Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 55

55. Training Match (1)

The form and intention are combined, the waist and *horse are integrated, and the legs move like lightning. This clean and decisive kick directly sent the barrage rolling in a crazy manner—

*”腰马合一” is a term in martial arts, particularly in Southern Fist (南拳), that emphasizes the coordination of waist and leg movements when delivering force. “腰” refers to the waist, and “马” refers to the legs or sometimes specifically to the horse stance. In Southern Fist, the hands are referred to as “桥” (bridge), and the legs as “马” (horse).

Therefore, “腰马合一” means the integration of power from the waist and legs when generating force. It emphasizes the idea that the power from the waist and legs should work together in harmony to create a more complete and powerful attack against the opponent.

“WTF, how can he be so cool!”

“Who just said the streamer doesn’t know how to use nunchaku? Take a few steps forward!”

“Is this still called not knowing how to use it? It’s too outrageous. I even suspect the streamer was born with nunchaku in hand.”

“Wow, amazing, 666666!”

“That last move was too cool, I want to learn it!”

“So, nunchaku can accumulate damage? No wonder I felt the damage was so low when I used it. It turns out you use it like this!”

“Even if you say that, I still can’t do it… Is there any other little trick you can teach us?”

“What’s the meaning of that ‘Ada’… Although I don’t know what it means, it feels strangely compatible with nunchaku…”

“I agree, it always feels like without that phrase, it lacks soul??”

Chen Xingran turned around gracefully, delivering a powerful kick on the spot. A short and forceful “Ada” echoed in the team voice chat, startling Xiao Nan and Yang Yunche at the same time.

“What’s going on? Is there a problem?”

Xiao Nan asked curiously, “This sound scared me.”

“Nothing.”

Chen Xingran had just played around, paying tribute to the iconic figure of nunchaku in his previous life, Bruce Lee. After a flying kick, he felt a bit juvenile and embarrassed, blushing involuntarily.

Fortunately, no one in this world knew…

However, strangely, he thought the damage from this kick wouldn’t be very high. After all, Destiny is a game focused on melee combat, and fist damage is somewhat lacking. But with the nunchaku equipped, the damage from this kick far exceeded expectations, almost comparable to a half-moon slash from a gun, dealing nearly 700 points of damage.

Could this be the correct way to use nunchaku?

“So cool! I want to play too!”

Beside him, Luo Baibai watched with envy. Seeing Chen Xingran wielding the nunchaku skillfully, displaying both strength and speed, full of charisma, he suddenly felt like he could do it too. “Let me borrow the nunchaku, *please, darling Xingran!”

*cutesy kind of please – qiúqiú nǐ le

“Hahaha, wake up, Baibai.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Luo Baibai is basically me in person. Every time I see a streamer using a Tang Sword or something, I feel like I can do it too.”

“But reality teaches us how to live with integrity.”

Chen Xingran chuckled, tossed the nunchaku to Luo Baibai, and casually picked up a broadsword from the soul mound of the enemy he just killed. “Go and play.”

“Charge!”

The originally ordinary nunchaku, Luo Baibai had previously despised its appearance for not being mighty enough. However, after Chen Xingran used it, looking at this peculiar exotic weapon, he suddenly felt differently.

Luo Baibai struck a pose, imitating Chen Xingran’s Dance of Flowers move, saying, “Ada—”

“Bang!”

A muffled sound rang out as the other end of the nunchaku traced an elegant arc through the air, directly hitting him on the nose.

Luo Baibai: “…My bad.”

“Hahaha, that was hilarious!”

“Comedian leveled up”

“Baibai, be good, let’s not play with this weapon”

“I’m literally doing a laughing-at-the-sky motion, hahaha”

Luo Baibai reluctantly handed the nunchaku back to Chen Xingran. “How about giving me the broadsword instead?”

The two of them were trading nonchalantly on the first floor of the Lord’s Mansion. Just as they were talking, the sound of footsteps echoed at the entrance, and a three-person team, fully armed, rushed into the Lord’s Mansion.

“Fight or run?”

Luo Baibai asked. The other side had three people, having the numerical advantage, and it would be a disadvantageous fight.

Chen Xingran took the nunchaku from him and answered decisively, “Fight.”

In the next second, the nunchaku cast several afterimages in the air. Chen Xingran activated the Ghost Shadow Slash, directly passing through the front tank, and aimed at the support, Ruyi, at the back of the enemy team.

“Swoosh—”

He raised his hand, and the chain drove the nunchaku’s end like lightning, hitting Ruyi’s head. The nunchaku, as agile as a spirit snake, touched lightly and left swiftly. Then, it bounced high, and Chen Xingran smoothly caught the lifted end of the sticks with both hands, exchanging and alternating hands, like a white snake spitting its tongue. Following up was another powerful and swift strike!

“Bam bam bam bam!”

The enemy Ruyi was completely stunned by a series of blows that rained down on him. He hurriedly tried to escape the attack range and run towards his teammates, but Chen Xingran didn’t give him a chance. He pursued relentlessly, and the continuous barrage of stick shadows intertwined in the air. High-frequency damage numbers floated above the opponent’s head, starting with modest damage that barely scratched his armor. As the combo continued, each strike became more forceful. The initial hits only managed to break a piece of armor, but as the assault progressed, the stick strikes became more powerful, resembling a roaring storm in the sea, directly bursting through Ruyi’s health!

Amidst the intense combo, Chen Xingran still had the presence of mind to observe the positions of others. In the next moment, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, the storm-like assault suddenly stopped. Swiftly retracting the sticks, he shifted his body to the side. His right foot, like a coiled spring, sprung up high, and a graceful and powerful whip kick, accumulated like a long whip, suddenly shot out!

“Thud!”

With one kick, he sent an enemy trying to rush in to break the formation flying. Then, leveraging the reactive force, his body leaped up like a nimble swallow. The long cloth of the Demonic Blade swept through a smooth arc in mid-air, dodging the blade of another enemy!

“Swoosh!”

The faint sound of the nunchaku’s iron chain echoed in the air. Before anyone could react, Chen Xingran’s figure had leaped to the top of the support Ruyi. Feet above, head below, he engaged in a close-range stare-down with Ruyi!

The enemy Ruyi’s eyes met Chen Xingran’s gaze. The murderous intent emanating from the Demonic Blade in his eyes made him involuntarily shudder. Before he could react, his neck suddenly tightened—

The iron chain of the nunchaku had wrapped around his neck!

Chen Xingran agilely flipped and landed, gripping both ends of the nunchaku. The iron chain twisted around Ruyi’s neck, and the muscles in his arms tightened suddenly. Utilizing the force of his entire body falling, he forcefully pulled!

“Crack!”

A teeth-clenching crisp sound reverberated in the Lord’s Mansion. Everyone felt a chill down their spines, and they all sensed a coolness around their necks, as if the nunchaku was twisting their own necks. With the sound of bones being compressed, Ruyi’s entire body was lifted and then slammed heavily on the ground, turning into a soul pit in the next moment!

Strangling to death!

Before the enemy could react, Luo Baibai seized the opportunity, wielding a broadsword as he rushed in to battle the enemy tank. He also threw a Yin-Yang Readings that was still hovering above Chen Xingran’s head, instantly filling up the health that had only lost a piece of armor.

The situation instantly reversed!

Many movies and TV dramas treat nunchaku as a performance-oriented weapon, often flashy but lacking in lethality. However, every weapon has its own advantages. Once the correct usage is mastered, what seems like an ordinary pair of nunchaku can instantly transform into a deadly weapon, making anyone who underestimates it pay the price with their life.

Chen Xingran lifted his eyes to the two surviving enemies on the field, a slightly malicious smile playing on his lips.

With a virtual step forward, close-range strikes, and the nunchaku shadows rising again!

Regular blossoms, reverse spirals, right spin spirals, three-point blossoms, flat strikes… Regular and reverse dragons danced wildly!

For the remaining game time, it was a personal performance show exclusively for Chen Xingran with his nunchaku. While wielding the weapon, he had the spare energy to provide commentary to the audience in the live stream, breaking down each move and its purpose in detail. The viewers in the live stream were dazzled and enchanted.

“I’m kneeling, I’m kneeling, I’m kneeling”

“Nunchaku yyds! I’m going to practice right away!”

“Stop showing off, let me learn, is that not okay?”

While he was engrossed in the fight, Yang Yunche and Xiao Nan had already gathered and rushed to support him. When they arrived at the Lord’s Mansion, all they saw were soul pits twinkling with a dim light on the ground. The instigator of all this, Chen Xingran, was leisurely licking a packet.

“Light Blessing? Good stuff, Baibai, come and take it.”

“Blood Drinker? This Soul Jade is not bad, quite suitable for me, I’ll accept it.”

“A lot of armor pieces, come quickly and share the loot!”

Yang Yunche watched as he stuffed things into his backpack like a small animal storing food for the winter, couldn’t help but laugh, “Didn’t I ask you to gather on my side?”

“Sorry.”

Chen Xingran, who hadn’t touched nunchaku in a long time, was influenced by movies and TV dramas during his youth. He diligently practiced nunchaku for a period. Now, encountering it again, he couldn’t help but feel a bit itchy for the skills. “This is compensation for you.”

Yang Yunche’s vision blurred for a moment, and in front of him appeared a shimmering purple bow and arrow, “Bribing me?”

Chen Xingran raised an eyebrow, “Can’t I just give you a gift?”

“Alright, I’ll let you off.”

Seeing that Chen Xingran was in an exceptionally good mood today, Yang Yunche looked at the hidden smile in his eyes and couldn’t help but raise the corner of his mouth, “Courtesy demands reciprocity. This one’s for you.”

With that, a golden-quality attack Soul Jade appeared in front of Chen Xingran.

Chen Xingran’s eyes lit up, and he happily tucked it into his pocket, “You’re quite thoughtful ah. Big brother will have your back in the future. Next time you come to Huntian City, just drop my name.”

He spoke in a tone befitting a seasoned individual, eliciting laughter from the entire ZMD team.

“I feel like the atmosphere in ZMD is better than before.”

“Ye Shao, you’ve changed. Hanging out with Yun Shen for a long time makes you talk like him.”

“Wuwuwu, give me back the cool and aloof Ye Shao, the streamer who doesn’t talk much!”

“I think this is good, much more lively than before.”

Chen Xingran glanced at the barrage and was momentarily taken aback.

It seemed to be true. His personality was not difficult to get along with, but most of the time, he maintained a proper distance from people, neither too close nor too far. However, ever since he got to know Yang Yunche, he occasionally found himself cracking jokes. Yang Yunche and the other ZMD team members got along extremely well with him. In this relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, he unintentionally revealed another side of himself, as if he were a genuinely young teenager.

He also felt that he was influenced by Yang Yunche, but this experience wasn’t bad at all. Chen Xingran even enjoyed it.

The four of them took out the items from their backpacks and distributed the loot. Resistance and health Soul Jades went to Luo Baibai and Xiao Nan, while attack Soul Jades went to Yang Yunche and Chen Xingran. They also divided supplies such as armor pieces, health potions, and repair tools.

Because of the Special Soul Jade “Light Blessing” in this round, when Luo Baibai used armor pieces and health potions, although the amount of recovery decreased, it turned into a team-wide recovery, greatly increasing support capabilities and team fault tolerance. Chen Xingran only kept four armor pieces for himself, giving the rest to Luo Baibai.

Because he obtained the “Blood Drinker” Soul Jade, which allowed him to leech health through melee combat, it was a Soul Jade tailored for him. With Blood Drinker in hand, enemies became an endless source of blood. After a battle, he hadn’t even had his armor broken.

With the new Soul Jade system online, everyone quickly noticed significant changes in the overall game pace, introducing more uncertainties.

For example, in close combat, victory or defeat was mostly determined by melee combat abilities. However, with the existence of special Soul Jades, the outcome of battles became more unpredictable. In situations where the skill difference between two players wasn’t particularly large, if one of them obtained the “Blood Drinker” Soul Jade, they gained a tremendous advantage. While one side kept losing health, the other continuously healed, gaining an insurmountable lead.

There were also Soul Jades like “Resurrection,” which could resist death damage and restore health at a critical moment, and “Soul Snatcher,” which, after defeating an enemy, provided 100% lifesteal for the next attack. When a team had these special Soul Jades that could reverse the situation, team coordination also needed flexible tactical changes to leverage the advantages of these Soul Jades. This was also a factor that Yang Yunche needed to consider in the subsequent matches.

After distributing the supplies, the four started to push together to clear out other teams in Huntian City. With the presence of “Light Blessing,” the team now had a moving blood pool. Coupled with the “Blood Drinker” Soul Jade customized for Chen Xingran, their configuration was stable enough to confidently enter the finals, as long as they didn’t actively throw the game.

Additionally, in the new version, there was another change. Starting from the second poison ring, after each poison ring refresh, there would be “Earth Vein Treasure Chests” appearing on the map. Initially, three Earth Vein Treasure Chests would appear simultaneously. As the poison ring shrank, the number of chests would decrease to two, and by the time it reached the finals, only one chest would appear.

Everyone in the game could see the locations where the Earth Vein Treasure Chests refreshed, significantly speeding up the game process.

In the past, when Yang Yunche and the others were competing, as they were all professional players, the playstyles tended to be cautious. In situations where the equipment was not particularly bad, if a fight could be avoided, they would try to avoid it. They would even go as far as playing passively, focusing on being the sixth man in the team rather than initiating team fights. This led to the Destiny Cup matches lacking the expected excitement.

Audiences didn’t care about the reasons; they watched the matches for the technical prowess of the professional players. They wanted to see strong players facing each other, to witness the peak of intense melee combat. However, as soon as the matches began, many professional players who used to be bold and aggressive now chose to avoid battles, concentrating on being the sixth man. Who would be willing to accept this?

The appearance of Earth Vein Treasure Chests was a measure to accelerate the game pace. The chests were rich in resources. For teams that lost the early ground battle and didn’t get good equipment, they needed the resources from the chests to strengthen themselves. Meanwhile, teams that gained an advantage in the early game wanted to further increase their lead and would rush towards the chest locations. Inevitably, both sides would engage in combat to contest the chests.

These battles would trigger a chain reaction, making other teams rush over upon hearing the news, forcing them into conflicts. This significantly increased the competitiveness and watchability of the game, and the number of teams in the finals would also decrease substantially.

ZMD spent a day playing matches in the new season, gaining a preliminary understanding of the version update. Obviously, this version encouraged more combat and less avoidance of battles. The appearance of Special Soul Jades could influence the entire battle situation. Strong teams could easily snowball their advantages by obtaining high-quality Soul Jades. This forced all professional teams to abandon their old strategies and change their playstyles.

Overall, in the future professional esports scene, the high points and excitement are expected to be much higher than before.

In the training room, Yang Yunche was still reviewing today’s battles, analyzing future strategies. Suddenly, the door opened, and Fu Zhou walked in.

“The practice match is set, and it’s tomorrow.”

Seeing them intensely reviewing the matches, Fu Zhou smiled and said, “Same as before, play in the competition uniforms. Also, Xingran, your professional league information has been registered, and the competition uniform account has been set up. I’ll give you the ID card for the competition uniform later.”

“Got it.”

Chen Xingran responded, feeling an uncontrollable sense of anticipation.

He had not played in a formal competition before. Previously, he had been dominating in ranked matches, and the training match tomorrow would be his first experience in games against all professional players. In the professional esports arena, filled with numerous experts, it would undoubtedly be a different experience from before.

“Nervous?” Yang Yunche looked at him and asked.

“Nervous?”

Chen Xingran smiled faintly, and a strong sense of self-confidence made him seem like he was radiating light. “No, I’m looking forward to it.”

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