Chapter 29: During their sparring match, his finger bones were instantly shattered.
The morning of the first day of the exchange meeting.
After receiving the "Go for it!" messages from Jiang Tianjiao and Jiang Jingshu, Chu Jue caught Fang Zhiyi awkwardly shouting "Go for it!" as well.
Fang Zhiyi added, "Your junior sister is making great progress, so don't let her down."
"good."
"I see that everyone in the live stream is a government official, so please don't be shy."
"As you command."
Although the Spiritual Energy Exchange Conference is ostensibly just an exchange event, it generates considerable buzz each year due to the involvement of the Central District in its organization.
The number of organizations that can receive invitations is limited, and the official live broadcast at the event allows offline members to participate virtually.
At this time, in addition to the live broadcast, the forum was also very popular.
The post at the top has been pinned and officially verified.
[Discussion & Casual Chat][Official Post] #Live Stream of the Exchange Meeting+++# [hot]
There was too much content, and Chu Jue was also present, so he wasn't very interested in the secondhand live stream.
[Discussion and Casual Talk][Anonymous Post] #Incomplete Statistics - Those Newcomers Appearing on the Public List#
This post isn't very popular. Every year, nearly half of the newcomers flock to the forum through various channels. Compared to newcomers, most people prefer to discuss popular contestants.
Just before Chu Jue was about to quit, he saw a headline related to her.
[Chatting and Casual Discussion][Anonymous Post] #I saw a pro test at the sign-in area, and the result was level zero...#
[1L][OP]: To be honest, I was quite shocked. This is the first time I've ever seen a zero-order item...
[2L][Anonymous User]: Huh? Really? That's so bizarre.
After a simple two-story post, no one replied, and the post sank to the bottom at lightning speed.
Chu Jue, who was trying to obtain some useful information: ...
Judging from Yun Qiandu and the others' attitude, they thought this was a rare event, but unexpectedly, it didn't even cause a ripple on the most gossipy forum.
That's good, it means this isn't a popular topic and has very low discussion levels.
"It seems like today's schedule only includes a friendly sparring match." Yun Qiandu and Ying Yi were positioned behind Chu Jue and Ying Suixin. She leaned forward and muttered to Ying Suixin.
"Yeah, the boss said she's not signing up."
"Sister Ying didn't sign up either, so it looks like we'll have to rely on us," Yun Qiandu said.
"I just received the matching results. It said there were no female spirit practitioners of the corresponding spirit rank, and they matched me with a man of the same rank..."
You should readily agree: "Me too."
Yun Qiandu sighed, "Sigh, there are so few women attending this exchange meeting."
Looking around, most of the male spirit practitioners from outside the area were at the second or third level. Apart from the central area, reaching the third level already showed that they were spirit practitioners with considerable potential.
After all, most spiritual practitioners are still at the first or second level.
Yun Qiandu didn't think that the number of women who could reach the third rank would be so much less than the number of men, but because of the limited number of places available at the exchange meeting, those women at the third rank might not even have the qualification to enter.
"To be reduced to comparing oneself to men is truly shameful."
The female spiritualist not far from her couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this. She turned around and met Yun Qiandu's gaze, giving her a friendly nod.
The men beside her, however, turned pale.
Ying Suixin whispered less quietly, "Walls have ears. Take it personally. Their hearing is good; they can still hear for now."
Chu Jue: "These two idioms are used well."
Ying Suixin: "Absolutely, boss. I just memorized the dictionary last night."
Yun Qiandu: ...
So it turns out she was the only one studying diligently last night, repeatedly practicing what Chu Jue taught her in order to have a friendly competition.
Ying Suixin, who should also be on the field, is focusing his energy on this kind of thing! With a formidable enemy at hand, he's prioritizing cultural knowledge—what kind of order is that?!
Ying Suixin's attitude of completely disregarding her opponents is something she should learn from.
"The player competing in this match is..."
The mechanical announcement sounded, signaling the official start of the friendly competition.
Chu Jue perked up. Since arriving here, she had never witnessed others sparring from a third-person perspective, nor had she ever joined the battle as a spectator.
Perhaps because the spiritual ranks of both sides were too low, the one-on-one battle was simply too boring to watch. The two sides just stood in place as if they were fighting, occasionally dodging a few times, as if they were fighting an imaginary enemy in the air. Only high-level spiritualists have spiritual power that rarely materializes, and most spiritualists are only at the low to mid-level. It was as if the two sides were exchanging blows but there were no special effects.
If Chu Jue focused his energy on the "air," he could still discern some trends in spiritual energy. The excitement of the fight ultimately depended on the later stages.
But the match was still dull, with neither side finding it interesting.
Soon, a mechanical voice declared one side the winner.
Chu Jue could tell from the trajectory of his spiritual energy and the number of attacks that he was the one with the faster reaction, but he couldn't figure out why he was able to win.
The losing side clearly still had some strength left, yet they just gave up like that?
...It seems this isn't just a friendly match, but rather an exhibition match. Chu Jue concluded.
After the two stepped off the stage, the stage rotated, revealing the next group of contestants.
After watching several sets of matches, Chu Jue was certain that it wasn't just a matter of Spirit Rank; even the battles at the second rank were bland and uninteresting.
"Is this how we always spar?" Chu Jue couldn't help but ask Ying Yi.
Ying Yi nodded: "Yes. In sparring matches, it's important to ensure that both sides' vital signs are stable, or at least not abnormal. Therefore, excessive moves and sharp weapons are prohibited. After a few rounds, we've maintained this level of restraint."
"Moreover, you should be able to see that the exchanges between their groups are more about power than spiritual energy."
Yun Qiandu: ...
No wonder Ying Yi didn't participate either.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have participated," Yun Qiandu said dejectedly.
Come to think of it, the competition among spiritual practitioners has always been so boring. It's because she's seen too much of Chu Jue's fighting style that she's forgotten the level of most people when they spar.
She had long felt that Chu Jue's fighting style was more like a martial artist than a spiritualist. Sure enough, once she got used to Chu Jue's all-around abilities, she always felt that this was the true spiritualist.
Another round of sparring ended, and the announcement reminded Yun Qiandu from Group 111 to prepare in advance. Yun Qiandu cheered himself up and calmly went on stage.
Her male opponent paused for a second when he saw her: "A woman?"
He then glanced at the bracelet again before confirming the information: "Oh, it really is."
Yun Qiandu also paused for a second, just like him: "A man?"
Then she glanced at his crotch again: "Ah, not necessarily."
As she spoke, she made a "two" gesture to him, and the next second, the sunny and cheerful "two" neatly joined together side by side.
The male opponent was caught off guard and stood frozen in place. He had used this tactic to undermine women's confidence countless times, but this was the first time he had encountered someone who didn't take it seriously at all and even retaliated.
...How dare she humiliate him? From words to gestures! She really doesn't know who she is! The male opponent was enraged and decided to teach this arrogant woman a lesson.
After the previous group's duel ended, the area where the two players were located became the main arena.
The male opponent, whose fighting spirit had been provoked, moved at the first sign of trouble. Although he was morally corrupt, he was still a genuine fourth-tier spiritualist.
His movements were extremely fast, intending to give Yun Qiandu a hard time, and he blasted a crater in the spot where she had originally been standing.
Yun Qiandu anticipated his attack and dodged in advance, but instead of retreating as he expected, she did not. Between spiritual practitioners, distance is the safest distance for attacks, but Yun Qiandu did the complete opposite; she actually closed the distance between them.
She closed in with a high frequency of dodges, gathering spiritual energy in her palms. Taking advantage of her male opponent's confusion, she threw a hook punch in the direction he instinctively dodged, and the man took the punch solidly.
Before the man could react, she followed up with another attack, using her spiritual power to lift his waist and abdomen, delivering an elbow strike.
The initial punch was unexpected, and even stronger pain than anticipated followed. The male opponent was caught off guard and almost fell to his knees.
He steadied himself, but when he tried to speak, his lips twitched, and he hissed before his face contorted in pain.
Each move resembled a one-sided beating, and the male opponent took several more hits.
She turned what should have been a refined sparring match into a brawl, leaving her male opponent frustrated as he tried to fight back but was consistently at a disadvantage.
Since you dare to treat him so ruthlessly, don't blame him for showing no mercy!
The man finally found an opportunity, feigning a counterattack with a clenched fist. Ignoring the pre-match rule against using sharp weapons, he secretly channeled his spiritual energy into brass-like spikes as Yun Qiandu continued to close in, and struck at her head without warning—
He was going to teach her a lesson!
Yun Qiandu sensed something the moment he made his move, immediately noticing the unusual nature of their "fist-to-fist" exchange. Her eyes darkened, and the spiritual energy surrounding her palm transformed into a hard armor, allowing her to forcefully block her male opponent's sinister attack.
The spikes failed to damage the armor in the slightest, which greatly alarmed the man.
Physical combat then reverts to a clash of spiritual energy, with both attackers and defenders simultaneously utilizing their spiritual energy for a simple counter-attack.
The male opponent gritted his teeth and maintained his offensive while carefully avoiding being caught violating the rules, his movements tinged with effort. Yun Qiandu could only say that his violation was entirely expected.
Men's emotional instability isn't a new thing. Even if it's called a friendly sparring match, if they were to engage in some underhanded maneuvers, they might not be stopped—if they're not dead, they're alive, right?
Even while defending, the helpful Yun Qiandu didn't forget to prick him a few more times, giving him some of the "education" that Chu Jue had given him, letting him experience what it truly means to "live".
With her other hand, she seemingly patted her male opponent's shoulder in a friendly manner, but he shuddered violently as if he had been caught in a hovercraft door, caught off guard by the sudden, strange force.
At the same time, the hand that Yun Qiandu was using to fight him suddenly launched an attack, gaining the upper hand in the clash between spirits, concentrating its offensive and unleashing spiritual power to completely crush the knuckle duster. The two sides switched sides, and the situation was now in Yun Qiandu's control.
The powerful palm strike after gathering spiritual energy was far superior to that of physical flesh, and the male opponent's unprotected finger bones were instantly shattered.
The body's protective mechanism caused his skin to swell rapidly. Yun Qiandu intentionally controlled his spiritual power—although he suffered internal injuries, from the outside it appeared as if he had only experienced a normal impact.
The pain intensified rapidly, and the male opponent immediately cried out, clutching his injured area. The unbearable pain made him instinctively want to call for a stop, but he found himself held down by spiritual energy, unable to open his mouth or make a sound.
Yes, she did it! She broke the rules!
No matter how hard he struggled, he still couldn't get rid of that spiritual power.
A sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him, and the pain in his knuckles intensified. Unable to bear the pain any longer, the man collapsed to the ground.
"Oh dear, it looks like someone here is tired of standing."
The enthusiastic rival, Yun Qiandu, hurriedly stepped forward to ask with concern: "What happened? Get up, get up quickly, the ground is clean, don't get it dirty."
As she spoke, she helped her male opponent up, and in the same way, she struck his other arm as well.
Now the balance was even, and with her support, the male opponent completely lost his fighting ability, collapsing loosely on the stage. Yun Qiandu, with a sense of morality, called for the stage cleaning machine to sweep up the trash.
"One of the participants has been found to have unstable vital signs; the sparring session is now suspended."
"No abnormal behavior detected, the game is valid."
"The winner of this match: Group 11, Yun Qiandu."
The winner waved joyfully toward Group 111 and strode back to his seat.
"How about that? Aren't I amazing?" Yun Qiandu asked, eager to show off.
"Yes, that's amazing." Ying Yi and Ying Suixin both gave her a thumbs up, and Ying Suixin even clapped along with the gesture, trying her best to make a sound with her six fingers.
Yun Qiandu looked expectantly at Chu Jue, who hadn't spoken yet, but waited two seconds before receiving praise: "Hmm, very impressive."
"What's going on? Why are you laging?" Yun Qiandu transformed into a ferocious beast, pretending to bite Chu Jue. "Seriously? You can get distracted watching me spar?"
"...No, I watched it carefully, and it was indeed very exciting." After expressing his high praise to Yun Qiandu, Chu Jue also helped her summarize a few parts that could be improved. Clearly, as she said, he had indeed watched it carefully.
Upon hearing this, Yun Qiandu quickly shifted from doubting Chu Jue's attempt to deceive her to a longing for learning.
Chu Jue casually gave her a post-match debriefing, but his gaze was fixed on the top of Yun Qiandu's head.
...The reason she was a step too slow was because she saw a number gradually condensing above Yun Qiandu's head.
Unlike the previous boldface font, it is a newly emerged scarlet font that transitions from bright red to brownish-red, much like an artistic font.
On Yun Qiandu's head was a number 2081, which was as red as blood.
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