Chapter 6- I Won (part 2)
About sixty feet away from the stage, the disciple saw another Longmin standing there in his white scholar's robes.
However, his refine and scholarly air was gone and his calm smile was replaced by an ice-cold expression.
The disciples immediately did a double-take before they turn to look back at where Longmin had been sitting only to see the image of Longmin fading away. They did a triple take as their eyes started to widen in amazement.
Longmin had moved so far a distance with such speed that an afterimage was created, thus causing the misconception of him being pierced through by the three Sword Qi.
"You actually infused Sword Qi into the palm. What if I wasn’t able to dodge in time, what would you have done?!"
Longmin yelled while his body started to tremble from anger.
Longwei, however, just smiled and nonchalantly said.
"What are you so angry about? At most you'd only get a scratch."
"Bullshit!!"
Longwei's words immediately provoked the refined and scholarly Longmin to the point of cursing.
Looking as if he wanted to eat his brother alive Longmin said.
"If I hadn't dodged those by such a large distance, anywhere I go on that stage the two Sword Qi you have hidden in that palm would've poked holes in me!
"And the worst thing of all, knowing that I would dodge the first attack, you purposely created a smokescreen to catch me off guard if I were to appear anywhere on the stage".
Thinking about his brother's malicious intentions, Longmin was exasperated.
He was also angered to a large degree by this brother of his. Ever since they were kids he didn't know the meaning of pulling his punches. The worst thing of all back then and even now, was that he would purposely hide his cultivation and wait until the last minute before revealing it.
'I shouldn't have taught him that Runic Seal to hide his cultivation.'
Longmin thought to himself before releasing an internal sigh.
'Luckily, I had the mind to put a back door in rune so I could tell when he was using it, otherwise...'
Longmin stopped that train of thought as he didn't want to think about the torment he would have suffered at his brother's hands.
Longwei meanwhile, heard his brother mention the two remaining Sword Qi in the palm and his smile turned wider, showing off his neat row of pearly white teeth.
"Haha, good little brother you actually notice."
After saying that he waved his hand, and from within the little bit of dust remaining on the stage emerged two Sword Qi.
The shine and luster of these two were a lot more prominent than the previous three, hinting that they were a lot more powerful. In fact, one of them was equal in strength to the three that attacked Longmin combined.
The two Sword Qi danced around each other as they came closer to Longwei's outstretched hand. The length of them was the same as a regular sword so when they fused and rested in his palm, it looked as if he was holding a really brightly-colored blue sword.
The one he had strapped to his waist when he visited the Ancestral Mountain was tucked away into his storage bag at his side.
Seeing the two Sword Qi, Longmin started seething from rage.
He lifted his foot and took a step forward, and suddenly, everything paused.
The disciples' movements and expressions stilled, even some birds that were flying overhead looked frozen unable to move.
Longmin's one step seemed to have caused the operations of the heavens to come to a standstill. However, that wasn't the case. It's just that his proceeding steps were so fast that everything in his vision looked slowed down to the point of not moving.
In just the blink of an eye, he was back on the stage standing in front of Longwei.
As soon as he stopped, everything returned to normal as if it never happen. The disciples who were staring at him all this while, only saw Longmin take a step forward and disappeared before reappearing on stage.
"Haha, little brother, that movement technique of yours, isn't that the Soaring Cloud Steps from the Emperor Tactics Manual? So Grand uncle chose a Qi and Body cultivation method for you.
"And you've also reached Initial Mastery of the Soaring Cloud Steps, tsk tsk, little brother it seems I can't slack off. I would lose too much face if my little bro were to surpass me in skill."
Hearing how Longwei kept using little brother every chance he gets, Longmin just hatefully stared at him in response.
"I really don't like that look on your face, it's rather displeasing to look at you know?"
Before he finished, Longwei slashed out with his Sword Qi causing a blue arc to travel at high speed towards Longmin.
Longmin face remained the same as he took a step forward. With his fist glowing a silvery-white light, he punched out.
BANG!
The collision of the fist and Sword Qi made a deafening sound that echoed in the training grounds. Small ripples appeared in the area as well.
After everything calm down, Longmin could be seen slowly pulling back his fist while still calmly looking at Longwei.
Longwei seeing this clicked his tongue and said.
"You've even learned the Emperor's Fists, I really need to step up my game."
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Two more blue arcs flew towards Longmin but ended up just passing through him.
As his figure fades away from in front of Longwei, he reappeared a meter behind him and punched out. Longwei as if expecting this already had his sword slashing out to meet the blow.
With a series of hand and leg shadows, Longwei and Longmin engaged in close combat.
The crowd of disciples below the stage watched with wrapped attention.
"Which one of the Young Masters do you think will win? My bet is on Young Master Longwei!"
One disciple suddenly said causing the rest to start shouting out their answer.
"My bet is on eldest brother Longwei too."
"Me as well."
"Young Master Longmin is going to win for sure! Just look how handsome he is!"
"Definitely! Our good-looking Young Master Longmin will without a doubt win."
As the female disciples chimed in, only the answers handsome Young Master Longmin and good-looking Young Master Longmin will win could be heard.
"Ugh, what does being handsome or good-looking have to do with winning a fight?"
A male disciple blurted all of a sudden.
Quickly, the female disciples all quieted down. Then, as if it were planned, they all simultaneously turned their heads to look at that male disciple with strangely calm eyes.
Seeing such a scene unfold before, the male disciple who blurted out his thoughts instantly felt a cold chill go up his spine while his scalp became numb.
All the male disciples that were close to him immediately backed away as if he had become a deadly plague.
He's not with us!
Having nowhere to hide after being abandoned and exposed, that male disciple immediately started sweating buckets in panic. All the girls' stares directed at him placed immense pressure on his mind, and just when he thought he was done for a loud boom echoed on stage drawing everyone's attention.
Seeing this, he sighed in relief as he was barely able to escape an incoming disaster.
On the stage, the two brothers were still going head-to-head.
With slashes covering his white robes, Longmin was attacking Longwei like a ferocious tiger. His previous refine and scholarly temperament was nowhere to be seen. Longwei was not better off as he had some bruises visible on his face and his body felt numb all over.
They clash in the middle of the stage and then separate.
"You snake of a little brother, you're finally showing your true colors.”
"Even Buddha can be vicious when he gets angry."
"Hahaha! You're comparing yourself to Buddha now?"
Longwei burst out laughing.
Longmin wore an indignant look on his face as he said.
"You're purposely misinterpreting my words."
Longwei waved his hand dismissively and then said.
"Well, this fight has gone on long enough."
After saying that, the sixth condensed Sword Qi in his hand dissipated.
The Runic Seal inside of him was released completely causing his cultivation to rise to the peak of the early-stage Foundation Building realm.
Longmin inhaled deeply to calm his ragged breath then said.
"So that's your current cultivation, no wonder you were acting more overbearing than usual."
Longwei smirked while he formed a series of hand seals. After finishing he pointed his index finger into the air and shouted.
"Everlasting Sword Art: First Style Heavens Judgment!!"
Immediately after his finger started to glow with a ferocious-looking blue light.
In the surroundings the Spiritual Qi seemed to have become restless as it started to slowly gather towards him, however, this effect only lasted a moment before disappearing.
No one in the training grounds realized what had occurred, not even Longwei himself.
In the Ancestral building, the Grand Elder and the Patriarch however had surprised expressions on their faces.
"He's actually able to affect the Spiritual Qi in the surroundings. Only a Core Formation cultivator with Spiritual Sense can do that. Even if that's Sky-level Daoist Sword Art, let alone comprehending one to the Initial Mastery stage, no Foundation Realm cultivator should be able to do that without Spiritual Sense."
When the Grand Elder finished speaking the Patriarch let out a boisterous laugh, not caring for his image.
Back on the stage, Longmin had a serious expression on his face as he prepared for Longwei’s final attack.
"Here I come, hold this for me!"
With a shout, Longwei slashed his right index finger which had all of his Sword Qi condensed on it down.
Longmin's arms up to his shoulders glowed with a piercing white light that subtly gave off the feeling of an Emperor, with a loud shout of his own, he punched out with both fists at the incoming attack.
BOOM
A loud explosion that nearly destroyed the stage sounded out. The shock wave reached the disciples that were standing a distance away, showing the strength of both attacks.
Out of the dust and rubble that was kicked up on the stage, Longmin's figure could be seen flying out.
His sleeves were gone up to his elbows, and he could barely stabilize himself in the air to prepare for his fall. All of a sudden, Longwei appeared out of nowhere behind him with a smirk on his face.
He stretched out his hand ready to catch Longmin, thinking to himself he had won the match with his final attack, however, as his hand came in contact with Longmin a runic symbol appeared below his feet that froze him in place.
The Longmin that he was trying to catch slowly started to fade away, and out of the dust and rubble walked another Longmin.
After coming to stand in front of his unmoving brother, Longmin placed his hand on Longwei's right shoulder and said with a dazzling smile on his face.
"I won."
With the smile never leaving his face, he pointed at the rune below Longwei's feet releasing him.
Longwei's previous smirk was replaced with an ugly expression as he asked in a bewildered tone.
"How's it possible for you to use Spiritual Sense?"