Chapter 131: Motive?

　　They were so fast that it was hard to tell who was who.

　　Sword-lights and sword-shadows filled the stage, blurring the competitors. One could only barely tell who was who by the color of the shirt.

　　Lu Mingshu felt like she was fighting Kuai Xin again.

　　Method, angle, force… she couldn’t find Gentleman Yu’s weak point; he seemed to be flawless. Compared to Kuai Xin, he had a weaker foundation, and he wasn’t going to break through to the Spirit Realm anytime soon, but with his ability, he was a match for Kuai Xin.

　　That was because his methods were simply marvellous! Lu Mingshu never knew that Physical Manifestation of Sword Intent could be used in such a manner.

　　His methods weren’t fixed; they were ever-changing. Sometimes they were predictable, and sometimes they weren’t.

　　She calmed down and tried to figure out his weakness. At the same time, she fought even harder.

　　The other party chuckled, “Miss Lu, this is not a smart move~ You just finished two rounds, but I’m still full of energy. Trying to scare me with your sword will only tire you out even more.”

　　Lu Mingshu remained still. She shook her wrist, and the ray of sword-light started to condense.

　　“What a nice move,” Gentleman Yu smiled. “At your age, you’re already doing such a thing? Impressive. When I was your age, I was still an immature kid. However, you have nothing on me.”

　　After he finished his sentence, his sword lit up, and suddenly, a strong wind blew onto the stage and dispersed the sword-light.

　　“I told you, you can’t do anything to me, yet you are unwilling to heed my advice. What a waste.”

　　Some spectators cut him off, “Shut up and fight!”

　　“Yeah! You’re just intentionally trying to disrupt Miss Lu!”

　　Gentleman Yu turned around and shouted at the spectators, “What do you all know? If she’s unable to concentrate because of my disruption, that just shows she needs more practice!”

　　After that, he turned to Lu Mingshu and smiled like a Cheshire Cat, “Miss Lu, you don’t mind, right?”

　　He’s going overboard! the spectators were angered by Gentleman Yu’s behaviour, “Compete properly or get the hell down!”

　　“That’s right! Get down!” all the spectators jeered.

　　Gentleman Yu smiled widely at her. “Wow, Miss Lu, you have a lot of fans.”

　　Beads of sweat trailed down Lu Mingshu’s forehead. Her breathing also became heavy, and the grip on her sword loosened.

　　“You must be tired. To be honest, I wonder how you managed to defeat eighteen people in a row during the Heavenly Door competition if you’re already like this after two rounds. What has Nine Jade Palace turned into…?”

　　Clank!

　　The sword hit the ground, missing Gentleman Yu.

　　Gentleman Yu laughed out loud after seeing that, “Girls should just stay at home and do embroidery. Why even bother to come and compete with us at an arena?”

　　“Go to hell, you idiot! Get down!” an uproar started among the spectators.

　　…

　　“It’s hard to tell the result just by their skills,” Kou Wei used his fan to knock on the table. “This is more psychological warfare than physical now.”

　　“Psychological? It’ll be hard for Lu Mingshu then.”

　　“I totally agree! Yu Kuang is just a crafty old fox! When I competed with him previously, he lied that there was someone behind me….”

　　The story had Yue Lingyin rolling on the floor laughing, “Bro, are you sane? Do you believe that? That’s a trick for children, and you bought it?”

　　The person looked at Yue Lingyin in grievance, “I bought it because I never thought he would be so low!”

　　Kou Wei interrupted them, “Yu Kuang is always crafty, and Lu Mingshu’s naive. I’m only afraid that…”

　　…

　　Gentleman Yu chose to turn a deaf ear to the spectators and continued, “It’s still early, so give up now. The last thing I wanna do is put a scar on such a pretty little girl.”

　　Lu Mingshu squinted her eyes. Mystic force started to rush from her body, and her sword lit up.

　　The mystic force was so strong that it created a tornado of sword-intent, which rushed forward like a dragon.

　　Physical Manifestation of Sword Intent!

　　“Wow, good!” gripping his sword tightly and transferring mystic force into his sword, Gentleman Yu jumped up and slashed down.

　　The windswept across the stage.

　　Crack!

　　The flag pole on the stage was broken.

　　The smoke that was created from the clash covered the spectators’ view. When the smoke finally dispersed, the fight had already settled down.

　　Both parties stood on the stage, facing each other.

　　Bright red blood was flowing down Lu Mingshu’s arm.

　　Gentleman Yu smiled at her, “You feigned weakness to your enemies at the Heavenly Door competition, tricking them into believing that you were out of mystic force before turning the tide at the last minute. Do you think I’m so stupid that I wouldn’t take that into account?”

　　Lu Mingshu looked at him with a straight face, “So, you purposely incited me, making me think that I had successfully tricked you. In reality, you wanted to beat me at my own game.”

　　Gentleman Yu laughed heartily, “Yeah. You’re someone who had eighteen wins in the Heavenly Door competition, so you must have your secret methods. Why would I let my guard down?”

　　“Since Gentleman Yu knows me so well,” Lu Mingshu replied slyly, “are you aware that I am also trained in rune-carving?”

　　Gentleman Yu paused. Suddenly, he felt that there was something under his feet, and a talisman shot up from the ground.

　　He moved back to block, not noticing that Lu Mingshu moved forward to attack.

　　He broke the talisman, but a sword suddenly tore his shirt and was placed in front of his chest.

　　Lu Mingshu looked at him and smiled, “I’m a girl who’s so insecure that I wouldn’t leave my house without knowing more than eight or ten skills. Gentleman Yu, joke’s on you.”

　　The announcer ran on stage, “Miss Lu wins!”

　　…

　　Somebody rushed upstairs, “Senior, Yu Kuang lost!”

　　“What? That fast?” Kou Wei’s eyes widened in shock, “Quick, tell me all about it.”

　　Upon hearing the disciple’s story, the bunch were left speechless.

　　“Erm…” Yue Lingyin hesitated, “Something doesn’t fit the picture?”

　　The disciple’s description was clear. Yu Kuang provoked Lu Mingshu, and Lu Mingshu feigned weakness. Both parties laid their traps.

　　What Kou Wei said was right; it was more of a mental battle.

　　Ultimately, Yu Kuang lost because he underestimated her.

　　But…

　　“Did Yu Kuang lose on purpose!?” the guy who once fought him exclaimed.

　　“Yeah. Too fast. He’s from the Seventh Truth Platform; even if Lu Mingshu has never lost, he stands a better chance.”

　　“And he’s too crafty to fall into a trap!”

　　“What’s he thinking?” Yue Lingyin muttered. “Why didn’t he use his full effort? What’s beneficial to him if Lu Mingshu wins?”

　　“Today, the wine lover’s heart is not in the cup,” Kou Wei laughed.

　　Qi Sheng furrowed his brows, “Is he testing her for Wei Chunqiu? Wei Chunqiu has his eyes on taking first place in the Qilin Festival.”

　　Kou Wei cut him off, “No. Wei Chunqiu is too strong for Lu Mingshu. He would come for me instead of her if he wanted to test someone.”

　　Yes, Lu Mingshu was powerful, but it’s only been less than a year since she entered the Harmonization Realm. Kou Wei thought that she was worthy enough to compete with him, but not enough to defeat him.

　　If Kou Wei had this mindset, Wei Chunqiu would too. They had the same position as martial artists; neither of them had time for a newb.

　　“Let it be. Let’s go back and take a rest. We will know during the Qilin Festival.”