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Chapter 522 - Battle Of Swordsmanship
Chapter 522 - Battle Of Swordsmanship
Standing opposite Su Lan, Adam didn't sense any aggression or malice coming from her, and she practised the Still Blossom Blade. A sword style famed in her family and known for its elegance and beauty, but also its speed and power.
Adam had watched all of her matches up until that point, but unlike with most the others, he was unable to learn and understand her how the Still Blossom Blade worked.
He needed to experience it for himself and observe it up close to do so, and this was the perfect opportunity.
Since 4 intense battles were taking place at the same time between the quarter-finalists, it was too much for the Branch Master to oversee alone, so he instructed three of his most capable subordinates to watch the other battles, while he personally observed Adam's.
Bursting towards Adam, her movements were swift, and it was almost as if she was floating, with her feet barely touching the ground as she covered the 20-metre distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Then slashing downwards with her Still Blossom Blade Sword Style, all that was seen was a red streak that her blade left behind.
Adam saw the attack coming and blocked it, but was only barely able to do so and not confident in facing her sword style head-on yet, but she continued attacking him and seemed to have the upper hand.
She had forced Adam completely onto the defensive, and as the name suggests, the Still Blossom Blade was a very calm and elegant sword style. It was mesmerising to watch, but one shouldn't underestimate it, as it was one of the most deadly sword styles there were.
It was the first time that Adam had struggled in one of the battles, and her output of power wasn't much greater than his, which went to show just how talented and skilled she was with the sword.
Despite their plain outwards appearance, her sword strikes were all calculated and complex, much more than he had initially thought from watching them.
Her body, mind and blade were so calm that there was almost no way to predict how or when she would attack, while there also seemed to be an illusion aspect to her sword style.
Adam's senses were engulfed in the smell of flowers and it made his body relax slightly and believe that it was in a flower field, which was just one of the capabilities of her Still Blossom Blade Style.
The red streaks her blade left behind seemed to be intentional and would confuse the enemy even more, with it being hard to follow her blade, and Adam couldn't help but be impressed by the sword style.
He understood why her opponents had struggled so much and were defeated quickly, while he could still tell that she was still holding back, which was amazing.
However, although on the defensive and being pushed back by her onslaught of attacks, Adam still didn't use any more power than an early Advanced Cultivator and wanted to defeat her with skill and not raw power.
After he experienced her attacks for himself, Adam was sure that she would have come out on top in the regional tournament, and catching a glimpse at the other stages, there wasn't anybody who caught his eyes.
Although, obviously, they were all powerful, capable and very talented, it wasn't as much as Gong Yunru and Su Lan, who Adam pitied. Gong Yunru had come against him in the first round, while he was also going to have to stop Su Lan from going any further, when they both had great skill and power.
However, he would deal with that after he won the tournament, for now, he was completely focused on defeating Su Lan.
In his mind, using any more power than an early Advanced Cultivator, even if she used the power of a Master Cultivator, meant that he lost as he streamed as much energy as he could into his Mind Ring.
His head started aching, but was also clearer than ever before and he felt as though he could see and feel everything around him perfectly without even trying, as he focused on Su Lan's sword strikes.
From what Adam had seen so far, her Still Blossom Blade required one to become absent-minded and instinctively follow the flow of the sword, this way her attacks were almost impossible to predict.
Well, that was the theory behind it and entering such a trance was almost impossible, especially in the heat of battle, but impressive, her distant and calm temperament didn't waver in the slightest even as Adam began to mimic her sword strikes.
The longer their battle went on, the more he understood her Still Blossom Blade and used what he learnt against her, allowing him to start evening out the playing field.
It had already been a few minutes since their battle had started and the entire time, all that was seen was sparks and red streaks that their blades left behind, with them clashing their swords dozens of times every single second.
For the Branch Master who was watching the fight, it was an unbelievable battle of swordsmanship and their skill was greater than even his own when it came to using the blade.
In a battle against Su Lan, the Branch Master was confident he could win, but only because he would overpower her with his cultivation, and not with his skill.
And yet, Adam's sword skills seemed to be improving by the second, with Su Lan continually increasing her output of power and the complexity of her attacks, but to no avail.
The harder she tried, the better Adam seemed to become, while Adam had unknowingly entered an ethereal trance and had gained a new skill.
One that he had been subconsciously developing each and every time he fought against a tough opponent.
Finally, he had managed to grasp it and awaken it completely.
The Ethereal Combat Trance