Qin Ye’s spear pierced through the air, the tip wrapped in blazing lava energy, leaving a white-hot trail in its wake.
The onlookers swallowed hard at the sight of Qin Ye’s attack.
They were somewhat eager to see how Dongfang Jiang would counter this strike.
Dongfang Jiang didn’t move when he saw Qin Ye’s attack.
He stood still, his right hand raised slightly, and three swords formed from condensed energy materialized at his side.
A dark green swamp sword, a deep blue glacier sword, and a golden desert sword.
Under the control of his will, the three swords moved as if guided by invisible threads.
The swamp sword transformed into a tangle of colorful vines, blocking Qin Ye’s attack, while the remaining two swords flew straight at her.
“Sword Control Technique?”
Qin Ye’s eyes flickered slightly.
Her spear changed direction mid-air, sweeping horizontally to knock both swords aside.
But the deflected swords didn’t fall.
They spun in mid-air, steadied themselves, and Dongfang Jiang completed the Harmonization.
The swamp sword joined the fray.
Three swords attacked from three different angles.
This was Dongfang Jiang’s way of fighting.
He knew he wasn’t a warrior.
A 21st-century college student, even if his stats were enhanced by the System, would be far inferior in skill and experience to those who had trained in martial arts since childhood.
So he didn’t get close.
The Sword Control Technique he learned from Xue allowed him to wield weapons with his mind, completely eliminating the need to rely on his body for close combat.
Over the past three days, he had drawn new inspiration from the old anime he’d watched before.
“What if I directly condensed energy into swords and controlled them with the Sword Control Technique… Then wouldn’t that save me the time of harmonizing energy?”
The moment the idea took shape, he started trying.
The result was unexpectedly smooth.
As the core of the Gaia Ring, the Earth Ring possessed the ability to harmonize all types of elemental energy.
When he used pure energy to condense sword bodies, that energy felt like an extension of his own body.
Each sword was like an extra arm.
Speed, precision, and reaction time all improved by a notch.
On the Training Grounds, under Dongfang Jiang’s control, the three energy swords moved like agile fish, circling around Qin Ye and attacking continuously.
Qin Ye’s spear danced in an impenetrable defense.
Each swing precisely knocked away a sword, but the deflected sword stabilized in an instant and lunged back.
“Interesting.”
A slight smile tugged at Qin Ye’s lips.
She could tell that Dongfang Jiang’s physical combat was average—barely above a novice, in fact.
But his mastery of the Sword Control Technique was remarkable.
The three swords worked together flawlessly.
One feinted from the front, one circled around from the left, and one came crashing down from above.
Three swords struck simultaneously from tricky angles.
Qin Ye swung her spear horizontally, blocking the front swamp sword.
At the same time, she sidestepped, avoiding the glacier sword from above.
But for the desert sword circling from her left, she could only raise her arm and let the armor on her vambrace take the hit.
The desert sword left a shallow scratch on her armor and ricocheted away.
Qin Ye retreated half a step, reestablished distance, and sized up Dongfang Jiang.
“You’re strong.”
She rarely gave such praise at the start of a sparring match.
“But if you’re only going to hide in the distance and control, then there’s no point in continuing this spar.”
The moment she finished speaking, the bluestone tile beneath Qin Ye’s feet exploded.
She shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, charging straight at Dongfang Jiang.
The lava energy on her spear erupted completely, the tip turning incandescent white as the air warped from the intense heat.
She was going to crush him with speed.
Dongfang Jiang remained calm.
He waved his right hand, and another glacier sword condensed in front of him.
The sword body turned horizontally, forming an ice wall.
Qin Ye’s spear pierced through the ice wall, sending shards flying everywhere.
But there was nothing behind the wall.
“Above you.”
Dongfang Jiang’s voice came from overhead.
Qin Ye looked up and saw Dongfang Jiang standing on a massive desert sword, elevated into the air.
Beneath his feet, the other two swords spun rapidly, ready to attack at any moment.
“You can use the Sword Control Technique like this?”
Qin Ye couldn’t help but compliment him.
“Figured it out myself. Read some… old texts, got a bit of inspiration.”
Dongfang Jiang glossed over it vaguely, pressing his right hand down.
The three swords swooped down from the air, speeding toward Qin Ye.
The battle that followed was fiercer than before.
Qin Ye no longer held back.
The lava energy on her spear erupted completely, and every thrust melted a crater in the ground the size of a person.
Her speed was astonishing.
She was like an enraged fire dragon rampaging across the Training Grounds.
Dongfang Jiang always kept his distance.
He stood on his flying sword, overlooking the entire battlefield from above.
The three energy swords, under his mental control, were like three tamed falcons, attacking Qin Ye from different angles.
He never stayed in the same spot for more than two seconds.
Whenever Qin Ye tried to close in, he used one sword to obstruct her vision while maneuvering his flying sword to another position.
After more than seventy exchanges, neither had gained a clear upper hand.
Qin Ye couldn’t catch up to Dongfang Jiang, but her defense was watertight.
The three swords could never break through her spear line.
Dongfang Jiang couldn’t penetrate Qin Ye’s defense, but his Sword Control Technique kept her from ever getting close.
The nobles in the stands were dumbfounded.
“Is that the Sword Control Technique? The ultimate skill of Maple Language Sword Pavilion?”
“No, the Sword Control Technique of Maple Language Sword Pavilion isn’t this agile… This kid’s method looks like a modified version.”
“And he’s not using real swords. He’s using pure condensed energy… How strong does his energy control have to be for that?”
Vard leaned back in his chair, his smile gone.
He had only intended to probe Dongfang Jiang’s background, but he saw far more than he expected.
“This young man… is no ordinary one.”
Duke Yigenaxiu watched the fight in silence, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest.
Yisela and Pandana sat side by side, their expressions completely different.
Pandana clenched her fists, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the field, mumbling under her breath.
“Left… right… watch out behind…”
Yisela was far calmer, but her hand gripping the teacup exerted a little force, her knuckles turning white.
“Brother Dongfang is… using Illusion Magic.”
Yisela suddenly said in a low voice.
Pandana was stunned.
“What?”
“He’s using Desert Energy to create an illusion, but it’s not aimed at General Qin. It’s aimed at everyone.”
Pandana looked closely and indeed noticed something unusual.
“When did he start?”
“I don’t know.”
Yisela shook her head, but a proud curve lifted the corner of her lips.
“I just realized it myself. This guy… he only learned Illusion Magic three days ago, yet he can pull this off.”
“As expected of our Mister Dongfang. He’s really amazing.”
Pandana gazed worshipfully at Dongfang Jiang, who was still fighting Qin Ye.
If it were her or Yisela, there was no way they could have fought Qin Ye for this long.
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