51: Chapter 51: Your kung fu is ruined.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Dongfang Shuo's head buzzed, leaving him with only this single thought.
He felt as if his fist hadn't been caught by two fingers, but had slammed into a mountain. That force was heavy and immense, far beyond his understanding. What unnerved him the most was that what came from those two fingers wasn't brute force meeting force, but a sense of natural inevitability.
It was as if his fist was naturally meant to stop right there, unable to budge an inch.
He desperately pushed the remaining Internal Breath in his Dantian, his face turning red and veins bulging from his neck to his temples. But when that energy surged into his right arm, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, disappearing without a sound.
"You... what kind of sorcery did you use?" Dongfang Shuo's voice cracked with exhaustion and fear, sounding distorted.
In his nearly twenty years of experience, strength was determined by "Internal Breath." Yet, he couldn't sense even a trace of Internal Breath from the girl before him—she was just an ordinary person! How could an ordinary person catch his Rushing Thunder Fist?
This wasn't right! The worldview he had built since childhood had collapsed!
Jiang Ning looked at his expression, which was as if he'd seen a ghost, and finally spoke. Her voice remained flat, devoid of emotion, much like a teacher critiquing a student's homework.
"This is the Rushing Thunder Fist?"
She asked, then released her fingers.
Dongfang Shuo felt the pressure on his fist vanish. Unable to control his momentum, he stumbled back several steps before steadying himself. He stared fixedly at Jiang Ning, clutching his numbed right fist in a mixture of anger and fear.
Jiang Ning ignored him completely and continued, "It makes quite a racket, but unfortunately, the power is too scattered. You've wasted ninety percent of your strength on making noise and creating wind; less than ten percent actually lands on the target."
She paused, her gaze falling on Dongfang Shuo's right arm. Her expression was like that of an old traditional doctor examining a patient.
"Furthermore, your technique is flawed. The exertion is too violent, causing excessive damage to your Meridians. You're young now, and your body can handle it, so you don't feel it yet. I can guarantee that if you keep practicing like this, you'll hurt the enemy eight hundred while harming yourself a thousand. In ten years at most, once you pass thirty, the Meridians in this arm will wither, and eventually, the entire arm will be useless."
Every word from Jiang Ning was like a hammer, striking Dongfang Shuo's chest over and over.
If the previous move had merely defeated him, then these words tore his proudest heritage and his very beliefs to shreds.
"Nonsense!" Dongfang Shuo exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You're just an ignorant brat! How dare you criticize the Dongfang Family's Ultimate Techniques! I bet you just used some underhanded sorcery!"
To him, admitting Jiang Ning was right meant admitting that he and the entire Dongfang Family's centuries of cultivation were a joke. He could never accept that.
Humiliation! This was blatant humiliation!
Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo grimaced as he listened, whispering to Chief Engineer Wang Heshan, "Why do I feel like... what the Chief Consultant is saying sounds true? Look at that kid's reaction; she probably hit the nail on the head."
"No kidding," Chief Engineer Wang Heshan snorted. "When has the Chief Consultant ever been wrong? This kid won't cry until he sees the coffin."
Director Zhao Lixin didn't say anything, just watched quietly. He knew the real show was just beginning. The Chief Consultant was... attacking the heart.
Sure enough, Dongfang Shuo's head heated up under the provocation of Jiang Ning's words. He felt he'd been tricked in hand-to-hand combat, so he would switch to weapons! No matter how powerful the sorcery, it would be cut in two before a sharp blade!
"Fine! Very well!" Dongfang Shuo laughed in his rage, staring at Jiang Ning with cold, dangerous eyes. "Since you insist on pushing me, don't blame me for being heartless with my sword!"
He leaped backward, putting a dozen meters of distance between them. Then, he reached back and gripped the ancient Sword Case on his back.
The lid snapped open, and a white shadow lunged out, circling in the air before landing firmly in Dongfang Shuo's hand.
It was an ancient sword with a long, narrow blade that radiated a chill. The edge gleamed blindingly in the sun, clearly no ordinary weapon.
Director Zhao Lixin's face paled when he saw the blade, and he immediately shouted, "Chief Consultant, be careful! That's the Dongfang Family's heirloom sword, called 'sword'! It was forged a hundred years ago from Meteoric Iron; it can cut through hair and slice through iron like clay!"
He was terrified that Jiang Ning wouldn't realize the danger and would suffer for it.
Chief Engineer Wang Heshan and Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo's hearts leaped into their throats. They had been trading punches just a moment ago, but now that a real weapon was involved, it was no longer a game!
Holding the long sword, Dongfang Shuo's entire aura changed. If he had been like a rampaging beast before, he was now like a coiled viper—cold and lethal.
"I didn't want to use a sword." He pointed the tip of the blade at Jiang Ning from afar, his voice devoid of emotion. "It is you who chose the path to death."
He thought that by revealing his precious sword, the opponent would at least show some nervousness.
However, Jiang Ning's reaction disappointed him once again.
She looked at the so-called "sword" treasure blade, and instead of fear, her face showed a hint of... curiosity?
Yes, curiosity. Her expression was like someone seeing a somewhat interesting toy.
"A sword?" she muttered softly, then nodded, her tone even carrying a bit of interest. "Alright then, I'll play with you."
To Dongfang Shuo, this attitude was more infuriating than any mockery.
He said no more. With a flick of his wrist, the long sword hummed. He transformed into a white shadow and lunged straight at Jiang Ning!