Er murmured, feeling a sudden flash of light before his eyes. He squinted, and there, unmistakably in Zhong's palm, rested a lotus flower of pure, golden yellow!
The radiance emanating from this golden lotus was remarkably soft, allowing everyone present to gaze upon it directly. Paradoxically, this very gentleness made their astonishment deepen!
"What, what is this?"
"A lotus?" "Could it be composed of Dou Qi?"
The mere mention of "Dou Qi" sent a jolt through everyone's body. Connecting it to Zhong Shenxiu's previous words, the crowd finally realized that Zhong Shenxiu was demonstrating the ultimate form of his "Dou Qi Control Method"!
Just as they strained their eyes, determined to decipher the mystery within, Zhong Shenxiu spoke, his tone as level as before: "Watch closely now; I will only demonstrate this once!"
In truth, even without his reminder, not a single person dared to look away, afraid to even blink lest they miss the smallest detail!
Zhong Shenxiu merely gave a slight shake of his palm, and the golden lotus appeared to shed its petals simultaneously. They shot outward in unison, flying directly toward the distant practice targets!
The speed was so incredible that the onlookers could only perceive the direction the golden petals traveled, but they saw nothing of them actually sinking into the targets!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Every breath was held, their expressions taut as if awaiting a monumental witness.
But after a long pause, nothing happened. The practice targets remained standing exactly where they were, perfectly intact!
What was going on?
All eyes immediately turned back to Zhong Shenxiu, silently demanding an explanation.
Zhong Shenxiu smiled, then addressed the group: "You have two minutes to go and take a look."
The crowd blinked in confusion, not quite understanding.
However, Angelia was the first to react, rising and walking toward the targets.
With someone taking the lead, the others quickly followed suit, afraid of missing out if they delayed.
When they reached the targets, they still found no apparent clues. But Angelia knew Zhong Shenxiu; if he told them to look, there had to be a trick. She gently reached out and touched the nearest target, intending to examine closely what difference there might be!
The moment her fingers made contact, the uncanny occurred. The target suddenly shattered, breaking into several pieces that scattered across the ground!
Everyone stared at the fragments on the floor as if they were monsters, their eyes wide with utter disbelief.
Soon, the others grasped the true meaning of Zhong Shenxiu's words. They rushed forward and touched the remaining targets, but the result was the same—all pulverized into debris!
"How can this be?"
These objects were called "practice targets" because they were incredibly resilient, further reinforced with magical defenses. Even if these individuals struck them with their full Dou Qi-infused swords, they would barely leave shallow marks. Nobody had expected them to completely disintegrate like this!
What did this imply?
It meant that the technique Zhong Shenxiu had just executed was utterly devastating!
After that single display, not a single person dared to underestimate him again. If that move had been directed at them, they would have been instantly obliterated, and in the most gruesome fashion possible!
"Time's up!"
Angelia, being one of the more composed members, had developed a certain fortitude from her time alongside Zhong Shenxiu. Seeing everyone lost in shock, she quickly offered a reminder.
Prompted by Angelia, the others returned with dazed expressions. Some even kept looking back every five steps.
Once everyone was seated again, Zhong Shenxiu continued, "The effective range of that attack can reach ten miles, and that was merely one configuration of its final form. Other forms can strike targets dozens of miles away. Now, do you understand what I mean?"
Zhong Shenxiu's demonstration and subsequent words conveyed a single truth: Swordsmen could excel at long-range combat too!
At this point, everyone was staring blankly at him, especially the swordsmen, who felt the most profound shock. Zhong Shenxiu had broken the conventions of swordsmanship, revealing an entirely new path for them!
Yet, Zhong Shenxiu was not finished shaking their foundations. Before they could fully process the previous revelation, he added, "Furthermore, I will tell you something else you don't know!"
All eyes snapped back to him, their curiosity instantly piqued once more!
"Dou Qi can also be divided into several attributes!" A playful smile touched the corner of Zhong Shenxiu's mouth; this was a discovery he himself had only recently made!
Dou Qi has attributes?
Solomon and the others were once again completely baffled. They had read extensively, mostly books concerning swordsmen, yet nowhere had they encountered a text mentioning that Dou Qi possessed different attributes!
"Do you want to see?" Zhong Shenxiu inquired.
The group naturally nodded, nodding vigorously, lest Zhong Shenxiu decide against demonstrating!
It seemed Zhong Shenxiu intended to shock them to their core this time. With a chuckle, he said, "Then you had better watch carefully!"
Saying this, a beam of golden yellow light materialized in his hand.
"This is the attribute you currently know—Earth-type! Its strengths lie in stability and strong defense!"
Then, the color of the light sword abruptly shifted, turning a reddish-brown hue.
"This is a Dou Qi attribute you did not know—Fire-type! Its strengths are high speed and immense destructive power!"
Following this, the light sword changed color once more. This time, it became a deep azure blue. "This is also an unknown Dou Qi attribute—Water-type! Its strengths are agility and extended duration."
As Zhong Shenxiu continued his lecture, the listeners' mouths opened wider and wider, their eyes bulging larger than ox eyes!
Shocking. It was profoundly shocking!
These people had never witnessed moves in their lives that could elicit such astonishment. In the eyes of Solomon and the few other swordsmen, a scorching light began to burn. Their minds raced, calculating what it would mean if they could learn these techniques. The more they thought, the hotter their blood boiled!
At this moment, Leng Xiangxue was equally stunned. In all her years, she had never lost her composure to this extent. Every concept Zhong Shenxiu presented was something she had never heard or seen, causing a massive upheaval to her worldview and values!
And as for Mako Xin, she remained utterly vacant. This was her first time witnessing Zhong Shenxiu display his strength, and the results were unbelievably monstrous. She finally understood why Zhong Shenxiu and Robin had always skipped her classes!
Angelia fared better than the rest. Her expression showed only firm determination. As long as she could remain by Zhong Shenxiu's side, she knew she could continuously grow stronger and perhaps even master these skills—techniques utterly unique in the world!
After a brief pause, Zhong Shenxiu stopped discussing swordsman knowledge and shifted his focus to the mages!
Glancing at the small handful of mages present, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly called out, "Mako Xin, come here!"
Mako Xin visibly flinched. She never expected Zhong Shenxiu to call her name. It sounded strange to her ears!
"Sister Kexin, Teacher Zhong is calling you!" Qie He managed to stifle a laugh while poking the somewhat disoriented Mako Xin.
Mako Xin had no choice but to walk over, asking hesitantly, "What is it?"
Zhong Shenxiu merely smiled, offering no immediate answer, his gaze lingering on Mako Xin so intently that it made her uneasy!
"What element do you primarily focus on?" Zhong Shenxiu asked with a playful tone.
"I major in Water magic!" Mako Xin forced herself to remain calm.
"Do you know any close-combat magic?" Zhong Shenxiu pressed.
"What?" Mako Xin frowned, hearing the term "close-combat magic" for the very first time.
"Perform some close-combat magic for everyone!" Zhong Shenxiu instructed.
"What is close-combat magic?" Mako Xin’s cheeks flushed slightly as she asked; how could someone who used to be a teacher not know about 'close-combat magic'?
"Magic used in melee engagements. For example, how would you fight if you were locked in close quarters with a swordsman?"
Zhong Shenxiu’s explanation only served to bewilder Mako Xin further.
Close combat with a swordsman? That was a joke. If that scenario truly occurred, what was the point of attacking? Retreating or creating distance was simply common sense!
Mako Xin genuinely didn't know how to answer, so she defaulted to silence!
What she didn't realize was that Zhong Shenxiu intended to subvert common sense, and he certainly possessed the power to do so!
Zhong Shenxiu did not press Mako Xin further, instead stating, "What I am about to tell you next is that mages can also excel in close combat!"
Hearing this, Mako Xin’s head snapped up. Something deep within her resonated, causing an involuntary wave of excitement!
"Go back and sit down first," Zhong Shenxiu told Mako Xin. Then, looking over at the swordsmen, he added, "To prove this assertion, any one of you who wishes to come up can try. All of you together is fine. I will only use magic in the close-quarters fight."
As soon as Zhong Shenxiu finished speaking, several senior swordsmen stepped forward; they genuinely wanted to experience his power firsthand. Such an opportunity was rare!
Solomon remained seated, for he had already tested Zhong Shenxiu’s strength and required no further proof!
Leng Xiangxue hesitated. She wanted to go down and test him herself, as in her eyes, Zhong Shenxiu was clearly a dual practitioner of both magic and martial arts. She longed to see the differences between his abilities and hers. The true reason for her hesitation, however, was Angelia’s strangely peculiar expression—it looked as if she would rather die than step up to the challenge!
What was going on here?
In Leng Xiangxue's estimation, Angelia should be a brave and discerning woman. Why the look of abject withdrawal now?
She couldn't possibly know that Angelia understood Zhong Shenxiu too well. The more confidently he invited someone, the more likely they were to be tricked—that was the hard-learned lesson from her own past attempts!
In Angelia's mind, she would much rather spar with Robin than face Zhong Shenxiu! If you wish to know what happens next, please log in... [Incomplete placeholder text] for more chapters and to support the author. Support genuine reading!