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Chapter 356 - 326: Exclusive Secret Hand

Chapter 356: Chapter 326: Exclusive Secret Hand

After severing Wu Li’s attack, Fujiwara Naoto’s katana lifted from the handle, the blade tip slightly dipping, aiming straight for Wu Li’s eyes, and then he thrust fiercely!

The cold glint before Wu Li’s eyes flickered, irresistibly prompting one to close their eyes. However, the very next instant the blade was thrusting down, it suddenly changed direction, stabbing downward.

Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, Ping Qingyan!

This was a signature technique of the Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, using the blade tip to bewilder the opponent’s eyes, then swiftly changing position in the blink of an eye, like magic.

A prickling sensation struck Wu Li’s chest, and he knew Fujiwara Naoto intended the katana to land there. Thus, with bent arms and a flick of his wrist, his broadsword swung vertically toward Fujiwara Naoto’s katana, knocking it aside.

Clang!

Fujiwara Naoto’s arm swiftly retracted, snapping back like a released slingshot, the knife handle aligning with his chest, tucked in, with a stoop, his shoulder blades spreading outward, his whole body like a drawn bow, and the katana in his hand the string’s sword.

Swish!

Second Rank Thrust, Fujiwara Naoto once again thrusted the katana out.

Wu Li’s own sword swung back just as quickly, shielding his chest and abdomen like a shield, blocking Fujiwara Naoto’s second thrust.

When the second strike proved fruitless, Fujiwara Naoto didn’t pause for a moment, pulling back his katana again, his muscles tensing loudly, as the blade shot forward.

Three Rank Thrust!

The essence of Ping Qingyan within the Natural Reasoning Heart Flow is to start with "Green Eye," followed by a three-rank thrust, each one faster than the last, akin to the Xingyi’s Horse Form Continuous Cannon, but the three-rank thrust was harder, for its power generation was subtler and its speed quicker.

With the third thrust, Fujiwara Naoto avoided Wu Li’s chest and abdomen, aiming instead at the inner side of Wu’s right leg, the one stepped forward.

Wu Li had no time to swing his sword to block; he could only retreat a step because this was a duel with swords, not a hand-to-hand fight. Should it have been a fistfight, he could have endured an attack to press forward, but against the stab of a katana from a master like Fujiwara Naoto, only a light wrist turn was needed for the blade to flick upwards and sever the major veins of Wu’s thigh.

In weapon bouts, sometimes a single subtle motion can spell death, ten times more dangerous than hand-to-hand combat!

Seeing Wu Li retreat, Fujiwara Naoto’s momentum grew exponentially, he yelled loudly, stepping and slicing with his sword!

He first used Iaido Slash to disrupt Wu Li’s rhythm of attack, followed by the killing move Ping Qingyan from Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, a lightning-fast triple thrust within a second, and finally, Fujiwara Naoto seized the advantage!

The exchange between the two in that second was so fast, it seemed to bystanders to be nothing but a blur of sword light, only a skilled martial artist could discern the shifts and lethal intent within!

"This young Japanese lad is quite something."

Below the stage, Liu Shaohai of Hongmen from Taiwan frowned as he spoke.

Behind him stood two disciples he had specifically brought along for experience. One of them, a boy who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, bent over and whispered, "Master, do you also understand saber techniques?"

Liu Shaohai glowered, causing his disciple to shrink back, then he harrumphed and said, "Although your teacher doesn’t practice saber techniques, he knows that like Xingyi saber technique, the key to fist techniques lies in momentum. The saber in Master Wu’s hand is heavier than that young Japanese’s, making it more suitable for offense than for defense."

On the stage, Fujiwara Naoto’s attacks surged like a tide, his sword light nearly blending into one, forcing Wu Li to continuously swing his sword in defense. Wu Li was like a lonely boat at the center of a storm, seemingly ready to be submerged at any moment!

Just as Liu Shaohai said, Wu Li’s sword was heavier, naturally giving him an advantage on the offensive, but it also meant that in defense, he was somewhat slower compared to Fujiwara Naoto.

Wu Li, of course, was aware of this, and after blocking another of Fujiwara Naoto’s cuts, he moved his feet, a lunge step suddenly crossing forward.

With that, Wu Li executed the Tiger Pounce, moving swiftly and catching Fujiwara Naoto off guard.

Yet before Fujiwara Naoto could step forward to follow, Wu Li’s spine moved, his waist twisted, his center of gravity instantly pulled back, and he executed a Dragon Form Burst, stepping back again.

His broadsword chopped downward, his body like the form of a dragon, the blade like the dragon’s head, with a sharp whistle, he attacked Fujiwara Naoto.

Dragon Form Collapse Kill, graceful as a startled swan, powerful as a roaming dragon!

Fujiwara Naoto seemed to have anticipated this, the blade tip slightly drooping, leaning a bit to the right, from this stance he pressed both hands downwards, the blade tip lifting to intercept Wu Li’s descending sword, the timing and striking position were just right to disrupt Wu Li’s attack, similar to that previous Iaido Slash, then immediately swung up and slashed down with lightning speed.

Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, Wuming Style!

This technique appeared as if Wu Li had willingly stepped into Fujiwara Naoto’s strike to be cut, seeming almost magical.

Wu Li’s expression remained calm, his footsteps shifting, he took a lateral step and pulled away once more, avoiding Fujiwara Naoto’s slash.

Mercury-like Center of Gravity.

"Excellent!"

Below, some boxers couldn’t help but exclaim, because for a moment there, they almost thought Wu Li was going to be hit, but to their surprise, his control over his own body was so exquisite, it left them in awe.

However, this meant Wu Li’s offensive was thwarted again, and Fujiwara Naoto continued to dominate the attack.

Clang!

After having another attack interrupted, Wu Li had no choice but to use Tiger Pounce again to create distance.

Wu Li frowned slightly, every time Fujiwara Naoto countered his attacks, it reminded him of one concept: natural.

It was like a river flowing mightily until it hit a fork and naturally diverted, the entire process extremely natural, devoid of too much resistance. This was perfectly executing the essence of the Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, preventing Wu Li’s attacks from being continuous.

This reminded him of Tai Chi’s concept of leveraging momentum, yet it was more proactive than Tai Chi.

"If a disciple is already this strong, I wonder how formidable the master must be?"

The thought suddenly popped into Wu Li’s mind. If this young Sword Saint was already a match for him with the sword, how astounding must the true Sword Saint be?

But while Wu Li couldn’t launch a sustained offense, Fujiwara Naoto couldn’t handle Wu’s fluid movement technique either, always failing to pin him down.

After more than a dozen exchanges, Fujiwara Naoto voluntarily stopped, his katana slanted towards Wu Li.

"Oh, waiting for me to attack?"

Wu Li saw through his opponent’s thoughts, knowing that the opponent excelled in defense and counterattacks, so he sought to exploit any flaws Wu Li might reveal while attacking.

Regarding this, Wu Li remained nonchalant, for Xingyi Saber Technique inherently emphasized offense over defense, and since someone was allowing him to attack, there was no reason not to.

Swoosh! Wu stepped forward and thrust his saber outward.

This time, without waiting for Fujiwara Naoto to move, Wu preempted with a change in technique, lifting his blade’s edge to strike at his opponent’s sword.

Clang!

Having flicked Fujiwara Naoto’s long sword aside, Wu followed through by lifting his saber and slashing downward.

This sequence of thrusting up and chopping down was originally a move from the "Tiger Hugging Head" technique, which proved equally effective when used with a saber.

Fujiwara Naoto diagonally slashed with his long sword, aiming for the spine of Wu’s saber.

However, just as Fujiwara Naoto’s blade was about to strike, Wu took a heavy step forward.

Thud!

The wooden floor reverberated with a thunderous sound, as Wu’s step resembled a heavy cavalry charge, with the hooves bearing the weight of a thousand kilograms, heavily hitting the ground.

Using the sudden eruption of power, Wu forcefully altered the direction of his downward slash, pushing the saber forward, thus Fujiwara Naoto’s blade, which should have hit the spine, landed on the guard of the hilt instead.

Crack!

Such a change demanded tremendous psychological resilience and control power; the hilt guard was small, and Wu intentionally used it to intercept Fujiwara Naoto’s blade, knowing that any slight error would result in the loss of his hand.

After the risky move, Wu’s saber continued fluidly with a diagonal pull, slashing towards Fujiwara Naoto’s left shoulder.

Leveraging the force from Fujiwara Naoto’s own slash for the redirection, the counterattack was extremely sudden, catching Fujiwara Naoto off guard.

He hastily sidestepped and retreated, attempting to dodge Wu’s incoming blade.

But he lacked Wu’s mercury-like center of gravity and couldn’t react and adapt in time, ultimately unable to completely evade the attack.

Rip, the sound of fabric tearing could be heard.

Fujiwara Naoto’s left shoulder garment had been slashed open, revealing a gash from which blood splattered.

Whoosh!

From below the stage, voices arose; after over a dozen exchanges, blood had finally been drawn. Moreover, the cut on Fujiwara Naoto’s left shoulder was deep, certain to impair his subsequent movements.

In such high-level combat, being even slightly slower could provide the opponent with an opportunity for victory, especially with a wound like the one on Fujiwara Naoto’s left shoulder.

At this point, it seemed as though the outcome of this match had been decided!

Below the stage, Koda Shinmei looked stricken. When Fujiwara Naoto had taken the initiative to challenge Wu Li, he and his young colleague were pleasantly surprised. With the ’Little Sword Saint’ engaging, it was likely that Wu would fall beneath the blade, and Hongmen would have no suitable candidates left to face Xiaoze Wutian. Yet now, to their dismay, Fujiwara Naoto was on the verge of defeat!

On stage, blood streamed from Fujiwara Naoto’s left shoulder, but he seemed insensible to pain. With his left arm hanging down, he grasped the sheath strapped to his waist and swung it downward, striking Wu Li’s saber, while his right hand’s long sword slashed towards Wu’s wrist that held the blade.

Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, Mountain Shadow Style!

This was yet another killing move from Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, using the sheath to intercept the opponent’s weapon while the sword in hand executed an offensive strike.

The long sword bore down like a crushing mountain with the force of ten thousand jun, while the sheath, like the mountain’s shadow, followed suit in stealth. One move grand and majestic, the other sly and somber—this was the essence of Mountain Shadow Style!

Wu Li’s saber was hit by the sheath and sunk slightly, unable to adjust in time, while Fujiwara Naoto’s long sword was on the brink of slicing his wrist.

Being hit by Wu’s strike and bleeding from the wound should have been the moment when Fujiwara Naoto’s momentum and psyche were at their weakest. Taking the opportunity to distance himself or assume a defensive stance to avoid further injury would have been the typical reaction, yet he seized this chance to launch his killing move, attempting to decide the outcome in a single stroke!

Indeed, this disciple of Nakagiya Osamu lived up to the title ’Little Sword Saint.’ Whether it was swordsmanship, aura, mindset, or practical experience, he was certainly no less capable than Wu Li!

Barely a few in the audience could discern the rapid changes of that instant, all instinctively sitting up straight, for they realized that the verdict could very well rest upon that fleeting moment.

Confronted with Fujiwara Naoto’s slashing blade, Wu Li had to choose between taking a blow to the wrist or dropping his weapon and retracting his hand.

Either choice seemed to spell certain defeat.

If his wrist was injured, even with a saber in hand, he couldn’t exert much strength, unless Wu Li’s left-hand saber skills were exceptional; and releasing his weapon to face the enemy with bare hands, well, the result was obvious. The first time Wu faced Fujiwara Naoto’s fellow apprentice, Watanabe Ryosuke, without a weapon, if it weren’t for Li San’s rescue, he might have already been dead.

Swoosh!

Fujiwara Naoto’s blade was swift, and Wu had almost no time to ponder; he chose to release his grip!

As the saber fell towards the ground, Wu retracted his right hand to dodge Fujiwara Naoto’s incoming blade.

"Ah!"

Below the stage, Sofia cried out upon witnessing this scene. Even without understanding martial arts, she knew the implications of dropping one’s weapon during a knife fight.

On the cruise ship’s second floor, Roger by the window smiled smugly, thinking: "Useless fellow, I thought you’d at least last until the third match, but now you’re about to lose the first one, costing me ten million."

He had bet on Wu losing in the third match, but he was satisfied with this outcome as well—preferably if Wu were to be killed on the stage, that would be even more pleasing.

Almost everyone present believed Wu’s cause was lost, with one exception—Li San.

Li San watched the scene unfold on stage, recalling a previous demonstration of swordplay with Wu Li, during which Wu jokingly shared a special move:

"Watch closely, this move is my exclusive secret hand, designed specifically for situations where I’m disarmed during a fight."

"Ha, what’s the point of fighting if your weapon is gone?"

"Why not? Observe!"

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