They won the Holy Grail War, but this turned out to be the Virtual Tree Universe.

Chapter 45 Yanqing, who is showing off his talent, versus Danlei, who is seasoned veteran.

When Dan Lei saw that Yan Qing was his examiner, he knew that he wouldn't be able to pass the test without even using magic today.

Normally, the examiners would test Dan Lei's combat ability, and once he had performed well enough, they would announce that Dan Lei had passed.

However, during this period, Yanqing was in a stage of early success and his sharp edge was on full display. Before he was repeatedly defeated by the seniors and the Star Core Spirit, he only had eyes for winning and no eyes for the test.

The evidence is that after noticing the complicated look in Dan Lei's eyes, this guy assumed Dan Lei was wondering about his age, so he stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and said...

"Mr. Danlei, please don't underestimate me just because I'm young."

Although I am merely a lowly Cloud Knight, I have still severed the head of the magical beast "Windbreaker."

Upon hearing this, Dan Lei smiled wryly and looked at Jing Yuan, who was sitting in the audience of the martial arts arena.

Jing Yuan didn't come alone today; he was accompanied by a small man in pink, who was none other than Taibu Fu Xuan, the Taibu Si (Grand Diviner).

Clearly, Jing Yuan wanted to use this battle to figure out Dan Lei's tactics.

So, Dan Lei sighed silently to himself and said to Yan Qing...
"Yanqing, I don't look down on you. I just didn't expect that my combat assessment would require a general's personal disciple to take it."

Yanqing was also very outgoing; upon hearing Danlei's question, she immediately explained...

"Normally, Yanqing should not be in charge of this assessment."

However, Yanqing bought two more flying swords this month, and was really short of money. He could only rely on General and use General's things. He was assigned extra tasks, which he couldn't refuse at all.

Moreover, the general said that if Yanqing wins this competition, he will receive an extra bonus next month, which will allow me to purchase another flying sword.

So, I apologize in advance, Mr. Danlei. Although this is an assessment, Yanqing will do her best.

After hearing this, Dan Lei was speechless at Jing Yuan's trick. He could only summon the Sun Wheel Greatsword, which had been upgraded and transformed into a flying sword, and bowed while holding the sword.
"I am unaffiliated with any sect or school, Dan Lei. Please enlighten me."

Upon seeing this, Yanqing's expression instantly turned serious, and he also bowed with his sword in hand.

"Yanqing, General of the Cloud Cavalry, please give me your guidance."

After exchanging polite greetings, the two immediately assumed their starting stances, except that Yanqing was standing sideways with her right hand holding the sword at shoulder level, poised to thrust straight forward.

Danlei's stance is a standard two-handed greatsword held in front, which is the starting stance of the Type-Moon Artoria Saber class.

At this point, the intentions of both sides were clear: Yanqing was adopting a standard attacking strategy, while Danlei was preparing to play a defensive counter-attacking game.

So, the next second, Yanqing transformed into a streak of green light, his long sword thrusting straight at Danlei.

Dan Lei took a deep breath, strengthened his entire body with magic, and then slashed down Yan Qing's thrusting sword.

However, Yanqing used the momentum to spin around and swung the longsword back down again.

However, upon seeing this, Dan Lei immediately stepped back to the side to dodge the downward slash while simultaneously unleashing a horizontal slash with his heavy sword.

With a clang, Dan Lei remained standing, but Yan Qing parried with her sword and then jumped to deflect the force.

After one move, the advantages and disadvantages of both sides became obvious.

Neither side activated their destiny power in this exchange; it was a test. Dan Lei clearly had the advantage in strength, while Yan Qing was faster.

In terms of swordsmanship, one move wasn't enough to tell much, but Yanqing already knew that today's opponent was not easy to deal with. So Yanqing took the lead in activating the power of destiny. As the power of destiny circled around her body, a chilling aura emanated from her. At the same time, she pointed forward with her left hand, and six flying swords emerged directly from the void and stabbed towards Danlei.

Faced with the six flying swords, Dan Lei did not directly confront them head-on. Instead, he flicked out his magic thread and connected the swords in pairs.

The flying sword controlled by Yanqing can directly pierce through Bu Liren's Greedy Wolf Iron Array armor; it is impossible to restrain it with magic threads alone.

But when Yanqing connected them in pairs, he was suddenly interfered with by his own strength while trying to control them, and the six flying swords lost control in an instant.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Dan Lei stepped on a whirlwind, raised his sword and thrust forward, rushing to Yan Qing's side. As he breathed in and out imaginary energy, he enhanced himself with the power of hunting destiny. The Sun Wheel Greatsword was wrapped in lightning and slashed down instantly.

Yanqing had no time to control her flying sword to return to the rescue. The elemental energy contained in the Danlei Sword also proved that this move was not a simple downward slash. It would be unwise to take it head-on, and even if she tried to dodge, she might still be affected by the elemental attack.

So Yanqing immediately jumped to the side, dodging Danlei's downward slash, and at the same time, the longsword in her hand flew directly to her feet, dragging the other person into the air, avoiding the AOE lightning attack after the heavy sword slammed to the ground.

Yanqing, who had flown into the air, retrieved his six flying swords and they circled around him. Then, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked...

"Mr. Danlei, what technique did you just use? Absorbing unclaimed imaginary energy to increase the power of your sword move? I've never heard of such a thing before."

When Yanqing asked this question, Danlei didn't try to hide anything. The boy was still very simple-minded, and there was no need to treat a friendly sparring match as a life-or-death duel.

Dan Lei took another deep breath, revealing dragon-shaped markings beneath his clothes, and then said...

"This is a cultivation method from a remote planet that was salvaged from the records. It is called the Breathing Method."

The people on that planet absorb energy from the atmosphere through breathing techniques, releasing elements to fight against the evil creatures.

I modified it, turning it into a version that absorbs imaginary energy, and I call it "Dragon's Breath."

After saying that, Dan Lei directly swung his sword and unleashed several large wind blades at Yan Qing in the sky, forcing him to dodge constantly while also using the flying swords around him to block.

Seeing this, Dan Lei immediately sped up his movements, changing from a single wind blade to a combination of lightning and wind blades.

Because Danlei still remembers that when Yanqing was the BOSS in the game, his weaknesses were wind, thunder, and imaginary numbers.

In retrospect, this allocation of elements makes some sense.

Yanqing likes to fight guerrilla warfare in the air, but he himself cannot fly. He relies on the mobility of his flying sword. When he encounters elements with high flight speeds, such as wind and thunder, he becomes somewhat flustered.

However, Yanqing was clearly a martial arts fanatic. Even when he was being chased and beaten, he still laughed loudly when he saw moves he had never seen before.
"Dragon's Breath? Interesting, but Yanqing can't afford to lose face too much! Watch my [Return of the Swallow]!"

As he spoke, the chilling aura around Yanqing suddenly condensed into four flying swords, forming a sword formation around him. Dan Lei's elemental attacks were blocked by these four ice swords.

However, this sword formation was clearly consuming the lifespan of the swords themselves. After blocking the attacks, the ice swords developed cracks in their ice blades. Let alone encountering powerful attacks, even if they blocked a few low-powered attacks, the swords would shatter.

Moreover, this sword was formed using Yanqing's life force. Once it is completely shattered, it will lose the blessing of life force energy, giving the enemy a huge opening.

However, the reverse is also true.

Before all the flying swords formed by the power of his destiny were shattered, Yanqing could launch a full-force attack without any restraint.

Therefore, Yanqing, standing on his longsword, controlled six flying swords and charged straight at Danlei again, clearly intending to defeat Danlei before his sword formation was broken.

　The Star Core Essence is the one that defeated Yan Qing in the Kafka Companion quest.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)