NABC Chapter 348: Song Xing’an
Chapter 348: Song Xing’an
But Xu Wuyi was calm.
His gaze swept across the rankings, stopping at thirty-second place—the last spot for a seeded contestant, and an opponent he couldn’t possibly face in the first round.
According to the rules, as one of the top thirty-two seeded contestants, he would only be matched against someone ranked thirty-third or lower.
The system notification sounded.
[Playoffs Round 1 matching initiated... Matching complete.]
[Contestant Xu Wuyi (Star Martial University), please proceed to Arena 3 to face Song Xing’an (Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy).]
A slight commotion rippled through the surroundings.
Song Xing’an?
Xu Wuyi remembered the name. During the preliminaries, he had fought Song Xing’an’s twin brother, Song Xingxian, defeating him with a single spear strike. He hadn’t expected to run into the younger brother in the very first round of the playoffs.
"What luck..." someone muttered under their breath.
"For both brothers to run into Xu Wuyi, the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy is having some seriously bad luck this year."
"Song Xing’an is ranked thirty-ninth. He had a record of eighty wins and six losses in the preliminaries. He’s not weak, but what a pity."
Amid the discussion, Xu Wuyi’s figure faded away.
...
Arena 3.
Song Xing’an’s figure materialized at almost the same time as Xu Wuyi’s.
He wore the deep blue combat uniform of the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy. His face was remarkably similar to his brother, Song Xingxian’s, but he lacked some of his brother’s composure, possessing a sharper, more aggressive edge instead.
At that moment, his young face was a mask of helplessness and wry amusement.
[Opponent: Xu Wuyi]
[Affiliation: Star Martial University]
[Life Energy Level: 37.9]
Seeing the opponent information displayed by the system, Song Xing’an couldn’t help but sigh.
"What is this even..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head.
’Losing to Xu Wuyi in the preliminaries just meant losing a few points. It wasn’t a big deal.’
’But the playoffs were an elimination format. One loss and you were out.’
’He had fought so hard to make it into the top forty, hoping to at least break into the top sixty-four to have something to show his family and the academy. Instead, he ran into this behemoth in the very first round.’
’Both brothers had faced Xu Wuyi, but at least his brother’s match was in the preliminaries, where there was still a chance to recover.’
’And him? The first round of the playoffs. There was no retreat, no second chances.’
"My luck really is worse than my brother’s," Song Xing’an said with a self-deprecating smile, but his eyes quickly hardened with determination.
’Since it’s unavoidable, I’ll just have to give it my all. At the very least, I have to lose like a Martial Artist.’
He took a deep breath, his right hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist as the Qi and Blood in his body began to circulate.
A faint blue starlight emerged on the surface of his skin, an apparition identical to Song Xingxian’s during the preliminaries, only the light seemed slightly more erratic, not as condensed.
Xu Wuyi stood with his spear, watching Song Xing’an’s movements and nodding slightly.
’Compared to Song Xingxian, this younger brother’s Sword Intention is sharper, but his foundation is a bit weaker. The fusion of his Spirit and his Sword Technique is also more unrefined.’
’Still, to have achieved eighty-six wins in the preliminaries, his strength was not to be underestimated.’
"Song Xing’an, of the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy." Song Xing’an’s deep voice carried the characteristic drive of youth. "Please, guide me!"
"Please," Xu Wuyi replied, holding his spear in one hand, its tip angled toward the ground.
With no more unnecessary words, Song Xing’an attacked.
He knew that against an opponent of Xu Wuyi’s caliber, probing attacks were pointless. He had to go all out from the very beginning.
"Star River Incline!"
His longsword left its sheath, its light like a waterfall!
Unlike Song Xingxian’s "Starfall," which was a single-point thrust, Song Xing’an’s Sword Momentum was wilder. The sword’s light transformed into a waterfall of faint blue starlight that swept toward Xu Wuyi.
His Sword Momentum was infused with the Mental Realm of a "Rushing Star River," its power immense, as if it would flood the entire arena.
This sword strike was an area-of-effect killing move from the Galaxy Sword Manual, suitable for dealing with opponents with agile Body Techniques. It was also Song Xing’an’s most practiced Starting Form.
In the spectator stands, many students from the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy held their breath.
"Song Xing’an is using his ultimate move right from the start!"
"Smart. Against Xu Wuyi, holding back is suicide."
"But this move consumes a huge amount of energy. If it doesn’t land a decisive blow..."
The waterfall of sword light arrived in an instant.
Xu Wuyi stood his ground, not bothering to dodge.
He simply raised his left hand, fingers spread, and made a pressing motion toward the incoming cascade of sword light.
There was no burst of Qi and Blood, no Starting Form for a Spear Technique.
But a will as heavy as a mountain descended with his gesture!
VMMMM—
The air in the arena seemed to freeze for a moment.
The immense waterfall of sword light, half a meter in front of Xu Wuyi, came to an abrupt halt as if it had slammed into an invisible wall!
The sword light trembled violently, letting out a piercing hum, but it couldn’t advance another inch.
Song Xing’an’s expression changed. He gritted his teeth and pushed his Qi and Blood, causing the sword light to surge by another thirty percent as he tried to break through the formless barrier.
But in the next second—
"Disperse."
A single word escaped Xu Wuyi’s lips.
His left hand clenched into a fist.
BOOM!
The invisible wall seemed to transform instantly into a tangible, crushing pressure that bore down on the waterfall of sword light!
The faint blue starlight of the sword, like glass struck by a sledgehammer, shattered inch by inch, dissolving into a sky full of motes of light.
Song Xing’an grunted, stumbling back five steps. The webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his sword hand had split open, and blood dripped down the hilt.
He looked up, his gaze toward Xu Wuyi filled with utter disbelief.
He hadn’t used his spear. He hadn’t even used his Qi and Blood.
’Just the crushing force of his Spiritual Will alone had shattered my all-out "Star River Incline"!’
’The gap... it’s just too big.’
"Your Sword Momentum focuses too much on range, so its power is scattered," Xu Wuyi’s calm voice rang out. "It might be effective against an opponent of equal strength, but against a true expert, it’s riddled with openings."
’Song Xing’an’s technique would have worked on others, but against an opponent like him, who had already formed a Heart Image Prototype, it could be easily broken with Spiritual Power alone.’
Song Xing’an gritted his teeth, not refuting the point.
He knew Xu Wuyi was right.
’That last sword strike looked magnificent, but its power was indeed scattered. Against an opponent with a sufficiently strong Spiritual Will, it could be easily shattered from within.’
’But he didn’t have time to adjust.’
"Again!"
Song Xing’an let out a low roar and raised his longsword once more.
This time, he abandoned the Area Attack. The sword light converged, forming a condensed, thin blue line that shot straight for Xu Wuyi’s throat!
"Star Pierce!"
The sword was incredibly fast. A single, brilliant point of starlight gathered at its tip, its Penetration Power far exceeding the previous "Star River Incline."
This was the killing move he had painstakingly practiced, designed specifically to break through Protective Qi and Blood.
Xu Wuyi finally moved.
He raised the long spear in his right hand, once again executing a simple, direct thrust.
The dark red spearhead, though moving second, arrived first, striking the tip of the sword with unerring precision.
TING—
Amid the crisp sound, Song Xing’an felt a scorching, heavy power travel up the blade of his sword. It not only dispersed the starlight he had gathered, but a Spiritual Will, as magnificent as a blazing sun, also slammed into his sea of consciousness.
His vision blurred. He seemed to see a scorching sun hanging in the sky, and before it, his tiny speck of starlight was as insignificant as a mote of dust.
His Sword Momentum collapsed, and the longsword was knocked from his grasp, sent flying through the air.
The spearhead stopped three inches from his throat.
Song Xing’an’s body froze, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
In that instant, he had truly felt the threat of death. If this weren’t the Virtual Battle Network, if Xu Wuyi hadn’t held back, his throat would have been pierced.