Chapter 131: First Battle

"The match begins."

The Confucian scholar high above gave an order, and the light barriers around the training ground reappeared.

At almost the same moment, the Elder of the Green Spear moved his arm, and the Golden Li Spear suddenly appeared in his hand, thrusting straight toward Wang Yu across the distance.

Wang Yu was still bewildered when a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air—a golden streak flashed into view a zhang away, streaking toward his brow.

"So fast."

Wang Yu’s eyes flickered; his upper body swayed slightly, his feet planted firmly in place, yet he dodged the golden streak, which vanished into the ground behind him, leaving a small hole the width of a finger.

But this was only the beginning.

Opposite him, the Elder of the Green Spear flicked his wrist; the spear in his hand blurred, multiplying into a vast array of spear shadows that thrust forward again.

"Swoosh." "Swoosh."

A dense chorus of whistling sounds erupted before Wang Yu, as countless golden streaks surged forth.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes, flipped his hand, and a long blue blade appeared in his grip. He swung his arm, and a vast wave of blue blade shadows erupted, slicing every golden streak into shreds.

Not only that—he then sheathed the long blade at his waist, gripped the hilt with one hand, bent his body slightly, and suddenly growled, "Drawcut Technique."

He kicked off the ground, shattering a large patch beneath his feet, and shot forward like a black shadow—followed by a flash of snowy-white blade light.

"Clang!" A metallic clash rang out between the two figures.

Wang Yu now stood close before the Elder of the Green Spear, his blue blade held upside-down—directly above the Elder’s head, where it had been forcibly blocked by the bronze spear.

"You—"

The Elder of the Green Spear’s face flickered with surprise; he opened his mouth to speak, but Wang Yu roared, and his arm suddenly thickened by a full circle.

The blue blade, previously held back, pressed downward with force.

The Elder’s face changed; he stepped back two paces, retracted his spear, then swung it back in a blur—its surface faintly glowing with ten pale golden spirit runes, transforming the spear into a brilliant gold.

Wang Yu didn’t hesitate—he reversed his blade and slashed upward.

"Clang!" The blue blade shattered like tofu, cleaved cleanly in two by the golden spear.

Wang Yu froze—but in that instant, the spear became a streak of light, slashing down with such speed that not even its shadow could be seen, leaving no chance to dodge.

But at that moment, a glint of crystal light flashed in Wang Yu’s eyes.

The Elder of the Green Spear felt his spear tremble slightly, as if pulled sideways by an unseen force.

"Boom."

The golden spear slid past Wang Yu’s shoulder, missing its target, and slammed into the ground beside him.

A thunderous crash.

A long trench appeared on the ground.

At the same moment, Wang Yu drew a deep breath; his body swelled outward, then exhaled—a thick white mist rolled out, his upper body expanding violently again, tearing his upper garments apart to reveal a ferocious tiger tattoo on his back, while golden mist rose around him.

Seeing this, the Elder of the Green Spear’s pupils contracted; he retracted his spear, split his hands apart, and the spear divided into two shorter golden spears.

The Elder moved his arms—the two short spears instantly became twin streaks, piercing straight for Wang Yu’s abdomen. Though still some distance away, the spearheads’ golden points arrived first, like sharp cones.

Wang Yu’s feet shifted, his body recoiling like a spring.

But the Elder moved just as swiftly, the two short spears continuing their pursuit as streaks of light—his speed nearly matched Wang Yu’s, who had trained in the Wolf Sprint Diagram.

Wang Yu was startled. As his backward flight ended, he twisted his body the instant he touched the ground, dropping onto all fours, then exploded sideways with all four limbs—landed, then leapt sideways again…

"Swoosh." "Swoosh."

Wang Yu circled the Elder of the Green Spear, leaping wildly with the Wolf Sprint, his form vanishing among a blur of afterimages.

The Elder of the Green Spear’s heart tightened; he halted his steps.

At that moment, several beast afterimages from all around lunged forward, claws slashing—before they even reached him, the hissing of their fingers tearing through the air reached his ears.

Seeing this, the Elder’s eyelid twitched; he suddenly snorted.

The sound was quiet, but to Wang Yu’s ears, it was like thunder.

He felt his mind "buzz"—his body went rigid, the beast afterimages instantly dissolving, his true form exposed as he tumbled down from midair.

The Elder of the Green Spear showed a hint of triumph, but his two golden short spears did not pause—he crossed them and slashed forward.

Two golden blade shadows flashed and shot toward Wang Yu’s body.

"Puff."

In midair, Wang Yu twisted his body and landed heavily on the ground ahead of the blades, avoiding them entirely.

"Impossible."

The Elder of the Green Spear stared, unable to believe his eyes.

His once-perfect mental technique had suddenly failed—his mind plunged into chaos.

At the same moment, Wang Yu stomped the ground again and surged forward like a phantom.

The Elder had no time to think—he swung both spears again, conjuring a storm of spear shadows, thrusting them at his opponent.

But this time, deep within Wang Yu’s eyes, crystal light flashed repeatedly—his body did not dodge or evade; instead, his arms, sheathed in golden bracers, shot out like lightning and seized the tips of both golden spears simultaneously amid the dense shadows.

The Elder of the Green Spear was stunned—he twisted his wrists; ten golden spirit runes glowed on each spear, ready to sever Wang Yu’s hands.

But at that instant, Wang Yu released his grip, shook his arms—and vanished into blur.

The next moment, a piercing shriek erupted.

The Elder of the Green Spear saw a flash—over a dozen pale golden fist shadows surged before him, striking his body in rapid succession.

"Boom." "Boom." "Boom"…

At the moment of impact, a solid golden armor-like aura spontaneously formed on the Elder’s body—but under the relentless barrage of fists, it shattered and dissolved within a single breath.

The Elder screamed, his body flung backward by the sonic punch, his jade pendant at his waist cracking apart, and both spears flying from his grasp.

"Boom."

The Elder of the Green Spear crashed heavily onto the ground several zhang away, his clothes torn, motionless—as if unconscious.

Outside the training ground, on all the stone platforms, silence fell.

(It’s too late tonight—don’t wait for Chapter Two. I’ve had family matters these past few days and can only write at night, so updates are late. It should return to normal in a couple of days.)