Heavenly Jewel Change

“Leader, in your perspective, do you think Lan Feng can defeat him? Attacking usually takes a greater toll than defense, but that Assembly Shield Set of his should be quite a considerable drain as well…”

The young lady leader said: “Lan Feng is already doing very well. Up till now, he has not yet used a single Stored Skill, only making use of his speed and combat prowess to look for his opponent’s weak points. That Lin TianAo’s shield is way too powerful for him to breakthrough forcefully, not even if he used his full power with his Stored Skills, and he would lose if he tried that route instead. This way, he is forcing both to a stalemate where both sides are expending Heavenly Energy, and it is hard to say who will run out first. At this point, the person who runs out of Heavenly Energy first will lose. However, from my judgement of both their characters, they will not be satisfied with winning in such a manner, and letting the ‘heavens’ and luck determine their victory. In the last moment, they will probably have another huge clash. It will be down to that moment, and who will be able to maintain calm and equanimous.”

Almost as if her analysis was a prophecy, as soon as the words left the Dan Dun Leader’s mouth, the situation on the stage changed drastically.

By this point, even though the fight had not lasted long, due to the sheer speed and intensity of their clashes, the drain on their Heavenly Energy was already very considerable. Just as the leader of the Dan Dun Battle Team had said, no one liked having their fate out of their hands, and it seemed like at that moment, Lin TianAo had not been able to contain himself any longer.

As his shield shoved outwards abruptly, Lin TianAo made a motion as if he were about to charge forward. Quickly, his right foot slammed savagely onto the ground, causing a huge ringing sound as the entire stage reverberated with the shockwave, even causing Lan Feng to pause for a split second.

In that split second when Lan Feng was distracted, Lin TianAo seized the chance to strike, lashing out with his shield lightning quick. The shield split instantly into five, striking out from five different directions at Lan Feng, also blocking off any possible escape route.

A look of disdain flashed on Lin Feng’s face as he smirked, thinking to himself that Lin TianAo had not been the first to give up. A swirling green mist appeared from under his feet, immediately blocking off the reverberations from Lin TianAo’s stomp, before expanding outwards, causing Lin TianAo’s shields to stall momentarily. In the next moment, Lan Feng moved like a bolt of light, as if he had merged with his sword, striking out at Lin TianAo. His speed was pushed to the maximum, making use of that moment he had created to slip pass the shields.

In a flash of green light, a skill that Zhou Weiqing used so very often appeared, landing on Lin TianAo. It was the Fetters of Wind! At the same time, the short sword in Lan Feng’s hands had arrived at Lin TianAo’s chest.

I’ve won! That was the only thought in Lan Feng’s mind at that point. Lin TianAo had acted first in the stalemate, giving him the opportunity to turn the tides. It had been the the chance he had been waiting for.

However, at that moment, he suddenly saw Lin TianAo’s eyes, and was surprised to see that in such a circumstance where there was no room to dodge, without his shield, there was still no sign of change in Lin TianAo’s eyes.

Not good.

Although Lan Feng was an ultimate Agility type Heavenly Jewel Master, at this point of time and being so committed to the attack, it was already too late for him to change or stop his attack.

Without a choice, he could only grit his teeth and strike out with all his power.

Abruptly, an almost invisible shield appeared between the two. It was Lin TianAo’s Illusory Shield! Obviously, Lin TianAo had secretly released this skill after he had attacked with his Assembly Shield Set in preparation. Of course, when exactly he had done so, no one but himself knew.

That was not the only thing, the thick, heavy rock armour encased Lin TianAo from top to bottom.

*Poof* The Illusory Shield was shattered by Lan Feng’s attack, and the short sword in his hands continued in its path.

In the short moment that the Illusory Shield blocked the attack, Lin TianAo managed to forcefully move himself an inch, getting his vital points out of the way of the strike.

Backed with Lan Feng’s full power, the short sword stabbed into Lin TianAo’s shoulder with a sickening sound. Although a vast majority of its power had been dissipated by the Illusory Shield and the Stoneskin Armour, almost half the blade stabbed right in.

Alas, the defense was still a success, and Lin TianAo had not been felled by the blow. Unexpectedly, Lan Feng felt that the instant his sword stabbed into Lin TianAo, it was locked into place by his muscles, and Lin TianAo also grabbed his wrist with a vice grip.

All of this had been part of Lin TianAo’s calculations, even down to the place where he had been stabbed.

Holding Lan Feng’s arm in place by the wrist, Lin TianAo totally ignored his own injuries, instead exerting his considerable strength and lifting Lan Feng up entirely. Lin TianAo then toppled backwards, savagely smashing Lan Feng down towards the ground off the stage1. As he did so, he quickly let go, ensuring he kept his balance and stayed on the stage. The five shields also shot down towards Lan Feng, ensuring that he would not be able to recover before he touched the ground.

*Thud* Lan Feng landed on his feet, and in the next moment, he sprang back onto the stage. Just as he was about to continue, the judge’s voice rang out.

“Stop. The fight is over.”

Lan Feng’s body froze, looking confusedly at the judge who had appeared in front of him. Angrily, he cried out: “I have not lost!”

The judge said expressionlessly: “According to the rules of the Tournament, anyone who drops off the stage loses. Fei Li Battle Team versus Dan Dun Battle Team, first fight, Fei Li Battle Team wins.”

Lan Feng wanted to continue protesting, but a cold clear voice rang out from the Dan Dun Rest House. “Enough. Come back here Lan Feng, a loss is a loss. When he grabbed your arm earlier, he could have possibly killed you then if he had chosen to.”

Even though Lan Feng did not want to accept the loss, and was not satisfied, he could not disobey his leader and got off the stage huffily.

As he did so, he gave Lin TianAo a furious glare.

Releasing the Stoneskin Armour, Lin TianAo’s entire right shoulder was quickly soaked red with blood. Using his Heavenly Energy, he sealed the blood vessels around the area, suppressing the wound as he slowly walked down expressionlessly.

The moment Lin TianAo walked off the stage, only then did Zhou Weiqing heave a sigh of relief. “That was close.”

As the saying goes, things don’t always go according to plan. In his entire strategy, Lin TianAo would likely meet one of the Dan Dun Battle Team’s weaker members, likely a five-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, and he was confident in Lin TianAo beating him. Unfortunately, he had not expected that it would just happen to be an Ultimate Agility Type that happened to counter Lin TianAo. If not for Lin TianAo’s cultivation level being slightly higher than his opponent, with better combat experience and planning, with a dash of luck, they might have actually lost this critical first fight!

Still, all had ended well, giving them a much needed first victory against a seeded team. They were off on a good start.