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Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 74
- Next The Snake King organizing a challenge match in the domestic server wasn’t initially considered significant news in the European server player community. However, when the subsequent incident involving the likes unfolded, the attention of the entire European server was drawn to it.
Despite the Snake King’s contract being acquired by All Stars, as a professional player originating from the European server with a considerable fan base, this incident was akin to one of their own being mistreated abroad. Moreover, it involved the gaming community’s most despised practices – covert operations and suspected cheating. With these two labels attached, the justice-driven European server players were instantly stirred up, tagging the official Asian server professional league and demanding an explanation.
While the European server players were still waiting for the resolution of the matter, anticipating an explanation from the league for the Snake King, they never expected that the situation was far from over. Another protagonist, right at the center of the storm, unexpectedly made a move?
And in such a provocative manner, no less. Anyone would find it hard to endure.
“This is too arrogant”
“Cheating players, get out of the gaming community!!”
“He’s imitating Quiller’s challenge style, he’s provoking!”
“Send our professional players to teach him a lesson quickly!”
The European server players, stirred up with excitement, flooded into the overseas broadcast livestream, starting an enthusiastic barrage.
As news reached the professional community in the European server, someone couldn’t sit still. The first challenger came forward, entering Chen Xingran’s challenge room.
Moulton Laurie, the former teammate of the Snake King Quiller, had a good relationship with the Snake King. He currently serves in the ICE.T team, holding the position of the main assault.
“Moulton, go! Let this guy see the strength of our server!”
“Go, Moulton!”
“Defeat this guy and avenge Quiller!”
On the room’s public screen, the account with the ID”ICE.T-Moulton”typed out a long string of text, seemingly issuing a challenge.
However, Chen Xingran couldn’t understand it and didn’t want to bother. He directly typed: 1?
This was a common term in the gaming community, even understandable to European server players. A simple digit 1, depending on the context, often carried various meanings, including “received,” “understood,” “ready,” “start,” and more…
In this context, it meant: “Are you ready?”
Moulton seemed to hesitate for a moment. After a few seconds, he slowly replied with: 1.
Chen Xingran smiled and didn’t waste words, initiating the game.
Martial Arts mode, no restrictions on moves, no Soul Jade, purple armor and purple weapon, random map.
Chen Xingran was familiar with the randomly selected map this time. Beneath his feet was a clear and transparent water pool, surrounded by green hills and trees. The wind rustled, and birds chirped harmoniously. A spring flowed not far away, and the air was filled with the fragrance of earth and flowers.
Eternal Spring.
Chen Xingran focused his gaze on Moulton. The hero he chose was Thunder Fist, wielding a massive broadsword, with a serious expression, ready for a tough battle.
After a moment of thought, Chen Xingran put the Tang Sword back into his backpack and also took out a broadsword.
“Isn’t this a bit too much? I remember he’s best with a spear and the Tang Sword, right?”
“Maybe not, Ye Shao’s dagger is quite fierce too.”
“When facing a professional player from another server, it’s better to be cautious. I haven’t seen him use a broadsword much.”
“But then again, this scene of a single player challenging the entire server is quite exhilarating…”
“If he loses later, won’t he be losing face for the national server?”
Ignoring the many discussions in the barrage, Chen Xingran tightened his grip on the broad handle, and with a gentle breeze on his face, he slightly closed his eyes.
This time, challenging the European server, he was half intending to clear his name and half because he was eager for a challenge.
The initial motivation for playing Destiny and even joining the ZMD team was to challenge various experts from different paths, a fact he had not forgotten.
With half-closed eyes, blocking the bright light outside, in the darkness, his thoughts gradually floated out, and scenes of his past martial arts training seemed to flash through his mind.
“Xingran, your fighting spirit is too strong.”
In front of him was his former teacher from the martial arts school, a middle-aged man with a strong build. He was watching the young man in front of him, who was caressing a long knife, and sighed, “Tomorrow, you will step onto the arena and challenge Laughing Spring Knife. But why can’t your heart calm down…”
“Teacher, why should I be calm?”
The young Chen Xingran, with a furrowed brow, asked in return.
“Practicing martial arts is not about being belligerent, but about strengthening the body, defending the family, and protecting the country.”
The teacher shook his head, “Wang Ran, the master of the Laughing Spring Knife, although his knife skills are mysterious, his heart has always been as calm as the surface of a lake. In this aspect, you are not as good as him.”
“Teacher, I don’t understand. What kind of reasoning is this?”
Chen Xingran drew out the long knife, and the metallic humming sound echoed, “Practicing martial arts is like climbing a mountain. If you are not belligerent, how can you surpass others and climb to the top of the mountain, reaching the extreme of martial arts? If that were the case, is Wang Ran’s reputation as the master of the Laughing Spring Knife something that fell from the sky? When he was young, he challenged everywhere, made a name for himself, and now he talks about having no distractions, only cultivating himself. Isn’t that a joke?”
“You…”
“If in this world, I alone practice martial arts, it doesn’t matter who is first or second.”
Chen Xingran looked at the blade in his hand, shining like an autumn water rainbow, with a tone full of youthful spirit, “But with numerous martial artists in the world, if I don’t challenge them one by one, how will I know where my limits lie? The so-called pinnacle of martial arts is the end that a person can reach, the peak that one can climb. If someone is still ahead of you, what kind of peak is that?”
The teacher looked at him, revealing shock, remaining silent for a long time.
“Defeat the Laughing Spring Knife, and I’ll be the number one swordsman in the world.”
Chen Xingran smiled, wiped the blade with his hand, and said, “Since you all say that being the best in the world is just a virtual title, then how about I take this virtual title?”
Living in this world, one is inevitably bound to comparisons. Since comparisons are necessary, why hide and pretend not to care, instead of openly and unabashedly comparing, competing with enthusiasm until the end, letting the world decide who is strong and who is weak.
Chen Xingran opened his eyes, and the scenes in his mind dispersed.
Compared to the fearless youth of the past, he had changed a lot. No longer as belligerent, he now sought to determine superiority or inferiority. However, the fierce and unrestrained fighting spirit that burned vigorously in his youth…
Still burned brightly.
As the countdown above his head reached zero, Chen Xingran let out a sigh. He changed his style from the previous defensive maneuvers, grasped the handle of the broadsword tightly between his palms.
In the next instant, he rushed towards Moulton on the opposite side like lightning!
Without any fancy moves or flashy techniques to confuse his opponent, he now sprinted with the broadsword dragging behind him. The enormous broadsword trailed behind him, cutting a long wave on the water’s surface. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of Moulton!
He instantly exerted force, muscles tensed, and the tremendous power, from his legs to the upper body, seemed like a steam-powered mechanism rotating. In an instant, the force was transmitted through his entire body to the broadsword in his hand. The broad and sharp blade, heavy with force, swept through the air in an incredibly powerful arc, bringing a fierce killing intent. Even the water droplets splashing off the blade seemed as if they would be cut in half!
Crushing Mountain Stance!
“Clang!!!”
This slash seemed like the wrath of thunder from the ninth heaven, swift and fierce. The gust of wind coming straight at Moulton blew his hair on his forehead to both sides. Moulton, intimidated by Chen Xingran’s fierce momentum, hurriedly attempted to block. He also raised his broadsword horizontally in front of him. The collision between the broad surface of the large blade and the swiftly powerful blade edge produced a tremendous noise, resembling the sound of a struck bell.
Chen Xingran’s force twisted together like a hemp rope. Every move he made utilized the force of his entire body. This strike had a strong momentum and immense power. The moment Moulton’s blade touched his, he felt like he had collided head-on with a speeding train. The hastily gathered strength was violently shattered, the eardrums rang with the sound of metal, and his arm shook uncontrollably from the tremendous force.
When Chen Xingran wielded the broadsword, his entire demeanor changed abruptly. Gone were the elusive changes of the Tang sword, the elegant and graceful movements of the long sword, and the domineering presence of the spear. Instead, he exhibited a ferocity like a tiger leaping out of its cage. Even if tied with ten iron chains, he would break free. Even if faced with towering mountains, he would cut them in two!
Before one strike was complete, another followed. While the blade was still in the air, he forcefully kicked its surface with his left foot. The force transmitted, and the broadsword lifted again. Then, his left foot landed backward, as if rooted to the ground, solid and unmoving. The muscles on his arm tightened again, and once more, he brought down the broadsword in a powerful crushing stance.
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
“Clang, Clang, Clang!”
Like a crazed and ruthless butcher, his hand rose and the blade fell, then rose again and fell. His body remained still as a mountain, but the broadsword in his hand fell with each strike more ruthlessly than the last. There was no room for negotiation, just simple and extreme chopping and hacking!
“F*ck!”
Looking at the image of Chen Xingran, Luo Baibai couldn’t help but cover his mouth and let out a muffled exclamation. But no one else paid attention to him. They all wore a rare look of astonishment, watching Chen Xingran in the image who seemed like a Shura, slashing with each cut as if for the first time meeting him.
Is this Chen Xingran?
Is this the Chen Xingran who was gentle and polite, laughing and chatting with them?
The blades were aimed at life, and the person with such intense killing intent that pierced the bone and made one’s flesh ache, was actually the same individual as that handsome and refined youth from before?
“Clang! Clang!”
Moulton was on the verge of going insane.
The Chen Xingran before him seemed like the god of thunder himself, and the broadsword in his hand transformed into thunderous and fierce strikes, making it impossible for Moulton to parry. Whenever he managed to gather a bit of strength to resist, it was effortlessly shattered in the next impact, preventing him from organizing any effective resistance. He could only futilely raise the blade, hiding his figure behind it, struggling to hold on.
Cold sweat dripped down Moulton’s forehead. He felt as if he wasn’t facing a player, but a wild beast unleashed from its cage. The damage was secondary, but the dreadful sword intent emanating from Chen Xingran almost made him want to surrender outright!
One slash followed another, each faster than the previous. Chen Xingran’s broadsword seemed like a raging wave crashing down, leaving Moulton defenseless. In the midst of each violent impact, Moulton’s health steadily declined. Thankfully, this was just a game, and the weapon wouldn’t break. If this were reality, by the fourth strike, Moulton’s hand, even if holding a finely crafted steel weapon, would have been cleaved in two along with the blade!
The broadsword was such a weapon, possessing a ferocity that other weapons lacked. When you swung it, it descended heavily like an iron hammer, and as long as there was flesh and blood, avoiding its edge was a necessity. Killing with it was as simple as drinking water.
Under the force that seemed to permeate the entire body of a master, anyone daring to directly confront it had only one fate, regardless of their iron clothes, dragon and tiger techniques, or formidable bodily skills. When the blade came down, life and death were clearly separated, with no room for negotiation!
Even though Moulton exerted all his strength, employing all his defenses, he couldn’t stop Chen Xingran’s unstoppable assault. The durability of the broadsword in his hand plummeted continuously. Finally, after Chen Xingran’s sixteenth mountain-crushing strike, the blade in Moulton’s hand flew high into the air, leaving him wide open!
Exploding Blade!
“This is impossible!”
“He must be acting! Moulton must be acting!”
“How is it possible to have no chance to counterattack and keep getting slashed?”
“Cheating! It must be cheating!!”
Without personally facing Chen Xingran, it was impossible to sense the feeling of being controlled as if one’s life was at stake. His relentless consecutive strikes were like a festering ulcer, and it seemed as if a blazing flame exploded from the clash of blades. The fiery tongues surged straight into Moulton’s mind, burning him to an ashen expression. He dared not relax his nerves for even a moment, nor did he dare to release the grip on his blade. Otherwise, the next thing to meet the blade would be his head!
Despite all this, Moulton remained powerless. Dragging out one second after another, surviving one more second was all he could manage. Then, he could only watch as Chen Xingran relentlessly brought down his broadsword, the blade getting closer and closer to his face, until, in the end, it exploded into the Bursting Blade, leaving him with no other options.
Facing Moulton, who was now frozen due to the Bursting Blade, the terror and despair on his face were undeniably real. There was no trace of falsehood. Chen Xingran’s expression remained unchanged, just as it was before. The blade rose again, and then it fell again.
However, this time, the arc carved by his blade was even larger, more rounded, resembling the full moon in the sky. The blade swept across the calm water surface, and the forceful wind pushed the water to both sides. In the ubiquitous breeze, water droplets leaped into the air, hovering between Moulton and Chen Xingran, like the boundary between life and death.
In the next instant, the blade descended fiercely, effortlessly splitting the water droplets into two halves, turning them into a pouring rain. Then, with undiminished momentum, it ruthlessly surged towards Moulton’s face!
—Crushing Mountain Stance: Shattering Decay!
-1344!
The broadsword’s extraordinarily high damage was unleashed without reservation, and the terrifying number, comparable to a thunderbolt, floated above Moulton’s head, completely depleting his remaining health!
Even the audience in the live stream, witnessing this scene through the camera, felt as if they had been cleaved open. Their skin shivered involuntarily, and they were left speechless for a long time.
… What a terrifying person.
And what a terrifying blade.
Chen Xingran swung the broadsword, slightly bending forward, executing a whirlwind-like spin with the blade. Following the direction of the broadsword, he repositioned it in his hand and, looking down from above, glanced at the soul mound left by Moulton. There was no extra expression in his eyes.
Then he exited the match, returned to the room, and typed a word on the public screen.
This time, it was an English word.
YeShao: Next.
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