NOVPUBZhao Yun stared warily at the few people opposite him; if it were only Zhou Tai and Sun Ce, he would not shrink back from a fight, but with the addition of Zhou Yu and that exceptionally ugly youth, Zhao Yun couldn’t help but hold back a bit.
Military generals seize the opportunity, civil officials are no different from chickens to them when it comes to killing, but if they miss the opportunity, top generals are very wary of top civil officials, wary of their abilities.
Perhaps seeing the change in Zhao Yun’s expression, Sun Ce couldn’t help but feel elated. Recently, civil officials and military generals had been continuously flocking to his side, and naturally, he saw Zhao Yun’s hesitation as an indication of interest in joining him.
"Warrior, would you care to spar with me? It is fate that we meet upon these roaring river waters, and I’ve been itching to test my skills since entering these parts. Would you grant me the chance?" Sun Ce said with a bright laughter, revealing the typical eagerness of a martial artist.
"Very well, the general may proceed as he wishes," Zhao Yun nodded and replied, appreciating Sun Ce’s straightforward manner.
"Warrior, you can leave the goose, for the time being, in the cabin of my ship. Carrying such an item, even if a warrior is strong, it would be hard to fight properly," said Sun Ce, who was just about to brandish his spear and charge forward when Zhou Yu stepped forward with a smile and spoke. He was well aware that Sun Ce had his eye on this peerless valiant general who walked on the river.
"There’s no need for that. This item is needed for a friend’s wedding, so the general may do as he pleases," Zhao Yun calmly said, his gaze as still as a deep, unseeable spring; he had no interest in becoming involved with the Sun family in any way.
"Then here I come!" Sun Ce completely missed Zhou Yu’s point, and seeing Zhao Yun holding the goose and looking slightly irritated, he charged forward with his spear.
"Clang!" With a loud clash, Sun Ce, who had lunged forward, was summarily repelled. In that moment, almost everyone present could only catch a blur of motion; Zhao Yun was just too fast.
"So strong!" Zhou Tai watched in shock as Zhao Yun maintained his composure. He had only managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of the spear thrust, as he wasn’t fully paying attention. What shocked him even more was that the other party hadn’t wasted a bit of Inner Qi in that strike.
Flung into the air by Zhao Yun’s spear, Sun Ce flipped violently and stamped his foot on the river surface, creating a depression several meters wide, and then he turned into a streak of golden light lunging at Zhao Yun.
"Too slow," Zhao Yun said with a smile. In this world, challenging him for speed was a death wish – until now there had been no martial artist quicker than him.
With one jab, he met the tip of Sun Ce’s spear. Sun Ce, who had been shooting forward like a streak of golden lightning, hadn’t even had a chance to execute his spear technique before he was sent hurtling into the river at even greater speed.
Zhao Yun looked at the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old Sun Ce with myriad emotions. At that age, he himself hadn’t reached this level. Although it was obvious that Sun Ce had somewhat relied on external forces to enhance his strength, Inner Qi Manifestation was Inner Qi Manifestation – in any era, it was the hallmark of a master. To kill someone who had achieved Qi Refining to Gang would be effortless, and to challenge above one’s class was impossible in this world, otherwise the final realm of martial artists wouldn’t be so envied.
"Pfuh!" Sun Ce spat out a mouthful of mud-like blood, shocked as he looked at Zhao Yun. Since he had reached the final stage of a martial artist, this was the first time he had faced a military general so powerful.
"Sun Bofu, you are very good. However, there’s no need for you to imitate Lyu Bu. Each martial artist with Out-of-Body Inner Qi has their own path and their own convictions. Although he is indeed the strongest in this world, the moment you follow his martial path, you will have no chance of surpassing him," Zhao Yun said calmly, feeling no desire to continue the duel with Sun Ce.
How to put it? Although Sun Ce was an expert with Inner Qi Separation, he was entirely different from Yann Liang, Wen Chou, and Hua Xiong, who had stayed at the pinnacle of Qi Refining to Gang for years. After their breakthrough, the accumulation of their experience would instantly burst forth, bringing them to a considerable level in the realm of Inner Qi Separation immediately.
On the other hand, Sun Ce had absolutely no such accumulation; he had just reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining to Gang when he achieved Inner Qi Separation. His strength indeed surged, but it was entirely different from the explosive increase experienced at the Inner Qi Separation level by individuals like Yann Liang and Wen Chou.
However, the advantage Sun Ce had was that after all, he was young. With continued training, reaching a considerable level before encountering a bottleneck was just a matter of time.
The initially prepared Sun Ce couldn’t help but be startled, then forcibly fell into the river. After all, there weren’t many who could stand on the river surface like Zhao Yun; as for Sun Ce, he could probably do that sort of thing in the future.
"Bofu, get on the boat first," Zhou Yu called to Sun Ce. Zhao Yun’s earlier comment had already made Zhou Yu guess who the other party was.
"Zhou Yu has seen General Zhao," Zhou Yu said, following with a fist salute to Zhao Yun, for there were not many in the world who could defeat Sun Ce with such ease, and even fewer who could recognize that Sun Ce was imitating Lyu Bu. Amongst that handful, the only one who matched the description of the White Horse Silver Spear was indeed Zhao Yun.
Zhao Yun returned the fist salute to Zhou Yu, making no particular effort to conceal his identity, "I presume you won’t stop me, so let’s part ways here."
"General Zhao, have a safe journey," Zhou Yu said somewhat helplessly. Zhao Yun’s crisp departure left him with no opportunity to intervene.
Zhao Yun slightly smiled, slung his long spear over his back, pulled the reins, and quickly rode his horse away.
"Ah, such a valiant general, it’s a pity he doesn’t serve us," Sun Ce said while wearing his wet coat, not bothering to dry it, watching the military general Zhao Yun leave. "Youping, were you deliberately holding back when you sparred with me before?"
Zhou Tai scratched his head and chuckled dryly. Could he really tell his lord that he didn’t wish to injure him?
"Turns out I’m pretty weak," Sun Ce sighed.
"My lord, do not be disheartened. Zhao Zilong has practiced martial arts for many years, and you are still so young. In just a few more years, your strength will likely be on par with his," Zhou Tai immediately knelt on one knee and earnestly advised upon hearing Sun Ce’s tone.
"I am not that fragile. Lyu Fengxian, Zhao Zilong, there will surely be a place for me, Sun Bofu, in the future!" Sun Ce fiercely stood up and roared into the sky.
After the roar, Sun Ce released all his inner Qi, slowly reaching the peak of his momentum before abruptly discarding the aura he had been imitating from Lyu Bu, bringing his own Qi down a notch, almost dropping to the level of Inner Qi Manifestation. However, his eyes sparkled with bright light. Zhao Yun’s words had awakened him; indeed, Lyu Bu was domineering, but he was Sun Bofu, and he had his own path to follow!
Lyu Bu might be the strongest in this world, but that didn’t mean Sun Ce could not surpass Lyu Fengxian. The path of a martial artist could only be written by oneself!
Zhao Yun stood on the river surface, watching in the direction of Sun Ce from afar. The sharp aura that resembled Lyu Bu had vanished. Zhao Yun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, praising Sun Ce as a man of resolution and magnanimity, decisive without the slightest hesitation.
"Bofu, are you all right?" Zhou Yu saw Sun Ce’s complexion turn pale and immediately grew anxious.
"It’s nothing, drop the anchor. We’ll rest here for a while so I can stabilize my strength before we proceed," Sun Ce waved his hand and declared.
Neither Zhao Yun nor Sun Ce knew that because Sun Ce had encountered Zhao Yun by chance and received a couple of pointers, Sun Ce resolutely discarded his previous cultivation. This led to the ship not continuing its journey, thereby missing out on the two civil officials moving to Yangzhou the heavens had prepared for Sun Ce—Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong. Indeed, one could say that every peck and drink is preordained by destiny. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
