Chapter 50
Tomomu Kanzaki withdrew his gaze and calmly announced the start of the challenge competition.
The young girl whose name was called took a deep breath and stepped onto the high platform.
The sunlight was not yet too harsh.
She squinted slightly, and seeing the dense crowd around her, her heart rate quickened.
Countless pairs of eyes from the packed spectator stands watched her every move.
Sweat beaded involuntarily in the girl's palm as she gripped the wooden sword.
"Good luck."
A hand gently patted her shoulder.
Tomomu Kanzaki's voice was not loud, yet it carried a steadying power that helped calm the nerves.
The girl took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
That simple touch seemed to steady her. She quickly adjusted her mindset and felt less nervous.
"I... I want to challenge Vanguard Mo Tingquan!"
The moment she spoke, a man clad in silver armor rose from the viewing area.
He stepped onto a hovering surveillance drone for leverage, flipped through the air, and landed steadily three meters in front of her.
Sunlight glinted off his shoulder guards in a brief, blinding flash.
Mo Tingquan smiled and nodded at the girl. With a casual motion, a wooden training sword appeared in his hand.
"Please guide me!"
The girl saluted respectfully and gripped her wooden training sword. Her gaze sharpened with youthful focus and determination.
Deafening cheers erupted from the spectator stands.
She knew that once the Vanguard made his move, she would not last a single blow.
But at the very least, she wanted everyone to see the progress she had made over the past few days.
She held her breath, lowered her stance, and lunged forward, her wooden sword slashing diagonally upward.
It was a very basic move, but she executed it with good speed.
Mo Tingquan sidestepped to avoid it, his own wooden sword remaining still.
The girl twisted her waist and changed her attack into a horizontal slash. This time he took half a step back, letting the blade graze past his breastplate.
A wave of gasps rose from the audience.
Her first attack had failed, but the girl did not stop. She launched a series of aggressive strikes.
She used every sword technique she had learned during training. Though the forms were performed strictly by the book, her transitions were smooth and fluid.
Unknowingly, sweat trickled down from her temples.
By the fifth move, as her wooden sword slashed toward his helmet, Mo Tingquan finally acted.
The girl's sword swept in from the right. He raised his left hand and lightly tapped the blade with the back of his hand.
A crisp sound rang out. The girl's sword path veered off course.
Mo Tingquan's force was not heavy, but it was enough to make her lose balance. She stumbled back two steps. By the time she steadied herself, her breathing had already grown rapid.
"Just a little more."
The girl gritted her teeth and charged again.
This time she changed her rhythm, feinting a strike before suddenly crouching for a low horizontal sweep.
Mo Tingquan leaped to avoid it. The instant he landed, the girl had already risen with the momentum, thrusting her sword straight toward his face.
This was the move she had practiced the most.
Unfortunately, Mo Tingquan only tilted his head slightly. The wooden sword grazed past his ear while his own blade was already pressed against the girl's throat.
The girl froze, panting heavily, and realized she had lost.
The rule was to strike the Cloud Knight's helmet within three minutes to win, but it did not say the Cloud Knight could not counterattack.
"Thank you for the guidance, Vanguard Mo Tingquan."
The girl did not dwell on the loss. She saluted respectfully.
Her strongest move had failed. Continuing the fight would be pointless.
The Vanguard had clearly seen this and chosen to end the match.
The arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted in applause.
"You did well, child. Once you come of age and join the army, you will surely achieve great things," Mo Tingquan said encouragingly.
"Yes! I will!"
The girl bowed her head, turned, and walked off the platform. Though she had lost, her back remained straight and proud.
She had nothing to be ashamed of.
Tomomu Kanzaki nodded slightly and read out the name of the second challenger.
The pace of the challenge competition quickened after that.
The second match featured a tall boy who chose another Vanguard.
The battle lasted only ten moves before the boy was defeated when his weapon was knocked away.
The third match involved a short-haired girl.
It was a brilliant fight. The girl had clearly studied her chosen Vanguard's habits and successfully predicted his moves three times in a row, coming within a hair's breadth of striking the helmet.
Unfortunately, that final distance remained uncrossed even after the three minutes had passed.
It showed just how difficult it was to defeat a Cloud Knight Vanguard.
The scorching sun gradually dipped toward the west. Clouds gathered overhead, and a chill entered the wind.
Challengers came and went one after another. Those who lasted the full three minutes earned thunderous applause.
Some, seeing their three strongest moves fail, chose to concede.
So far, every challenger had been defeated.
This was normal.
The Cloud Knight Vanguards were battle-hardened warriors, while the challengers were students who had only just finished their practical training.
The gap in strength could not be bridged by courage alone.
Yet many could see that the Vanguards were actually guiding the challengers through the sparring, occasionally offering quiet pointers.
Half the sky had unknowingly turned overcast.
Wind whipped dust across the training grounds, and faint thunder rumbled in the distance.
Another battle ended. A glint of interest flashed in Tomomu Kanzaki's eyes.
"The next challenger, Jingliu."
Jingliu stood up from the waiting area and walked onto the high platform.
She was not tall and had a slender build. Her long blue-and-white hair, tied in a high ponytail, swayed gently in the wind.
Reaching the center of the platform, Jingliu did not look at the Vanguard viewing area or the spectators.
Her gaze fell directly on Tomomu Kanzaki. Her voice trembled slightly but carried clear determination.
"I choose to challenge Marshal Kanzaki."
The entire audience erupted in an uproar.
Although the chief instructor was also a Cloud Knight Vanguard, everyone knew that Vanguards outranked Strategists in martial prowess. Being the chief instructor meant he was the strongest among them.
What admirable courage.
Tomomu Kanzaki's expression remained unchanged as he leaped casually onto the platform.
With a thought, a wooden sword unsheathed itself and hovered beneath his feet, carrying him smoothly to the center.
From a distance, the sight of him arriving by guided sword filled countless youths with yearning.
So elegant. So cool.
Meanwhile, almost all the other Cloud Knight Vanguards wore looks of astonishment.
That was truly an ordinary wooden sword, not a specially crafted weapon that could be controlled by will.
Many Cloud Knight Vanguards could guide flying swords, but an ordinary wooden one?
No one else could do that.
The countless students watching, however, were almost entirely unaware of this.
Gazing at Tomomu Kanzaki's calm face beneath the helmet, Jingliu took a deep breath and gripped her wooden sword. She saluted respectfully.
"Please guide me, Marshal Kanzaki!"
The moment Tomomu Kanzaki nodded, Jingliu's sword tip shot forward without any flourish.
He sidestepped slightly, and the blade grazed past his shoulder guard.
Jingliu twisted her wrist with the momentum, slashing horizontally at his neck. He leaned back, letting it pass close to his face.
She retreated a few steps to readjust her stance, her gaze wary.
Tomomu Kanzaki did not take the initiative to attack. He had not even moved his feet.
No one felt this was unfair.
The opponents of the challengers who had lasted three minutes earlier had almost all done the same.
As he calmly handled Jingliu's offense, a faint trace of surprise appeared in Tomomu Kanzaki's eyes.
It was quite unexpected.
He had not expected that a young lady born into a wealthy family would become so proficient after only a few days of practical training.
It seemed she had practiced hard during her private rest time.
---
Bonus chapters
200 Stones
And so on
Also visit my patreon for advance chapters to all my work!
(patreon.com/LizTL)