FVN Chapter 40 Cloud Sea 5 Styles
Chapter 40 Cloud Sea 5 Styles
This is no longer a gathering of martial arts practitioners; it's an event hosted by the imperial court.
Shen Qianqiu's expression changed, but in the end, he nodded:
"Since Young Master Zhao says so, then... we'll do as you say."
"Thank you, Alliance Leader Shen." Zhao Yuanjing turned to face the crowd. "Then, let the arena begin. Who will go first?"
A silence.
No one dared to be the first to step forward.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; everyone knows that.
Zhao Yuanjing waited for a while, and seeing that no one answered, he suddenly smiled:
"Since everyone is so modest, then... let me start by offering my humble opinion."
He clapped his hands.
A man in black stepped out of the crowd and jumped onto the ring.
The man was very tall and thin, like a bamboo pole. He wore a bronze mask on his face, revealing only his eyes, which were as cold as knives.
"This is a new guard I've hired for the Zhao family, named 'Shadow,'" Zhao Yuanjing said. "His martial arts are decent, and he's willing to play with you all. Whoever defeats him will receive an additional thousand taels of gold from me personally."
A thousand taels of gold!
The crowd stirred again.
Under the reward, there must be a brave man.
Soon, a burly man jumped onto the ring:
"I'll give it a try!"
The burly man wielded a pair of bronze hammers, each weighing a hundred pounds, which he swung with great force.
But the "shadow" just stood there, motionless.
He only moved when the copper hammer was about to smash down in front of him.
It only moved slightly.
He waved his right hand.
"Bang!"
The burly man was sent flying backward, crashing into a pillar beside the ring, vomiting blood and falling unconscious.
one move.
It only took one move.
Everyone gasped.
This "shadow"... is too powerful.
Next, three more people went on stage, but none of them could last more than three moves.
Complete defeat.
On the arena, "Shadow" stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes beneath the bronze mask scanning the entire arena as if looking at a group of ants.
"Who else?" Zhao Yuanjing asked, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
No one answered.
Everyone's scared.
Just then, a voice rang out:
"I'll do it."
The sound was soft, but clear.
Everyone turned to look.
It was Lu Chenzhou who spoke.
He slowly stood up and walked towards the arena.
Chu Xueya tried to pull him back, but couldn't.
Yuehua frowned, but did not stop them.
Lu Chenzhou stepped onto the arena and stood in front of "Shadow".
The two looked at each other.
"Shadow's" eyes were cold, but Lu Chenzhou's eyes were even colder.
Like two bottomless ancient wells, where even light cannot penetrate.
"State your name," "Shadow" said, his voice hoarse.
Lu Chenzhou.
"Lu Chenzhou?" "Shadow" repeated, then suddenly laughed, "So it's you. Young Master instructed that if we encounter you, kill without mercy."
Lu Chenzhou remained silent.
He simply drew his sword slowly.
It wasn't the Azure Destiny Sword; it was an ordinary steel sword that Chu Xueya gave him.
The sword gleamed with a cold, eerie light.
"Shadow" also drew a weapon—neither a knife nor a sword, but a pair of iron claws, the tips of which gleamed with an eerie blue light, clearly poisoned.
"Let's begin," he said.
Before he finished speaking, he had already moved.
fast!
It was as fast as a real shadow!
The iron claws tore through the air, aiming straight for Lu Chenzhou's throat!
Lu Chenzhou did not move.
He didn't move until the iron claw was only three inches from his throat.
Step aside to avoid him, and at the same time flick your sword tip—
"Ding!"
The iron claws were pried open.
A hint of surprise flashed in "Shadow's" eyes, but it didn't stop moving. Both claws shot out, turning into a sky full of claw shadows that enveloped Lu Chenzhou's entire body!
Every claw is deadly, every claw is poisonous.
Lu Chenzhou still did not back down.
He stood still, his sword flashing like flowing water, precisely parrying each claw.
"Ding ding ding ding—!"
The dense clattering sounds were like raindrops pattering on banana leaves.
Ten moves, twenty moves, thirty moves...
The two fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.
The audience was stunned.
No one expected that this seemingly sickly young man would have such superb swordsmanship.
Zhao Wanshan's expression changed.
Zhao Yuanjing's smile also vanished.
Only Yuehua's eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression.
Ten more moves passed.
"Shadow" suddenly changed tactics.
He stopped attacking Lu Chenzhou's body and focused on the sword—his iron claws collided with the blade each time, trying to shatter the ordinary steel sword.
Lu Chenzhou saw through his intention and changed his swordsmanship.
Instead of confronting each other head-on, we will use softness to overcome hardness.
The sword moves like flowing water, like the wind, like clouds, penetrating everywhere yet leaving no trace.
"Five Styles of Cloud Sea".
This is the sword technique he practiced in Emei. Although it is simple, it is perfect for countering the fierce fighting style of "Shadow".
The "Shadow" became increasingly agitated as it attacked, and its claw techniques began to falter.
Finally, on the fiftieth move, Lu Chenzhou seized an opening.
The sword thrust out like a gazelle's horns, leaving no trace.
"laugh!"
The sword tip pierced "Shadow's" shoulder.
It wasn't a vital spot, but it was enough to render him unable to fight.
"Shadow" grunted and staggered backward, the iron claw falling to the ground.
He clutched his wound, staring intently at Lu Chenzhou, his eyes filled with resentment.
But in the end, he lowered his head:
"I lost."
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Lu Chenzhou sheathed his sword, turned around, and prepared to leave the stage.
But at that moment, Zhao Yuanjing spoke:
"Wait a minute."
Lu Chenzhou stopped and turned to look at him.
"Young Master Lu's swordsmanship is superb, truly admirable." Zhao Yuanjing walked to the edge of the arena and said with a smile, "But that was just a warm-up; the real competition is about to begin."
He clapped his hands.
Three more men in black emerged from the crowd and jumped onto the arena.
Including "Shadow", there are four in total.
They surrounded Lu Chenzhou.
"Young Master Zhao, what do you mean by this?" Shen Qianqiu frowned. "We agreed on a one-on-one match..."
"Alliance Leader Shen, as I just said, it's a ring battle," Zhao Yuanjing interrupted him. "Whoever stands at the end is the champion. It didn't say it had to be a one-on-one fight."
"You!" Shen Qianqiu was so angry that his face turned pale, but after glancing at the menacing Imperial Guards around him, he ultimately did not dare to lash out.
The audience erupted in uproar.
But no one dared to say anything.
People from the imperial court are not to be trifled with.
On the arena, Lu Chenzhou looked at the four people surrounding him, his expression remaining calm.
But his grip on the sword tightened even more.
"Lu Chenzhou," Zhao Yuanjing said with a smile, "if you admit defeat now, I can spare your life."
Lu Chenzhou ignored him.
He simply raised his sword slowly.
The tip of the sword was pointed at Zhao Yuanjing.
The meaning is very clear:
If you're going to fight, then fight. Stop talking nonsense.
Zhao Yuanjing's smile vanished.
He said coldly:
"Kill him."
Four men in black pounced at the same time!
The clash of swords and the shadows of blades instantly enveloped Lu Chenzhou.
Below the stage, Chu Xueya's face turned deathly pale. She wanted to rush up, but Yuehua held her back.
"Don't rush," Yuehua said softly, "Let's take another look."
Chu Xueya bit her lip, her nails digging into her palm.
On the arena, Lu Chenzhou was engaged in a fierce battle.
Facing four opponents, all of whom were highly skilled, he quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
He had several wounds on his body, and his clothes were stained with blood.
But he didn't back down.
They didn't retreat an inch.
He gritted his teeth and parried and counterattacked, sword by sword.
Like a trapped wild beast, struggling in a desperate situation.
Finally, after taking a fatal blow, he coughed up blood and knelt on one knee.
The sword also slipped from his hand.
Four men in black surrounded him, swords and knives flashing, seemingly about to tear him apart—
"stop!"
A clear shout.
A white shadow flashed by.
Chu Xueya.
She finally couldn't hold back any longer and rushed onto the stage to stand in front of Lu Chenzhou.
He drew his Purple Lightning Sword, its light flashing like lightning, forcing back the four men in black.
"Miss Chu," Zhao Yuanjing narrowed his eyes, "are you trying to make an enemy of the Zhao family?"
"So what if it is?" Chu Xueya said coldly, "Using numbers to bully the few is despicable and shameless!"
"Hehe." Zhao Yuanjing laughed. "Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite."
He waved his hand:
"Attack them all together and kill them!"
Four men in black pounced again!
Chu Xueya gritted her teeth, ready to fight, when suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder.
It was Lu Chenzhou.
He slowly stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Zhao Yuanjing with icy eyes:
"You forced me to do this."
Then, he closed his eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, there was a bluish light flowing deep within my pupils.
Like two bottomless ancient wells, suddenly a will-o'-the-wisp appeared.
"Not good!" Yuehua's expression changed drastically. "He's going to use the Azure Nether Sword Qi!"
But it was too late.
Lu Chenzhou raised his hand and made a loose handshake with the four men in black.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Four muffled thuds.
The four men in black were sent flying backwards at the same time, crashing into a pillar beside the arena, coughing up blood and falling unconscious.
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone was stunned.
What kind of martial art is this?
Injuring someone from a distance?
Only Yuehua and Chu Xueya knew that it wasn't martial arts, but rather the external manifestation of the Azure Nether Sword Qi.
Lu Chenzhou looked at Zhao Yuanjing and walked over step by step.
Zhao Yuanjing's face turned deathly pale, and he retreated repeatedly.
"What...what do you want? This is Lin'an, right under the Emperor's nose! If you dare touch me, the Emperor will not let you off!"
Lu Chenzhou remained silent.
Just keep going.
He was about to reach Zhao Yuanjing—
That's enough.
An old voice rang out.
An elderly man dressed as a eunuch walked out from the back door of the main hall.
He was old, his face was full of wrinkles, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He held a whisk in his hand and walked slowly, but each step was in rhythm, as if he were stepping to an invisible beat.