213: Wushu competition

Shen Mingyuan carefully stored the metal box containing the belt deep inside his wardrobe.

After that, he picked up his phone and dialed Director Wang at the law firm.

"Director Wang, I need to take two days off the day after tomorrow and the day after that."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"There's a traditional martial arts competition in the city. I bought tickets and plan to go watch."

Director Wang on the other end of the line seemed somewhat surprised, but didn't ask further, readily agreeing: "Alright, it's rare to see you interested in this. As long as your work is arranged properly, go ahead." "Okay, thank you, Director."

After hanging up, the leave was approved. Shen Mingyuan glanced at the calendar. Excluding today, in two more days, it would be the day of the martial arts competition.

Time accelerated once again, Made in heaven.

Two days later, at the City Hongwu Sports Center.

Inside the main arena capable of accommodating thousands, the atmosphere was now bustling and lively, filled with the clamor of the crowd.

The ring was brightly lit, with four large screens suspended high above, broadcasting real-time details and close-ups of the competitors on stage.

The stands were packed to capacity, with men and women, young and old present. There were martial arts enthusiasts with professional insights, whispering and exchanging views; ordinary citizens drawn by the excitement, holding snacks and drinks; and many parents bringing their children to experience the atmosphere of traditional martial arts.

Cheers, shouts of encouragement, and gasps of amazement following the exchanges on stage rose and fell in succession, blending with the slightly muffled reverberation unique to the arena, creating a vibrant and energetic scene of everyday life.

Shen Mingyuan sat in his pre-booked seat, located in the middle area towards the back, holding a portable telescope.

The view from this position was indeed expansive, allowing him to take in the entire ring, the entry channels for competitors on both sides, and even the movements in some of the front-row VIP seats.

He occasionally raised the telescope, focusing on the competitors currently on stage or those who had just entered, observing their footwork, force application techniques, and mental state. More often, he put down the telescope, using his naked eye to take in the panoramic view of this bustling arena.

Soon, Wei Ziqing made his entrance.

On the ring, the Event Host's passionate voice echoed throughout the arena via the broadcast:

"Next up is the first round of the elimination matches in the weapons division! The red competitor, Tang Wu from the 'Tang Family Martial Arts School,' specializes in the family-inherited 'Blue Silver Overlord Spear.' The spear is nine feet long, fierce and swift!"

"The blue competitor, Wei Ziqing from the 'Wei Family Martial Arts School,' is only seventeen years old, one of the youngest competitors in the weapons division of this tournament. He excels with the longsword, and his sword technique is renowned for its agility and transformations—'Thousand Void Bone-Corroding Sword'!"

Under the spotlight, both competitors entered the ring. Tang Wu was tall and sturdy, holding a specially made competition spear. The spear shaft was tough yet flexible, with a thickened, safe soft tip, but when swung, it still carried a fierce momentum, full of Aura. Wei Ziqing stood upright, holding a longsword that, also for safety reasons, was unsharpened but simulated the weight and feel of a real sword. The sword tip pointed towards the ground, his expression calm.

"Match—begin!"

As soon as the referee's command ended, Tang Wu let out a low shout, shook his spear, the tip gleaming like cold stars. With his nearly three-meter-long weapon, he firmly occupied the center of the ring, suppressing Wei Ziqing to the periphery. He didn't advance rashly but used steady basic spear techniques—blocking, controlling, and thrusting—combined with footwork, constantly pointing the spear tip at Wei Ziqing from a distance, controlling the range and forcing Wei Ziqing to circle and maneuver, making it difficult to close in. This was precisely the advantage of a long weapon—you can't reach me, but I can threaten you at any time.

Wei Ziqing made several tentative quick dashes forward, but each was repelled by Tang Wu's swift and powerful deflecting or pointing spear strikes. The clashing of sword and spear shaft produced crisp "clacking" sounds, yet he couldn't break through that dense forest of spear shadows. He had to quickly retreat, adjust his breathing, his gaze becoming more focused.

Seeing this, Tang Wu grew even more confident and began to press forward actively. He took a sudden step, the long spear shooting out like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave—a fierce straight thrust aimed directly at Wei Ziqing's chest! Wei Ziqing hastily sidestepped to avoid it, the spear tip grazing past the protective gear on his chest. Before he could catch his breath, Tang Wu twisted his wrist, changing the thrust into a sweep, the spear shaft whistling as it swung towards Wei Ziqing's waist! Wei Ziqing raised his sword to block hard—"clang!"—the impact sent him sliding back two steps, his arm numb.

The situation seemed completely tilted in Tang Wu's favor. Wei Ziqing was entirely confined to the edge of the spear's attack radius, struggling to cope, seemingly only able to defend without any chance to counterattack, let alone unleash his 'Thousand Void Bone-Corroding Sword,' which required close quarters to be effective. Many spectators in the stands were sweating for him.

However, Wei Ziqing's eyes remained calm. After blocking another downward chop, he seemed to be thrown off balance by the impact, his body leaning back slightly. Tang Wu wouldn't miss this opportunity? Immediately channeling Qi into the spear, he delivered another powerful mid-level thrust, aiming straight at Wei Ziqing's exposed chest and abdomen!

Just as the spear tip was about to make contact, Wei Ziqing's seemingly off-balance body suddenly stabilized with astonishing core strength and, leveraging the momentum of the lean, performed a move that made the entire arena gasp—

His right hand gripping the sword swung forward violently, throwing the longsword like a whip or an arrow shot from a bow, straight towards Tang Wu's face (protected by gear)!

This sudden change caught Tang Wu completely off guard! All his attention was focused on the thrusting spear; old force expended, new force not yet generated. Facing this 'Flying Sword' coming straight at his face, the only thing he could do was forcibly twist his body, raising the thrusting spear with all his might to block!

"Thwack!"

The sword spine struck the spear shaft hard, sending the longsword bouncing high into the air.

And at the moment when Tang Wu, due to this abrupt change and blocking motion, was slightly staggered, his center of gravity leaning back, inevitably leaving a gap in his defense—

Wei Ziqing moved!

Throwing the sword wasn't surrender; it was bait to create an opportunity!

At the same moment the sword left his hand, he pushed off the ground with both feet, launching his body like a spring released after being tensed, charging towards the off-balance Tang Wu at the fastest speed and most direct path!

The several meters of distance that had once seemed insurmountable between them vanished instantly with this charge!

Tang Wu's pupils contracted sharply; he hurriedly tried to pull back his spear, but the spear was still high from the upward block, and his defense was half a beat too slow.

Wei Ziqing, while charging in, reached out with his right hand with precision, catching the hilt of the sword as it fell after being bounced!

He arrived, and the sword arrived with him!

With the sword in hand, the offensive suddenly shifted from passive evasion to a storm of attacks! The patterns of the 'Thousand Void Bone-Corroding Sword' were now displayed—nine feints and one real strike, truth and falsehood intertwined.

Sword light swirled, with thrusts, sweeps, lifts, and cuts almost enveloping Tang Wu's spear-holding arm, shoulders, neck, and exposed ribs. Ninety percent were still swift feints, forcing Tang Wu to constantly react defensively, struggling to keep up.

Tang Wu was forced to retreat repeatedly; the long spear became almost a burden at close range, difficult to maneuver.

Just as he tried to withstand a feint slash, preparing to forcefully twist his body and counterattack with the spear butt, a glint flashed in Wei Ziqing's eyes!

Among the continuous sword shadows, the sword momentum, which had been primarily fast and light, suddenly sank, speed skyrocketing, and the angle became extremely tricky—the only real strike hidden beneath countless feints, like a lurking venomous snake, abruptly launched!

The sword blade avoided the spear shaft's blocking path, at an almost impossible angle, from below upwards, accurately striking the protective gear connection point on Tang Wu's spear-holding wrist, exposed due to his force exertion!

"Ugh!" Tang Wu felt a numbness in his wrist, a clever force penetrating, causing his fingers to involuntarily loosen.

"Hah!" Wei Ziqing, seizing the advantage, didn't relent. His left hand shot out like lightning, not to attack, but to grab the middle section of the opponent's spear shaft, which had slightly drooped due to the loss of strength, pulling it towards himself with force!

Tang Wu, already with a numb wrist and unstable footing from retreating, was pulled forward, his center of gravity tilting. Wei Ziqing leveraged the force to spin, his right leg whipping out like a lash, perfectly sweeping the side of the opponent's supporting ankle.

Thud! Tang Wu could no longer maintain his balance, released the spear, and stumbled backward, sitting down on the ring.

Wei Ziqing stood steadily, sword pointing diagonally at the ground, left hand still holding the seized spear. His breathing was slightly rapid, but his eyes were bright.

The referee immediately stepped forward, placing himself between the two, checked Tang Wu's condition, and loudly announced: "Blue competitor, Wei Ziqing, wins!"