Chapter 100: The Strike

　　The giant sword came down with a tint of red. It was perfect in all aspects, be it in strength or speed.

　　Lu Mingshu blocked the sword with her hands.

　　BAM!

　　The impact of the sword made Lu Mingshu’s wrist numb and caused her to move back half a step. However, Lu Mingshu quickly regained her calm, wielding her sword and attacking once again.

　　In the eyes of the crowd, the contest was never-ending as both of them struggled to defeat the other.

　　Kuai Xin wielded his sword in a majestic manner. The sword was so fast that it was nearly invisible. The only thing that could be seen was the tint of red on the sword. Lu Mingshu was just someone there for Kuai Xin to defeat, like leaves floating in the air aimlessly. Compared to Kuai Xin, she was weak.

　　Most of the crowd felt a sense of relief as they watched this scene unfold in front of their eyes. As they expected, Lu Mingshu was about to lose to Kuai Xin. Despite her being so strong and defeating the previous competitors, she just entered the Harmonization realm recently, so she was no match for Kuai Xin.

　　The people on the high stage, especially the Zhou family Elders, also felt relief as they watched them battle. In the past, they would’ve wished for Kuai Xin to lose, but this time around, it was different. In this competition, Kuai Xin seemed to hint at his separation from the line of Jade Terrace, and the Elders were anxious for him to win. If he won, Lu Mingshu’s winning streak would be over, and he would have contributed to the Nine Jade Palace by saving its pride.

　　However, the Elders did not realize that their plans were putting Lu Mingshu at an advantage.

　　Stressed — that was how Lu Mingshu felt about the fight with Kuai Xin.

　　As soon as the fight started, she started to experiment. The strength of the sword, the angle of the attacks, the amount of energy used…. She was clear about Kuai Xin’s ability.

　　However, that information didn’t benefit her much since Kuai Xin didn’t seem to have a weakness. He was way more powerful than her in every aspect!

　　Compared to Kuai Xin, Jie Wenhan also had powerful stamina, but she was weak when it came to the basics. She relied too much on her fancy skills and wasn’t very composed, which is what Lu Mingshu took advantage of to defeat Jie Wenhan.

　　However, Kuai Xin’s basics were strong. He was stable and composed. Despite knowing that Lu Mingshu won seventeen rounds in a row, he was still calm.

　　Lu Mingshu tried figuring out ways to defeat him, but to no avail. Kuai Xin was just too strong in every aspect. Even his thoughts were hardly shaken. Would she really be defeated by Kuai Xin after so many rounds of winning?

　　As Lu Mingshu tried to figure out ways to win, they had already battled more than ten rounds.

　　“This isn’t looking good. She still hasn’t found a way to win,” Yuan Ziyang pointed out.

　　Shao Zhengyang couldn’t take his eyes off the battle. Even though he still couldn’t tell who had the upper hand, Lu Mingshu being weaker than Kuai Xin was a truth that couldn’t be denied.

　　“…should be because her basics are too weak.”

　　“I agree,” Yuan Ziyang shook his head.

　　“If I was in her position, I wouldn’t have any idea how to win either. Kuai Xin has the upper hand in every aspect.”

　　If Lu Mingshu was in her best condition right now, she may have stood a chance due to her exquisite skills, but after seventeen battles in a row, Lu Mingshu’s energy had already been drained. Just having a half hour of rest wasn’t enough for her to recover. With such an obvious disadvantage and Kuai Xin’s powerful stamina, it was impossible for Lu Mingshu to win.

　　Most of the disciples could tell what was happening. Especially the elders sitting at White Magnificent Peak’s stage, as they were already chatting away.

　　Winning seventeen battles in a row was indeed an excellent result. However, once she lost, the previous wins would all go down the drain. Even if a genuine successor disciple spot was given to her, she would still be taken down easily after the competition.

　　As Lu Mingshu fought, her breathing started to get heavier. The previous battles had caused her to be covered in injuries on top of her declining stamina. If not for the Heavenly Wheel boost, she wouldn’t even be able to lift her arm.

　　The sky started to darken; Lu Mingshu had fought since noon without rest.

　　No… this needs to end.

　　Kuai Xin had good stamina, and he hadn’t wasted much of his energy so far. On the other hand, her stamina was starting to drain much faster. Lu Mingshu’s disadvantage would only get bigger as time passed.

　　But… how do I win? In terms of skill, Kuai Xin was no worse than her. He was also better trained compared to her, and he was always calm. The only advantage she had was that her sword was stronger than his, but Kuai Xin’s sword was so big that breaking it the way she did previously was totally out of the question.

　　He was like a tortoise hiding in its shell, making it hard to attack since there was no place to start.

　　The impact from the swords made them both move back half a step.

　　“Junior Niece Lu, do you still want to continue?” Kuai Xin sighed after looking at a wrecked Lu Mingshu.

　　She’s still just a child! Kuai Xin couldn’t bear to continue.

　　Lu Mingshu wiped away her sweat and answered with determination, “As long as my sword is still intact, I won’t stop!”

　　She wielded her sword and dashed toward Kuai Xin.

　　Lu Mingshu avoided his counterattack by sliding to the side.

　　She tried to figure out a way in her mind. She clearly had weaker stamina compared to him. It was impossible for her to fight him head-on other than just dodging his attacks. Suddenly, it came to her; why did she keep dodging? Yes, she was weaker than Kuai Xin, but continuing to dodge him wouldn’t allow her to win, it would only wear her out even more, and she would be too tired to continue fighting.

　　Suddenly, an idea came to her mind.

　　Throughout the years, she had always used her ability to break down her opponent’s strengths and weaknesses to her advantage. Lu Mingshu always tried to find the easy way to defeat her opponents, and there was nothing wrong with trying to find an easier way out. But this time, there was no easy way out, and the only method left was to gather up her courage and fight her opponent head-on.

　　Like her current situation; she was constantly fighting for survival only to realize that she didn’t belong.

　　Lu Mingshu was forced to the edge. It felt like she was trapped in a cell, nothing but walls around her. The only way to free herself was to dash forward and never look back!

　　Lu Mingshu’s eyes started shining. She changed her method of fencing and exerted more energy into the sword, causing the sword to shine brighter.

　　“What is she trying to do?” Yuan Ziyang was shocked.

　　Not just him, Shao Zhengyang was shocked as well, “Is she mad? That’s a suicidal move!”

　　“She really doesn’t know where she stands,” Some Elders on the stage mocked.

　　However, some agreed with her move.

　　“Rather than waiting to die, that’s a good move!”

　　“Haish…” But most of the audience felt a sense of relief. After struggling for so long even though the answer was already so obvious, the battle was finally about to end.

　　Lu Mingshu who leapt into the air currently felt calm. At this moment, the only thing left in her mind was not winning, but what her master said; “You have been training so hard for years, and your sword technique is perfect, but it just feels like there’s something missing.”

　　She never knew what was missing, but she finally figured it out. The world was like a cell, trapping her inside and leaving her with no solution for how to get out. Since nothing could be changed, the only way was to just break it with her sword!

　　Boom—

　　Her sword came down fast like lightning. At that moment, something broke open in front of her.