THE MARTIAL KING - SEASON 5 EPISODE 88

Despite the occasional madness, Evan still was the strongest opponent Zen had ever encountered.

Chances were Zen would have long been defeated if refinement techniques or life vitality was allowed in this battle.

After all, there was a gap in inner energy between the two fighters.

Undoubtedly, Zen’s foundation was solid, and this made him stronger than other warriors in the same stage. But Evan was solid in foundation, too. He didn’t raise his energy abruptly through pills, but accumulated strength through regular exercise and practice.

However, Zen wasn’t frustrated that Evan was stronger than him. He knew that if he worked hard enough, he would also reach the sixth stage of the Illuminating Soul Realm. And in time, he would reap greater achievements than what Evan had accomplished.

But improving his level was not the primary goal. Right now, his focus should be on the sword fight.

“The swordsmanship you are employing is very unusual. The basic swordsmanship is already the simplest form when using a sword, but yours seems to be even simpler than the basic. I don’t know how you managed that, but I know there’s always a way to crack it!”

That said, Evan straightened himself and poised for another attack. As he held himself and charged for the strike, his mental aura was so strong no one dared to look him in the eye. At that moment, Evan was a completely different person, nothing like the aimless, silly, dignified, and proud fighter he was known to be.

And the change was so abrupt that it caught the audience by surprise. Not many were capable of understanding what was happening.

“I will conquer your simplest swordsmanship technique with a most complicated one!” he declared. And as he started to attack, the sword in his hand began to shake violently.

Suddenly, it tinkled, and as it continued to make noise, the sword vibrated harder, leaving numerous images of a sword around it.

Like thousands of peonies blooming simultaneously, under Evan’s careful control, the shadows of swords took shape. They formed thousands of flowers made of swords, which were as beautiful as they were deadly.

“Falling Flowers Sword!” Evan’s hands were steady and his eyes fierce.

And as a storm of swords swept through the field, he roared.

Like the spectators, Zen was in awe. ‘What an expert swordsman! And that sword is beautiful and lethal!’ The young disciple held his breath as he continued to be dazzled by the overlapping and extremely complicated sword flowers overhead.

He now understood what Evan meant by “cracking the simple swordsmanship with a complicated one.”

The method indeed proved to be very effective.

In fighting a swordsman, one had to discover the flaws in his swordsmanship. However, this Falling Flowers Sword was not only gorgeous in its effect, but likewise deadly in its complication. It was not that there was no flaw in a complicated swordsmanship, but the complexity of the Falling Flowers Sword helped to cloak its imperfections. It would take Zen some time to learn of the flaws in Evan’s swordsmanship.

But Zen didn’t have the luxury of time. When two swordsmen were in combat, the one who slowed down would lose the fight. Zen had to bite the bullet and keep up with his skillful opponent.

Sighing inwardly, Zen lowered the tip of his sword and kept the weapon close to his left side, allowing its strength to reach the front of the blade. Then he extended his left middle and index fingers until they straightened and pressed on his right wrist.

“Circle parry!” he announced.

He focused all his energy on this move.
The “circle parry” was one of the basic swordplay skills employed for defense. Since he was fighting a very tough opponent, Zen had only to assume a defensive pose then step back.

“Chink!”

The sound of metal against metal went on non-stop as the swords clashed. In what seemed like a second, Evan’s sword hit Zen’s weapon countless times, forcing the young disciple to stumble back.

It took Zen seven or eight full steps to regain his footing. And he didn’t have enough time to recover his breath before Evan advanced again, sword in hand, fury in his eyes.

“You think simplest is the strongest?

Bah! I say your sword is not strong, but soft. So, how are you going to defeat me with that?

Show me! Defeat me with your pliant sword! You’re merely a novice at the second stage of nature level. And a beginner like you won’t be able to see through my swordsmanship. When I take a stab at you, my sword will strike you twelve times. That number is square with a second stab, so the sword strikes one hundred and forty-four times. And my third stab? It’s one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight strikes of a sword! I dare you to fight back against this downpour of attacks!”

Sneering at his retreating opponent, Evan tried to make Zen feel threatened.

Hundreds of thousands of flowers blossomed around his swords, emerging endlessly, as fast as his eyes could follow as he thrust his sword at dazzling speed.

Watching from a short distance, Yan’s brows wrinkled. She was aware that not enough cultivation was Zen’s serious disadvantage.

‘If my brother had practiced sword skills for as long as Evan did, he would have won the fight. After all, his simple swordsmanship is certainly more practical than the Falling Flowers Sword, and performs better in combat, ‘ Yan thought.

But the most skilled fighter wasn’t always the strongest. A fighter’s overall strength should include every aspect – mental, physical, and spiritual – working as a whole.

After all, Zen had defeated Patrick in their previous encounter. And that was due to Zen’s brilliance in martial arts, his prudent use of his unique skills pulled out of his sleeve.

If Zen had stepped into the consummation stage of nature level, he wouldn’t have to rely on his present skills to defeat others. At that stage, when a fighter’s energy storage was full, any surplus energy could be used to nurture his or her soul. And the fighter would acquire the power to communicate with the universe.

And if he could enter the Illuminating Soul Realm, more significant changes would happen to him. His strengths, reactions, eyesight, and sense of timing and coordination would be further enhanced.

Lost in thought, Yan quickly shook her head to return to the situation at hand. Her brother’s eyesight was keen. If he entered the Illuminating Soul Realm, the Falling Flowers Sword would be nothing to him. He would easily notice the flaws the moment Evan executed his first move. But her brother needed to grow further, so for now, Evan remained too powerful an adversary for him.

“Clang!”

The new attack had Zen taking several more steps back.

At the moment, he was not far from the edge of the combat field. If backed into a corner and left with no room for retreat, he would no doubt lose the fight.

Gaining advantage again, Evan burst into laughter.

With a big smile, he yelled at Zen, “You seem to be out of tricks.

You and your sword are beaten!” That said, he sneered.