Chapter 30

"Ugly, really ugly! This isn't a martial arts competition; it's no different from a street brawl!" A literate candidate angrily shook his head.

"That Yue Heng really disgraces us literates! Running away won't help; you should just go up and fight! It's not like you'll really die!" Another literate candidate spat in disgust.

"You're an idiot. If a literary duel results in death, the person will be expelled from the illusion, which is equivalent to cutting off the path to becoming a scholar! Would you dare not run if you went up? I even got slashed by a Zhou Wang soldier just now, almost dying from the pain!" A smart person had already figured this out; who would willingly lose?

"White Ming, you must win!"

Some of White Ming's friends excitedly cheered, "The squad leader is much stronger than the soldiers, it's obvious!"

Many of the onlookers had lost interest, finding the competition unexciting. There was no blood, no slashing, no martial arts, not even a literary duel. What was there to watch?

Yue Heng, running in the arena, smiled. He had already figured out both sides' bottom lines.

"With the 'Duel' literary symbol, your strength is much greater than mine, but like me, your literary talent will also disappear!"

While running, Yue Heng didn't forget to observe White Ming's position, occasionally retaliating. Although he looked very狼狈, he had already thought of the best way to respond.

"You're the grandson!" White Ming suddenly paused, then started shouting again, waving his rapier and chasing Yue Heng fiercely.

"Right now! When my 'Armor' literary symbol disappears, it's also when your 'Duel' literary symbol's strength disappears! I noticed the moment you hesitated, White Ming, you're done for!"

Yue Heng laughed loudly. After his 'Armor' literary symbol disappeared, he performed a backslash, aiming for White Ming's waist. He crouched down, and the two exchanged blows.

Puff...

Yue Heng's left shoulder was hit by a sword again. Without the protection of the 'Armor' literary symbol, he intentionally let himself bleed to confuse his opponent. Unexpectedly, the rapier pierced his flesh, causing intense pain that almost made him faint.

"Damn... Even if you don't really die, it still hurts when you're injured!"

The pain was worth it. By taking the hit, he confined White Ming within his blade range. His ring blade struck White Ming's right thigh, breaking through his protective armor and leaving a long wound, blood gushing out.

"Live!"

Yue Heng silently chanted, enduring the immense pain to stop the bleeding. The 'Live' literary symbol transformed into a powerful vitality, quickly healing the wound. He felt lucky.

After the mutual strikes, the result was clear. Both were injured, but Yue Heng had the 'Live' literary symbol, giving him an advantage.

"You! You don't have the 'Sword' literary symbol!"

Seeing the blood on Yue Heng's shoulder quickly stop, White Ming finally realized the problem. He hobbled back a step, his rapier dragging on the ground, his eyes filled with fear.

"Ha! Grandson, you realized too late!" Yue Heng stood up, tearing off his tattered armor, leaving him in a short tunic. Holding the blade with both hands, it was hard to tell he was injured.

"This time, it's my turn to counterattack!"

Yue Heng no longer hid. Compared to exposing the 'Armor' literary symbol, he absolutely couldn't let the 'Live' literary symbol be known!

"Chasing me is fun, right? I'll chop you to death, you bastard! 'Armor'!"

Yue Heng fiercely slashed, and with a clang, White Ming barely blocked the ring blade with his dual swords.

Bang!

Yue Heng kicked White Ming, sending him sprawling. However, this guy was cunning. Seeing Yue Heng counterattack, he activated the 'Duel' literary symbol in mid-air and slashed at Yue Heng's calf.

Zing!

Yue Heng's talent armor flashed blue, and the rapier couldn't hurt him. White Ming's rapier slid off the transparent talent armor on his leg, missing its target.

"You actually... have the 'Armor' literary symbol!" White Ming looked like he had seen a ghost, crawling and rolling away, now afraid.

"'Armor' literary symbol! This Yue Heng actually has the rarer 'Armor' literary symbol than the 'Duel' literary symbol! My God, how could he have such good luck, getting the 'Armor' literary symbol in the illusion!" White Ming's friends gasped, shivering in fear, unable to speak.

"Ha ha ha! You literates are truly amusing. They say the illusion is determined by one's true heart. Yue Heng must be an extremely cowardly person for the 'Armor' literary symbol to appear!" A group of warriors laughed, rarely hearing of such a literary symbol in the illusion.

Lu Changyuan waved his fist, excited: "Fight, Yue Heng! You have the talent armor, White Ming doesn't. He stabs you, you don't get hurt; you slash him, he loses his fighting ability! Good job, yes, keep chasing him!"

Huang Shihong cried, "I'm the most cowardly person! My whole family is cowardly! Why didn't I get the 'Armor' literary symbol?"

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

The tide of public opinion on the field turned 180 degrees. Those who originally didn't support Yue Heng now began to cheer for him. Yue Heng, holding the ring blade, relentlessly pursued and slashed.

White Ming's injured thigh slowed him down. The training ground was covered in blood, and he rolled on the ground, struggling to block Yue Heng's slashes with his dual swords.

Pant, pant, pant...

Yue Heng panted heavily. He quickly exhausted his stamina while chasing White Ming.

He had never received cold weapon training. Today's pursuit was a wild slash, very inefficient. After a few chases, his originally weak body couldn't keep up.

Everyone noticed that Yue Heng had used the 'Armor' literary symbol multiple times to protect himself. Now, his talent was depleted, and he was at the end of his strength, while White Ming was looking for the final opportunity to counterattack!

Both were covered in blood and wounds. Yue Heng's last 'Armor' literary symbol was about to expire, and everyone held their breath.

"The light is dimming! The 'Armor' literary symbol is失效! Yue Heng, you're dead! Talent, 'Duel'!"

The lightly injured White Ming suddenly burst out. The moment Yue Heng's body lost its blue glow, he attacked, regardless of the ring blade about to strike him.

"Die!"

This final blow, even if he was severely injured, he had to take down Yue Heng!

Puff!

A sharp blade pierced through his heart, and a man fell to his knees, eyes wide open, unable to accept his fate!

"The literary duel is over!"

The authoritative voice of the illusion declared the end of the literary duel. All onlookers stared in shock at the center of the training ground, unable to believe their eyes—the dead person was White Ming!

"Impossible!"

The crowd gasped, the scene chaotic, and many warriors began analyzing the details.

In the arena, Yue Heng gritted his teeth, pulling out the ring blade, pushing away the body in his arms. The two swords slid from his armpits, unable to penetrate his defense.

The bloody smell on his upper body rushed to his head, and his mind went blank, thinking, "I killed someone... I killed someone... Ugh..."

White Ming's wound was in his heart. When the ring blade was pulled out, a spray of blood followed, covering half of Yue Heng's body and leaving an indelible memory for everyone.

This was the cruel battlefield!

The illusion withdrew from the duel isolation zone, and White Ming's body still lay there. The onlookers hesitated, while Wen Xinyue and Lu Changyuan quickly ran over, supporting Yue Heng, who was vomiting, and blocking some of White Ming's angry teammates.

"Move aside! I want to avenge Brother Bai!"

"In the illusion, death doesn't mean real death. White Ming has already left the county academy. What revenge are you seeking?"

"He cut off Brother Bai's future and caused trouble for our team. I must teach this kid a lesson today!"

Several people angrily approached Yue Heng. Wen Xinyue stepped forward, raising her whip, standing proudly, her face cold, and scolded, "Pass me first! Do you dare to force a literary duel and can't accept losing? Are you ashamed? Is it you, Zhu?"

The Zhu-named warrior in the crowd hastily denied, "No, no, Miss Wen, I was just angry because White Ming's death made our team's situation difficult..."

Wen Xinyue snorted, "I'm on Yue Heng's team. Do you still want to cause him trouble?"

Not only was the Zhu-named warrior surprised, but the others also changed their expressions, repeatedly saying, "No, no!"

Seeing the others hastily flee, the crowd gradually dispersed. Lu Changyuan supported Yue Heng, who had vomited several times and was now used to it, and the three of them walked to the side of the training ground and sat down.

"Brother Yue, are you feeling better?" Lu Changyuan asked.

Yue Heng's face was pale. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and panted, saying, "Better... This is the feeling of killing someone... I finally understand why the number of scholars is so few each year. It's not that many people lack talent, but that they can't adapt to this cruel battlefield and lack the courage to continue fighting..."

Everyone sighed. Who could say otherwise?

Literate people, before becoming scholars, were weak and had no chance to participate in the war against demons. Suddenly thrown into the illusion to fight, with life and death at stake, injuries causing pain, bleeding, and decapitation, it was like experiencing death in the illusion.

Who isn't afraid of death? Who wouldn't be scared facing death?

Fear can severely damage one's literary heart. Without a strong will, how could they become high-level literates in the future?

"Brother Yue, everyone saw your 'Armor' literary symbol expire, and White Ming used the 'Duel' literary symbol to fight you to the death. Why did you still kill him?" Huang Shihong was most puzzled by this.

Everyone thought Yue Heng was about to be killed, but he turned the tables!

Yue Heng pretended to be unaware, shaking his head and smiling bitterly, "I don't know why... Just before he counterattacked, my 'Armor' literary symbol had just expired, but I could use it one last time. So I stabbed him, and he couldn't hurt me, while I took him down. I want to ask you spectators, why did he rush the last attack?"

"Huh?"

Everyone was puzzled. What was going on?

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