Chapter 52
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Chapter 52: Combat Assignment
As Lou Yun’s shout faded, two figures emerged from the darkness. Their builds were similar, and black scarves covered their faces, obscuring their features.
Seeing only two people, the group’s tense mood relaxed instantly. However, Lou Yun’s gaze remained fixed on the depths of the darkness, because his spiritual sense told him that those following them couldn’t possibly be just two. There had to be at least three. Now that only two had appeared, that meant another was still concealed.
Sweeping his spiritual sense over the two figures before him, he found he couldn’t see through their true cultivation level!
His studies within the Ancient Weapon Academy had given Lou Yun a correct grasp of his own true strength. Though he currently possessed only a beginner two-star magical weapon, thanks to his body refinement and the inherently attack-oriented dual attributes of gold and fire, his true combat power could rival someone four levels higher – an intermediate one-star magical weapons master.
To slightly weaker spiritual senses, he could only appear just three levels above his own, equivalent to a primary five-star magical weapons master.
This meant the two men before him had a strength of at least intermediate one-star or above. To confirm further, Lou Yun had to seek help from Chang Xiang.
"Mmm, these two are only intermediate one-star. There’s another hidden in the shadows, intermediate three-star."
Knowing their true strength thanks to Chang Xiang, Lou Yu couldn’t help but feel a jolt of shock internally. He wasn’t afraid of intermediate one-star, but the power of intermediate three-star… even if he fought with his life on the line, he probably wasn’t an opponent!
He glanced over his own group. All three girls were primary three-star. Nie Jiu was beginner four-star. On the surface, it seemed evenly matched. But the opponent had an extra person lying hidden, ready to strike at any moment. They had to be alert.
Weighing the comparative strengths, Lou Yun quickly formulated a strategy in his mind and came up with a temporary combat arrangement.
"They are both intermediate one-star magical weapons masters. I’ll handle the one on the right. A Jiu, Qian, you two deal with the left one. A Jiu leads the attack, Qian supports from the side. Xue and Miss Xia, hold back for now. Don’t act. They have another person who hasn’t shown himself. If you see anything unusual, shout a warning immediately."
Naturally, no one argued with Lou Yun’s combat assignment. Far off, lying on a thick tree branch and drinking, Old Man Feng nodded repeatedly. "Kid’s reflexes are quick. To figure out the most reasonable arrangement based on each person’s strength and fighting style in such little time… heh heh, I really like this kid more and more!"
Once assigned, Lou Yun instantly drew his Stone Sword backwards. Pointing the blade at the distant two, he declared, "Sneaking around following us! Now too afraid to show your real faces! Seems like you really deserve to hide in the shadows!"
The two men opposite exchanged a look. Without a word, both simultaneously summoned their own magical weapons and initiated the attack.
Lou Yun pushed off the ground with the balls of his feet, propelling himself forward to meet the masked figure on the right. Considering this was no ordinary sparring match but potentially a life-or-death struggle, coupled with the hidden third person, Lou Yun opened with the Sword Dance of Wind and Thunder.
His opponent wielded a pair of gauntlets with claw extensions. Silver flashes glinted in the night. Facing Lou Yun’s attack, he remained calm, abruptly jamming his claws forward in a cross-block.
Clang!
The Stone Sword struck the crossed claws with a sharp metallic ring. At the same moment, Lou Yun’s Dream Emperor Sword appeared in his right hand. Without pause, he unleashed a Sword Piercing Cloud Shadows thrust.
This was Lou Yun’s habitual combination. The Sword Piercing Cloud Shadows, with its explosive potential, often caught unsuspecting opponents off guard, leaving them wounded by the blast. Even Qian Ruming, that mystery rank three-star magical weapons master, had fallen victim to it last time.
Lou Yun was stunned to find his opponent seemed intimately familiar with this sequence. He didn’t even attempt to block the Sword Piercing Cloud Shadows. Instead, he pushed both claws forward to shove the Stone Sword aside. Harnessing the recoil, he sprang backward swiftly, precisely dodging the stab.
Lou Yun’s heart sank. He had hoped to catch them off guard by quickly taking out one of them with these two moves right off the bat. It looked like that plan was doomed.
Strange! He had only ever used this combination twice. Once to kill that Three-horned Rhinoceros, another time against Qian Ruming. And he hadn’t used it since. In theory, someone who hadn’t witnessed it shouldn’t possibly know about it!
Suddenly, an insight flashed through Lou Yun’s mind. If his opponent knew his attacking pattern, there was only one possibility: he was from the Academy!
It was unlikely any instructor would be bored enough to disguisedly track these five students. That meant it could only be a student!
But why would a student target them?
Apart from him, the other four all had seniority. If the attackers held grudges against them, this shouldn’t be the first assault. Yet the others clearly hadn’t encountered this before. So, the target was obviously himself!
Understanding this still left Lou Yun perplexed. He’d only been at the Ancient Weapon Academy for a month. Surely he hadn’t offended anyone!
All these thoughts raced through Lou Yun’s mind in an instant. Meanwhile, his opponent had raised his claws and launched his own attack.
In the darkness, the claw gauntlets expanded abruptly in mid-air. Like the talons of an evil ghost, they extended a meter long. Their metallic tips shone with a biting chill. Being pierced by them would surely leave ten blood-dripping holes.
Lou Yun brandished both swords, scissoring them like thunderbolts, slashing viciously at the massive descending claws.
His opponent yanked the claws back sharply and refrained from continuing the assault. Clearly, Lou Yun’s two-strike combination had delivered a palpable blow.
Seizing the moment, Lou Yun swiftly turned his head to check on Nie Jiu’s side of the fight.
Nie Jiu’s magical weapon was an enormous hammer, perfectly matching his massive build. Coupled with his immense strength, it whistled fiercely through the air when swung, radiating an imposing aura. This sheer intimidation alone deterred most opponents from facing it head-on, precisely why Lou Yun assigned Nie Jiu as the primary attacker.
Lou Qian wielded a whip, capable of extending or retracting, hence Lou Yun placed her in a covering role.
Currently, Nie Jiu swung his massive hammer. His opponent indeed dared not block it directly, dodging frantically instead. Each time the hammer struck the earth, it pulverized the ground into a large crater, sending tremors through the very earth.
Lou Qian would then lash her whip at the foe. The two coordinated seamlessly. Although individually far inferior in strength, their combined efforts threw their opponent into disarray. For the moment, they were safe from peril.
However, before Lou Yun could fully relax his guard, a third figure, hidden in the darkness, slowly emerged.
Lou Yun’s heart instantly clenched. This newcomer was an intermediate three-star magical weapons master! He quickly glanced back at Sun Danxue and Xia Zhilan, urgently shouting, "You two, don’t engage him!"
While Sun Danxue managed to stay relatively calm, Xia Zhilan was visibly terrified, gripping her magical weapon so tightly her knuckles whitened, her gaze fixed unwaveringly upon the third shadow.
Lou Yun knew the primary target was likely himself. Yet, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t harm Lou Qian and the others. He resolved to end the fight swiftly, eliminating his immediate threat first.
With that thought, Lou Yun performed an action incomprehensible to everyone: he sheathed the Stone Sword back onto his back, switched the Dream Emperor Sword from his left hand to his right, let out a furious roar, and launched himself once more at his enemy!
His foe, clearly surprised by the unexpected maneuver, didn’t ponder long. After all, a magical weapons master primarily relies on his enchanted arms for offense.
The two combatants clashed again. Amidst the frenzied exchange, Lou Yun suddenly went berserk, raising the Dream Emperor Sword and slashing down at his opponent with ferocious might.
The foe crossed his claw-like weapons in defense again. A muffled "Bang!" echoed as the Dream Emperor Sword shattered violently against the crossed claws!
Like fireworks, the fragments exploded brilliantly in Lou Yun’s hand!
This abrupt transformation left everyone stunned. Even Nie Jiu and the others halted their attacks, staring dumbfoundedly at Lou Yun.
They all understood the paramount importance of one’s magical weapon. If it shattered, its master was effectively finished.
Was Lou Yun about to die?
Lou Yun’s enemy was equally shocked to have shattered the Dream Emperor Sword with one blow, frozen momentarily as his mind plunged into chaos.
He was Zhang Long, Qin Wufeng’s underling. The foe facing Nie Jiu and Lou Qian was his younger brother, Zhang Bao. The third figure? Naturally, Qin Wufeng himself!
Zhang Long had merely intended to teach Lou Yun a lesson, not kill him!
Lou Yun held a prestigious position within the Ancient Weapon Academy. If he died, and if Zhang Long was discovered as the murderer…he couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences that awaited him.
Utterly petrified, Zhang Long dared not contemplate what his future might hold!
At that precise moment, two voices screamed simultaneously: "Beware!"
Before Zhang Long could even register the warning, his eyes caught the sudden flash of a silvery Dream Emperor Sword – and Lou Yun’s icy, expressionless face filling his vision!
The sword tip sliced cleanly through his throat. Zhang Long’s final thought was: "I am dead."
His body crashed heavily to the ground.
"Brother!" Zhang Bao cried out in desperation, rushing forward and lifting his elder brother’s body into his arms.
Lou Yun sheathed his sword, his gaze coldly sweeping over the fallen Zhang brothers, and then pointed directly at the third figure who had yet to strike. "I know who you are. Though I do not understand your motive for coming after me, hear my counsel. Leave now and take him with you; he might yet live. Otherwise, unless you finish me here today, know this: one day, all three of you will die by my hand!"
Confronted by Lou Yun’s utterly detached expression, a profound dread washed over Qin Wufeng. He was certain this was no mere threat.
After a frozen moment, Qin Wufeng snapped back to reality, yelling at Zhang Bao: "Let’s go!"
Zhang Bao hurriedly hoisted his brother, trailing swiftly behind Qin Wufeng as they sped towards the edge of the woods. They were not heading back towards the Ancient Weapon Academy; evidently, after such an incident, they lacked the courage to return.
Lou Yun retrieved the Dream Emperor Sword. He found the other four staring at him, dazed. A smile touched his lips again. "What are you all looking at? They’re gone. Let’s head back too!"
Suddenly, a figure rushed to Lou Yun’s side, wrapping arms around him in a desperate, unyielding embrace.
Lou Yun blinked, looking down to see it was Xia Zhilan holding him. Tears now streamed unchecked down her face.
"M-Miss Xia! Wh-What’s wrong? Are… are you alright? Could you… could you let me go first?" Lou Yun stammered awkwardly, completely flustered.
He had no way of knowing that the moment she saw his magical weapon shatter, her heart had splintered just as violently. In that instant, she truly believed he was lost. The overwhelming relief of seeing him unscathed shattered her maidenly reserve, unleashing her buried feelings and pouring herself into his arms.
From the moment she awoke and first saw him after her last collapse, she had genuinely fallen for Lou Yun!
Yet, Xia Zhilan wasn’t the only heartbroken soul at that critical moment. Beneath a distant tree stood a figure clad in white. Witnessing Xia Zhilan embrace Lou Yun, she lowered her head, her expression dimming as she silently turned and walked away.
Old Man Feng watched her retreating figure, a pang of sorrow hitting him. "Sigh. That Liu family girl always seemed so aloof… never thought she’d also develop feelings for this lad. You young ones and your tangled affairs… honestly baffles this old man!"
Lou Qian and the others finally regained their composure. Sun Danxue shook her head with exaggerated sorrow, sighing dramatically, "Ah… so Little Lan has feelings for your brother too. Seems like I’m out of luck!"
Lou Qian promptly kicked Sun Danxue in the backside. "Stop being ridiculous! Come help calm Little Lan!"
So, the two women quickly stepped forward, gently disentangling Xia Zhilan while showering her with comforting words. Finally, they managed to stem her tears, though her eyes remained red and swollen as she stared fixedly at the ground, silent in her distress.
A deep sigh later, Lou Qian marched up to Lou Yun and poked him hard in the forehead. "You little imp! Scared us half to death! Now explain! What on earth happened? We saw your magical weapon shatter!"
