Chapter 59: Minor Success, You Let Me Win
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Minor Success, You Let Me Win
’Crap!’
Xie Yuan cursed inwardly. He had been practicing his saber skills in the courtyard for the past few days, and no one had said a thing. Even when Qin Sea had offered him pointers, he hadn’t mentioned needing to practice in private.
The courtyard was full of escort guards, all busy with their own tasks. No one had time to be nosy.
But now, a Darts Master had appeared out of nowhere...
Bracing himself, Xie Yuan cupped his fist and said,
"I asked Boss Zhao for an advance on my merit points to exchange for the Cultivation Technique first."
"Did you ask him for the advance, or did he offer it to you?"
The man’s gaze seemed to pierce through everything. He spoke with a grave tone,
"I have told Master Zhao many times that this is against the rules."
Seeing that the man seemed intent on steering the conversation toward Zhao Xingyang’s violation, Xie Yuan ground his teeth and said,
"Master Zhao is considerate of his subordinates. He wanted me to use this free time to train hard so I can make greater contributions to the Escort Agency later. Teaching me the Cultivation Technique in advance was so I could earn merits for the Escort Agency sooner."
The man shook his head repeatedly.
"Before Master Zhao arrived, there was no such precedent. Without rules, there can be no order. An organization as large as the Escort Agency would fall into chaos if we don’t follow the regulations.
"Besides, the Rushing Wolf Saber Skill is a C Class Cultivation Technique. What results could you possibly achieve practicing on your own for a few days? Training blindly without a Darts Master present to guide you will only do more harm than good."
Hearing the man direct all his criticism at Zhao Xingyang and considering his appearance and age, Xie Yuan guessed which Darts Master this was.
Lu Zhenyu. The one who was said to be the successor to the Chief Darts Master before Boss Zhao came along.
’Office politics, and I’m the fish caught in the crossfire...’
Xie Yuan complained inwardly, but his side in this was already chosen for him.
Besides, although they had only met once, Zhao Xingyang had treated him well.
Xie Yuan cupped his fist again and said formally,
"Master Lu, even though I’ve only been practicing for a few days, it’s been enough to gain some understanding."
"Some understanding? You’ve only been practicing for a few days, and you dare make such a claim."
Lu Zhenyu shook his head, then suddenly called out,
"Pang Shan, step forward!"
"Yes, Mr. Lu!"
An escort guard standing by the corridor stepped out.
Lu Zhenyu pointed at Xie Yuan and said to Pang Shan,
"You, exchange a few moves with the new guy. Let’s see if he’s truly gained some understanding of his saber skills."
"Alright!"
Xie Yuan looked at the big man standing before him, feeling a bit eager himself.
Saber skills were meant for real combat, after all. In all his days of practice, he hadn’t yet fought against a real person. This was the perfect opportunity.
Seeing the two men take their stances with sabers in hand, Lu Zhenyu stepped aside and shouted,
"Begin!"
Xie Yuan moved the instant he heard the word, drawing his saber and slashing horizontally at Pang Shan’s throat. The movement was like a vicious wolf pouncing on its prey—incredibly swift!
’So fast!’
Pang Shan hadn’t expected Xie Yuan’s saber to be so fast and hastily raised his own blade vertically to block.
CLANG! A powerful force knocked his saber aside. Seeing Xie Yuan’s blade slashing toward him again, Pang Shan could only drop and roll to create distance.
When Xie Yuan saw Pang Shan dodge, he shifted his footing and lunged with an outstretched arm. In a flash, his long saber was upon him again.
Pang Shan swung his saber in a wide arc, trying to parry Xie Yuan’s blade, but his vision blurred, and the tip of the saber was already at his throat.
He swallowed hard and said dejectedly,
"I surrender."
Lu Zhenyu’s brow furrowed. He asked in a low voice,
"Are you a First Training Martial Artist?"
"Yes."
As Xie Yuan nodded in confirmation, he replayed the brief exchange in his mind.
’Pang Shan’s reaction was a bit slow. If I had followed up my first move with a downward chop, he wouldn’t have been able to get away with that roll.’
’Yes, that would have been a better way to handle it.’
Xie Yuan quickly absorbed the experience, nodding slightly.
’Real combat really does lead to faster progress. In just this short time, my proficiency with the [Rushing Wolf Saber Skill] has already increased.’
Lu Zhenyu fell silent for a moment before saying,
"Pang Shan is not yet a Martial Artist. There’s a gap in your cultivation levels, so this duel proves nothing. Chen Xiaolei, you’re up."
"Alright, Mr. Lu."
A tall, thin young man stepped forward with his saber and cupped his fist.
"Chen Xiaolei, Senior Escort Guard. Brother Xie, if you please."
He twirled his saber in a flourish and stepped forward with a direct downward chop!
Xie Yuan nodded slightly. Chen Xiaolei’s moves were indeed much faster than Pang Shan’s.
He raised his saber in a diagonal flick, parrying his opponent’s chop, then countered with a horizontal slash.
CLANG!
Chen Xiaolei held his saber vertically, steadily blocking the blow. Then, with a spin of the long saber in his hand, he sliced toward Xie Yuan’s arm.
Xie Yuan retracted his arm and, not to be outdone, brought his saber around to attack, trading blows with Chen Xiaolei.
Both used fast saber techniques, matching speed with speed. In an instant, they exchanged more than ten moves, the sound of PING! PANG! PING! PANG! echoing continuously.
An escort guard watching from the side gaped in astonishment. "Is he really a new guy? His saber moves are way too practiced!"
"He’s been fighting Brother Lei for so long! Doesn’t that mean he’s on the level of a Senior Escort Guard?"
"Well, he is a Martial Artist to begin with, and he trains diligently. It’s not surpris... okay, it’s still pretty damn impressive."
Xie Yuan noted his opponent’s swift moves and skilled, precise Body Technique, and an idea sparked in his mind.
He suddenly launched a horizontal slash, aiming for Chen Xiaolei’s throat. The move was so fast and fierce that Chen Xiaolei couldn’t parry in time. He executed a "matrix-style" backbend, narrowly dodging the horizontal slash.
However, Xie Yuan, having anticipated this counter, had made the slash a feint. Just as it reached Chen Xiaolei’s head, the blade paused, shifted from horizontal to vertical, and came to a steady stop at the tip of Chen Xiaolei’s nose.
Chen Xiaolei felt as if the fine hairs on his face were about to be severed. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he didn’t dare to move a muscle.
Lu Zhenyu’s feet shifted almost imperceptibly. Seeing that Xie Yuan had the situation under control, he stopped.
Withdrawing his long saber, Xie Yuan held it ready and cupped his fist.
"You let me win."
Chen Xiaolei let out a breath of relief. His backbend collapsed, and he slumped backward onto the ground.
"Amazing!"
"He actually predicted Chen Xiaolei’s response! That was so clever!"
"I don’t recognize his face, which Escort Team is he from... What? He’s new?"
"Aren’t new guys supposed to panic and just hack away wildly? How can he make predictions?"
The crowd of onlookers buzzed with discussion.
The sound of weapons clashing had traveled far, and the constant PING! PANG! had drawn a steady stream of people to the side courtyard. A full circle of spectators now surrounded the area.
[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill - Initiate: (457/500)]
Xie Yuan was slightly thrilled. ’Sparring with a suitable opponent to test my understanding makes my progress soar!’
He couldn’t help but look at Lu Zhenyu with a hint of anticipation.
Even Lu Zhenyu’s stern face couldn’t help but twitch.
He could naturally see that Xie Yuan’s saber skills had improved yet again just from these two spars!
After a moment of silence, he picked someone from the crowd.
"Li Guo, you’re up."
"Huh? Mr. Lu, isn’t this... supposed to be a friendly spar between us escort guard brothers?"
Li Guo, standing in the crowd, scratched his head. But seeing that Lu Zhenyu wasn’t joking—Mr. Lu never joked—he had no choice but to step into the ring resentfully.
’A Darts Master bullying a new escort guard... even if he’s a decent newcomer, he only just got here.’
’Winning won’t bring me any glory, and losing... well, that’s impossible.’
He cupped his fist, took his stance, and said with a touch of indifference,
"Li Guo, Junior-level Darts Master. If you please, little brother. Just surrender in time if you feel you’ve had enough."
The response was the whistle of a saber cutting through the air.
"You’ve got guts, kid!"
Li Guo’s exclamation was part praise, part curse. He quickly used the back of his saber to parry Xie Yuan’s slash and, following the momentum, thrust his blade toward Xie Yuan’s chest and abdomen like a tiger lunging forward.
Xie Yuan’s eyes lit up. ’This opponent is much stronger than the previous ones!’
He focused completely, his eyes locked on his opponent’s movements. His long saber danced, unleashing the full extent of his training from the past few days.
The onlookers watched the two fighters moving with the speed of rabbits and falcons, their sabers flashing as they clashed, and were utterly surprised.
Such a fast saber, such a fast Body Technique!
It was only now that Xie Yuan seemed to be using his full strength!
He had been holding back before?
Lu Zhenyu’s expression remained impassive, but his mind was in turmoil.
Xie Yuan felt the opponent’s saber moves were powerful and fierce, bringing a pressure far heavier than the previous two. He felt a faint thrill of excitement.
’An expert like this is what I’d call a true whetstone for my skills!’
On the other side, Li Guo was even more astonished. Although he had thought Xie Yuan’s saber skills were decent while watching from the sidelines, only now that he was in the fight did he realize how formidable they were. He couldn’t actually take him down!
’In front of all these people, a Darts Master like me can’t even defeat an entry-level escort guard!’
A chill went down Li Guo’s spine, and his saber moves became even faster.
The pressure on Xie Yuan instantly intensified. He could only manage to put thirty percent of his effort into attacking and seventy percent into defending, then twenty percent into attacking and eighty into defending, until finally, he was only defending, not attacking at all.
His opponent’s attacks were like the tide, relentless and unending.
But Xie Yuan gritted his teeth and kept swinging his saber, standing firm like a mountain, no matter how the tide crashed against him.
Time ticked by, second by second. Unable to break through after so long, Li Guo grew increasingly impatient.
’His cultivation is lacking, his saber work is unrefined, he’s just relying on a powerful saber skill...’
Yet, he was no longer holding back. Under his full-force assault, not only was Xie Yuan’s defense impenetrable, but he was actually starting to look more and more at ease!
[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill - Initiate: (478/500)]
...
[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill - Initiate: (485/500)]
...
[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill - Initiate: (496/500)]
...
Under Li Guo’s furious assault, Xie Yuan was like a rough gem being hammered. Tempered and refined a thousand times, his brilliance was gradually beginning to show.
Suddenly, he executed a slash from an impossible, traceless angle, completely catching Li Guo by surprise and forcing him to retreat abruptly.
A few gasps of shock rose from the sidelines.
"Holy shit, that slash?!"
"No way, is he actually going on the counter-offensive now?"
"Fucking awesome!"
"Wait, does no one else think it’s completely ridiculous that a new guy has been fighting a Darts Master for this long?"
"What’s even more ridiculous is that he’s already fought two matches and doesn’t even seem tired!"
Lu Zhenyu stood on the sidelines, listening to the heated discussions around him, his poker face betraying no emotion, his thoughts unreadable.
Seeing that Xie Yuan’s breathing was still steady, Li Guo was horrified. ’How is he getting stronger the longer we fight?!’
’I can’t drag this out.’
He steeled his resolve, gripped his saber with both hands, and unleashed a full-power horizontal slash, putting everything he had into the attack with no room for retreat!
Seeing this all-or-nothing move, Xie Yuan’s eyes narrowed. He raised his saber high, and his internal energy began to surge violently.
’The time is right.’
He brought his saber down in a chop, the blade carrying a vicious wolf’s howl as it descended upon Li Guo with the force of Mount Tai!
[Rushing Wolf Saber Skill - Minor Success: (1/1000)]
With this slash, he had reached Minor Success!
Seeing this chop, which was far more powerful than anything before it, Li Guo’s face turned pale. A sense of dread washed over him.
But an arrow, once loosed, cannot be recalled. He could only grit his teeth, muster every last bit of his strength, and raise his saber to meet the blow!
The two sabers met.
A piercing CLANG rang out, its echo long and drawn-out.
It was followed by the sound of something shattering. CRACK.
Under the silent gaze of the entire crowd,
Li Guo’s saber broke.
Xie Yuan sheathed his saber, cupped his fist, and gave a slight nod.
"You let me win."