Chapter 42: Mental State Collapsed

Chapter 42: The Mind Collapses

[3, 2, 1...]

[Battle, begin!]

"Oh? It's you?"

Before the countdown had even ended, Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow, her cool voice carrying a faint trace of surprise.

She clearly recognized this "newcomer" who, a month ago, had been decapitated without any resistance under her full-powered strike.

Qin Feng did not respond. He merely lowered the standard-issue longspear in his hand slightly, the tip angled toward the ground, his entire body settling into the most standard and steady opening stance of *Thousand Army Spear*—"Coiled Dragon."

His heart, at this moment, was as still as an abyss.

His opponent was Zhou Yu, which caught him slightly off guard, but more than that, it stirred a genuine battle intent from deep within.

A month had passed.

He glanced at the opponent's information displayed on the light screen, his gaze lingering briefly on the terms "Heavy Alloy Armor" and "Ninefold Thunder Blade."

In an instant, his mind conjured countless sparring sessions with Shi Potian in the public martial arts hall over the past month.

"This is my first time facing an opponent clad in heavy armor in a formal duel. Heavy armor boasts formidable defense; ordinary attacks will hardly work. I must rely on a killing move to break through."

Qin Feng's thoughts raced.

"'Ninefold Thunder Blade'... I know this blade art all too well. Shi Potian practices it—broad and forceful, charging forward without looking back. Its greatest trait is the stacking of 'momentum.' Once it gains momentum, the force grows heavier with each strike, unbroken, until the ninth strike's thunderous might. If it gains momentum, defeat is certain."

He understood clearly: he must never let her smoothly unleash the full power of her blade art.

"So, the strategy must be clear: from the very first second, I must suppress her on all fronts. Disrupt her rhythm, interrupt her power buildup, and prevent her from stacking even a single layer of the Ninefold Thunder Blade."

His eyes fell on Zhou Yu's heavy armor.

"Given my current mastery of 'Thousand Army Breaker,' shattering armor of this level would likely require hitting the same spot three times consecutively, or hitting different spots five times or more. That's unrealistic; she won't stand still and let me strike. So, I cannot rush for a breakthrough. I must be patient, apply constant pressure, and create—seek—that one fatal opportunity."

A clear, complete, and highly targeted battle plan took shape in Qin Feng's mind within mere seconds.

[Weapon Choice: Standard Longspear; Armor Choice: Light Composite Armor]

[Weapon Choice: Standard Long Blade; Armor Choice: Heavy Alloy Armor]

The hall's light screen clearly displayed the equipment disparity between the two.

Zhou Yu, clad in heavy armor, wielded a standard long blade.

Qin Feng, in light armor, held a standard longspear.

A longer reach grants an advantage.

In an environment of absolute fairness, where all vitality indices were locked at 10.0, a pure contest of skill officially began.

"Sister Zhou Yu, go crush him!"

"Heavy armor versus light armor—what's there to fight? Just tank the hits and close in for an instant kill!"

"Hard to say. Against a spear master, closing in is no easy feat."

Murmurs arose from the spectators' seats of the Thunder Martial Hall.

They had witnessed the tyranny of the *Ninefold Thunder Blade* and trusted Zhou Yu's strength.

Yet the several martial hall instructors seated at the front narrowed their eyes in unison, their expressions focused.

They could tell that the spearman with the ID "Qin," though standing still, had a certain flair to his opening stance, "Coiled Dragon."

The moment the battle began, Zhou Yu moved.

She did not test the waters. With a heavy stomp, her massive frame exploded forward like a charging war chariot, instantly closing the distance to Qin Feng.

Her long blade, imbued with the first layer of thunder force, arced down from above in a fierce, decisive slash aimed at his head!

This strike was heavy, powerful, and unstoppable!

Facing this earth-shattering blow, Qin Feng's figure swayed like a willow in the wind, sidestepping half a step to the left.

That half-step allowed him to perfectly evade the blade's direct path.

Then, his longspear moved.

"Ding!"

A faint, almost negligible crisp sound.

The spear tip, like the most precise scalpel, struck a minuscule power node beneath the joint of her right elbow as she swung the blade.

The thunder force about to erupt seemed to deflate like a balloon pricked by a needle, instantly stalling.

Zhou Yu felt a numbness in her right arm; the gathered power was disrupted, and the blade's momentum weakened by three parts.

"Eh? Why did Sister Zhou Yu's strike feel so weak?"

"He dodged it; she pulled back, I guess."

"...

The students on Zhou Yu's side chattered, unable to see the intricacies. But the martial hall experts all perked up, sitting upright with keen interest.

Zhou Yu's missed strike did not discourage her. She spun around, her long blade sweeping horizontally, the second layer of force stacking instantly. The blade's edge howled low as it aimed for Qin Feng's waist.

*Ninefold Thunder Blade* grew stronger with each strike, unstoppable!

Yet, just as she twisted her hips to unleash the second layer of force,

Qin Feng's spear appeared again.

"Ding!"

Another crisp sound.

This time, the spear tip struck a gap between the armor plates at the junction of her left hip and waist.

That was the core pivot of her sweeping strike.

Zhou Fu felt a numbness in her waist; the gathered strength was once again scattered. The sweeping blade's momentum turned soft and feeble, easily deflected by Qin Feng's spear shaft.

"Missed again? What's going on?"

"This 'Qin' is so slippery, like an eel!"

"...

A martial hall expert, sharp-eyed, spoke softly to clarify: "Not slippery. He's not dodging; he's breaking. This martial artist 'Qin' has faced the *Ninefold Thunder Blade* before, many times. He's experienced."

The rest of the battle fully confirmed the instructor's judgment.

The entire arena turned into a frustrating solo performance for Zhou Yu.

She tried to build momentum, to press the attack with the weight of her heavy armor, unrelenting, but Qin Feng's spear tip would shadow her joints, her power nodes, the gaps in her breathing rhythm.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"

The crisp, rapid clinks of the spear tip striking became the sole melody on the arena.

Qin Feng's spear technique, born from the ever-changing battlefield, had no superfluous moves.

Every thrust was simple, efficient, and aimed at the vital points.

He was like the most skilled hunter, patiently and calmly wearing down his prey's stamina and spirit bit by bit.

He did not rush to attack, but flawlessly executed the strategy laid out before the battle.

On Zhou Yu's forehead, fine beads of sweat gradually emerged.

The more she fought, the more irritable she became.

Too stifling!

Her opponent's spear technique was like an invisible net of heaven and earth, trapping her firmly within.

No matter how she charged or roared, she could not break free from that seemingly casual yet unshakable restraint.

Her blade technique could not be fully unleashed at all.

Every time her strength was about to rise, it would be precisely cut off by the elusive spear tip.

This feeling was a hundred times more unbearable than a straightforward, head-on defeat.

"Ah!"

Zhou Yu finally could not hold back, let out a furious shout, abandoned all technique, poured all her strength into her long blade, and recklessly slashed at Qin Feng with a wild, chaotic strike.

Faced with this blade full of openings, Qin Feng still did not choose to attack forcefully.

His figure drifted backward like a ghost, easily dodging, and at the same time, his spear shot out like a dragon, once again striking Zhou Yu's wrist, exposed by her excessive force.

"Clang!"

Zhou Yu felt a violent tremor in her wrist, and her long blade nearly slipped from her hand.

A deep sense of powerlessness surged into her heart.

Surrender?

This thought uncontrollably flashed through her mind.

Fighting on like this, there was simply no chance of victory—she was only being toyed with, adding to her humiliation.

"Sister Zhou Yu's mentality has collapsed..."

"This fight is too frustrating; I'd collapse too if I were her."

"This guy called 'Qin' is so disgusting! If he's got the guts, fight head-on!"

"You guys are really pathetic. If Zhou Yu weren't wearing heavy armor, she'd have been skewered long ago. The martial artist 'Qin' fought well! His strategy is spot on!"

"Zhou Yu's martial heart is being tested. If she can get through this, it will be immensely beneficial for her future growth."

"..."

(The chapter ends)