Chapter 13: Close Combat
Anping always anticipated facing this challenge sooner or later. "Teacher Wu," he began, "even though my martial spirit may seem like a mere book, it grants me the power to manipulate various elements in the air. My two spirit skills, Heart of Nature and Soul Perception, are passive but potent. They respectively boost my elemental affinity and soul perception."
Anping wasn't fabricating about his spirit skills. The knack for controlling elements wasn't an inherent talent; rather, it stemmed from a wizard's mastery of magic power. Yet, becoming a wizard owed everything to the martial spirit. So, it wasn't a stretch to claim that the martial soul brought forth this unique talent.
Teacher Wu Zhangkong's eyes betrayed surprise. "So it's not limited to just the fire element; there are other elements too."
Anping affirmed with a nod. "That's right."
Wu Zhangkong marveled, "What a truly enchanting martial spirit." He sighed, opting not to delve further.
Meanwhile, in the second round, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie faced auxiliary weapon spirit masters with limited combat prowess. Swiftly, they emerged victorious in the match.
In the next round, two fortunate auxiliary weapon spirit masters found themselves in a captivating close-quarters clash, showcasing their lucky promotions. The battle unfolded with a thrilling exchange until one emerged victorious. This fortunate spirit master, however, crossed paths with Xie Xie in the third round and met a swift elimination.
Anping's opponent for the third round appeared in the form of a petite girl named Li Chushui, wielding a cat as her martial spirit.
"Begin."
Anping swiftly erected a magic barrier, observing as the opponent's martial spirit manifested. White fluff adorned her palms, and razor-sharp claws extended.
With agile steps, she darted toward Anping, displaying remarkable speed.
The air around them trembled with the violent fluctuations of the water element. Anping responded by summoning a blue ice wall that materialized swiftly, creating a frigid barrier between them.
Seizing the opportunity created by Li Chushui's detour, Anping unleashed a blend of water and earth elements in his composite technique, the Swamp Technique. Li Chushui suddenly felt the ground yielding beneath her, significantly slowing her speed.
Exploiting this advantage, Anping followed up with an ice arrow technique, securing his victory.
"How can I compete with so many skills? It's like cheating," Li Chushui muttered before gracefully stepping back.
In the concluding match of the third round, Tang Wulin faced Han Lan, a girl with an earth-element martial soul. Her primary skill, the Dungeon, fell victim to Tang Wulin's hammer, concluding the game amidst gasps of surprise.
As the dust settled, only three participants remained, and the most elated among them was Xie Xie. His wish to spar with Anping was finally granted.
"Anping, Xie Xie, you're up. The loser faces Tang Wulin," announced the instructor.
Facing each other, Xie Xie couldn't contain his excitement. "Finally, a chance to spar with you."
"Start," commanded Wu Zhangkong, affording no time for conversation between the two.
Responding to the order, Xie Xie swiftly unleashed his martial spirit, leaning forward and advancing with nimble steps toward Anping.
Having observed the previous matches, Xie Xie recognized Anping's proficiency in restricting movement and long-range attacks. Aware of the level disparity, Xie Xie opted for an offensive strategy.
Being part of the agility attack system, Xie Xie boasted greater speed than Li Chushui. Unlike against her, Anping refrained from using the ice wall technique after releasing the magic barrier. Instead, he chose the simpler frost technique. Instantly, the temperature in the vicinity dropped, and a layer of white frost formed on the ground, startling a few students seated nearby.
Xie Xie's speed slightly diminished as Anping retreated, simultaneously weaving the next spell – the Flying Dust Technique, a first-level spell akin to the Frost Technique.
The dust and frost from the ground rose instantly, and the elements of wind, water, and earth achieved a brief equilibrium, creating a fog-like effect.
Surveying the mist ahead, Xie Xie hesitated, wary of potential traps. However, driven by his proximity, he gritted his teeth and pressed forward. In an instant, he closed the distance to Anping, joyfully thrusting the light dragon dagger into Anping's shoulder.
As the dagger sliced through the air, Xie Xie realized he had fallen into a trap. Scanning for Anping's figure, he suddenly felt a chill between his eyebrows. An ice arrow hovered three inches from his forehead. "I concede," Xie Xie admitted.
Upon Xie Xie's surrender, Anping dispersed the dust and fog.
"How did you do it?" Xie Xie asked, frustration evident in his tone.
The onlookers wore expressions of shock as the dust and mist lifted, revealing that the skirmish had concluded within moments.
"It's the light. He used the light to interfere with your sight," Wu Zhangkong explained Xie Xie's uncertainty before Anping could respond. He continued sternly, "When you spot Anping even in concealment, realize it's a trap."
Anping acknowledged with a nod, offering no additional explanation. "Yes."
"Alright, Anping won't face Tang Wulin. Xie Xie, take a ten-minute break and then face Tang Wulin," Wu Zhangkong declared.
The brief respite passed swiftly.
"Start," Wu Zhangkong intoned deeply as Xie Xie and Tang Wulin stood ready to face each other.
Promptly following the command, the two summoned their martial spirits.
Tang Wulin conjured a ring of blue silver grass around him, known for its exceptional toughness. Aware of this, Xie Xie circled cautiously, searching for an opening.
Observing Tang Wulin's movements, Xie Xie suddenly accelerated, darting toward Tang Wulin like lightning. Unfazed, Tang Wulin calmly directed the blue silver grass to block potential attack routes.
With a sharp pop, the light dragon dagger sliced through the air, aiming at the blue silver grass. Surprisingly, the blue light flashed on the blue silver grass, successfully blocking the attack.
Observing the battle, Wu Zhangkong raised his eyebrows slightly, privately acknowledging the formidable resilience of the Blue Silver Grass.
Undeterred, Xie Xie quickly retreated to avoid being ensnared by Tang Wulin's first spirit skill. Recognizing Xie Xie's speed advantage, Tang Wulin chose not to pursue.
The two engaged in this strategic dance until Tang Wulin depleted his spirit power, forcing him to retract the Blue Silver Grass.
Seizing the opportunity, Xie Xie lunged forward with the Light Dragon Dagger, appearing next to Tang Wulin and slashing towards his back with a backhand motion.
A crisp sound echoed, but Tang Wulin, wielding the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammer, skillfully positioned it behind his back, blocking the attack.
In disbelief, Xie Xie circled around to the other side and launched another knife strike. With a clear ding sound, Tang Wulin thwarted the second attack in the same manner.
Without waiting for Xie Xie's next move, Tang Wulin gripped his double hammers and unleashed a relentless storm of blows, driving Xie Xie backward.
Choosing not to engage in a head-on clash, Xie Xie swiftly retreated, raised his left hand, and accelerated even faster. In an instant, he reappeared next to Tang Wulin. The light dragon dagger in his right hand lightly grazed Tang Wulin's Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers, using the contact to flip them up. Simultaneously, his left hand swung towards Tang Wulin.
With a sharp pop, Tang Wulin's school uniform bore a bloodstain on the back from the attack.
"Stop! Xie Xie," Wu Zhangkong called a halt to the match.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone