Ch. 136 - Lost Godwind

“Then try me and see,” Jiang Heng snorted, energy surging around his fists. A gust of wind blew at his feet, white spiritforce wrapped around his entire body as he charged straight at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu chuckled softly and didn’t dodge at all, allowing the punch to land squarely on his abdomen.

“My foolish little brother… after all these years, your attacks still haven’t improved,” he said casually. Even after taking the punch directly, his body didn’t budge in the slightest, it was as if he felt nothing at all.

Jiang Heng’s eyes narrowed as he let out a low growl and followed up with several more punches in rapid succession.

“I’m sorry, but I’m taking the spot this time,” Jiang Yu said. Then he raised both palms and struck toward Jiang Heng.

Jiang Heng snorted coldly and quickly retreated.

Before Jiang Yu’s palms could connect, Jiang Heng had already moved to the side.

“Your speed’s improved a lot,” Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a calm tone.

“You noticed?” Jiang Heng sneered, then charged in close again, his body leaving behind multiple afterimages in the air.

After exchanging a few moves, Jiang Yu’s expression shifted. Jiang Heng’s speed was far superior to his own, and he couldn’t even touch the edge of his opponent’s robe.

Though his defense was formidable, Jiang Heng kept striking the same spot on his abdomen.

At first, it didn’t hurt, but after taking repeated hits in the same place, Jiang Yu began to feel the pain build.

“You abandoned your extreme path,” Jiang Yu roared.

The two of them had been rivals since youth. Jiang Heng had been obsessed with the path of attack, while he had committed to the path of defense.

Neither had trained specifically in speed or other areas before.

“That doesn’t matter, as long as I can beat you!” Jiang Heng shouted back.

Though his body was lean and wiry, he now raised his right fist, veins bulging across his arms, eyes bulging with intensity. It was as if all the effort of the past decade had been poured into this single blow.

When the punch landed, Jiang Yu’s expression changed drastically. For the first time, his unmoving body was sent crashing into the chains at the edge of the arena.

“My dear brother,” Jiang Heng stepped forward, voice calm, “it’s time you experienced what I’ve felt all these years. Right here, in front of everyone, I’ll repay every defeat I’ve suffered.”

“It's just ironic,” Jiang Yu responded flatly. “Someone who once held so tightly to their martial path would give it up and defeat me.”

“I never gave it up,” Jiang Heng replied. “It just wasn’t the right path for me. That so-called ‘extreme path’ was too hard. Sure, there were legendary Emperors before us, Grand Emperor San Dao with his path of attack, Grand Emperor Shen Xing with his path of speed. But how many Grand Emperors like them actually exist? I told you once, I wanted to be like the Blade Emperor, to entrust my life entirely to strength. But it’s too hard. I was just talking big back then. Deep down, in my soul, in my blood, I knew I wasn’t like him. Some paths are dead ends from the beginning. Hard work matters, but if you’re headed the wrong way, it’s still useless. So a year ago, I stopped focusing on attack and started training my defense and speed instead. In the end, we were both wrong. The extreme path is just too difficult.”

“Speak for yourself, don’t drag me into it!” Jiang Yu growled after a pause. “I’d rather smash my head into a wall than turn back!”

“But you lost,” Jiang Heng replied calmly.

Jiang Yu fell silent. He knew, no matter what he said, a loss was still a loss. There was no talking around it.

As the two spoke, the Sacred Spring Sect’s sect master, Luo Changhe, slowly stood up and walked over to them.

“Master,” both of them greeted respectfully.

“You’re both not wrong,” Luo Changhe said with a warm smile. “Relax, Jiang Heng isn’t wrong. Sometimes, when a path doesn't work, it’s okay to let it go. Choosing another direction might just open up a new world for you. And Jiang Yu, you’re not wrong either. Some paths are hard, but if you stick with them, they might lead to an even greater realm. There’s more than one road to success. Remember this, there are no eternal losers in this world. Only temporary winners.”

The two brothers fell into deep thought upon hearing those words.

…

The fifteen-to-eight matches concluded. The upcoming quarterfinals would be the most anticipated stage of the tournament.

All the remaining contestants were the top Holy Sons and Daughters of their sects.

With the exception of Xu Zimo and another lesser-known disciple named Lin Hang, the other six, Xuanyuan Xuantian, Fairy Ling’er, Baili Xiao, Chu Yang, Heavenly Demon Child, and Jiang Heng, were all big names.

There was no more drawing lots for this stage. Instead, the matchups were determined by total time taken in previous rounds. The fastest winners got to choose their opponents.

Since Xu Zimo had ended all his matches in a single move, his total time was naturally the shortest.

He glanced at the seven remaining contestants. Most wore composed expressions, except for Lin Hang, who looked eager and excited.

“Well, alright, I'll pick you,” Xu Zimo said with a grin, pointing at Lin Hang.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Lin Hang replied gratefully.

“What for?” Xu Zimo asked, confused.

“For giving me a chance to make it into the semifinals,” Lin Hang replied.

“So confident?” Xu Zimo raised an eyebrow.

“You’re tough, sure, but compared to those monsters, I feel like I have a better shot against you,” Lin Hang said with a smile.

“Who are you looking down on?” Xu Zimo chuckled. “Good luck, then.”

Next up was Baili Xiao, who had the second shortest match time. She chose Jiang Heng as her opponent.

Xuanyuan Xuantian was third. He looked at Fairy Ling’er and grinned, “If you agree to be with me, I’ll let you go.”

“You lunatic,” Fairy Ling’er snapped coldly.

“Then I’ll beat you into submission,” Xuanyuan Xuantian laughed indifferently.

That left the final two, Chu Yang and the Heavenly Demon Child, to face each other.

…

As the match began, Lin Hang’s spiritforce surged. He extended his right hand slowly and smiled. “I’ve been preparing for this fight for a long time.”

A dark yellow whirlwind of sand spun in his palm.

Xu Zimo’s eyes narrowed. “Lost Godwind.”

“That’s right,” Lin Hang grinned. “I know it’s unlikely I’ll win the tournament, but with the Lost Godwind, if luck’s on my side, I might just make it into the semifinals.”

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