Section 61: Ah! My Second One!
February 9, 2013 Author: Gu Zhenren
The news of challenging Chu Yun, with Wedge’s secret instigation, quickly spread throughout the Academy.
“Hey, did you hear? Senior Wedge, one of the four giants of the prominent families, plans to challenge young tiger today.”
“I heard long ago. It’s spread all over the Academy. Someone even asked Senior Wedge, and he confirmed it.”
“Among the four giants of our prominent families, Ning Yiyi is a woman. Since senior Hua Ying’s crushing defeat, he’s been keeping a low profile, reportedly practicing his archery. Only Ma Youcai and senior Wedge are left.”
“Yeah, after Senior Ma Youcai was severely humiliated by Chu Yun with a blood qi pill, he seems to have lost his spirit. Senior Wedge is the only real hope!”
In the Academy, the crowd was stirred, speculating about who had a higher chance of winning between Chu Yun and Wedge.
By the afternoon, Chu Yun saw Wedge enter the arena.
“Finally couldn’t hold back and came to challenge me?” Chu Yun smiled faintly. With his two lives, how could he not know the machinations of the scholars?
“Challenge you? No, no, no. I just can’t bear to see you lose repeatedly to an unknown nobody today. I’m specifically here to offer some guidance.” Wedge crossed his arms, a confident smile on his lips, speaking in a condescending tone. “Junior Chu Yun, as the student council president, it’s really unacceptable for you to fail repeatedly. As your senior, I’ve come down today to show you the huge flaws in your Saber Techniques.”
“Wow, Senior Wedge looks so confident, he must be well-prepared!”
“He says young tiger’s Saber Techniques have huge flaws. I wonder what they are?”
“Speaking of which, Senior Wedge has never fought Chu Yun since the start of the semester. Could it be that he has recently mastered some Upper grade Dao Method?”
The spectators buzzed with discussion, whispering amongst themselves, creating a cacophony outside the arena.
“Guide me?” Chu Yun chuckled. “Why didn’t you offer guidance earlier? And now you only appear. Don’t you think you’re a bit shameless?”
A burst of laughter erupted from the watching crowd.
“Shut up!” Wedge’s face turned ashen, his voice laced with embarrassment, he coldly shouted, “Today, I will teach you a lesson, and let you know that a senior is a senior. Steel Feather Eagle, come out!”
He patted the Immortal Pouch at his waist, and a demonic beast eagle, comparable in size to a fine horse, flew out.
Wedge then mounted the Steel Feather Eagle and soared into the sky.
Chu Yun frowned slightly, and the laughter from the crowd subsided.
The Steel Feather Eagle flapped its wings, flying over the arena, several dozens of feet above the ground. Wedge, looking down from above, smirked triumphantly and pointed at Chu Yun, proclaiming loudly, “Junior Chu Yun, do you really think I, your senior, was just talking? The biggest flaw in your Saber Techniques is that while you’re strong in close combat, you’re weak in long-range attacks! You must remember this lesson from your senior. Learn from this experience in the future, do you understand?”
The surrounding spectators were in an uproar.
“This, what kind of flaw is this?” someone’s mouth twitched. “Drunken Snow Saber is a saber meant for close combat, so naturally its long-range attacks are weaker. If this is considered a flaw, then all sabers in the world have flaws.”
“However, Senior Wedge is not wrong. Drunken Snow Saber can unleash Half Moon Slash, which slightly compensates for its long-range capabilities. But it’s absolutely not enough to deal with enemies in the air.”
“Chu Yun is in trouble. His greatest close-combat advantage has been nullified.”
“Is this really necessary? I was hoping for a direct confrontation between men.” The commoner scholars were displeased.
“Pfft, what do you know? Combat is about leveraging strengths and avoiding weaknesses. Senior Wedge has grasped the essence of warfare.” The scholars from the prominent families retorted immediately.
“Boss, Wind Blade Slash!” Wedge suddenly shouted. His way of addressing the Steel Feather Eagle was strange, using the word “Boss.”
The Steel Feather Eagle’s wide wings flapped faster, unleashing countless wind blades, pale green in color and shaped like crescent moons. The wind blades swirled continuously, forming a net of blades that descended upon Chu Yun.
“Snow Fang.” Chu Yun drew Drunken Snow Saber and whispered.
The saber energy tripled in intensity, coalescing into a tangible form, emitting a brilliant snowy light. He swung Drunken Snow Saber left and right, blocking the wind blade slash.
“Don’t stop!” Wedge’s eyes flared, and he commanded again.
The eagle’s wings flapped with a whirring sound as the Wind Blade Slash continued relentlessly, like a cascade of green water, pouring down with immense firepower. Chu Yun’s saber light, making him a shining silver silhouette, was completely engulfed.
From the outside, large swathes of pale green wind blades spun and descended, gouging the arena floor, leaving crisscrossing scars over the entire fighting ground, a chilling sight to behold.
“Such fierce firepower!”
“Senior Wedge’s Steel Feather Eagle already has 560 years of cultivation. Amazing!”
“This is the first time I’ve seen Chu Yun being suppressed like this.”
Exclamations echoed, and many rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.
“In the past, Chu Yun always charged forward, leading the charge. This time, with the opponent flying in the sky, there’s nothing he can do.”
“Senior Wedge’s tactic, though somewhat ignoble, is perfectly suited to counter Chu Yun. He’s inherently in an invincible position!”
Many lamented, and some were already drawing conclusions.
“Chu Yun is going to lose this match.”
“He has no choice but to lose. The opponent can hit him, but he can’t hit the opponent.”
“Hahaha, do you know your shortcomings now, junior disciple? Just surrender quickly. I’m a magnanimous senior, I won’t blame or hold a grudge.” Wedge sat comfortably on the eagle’s back, laughing triumphantly.
His chest swelled with emotion, almost uncontrollably. Seeing Chu Yun suppressed by him, and hearing the spectators’ discussions, an immense sense of accomplishment surged within him.
“Snow Moon Sky Charge!” Amidst the whistling wind, Chu Yun’s voice suddenly boomed.
A crescent of snowy light, against the green waterfall of wind blades, charged upwards.
Everyone let out a gasp of surprise, Chu Yun’s counterattack had arrived.
But soon, this Snow Moon Sky Charge Dao Method was worn down by the continuous wind blades. It only managed to ascend less than halfway.
“Alas…” Many sighed in disappointment.
Wedge’s heart had also skipped a beat. Chu Yun had actually prepared a brand new Middle grade Dao Method. However, thankfully, his Steel Feather Eagle, with its full effort, prevented Chu Yun’s saber light from breaking through.
“Junior disciple, give it up. Why struggle pointlessly? You can still surrender now, lest you end up in a sorry state and people think I, Wedge, am bullying the young.” Wedge looked down at Chu Yun from above with a casual, taunting tone.
Chu Yun did not reply. He was waiting for his moment.
“Great Dragon Pattern!” Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he seized an opportunity, unleashing the Upper grade Dao Method he had been brewing.
Roar!
The air vibrated, and a dragon’s roar erupted. The surging saber energy formed a giant white dragon, soaring upwards with a ferocious aura, lunging towards Wedge.
In an instant, Wedge’s expression changed drastically, his eyes narrowing to pinpricks. The dragon pushed back countless wind blades, its maw open, charging at him.
In desperation, he slapped the Immortal Pouch at his waist, summoning a second Steel Feather Eagle.
“Second one, use Steel Coat Dao Method, block it!” Wedge yelled urgently.
The second Steel Feather Eagle let out a sharp cry. Its feathers hardened like steel, and it fearlessly collided with the Great Dragon Pattern saber energy.
With a boom, the saber energy dispersed. The Steel Feather Eagle was sent flying, crashing against the cliff wall. With a thud, it fell, but before it hit the ground, it regained consciousness and managed to flap its wings, returning to Wedge’s side.
The crowd erupted in a collective gasp.
“What was that just now? Such a huge dragon-shaped saber energy!” someone exclaimed.
“That’s the Great Dragon Pattern Dao Method, Upper grade, very expensive! Chu Yun must have a lot of merit points to redeem it…” someone said enviously.
“Using a second demonic beast! Are you kidding me…” someone looked at Wedge with disdain.
“Tch, who says you can’t use a second demonic beast? There were no rules set before the fight.” The refuter’s tone lacked conviction.
“In arena sparring, it’s customary to only use one demonic beast. Senior Wedge has no style, using a second demonic beast so shamelessly.”
“What a shame. If it weren’t for the second Steel Feather Eagle, Chu Yun’s Great Dragon Pattern would have surely brought Wedge down.” The majority felt sorry for Chu Yun and expressed dissatisfaction with Wedge’s dishonorable actions.
Wedge’s face turned ghastly red. His eyes were fixed on Chu Yun, as if spitting fire. Gritting his teeth, his former composure gone, he said, “You’ve actually learned the Great Dragon Pattern Dao Method. Fine, very good. You’ve greatly surprised me, senior. But that’s as far as it goes.”
Enraged, he pointed at Chu Yun and commanded the second Steel Feather Eagle, “Second one, use Steel Coat, then use Eagle Claw Seizing Technique, capture him for me.”
He then commanded the first Steel Feather Eagle, “Boss, use Whirlwind Lock, restrain his movements.”
Chu Yun snorted, “Dream on. Flying Xuan Yu Tian Saber.”
The next moment, he did something that stunned everyone in the arena. He suddenly threw the saber in his hand.
A flash of snowy light tore through the air, leaving a snowy rainbow in its wake. It passed directly through the second Steel Feather Eagle, and finally, with a clang, it embedded deeply into the mountain wall above.
The second Steel Feather Eagle let out a piercing shriek. A terrifying hole appeared in its chest cavity. Saber energy overflowed within its body, chilling to the bone. Soon, with a bang, it exploded into a white light, transforming into a Demonic Crystal that clattered to the ground at Chu Yun’s feet.
“Ah! My second one!” Wedge screamed, his voice filled with agony.
