High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 43: The Same Fighting Style

Five days later, only two days remained until the three-school joint examination.

The second guidance battle arrived as scheduled.

Teacher Zhou Yun stood in the center of the training ground, still in that well-fitted silver Martial Arts Uniform, her gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

Her gaze swept across the faces of the twenty-four students below, finally settling on Xu Wuyi.

"Xu Wuyi, you’re up first."

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and stepped steadily out of the line.

In this second guidance battle, he would face Teacher Zhou Yun. She was a true Martial Artist, and her strength was a cut above Teacher Wang’s.

"Show me everything you’ve got." Zhou Yun was concise. She took a standard-issue long spear from the weapon rack, a slight smile on her face. "Let me see how far you’ve come with your Wind-Settling Spear."

She also used a spear, which was why she had recognized Xu Wuyi’s style at a glance.

The two took their positions in the center of the field.

"Begin!" Wang Wenhai served as the referee, his voice ringing out.

Xu Wuyi didn’t dare to be the slightest bit complacent. He immediately assumed the Army Stabilization Form, his long spear angled downwards, his Heart and Spirit calm as he began to circulate the Mountain Shifting Technique.

He stood ready, prepared to receive Teacher Zhou’s storm-like assault.

However, Zhou Yun’s actions stunned him. It wasn’t the swift, aggressive advance he had imagined.

She shifted her feet and also adopted a stable stance. Her long spear traced a half-circle in front of her, the tip trembling slightly as it locked onto Xu Wuyi. She was taking a stance of using stillness to counter motion, defense as a form of attack!

’That style...’ Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted.

She was clearly imitating his own specialty: a defensive counter-attacking style!

Moreover, the "unmoving" Intention contained within Teacher Zhou’s stance was far more profound and complete than his own!

"Attack," Zhou Yun’s calm voice drifted over.

Xu Wuyi pressed his lips together. He knew that if they remained at a stalemate, he would have a hard time winning the battle of presence. His only chance of victory lay in striking first.

He pushed off with his feet, his body surging forward. A Cloud-Breaking Stab aimed straight for her center, the Cloud-Pushing Force held in reserve.

With a flick of her wrist, Zhou Yun’s spear shot out like a nimble snake from its hole, precisely landing on Xu Wuyi’s spear shaft. A soft yet resilient force transmitted through, and with a gentle pull, she diverted the swift thrust.

Xu Wuyi changed moves with extreme speed. As his stab missed, he immediately switched to a Back Wind Sweep, his long spear swinging in an attempt to bat Zhou Yun’s weapon aside while secretly channeling Silk Binding Force.

The two long spears clashed with a crisp "CLANG!"

Almost at the instant of contact, Xu Wuyi felt a familiar, insidious vibrating force travel back up his spear shaft!

Teacher Zhou Yun had also used Silk Binding Force!

And her mastery of the Power was in no way inferior to his!

Xu Wuyi’s arm went slightly numb, and even the circulation of his Qi and Blood became sluggish for a moment.

Horrified, he hastily circulated his own Silk Binding Force to counter it. The two Hidden Forces, from the same source but of different strengths, clashed along the spear shafts, emitting a faint "BUZZ."

He barely managed to neutralize the force, but his rhythm had been broken.

"Silk Binding Force?" Zhou Yun’s smile widened. "It seems you’ve reached Minor Achievement with your Wind-Settling Spear! You learn fast, kid. Now, try this on for size!"

Zhou Yun’s counter-attack followed immediately. Her spear tip was like a maggot clinging to bone, striking at his vital points like his wrist and the small of his back.

Xu Wuyi found himself in the most awkward situation since the battle began. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

His proud defense was being constrained at every turn by his opponent’s more seasoned, identical fighting style.

Her Silk Binding Force was like an invisible spiderweb, constantly disrupting his Qi and Blood and his ability to exert Power, leaving him with strength he couldn’t use.

It was as if he were fighting a more perfect, more powerful version of himself.

Every block was accompanied by the silent clash of their two Silk Binding Forces, which took a massive toll on his Heart and Spirit.

He could only persevere by relying on the tenacious will granted by the Mountain Shifting Technique and his own abundant Qi and Blood.

Both had targeted Xu Wuyi’s weakness. Wang Wenhai had found a way to counter his style, but Zhou Yun was using her actions to show Xu Wuyi—

—he wasn’t the only one who knew how to fight with a defensive counter-attack!

When facing a similar but stronger opponent, how was one supposed to break the deadlock?

The training hall was silent. Everyone held their breath, watching this unique guidance battle.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of clashing spear shafts was incessant.

Xu Wuyi gritted his teeth, circulating his Silk Binding Force to its absolute limit, refusing to give up.

Compared to his helplessness in the last guidance battle, at least this time he still had a sliver of a chance...

Finally, during one of Zhou Yun’s seemingly ordinary thrusts, he caught an infinitesimally small moment where her force had been spent.

’Now’s my chance!’

He abruptly twisted to the side, taking the sweep of her spear shaft on his left shoulder. With a grunt, he used the momentum to spin.

His right arm, which had been accumulating power, released like a taut bowstring, and his spear shot out ferociously!

This thrust surpassed all his previous limits. The True Intention of Martial Arts—"Mountain"—instantly activated, its explosive force far exceeding his normal state!

"Hm?"

A flash of surprise crossed Zhou Yun’s eyes. She suddenly looked up at Xu Wuyi, as if trying to read something on his face.

She could not evade this thrust. It had sealed off all her escape routes, leaving her no choice but to receive it head-on.

But she could already tell that if they were at the same Life Energy Level, taking this blow would result in either death or severe injury!

The next moment, her own long spear abruptly accelerated, tracing a perfect arc in front of her. The tip impossibly struck his spear shaft.

TING!

A sound so crisp it was piercing.

Xu Wuyi only felt an immense force transmit through, and the long spear was torn from his grasp, flying through the air and embedding itself in the ground.

He had lost, but he had also won.

Because for that final blow, Teacher Zhou had clearly erupted with a level of strength far beyond theirs, no longer limiting herself to the same Life Energy Level.

This meant that at an equal Energy Level, she had been unable to handle his attack. She had to resort to such means to end the guidance battle while ensuring she didn’t injure her student!

Zhou Yun retracted her spear and stood tall, her breathing as steady as ever. Her gaze on Xu Wuyi grew deeper. "Interesting... Next."

She surprisingly offered no further comment.

The surrounding students were a bit confused. Only Teacher Wang Wenhai, standing off to the side, couldn’t help the corner of his mouth from curling into a slight smile.

He was also a Quasi-Martial Artist and had long since comprehended a True Intention of Martial Arts. How could he not see that Xu Wuyi’s final thrust was clearly an eruption of True Intention of Martial Arts?

However, neither he nor Zhou Yun had any intention of saying this out loud.

Because this was a trump card. In two days, at the three-school joint examination, it could be used as an ace up his sleeve to shock everyone and catch his opponents completely off guard.

If this information were revealed ahead of time, it would only make their opponents wary.

Among Martial Artists, having prior information on an opponent greatly influenced the outcome of a match. During the college entrance exams, to prevent leaks, students wouldn’t even know who their opponent was until they stepped into the arena.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Zhou." Xu Wuyi caught his breath, bent over to pick up his long spear, and offered his sincere thanks.

Although Zhou Yun hadn’t verbally instructed him, her use of a style that mimicked his own was, in itself, a form of guidance.

At the very least, after today’s battle, Xu Wuyi would be mentally prepared the next time he faced an opponent with a similar style.

Experience was the most important treasure of all!