Ji Xinghuo opened the opponent’s profile, and like himself, they were in anonymous mode, so he couldn’t see any information.
However, he could still glean so things from the character the opponent played.
To ensure the best performance, people usually create models on the Martial Arts Platform that scan and mimic their own bodies.
This ant the opponent’s real-life physique was very likely similar to the character in front of him.
"A woman one ter eighty..."
Ji Xinghuo admired aloud, she was as tall as himself.
Even in the 23rd century, it was rare to see won that tall.
Moreover, her figure was near perfect, plump where it should be, slim where it should be, with curves following the golden ratio, especially a pair of long legs, straight and lofty, agile and light, rely standing there they were a delightful sight to behold.
The countdown began.
Ji Xinghuo shook off the cluttered thoughts and, like the over a thousand matches he had fought before, stepped towards the middle of the light screen, facing the opponent directly, trying to exert pressure on her.
This showed absolute confidence in his strength, showcasing a strong desire to attack.
As soon as Ji Xinghuo made his move, she moved too.
Both were advancing towards each other, like converging from opposite directions. Sensing this, both stopped in their tracks to observe the other more carefully. Then the next second, they continued moving forward again, not stepping back because the opponent made the sa choice.
The two of them, separated by the light screen, moved and stopped in complete sync, as if they were looking into a mirror.
But this ti, neither of them stopped again.
10, 9, 8...
The mont the countdown hit zero and the light screen disappeared, they were only three steps apart, swords and War Blades moving in unison, attacking each other closely.
Ji Xinghuo realized as soon as he took action that her speed was faster than his own.
Her Sword Blade would stab him half a step quicker.
He imdiately changed his sword move, from a slash to a burst, the War Blade clashing with the opponent’s Longsword, trying to block the attack and aim for her arm in succession.
Right when the swords were about to collide, the Longsword suddenly spun counter-clockwise, rendering the attack void.
The Longsword, like a venomous snake, weaved around the War Blade striking from below toward Ji Xinghuo’s abdon, and her empty hand slapped towards the Sword Blade, her palm covered with Iron Shirt Force, unafraid of the blade’s sharpness.
"Iron Shirt Force."
Ji Xinghuo recognized it in ti and sidestepped, allowing the Longsword to pass by his abdon by a hair’s breadth.
His War Blade reversed back, hilt dropping down, and he struck her incoming knee with the poml, generating a muffled ’thud’. The collision between the knee and hilt prevented her from exerting force, so the Longsword failed to slice open Ji Xinghuo’s abdon and only cut his clothing.
Ji Xinghuo seized the opportunity to Flash Step, moving to her side.
He swung his blade.
The War Blade cut through an afterimage; almost simultaneously, she Flash Stepped, and Ji Xinghuo sensed a Longsword attacking his ribs, prompting him to Flash Step again.
Both the Sword and the blade struck empty air.
But this was just the beginning.
Ji Xinghuo used Flash Step four consecutive tis, delivering four strikes, each one more ruthless than the last, while his opponent always managed to evade at the critical mont and imdiately counterattacked, each sword attack faster and more fierce than the last, forcing him to Flash Step and counter in turn.
They exchanged blows, with flashes of Sword Blade and War Blade enveloping a few ters around them, positions swapping nurous tis, fraught with peril.
However, a series of attacks had caused no damage.
Even the swords had not touched each other once.
Ji Xinghuo was surprised beyond belief, with his Microscopic Perception, he was constantly aware of all the movents around him, yet he couldn’t quite handle this opponent.
Every strike he made was slightly different, never mindlessly hacking based on speed.
Alternating speeds, he delivered his strikes.
Yet, she could always make the correct judgnt, her reactions were unbelievably fast, she never showed a hint of vulnerability from start to finish, nor did she fall into the trap of being worn down by defense; instead, she took a defensive posture to launch even sharper counterattacks at him.
While his thoughts raced, Ji Xinghuo disappeared again, but this ti it wasn’t Flash Step.
Instant Step!
He moved as if he teleported, passing through her sword light unscathed, the tip of the blade seeking her heart like a venomous snake.
In the eyes of most people, Flash Step and Instant Step appeared no different, both equally fast.
But in the eyes of a master, the two could not be more different.
Finally, her gaze showed a trace of fluctuation, but it was not shock or consternation, just mild surprise. She remained calm, retreating explosively and using Flash Step in the opposite direction to face Ji Xinghuo directly. Her Longsword, spinning several tis faster than before, was positioned in front of her chest.
Clang!
For the first ti since the exchange began, the swords t head-on, creating a sonorous clash of tal.
Ji Xinghuo’s blade bore the "Piercing Force," which could grant his weapon greater Penetration. The War Blade’s tip hit the Sword Blade but slid off slightly, as if hitting an invisible shield, and the force was sowhat diminished.
He had anticipated all this and his Star Force burst forth intensely.
Power over finesse!
Following his Instant Step, Ji Xinghuo used Flash Step once more, both hands bracing the hilt as his whole being charged at the opponent like a high-speed train.
One retreating, one advancing, the distance between them never widened. In fact, it closed even more.
Retreating was obviously not as conducive to attacking as advancing, making it difficult to exert force.
A snap sounded.
Under the dual onslaught of the War Blade tip and the Star Force, her Longsword finally broke. The residual force of Ji Xinghuo’s War Blade carried forward, the blade piercing into her chest.
In such a dire situation, she did not panic. She had already abandoned her sword, her hands clamping onto Ji Xinghuo’s Sword Blade, her palms as tough as iron, halting the blade’s montum as it struggled to penetrate her skin.
Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo retracted his blade and stepped back to stand firm.
He stood at the edge of the platform, while his opponent was now in mid-air beyond the platform, with no leverage to return.
She realized this too and a hint of resignation appeared on her face as she let herself fall.
A flash of white light.
The two returned to their original positions, separated by the light screen in the middle of the ring.
"Not easy."
Ji Xinghuo shook his head silently. This exchange, lasting scarcely half a minute, drained more of his spirit and energy than any fight he had before.
This was the first ti soone had lasted more than ten seconds against him since he gained Microscopic Perception.
And the victory was hard-won.
A slight misstep could have led to defeat.
Ji Xinghuo couldn’t help sizing up his opponent again; she was definitely not a Ninth Dan in Martial Arts, at least a Martial Arts Grandmaster... No, he imdiately realized his mistake. Even Tu Hongda was a Martial Arts Grandmaster, but he didn’t have such a strong oppressive aura, the difference in strength was more than just a notch.
Martial Arts Grandmaster?
An idea flashed through Ji Xinghuo’s mind. A height of one ter eighty, a Sword user, and a female Martial Arts Grandmaster – globally, there was only one person who fit these characteristics.
Zhao Manying!
"Holy shit?"
His heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t this too much of a coincidence? He had actually ended up against Zhao Manying on the Martial Arts Platform, and beaten her!
Zhao Manying’s popularity was soaring.
Her led Emperor Star Team had achieved back-to-back championships in the Asian Super League. During these two seasons, they defeated nurous top teams from different countries and won the international invitational tournant three tis in a row.
Even if Zhao Manying were to retire now, she would still make it into the top ten in the world league history.
Moreover, she was still young.
At the end of last year, after achieving the feat of winning five championships, her ranking on the ladder also soared.
Ladder number one!
This was the glory all Mutants dreamt of, aning she was the first person below the Legendary level globally.
The title of number one on the ladder resonated more than most of the Legendary, and all those who’ve been number one on the ladder had not only advanced to Legendary but often beca Heavenly Kings.
Ji Xinghuo suddenly felt a surreal sensation.
At that mont, the other side sent a request for a rematch, which he hesitated over but accepted.
The countdown appeared on the light screen.
Both were observing their opponent. Ji Xinghuo’s mindset had shifted slightly after guessing she was Zhao Manying, putting more emphasis on this globally renowned opponent. On the other side of the light screen, his opponent was also observing him, her eyes filled with a bit of doubt but more with the desire to defeat a strong adversary.
In the second round, neither side launched an aggressive attack.
As the light screen disappeared, Ji Xinghuo, holding his War Blade, shifted left and right, his gaze fixed on his opponent, looking for an opportunity to strike.
She did the sa.
The two slowly circled around the midpoint at a distance.
"Zhao Manying?"
Ji Xinghuo suddenly spoke out, testing the waters.
This was his first ti speaking on the Martial Arts Platform. Using his genuine voice, which could be identified as a young person’s at first listen – she raised her eyebrows in response, asking, "Who are you? I don’t rember any Grandmaster who’s used this alias before, nor have I seen you."
Her voice was different from what he rembered of Zhao Manying.
Could it be a voice modulator?
Ji Xinghuo was sowhat uncertain now.
He suddenly recalled the day he beca a Mutant, when Zhao Manying ascended to Super Mutant status, causing a global sensation, while he was just a nobody his age.
So he said in an indifferent tone, "I’m just a nobody."
"Is that so?" She obviously didn’t believe him, sizing up Ji Xinghuo again, then suddenly proposed, "Let’s bet on the outco of this round. Whoever loses has to reveal their identity to the other. How about it?"
Ji Xinghuo hesitated.
He was 99% certain that his opponent was Zhao Manying. He would be at a loss with this wager.
"You disagree?" She smiled, full of confidence in her face, "I can add more stakes, or you can set a condition as well."
"No need for that, let’s just go ahead," Ji Xinghuo shook his head. "I won’t lose."
"Hehe..."
"I like confident n," she said with ease, "But I like defeating confident n even more."
Before the words ended, she had already appeared in front of Ji Xinghuo, attacking with her sword.
Ding.
Ji Xinghuo was on guard and raised his hand to block. His War Blade and the Longsword collided solidly, sparking a shower of sparks.
Both of their weapons were imbued with Star Force, and the invisible force burst out, causing Ji Xinghuo to involuntarily retreat several steps. The force transmitted through the War Blade was much greater than anticipated, almost double.
Block and Counterattack?
Ji Xinghuo now understood that she could perform a Block and Counterattack with her Longsword, rebounding his own force back at him.
In the lightning-fast mont of weapon collision, seizing the opportunity to perform a Block and Counterattack in such a brief instant was extrely difficult.
Even he couldn’t guarantee success every ti.
"Even if she isn’t Zhao Manying, her strength is definitely not far off," Ji Xinghuo thought, but his actions were not the slightest bit delayed. He perford a Flash Step smoothly before his opponent’s Longsword onslaught could reach him, instantly creating an eight-ter distance, spanning half the ring, far beyond the range of the Longsword’s attack.
Her expression showed faint surprise, and she imdiately pursued.
As soon as Ji Xinghuo steadied himself, he used Flash Step again, attacking back. His War Blade t the opponent’s Longsword, and the two instantly locked into combat.
Two figures leaped across the ring, enveloped in the glimr of sword light, accompanied by the clangor of tal striking tal.
A world-class Martial Arts showdown unfolded.
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