Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune: Starting with death row inmates

Lu Feng stood on the arena, his twin swords twirling gently in his hands, their blades reflecting the morning light and flashing with a cold glint.

He sized up Shen Chen: "I heard you threw Luo Tieniu out of the ring?"

"Just lucky." Shen Chen got into position.

"Just luck?" Lu Feng laughed. "Being able to throw that wild bull out isn't something you can do just by luck."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Feng suddenly rushed forward, his twin blades slashing towards Shen Chen like a whirlwind.

Wow, so fast!

Shen Chen's pupils contracted slightly. Lu Feng's speed was more than twice as fast as Luo Tieniu's, and the blade light was like a storm, dense and impenetrable.

Faced with Lu Feng's deadly move, what will you choose?

[Good fortune: Dodge to the left to avoid the first blow; auspicious.]

[Bad Luck: If you take the hit head-on, you will be overwhelmed by the dual-wielding combo. Fierce]

Shen Chen slipped and moved to the left, Lu Feng's first knife grazing his clothes.

"Hmm?" A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Feng's eyes.

His strike blocked most of Shen Chen's evasive space. Logically, the opponent should have had no choice but to take the hit head-on. Unexpectedly, Shen Chen found that one and only weakness.

"That's interesting."

Lu Feng crossed his twin swords, and the swordplay suddenly changed, from a raging storm to a fine drizzle. The sword light transformed into a dense net, enveloping Shen Chen within it.

The audience was dazzled by what they saw.

"Lu Feng's swordsmanship is truly amazing; I can't even see the shadows of his blade!"

"So this is the Whirlwind Blade? It truly lives up to its name!"

Qin Pi stared at the arena, his brows furrowed slightly: "Lu Feng has improved quite a bit; he's much stronger than he was six months ago."

Luo Xiong snorted coldly: "Shen Chen is probably going to suffer a loss this time."

On the arena, Shen Chen unleashed the Thousand Cloud Hand technique, his palm shadows overlapping and clashing with Lu Feng's sword light.

The clanging and clattering of metal could be heard incessantly.

Faced with Lu Feng's relentless attacks, what is your choice?

[Good fortune: A counterattack during the thirteenth strike; Lu Feng's old strength is exhausted and new strength has not yet arisen, auspicious.]

[Unfavorable result: Continue to defend; you will be suppressed by Lu Feng's sword strike. Ominous]

Shen Chen counted the number of slashes Lu Feng delivered: ten, eleven, twelve…

The thirteenth cut!

The moment Lu Feng slashed down with his twin swords, Shen Chen suddenly exerted his strength, turning his Thousand Cloud Hand into a fist and striking Lu Feng's chest.

"What?!"

Lu Feng's expression changed, and he could only hastily sheathe his sword to parry.

boom!

Shen Chen's punch was incredibly powerful, and Lu Feng was forced back three steps, his hand feeling slightly numb.

A burst of cheers erupted from the audience.

"Good! Well done!"

"Master Shen is awesome!"

"That was a beautiful punch!"

Lu Feng steadied himself, his gaze towards Shen Chen turning serious: "You can see through my sword techniques?"

Shen Chen did not answer, but simply assumed a fighting stance.

"Interesting." Lu Feng praised, taking a deep breath and circulating his true energy wildly within his body, causing a faint blue light to emanate from his twin blades.

"Shattering Wind Blade!"

Lu Feng brandished his twin swords, the blade light transforming into streaks of wind that whistled towards Shen Chen.

These wind blades were incredibly sharp, cutting cracks in the air wherever they passed.

Even more terrifying, as Lu Feng's sword stance changed, those wind blades actually gathered in the air, gradually forming a huge vortex.

Within the vortex, countless blades flashed, like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves, intent on utterly shredding Shen Chen!

The imagery of martial arts – autumn wind sweeping away leaves!

The audience gasped.

"Lu Feng has actually mastered swordsmanship to this level!"

"Master Shen is in danger now!"

On the arena, Shen Chen was enveloped by the enormous vortex of wind blades, with nowhere to retreat.

Faced with Lu Feng's martial arts vision, what is your choice?

[Good fortune: Using the "Gouge" technique from the Six Skinning Techniques, break through the core of the wind blade vortex; auspicious.]

[Bad omen: Using the Thousand Cloud Hand technique to withstand the attack will result in being cut by the wind blades; ominous.]

Shen Chen narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the vortex of wind blades.

The vortex seemed impenetrable, but with his mind's eye activated, he could clearly see its flaws.

Those wind blades were not chaotic, but operated according to a certain pattern, and the core of the vortex was the key to the entire martial arts concept!

"Found it."

Shen Chen let out a low shout, drew his blade, and transformed his palm technique into a sword technique, his true energy instantly condensing at the tip of the blade.

He's developing the "peeling" technique from the Six Skinning Techniques!

This move is specifically designed to break through the enemy's defenses, and it emphasizes precision and ruthlessness.

Shen Chen's blade flashed like a dragon, suddenly lunging forward, aiming straight for the core of the wind blade vortex!

"The 'cutting technique'!"

His longsword pierced through layers of wind blades, but those sharp blade energies, protected by his true energy, could not harm him in the slightest.

Lu Feng's expression changed drastically: "Impossible!"

His "Autumn Wind Sweeping Leaves" move was a martial arts concept he had painstakingly mastered over three years. It was incredibly powerful, and no one had ever been able to counter it head-on!

But Shen Chen actually did it!

Shen Chen's longsword precisely struck the core of the wind blade vortex, the node formed by the condensation of true energy.

Click!

As if the sound of shattering glass rang out, the entire vortex of wind blades instantly collapsed, turning into a sky full of blue light and dissipating.

Lu Feng groaned, took several steps back, and his face turned pale.

His martial arts conception was shattered, and his true energy suffered a backlash.

The audience was silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, looking at the scene in disbelief.

"It's...broken?"

"Has Lu Feng's martial arts concept been broken?"

"How is this possible!"

Qin Pi, who was watching from the sidelines, exclaimed with delight, "Good lad, he's even learned this move!"

Lu Feng, suffering from the backlash, took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the surging blood and qi within his body.

He gripped his twin swords tightly, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Fine, since that's how it is, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

Before he finished speaking, Lu Feng charged at Shen Chen again, this time with even more ferocious swordsmanship, each move aimed directly at vital points.

Shen Chen dared not be careless and used the Thousand Cloud Hands technique to fight against him.

The two fought back and forth on the ring, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Faced with Lu Feng's relentless attacks, what is your choice?

[Good fortune: Use the "Delicate Clouds Weaving Skill" move on the twentieth move to achieve a decisive victory.]

[Unfavorable result: Continuing to fight will consume too much energy and affect the subsequent matches; ominous]

While dealing with Lu Feng's attacks, Shen Chen silently counted the moves.

Fifteen moves, sixteen moves, seventeen moves…

The twentieth move!

Lu Feng unleashed both swords simultaneously, their strikes fierce and powerful—his strongest attack!

A glint flashed in Shen Chen's eyes. He withdrew his blade and suddenly changed his move to the Delicate Cloud Hand, his fingertips shining with pure white light.

The delicate clouds weave their patterns!

His finger touched the spot where Lu Feng's two swords met.

Lu Feng felt a sudden, subtle force, and his twin swords unexpectedly split apart to the sides.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Chen slapped him on the chest.

boom!

Lu Feng was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena. His twin swords flew out of his hands and stuck in the ground. He didn't catch his breath for a full half minute and couldn't get up.

"Fourth in the group, Shen Chen, the 'Ghost Calculator,' wins!"

The bandit presiding over the martial arts competition announced it loudly according to the rules.

Lu Feng lay on the ground, looking at the sky, and gave a bitter smile: "I lost..."

Shen Chen walked to his side and extended his hand: "Brother Lu, you flatter me."

Lu Feng was stunned for a moment, then grasped Shen Chen's hand and stood up: "It's because my skills are inferior."

He dusted himself off and looked at Shen Chen: "You're very strong, even stronger than I imagined."

"Brother Lu, you flatter me."

"It's not an overstatement," Lu Feng shook his head. "I'm completely convinced that you were able to break my martial arts conception."

After saying that, he turned and walked off the stage.