C3 Defeated Lin Fengyu!

As Chiang Jin watched Xu Ping's long sword thrust toward him, he would have normally been overcome with panic, completely at a loss for how to respond.

But this time, as the scene unfolded, his heart remained calm, and he even found the situation oddly amusing.

"Why do this guy's moves feel so sluggish?" Chiang Jin wondered to himself. As Xu Ping's sword strike approached, he instinctively began to rehearse a counter in his mind.

"Clang!"

Instinctively, Chiang Jin drew his iron sword, pivoted on his foot, and sidestepped the incoming attack. His sword tip flicked out like a serpent's tongue, lightly tapping Xu Ping's blade and cleverly using the momentum to send Xu Ping stumbling forward. Then, with a flick of his left hand, he sent the sword sheath flying.

The sheath struck Xu Ping squarely in the face!

"Smack!"

Xu Ping was sent sprawling sideways, teeth scattering from his mouth.

"Thud!"

His hefty frame hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Xu Ping lay there, knocked out cold.

Silence enveloped the crowd as they stared at Chiang Jin, seeing him in a new light.

"Chiang Jin, isn't your martial arts supposed to be terrible?"

"Terrible? He just took down Senior Brother Xu in one move! And Xu has cultivated inner strength! Chiang Jin hasn't done that yet, has he?"

"Maybe Xu Ping's inner strength was off, giving Chiang Jin an easy win?"

Chiang Jin, equally shocked, stared at his hands, his mind flashing back to the previous day's events.

"That sensation... My body moved as if on instinct, the sword an extension of my will. I've never felt anything like it during practice before. Is this the transformation the system has brought me?"

As Chiang Jin's eyes sparkled with the thrill of discovery, Lin Fengyu's voice cut through the moment.

"What's the commotion? What's happening here?"

Lin Fengyu approached, his expression icy. Noticing Xu Ping on the ground, his pupils shrank. "Who's responsible for this?"

All eyes turned to Chiang Jin.

Lin Fengyu's eyebrows arched in disbelief, pointing at Chiang Jin, he asked, "Did you do this to Xu Ping?"

"Uh..."

Before Chiang Jin could answer, Lin Fengyu's frown deepened, and he demanded, "Have you developed inner strength?"

"So, the pointers I gave you yesterday actually had an effect?" Lin Fengyu said with a sneer. "You've just started to make progress and you're already challenging Xu Ping? Too bad he's worthless. What's the point of sparring with him? Let your Senior Brother give you a proper match!"

The crowd erupted into murmurs of excitement.

Lin Fengyu was in a different league compared to Xu Ping.

Xu Ping was merely an ordinary disciple who had developed inner strength, whereas Lin Fengyu was a direct disciple of the House Lord of the Wave Submitting Sword House, having mastered the true teachings years ago.

At last year's Liucheng martial arts competition, Lin Fengyu had made a name for himself, defeating numerous young masters and securing a spot in the top eight, his fame skyrocketing.

The disciples, sensing Lin Fengyu's anger, eagerly anticipated the showdown.

"Poor Chiang Jin. Doesn't he know Xu Ping is Lin Senior Brother's right-hand man? Lin's going to flay him for this!"

"How many moves do you think Chiang Jin can last against Senior Brother Lin? I'm betting on five!" one of them said with a chuckle.

"Five moves? You're joking, right? If he can block even one, I'd say he's incredibly lucky. Mark my words, Chiang Jin won't last more than three moves!" confidently declared a disciple with a broad forehead and wide nose.

"And what if he lasts more than five moves?"

The disciple scoffed, "Impossible! If he does, I'll eat my words and then some!"

Laughter rippled through the onlookers, though none took the bet seriously.

After all, it was just banter. No one truly believed that Chiang Jin, who hadn't even cultivated his inner strength, could withstand five strikes from Lin Fengyu.

Chiang Jin shot a glance at the boastful disciple, then turned his wary gaze back to Lin Fengyu. A throbbing pain between his eyebrows seemed to warn him of impending danger.

Lin Fengyu, gripping his sword hilt, lunged forward with an attack.

Chiang Jin's brow twitched, and he quickly raised his sword to defend.

To his dismay, Lin Fengyu's casual slash sent him flying.

The sword groaned under the impact, and Chiang Jin noticed a hairline crack forming on the blade that had been his companion for years.

"The peerless talent system can enhance one's natural abilities, but even with great talent, practice is essential," Chiang Jin thought grimly. The prospect of facing further humiliation at Lin Fengyu's hands tightened his grip on the iron sword.

"Will I still be subject to this jerk's ridicule even after gaining the system? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Lin Fengyu wasted no time, his sword arcing through the air in another swift strike.

Chiang Jin's mind was a whirlwind of chaos, yet a sudden epiphany struck him. Internally, he called out, "System, allocate more points to the Body Seizing Steps and the Light Fixing Sword Technique!"

Talent points weren't just for enhancing innate gifts! They could also sharpen the mastery of skills!

In a flash, a decade's worth of grueling practice cascaded through his thoughts.

Those sword techniques that had once confounded him, no matter how many repetitions, now unraveled in his mind. He saw variations on the original moves that he'd never grasped before.

Chiang Jin's previously faltering steps were now precise and deliberate, his movements ghostly and elusive, making it nearly impossible to predict his position.

Lin Fengyu's formidable strike, once a threat, was now effortlessly sidestepped by Chiang Jin!

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Swords clashed, and in mere moments, a flurry of exchanges passed between them.

Chiang Jin, who had been pushed back by Lin Fengyu's blade just moments before, now matched him blow for blow, holding his ground with ease.

"How can this be?" The one who had earlier boasted with such bravado now gaped in disbelief.

Lin Fengyu, too, was taken aback, staring at the transformed Chiang Jin before him, as if he were facing a completely different person.

"You're nothing but a failure, how can you stand against me?" Anger boiled within Lin Fengyu as he channeled his profound energy, launching forward in a ferocious assault!

But Chiang Jin, now brimming with valor, bellowed, "Bring it on!"

He stood his ground, charging headlong into the fray.

Yet, as their blades were about to clash, Chiang Jin's technique morphed once more. His steel sword, with the suppleness of silk, effortlessly danced around the enemy's edge, circling Lin Fengyu's frame.

The disciples could barely register what happened before Chiang Jin emerged behind Lin Fengyu, sword sheathed, departing without a backward glance.

"What just happened?"

Confusion reigned as they exchanged bewildered looks, none understanding the swift turn of events. Lin Fengyu remained petrified, and no one dared to inquire.

It wasn't until Chiang Jin was well away that someone gasped in realization, "Coiling Finger Softness! Chiang Jin executed the pinnacle of the Light Fixing Sword Technique, Coiling Finger Softness!"

With a thunderous crash, Lin Fengyu's towering form toppled, stirring a cloud of dust.

"Damn... Senior Brother Lin Fengyu has been defeated!"