Chapter 150: Shi Ji’s Move

“What…” Jing Xin muttered in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.

What she saw was Blade indeed slashing at Shi Ji. However, the blade stopped just ten centimeters from Shi Ji’s face. What halted the strike was a silver-white spear, intricately engraved with delicate patterns. The one wielding the spear was none other than Shi Ji himself.

Seeing that it was Shi Ji who blocked his attack, Blade’s expression shifted slightly.

This kid, who was just a nobody from Yinshuang Academy, had actually blocked his strike.

While Blade hadn’t used his full strength, he was well aware of his speed and the force behind that slash. The fact that it had been stopped so effortlessly was hard for him to accept.

“Oh? You managed to block my strike. I guess you didn’t embarrass Jing Xin after all,” Blade said, masking his surprise.

What Blade didn’t realize was that Shi Ji had only recently joined Yinshuang Academy and hadn’t actually learned much from there. 

When he was at the Star Hero Academy, Shi Ji had mostly slacked off and never really paid attention in class. The strength he just demonstrated was something he had always possessed, and it had little to do with Jing Xin.

Holding the spear firmly, Shi Ji stood still. His expression turned cold. His sharp gaze was fixed on Blade, radiating a dangerous aura. He no longer carried the casual, laid-back demeanor he usually did. It was as if he had transformed into someone else entirely, exuding an air of lethal intent.

“I wanted to teach you a lesson last time,” Shi Ji said, his tone chilling. “If it weren’t for Black Dragon vouching for you, you’d still be in the hospital right now. You didn’t use your full strength just now, did you? Careful now, or you might end up seriously hurt.” 

His voice was cold, every word laced with threat.

The events that were unfolding were unexpected. Neither Jing Xin nor Blade had anticipated this.

Blade suddenly laughed, his tone dripping with disdain. To him, Shi Ji was just an insignificant kid, not worth taking seriously.

He was about to mock Shi Ji. But before he could utter a word, a silver-white spearhead lunged at him.

Blade was taken aback. He quickly stepped back to dodge. His heart started racing. Shi Ji’s speed was far beyond what he had expected.

Before Blade could fully process what had happened, Shi Ji thrust his spear forward again.

The spear moved at a lightning pace. It stabbed at Blade with such intensity that it became nearly invisible to the naked eye. Blade didn’t dare to meet it head-on and dodged nimbly, countering with a horizontal slash of his blade.

Shi Ji, however, didn’t seem fazed at all. With a slight pullback of his spear, he easily blocked Blade’s strike.

Shi Ji’s fighting style had always been aggressive. He preferred to take the initiative, rather than wait for his opponent to act. 

Once again, he feinted with the spear, aiming to trick Blade.

But as the battle progressed, Blade quickly realized something was off. This kid was clearly no pushover. 

Shi Ji had some skill, but his attacks were too simple, too predictable. Why?

Blade noticed that while Shi Ji’s offensive was fierce, he managed to block every one of his strikes with ease. It felt chaotic and uncoordinated, like a barrage of attacks with no real strategy behind them. If Shi Ji couldn’t find a way to actually hurt him, this battle would drag on indefinitely.

Just as Blade had thought, Shi Ji had considerable strength, but he couldn’t land a solid blow. Every attack was met with a clean block from Blade, leaving Shi Ji without any real impact.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of weapons clashing rang through the air, drawing attention from the people nearby. Within moments, news of Blade fighting some unknown kid spread through the Star Alliance. The central hall was soon filled with spectators eager to watch the fight unfold.

Among the crowd were Ling Xinyan, Xing Yuxiu, and Chi Yang, who had witnessed everything that had happened.

Moments ago, they overheard people talking about a fight breaking out in the central hall, and to their surprise, someone was facing off against Blade. 

The moment Ling Xinyan heard that it was a young man, she immediately thought of Shi Ji. After all, there weren’t many people in Yinshuang City who would dare to confront Blade. For one, Blade’s strength and status made him a formidable opponent. Additionally, given the current tense situation with the abnormal creatures, damaging relationships between heroes was the last thing anyone needed. The focus should be on working together to fight the threat.

Ling Xinyan suddenly ran off. Chi Yang, who had just successfully completed his promotion, and Xing Yuxiu, who had been sitting nearby, found it odd but didn’t think too much about it. They quickly followed her.

The three of them soon arrived at the central hall, and sure enough, they saw Shi Ji locked in combat with Blade.

Both Chi Yang and Xing Yuxiu were shocked, their reactions even stronger than Ling Xinyan’s.

“Whoa, am I seeing this right? This guy Shi Ji is pretty bold,” Chi Yang said, still in disbelief.

Xing Yuxiu shook his head, “No, you’re not mistaken. That idiot really has the guts to go through with this. And he’s fighting Blade, of all people!”

Neither of them had the same understanding of Shi Ji’s strength as Ling Xinyan did.

Ling Xinyan, however, had a serious expression on her face. She watched the battle unfold without blinking, her fists clenched tightly. She was genuinely worried for Shi Ji, anxiously thinking of how to resolve the situation.

Even though Shi Ji was strong, he was facing Blade—a seasoned fighter with far more experience. 

Ling Xinyan feared Shi Ji might not be able to win. 

As for stopping the fight, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to intervene on her own.

Just as she was deep in thought, something caught her eye, and her face lit up. She spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

“That’s…”

Without a second thought, Ling Xinyan quickly walked toward the person. Xing Yuxiu and Chi Yang, now also noticing who it was, followed behind her.

Jing Xin had been standing off to the side, watching the battle unfold. Although she initially planned to step in, she ultimately decided not to. Blade was undoubtedly powerful, but there were so many people watching. If he went too far against a younger fighter like Shi Ji, it could damage his reputation significantly.

In Jing Xin’s view, the reason Shi Ji was able to hold his own against Blade was entirely because Blade was holding back. But as she continued watching the fight, she felt that something was off, particularly with how Shi Ji was attacking. 

Initially, his strikes were sharp and aggressive, with a speed that surprised her. But as the fight progressed, his movements became more measured, and his momentum clearly weakened. This puzzled her.

“Instructor Jing Xin, could you please stop them? I’m worried Shi Ji might get hurt.”

Suddenly, a voice snapped Jing Xin out of her thoughts.

Turning her head, she saw Ling Xinyan, Xing Yuxiu, and Chi Yang standing beside her.

“Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nothing will happen,” Jing Xin assured.

She firmly believed that if Blade decided to get serious, Shi Ji wouldn’t be able to block even one of his strikes. 

At that point, the entire Star Alliance building might come crashing down.

Ling Xinyan held great trust in Jing Xin, who was her most respected mentor. Hearing Jing Xin’s reassurance, she said nothing more. However, watching Shi Ji still locked in a fight with Blade, she couldn’t help but feel anxious for him.

After more than ten rounds of exchanges, Shi Ji still hadn’t landed a single hit on Blade. All his attacks had been effortlessly blocked. 

To the bystanders, this only highlighted the stark difference in their strength.

“Kid, you’ve got potential, but you’re not using it correctly. You’ll never hit me like this,” Blade said, offering Shi Ji a piece of advice. 

Then, he swung his sword toward Shi Ji in a calculated strike.

With the way Shi Ji had been fighting, he should have blocked this attack. However, instead of doing so, he pushed off the ground and jumped back. As his feet touched the ground, the spear in his hand dissipated into specks of light.

Seeing Shi Ji withdraw his weapon, Blade also stopped his assault, sheathing his sword. 

With so many people watching, continuing the fight would only make it seem like he was bullying Shi Ji. That wasn’t the kind of reputation Blade wanted. Besides, the whole situation had started because of him, and the fact that Shi Ji had dared to block his sword at all was unexpected. Pursuing the matter further would only make him look petty.

At that moment, a broadcast announcement echoed through the central hall:

“S-Class heroes Jing Xin and Blade, please proceed to the conference room. I repeat, S-Class heroes Jing Xin and Blade, please proceed to the conference room.”

Blade sheathing his sword signaled that the conflict was over. Jing Xin would handle the rest of the situation. 

However, the upcoming meeting took priority. After exchanging a few words with Ling Xinyan, Jing Xin quickly made her way out. Blade followed shortly after. As he passed by Shi Ji, he gave him a glance—though this time, his gaze was noticeably different from the one he’d given earlier.

“Kid, not bad. But you’re still a bit slow in the head.”

Shi Ji, with his usual cold expression, had no intention of accepting that remark.

“Ling Xinyan says we’re in a critical time, so it’s worth keeping you around for now. Next time, I won’t be so lenient.”

Blade still believed Shi Ji was just being stubborn.

Jing Xin walked down the hallway toward the conference room. Shen was ahead, moving swiftly. Blade, trying to keep pace with her, quickened his steps.

Clang!

Suddenly, a sharp metallic sound echoed behind him.

Blade came to an abrupt stop, his keen senses alert. He turned around to see something on the floor—something that made his eyes widen in shock.

It was a sword hilt, one that was all too familiar to him. He slowly bent down to pick it up, and then reached for the sword on his back, only to find that its hilt was now missing.

Blade’s expression grew serious as he stared down at the now hiltless sword. Slowly, he tipped the sword downward.

Ssshhh…

What fell out wasn’t the blade, nor were there pieces of a broken sword. Instead, only iron sand trickled out from the scabbard.