All in all, Huai Shi was in quite a good mood right now.
Although he wouldn't admit that he was happy to be praised by the "big sister," acquiring a new weapon was, in any case, a joyous occasion.
However, just holding a weapon without using it didn't feel very practical.
Therefore, naturally... he needed to find soone to "test" the weapon on.
Next, a problem arose.
Huai Shi was not deranged enough to wander around the school in the middle of the night, randomly hacking at students. The encounters from the Book of Fate provided enough practice, but they failed to impose any real pressure on him.
So, the only option was to look among the people nearby.
Yuan Yuan?
He glanced at the teenage girl in grey behind him, who seed inexplicably sullen, and imdiately felt his conscience twinge. Huai Shi, what are you thinking? That's your own student!
Then... Lin Nineteen?
As a result, the Wood Cottage shivered inexplicably under the teacher's affectionate gaze, struggling to squeeze out a smile.
Huai Shi also squeezed out a smile, then he sighed.
Forget it, he looks pitiable, and he isn't very strong... bullying Little Nineteen just wouldn't feel satisfying.
After going through all his acquaintances in the school, only one choice remained...
He took out his phone, brought up his contacts, and made a call.
"Hello?" he asked with a smile. "Is Raymond there?"
"He ain't here, you c—"
The bizarrely accented rudeness from Shackles was cut off by Raymond, who snatched the phone. "Hello? What's up?"
"I just rembered you got discharged."
Huai Shi lowered his head, smiling as he gazed at the Long Knife dripping with blood-red color in his hand. "I've arranged so rehabilitation exercise for you."
「. . .」
"Unbelievable!"
Half an hour later, Raymond was brought into the suspended classroom. Still holding an unfinished burger, he stared agape at Huai Shi, who had already started warming up.
"I walk in, and I see you getting ready to hit !"
He asked incredulously, "You call this rehabilitation exercise?"
"It's training!" Huai Shi said with a smile. "I was worried you'd get sick from being idle. Besides, with your skills, you shouldn't be afraid of this, right?"
"I'm just a driver, don't talk nonsense."
Raymond glanced at Lin Nineteen and Yuan Yuan standing beside him. "Hey, you're not planning to use for a class demonstration, are you? I warn you, I can file a complaint, you know. How long has it been since Jacob was dragged to that beheading class! Do you still have a conscience? He's still watching you from the Jing Guan!"
"Sorry, I didn't really want to do that, but he was just too weak," Huai Shi said. "Relax, I'm just testing out a new weapon. I can't bully students, can I?"
"So it's okay to bully ?"
"Last ti, you borrowed money from and then went off to place bets involving . Don't you think you should share so of the winnings?"
"Sorry, the wind is too loud; I can't hear you clearly!"
Raymond responded with a serious face, raising his hand to pat his own shoulder. "Isn't it just being a sparring partner? Co on, trample over without rcy!"
As he spoke, he wolfed down his burger in a few bites, then took off his leather jacket, tossed it to Lin Nineteen, and entered the arena wearing just a tank top.
Once the jacket was off, anyone's attention would be drawn to Raymond's muscles. They weren't exaggerated, nor were they particularly well-developed, but the muscle groups and their distribution, the scars that covered them, and the ease with which they could be controlled, all spoke of raw strength hitting you in the face. Between his spread fingers, the muscles in his palms throbbed flexibly. As his body ward up, his musculature rippled like flowing water.
Warmth was rising because his body temperature was increasing.
It was a technique for using the Source Substance, different from Drumr or Yu Step. It literally heated up the body, enhancing the supply from the Origin Spring to unleash power far greater than what was possible under normal conditions.
Luo Lao had made it very clear. As far as techniques in the world went, there were only so many. The basics consisted of straight punches, jab punches, leg kicks, and so on. No matter how strange and unusual the moves developed from these, they all inevitably ca from the sa origin. For instance, the Performance thod itself is a re-interpretation of music through rhythm and weapon changes, but it is essentially built on the combination of Drumr and Yu Step. For soone like the Heretic King, who was irrationally strong, wanting to shatter strongholds and break through city walls required nothing more than a serious punch.
Countless changes, but never straying from the essence.
The emphasis of Drumr and Yu Step is on the use of musculature, so when combined, one can freely manipulate all the body's muscles, entering an Overload State. The technique Raymond was revealing involved intensifying the body's internal heat supply and releasing this expanded power through a fortified physique. One focused on increasing efficiency, while the other focused on raising the upper limit of output. Of course, both aspects were considered in each approach, but the focus remained different—trying to have everything ant ending up with nothing. Making choices was the wisest thod for Sublimators at this stage.
Raymond's warm-up stance and movents had already surpassed Huai Shi's expectations, elevating him to the status of a formidable enemy. There was even a faint shadow of soone else: that existence on the Ivy Flagship who had brought Huai Shi imnse pressure—Asura·Everly of the Fourth Stage!
"Your connection with the Eye of Nightmare seems to run quite deep," Huai Shi remarked.
"Not at all. It's just so common basic skills, nothing to be concerned about."
Raymond smiled and waved his hand. "Shall we announce the rules first? If you draw that handgun, I'll imdiately lie down, surrender, and then write a complaint letter."
"Don't worry, Beelzebub probably doesn't have the ti right now."
Huai Shi looked up, glanced at The Fly King outside the arena—who was having a joyfully nasty verbal exchange with Shackles—and couldn't help but shake his head. "No Stigma or Soul Ability. A weapons-only battle is okay, right?"
"Isn't that still bullying? How many weapons do you have on you? And that move, whether it's Chord or Dragon, isn't sothing you can just bring out, right?"
"Don't worry, today it's just one."
Huai Shi smiled as he activated the Buried Sacred Place. Amidst the overwhelming tide of crow feathers, a Crow Feather Sword, blood flowing over its blade, slowly grew into existence.
The Divine Blade: Wrath and Hatred, its exaggerated length bordering on the terrifying.
And so, under the blood-drenched cover, the ferocious ghostly deity was reborn.
"Words are unnecessary," he said. "Let's begin."
Raymond stood dumbstruck, not yet comprehending why Huai Shi had suddenly changed styles, transforming into a fierce figure characteristic of Solidifiers.
In disbelief, he pointed beside Huai Shi. "Wait a minute! Hitting is one thing, but why did you have to invite Andrea to watch?"
Huai Shi frowned, about to look back.
But there wasn't even a ghost of a shadow behind him.
In that instant, a thunderous noise erupted.
Like a burning war chariot surging forward in a flash.
The ground shook. Raymond was already within arm's reach, the heavy Axe Halberd drawn from the suspended classroom slashing down, pure, massive power coursing through it. His movents were unbelievably fast.
At this mont, he was the embodint of the Wheel of Fate.
The Axe Halberd roared.
It pierced through Huai Shi's chest, tearing bones, gouging out a ghastly large hole.
A fatal blow!
The first round was over.
Huai Shi looked down in a daze at the hole in his chest, then at the gleeful, muscular middle-aged man before him. "Wow, you play dirty even in a sparring match?"
"Going all out is how you show respect for your opponent."
Raymond pulled out the Long Halberd and retreated slowly to twenty paces away, beckoning Huai Shi with a hooked finger. "Co on, Hero. Isn't this rehabilitation? Shouldn't it be a bit thrilling?"
"You said it."
Huai Shi sighed and twisted his neck. A CRUNCHING sound echoed as his joints rubbed together.
Then, he suddenly disappeared from the spot.
It wasn't that Huai Shi had disappeared. He was too fast!
Raymond was engulfed in a chilling fear, his instincts screaming at him to retreat, but a blood-soaked, sinister smile was already inches away as the Crow Feather Sword, Divine Blade: Wrath and Hatred, swept past.
In the blink of an eye, Huai Shi appeared behind Raymond.
The ethereal blood-color on the blade dripped down, dissipating into the air.
The second round was over.
A red line suddenly appeared on Raymond's neck. It was followed by a clean break as his head fell to the ground, still blinking in confusion. It was hard to comprehend. The head's lips were still moving.
"Why so fast?!"
Huai Shi looked down at his tattered pants and his swollen, purplish leg, then turned back to look at Raymond, revealing a gentle smile identical to Luo Xian's.
"The trick is really simple," he said. "Just do it while the air isn't paying attention."
What the hell?
Raymond's eyes widened. He even forgot to pick his head up from the ground.
Finally, he felt the sa bafflent Huai Shi had once experienced.
Silly little brother!
—This is the Orchard Stream Secret Transmission Mystical Skill·When XX is not paying attention series!
In reality, it was just the fivefold Yu Step surpassing Huai Shi's limits, yet he hadn't even co close to touching his Senior Sister's skill.
His kneecap was shattered. If it hadn't been for the suspended classroom, he would probably have needed a long period of recovery.
But then, wouldn't that have defeated the purpose of sparring?
The suspended classroom restarted.
Huai Shi returned to his original spot, moved his body, re-entered the Overload State, and beckoned Raymond once more. "Again!"
"..."
In the silence, Raymond touched his neck, took a deep breath, and once again lifted the heavy Axe Halberd, assuming a charging stance.
At his waist, a Dagger quietly erged.
He was getting serious.
The earth cracked again; the chariot launched, thundering forward.
A hurricane arrived with the Axe Halberd, the fierce wind stinging Huai Shi's face even from a distance.
The Tachi swept across, cleaving.
Then ca a burst of thunder.
"—HA!!!!"
Raymond's flushed face suddenly opened in a roar like that of a lion. A tangible gust of breath burst forth, mixed with Source Substance fluctuations, shaking consciousness, creating a terror on par with thunderbolts. If it had been an ordinary person, their Source Substance would probably have been shattered with a single roar, turning them into a vegetable.
But Huai Shi's movents rely paused for an imperceptible instant.
An instant was all it took.
The Axe Halberd instantly shattered the Tachi's sweep. Raymond closed in. Letting go of the Axe Halberd, his left hand drew the Dagger from his waist in a hair's breadth mont, thrusting it straight for Huai Shi's heart.
CLANG!
The sharp sound of grating steel rang out as sparks flew.
"This is..."
Raymond's pupils dilated.
In Huai Shi's hands, the once exceedingly long Tachi had shrunk to the size of a short sword. It was raised from his grip, blocking the thrusting Dagger.
Imdiately after, Huai Shi's right hand lifted, fist clenched.
The Heaven Drum sounded.
Amidst the heavy sound, Raymond's body slid backward, a fist imprint now on his raised arm.
"Forgot to tell you," Huai Shi smiled. "The length is adjustable. By the way..."
Amidst the sharp sound of Iron Crystal growth, the blood-colored Tachi in his hand suddenly extended, covering the long distance, and pierced straight into Raymond's chest, protruding from his back.
Then, Huai Shi's voice followed closely.
"—Its maximum length is thirty-nine point nine ters."
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