Chapter 785: True Spearmanship

In a previous life, I once saw a picture of a little man holding a forty-meter-long blade, arrogantly telling his opponent to run thirty-nine meters first.

That was exactly how Zhang Xuan felt now.

Over a dozen feather dusters tied together, over ten meters long, like a flagpole, while the opponent's spear seemed as short as a fire poker.

With such a long weapon in hand, why would he be afraid?

"Then let's begin!"

With a long cry, Ying Qin stomped his foot and charged straight forward.

Since Zhang Xuan's weapon was so long, as long as he got within a dozen meters, he would be in an invincible position.

Just like when the other had whipped him with the feather duster, this guy would be at his mercy.

"Want to get close? Not so easy!"

Seeing his speed, Zhang Xuan knew his plan. He smiled faintly, shifted his body, and used the Heavenly Dao Movement Technique, like a phantom, pulling back a dozen meters. He flicked the feather duster in his hand and thrust it straight forward.

Whoosh!

The ten-meter-long bamboo pole was not as flexible as a spear nor as fast as a blade, but somehow, it pointed directly at the path Ying Qin had to take.

In other words, if Ying Qin wanted to get close, he couldn't avoid it and would even crash into it!

"Damn it!"

Ying Qin's face darkened. He twisted his body to dodge the attack and tried to circle around, but before he could get far, the bamboo pole pointed at him again.

This time, it was faster than before, aiming at one of his acupoints, forcing him to defend.

"Hmph!"

Leaping backward to evade, Ying Qin charged to the side again.

The true qi of a peak Void Step realm expert burst forth, making him as fast as a swimming dragon.

But... his speed was fast, and the opponent's bamboo pole was even faster. Every time he tried to get in, he was gently poked out, as if the opponent could predict his attack direction and path in advance.

Although the bamboo pole was long, its defense was watertight, impossible to break through.

"This..."

Young Master Ruohuan and the others all swallowed their saliva, their eyes wide.

They had thought that if Ying Qin didn't suppress his cultivation, Teacher Zhang would surely struggle. They never dreamed that a bamboo pole made from feather dusters could suppress the opponent so much that he couldn't even get close, only circling around a dozen meters away.

Even if he didn't win, he was at least in an undefeated position.

"Have you noticed? This doesn't look like a fight."

After a moment of shock, someone in the crowd spoke up.

"Yeah!" Luo Xuan frowned, thought for a moment, and couldn't help saying, "It looks like... playing with a monkey?"

"I think so too..."

Young Master Ruohuan nodded.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In their eyes, Ying Qin, who had been as imposing as a dragon moments ago, now looked like a monkey being toyed with. Zhang Xuan stood still, casually pointing the bamboo pole, and Ying Qin would jump, then circle inward.

But before he could get in, the bamboo pole would point again, and he would jump again...

And so it went.

No different from a monkey being teased on the street.

Treating a famous fourth-year genius like a monkey...

Teacher Zhang was truly amazing!

Especially Luo Xuan, Young Master Ruohuan, and others who had always compared themselves to him, now swallowed their saliva, speechless.

With this kind of strength, even if they trained for another ten years, they couldn't compare!

...

"Damn it!"

Realizing this, Ying Qin also understood, grinding his teeth in anger.

He had thought that with the opponent holding a long weapon, once he got close, he would have no way out. He never expected that every time the opponent's long spear struck, it would hit a place he had to defend but found hard to defend.

In other words... he simply couldn't get close!

His spear was only a little over two meters, while the opponent was over ten meters away. How could he fight?

Wasn't a short weapon supposed to be advantageous?

Why was it that this time, with the opponent's weapon so long, he still gained no advantage?

"If this continues, not only will I fail to win, but I'll also be laughed to death!"

Hearing the murmurs from the audience, Ying Qin's face darkened.

If he couldn't break through the ten-meter distance, he couldn't hurt the opponent, let alone fight.

He couldn't really be toyed with like a monkey!

"This long pole is made of bamboo joints, not sturdy. If I'm willing to get hurt, I can definitely break it!"

He paced and thought.

Continuing like this, he couldn't win. The urgent task was to get close, and the only way was... these bamboo poles weren't strong. With the power of the Void Step realm, he could shatter them into powder with true qi.

"Let's do it!"

Gritting his teeth, he no longer cared about anything else. True qi surged, protecting his chest. His brows raised, and ignoring where the bamboo pole pointed, he charged forward.

Crack! Crack!

Sure enough, as soon as the bamboo pole touched him, it was shattered into powder by the violent true qi.

The bamboo pole was over ten meters long, and true qi couldn't be channeled through it. With his peak Void Step power, breaking it was easy.

"Oh no..."

"That's cheating..."

Everyone looked anxious.

Teacher Zhang used a bamboo pole to give you a chance, but you shamelessly shattered it. That was clearly cheating and intentional!

"Now that I'm close, let's see how you dodge!"

Shattering the bamboo pole, Ying Qin roared, raised his spear, and thrust it at Zhang Xuan.

He had broken through the defense and entered close range, where his spear could easily exploit its short-range advantage, while the opponent's weapon was now useless!

"You think you've won?"

Seeing his excitement, Zhang Xuan shook his head, suddenly released his hand, and let the bamboo pole fall to the ground.

"Let go?"

Ying Qin was stunned.

A weapon was the most important thing for a cultivator, especially in a duel. Once released, it meant falling into a passive position. Why did he just throw it away?

"A weapon is just an extension of the body. Spearmanship can be performed even without a spear."

Just as he was puzzled, he heard the young man in front smile faintly, his voice ringing in his ears. Then he saw Teacher Zhang leap up, his whole body instantly transforming into a spear.

Boundless spear intent swept over everything. At that moment, he was the spear, and the spear was him, indistinguishable.

"Th-this... is the realm of man and spear as one?"

Ying Qin's pupils contracted, his whole body stiff.

Legend had it that when one comprehends the heart of the spear to a certain level, they could achieve unity of man and spear.

At that point, even without a spear in hand, as long as the spear in the heart remained undying, the body could transform into a sharp spear intent, killing anyone or anything in its path!

This realm, even Senior Xue Zhenyang hadn't achieved. How did this person reach it?

Time didn't allow him to think further. The spear that Zhang Xuan had transformed into arrived in an instant. The spear tip formed by his fingers, sharp and pointed, struck his spearhead.

Boom!

A tremendous force struck, and Ying Qin's whole body shook. Then countless spear intents surged into his body, shattering his defenses in an instant.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood sprayed out. Without even a chance to resist, he flew backward.

Thud!

Flying dozens of meters, he fell off the platform, and his spear flew who knows how far, sticking into the ground.

Pfft!

Another mouthful of blood sprayed out.

"I lost..."

Looking at Zhang Xuan, who stood calmly on the stage, Ying Qin clenched his fists, his face pale.

He never expected that even without suppressing his cultivation and using all his strength, he was still defeated by a single finger!

This kind of strength was no weaker than President Zhenyang's.

"Do you know where you lost?"

Just as he was feeling dejected, he heard Zhang Xuan's calm voice.

"I lost, and I'll withdraw from the Zhenyang Society to be a gatekeeper for the Xuanxuan Society. You don't need to mock me for it..."

Ying Qin gritted his teeth and struggled to stand.

As a spearman, he had the pride of a spear.

Since he had agreed to be a gatekeeper, he would keep his promise and not renege.

"Mock?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I'm just telling you that spearmanship is a lifelong pursuit, but it doesn't refer to the spear in your hand."

"What do you mean?"

Ying Qin was startled.

"Spearmanship is a skill, an ability, something to be felt with the heart. It doesn't require a spear to be performed."

With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan looked at him. "For example, when I attacked you up close, you only needed to let go of the shackles in your hand, release the spear, and you would have found a new world. Unfortunately, you didn't."

"So... you lost."

"I..."

Ying Qin was dumbfounded.

Indeed, when the opponent grabbed his spear and whipped him with the feather duster, he could have let go. Even unarmed, unable to use his full strength, he could have escaped, and wouldn't have been beaten black and blue.

"Later, when I fought you with the long bamboo pole, breaking through your defense and attacking close was correct, but you forgot that I practice spearmanship without being hindered by external objects. Man is the spear, and the spear is the man. That's why I instantly released the bamboo pole and struck directly."

Zhang Xuan continued.

"This..."

Ying Qin's whole body stiffened.

The other was right.

He trained with the spear every day, treating it as part of his life. So when the opponent held it, he couldn't bear to let go.

Because once he let go, he felt he would lose his life and no longer be able to fight!

"If you don't let go, how can you comprehend the true essence and learn higher spearmanship?"

Zhang Xuan looked at him with a smile.

"Let go? True essence?"

Ying Qin muttered, his mind dazed.

Since childhood, he had treated the spear as part of his body, like an arm or an eye.

How could he give up his arm or eye? Impossible!

But the previous battle had clearly taught him a lesson: if you don't let go, you die!

Let go, and you are free, more flexible, more liberated, and might win!

"The spear is in the heart. With the spear in the heart, that is the true spear. The one in your hand is just a tool."

Seeing that he seemed to be gaining insight, Zhang Xuan continued.

"With the spear in the heart, that is the true spear?"

Mulling over these words, after a moment, Ying Qin exhaled a turbid breath, reopened his eyes, and the previously murky gaze gradually cleared.

Thud!

Kneeling down, Ying Qin lowered his head, his attitude devout and respectful.

"Thank you for your guidance. I am willing to worship Teacher Zhang as my master and learn spearmanship from you!"