Martial Hero Rebirth

"If you would please!"

"If you would please!"

Both Lin Yi and Han Bai made a ‘please' posture, then unsheathed their swords and pointed at each other.

The green sword with 3-chi (approx. 0.9 meter) length under the sunlight gave off a chilling aura.

Everyone widened their eyes, watching the showdown between the strongest of the new disciples. They were aware that the number one of the new disciples of this batch would emerge from one of these two.

Being afraid to miss any exciting scenes, no one dared to blink their eyes.

Han Bai slightly squinted his eyes, looking at Lin Yi in front of him who was older than him by two years with complex feelings. At first, he had thought Lin Yi would be a threat to him as they were too far apart. Never he had thought, in just five short days, Lin Yi had managed to challenge all the way from the hundredth seat and facing him right now.

Since he was small, Han Bai had a high talent for martial arts. In his hands, any moves of martial arts could be practised to high level mastery in short time. All people surrounding him had described him as genius. In the future, he would surely become an indomitable hero!

He could become a peak expert!

Yet, what did Lin Yi have?

He joined Huashan at the age of fifteen. This kind of age was quite high for someone who was about to start learning martial arts. Logically, this kind of person should stay in low-key for the remaining four years in lower courtyard before leaving Huashan. Afterwards, he would roam the pugilistic world and become the lowest existence in pugilistic world.

However, Lin Yi didn't move according to the script. Instead, he had managed to shock the entire lower courtyard just in a few days and became a dazzling genius just like Han Bai himself.

In fact, Han Bai had even been overshadowed by Lin Yi!

This made Han Bai who had always led a smooth-sailing life felt uncomfortable. He was aware deep within him, that Huashan was a place with hidden dragons and crouching. A place with countless geniuses stronger and more eye-catching than himself, like core disciples on the peak of Mt.Hua.

But even so, there shouldn't be someone as old as Lin Yi in lower courtyard!

Though he had felt excitement due to appearance of a worthy opponent, compared to the threat to his position, it was not even worth mentioning!

Between an opponent with equal strength and the position of number one genius in lower courtyard, Han Bai had chosen the latter.

"Number one in lower courtyard belongs to me. I, Hai Bai, am the real genius!"

Han Bai roared furiously. A ‘shua' sound could be heard. With abstruse movement, he stabbed towards Lin Yi.

This move….

Lin Yi's eyes lit up. This was the strongest move he had ever encountered after challenging for these few days.

None of his opponents before could execute such a move.

A seemingly simple move, yet contained profound mystery within, had locked on to Lin Yi and blocked his retreat, forcing him to meet it head-on.

If it was someone who was weaker than Han Bai, probably his defeat was already decided.

Lin Yi had to admit, Hai Bai who had managed to become the first seat among lower courtyard's new disciples really had some capabilities. What was most worthy of praising was Han Bai was only thirteen years old and he had only learned Huashan Swordplay for a month.

In just one month, he could master Huashan Swordplay to this point.

This brat was a genius indeed!

Of course, genius might be genius, but who was Lin Yi?

One of the five God-ranked players, a peak expert in pugilistic world!

Though his strength was no more, but comprehension towards martial arts was still there, as he had seen far to many profound sword arts.

This move of Han Bai might contain a lot of tricks, but unfortunately ….

Lin Yi had just upgraded Huashan Swordplay to advanced stage. His attack attribute had exceeded that of Han Bai. With addition to his experience as a peak expert, Lin Yi could see the traps that Han Bai laid within this move with just a single glance.

All-encompassing White Rainbow!

With the sword riding on the momentum of wind, strike the enemy in the air.

Aiming his sword's edge at the back of Han Bai's sword, he blocked it and brought down Han Bai's attack. Taking the opportunity, Lin Yi attacked again.

White Clouds Emerge!

Squat down and halt, then strike horizontally.

Han Bai couldn't help but retreat in order to dodge the attack.

This dodge had caused Han Bai's accumulated offense to break, interrupting his following attacks.

It was as if a carefully planned attack had just been clashed head-on with someone and got sent back in one strike.

This kind of vexing feeling could almost cause someone to throw up blood!

What was Han Bai feeling right was exactly that feeling. Stuffy chest, fast-paced heartbeat, blood boiling, and breathing in and out in large amount. In a short amount of time where they had just exchanged two moves, he was almost internally injured and exhausted a great deal of physical strength.

He couldn't help but stay far away from Lin Yi. He glared Lin Yi with his reddened eyes, trying to figure out how to attack next.

Han Bai didn't attack, Lin Yi didn't charge either. He just smilingly looked at Han Bai. Compared to Han Bai's looks where he was on his guard, both of their expression were the contrast of each other.

Both of them just confronted each other quietly like that.

…….

The onlookers didn't clamor to ask them to continue fighting. Though they weren't at the level of Lin Yi or Han Bai, however, as martial arts practitioners, they still had this basic judgement.

"Seems like Senior Brother Lin Yi has the upper hand!"

"Senior Brother Lin Yi is too awesome. His combat experience is simply godlike. That sinister move of Han Bai, I definitely can't deal with it if I were the one to face against it, then I can only let Han Bai seize the pace and be defeated eventually. Yet, Senior Brother Lin Yi had only used two moves, an All-encompassing White Rainbow and another White Clouds Emerge, to force Han Bai back and inflict internal injury on him. Simply godlike!"

"Did you all see that? The All-encompassing White Rainbow executed by Senior Brother Lin Yi is too fantastic! I never knew All-encompassing White Rainbow can be used to defend, morever, to defend so well and force the opponent back."

"That's right. This move of All-encompassing White Rainbow is simply a godly move! Previously I have always thought that the instructor is bluffing that Huashan Swordplay can be used to both attack and defend. No matter how I looked at it, the eleven moves of Huashan Swordplay are used to attack, how can they be used to defend. Now that I have seen this All-encompassing White Rainbow by Senior Brother Lin Yi, it has simply lighten up my dog eyes! His usage is simply too profound, attacking while defending, how overbearing!"

"Attacking while defending. Offense is the best defense! I have never understood the meaning behind these words. Now that I have seen All-encompassing White Rainbow by Senior Brother Lin Yi, I have finally understood it!"

"All-encompassing White Rainbow was executed beautifully indeed, but the following White Clouds Emerge isn't bad too. Forcefully forced Han Bai to dodge and retreat, causing all the momentum he had built up to go down the drain! In the past, I have always thought Han Bai's attacks as raging waves, with each waves get stronger than the previous waves, which really makes people breathless. Now I know how to break this kind of attack. If anyone ever dare to use this kind of attack again, I will surely deal with them like how Senior Brother Lin Yi did!"

Lin Yi and Han Bai had just barely fought and used only two moves, yet it already let all disciples to gain bountiful harvests which made them cried out in excitement. They felt just by watching the battle between those two had deepened their insights on Huashan Swordplay tremendously!

Each of them became more interested. They widened their eyes as they didn't want to miss any tiniest detail!

…….

Han Bai who was confronting Lin Yi felt greater pressure in his heart than anyone.

As someone who was directly involved, he was clearer than anyone how terrifying the previous two moves executed by Lin Yi.

Beads of sweat on his forehead were flowing down akin to raindrops. Sweating profusely, his mind revolved frantically trying to think of any possible means to attack.

What made him felt helpless was though Lin Yi seemed to be aloof and held his sword in crooked manner, as if he wasn't a threat, but in Han Bai's perspective, the current Lin Yi was like a prickly hedgehog which made Han Bai didn't know where to attack!

Speechless, utter speechless.

Han Bai felt more irritated. The longer the time passed by, the more he felt he was surrounded by glares of mockery.

"ARGH!!"

He roared loudly, trying to raise his spirit.

He slashed his sword, akin to howling wind and torrential rain, frantically launched an attack at Lin Yi.

It was as if tidal waves in the seas, his attacks were like waves that followed another, seemingly never-ending.

In a blink of eye, he had launched tens of waves of attacks!

Yet, Lin Yi had only used the simplest moves — blocking horizontally, straight thrust, striking upwards, striking downwards, sweeping horizontally, vertical split ….

His defense was as if no waterdrops could leak out, causing none of Han Bai's attacks could hit him.

He was like a reef in the sea. Though he faced endless attacks of waves, he still stood there withstanding the attacks.

Han Bai had attacked in every possible ways he could thought of, yet he still couldn't break Lin Yi's defense. Finally he felt a moment of despair.

He couldn't understand, how could Lin Yi managed to defend against his profound sword arts with only such simple moves?

What was actually the reason?

His Huashan Swordplay of intermediate stage mastery couldn't break the simplest moves of Basic Sword Arts?

This was simply inconceivable!

If someone told him that one could use moves of Basic Sword Arts to defend against Huashan Swordplay of intermediate stage mastery, even if he were beaten to death, he still wouldn't believe it. He would even scold the other party for speaking nonsense.

However, he could only experiencing it personally, he could only accept it in doubt and confusion.

With his experience of starting martial arts practice since he was three, a full ten years of experience, yet he couldn't explain what was happening in front of his eyes.

He also couldn't see through which mastery was Lin Yi's sword arts at.

The only thing he had understood was that Lin Yi's understanding towards sword arts was far much deeper, deeper than he could imagine.

It had even reached miraculous level!

Just at this moment where Han Bai was in confusion, Lin Yi's sword, as if a snake, with profound movement, broke through all his defense and hit Han Bai's shoulder.

"Don't lose your focus during battle. It is only a spar today. If the one standing in front of you was a disicple of evil cult, you would have lost your life by now!" Lin Yi's voice softly reached him.

"Why? Why can you use the simplest sword moves to block against my attacks? Why can you defend against my storm-like attacks so perfectly?"

Han Bai shouted in an almost insane manner.

Lin Yi went silent for a moment before replying, "There are no useful or useless moves in martial arts. There are only people who can't use them properly."

These words in Lin Yi's previous world meant, "There are no worst professions. There are only worst players!"

"Another word of advice: If the enemy don't move, I won't move. If the enemy were to move, I will move first!"

Han Bai stood motionlessly on the spot while repeatedly muttering, "No useless moves, only useless person. If the enemy don't move, I won't move. If the enemy were to move, I will move first."

The light in his eyes gradually lit up as his confusion gradually faded. He looked at Lin Yi and cupped his hands, "I wil let you have the first seat!" He didn't even glance back at the first courtyard, he moved out his things, drove away the second seat from his courtyard and moved into the second courtyard.

"What a proudful youth indeed!" Seeing this, Lin Yi only laughed while shaking his head.

Notes

– I will be changing ‘blade' to ‘saber'. Both of them are ‘刀' in mandarin so i didn't put much thought into it when i first translated.

  Seeing that ‘blade' isn't much different from ‘sword' so I still decided to change it in the end.