They weren't simply fighting to show off their abilities to these visitors to their sect. The fights were meant for Liu Chuandao and the elders in the sect too. The second round began.
The mood in the field had transformed.
The participants who had been kicked out during the first round had pulled themselves together and were ready to observe the fights in the second round.
There was no question that the match that everyone was most looking forward to was Liu Qing's.
Two burly fighters were stuck in an intense fight in the arena now. The sounds of fists and legs striking flesh resounded in the air.
"They're really good," Liu Qing blurted out after staring for a long moment. "I never paid much attention to these fights. Today is the first time I realized something. They must train so much harder than I do." She might be more gifted than them but
save the hours that she had put into training recently, she could hardly compare with them when it came to the extent of effort that they had invested in bettering themselves.
She had been convinced before this that everyone was targeting her. But Liu Chuandao hadn't said anything and kept rebuking her for not working hard enough.This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.
It seemed that he had been speaking the truth.
"Sometimes, hard work can triumph talent," said Jiang Ning. "It's going to be tough, of course. Only one in a million will succeed."
"But hard work can change many things. At least, you don't see everyone training so hard now that all they can count on is sheer talent to get ahead of their fellow disciples in the sect."
Liu Qing replayed Jiang Ning's words repeatedly in her head. Jiang Ning might appear young, but he seemed to have undergone a lot in life. The things that he said always seemed to make so much sense. Liu Qing couldn't help but become increasingly convinced of that.
She wanted to ask Jiang Ning how old he truly was. Perhaps he simply looked younger than his actual age. Perhaps he was in his fifties or his sixties.
How could he be so wise otherwise?
"Can you surpass your limits with sheer hard work?" Liu Qing asked.
"There's usually always room for more hard work. It's usually too soon to count on sheer talent to get ahead of your opponents." Jiang Ning pointed at the two fighters in the arena. "They display equal talent and have put in a similar degree of effort in their training. However, there are still some differences that distinguish them."
"What kind of differences?"
"The fighter in yellow will win within three moves." Instead of answering her question directly, he employed a different approach.
Liu Qing shifted her attention towards the arena immediately.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
The fighter in yellow was being attacked relentlessly at the moment. His opponent's merciless attack had him falling back again and again, nearly forcing him to the edge of the arena. Another two steps, and he
would fall out of the arena and lose the fight.
But Jiang Ning had said that he was going to win.
He was going to find himself out of the arena and take a fall if he were to take another step back. At that very moment, the fighter in yellow stooped down, then lunged upwards.
Like a cannonball, he shot up and rushed at his opponent. The sudden charge caught the latter by surprise. His opponent was left wrongfooted.
The fighter in yellow thrusted his fist.
forward and punched his opponent squarely in the chest. The latter
went flying with a loud thud and landed heavily on the ground,
coughed loudly and finally spat out a mouthful of blood. He could no
longer stand.
The crowd cheered. They had not expected the sudden turn of events. This was when they realized that the fighter in yellow had been waiting for the right moment. In fact, he had pretended to be cornered and had steadily lured his opponent into the trap of forgoing defense for attack and creating an opening for him to attack.
"This is the fighter's instinct," said Jiang Ning. "It's similar to the agility I was trying to train into you."
"It's similar?"
Liu Qing's heart was racing. She wasn't doubting him. She had sensed it a while ago.
But she hadn't known that something like this could be acquired through training.
"Of course, it's not going to be the exact same thing," Jiang Ning scoffed. "We're not in the same league."
He had said that in a mild tone and there wasn't any hint of condescension or scorn in his voice. But he clearly thought little of the fighter who had won. Liu Qing could feel an overpowering sense of confidence beneath his indifference.
Jiang Ning always seemed to possess such self-confidence.