Chapter 353: Chapter 353 Bloodline Vs Qi
Dark scales crept across Rui arms and neck, stopping just short of his jaw. Faint black steam wafted from his skin. His eyes burned with deeper clarity.
The Black Serpent Bloodline.
A mark of imperial lineage.
It enhanced strength, boosted reflexes, thickened skin, and sharpened instinct. He hadn’t reached full transformation. Not yet. But even partial activation gave him more edge.
With this, Qi wouldn’t matter.
He wouldn’t just win.
He would break Renn.
He lunged.
Renn saw the change. Saw the scales, the inhuman transformation.
And he felt—relief.
The sudden release of pressure from his heart caught him by surprise. So the prince had more cards.
Good.
Renn tightened his grip on his sword. The blade humd faintly now. He had hesitated before. Held back.
Because he was afraid.
Afraid of the consequences of hurting an empire prince. Of offending sothing larger than himself. It made him angry.
But more than anger, it made him cautious.
He wasn’t stupid. But he wouldn’t back down either.
Let the prince wear his armor.
This way he’d be able to take more beating.
Rui’s figure blurred.
The stage trembled.
At the sa ti, sothing instinctively awakened in Renn’s mind. It was like his consciousness expanded—his awareness sharpened, perception refined.
Every shift in wind, every twitch of muscle on his opponent’s body, every creak in the stone beneath their feet—it all registered.
It was not that his body had grown stronger, or his speed had suddenly doubled. No.
The thod he was using didn’t change his physical stats. It heightened everything else. His reflexes. His instincts. His combat sense.
This was the sa thod Grand Knight Verren had displayed weeks ago—when he’d repelled ntal attacks using nothing but his Qi.
It didn’t raise one’s strength or agility directly, but in the flow of battle, it elevated a fighter to a whole new level.
Right now, Renn Noah was wielding the combat thod of a perfect stage weapon master.
And it showed.
From the outside, nothing dramatic changed. His stance was the sa. His wooden sword still looked simple, unassuming.
But Prince Rui felt it instantly.
The flow of their fight shifted.
Rui struck again.
This ti, before he could even complete his step, Renn had already moved.
A flick of the wrist.
A white arc of Qi burst from the tip of his wooden sword.
It carved through the air like a blade of light, forcing Rui to twist mid-motion.
Boom!
The blast erupted behind Rui as he dodged, debris flying upward, bits of stone and dust catching the wind.
The self-repairing arena groaned.
The scars left on the platform shimred faintly, but didn’t heal right away. The restoration rune was overwheld.
Cracks spiderwebbed out across the floor, glowing dimly.
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Renn didn’t chase. He stood, sword low, eyes calm.
And again, he flicked his wrist. Another arc.
Rui braced this ti, crossing his scaled arms. The blast collided with him full force. Boom!
He staggered back. His boots dug furrows into the arena stone. Steam hissed from his arms as the Qi attack seared across his scaled defense.
He didn’t fall. But his mouth twisted.
That shouldn’t have hurt. Not like that.
He charged again, closing the distance. But just before he reached Renn, another strike ca. This ti not straight, but curved. The blast of Qi spiraled, forcing Rui to leap aside or risk taking the full brunt.
Another. And another.
The air was no longer still.
Qi arcs danced like ribbons of light, ripping across the stage from all angles.
“W-what is this?” the comntator murmured. Even he had lost so of his dramatics.
The nobles didn’t speak. The commoners held their breath.
One part was simply stunned and the other was just as stunned yet filled with several emotions.
Only the sound of Qi splitting the air, of crumbling stone and shrieking wind filled the coliseum.
Rui ducked, rolled, then took another hit to the shoulder. It burned. He felt the pain through the scales.
It wasn’t fatal. But it was consistent.
Again, he charged. And again, he was forced to dodge.
He couldn’t get close.
The arrogance he carried as a prince—as a genius—was cracking.
Every ti he moved, he had to rethink. Had to recalculate. His strength ant nothing if he couldn’t touch the target.
And Renn?
Renn didn’t smile. Didn’t gloat. He just moved. His body no longer reacted. It anticipated. Every step Rui took, it felt like Renn already knew.
Michael, still watching, exhaled slowly.
A second later his lips twitched.
He was confident in his body defence but he wasn’t sure if it would fare well against Renn sharp cuts.
“I might have to gang up on him if I encounter him later.”
As for the mysterious Prince?
To be honest, Michael found him a bit boring.
Rui stumbled, one knee dipping as he tanked another glancing blow.
Renn finally moved. He appeared beside Rui with no warning. A single downward slash.
Boom!
Rui blocked, barely. But the floor cracked beneath him.
The two figures now stood a few paces apart, panting.
Rui’s chest rose and fell heavily. His breath ca in ragged bursts.
Every inch of his body, from his bloodline-fueled muscles to the scales covering his arms, ached with strain.
His transformation wasn’t without cost.
The longer he sustained it, the more it taxed him—and not just physically.
*******
A/N: Happy New Month to my wonderful readers!
This month cos with a few changes.
First off, I want to thank everyone who’s stuck with the story so far—and also address the concerns so of you have raised about the grammar. I truly appreciate the feedback, and I apologise for the rough patches. I often write using my phone for convenience, which makes it difficult to run everything through grammar-checking tools.
That said, this novel does have an editor. However, I brought him on a bit late, so he’s still catching up to the most recent chapters. That’s partly my fault too—I tend to send chapters in batches (haha).
But this month, we’ll be doing our best to clean everything up. Expect more polished chapters—and more new content too.
Thank you so much for reading and supporting the story. Let’s keep going strong!
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