Chapter 112: Clash Under The Sunset
In the days while Xilutiya was preparing, the other students were also carrying on with their respective lives.
Jiaoshi City Training Ground.
The sky was covered by thin clouds, the once lively training ground was quite deserted today, with only a few castle guards standing sparsely, leaning against one side of the training ground chatting idly.
In the afternoon, Mike stepped through the south gate of the training ground, carrying a large steel sword on his back with one hand, wearing neat leather armor, his legs covered by long pants striding with upright footwork.
Compared to several months ago, the youthful boy who had just started studying now had capable and powerful footwork, and his eyes no longer held the past excitement and confusion, but rather a faint clarity and steadiness.
Soon, another black-haired young man similar to him walked in, the other party carrying a similarly steel broadsword at his waist, his figure upright.
After arriving at the training ground, the two exchanged a glance, then put down their weapons, changed into blunt-edged blades inside the training ground, and stepped onto the battlefield.
“There was no chance in the previous assessment.”
“But I think this time we should have a proper match.” Suolin gripped the sword with both hands, slowly placing it in front of him, the sword tip aimed at Mike opposite.
“If you’re not convinced, of course I’ll oblige.” A hint of mutual appreciation appeared in Mike’s eyes.
“Hehe, as expected, you want to fight too, right.” Suolin moved his feet a bit.
People with greatly differing strength often find it hard to become friends, but if two people have similar strength and always trade wins and losses in clashes, they easily become long-term rivals and enjoy such confrontations.
Having a well-matched opponent is a kind of fortune, it can well reflect changes in one’s own strength, while enhancing feedback.
After a simple communication, the two swung their sword blades and charged at each other, soon the battlefield inside resounded with crisp sounds of metal collisions.
They traded blows back and forth, employing familiar sword techniques in combat, but with different styles, switching from time to time, seeking the opponent’s flaws and covering their own outdated moves.
The sturdy iron swords scraped marks in their hands, leaving fine nicks on them, with faint sparks bursting occasionally.
Hearing the sounds here, several guards curiously turned their gazes toward the two.
“It’s those two kids.”
“Did they not fight well in the assessment? They’re sparring again this time.”
“They’re fighting pretty intensely.”
“But speaking of it, those two do have good strength, not much different from some of our veterans.”
“They’re still very young, I remember.”
“Probably around seventeen or eighteen.”
“Youth is truly wonderful…”
The guards watched the two clash, their conversation occasionally touching on the past; many of them had grown up in Jiaoshi City, once like Mike and Suolin inside the arena, participating in the woodland selection assessment, but failing and becoming relatively ordinary members in the city.
“In our batch back then, the most excellent one, I don’t know where he went now; it’s been about twenty years since I’ve seen him.”
“When he walked out of the forest carrying the giant wolf’s head, that bloodthirsty appearance, I still remember it to this day; none of the students from that cohort were unconvinced.”
“Sometimes I think, if it had been me that day, chopping off the giant wolf’s head and successfully heading to the woodland, what would it be like now.”
“Probably, it would be infinitely more exciting than life now…”
The battle inside the arena slowly reached its end; as the breathing technique operated, the two’s physical loads gradually reached their limits, and their actions began to slow down.
They didn’t have Xilutiya’s special talent to temporarily break through, advancing the breathing technique to the fourth stage; even the third order was rare among peers.
Suolin leaned on his sword, panting heavily, sweat soaking his forehead, some hair covering his eyes; he moved his lips, blowing up the hair on his forehead, revealing the eyes that stared dead at his opponent.
Once again, he stepped forward with footwork, raising the broad iron sword high, slashing down at the opponent before him.
The broad sword arc collided head-on in the air; as if finally unable to bear the load, both iron swords broke simultaneously, falling inside the arena, splashing some soil along with the sweat.
At this moment, seeing the broken swords in their hands, the two had to stop, then broke into relieved laughter.
“Looks like it’s still a draw this time.”
They tossed down their swords, arms supporting each other, heading to the rest area on one side.
Cold well water was drawn up, poured from the head down, easing the boiling blood and bodies; the two shook their heads, then leaned on the guardrail again to catch the wind, waiting for their clothes and hair to dry.
The clouds on the horizon dispersed a bit, revealing the orange sun, illuminating the surrounding clouds red like waves, dyeing everything.
“I’m leaving, Mike.” Suolin’s eyes reflected the evening glow at the horizon, speaking slowly.
“Where are you planning to go?” Mike turned his head to inquire.
“To the northern battlefield.” He shrugged.
“There I have everything I want: plentiful opponents, unrestricted resources, objects to fight desperately against.”
“I remember your father was a warrior who stayed away from the battlefield, right.” Mike responded.
“That’s right, he said he was originally meant to die on the battlefield; that’s the most heroic end for Regas people.” Suolin’s eyes slightly closed, enjoying the momentary breeze of dusk.
“But for me, he chose to come back.”
“I used to think that was just an excuse, figuring the old man had probably seen too much of the battlefield and become somewhat afraid of death.”
“But now I understand.” He opened his eyes again, gazing at the distant scenery.
“In the assessment, I started off smoothly, but due to a small mistake, I was careless and got snake venom, nearly dying in the forest.”
“At that time, I half-buried myself in the soil, thinking it could maintain body temperature while reducing the chance of being discovered and attacked; my consciousness was gradually blurring.”
“That process was truly agonizing.” Suolin shook his head.
“Fortunately, Tiya saved me, gave me detoxifying herbs, then let me drink some water, and I slowly escaped the line between life and death.”
“Back home, I lay for many days before slowly recovering.”
“On the sickbed, the old man asked if I still planned to go to the battlefield.”
“I said I still had to go; he smiled and asked why.”
“Because only by going can I use victory to erase the previous failure and fill the last regret.”
“He asked again, what if the regrets can’t be filled.”
“If they can’t be filled, then fill them until I’m tired of it.”
“I think my mindset is probably different from ordinary people; I really like that tense and intense feeling in battle.”
“After each time, I reflect on the process, looking forward even more to using different methods to reverse when encountering similar situations next time.”
“It’s truly exhilarating, Mike.” A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Now I get it.” Mike shook his head.
“You’re indeed like your dad, born with a warrior’s blood.”
“But I’m different; actually, I’m not obsessed with battle, but I enjoy the results brought by battle, whether guarding my own life or helping others achieve wishes and gaining rewards; there’s a faint sense of satisfaction.”
After Brother Jieluo left, Mike had been constantly reflecting on his past during this time, also going home to visit his mother, finally slowly understanding his true heart.
“Hahaha, that’s pretty good too, Mike.” Suolin laughed loudly.
“Yes, with that determination and aspiration of yours, sooner or later you’ll become a powerful knight, using sturdy armor and steel to protect yourself and guard everything.”
“Let’s end here today; next time we meet, I hope we both achieve our wishes and have another proper clash.”
“At that time, I’ll thrash you thoroughly, to see if you’ve given up your former ideals.”
“Goodbye.” Suolin picked up his shirt from the side and turned to leave.
With his back to Mike, he raised one hand high, waving it slightly in a farewell between men.
“Goodbye, Suolin.” Mike waved to him, gave the sunset one last look, and turned to leave.
