Book 4: Chapter 55: Competition with Skadi
Solomon: So...I have a question. Do you regret it now?
He Who Knows Fate: Regret what?
Solomon: Regret tricking Nightingale into calling you Husband...
He Who Knows Fate: Sorry, there are no regrets whatsoever. Let me tell you this: it was worth it. This was a two-dimensional waifu calling me Husband, even though she had already turned into a real person.
He Who Knows Fate: Alright, don’t say anything more. I know what you want to say. But I. Do. Not. Want. To. Listen. I have a duel with Skadi; then I’ll ask her about going to Lungmen.
Kal’tsit: Skadi is not that easy to trick, right?
Solomon: No, no, no! Skadi is a killer whale, and killer whales have an innate friendliness to humans, so...
“Skadi, I’m coming. Sorry to make you wait.” Chen Heng had sent a message to Skadi after leaving Nightingale’s room, telling her to wait for him at the Vanguards’ training grounds and that he would arrive soon.
“It’s fine. I just arrived myself. Let’s begin, then. Do you want to use the weapons provided by the Vanguards’ training ground or the sword in your hand?”
As Chen Heng came over, he took out the sword he regularly used from his spatial storage.
“I’ll use my sword. I feel that if we use the provided practice swords in the training grounds, you won’t be used to them. After all, you use a heavy sword; using a regular sword would feel strange.”
After the two decided on their weapons, they chose the venue. The Vanguards’ training grounds differed from the Snipers’. The Snipers’ training grounds were practically just a range. However, the Vanguards’ training grounds were similar to a karate competition ground or a drill ground. There were also mock weapons and machines for training weapon proficiency.
All the operators in the training grounds now looked at the two, probably because of Skadi.
Skadi might not know many of Rhodes Island’s operators, but practically all the Rhodes Island operators knew her.
However, she had fallen for his plan.
Even a strong wielder could not suddenly change the trajectory of a heavy sword, what more the gigantic sword in Skadi’s hand? Even Chen Heng found it heavy when he held it; that showed its heft.
The rest of the battle followed Chen Heng’s rhythm. He used his advantage in speed to maximize his results. He cut Skadi’s arm three times and once on the face. Of course, it was just a scrape; rather, the skin had not even broken. However, he had cut off some of her soft, long, silvery-white hair.
Now, Skadi became serious, maybe because the long hair she was proud of got cut. After losing two strands of hair, she quickly took a few steps back, leaving Chen Heng’s range. Then she swung her gigantic sword with great force at him.
Skadi’s sword technique did not contain any fanciful moves. Her moves all had their roots in her combat experience. While not exquisite and refined, they were the most suitable for her way of using her sword.
If Chen Heng did not use his abilities, he would not be much faster than Skadi. At the start, he held the advantage by seizing the initiative, allowing him to suppress her.
Now, Skadi used strength to suppress Chen Heng’s speed, slowly putting him at a disadvantage, as he did not dare to clash head-on, only continuously move around.
“If speed is all you have, that is not sufficient. You won’t pass.”
“I see. Looks like I will have to show some of my clan’s foundational techniques.”
Skadi and Chen Heng both took a few steps back, opening the distance between them.
“Fight seriously against me. Bring out everything you have.”
Erm...not to mention bringing out everything. I only need to use one of my abilities casually, and you will be left sprawled on the ground. Do you believe that?
However, he did not intend to use his abilities. Instead, he chose one of the Chen Clan’s foundational techniques: sword conception. To the Chen Clan, any competition in the sword that disallowed sword conception was simply immoral and unfair.
The Chen Clan Sword Technique took the path of cultivating multiple sword conceptions. Then one would forget all these sword conceptions and cultivate a sword conception path unique to oneself. Such a method was known as conception flux.