Chapter 18: The Mentor’s Challenge

“Sword Control Art.”

Lin Jiu lay on the ground, grimacing and howling as he clutched his pierced abdomen. The Azure Righteous Sword, having shaken off the bloodstains from its blade, returned to Zhang Luan’s side.

“Is that all?”

Such a provocative remark made Lin Jiu grit his teeth in fury, propping himself up with his sword, intent on rising. Yet, before he could take two steps, he collapsed, spitting a mouthful of blood, and fell unconscious.

His health had plummeted to a critical point. Without immediate treatment, he would quickly bleed to death.

“Send him for treatment. Of course, if you truly despise him, you don’t have to.”

The young cultivators had fallen silent after Lin Jiu was pierced through. Lin Jiu’s strength was considered top-tier among them, yet he had been instantly defeated by a single sword strike. What did that imply for the rest of them?

Were they not also mere fodder, capable of being felled with a single blow?

Two warriors, who were close with Lin Jiu, fearfully rushed forward. They quickly hoisted him onto their backs and dashed off to seek treatment. The others, meanwhile, deliberately avoided looking at Zhang Luan, terrified he might recall their earlier provocations.

Seeing that no one else dared to challenge him, Zhang Luan felt a pang of regret for ending the battle so swiftly. He had originally intended to use these opponents to grind some quests.

However, that particular individual was truly useless now. Zhang Luan even wondered if he had mistaken him for someone else; the future Jade Rakshasa currently possessed no combat experience whatsoever, simply raising his sword high and charging in with wide, predictable swings.

His entire body was riddled with vulnerabilities. Zhang Luan felt almost apologetic for instantly defeating him with a single strike.

The Sword Control Art was incredibly potent, excelling in both speed and power. While it didn’t possess the overwhelming dominance of skills like Starflare or Genesis Force, it was, after all, merely an advanced technique.

“Is there anyone else? Weren’t you all so defiant? Continue, then! Why are you all such cowards? Weren’t you shouting quite loudly just now?”

Zhang Luan relentlessly taunted them. The young cultivators dared not retort, fearing he would seize upon their words and pierce them with a single sword strike—a sensation they knew would be unbearable.

The few who had previously challenged Zhang Luan now cowered at the back, utterly silent.

“Then allow me to spar with His Highness, the Saint Son.”

Zhang Luan looked at the speaker, recognizing him as the veteran warrior. His earlier taunts towards the young cultivators had been a deliberate ploy to draw him out for a battle. After all, this man was their mentor.

Once players arrived, he would become one of the most beloved NPCs for Strength-type players, primarily because he freely taught Strength-based skills.

What satisfaction was there in slaying those weaker than himself? True enjoyment lay in battling formidable opponents.

As he observed the veteran warrior, a set of information materialized before his eyes:

Name: Yanate

Race: Human

Level: 33

HP: 110,000

Strength: 3,000

Attack: 100

Defense: 2,000

Class: Super Heavy Warrior

Talents:

[Gravity Armor]: For every 10kg of equipped weapons and armor, all attributes increase by 5%, and additional defense increases by 10%.

[Supergravity Adaptation]: In gravitational environments, movement speed and attack speed increase by 45%, and all magic resistance increases by an additional 30%.

Skills: [Supergravity Net], [Supergravity Suppression], [Supergravity Charge], [Supergravity Shockwave], [Immovable as a Mountain]…

Yanate was significantly stronger than that Demon Fury Elder, not by just a small margin. His talents and skills were exceptionally powerful, making him an incredibly formidable heavy-armored warrior. Zhang Luan focused his attention on the skills.

[Supergravity Net]: Releases a supergravity field net within a certain range. All units within this field have all speeds reduced by 30%, and the chance of being suppressed increases by 10%.

[Immovable as a Mountain]: Forcibly stops all actions and enters a defensive stance. During its duration, defense increases by an additional 100% and resistance by 40%. Additionally, 5% of maximum lost HP is restored every second for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.

Whether one favored burst damage or sustained damage, both playstyles would suffer significant damage reduction under these two skills. However, mistaking him for a mere tank would lead to a disadvantage.

The other three Supergravity series skills—Charge, Suppression, and Shockwave—each dealt substantial damage within the Supergravity Net’s range. Moreover, with the Supergravity Net’s slowing effect, the accuracy of these skills would be significantly enhanced.

All things considered, Yanate certainly lived up to his reputation as an early-game Strength-type mentor; his strength was truly formidable.

Even Zhang Luan found him a challenging opponent at this moment. But it didn’t matter; challenging didn’t mean unbeatable.

Yanate looked at Zhang Luan and spoke with a grave expression:

“Your Highness, the Saint Son, I am Yanate, a Guardian Mentor of the temple. The young man you just defeated is my junior disciple. He disrespected you, and for that, I apologize. However, you injured him, and I must seek justice on his behalf. Please do not take offense.”

His words were eloquently chosen, offering an apology while also demanding accountability for his disciple. If the elder did not step forward after the junior was struck, it would only imply the junior was too insignificant.

But Lin Jiu was far from insignificant, which compelled Yanate to stand up for him.

“Very well. But a mere spar is rather uninteresting. Let us wager something.”

Yanate frowned slightly. He was not a gambler and disliked gambling. However, he was now facing the Saint Son. Challenging him already bordered on violating the tenets; he could not make another mistake.

“What does Your Highness wish to wager?”

Zhang Luan pointed to the Azure Righteous Sword at his side and said, “The quality of this sword is Rare. As a wager, that should be sufficient, shouldn’t it?”

At these words, the young cultivators behind Yanate immediately stirred. They had not expected the sword beside Zhang Luan to be of Rare quality.

They clearly found it difficult to believe that Zhang Luan could possess such a rare item.

Regardless of their belief, Yanate had to accept it as truth. He furrowed his brows; if Zhang Luan offered a Rare item as a wager, then according to the tenets, his failure to produce an item of similar Rare quality would be a sign of disrespect towards the Saint Son.

After a moment of hesitation, he pointed to the dark green gem embedded in his chest and said, “Your Highness, this gem is also a Rare item. Its purpose is to reflect others’ attacks. I shall use it as my wager. What are your thoughts?”

Zhang Luan naturally had no objections. The wager was merely a sudden whim, and it wouldn’t have mattered if Yanate had no stake to offer.

[D-rank quest [Duel] has been updated to B-rank quest [Wagered Duel]: Defeat Yanate. Rewards will be granted based on completion.]

The quest’s update further excited Zhang Luan. The fact that it was classified as a B-rank quest indicated that Yanate posed a significant threat to him.

However, Yanate also possessed a fatal weakness.

Outside of his Supergravity Net, Yanate would be as helpless as a fish out of water.

Therefore, to defeat him, forcing him out of the Supergravity Net was one viable option.

Though, it was not necessarily the optimal choice.

Yanate raised his massive tower shield, his right hand gripping a man-sized battle-axe. He looked at Zhang Luan and kindly warned, “Your Highness, be careful.”

“You should be the one to be careful.”

The moment their conversation ceased, a dense, dark green light wave instantly emanated from Yanate, forming a supergravity domain.

In the very next instant, he prepared to launch his attack!

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Please Let Me Go, Investigator!

adventureComedyFemale Protagonist

Read Now →
Not interested