Hayate vs *Secret*

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--- Chapter 59 ---

Cang Yue cheerfully dragged Hayate to the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament's arena. Her beautiful face bloomed with a smile.

Hayate's nose twitched a little because a familiar flowery smell entered his nostrils. After reaching 50% recovery, one of his senses recovered.

Still, it's unfortunate because he couldn't taste anything with his tongue.

"Did something bother you?" Cang Yue asked naturally.

She noticed Hayate's slight confusion and couldn't help but feel curious about it.

"It's nothing," Hayate replied. "I'll notify you immediately if something is wrong."

Cang Yue giggled and responded, "Sure."

Yun Che silently stared at Hayate and Cang Yue while gritting his teeth, but they ignored his presence blatantly. He's not worthy of their time.

Hayate sat on the seat and saw a small peony growing on the concrete wall. A frown appeared on his face because it wasn't here yesterday.

Even though peonies can withstand sub-zero temperatures, it doesn't mean they could grow instantly like this.

He picked the flower and commented, "I see, you're here."

"It's not just Dullahan who arrived here."

Hayate moved his gaze to Xiao Bing'er and saw her smiling at him. Her formerly humble look was plastered with excitement now.

'Well, would you look at that?' Hayate thought while throwing the peony away.

Xiao Binger only clapped her hands, sitting back onto her seat casually.

Hong Guan landed on Hayate's side and asked, "So how was it last night?"

"I bet it was wild." Her lips are rising, forming a playful grin.

"Yeah," Hayate responded with a smile.

Hong Guan proudly crossed her arms because she was able to connect her beloved master to Chu Yueli and Xia Qingyue.

She wanted to ask about his body's condition, but the fourth round started now.

Ling Wuguo appeared from the sky and landed on the stage. He slowly scanned through the crowd and smiled because everyone was here.

"This is the last round of the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament."

"I'm sure everyone is excited," He smiled at some people in the crowd. "Then, let's start the fourth round."

Ling Wuguo moved his gaze to the Heavenly Sword Villa's Master and watched Ling Yuefeng nod in understanding.

He cleared his throat and declared, "The first match, Kurogami Hayate against Ling Jie."

Ling Jie clenched his fist excitedly and stepped onto the stage with two swords. His eyes focused on Hayate, waiting for him to enter this field.

Hayate felt his body lighter after recovering up to 50% and jumped to the stage, creating a slight breeze.

"Show off." Ling Jie commented while drawing his sword.

Ling Wuguo recognized the two swords in Ling Jie's grasp and quickly moved his gaze to Ling Yun, who swayed his head cluelessly.

'To think Ling Yun would let his younger brother borrow the Celestial Yuan Sword,' He thought weirdly. 'What the cheeky brothers.'

"Hmph, We are finally able to fight again!" Ling Jie said while pointing his sword at Hayate.

"Whatever, the result is clear, Ling Jie," Hayate responded indifferently.

"Those weapons won't make a difference."

Ling Jie sneered and commented, "How arrogant."

"However, you have the right to be arrogant because of your strength."

"And I have a right to change that!"

Hayate smirked inside because Ling Jie is a talented youngster with the right mindset to become strong. He's confident but still green regardless.

Ling Wuguo raised his hand and declared, "Final Round, 1st match starts!"

Hayate picked a pace by stepping to Ling Jie. His left leg swung violently like a whip, reaching the young swordmaster with a ferocious attack.

Ling Jie retreated a few steps back to secure a distance from Hayate because he couldn't fight him in close combat.

"I know your tricks." He entered a stance.

"You don't." Hayate smashed his left leg into the ground and pivoted to it.

BAM!

His right leg bent and swept Ling Jie's leg from below.

Ling Jie was caught off guard and fell to the ground as his center of gravity was shaken.

"Rising Slash." He recovered by swinging his sword into the air, creating a light slash.

Hayate tilted his head and dodged Ling Jie's attack. His golden eyes noticed another sword slash, causing him to somersault in the air.

BAM! Crack!

Ling Jie's attack exploded upon hitting the ground, creating a wide crack.

Hayate breathed and stared at Ling Jie, who recovered from his awkward position. He wanted to see how far this young fellow could handle his movement, but he didn't want to reveal too much.

"Have you ever heard about a pure martial artist who fought against a sword?" He suddenly asked.

"In theory, it should be impossible without the usage of profound energy, right?"

"The foundation of all profound art, profound energy."

Ling Jie frowned because he could feel something was developing from Hayate.

"I'll show you the essence of "Pure." in martial arts." Hayate's arm tensed a little and straightened like a spear.

"Come!" Ling Jie crossed his swords.

Hayate ran forward with such an incredible speed, leaving a faint afterimage. His right hand lunged forward, moving like a lance to Ling Jie's chest.

Clank!

'Heavy.' Ling Jie thought while looking at Hayate's arm.

BAM!

COUGH!

A kick suddenly smashed Ling Jie's left rib cage, staggering him for a moment.

"Pure, using your body like a weapon."

"A different form could mimic everything."

Hayate launched a roundhouse kick at Ling Jie's shoulder and blew him away.

BAM!

"Uugh." Ling Jie gritted his teeth. He couldn't read Hayate's movement at all.

Hayate suddenly became faster and released an invisible attack from Ling Jie's blind spot.

As Ling Jie focused on parrying Hayate's first attack, another attack could pass through easily.

Fen Juechen learned "Pace." when training with Hayate in Blue Wind Profound Palace. It's the primary essence of the Fuma Clan's secret art.

Move like a wind.

A martial artist could move slow or fast like the wind, depending on their technique. Nakiri Mei carved this teaching to Hayate in MMA Club, training him to become the next Fuma Kotaro.

Ling Jie landed on his feet and stabbed his sword onto the ground to stop himself.

"Amazing." He looked at Hayate in awe.

He moved his gaze to his older brother and gave him a grin.

"Well, fight to your heart's content." Ling Yun commented while shaking his head.

"Yuan Yang Combinations!" Ling Jie quickly raised his sword and his brother's sword.

A burst of energy swept over the whole stage, causing a sharp sword echo to spread.

Ling Jie walked to Hayate and began to bombard him with sword slashes. He relentlessly swung his sword, creating a formation in the sky.

"Moon's Break!"

A white flash approached Hayate at fast speed.

Hayate stomped the ground and directly caused a piece of rock to fly up. He kicked the rock to Ling Jie's attack, preventing it from reaching him.

BOOM!

The rock exploded into a cloud of dust, interfering with everyone's vision.

Ling Jie performed a horizontal slash and cleared the arena from the dust.

Hayate appeared and tried to kick him in the chin.

BAM!

A sword met with Hayate's toes, stopping him from reaching Ling Jie's chin.

"Not bad," Hayate commented casually.

Ling Jie's sword released a radiant white ray and returned, "You too."

"Twin Moon's Break!"

An X-shaped slash escaped Ling Jie's sword and directly hit Hayate's chest. Ling Jie smiled victoriously and saw his opponent become hazy like the wind.

His smile disappeared instantly.

Ling Jie instinctively raised his right hand to parry Hayate's attack and was pushed several meters away.

"Radiant Sky!" He prepared a move and clenched his grip on the sword.

A beam of energy rushed into the sky, becoming an enormous sword with extreme sharpness.

Ling Jie slashed his sword and watched his final attack descent from the sky, falling onto Hayate.

Hayate was swallowed by his attack, dispersing into nothingness.

"Sometimes eyes could be deceiving." Hayate's voice entered his ears.

A powerful smack abruptly hit Ling Jie's face.

"No way..." Ling Jie fell to the ground with a defeated smile on his face.

"You're too strong."

'With his talent, he could become stronger in the future.' Ling Wuguo shook his head because Ling Jie was still young.

He raised his hand and declared, "Hayate wins."

Hayate stepped out off the stage casually and jumped back to his seat. He was amused because he could feel Ling Yun's intense fighting spirit.

As Ling Jie was taken away by the medic, Ling Wuguo cleared his throat and said, "Ehem, Let's continue with the second round immediately."

"2nd round, Ling Yun against Xiao Bing'er."