Chapter 130: A Light Touch

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: A Light Touch

The bright silver butterflies were a fleeting sight.

They appeared for only a few seconds, just as Li Heng and Lu Bichuan passed each other, and then vanished completely.

"Just now... what was that?"

"Butterflies? Did I just see butterflies?"

"What happened?"

"Why did they both suddenly stop moving?"

When the illusions of leaves and butterflies vanished, all the students could see were Li Heng and Lu Bichuan in the training grounds, standing back-to-back and motionless, weapons in hand.

No one knew what had just happened!

And upon seeing the leaves vanish and the butterflies appear, Qian Yun was left completely dumbfounded.

A Grandmaster had once commented on Lu Bichuan’s Profound Leaf Blade Technique, saying that within a three-meter radius, he was invincible!

The closer the distance, the greater its power.

The distance between them just now was one meter at most. Yet, at that range, Lu Bichuan’s blade technique had been brought to a dead stop?!

Most importantly, Qian Yun couldn’t see how Lu Bichuan’s blade had been stopped. Like everyone else, all she saw was a flash of butterflies, and then nothing.

But Lu Bichuan’s blade wouldn’t have just stopped for no reason. Besides, at that distance and with that much momentum, it was clearly impossible for him to pull back his attack!

The only explanation was that Li Heng—the one who scored 4,000 points—had made a move to stop Lu Bichuan. But aside from the butterflies, Qian Yun had seen nothing.

—

Chen Bingjing’s eyes were wide as well. Although she had suspected deep down that Li Heng was holding back and would likely draw his sword...

...she never expected that all she would see were bright silver butterflies. She hadn’t seen Li Heng draw his sword at all!

Or rather... she couldn’t see his sword draw clearly. But just from the looks of it, Chen Bingjing guessed the fight was over.

While the student spectators had no idea what had just transpired, Lu Bichuan, one of the participants, was drenched in a cold sweat that had soaked through his entire back.

Because what had occurred in those few seconds, right when Lu Bichuan thought he was about to strike Li Heng, had utterly shattered his understanding of combat!

First Form: Bridge of Leaves!

It was the move he had mastered most thoroughly after learning the Profound Leaf Blade Technique, and it was also his most reliable offensive technique.

Especially at close range. Within the Soul Pupil Realm, he had no equal. In fact, within a three-meter radius in all of Gongtong City, he was practically invincible. Even the strongest student from his city didn’t dare fight him up close!

And yet, just a moment ago, when he thought the outcome was already decided, something unexpected happened. Just as his blade was about to land, Li Heng dodged his attack from an impossibly bizarre angle!

Not only that, but at that very moment, Lu Bichuan felt a tremendous force travel up his right hand, the one holding the Black Leaf Blade!

It was so powerful it made his entire arm go numb. Even now, his right forearm was still trembling uncontrollably!

And as for the butterflies... Lu Bichuan had seen them more clearly than anyone. They had all appeared on his Black Leaf Blade!

He focused his gaze and saw a chip on the edge of his Black Leaf Blade...

Lu Bichuan knew full well that his physical conditioning was already approaching the level of a Soul Warrior. It was no exaggeration to say that ever since he started practicing the Profound Leaf Blade Technique, he had never met his match in terms of pure strength.

Any opponents he did face were his equals at best!

But from the terrifying force that had just traveled up his Black Leaf Blade, Lu Bichuan understood. He had lost in terms of strength, and he had lost miserably.

On top of that, Li Heng hadn’t moved from the start. He had waited until Lu Bichuan was right on top of him before making his move.

This meant that he, Lu Bichuan, hadn’t just been defeated in strength; he had been utterly crushed in speed as well!

’I lost in both strength and speed!’

The outcome of this sparring match was naturally decided.

’Actually... the outcome was probably decided from the very beginning, wasn’t it...’

Lu Bichuan replayed the fight in his mind. He had opened with his strongest attack, aiming straight for his opponent’s chest. His offensive had been swift and fierce, without a shred of hesitation.

But Li Heng had defeated him with incredible ease, and in the end, had only attacked his weapon!

With that kind of strength and speed, Lu Bichuan guessed that if Li Heng had attacked first, he wouldn’t have even had time to react.

He’d be on the ground, severely injured and unable to fight.

As he compared their actions, Lu Bichuan felt a faint sense of shame.

He had struck first, and with his strongest move, aimed right at the other guy’s chest!

In contrast, Li Heng had shown him immense respect. To ensure his defeat wasn’t too humiliating, he had only struck his weapon.

"Thank you for holding back, Li Heng! I truly... owe you a favor! For the rest of our time at Meteor University, I’ll be in your care!"

Lu Bichuan replayed the entire exchange in his mind, then sheathed his Black Leaf Blade and gave Li Heng a sincere bow. ’A 4,000-point big shot,’ he thought with genuine awe, ’is the real deal!’

"You’re too kind, Lu Bichuan! It was a friendly match, so there’s no need to talk about favors. As for our future at the university, I’ll be counting on your guidance as well, Lu Tongxue!"

The other man had already sheathed his blade and conceded, his etiquette was impeccable, and it had only been a friendly spar to begin with. So, Li Heng bowed to Lu Bichuan in return.

It would have been one thing if Li Heng were just being polite, but when Lu Bichuan saw Li Heng bow to him, he grew flustered. He bowed back again before quickly waving his hands and helping Li Heng stand up straight.

After helping Li Heng up, the two fell into a tacit back-and-forth of pleasantries. In the end, Li Heng and Lu Bichuan exchanged contact information.

—

Although Lu Shengming was the referee, he didn’t announce the outcome. The result was plain to see, so he didn’t bother.

More importantly, from the moment Li Heng had made his move, Lu Shengming had been lost in thought. ’Did Li Heng just swing seven times, or was it eight... no, it felt more like nine?’

’Since when could he, a Top-level Great Soul Warrior, fail to see through the number of sword strikes from a newly minted Soul Warrior?!’

Lu Shengming knew the "Future Sword Dao Grandmaster" title recorded in Li Heng’s recommendation evaluation wasn’t baseless.

’But wasn’t this speed a little too ridiculous?’

Lu Bichuan’s blade technique was already quite masterful, and his attack had been about to connect. But in just a few seconds...

...Li Heng had managed to both evade and counterattack?!

This was the first time Lu Shengming had seen Li Heng in action. It had only been for a few seconds, but it left him deeply unsettled. Those four words from Li Heng’s evaluation kept echoing in his mind.

—

Qian Yun was already reeling from the shock of Lu Bichuan’s defeat. Once she processed it, she could only marvel at Li Heng’s incredible power.

And when she saw Li Heng bow to Lu Bichuan even after winning, she couldn’t help but mutter under her breath.

"Holy shit! What kind of perfect guy is he? He’s kinda handsome, too!"

Bai Shasha had watched the entire exchange, silently clenching her fists, a light glinting in her eyes. She hadn’t said a single word, but after overhearing Qian Yun muttering to herself...

...the silent, flat-chested loli suddenly spoke, her voice cold.

"How about a spar... Qian Yun? JUST! A! FRIENDLY! SPAR!" Bai Shasha bit out the last four words with extreme emphasis.