The students in the venue united like never before, whispering to each other and discussing attack moves as they watched the principal's posture. Lu Mingfei also began discussing with the two people beside him.
Chu Zihang held his unsheathed Murasame, imitating the principal's posture, feeling where the power flowed through and where it turned.
"He only has the form, not the spirit," he said.
Caesar shook his head, believing they should wait for someone to challenge him before analyzing in detail. Since the principal thought this posture could block all A-rank students, it must have a profound aspect, and staring at it wouldn't reveal anything.
It was better to try.
"Principal, how many attacks can we make against you?" Caesar raised his hand and asked.
"Two per person."
"Has it started already?" Caesar asked again.
"It has already begun," Angers said indifferently.
Caesar immediately stood up, took the bamboo sword Fingel handed him, and asked, "Principal, what if I accidentally hurt you?"
"I wouldn't mind extorting a large sum of money from the Gattuso family," Angers's posture changed, from holding the sword horizontally in front of his abdomen to holding it vertically by his right side.
Caesar focused, staring at the smiling Angers. His feet didn't move, and all the muscles in his body were tensed.
Now, everyone in the venue, including the students watching the live broadcast, was staring at him, thinking about how to strike to expose the principal's biggest weakness, and what angle he should strike from.
Everyone held their breath, anticipating the Student Union president's performance.
Caesar moved.
The sword wind stirred up by the bamboo sword went straight for Angers's face, while his left hand reached out to predict the principal's sword direction, attempting to block the principal's counterattack.
Lu Mingfei, in the crowd, suddenly gasped.
Caesar was poked in the heart by the principal's bamboo sword and staggered back two steps. His left hand grabbed at empty air, and his sword stopped half a centimeter from the principal's cheek.
No one saw Angers's movements; in just a blink of an eye, Caesar was defeated, poked in the heart by the principal's sword.
"I saw your intention to defend against my counterattack; the initiative is with me," the principal retracted his bamboo sword. "Conceal your offensive intentions. Combat isn't about who has superior swordsmanship, but about tactics. Attacking where the enemy must defend is a good overt strategy, but we shouldn't refuse to use some covert ones either."
A neat round of applause instantly erupted in the venue. Caesar returned and sat next to Lu Mingfei, rubbing his chest and tilting his head to ask,
"Did you see anything?"
Chu Zihang frowned in thought. The principal's movements were fast and fluid; even if there was a slight flaw, it was quickly covered up by his extreme speed.
Lu Mingfei shook his head, "It feels like a stone monkey who just emerged from the earth trying to fight Erlang Shen, who is ranked among the immortals. There's no chance at all."
"I'll give it a try," Chu Zihang stood up.
Thus, everyone's gaze converged on the Lionheart Society president.
The video of Chu Zihang's combat practice class last year still circulated on the forum. It was not only a way to attract fan girls but also a breathtaking battle. The president said that all his swordsmanship came from the Youth Palace in his childhood.
However, in that battle, whether it was the Kesa-giri, horizontal cut, or Shishi Gyoza, every sword move was incredibly skilled, and each strike carried a fierce aura, as if to cleave the entire world in two. Just watching the video, one could feel the overwhelming 肅殺 emanating from the screen.
Chu Zihang struck.
With unparalleled sharpness, his steps were steady. A fiery glow appeared in his never-extinguishing Golden Eyes. The sword wind roared like a lion, and in the distance, the silver mirror reflected Chu Zihang's iron-cold face.
Pressing forward without hesitation.
Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up. He felt a fluctuation in the rhythm near the principal's right chest.
But then his spirits dropped again. Chu Zihang's bamboo sword was parried, and Chu Zihang was hit in the head.
"A very good idea. One force conquers ten skills. No matter how many moves the opponent has, just strike, and with a clear mind, you naturally won't fear the opponent guessing your intention to attack first," Angers praised.
"But you chose the wrong opponent. Many years ago, I was also a ten-round fighter. When it comes to head-on, one-on-one combat, you still have a long way to go. Don't underestimate the strength gap between you and your opponent. You can't kill enemies with just a burst of passion."
"Understood," Chu Zihang bowed in thanks.
With the two presidents leading the way, the other students in the venue also became enthusiastic. Not to mention the principal's afternoon tea opportunity after winning, just this kind of one-on-one guidance, even if they were knocked back two meters, was worth it.
Lu Mingfei remained seated.
Unlike the others, Lu Mingfei had never practiced cold weapon combat arts like swordsmanship. From the beginning, he had come with the intention of observing.
Forcing himself to do things he couldn't only made him look foolish.
This was the experience he had accumulated during his three years at Shilan High School.
"Aren't you going to try?" Chu Zihang sat back down, replaying the principal's counterattack moves in his mind.
There was no skill involved; it was purely by relying on sheer power that his bamboo sword was pushed back. The gap in raw strength was the reason for his defeat. Perhaps he could consider the advice the principal gave Caesar.
"No, I don't have a combat foundation. My fundamentals aren't solid, so I won't go up and make a fool of myself," Lu Mingfei refused Chu Zihang's suggestion.
"If I can see something, that's already a gain."
Lu Mingfei paused, then spoke again, "Next time you attack, you can try to concentrate your attack desire on a single point. This might give you a chance to break the principal's defensive posture."
"Attack desire?" Caesar asked, confused.
"Yes, I just noticed that when Senior Brother Chu focused his spirit to attack the principal's chest, the aura around the principal seemed to change, which is why he used pure power to counter Senior Brother Chu," Lu Mingfei pressed his own chest. Although he called it 'attack desire,' it was essentially a way of influencing elements with consciousness:
"Don't hide your attack desire, but don't attack the place targeted by that desire. I remember this method is called a feint?"
"You mean, using skill to overcome strength?" Caesar reacted. "Using Chu Zihang's method to force the principal to use pure strength to fight, but we can use any sword moves we want. Our goal is not to be hit by the principal, and powerful, heavy attacks are indeed easier to dodge than precise sword moves."
"Good idea," Chu Zihang agreed.
"I don't have much combat power, so I'll leave it to the two presidents to try," Lu Mingfei clasped his hands together.
Caesar also nodded, agreeing with Lu Mingfei's idea. The two presidents, who had never gotten along before, now, with the help of the S-rank, jointly agreed on something.
Seeing his idea affirmed, Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it would be like his time in the Literary Club, where no one would pay attention to his opinions.
Things had changed.
In just one summer vacation, he had gained considerable influence. Lu Mingfei didn't know whether to feel fortunate or apprehensive.
In any case, everything was different from before. Here, he could speak freely, and people would seriously discuss his views, think about the rationality of his suggestions, and give feedback.
Lu Mingfei felt more refreshed than ever before.
He looked towards the center of the venue, beginning to anticipate the two presidents who would be the grand finale.
