Chapter 38

Just as the students in the four formations were exclaiming over Ji Huai's calm response, a sudden change occurred.

A vine shot up suddenly from the lawn not far in front of Ji Huai and lashed toward his face.

Build the plank road openly, sneak through Chen Cang secretly!

The vine that had just come at him openly was merely Dong Cun's means to confuse Ji Huai!

Ji Huai's expression remained calm; the shield that blocked the fireball swept aside, its edge instantly becoming as sharp as a blade, splitting the vine that had lain hidden in two.

Whoosh!

Three sharp breaking-wind sounds howled toward him.

As Ji Huai dealt with the sneak‑attack vines, Zhu Yuxi finally found a chance to strike; the sharp, slender ice needles met almost no air resistance, their speed so great only an afterimage remained.

Ji Huai slightly turned his side, about to dodge the three ice needles coming head‑on, but in the next instant his expression changed abruptly and he thrust the shield in his hand upward into the empty space beside him.

Clang clang clang!

Three clear ringing sounds rang out, and the shield's surface was instantly studded with three ice needles.

Dong Cun, swinging the vines again, this time aimed not at Ji Huai but at the dazed Zhang Yangwang, intending to bind Zhang Yangwang with the vines and pull him back.

With a muffled thud, an extremely loose iron boot appeared on Ji Huai's ankle out of nowhere; the boot blocked the water hand, letting his foot slip free as if shedding a burden, and his speed surged even further.

Seeing Ji Huai rush at him, Zhang Yangwang was frightened out of his wits, let out a startled cry, and then haphazardly threw a fireball.

The last thing Zhang Yangwang saw before losing consciousness was a fist looming larger and larger before his eyes.

At the moment Ji Huai revealed his ability, Zhang Yangwang had already checked his charge; even if he grew more reckless, he could not engage a weapon‑wielding opponent bare‑handed.

Just then, two vines happened to pass by; before they could strike Ji Huai, Zhang Yangwang's fireball burned them straight to ash.

Just as this rescue seemed about to succeed, Ji Huai suddenly erupted.

Clang—

One of the streams of water swirling around Qin Chuan shot out close to the lawn, forming a water hand beneath Ji Huai's feet that grabbed hard at his ankle.

Ji Huai's long blade quickly reshaped into a shield, blocking all the incoming ice needles, and then, to everyone's astonishment, reshaped again into a metal whip.

Pig teammate!

The other four cursed silently in their hearts, but they had no choice but to rescue Zhang Yangwang.

That fireball wasn't even aimed at Ji Huai; it flew off to the other side.

Zhu Yuxi shot out five or six ice needles in an instant, like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers, trying to block all of Ji Huai's possible moves.

A punch knocked Zhang Yangwang unconscious; Ji Huai's whip lashed out like a venomous snake, with a sharp 'crack' it flicked instantly toward Liu Xinran.

A flick of the shield turned it back into a long blade; Ji Huai gave Liu Xinran, who was as inconspicuous as a speck in the field, a deep glance, then reversed his grip on the blade and charged at Zhang Yangwang.

Crack!

Liu Xinran said nothing, staring at the water hand controlled by Qin Chuan, secretly using her ability to bend light and affect Ji Huai's judgment of the water hand's position.

With a whip's crack, the dancing metal whip ensnared Zhang Yangwang's waist before Dong Cun's vines could, and as Ji Huai gave a hard yank, he pulled Zhang Yangwang close to him.

But Ji Huai's timing was extremely tight, leaving the distance between them under five meters.

Qin Chuan's expression shifted, and he quickly raised his hand.

Two streams of water shot toward Liu Xinran; because they were closer, they intercepted her first, forming a water curtain.

As the long whip tore through the water curtain, the flying droplets coalesced into a hand that seized the whip tight; the hidden current binding instantly triggered, leaving the whip unable to exert force.

Meanwhile, Dong Cun, who had failed to snatch Zhang Yangwang, reacted just as swiftly; his empty‑swinging vines turned and shot straight at Ji Huai.

Ji Huai's weapon is now bound!

Everyone's hearts surged with excitement; although Zhang Yangwang was gone, they finally saw a chance to win.

Zhu Yuxi's hands exuded cold air; the ice needles were primed, waiting only for the vines to strike Ji Huai.

Under the expectant gazes of the four, Ji Huai lifted the hand he had never raised before.

Ding ling~

The sound of metal rings striking each other made the four feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

In the next instant, Ji Huai's other hand gripped the long blade, cleanly cutting the vines, turned his direction to attack Dong Cun, and at the same time he gave a hard pull on the hand holding the whip.

The metal whip locked by Qin Chuan snapped apart, retracting and re‑forming into a short blade.

Thud thud thud~

With hurried sprinting steps, Ji Huai brandished long blade and short blade, striking left and right; an airtight barrage repeatedly cut the incoming vines, then his feet burst with power, leaping high to evade the water hand probing from under his feet.

The short blade turned, its hilt slamming hard into Dong Cun's chin; meanwhile Ji Huai, as if eyes had grown on his back, spun the long blade's flourish into a round shield that instantly blocked the ice needles shooting from behind.

Dong Cun's chin took a heavy blow, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed heavily; Ji Huai's round shield reshaped into a long blade, and like an old ape entering the forest, he stepped with agile phantom footwork, turned, and lunged at Zhu Yuxi.

Zhu Yuxi's expression changed rapidly.

That strike had already exhausted all of her remaining ice needles.

Seeing Ji Huai draw ever closer, a stream of water suddenly appeared in Zhu Yuxi's hand; she instinctively grasped it, and as the cold burst turned the water to ice, she gave Qin Chuan a grateful glance.

Crack—

Accompanied by a freezing sound, as Ji Huai stepped within two meters of Zhu Yuxi, a layer of frost swiftly formed on one of his feet, halting his forward momentum.

His other leg thrust forward hard; as his body recoiled backward, the short blade in his hand turned into a whip that lashed at Zhu Yuxi, while his long blade reshaped into a shield guarding his face and body, blocking her instant ice needles.

A water curtain swiftly rose before Zhu Yuxi, but the metal whip, as if anticipating this, deliberately swept a wide arc and coiled around her waist from behind.

Immense force burst from the metal whip; the next moment Zhu Yuxi lost her balance and, crying out, flew toward Ji Huai.

Ji Huai raised his hand in a punching motion, then flung Zhu Yuxi aside, shook off his leg which had recovered after leaving the frozen zone, turned and lunged at Qin Chuan; the long whip and round shield simultaneously dissolved and re‑formed into a heavy halberd, which he brought down toward Qin Chuan's head.

Clang—

The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the arena.

The two water hands clasped together, firmly locking the halberd blade above Qin Chuan's head, preventing any advance.

Within the colorless, transparent current surged countless dark granules; under the spotlight they occasionally flashed a cold gleam, like dark stars turning.

Qin Chuan casually tossed the bag of iron powder in his hand, and his eyes sharpened.

Zhou Zixiu's words reverberated in his mind.

Never underestimate the power of water.

(End of chapter)