever he wants, which is the true essence of Xiyi swordsmanship.

Despite both being fast sword duels, the difference in skill was revealed in the subtle details.

Linghu Chong had cultivated Huashan internal energy for many years, and his foundation was profound. Ultimately, his internal strength was much stronger than Ning Xin's, who had only cultivated for two months.

Ning Xin knew perfectly well that he had started too late and his internal strength was inferior. If the battle dragged on, he would inevitably run out of steam and be defeated.

He didn't have time for a slow, drawn-out battle; he had to break the deadlock quickly and suppress Linghu Chong in one fell swoop.

Linghu Chong was also feeling unwell at that moment.

He finally truly understood the strangeness of Ning Xin's sword technique.

It was not a simple, fast sword at all; it clearly carried an invisible force that disturbed the mind.

It was the lingering effects of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual's "Burning Body of Distractions" that were acting like an invisible catalyst, constantly amplifying the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

Especially when he thought about how Yue Lingshan now revolved around Ning Xin in everything, and how their unique intimacy had gradually faded, his distracting thoughts surged even more fiercely, and he couldn't calm his mind, making it impossible for him to concentrate fully on the battle.

Every thrust of Ning Xin's sword seemed to stir up the restlessness in his heart, making it difficult for him to calm down and focus on fighting his enemy.

Fortunately, Linghu Chong possessed profound internal strength and a solid foundation. He managed to suppress his restlessness and barely maintain his footing by relying on his deep internal energy.

However, the consumption of internal energy and mental energy required to defend oneself while suppressing distracting thoughts is several times greater than that of daily arduous training or ordinary sparring.

On the other side, Ning Xin refused to hold back and unleashed the full power of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique.

After a hundred rounds of fierce fighting, his swordplay became more refined and concise, stripping away all the fancy moves and leaving only speed, faster and faster, perfectly embodying the true meaning of "speed is the only way to break through."

Linghu Chong gradually entered a state of focus, his mind slowly calming down, and his aura becoming increasingly quiet and restrained.

The Xi Yi sword technique emphasizes the principle of "great sound is silent, great form is formless." When mastered, it means that the sword is drawn without a sound and leaves no trace.

At this moment, under the pressure of Ning Xin's extremely fast sword, he actually vaguely touched the threshold of the sword strike without leaving a trace.

The sound of the wind gradually faded, the figure became as faint as clouds and smoke, the sword light disappeared into nothingness, and the moves were silent, light, empty, and elusive, which was more and more in line with the highest artistic conception of Xi Yi Sword Technique.

On stage, one was swift and sharp, pressing forward relentlessly, while the other was silent and invisible, defusing attacks at will.

One uses speed to break the deadlock, the other uses stillness to control speed.

The clanging of metal continued uninterrupted, and the audience below held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.