Chapter Thirty-Three: Face Me Head-On

Yan Ruying sat beneath the stage, leisurely munching on a fresh apple brought by Cheng Feng. Her gaze was fixed on the two about to battle on the platform. As she chewed the tangy-sweet flesh, she called out loudly, “Shiyu, don’t hold back—give him a real thrashing!”

“Hey, come look, Senior Sister Liu and Cheng Feng seem to be sparring!”

“For real? They’re just training, right?”

“No way, it’s true! Cheng Feng’s got guts, huh? Sparring with Senior Sister Liu—he’s looking for trouble!”

Noticing the commotion around this arena, several trainees gathered to watch. Among them was young Qiu Ling, who approached curiously. Spotting that scoundrel alongside Senior Sister Liu, she raised her fist and shouted, “Sister, avenge me!”

Standing on the stage, several meters apart and facing Liu Shiyu, Cheng Feng tightened his grip on the hilt of Raikiri. In a brief moment of daze, a surge of deeply familiar memories of wielding a blade resurfaced in his mind, as though etched in his very DNA, causing a primal battle instinct to flood his body.

He felt ready!

At that instant, a faint crackle of electricity suddenly sounded. In Cheng Feng’s hand, Raikiri began to shimmer—silver-white arcs of lightning danced across the blade, enveloping its gleaming surface in flickering light.

“How is this possible?” Yan Ruying’s eyes widened, her apple forgotten mid-bite as she stared in astonishment at the spirit blade. “Raikiri actually recognized its master. The President’s words came true—this is downright uncanny.”

Her awakened superpower was Light. Before acquiring her own spirit blade, Radiance, she had tried to wield Raikiri—this blade that had never acknowledged a master—at the association. Despite her strength, strong enough for the ace rank, she couldn’t command this S-class artifact.

She was not alone. Every other demon hunter who attempted to bond with this blade had failed as well. Raikiri had never responded to anyone.

Yet now, this blade that had slumbered for so long had truly awakened.

Too bizarre. Did this boy have some unique bloodline? How had he done it? He’d actually gained Raikiri’s recognition.

Yan Ruying was utterly baffled.

Staring at the arcs of lightning dancing on Raikiri’s surface, Cheng Feng silently exulted, “From now on, we’re partners. I look forward to working together.”

Ding! Detected that the host has acquired S-class spirit artifact, Spirit Blade: Raikiri +1.

Bonus passive skill acquired: Weapon Mastery +1.

Bonus passive skill acquired: Spirit Blade Specialization +1.

As the system’s prompt sounded, Cheng Feng keenly felt the surge in his swordsmanship from the two new skills.

Liu Shiyu, waiting, was unaware. She raised her spirit blade, Frostmoon, both hands poised, feet planted and sinking into a low stance. She said softly, “Ready? I’m coming.”

“Go ahead, face me head-on.”

Cheng Feng lifted his gaze, raised his spirit blade, and assumed a fighting stance.

Liu Shiyu’s footwork shifted subtly—her graceful form blurred, and in a blink, she flashed forward. The cold blade sliced through the air, arcing rapidly toward him.

Such speed!

Even though his mind was prepared, Cheng Feng barely managed to react in time, alarmed as he swung his blade to intercept Frostmoon’s descending path.

Clang!

The clash of steel rang out, sparks bursting from the collision of their blades.

Liu Shiyu, failing to land her first strike, did not hesitate or retreat. Her spirit blade disengaged in a flash. Her face remained impassive; instead of withdrawing, she renewed her assault with greater ferocity. Frostmoon spun in her hands, unleashing a torrential flurry of strikes.

Dazzling, perilous flashes of the blade enveloped Cheng Feng, threatening to slice him into countless pieces.

Wasn’t this supposed to be sparring?

Damn, this woman’s for real!

Cheng Feng drew a deep breath, eyes sharp and focused. He poured every ounce of his hard-earned high-speed swordsmanship into his left hand, wielding the blade, guided by those instinctual battle memories.

Despite the dire situation, he found himself surprisingly calm. Raikiri danced in his grasp, casting a storm of phantasmal, overlapping afterimages.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

In an instant, the stage was ablaze with a continuous storm of flashing blades and ringing steel, the air shrieking with each fierce collision.

In just a few seconds, they exchanged dozens of blows.

“Cheng Feng can actually keep up with Senior Sister Liu!” one spectator gaped in disbelief.

“No way! It’s only been a few days… How did that bastard improve so much?”

Qiu Ling’s eyes were equally filled with shock.

Not long ago, in terms of physical skill alone, Cheng Feng had ranked below her. Yet now, his swordsmanship was strong enough to hold his own against Liu Shiyu.

Is this guy cheating?

“Not bad, kid, but if that’s all you’ve got, it won’t be enough—after all…” Yan Ruying’s reaction differed from theirs. She chuckled calmly, “Shiyu hasn’t even gotten serious yet.”

On the stage—

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Cheng Feng’s hands were already numb from wielding his blade, struggling to withstand Liu Shiyu’s relentless, tempestuous assault.

Gritting his teeth, he gambled on a risky move—he swept wide with a powerful horizontal slash, forcing Liu Shiyu to retreat.

Throughout their duel, neither had used blood techniques or ice powers; only their foundational swordsmanship. Even so, Cheng Feng was being slowly outmatched.

While Cheng Feng panted heavily, Liu Shiyu remained composed and unruffled, the fierce exchange failing to pressure her in the least.

Though he’d always known her strength, only by facing her now did Cheng Feng realize just how formidable she truly was—and how far he still had to go.

“Cheng Feng, are you all right?” Liu Shiyu, noticing his apparent fatigue, asked with concern, “Do you need a break?”

As the saying goes: when the youth is strong, the girl leans on the wall; when the girl is strong, the youth lies flat.

But Cheng Feng had no intention of lying down. “No need, let’s continue.”

“All right, then. I’ll get serious.”

Her waterfall of long black hair stirred though there was no wind. Liu Shiyu’s dark eyes lit up with icy blue light, shifting from black to blue. An invisible, overwhelming aura surged from her body.

Below, Yan Ruying’s lips curled in interest as she looked up at Cheng Feng. “Shiyu has finally unleashed her spirit power. Now I’m curious how you’ll handle this, kid.”

“Sister Shiyu, go get him—avenge me!” Qiu Ling cheered with a raised fist.

Seeing Liu Shiyu activate her ability, Cheng Feng knew he couldn’t hold back either; he had to go all out.

He closed his eyes, channeling the supernatural energy flowing through his limbs and bones, then unleashed it fully.

Enhancer-type spirit art—Spirit Power Unleashed!

Cheng Feng’s eyes flew open, his jet-black irises blazing with dazzling white light, shifting from black to white, and finally to a radiant silver, like twin stars.

His entire presence soared. For the first time using this ability, Cheng Feng was astonished to feel his senses, strength, speed, and reflexes multiply severalfold.

Incredible—so this is the effect of Spirit Power Unleashed!

Cheng Feng marveled at the surging power within him, feeling as if he could shatter the earth with a single punch.

Witnessing this, the ever-calm Yan Ruying could no longer maintain her composure. Her eyes flew wide in shock, and the half-eaten apple dropped from her hand to the floor.