Chapter 91

"Where did you learn your sword technique?"

As soon as they left the "Wu Hall," Lü Ling said.

"Sure enough, nothing can escape your notice."

Yang Ji was taken aback, then laughed. He had indeed used a sword technique when he faced Wang Xian, and almost no one could see through it, but clearly Lü Ling was an exception.

"This is a long story. Actually, I learned this from a bandit..."

Yang Ji didn't hide anything and roughly explained the situation.

Han Bin listened with great surprise; he had never heard of such things before.

"I'm not very familiar with this sword technique. If Wang Xian's steel fingers were too strong, I wouldn't have used this move."

Yang Ji said.

"Was this what you were thinking about at the Earth Dragon Inn?"

Lü Ling asked.

"Yes, I had some ideas at that time, but they weren't fully developed."

Yang Ji smiled.

At the Earth Dragon Inn at noon, Yang Ji hardly touched his chopsticks, focusing on how to deal with Wang Xian.

Wang Xian's "Steel Fingers" were invincible, piercing through people as easily as tofu. In such a situation, it was impossible to confront him head-on.

The only thing that could counter a "sword" was a "knife," which is why Yang Ji thought of the knife technique he had learned from the bandit.

However, dealing with Wang Xian was not that simple. It was only after personally engaging with him and capturing his "rhythm" that Yang Ji found a way to counter him.

"Heh, this method is indeed good, but you need to be careful. Before your match, I went to the other side. There's someone named Bai Shengming you should pay special attention to."

Lü Ling said while taking off her heavy helmet.

"Bai Shengming!..."

Yang Ji and Han Bin stopped in their tracks, their eyes flashing with surprise.

"What? You know him?"

Lü Ling frowned and looked at the two of them in surprise.

"Better this way. According to my observations, so far, no one has been able to force him to show his true strength. If there are no surprises, the strongest in this year's Wu Examination is this guy."

"Even Zuo Guangdou isn't as strong as him?"

Han Bin blurted out.

"No. If Zuo Guangdou were to attack, he wouldn't be able to block even one move from him. So far, no one has been able to withstand his single move!"

Lü Ling said firmly.

"Whoa!"

Han Bin drew a sharp breath. Lü Ling was the daughter of the city lord, and her strength far exceeded his and Yang Ji's. After personally observing, her words were undoubtedly true.

"I didn't expect him to be so strong."

Han Bin thought to himself.

Yang Ji didn't speak, but his expression wasn't good either.

"Zuo Guangdou" was the strongest in Yang Ji's district, known for his cruel methods but exceptional sword skills. Although Wang Xian was powerful, he was still far from Zuo Guangdou's level.

For Lü Ling to say that even "Zuo Guangdou" wasn't a match for Bai Shengming, it was clear how strong Bai Shengming must be!

"If possible, I hope to spar with him in the final."

Yang Ji thought, feeling a sense of anticipation.

Eight years of suppression had created a huge gap between Yang Ji and his peers. However, now this gap had largely been closed. Unless someone had a higher family background, they wouldn't be much stronger than him.

Lü Ling's statement that Bai Shengming could defeat Zuo Guangdou with one move made Yang Ji both wary and curious.

"However, this matter isn't urgent for now. We need to focus on making it through the second round of the preliminary exams."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

Compared to the final, "Zuo Guangdou" was the immediate concern for Yang Ji. This person was ruthless and merciless, a very dangerous opponent.

According to the rules of the Wu Examination, by the end of the second round of the preliminary exams, Yang Ji had at least a 50% chance of facing this brutal opponent.

"Time is tight. I want to go outside the city to practice."

Yang Ji turned to Lü Ling and Han Bin. After defeating Wang Xian, Yang Ji had no more matches for the day.

"Sure. I need to go back too. This armor is really heavy; I prefer casual clothes."

Lü Ling shook her helmet and smiled brightly.

"Tomorrow I have some things to do, so I might not be able to watch your match. Yang Ji, good luck. I'll try to find some time to spar with you before your final match. Zuo Guangdou is strong, so don't be careless."

Not far away, several guards from the city lord's residence were waiting. Lü Ling turned back, smiled at Yang Ji, and immediately left.

After parting ways with Han Bin, Yang Ji headed straight for the waterfall outside the city.

For the rest of the night, Yang Ji trained outside the city, guiding his blood qi to refine his internal organs. He made significant progress every day.

Yang Ji's body had already accumulated a large amount of blood qi, but it lacked proper guidance. Now that he knew the method from Lü Ling, his progress was rapid.

The next day, Yang Ji defeated two opponents, bringing his total victories to five.

On the third day, Yang Ji's victories had accumulated to seven. "Seven victories" against weaker opponents usually meant elimination, while against stronger opponents, it earned a day of rest.

At least, Yang Ji wouldn't be scheduled for any matches the next day.

"Bang!"

Dust flew as a vivid pair of iron gloves was thrown at Yang Ji's feet, making a dull metallic sound.

"Here! The blacksmith's gloves were ready a long time ago, but I couldn't find you, and you didn't go to pick them up. So I brought them for you."

Lü Ling, dressed in a light yellow robe, walked over from the other side of the pond, looking spirited.

Splash!

Yang Ji emerged from the pond, drenched, and the blood qi on his body instantly dried his clothes.

Yang Ji picked up the iron gloves, tried them on, and found them to be a good fit, very flexible when moving. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the nails on the iron gloves had small, intricate designs, making them flexible without easily falling off.

"Great. These iron gloves are really good. Thanks."

Yang Ji flexed his fingers and said happily.

These iron gloves were quite comfortable, with a smooth interior. Although not very elaborate, they met the standard and were more than enough to withstand blades and swords in the Wu Examination.

"Yang Ji, you haven't lost much in the Wu Examination, right? Hehe, come, let's spar!"

Lü Ling said while stretching her limbs. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"That's not a good idea. My realm isn't as high as yours."

Yang Ji laughed, immediately guessing her intentions.

"That's easy to solve. I'll lower my strength to match yours."

Lü Ling was firm.

"Boom!"

Lü Ling stepped forward, assuming a horse stance. In the distance, a loud boom echoed as a huge suction force emerged from her abdomen. The air around her roared, and the water in the pond splashed as if pushed by a giant hand, surging toward Lü Ling's feet.

"!!!"

Yang Ji was greatly shaken. Although he knew Lü Ling was stronger, he didn't expect her to be so powerful. Compared to when they met half a year ago, her strength had clearly increased significantly.

On the other side, Lü Ling closed her eyes slightly. Her blood qi surged like a tide, collapsing and contracting toward her dantian. Her aura rapidly changed, and in the blink of an eye, her blood qi level was reduced to match Yang Ji's.

"Done! Now our strength is about the same."

Lü Ling opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and eager. There were few people in the city lord's residence who dared to spar with her; either they let her win or couldn't beat her, making it boring.

"I'm going to attack, be careful!"

Before she finished speaking, Yang Ji suddenly attacked, covering the distance in an instant. He flicked his fingers and grabbed for Lü Ling's arm.

"Haha, that won't work. You won't beat me unless you use your full strength."

Lü Ling dodged Yang Ji's attack with a flick of her arm and slid her foot, instantly increasing the distance between them.

Yang Ji didn't expect Lü Ling to react so quickly. Although his attack was a test, he used about 70% of his strength.

"Then I won't hold back."

Yang Ji's voice trailed off as he attacked again. He moved close to the ground, leaping forward with the "Grass Flying" technique, lunging at Lü Ling.

"Such speed!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lü Ling's eyes. Even from her perspective, Yang Ji's movements were deeply rooted in martial arts.

Bang!

Lü Ling raised a cloud of sand, moving swiftly and engaging in a fierce battle with Yang Ji. Her techniques were extremely fast and precise. In just a few moves, Yang Ji was caught by Lü Ling, thrown to the ground, and heavily slammed.

"Your strength is good, but you think too much during battles! — Let's go again!"

Lü Ling, full of fighting spirit, beckoned to Yang Ji on the ground.

"Such speed!"

Yang Ji was inwardly shocked.

Lü Ling's strength was reduced to match his, so theoretically, they should have been evenly matched. However, in just a few moves, Yang Ji was thrown to the ground, unable to react.

Bang!

Yang Ji leaped up and attacked again. The two figures, glowing with blood qi, engaged in another fierce battle by the pond. However, this time, Yang Ji only lasted a little longer before being thrown to the ground again.

"You're still thinking too much. Beyond techniques is thought, and beyond thought is instinct. — Let's go again!"

Lü Ling smiled, enjoying the feeling of being a teacher.

Yang Ji didn't speak, attacking Lü Ling again. Lü Ling didn't feel particularly strong; their strength was almost the same, and her techniques were simple and direct, mostly blocks, parries, and straight punches, with no advanced martial arts.

However, each time Yang Ji attacked, he felt a step behind, not in terms of speed but in being preempted and losing the initiative.

The current situation was like his battle with Wang Xian. The difference was that Lü Ling was playing his role, while Yang Ji was playing Wang Xian's role.

Yang Ji was sure Lü Ling hadn't captured his rhythm, as his rhythm was constantly changing. Yet, each time, Lü Ling was a step ahead.

"Instinct, instinct..."

Yang Ji muttered to himself, his mind racing with thoughts.

"Yang Ji, you're still thinking too much. Top-notch experts don't leave many openings for you to exploit. Think about how I taught you archery, use your 'heart' to fight! —"

Lü Ling's calm voice echoed in his ear.

In a flash, Yang Ji's mind was jolted, and countless thoughts raced through his head...

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