Vs Yuze (1)

While everyone's eyes were on the platform a shadow appeared on the right of the Matriarch and materialized into the image of a young well built man. He had no presence about him and no one noticed his appearance in among the elders. He bowed momentarily before standing up and whispering something in her ear.

She nodded and he handed her a rolled parchment and disappeared. She made a few hand signs and read though it once before passing it to Lingman who then passed it to Lingfeng. After a moment the paper turned to dust and a slight breeze blew the flecks away.

She smiled to herself and her attention went back to the arena. This was a match she had not expected but looked forward to witnessing.

Lingyun walked to the platforms. His steps were deliberate and methodical his sense of calm increasing with everystep. By the time he took his place opposite Yuze he was in his peak condition. On the opposite side Yuze stood. With both feet on the ground he stood firm and patient. He looked at Lingyun and tried to gauge him. Something was different about him this time. While during the other fights he seemed like a free spirit this time he was like a tree. Like something that had always been there but he had never noticed before.

There was also something else that was different. He now held his sword in his left hand and a long black hafted spear in his right hand placed over his shoulder. Lingyun had gotten the spear when they had been in the city and this was the first time he was using it. There was not much one could say about the sword with it alone one could have glossed over him being there. But the spear made a statement.

"It seems you have decided to fight seriously?" Yuze asked as he held his own saber with his two hands before him.

"It's not everyday that you come face to face with the best in the clan." Lingyun replied. There was no mockery in his voice. In fact there was a certain coldness in his voice as if it was separate from the person speaking.

Yuze's laughter boomed on the platform.

"Why don't we fight to our hearts content then?" Yuze said with a grin on his face.

"I have been looking forward to this," Lingyun said. This was a fact. He had earlier on realized that actual fights was the best way to gain real combat experience as well as test out his theories. He had been looking forward to fighting someone strong and he couldn't ask for better.

Yuze started simple and raised his saber over his head in a downward motion. Lingyun knew this was not a simple because while he stood on the other end of the platform the motion of the saber felt like it was right before his face. He made a quick motion and with his sword he was able to redirect the cut that she saw. A large cut about half a foot deep and stretching three meters long appeared besides him.

"You were able to anticipate my Phantom Cut," Yuze's laughter boomed once more, "But how many can you evade?" he was already moving his saber as he finished talking. He made a downward cut with his saber then and upwards, diagonal and followed up with slashed from all directions. Lingyun watched all these motions and once again dodged and deflected. Yuze had managed to keep his distance which was advisable when dealing with someone holding a spear.

As Yuze finished his series of movement he felt his hair stand on edge. On the opposite side of the platform Lingyun had put away his sword and was making a thrusting motion with his spear. It was a simple motion and it looked so slow to his eyes. He dodged to the right but then crouched low to the ground almost instantly and a dark long shape appeared where his head had been.

His could still sense Lingyun moving towards him but he could also feel the spear right above him. He quickly transitioned to an upwards motion with his sword to push away the spear only nothing was there. Instead he felt his saber being pushed more than he had intended which would leave his side open. He pushed back and the sword that was pushing against his saber disappeared. he only so the weapons but no assailant.

He spun forming swinging his saber erratically suing the Phantom Cuts to form a shield around him. It was only now that he saw Lingyun jump back from where he had been standing behind him. What was going on.

Watching from below Lingshi couldn't help but be surprised. She knew that Lingyun was talented but to have managed to put Yuze in an unfavorable situation was commendable. To many of those watching it seemed as if Yuze was being careless but to her the fight seemed different.

On the Dias, the Matriarch too had felt the fluctuations of soul energy during the fight and while she was unable to see exactly what had happed the result was all she needed to see to understand how Lingyun had pressed Yuze. It was unfortunate that his strength was weaker and his movements slower otherwise he could have ended the fight. She knew it was why he had chosen to retreat just then because pressing his advantage would put him in an awkward situation.

Lingfend watched his son fight. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and unease. Was this the same boy he knew. He could remember when he had lazed around all day doing nothing and when he tried to compare that image to the boy- no- man before him the difference was as night and day. He had come to understand two things about the way his son fought. One was that he had not been fighting at full strength in the earlier fights. He used his sword exclusively for defense to counter, block and divert his opponents attacks away. That coupled with the uncanny way he anticipated the attacks made his defense impenetrable.

The second realization had been a surprise to him when he saw the long black spear he had purchased before saying he didn't know whether he was going to use a sword or a spear. Could it be that back then he had already decided to fight like this. He couldn't tell. It had become more difficult to guess what he was thinking ever since he came back from the beast glades.

"I knew there was something about you." Yuze said still smiling. He had been pushed that much by someone weaker than him and had not figured out how. This was a new experience to him. "It's good to find such talents in the clan."

That said he made the preemptive move and dashed forward. Lingyun could see the path he would follow and the best way to dodge but his body could yet keep up with his mind and he was forced to block. This was the first time he had been unable to control the motion of his opponent. He was pushed back a few step. He didn't stop and jumped into the air. He pulled back his right hand and threw the spear to the right size of Yuze. He was confused for a moment before that feeling from earlier returned.

He could have sworn that Lingyun had thrown his spear to the ground but there was nothing there. Instead he found himself covering his head as a kick landed on his temple. What was going on? He took a step back as another kick passed infant of his face only this was not a kick but the butt end of the spear as it aimed for his head again. He made a downward cut with his saber but before he could could make the followup motion of his technique he saw Lingyun's sword pushing down on his saber. He pushed it up and it didn't budge.

He had already judged that in terms of raw power Lingyun was weaker than him which was why it was a surprised to him when he was unable to remove his saber. He blinked twice before realising that it was actually Lingyuns foot that was pressing down on his Saber. He pulled it back and retreated five steps which got him out of range of Lingyun's spear.

The crowd was shocked once more. Yuze had been pushed and forced to retreat. Matriarch Ling couldn't help but smile. Lingyuns movements were the most basic movements of that weapon class. Had he had more strength he could easily end the fight. But every time he felt a fluctuation of soul energy Lingyun went on the offensive and seemed to push Yuze into a corner. At the core of Lingyun's strength was the strength of his soul which was something Yuze had no counter for.