Jiang Lin:
????
Seriously, what the hell is this system doing?
Why emphasize 'trample' twice?!
Hey, we’re still students!!
Turn her into a furnace... it means that, doesn't it?!
How am I supposed to complete this??
His mind was racing with a thousand different thoughts, but Jiang Lin forced himself to calm down. Following the teacher's command, he picked up a wooden training sword.
At the same time, Jiang Lin’s brain began to work rapidly, trying to figure out how to complete the task assigned by the system.
"Anya, Jiang Lin, both of you may only use 【Basic Swordsmanship】 for this spar. No other sword techniques or skills are allowed."
Anya also picked up a wooden training sword and nodded.
"No problem."
As a genius of the elite class, it was naturally impossible for Anya to have only learned 【Basic Swordsmanship】 in three years.
She had already practiced this most fundamental combat technique to a superlative level during her first year of enrollment.
After mastering it, she had gone on to learn many other types of high-level combat techniques to ensure she would have superior combat capabilities in the future.
...
After that stumbling walk over to the clearing just a moment ago, Jiang Lin had finally managed to get used to his current body.
The crowd cleared a space for the two of them, giving them enough room to fight.
Once they were in position, they performed a standard knight's salute and assumed the opening stance of 【Basic Swordsmanship】.
"What level are you now?"
Anya asked.
"Level 2."
When he spoke those words, Jiang Lin felt a strange sense of embarrassment, as if someone had asked him about his 'length' and 'stamina' in public, and it just so happened that he was too ashamed to mention either.
Anya nodded.
"Then I will suppress my level to level 2 to fight you."
As a former classmate, Jiang Lin naturally recognized this favored daughter of heaven, who was also a paladin.
"Yeah, thank you for your consideration."
Jiang Lin raised the wooden sword and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
...
"I heard this female paladin reached a superlative level in 【Basic Swordsmanship】 a long time ago, right?"
"As expected of an elite class genius. Jiang Lin is probably going to get completely wrecked today."
"She’s so beautiful, and she seems so emotionally stable. I want to date her."
"You? Stop dreaming and go back to sleep."
"Heh heh, a blonde-haired, gold-eyed frigid goddess... sister, please look at me with that cold face and humiliate me, then whip me with a small leather crop..."
The students of the tail-end class were gossiping fervently, while the elite class students didn't care much at all.
After all, whether it was physical fitness, mental power, level, or technical proficiency, Anya was a completely overwhelming existence compared to Jiang Lin.
No matter how you looked at it, this was bound to be a match with a foregone conclusion.
Seeing that both sides were ready, the swordsmanship teacher, Monsa, nodded and said:
"Begin!"
...
As Jiang Lin gripped the wooden sword, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.
A solid sensation traveled from his fingertips. He could feel every inch of the wooden sword’s length, the strength of every segment of the blade, how much impact different parts of the sword could withstand, and how to maximize its power.
Is this what 【Basic Swordsmanship】 at the superlative level feels like?
Jiang Lin’s current sensation was quite peculiar.
It was as if he had merged into one with the sword, a feeling of natural perfection. No matter what angle the opponent attacked from, he felt he could parry it.
Both sides held their swords in their opening stances, neither making a reckless move, waiting for the other to act first.
Time ticked by second by second. Soon, twenty seconds had passed, and neither side had moved an inch.
"What are they doing? Why are they just standing there holding their swords?"
"I guess since Anya is the instructor, she only planned to defend and didn't intend to counterattack. As for Jiang Lin, he’s probably too intimidated by Anya’s terrifying aura to step forward."
"Yeah, that must be it."
The surrounding students discussed the situation, and even the elite class students shared the same thought.
Only Monsa, who possessed the highest swordsmanship attainment on the scene, noticed a slight anomaly.
Wait, why does it feel like this kid Jiang Lin’s understanding of swordsmanship has suddenly skyrocketed?
Although he hadn't seen him move yet, the aura and presence he projected while holding the sword made him seem like a completely different person.
He had only felt this kind of sensation from one of his former swordsmanship teachers.
Is this... reaching the absolute peak of superlative??
...
Anya felt a bit strange. The boy in front of her was clearly only level 2, and his understanding and attainment in swordsmanship shouldn't be as good as hers, yet he gave her a feeling like thorns on her back.
It was as if the moment she revealed even a tiny opening, the opponent would seize the opportunity to defeat her.
What was going on?
Anya was puzzled, but she remained cautious.
Although she originally had the strength of a level 9, she suppressed her muscle strength and various perceptions to level 2 to compete fairly with Jiang Lin in swordsmanship.
In truth, even if she had secretly released her perception—something that couldn't be seen—it would have been fine. But as an upright and honorable paladin, she naturally wouldn't resort to such sneaky little tricks.
After a long standoff, it was Jiang Lin who initiated the attack first.
"Excuse me!"
With that, Jiang Lin lunged forward.
So fast!
Anya was surprised.
The opponent's burst of speed was definitely top-tier for a level 2 paladin, perhaps even comparable to an assassin of the same level.
However, while Jiang Lin was fast, the possibility of defeating Anya based on speed alone was almost zero.
Since Jiang Lin was using 【Basic Swordsmanship】, Anya was extremely familiar with it. Just by looking at Jiang Lin’s starting movement, she could judge what kind of sword technique he intended to use.
Jiang Lin’s sword tip pointed forward, aiming directly at a gap in Anya’s defense.
Anya had also prepared her move in advance. Her blade slanted for a parry, a diagonal deflection that struck Jiang Lin’s sword perfectly, neutralizing his force.
His speed is very good, and his explosive power is definitely upper-class among level 2 paladins, but his swordsmanship is still slightly inferior. His control over power isn't strong, and his body's reaction is a bit clumsy.
Anya evaluated in her mind.
To be honest, she had been startled by the aura of Jiang Lin’s initial thrust. He was only level 2, yet facing him head-on gave her a pressure she couldn't quite place.
Seeing his attack neutralized, Jiang Lin wasn't discouraged. After all, he was still in the process of familiarizing himself with his body’s strength.
While Anya was observing Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin was also observing her.
With both of them possessing superlative level 【Basic Swordsmanship】, he could naturally see Anya’s next intention.
Taking advantage of the momentum from her upward parry, she swung downward toward his extended forearm.
Jiang Lin reacted quickly.
He lowered his center of gravity, controlled his body’s muscles, and gripped the sword with both hands. He turned the blade horizontally, using the sturdiest part of the sword to meet Anya’s slash.
Bang!
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed in the room, causing everyone’s attention to focus involuntarily.
"This Jiang Lin... actually has some skill?"
"Yeah, being able to block Sister Anya’s first wave of attacks is decent enough."
"Say, Sister Anya is going easy on him, right? Why does it feel like her force is smaller than his?"
"Not sure, but that initial burst of speed he had didn't look like something a normal level 2 paladin could do."
The elite class students analyzed the situation with great expertise.
Meanwhile, the students of the tail-end class simply thought:
"Emmm, as expected of Jiang Lin, whose swordsmanship has reached the proficient level! Truly impressive!"
Rate on N.U.
