Chapter 225

Because of what happened back then, the Xu Gu contestant was always weaker than the Zheng Shou contestant; and the Zhang family couldn't lift their heads in front of the three Zheng Shou brothers.

And if one dug another layer deeper, having Zhang Zhang Junxue face Gu Guang would be an even more bloody torture to the woman's soul.

That empty sleeve fluttered powerlessly before her. Although less than a year had passed, the man's face seemed to have aged ten years.

She still remembered the gentle and generous smile when they first met last winter. This leader of Zheng Shou was very approachable and cheerful. Xu Gu practiced the saber a lot, and he almost corrected and pointed out every person's mistakes hand-in-hand, almost taking up all of his own practice time.

And at that time, Zhang Zhang Junxue always habitually hid behind her sister, and despite being over twenty years old, she was still afraid of meeting and talking to strangers.

Especially in the overly bright martial arts field, among many strangers, she always felt her clumsy body was too conspicuous. She should have had her legs chopped shorter, her chest and abdomen carved out, her shoulders unloaded... in short, many parts were superfluous. Sometimes she would rather practice the saber alone in the small courtyard, and when she was tired, she would wait for her sister to return, rather than go out to receive the guidance of the masters.

If she had made any friends during those days, it was only this big brother. He seemed to never miss anyone, even this woman who seemed isolated and strange to outsiders.

Their friendship definitely didn't come from Zhang Zhang Junyu. During those days, the two talked freely about saber techniques and verified the "Overlapping Waves". She would always remember that happiness like a kindred spirit.

They discussed many problems about the saber, and he often took her to the martial arts field to practice, introducing this little sister to everyone who came to talk—even though she always had a very hard time squeezing out a greeting to others.

During those days, besides her sister, this big brother was the one who made her feel close and safe.

She still remembered some of the conversations to this day.

"Don't use Qi, let's try arm-wrestling!"

"You have a natural divine bone in this body; in the future, you will surpass me sooner or later."

"Zhang Junxue, that... your sister... does she like to eat spicy food?"

"What's so good about being thin and small? Isn't it just a look that invites protection? We are born big, so wouldn't it be better to be someone who can protect others?"

"Look, how much they envy you."

These words still lingered in her ears. At that time, the man in front of her was warm and steady, not at all like the quiet and silent person he was now.

She also remembered the bare arm of the man when he arm-wrestled with her—warm, pulsating, fresh and powerful, with boiling hot blood surging inside.

Now, only a soft, empty sleeve remained.

Zhang Zhang Junxue looked at the man in front of her, opened her mouth, and really wanted to say something. For example, she actually didn't know that her sister would say so many things, for example, her sister absolutely never thought of harming him.

But in the face of such consequences, explanations just sounded like lies and excuses, and apologies had a kind of lightness that provoked anger.

After all, in the end, she had indeed chosen her sister and kept it from this brother and close friend in front of her.

Not good with words to begin with, she became even more miserable at this time. The way Gu Guang silently wiped his saber made her heart tighten even more.

Those were things from last winter.

They had become enemies, and they had to decide the winner. What else was there to say?

As if unable to breathe, the woman opened her mouth with difficulty and exhaled a turbid breath. Then she silently gripped her saber.

Of course she had to win; of course, she had to win even more.

Amidst the suppression and silence, the tripod chimed, and the clear sound startled the white egrets.

In the very first instant, Gu Guang dashed up, his lapels breaking the wind, and the saber light the man pulled out was straight and heavy.

Without any twists or turns, Zhang Zhang Junxue immediately raised her saber in front. The next moment, a solid "Clang!" resounded through the blue sky.

This martial arts field had already displayed the style of the Fifth Life—Zhang Zhang Mozhu, Li Li Piaoqing, Zhang Zhang Huan... whether exquisite or dashing, the exits and breaks between those moves always made people clap and cheer uncontrollably.

But this kind of pure hard collision of force against force was the first time. There were no fake moves, no avoiding the real to strike the empty, only the hardness and even greater hardness that made people shout with satisfaction.

Gu Guang, with one arm, went from high to low, supporting his body only with the point where the blades crossed.

Zhang Zhang Junxue held her saber horizontally to block. Perhaps for the first time, this woman took the initiative to try hard to look at someone. But Gu Guang's gaze was only on the point where the two blades crossed, and at this time, a look of surprise had already appeared.

But the next moment, he immediately twisted his body and slashed again, an even more overwhelming saber falling toward the woman's blocking saber.

A gap had already appeared in the middle, but Zhang Zhang Junxue's face stiffened for a moment, and she let it go, choosing another timing that was not very good.

The heavy-as-a-thousand-jun slash, the impregnable block—the next moment, the roles of both sides were reversed. The full-force blooming of the Fifth Life was so heart-stopping. Everyone suspected that if one person suddenly couldn't hold on, would the other really have time to withdraw their saber? Or would they just slash their opponent in half?

Gu Guang's full effort was sincere. Holding the saber with one arm was indeed a disadvantage, but the hard work the man had poured in during these days was enough for him to add this awkwardness to his opponent.

Zhang Zhang Junxue did not fall behind at all. The huge saber body was agile and solid in her hands, but the woman always had a silent expression, defending more and attacking less.

It wasn't that she couldn't see or grasp those opportunities, nor was she like her sister, whose emotions walked ahead of her reason. When she decided that she must win, she was already prepared to knock the man off the arena.

It was just that these openings, these delays and clumsiness in the man's body movements, clearly came from... the arm the man was missing.

It was very difficult for Zhang Zhang Junxue to convince herself to strike at such a defect. It wasn't just that she couldn't bear it; a feeling that stung her even more was: it was as if once again, she was conspiring with Shang Shang Huaitong to seize his victory.

She absolutely did not want to play such a role.

Even the "Overlapping Waves", this saber technique that came from Gu Guang, was very difficult for her to turn against him.

Only the "Waist-Slicing Saber", which was a saber technique cleanly learned from the Zhang family. Zhang Zhang Junxue let go of those openings and tried hard to use this saber technique to fight the man in the fairest contest.

And even so, she was still in the upper hand.

With equivalent realms, the woman's god-like root bone occupied all the advantages, not to mention that the man had spent these nine months recovering from his injuries.

And it was precisely when this situation was clearly revealed that the audience on all sides, and even the Zhang family members, suddenly realized that this woman seemed to have already reached the Fifth Life.

The suspense of the top four was still increasing.

After twenty moves, the superiority and inferiority on the field were already very obvious. Although she defended a lot and attacked little, the woman steadily blocked every defense, and every attack made the man step back and grit his teeth.

And it was precisely when the situation became more obvious that Gu Guang, who was suppressed, after another clash of the two sabers, did not return his long saber to the center, but completed an astonishing drift with this momentum.

This was the first time "Skill" appeared in this contest. The long saber drew an arc around his body, and that force was superimposed back in the direction he was knocked away.

Not a single bit off.

The astonishing force erupted suddenly, a terrifying collision stronger than any before. This time, the woman's broad saber finally couldn't gain the upper hand again.

Overlapping Waves.

Gu Guang was the first to use this technique.

If "Yellow Jadeite" was the essence of Bowang's sword, then "Overlapping Waves" was the most excellent saber technique skill in the entire prefecture. The man's single arm actually became an advantage at this time, because he only needed to exert all his strength on the same side.

This was the killer move he was uniquely skilled at.

The long saber sprang up again, and another layer of overlapping waves came with force. Zhang Zhang Junxue stepped back to block, the muscles on her arms bulging with effort, only then did she take this saber that had doubled in force again.

Under this situation, the woman was already on the road to failure.

When she left space for Gu Guang, she had actually delivered the opportunity for victory to him.

Of course, she could still go back on her word at this time and deprive him of the possibility of victory again, as long as she used the Overlapping Waves as well. Once upon a time, he was indeed a warm and powerful brother, a senior on the saber path, who taught and guided her, but now, he was just a broken body.

The third layer of saber momentum came whistling again.

Zhang Zhang Junxue gathered all her Qi, but under this surging accumulation, that natural strange bone also lost its effect. The saber handle trembled violently, and for the first time, she had a feeling of losing her grip. In her field of vision, the huge blade in her hand was already tilted.

But he had entrusted this method to them sisters out of trust, yet he suffered a betrayal that sent him straight into the abyss. Now that he had finally climbed back up, how could she use the sword he taught her to knock him down again?

The woman adjusted with all her might and raised her broad saber again. She would still use her own strength to support the next saber.

The fourth layer was already the limit of her own study of the Overlapping Waves. Back then, the man only deduced it to here, saying that the fifth layer only existed in books.

Gu Guang's body tumbled, and the fourth layer of waves rushed toward her.

For the first time, before they had even clashed, Zhang Zhang Junxue already had a feeling of collapse.

If she were facing herself using the "Overlapping Waves" with the Waist-Slicing Saber, the woman would have been defeated at the second layer. But Gu Guang only used an ordinary full-force slash to overlap the waves, which allowed her to persist until now.

But facing the fourth layer now, she already had a feeling of a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The mountain collapsed toward her.

The collision between the long saber and the heavy saber erupted, and the air waves cleared the dust within three zhang. Shouts rose on the field; no one expected that a collision of weapons without Qi overflowing could reach such a point.

Zhang Zhang Junxue knelt down with a bang in an instant, the saber pressed against her own shoulder, and the majestic force almost shattered the platform through her.

But she held on after all.

The overwhelming force that was difficult to resist brought pressure beyond the limit to both their bodies at the same time. The force generated by the collision penetrated into each other's bodies—resisting, channeling, dissipating... tendons and bones made unbearable groans at the same time. Zhang Zhang Junxue bit her teeth tightly, while Gu Guang had already spat out a mouthful of blood.

And it was at this time that Zhang Zhang Junxue realized that there would be a fifth layer of Overlapping Waves.

She clearly knew that the force release of the final layer would be very obvious. That was the sudden loss of grip when the saber-holder could no longer control this force, and could only choose a direction for its pouring at the last moment.

But now, the force in the man's saber was still firmly constrained by him. This only proved that he still had the remaining strength to control them and accumulate another layer.

Nine months—this man with a broken arm, in a situation where even holding the saber was difficult, had pushed this skill to the limit in the books.

Zhang Zhang Junxue raised her eyes, once again trying hard to look at the man.

This was the rule she set for herself, and she was willing to accept this failure. But at this time, she wanted even more to convey her clumsy and complex gaze to this former brother.

Attachment, regret, apology, grievance... and the pain that could be empathized with.

And this time, she completed the gaze with the man.

That was deep-seated hatred... and a determined will.

The man who had everything destroyed picked up his saber again, gritted his teeth, and walked step by step from the biting cold winter into this golden autumn, not to see the scenery. Honor and cheers, or the so-called generous rewards, had nothing to do with him. There was only suppressed hatred and the anger waiting to be poured out.

Such a gaze already explained everything.

Even though she had been prepared for a long time, Zhang Zhang Junxue still couldn't suppress the sadness she felt. Her friends could be counted on her fingers, so she cherished every one of them.

If she was also a link in the path of revenge... she would accept this fate.

However, the even more violent fifth saber she expected did not come.

This time after the collision, Gu Guang did not borrow the force of the collision to bounce the saber blade away, but stubbornly took this force, pressed the blade against the blade, and then exerted all his strength to press down.

Zhang Zhang Junxue was stunned. She didn't expect the man to use such a method to decide the winner, not only because this was not a guaranteed way to win, but because the saber blades of both were only one step away from the other's neck.

What was decided this way was not the winner... but life and death.

She looked blankly, but this time she was a bit bewildered.

She suddenly noticed that the hatred and determination to die in the man's eyes were actually not directed at her.

That was just because when he practiced this saber technique for so many days, he had engraved that person who must be smashed into ten thousand pieces in his heart. This emotion had long been bound to this killer move. When he used this saber, he was like an injured and angry tiger.

Now, this saber stopped, and this emotion also slowly dissipated.

The man in front of her supported this struggle with all his might. In the woman's bewildered gaze, he slowly clamped the saber handle under his armpit and freed his only hand.

Then, this arm supported his elbow on her broad saber body and placed his palm in front of her.

Zhang Zhang Junxue was instantly dazed.

As if returning to that winter, the arm in front of her was fresh and powerful, with pulsating muscles. Raising her head, the man in front of her revealed a warm smile, just like back then, only his mouth was still overflowing with blood.

"Don't use Qi! This time let's try the left hand."

Zhang Zhang Junxue was stunned and speechless. Her lips trembled, and she raised her arm to slowly grip this equally broad and powerful hand.

The instantly rushing force triggered her subconscious explosion. When she came back to her senses, she had already pressed this hand down on the saber body.

"When you didn't use Overlapping Waves and held my third layer, I knew that your third layer would definitely surpass my fifth layer." Gu Guang looked at her and smiled warmly. "You really surpassed me sooner or later, little Zhang Junxue."

He staggered back, steadied his body, and threw away his long saber.

"Then, I entrust this hatred to you." He said earnestly.

The last person to enter the top eight was born. She walked off the arena with steps heavier than the previous seven, which were the weight of some invisible things.

(End of chapter)