Chapter 171 — Semi-final: Frost and Spear
CHAPTER 171
Semi-final: Frost and Spear
“Your sword's cold,” Gu Zhan said.
Bai Chenxi looked at the frost gathering along her guard. Her peak Foundation Establishment qi was steady, and her expression didn't change at the obvious observation.
“Then don't touch it,” Bai Chenxi replied.
Gu Zhan grinned and placed the spear in both hands.
“That sounds better,” Gu Zhan said.
The crowd settled as Lu Yong raised his hand. Bai Chenxi had defeated every previous opponent without losing control of her method. Gu Zhan made a royal favourite look clumsy in three exchanges.
Neither would give the stands a quiet match.
Shi Feng watched from beside the passage with Duan Yichen. He rested a hand on the plain sword's hilt and waited to see how the spear user handled the spreading frost.
Lu Yong announced the start.
Bai Chenxi moved first. Her sword drew a low line across the platform, and pale frost spread behind the point. She didn't aim to freeze the whole arena. She closed the paths Gu Zhan was most likely to use.
The spear user watched the edge of the frost and stepped into it.
His first thrust met her sword directly.
The weapons rang. A white crack spread through the frozen stone beneath her leading foot.
Bai Chenxi slid backward, stopped, and raised the guard again.
Gu Zhan looked delighted.
“You held it!” Gu Zhan shouted.
Bai Chenxi didn't answer. She turned the retreat into a short cut toward his wrist.
The spear shaft rose and stopped the blade.
Gu Zhan's grin remained, but his clear eye followed her fingers carefully. He enjoyed the match. He wasn't careless about it.
The second exchange began before the spectators finished shouting about the first.
Bai Chenxi sent a thin wave of frost upward along the spear shaft. Gu Zhan loosened one hand, turned the weapon, and struck the creeping ice against the edge of her sword.
The frost broke.
A short thrust followed through the scattered white pieces. Bai Chenxi moved her head aside, but the point touched the clasp at her collar before she could regain distance.
Gu Zhan stopped.
“You can yield,” Gu Zhan said.
Bai Chenxi looked at the spearhead, then at him.
“Move it,” Bai Chenxi replied.
He pulled the weapon back, honestly surprised that the match wasn't finished.
She immediately changed her stance.
Duan Yichen leaned forward beneath the awning.
“She's going to use the whole frost field,” Duan Yichen said.
Shi Feng nodded. The retreat planted several thin lines of ice across the stone. Bai Chenxi hadn't wasted the earlier movement, even while losing the exchanges.
It was a good method.
Gu Zhan saw it too. His expression became more eager, not less.
The swordswoman brought the blade down.
Frost rose around his legs from three sides. The nearest ice gathered in a sharp ridge, meant to turn his next step toward her waiting sword.
Gu Zhan stamped once.
His qi burst through the weak point where the three lines met. The ice shattered before it closed, and the spear swept across the opening.
Bai Chenxi blocked. The force pushed her close to the boundary.
Gu Zhan stopped again.
“Now?” Gu Zhan asked.
Bai Chenxi's wrist trembled. She tightened her grip until it steadied.
“No,” Bai Chenxi replied.
The spear user looked genuinely puzzled.
“You can't stop the next one,” Gu Zhan said.
“Then show me,” Bai Chenxi replied.
He nodded, as though that finally explained the matter.
The third stroke was simple.
Gu Zhan stepped forward and thrust through the centre of her guard. Bai Chenxi met the shaft with the flat of her sword, but the force behind it turned the blade aside.
The spear stopped beneath her chin.
Her next step would've crossed the boundary. Her sword couldn't return in time.
She lowered it slowly.
“I surrender,” Bai Chenxi said.
Gu Zhan withdrew immediately.
“Good fight!” Gu Zhan said.
His happiness was so open that the defeated swordswoman couldn't decide whether to feel more annoyed or relieved.
She chose to bow and leave before he offered another exchange.
Lu Yong confirmed the result. The crowd erupted beneath the two final names.
“Shi Feng against Gu Zhan!”
“The sword and the spear!”
“Neither's shown his limit!”
“Who bet against Lone Spear Peak?”
Several people became very quiet after that last question.
Mu Shuyun met Bai Chenxi at the passage entrance. She checked the young woman's wrist and nodded once.
“No lasting damage,” Mu Shuyun said.
“I know,” Bai Chenxi replied.
“You didn't need the third exchange,” Mu Shuyun said.
“I wanted to see it,” Bai Chenxi answered.
The Hundred Flower Valley delegate smiled faintly. That was a better reason than refusing to surrender because a crowd was watching.
“Rest properly,” Mu Shuyun said. “There's still a third-place match.”
Bai Chenxi flexed her fingers once and considered where the spear broke through. Gu Zhan didn't destroy the whole frost field. He struck the place where her own lines gathered.
She needed to hide that point better.
The thought steadied her disappointment. Losing wasn't pleasant, but she didn't have to leave with nothing except an injured pride. If she corrected the method, the three exchanges would remain useful long after the crowd forgot them.
Bai Chenxi looked toward Gongsun Ce's waiting area. The prince was checking a replacement connector beneath one puppet's shoulder.
She would need her wrist steady for that.
Gu Zhan approached Shi Feng as soon as the official released him.
“Tomorrow,” Gu Zhan said.
“Yes,” Shi Feng replied.
“Don't fight like Yuan Kuang,” Gu Zhan added.
“I wasn't planning to,” Shi Feng said.
“And don't stop after finding one opening,” Gu Zhan said. “Try another!”
Duan Yichen looked at the spear user with pity.
“You're asking him to hit you more?” Duan Yichen asked.
Gu Zhan nodded enthusiastically.
“If he can,” Gu Zhan said.
Shi Feng smiled. The man's skill was worth watching, and his eagerness made a pleasant change from hidden threats.
But his strength still wasn't Shi Feng's true limit.
That distinction belonged to Shi Feng alone.
“Rest first,” Shi Feng said.
Gu Zhan glanced at the spear, clearly disappointed that it wasn't already tomorrow.