ALL NOVEL Chapter 76: Winning
"Senior brother, does it seem like that boy is going to lose?" Xuan Ziwen sighed regretfully.
"Not necessarily. That child has a sharp mind. He might come up with a way to break the deadlock," Ran Yuming responded with a faint smile.
How could his disciple lose so easily?
"Oh?" Xuan Ziwen raised an eyebrow, now thoughtfully observing the two on stage.
...
The two combatants were evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand for the moment.
The audience was thoroughly entertained, but this was not what Su Luoheng wanted. If the battle dragged on, the first to exhaust their spirit power would certainly be him, given his lower rank.
He had to find a way to break the stalemate!
Su Luoheng's eyes flashed with determination as he locked onto Xiheng.
In the next instant, Su did something that caught everyone off guard: he launched a frenzied attack toward Xiheng, as if he was betting everything on this one offensive!
This reckless assault didn't seem capable of harming Xiheng, serving only to waste Su Luoheng's spirit power. Though Xiheng didn't understand Su's intent, he simply focused on defense, waiting for Su Luoheng to wear himself out.
Xiheng adopted a defensive posture, allowing Su Luoheng's frenzied attacks to drain his energy. Indeed, after the continuous, reckless offensive, Su Luoheng's stamina and spirit power sharply declined.
Seeing this, Xiheng smirked.
"What is Su Luoheng thinking? Has he given up?"
"With the gap in spirit power, I'd do the same if I were Su Luoheng. Might as well go all out and hope for a miracle."
"Sigh… it's over."
The audience sighed in resignation as they watched the match unfold.
Among the higher-level Spirit Masters observing the match, aside from Ran Yu, most had already written Su Luoheng off. In such a situation, turning the tables seemed nearly impossible.
At that moment...
"Now it's my turn!" Xiheng declared confidently.
Seeing Su Luoheng falter, Xiheng, certain of victory, shifted from defense to offense. With a flick of his wrist, his Crimson Flame Sword unleashed a red blade aura aimed directly at Su Luoheng!
The situation was extremely unfavorable for Su Luoheng.
However, just then, Su Luoheng raised his right hand above his head. Simultaneously, a yellow and a purple spirit ring appeared at his feet, their radiant glow illuminating the battlefield!
Spirit power rapidly gathered in Su Luoheng's hand, forming a dark red sword!
Its form, aura, and energy fluctuation were nearly identical to Xiheng's Crimson Flame Sword!
With his newly formed sword, Su Luoheng unleashed a crimson blade aura of his own.
Boom!
The two blade auras collided and annihilated each other.
"How is this possible?!" Xiheng's eyes widened in shock, his expression filled with disbelief.
How could Su Luoheng also possess the Crimson Flame Sword?
But before he could think any further, Su Luoheng, now wielding two swords, rushed forward to attack!
Xiheng quickly gathered his spirit power, activating his two earth-yellow spirit rings. His Crimson Flame Sword suddenly erupted with a brilliant red light as he charged headlong at Su Luoheng's attack.
Under Su Luoheng's deliberate control, the two identical Crimson Flame Swords clashed once more.
Crack, crack!
A series of sharp cracking sounds echoed as the replica sword in Su Luoheng's hand shattered into countless fragments, scattering through the air.
Anticipating this, Su Luoheng dispersed the fragments using his spirit power to obscure Xiheng's vision. At the same time, he flipped backward, narrowly avoiding Xiheng's sword strike.
"It's broken?!" Xiheng stared at the shattered sword in disbelief.
Before he could react, Su Luoheng bent his arm, and with a swift motion, he slashed toward Xiheng's neck.
Xiheng felt a cold shiver on his neck, but just in time, the protective white glow of his defensive spirit tool activated, blocking Su Luoheng's potentially fatal strike. The activation of the spirit tool also signaled the end of the match.
"I won."
Su Luoheng sheathed his Ice-Cold Sword, a faint smile forming on his lips. The victory was his after all!
With a thud, Xiheng collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Everything had happened in a flash, and for the first time, he had felt so close to death.
The referee, visibly impressed by the young man standing before him, announced in a loud voice, "The winner of the second-year spirit master tournament is Su Luoheng!"
Instantly, the arena erupted in cheers!
Even though most of the audience didn't quite understand how Su Luoheng had won, they knew one thing: victory spoke for itself.
In the stands, Ran Yuming had expected this outcome. Smiling, he turned to Xuan Ziwen. "Well, Ziwen, wasn't I right?"
"Senior brother, the child you've taken under your wing is indeed extraordinary…" Xuan Ziwen reflected on the battle and remarked in amazement, "That sword must be related to a spirit ability, right?"
"Yes, but I didn't expect him to use it in such a way," Ran Yuming said with a proud smile. Su Luoheng had achieved an impressive victory against a stronger opponent, a near-perfect performance that filled his teacher with pride.
At that moment, Jing Hongchen, seated in the center, spoke up.
"Ran, your disciple is truly remarkable…"
"It's rare to receive such praise from the Hall Master," Ran Yuming said with a smile. "This boy is fortunate to have won both second-year competitions. Hall Master Jing, about the reward…"
"Hahaha!" Jing Hongchen laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Since he won both championships, the reward will certainly be adjusted. Don't worry, the academy never shorts any of its students."
"In that case, I thank you on the boy's behalf," Ran Yuming said with a courteous bow.
"I should be thanking you, Ran, for discovering such a talent for our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy!" Jing Hongchen laughed again, his mood lifted by the discovery of such an exceptional student. To him, the joy of uncovering new talent was greater than creating a ninth-level soul tool.
As Ran Yuming and Jing Hongchen chatted, the audience was buzzing with discussions.
"Did Su Luoheng really win?"
"Wasn't Xiheng in the lead the whole time? How did he lose so suddenly?"
"Did you guys see it? Su Luoheng pulled out a sword that was just like Xiheng's!"
Meanwhile, on the stage.
After the referee announced the results, Su Luoheng gathered his Ice-Cold Sword and began walking off the stage.
"Su Luoheng!"
A voice called out behind him.
Su Luoheng paused and turned around, his expression calm.
"What is it?"
There was a hint of frustration in Xiheng's eyes as he stared at Su Luoheng, still confused. "That sword you suddenly summoned… how did you do it?"
He couldn't figure out how Su Luoheng had produced an exact replica of the Crimson Flame Sword.
"You mean this?" Su Luoheng raised an eyebrow, a glint of purple flashing in his eyes. With a flick of his wrist, a crimson sword appeared out of thin air in his previously empty hand.
"Yes, that's the one! How did you do that?" Xiheng's voice was filled with emotion as he pointed at the sword.
"This?" Su Luoheng replied with a slight smile. "It's just a spirit ability…"