Chapter Twenty: Flaws

The chaos among the wooden men still raged on. Yet the two who had previously attacked Chen Qi—the one wielding a wooden hammer and the other an axe—remained untouched by the uproar.

Naturally, the pair paid no heed to their companions and charged straight for Chen Qi.

Chen Qi quickly made his decision:

Only a third of the incense’s time had burned away. If he failed to thin the wooden men's numbers or at least cripple some of them amidst the blood energy’s chaos, he would struggle to withstand the remainder of this ordeal.

He had to fight with utter abandon!

The wooden axe-wielder reached him first. With exaggerated movement, it bent its arms back, then, using the power of its waist, hacked down with startling speed.

The wooden hammer-wielder was still gathering strength, clearly poised to finish Chen Qi the moment the axe struck home.

Chen Qi resorted to his old tactic—feinting a blade shadow at the axe, then using the collision’s force to retreat.

But this time, he had underestimated the strength of the axe-wielding wooden man!

The violent collision threw Chen Qi off balance, sending him flying backward.

Luckily, he landed beyond the hammer-wielder’s reach—otherwise, that blow would have sealed his fate right there...

Just as Chen Qi was relieved his injuries were only superficial, a familiar black shadow whistled toward the back of his head as he hung in midair.

Sensing the wind at his nape, Chen Qi had no time to raise his blade in defense and could only turn his head slightly.

Crack! Crack!

The wooden whip lashed his shoulder, spinning Chen Qi in the air like a top before he even hit the ground.

The searing pain in his shoulder ignited a fury within him. He swore to himself: Today, he, Chen Qi, would dismantle this whip-wielding wooden man, no matter what!

But as his anger burned, order had already been restored among the wooden men. They charged at him as one.

Seeing Chen Qi in peril, the trial hall steward turned to Elder Chi and asked,

“Do you think this lad can last half a stick of incense?”

Elder Chi lounged comfortably on a stone bench, one leg crossed over the other. He did not answer directly, but mused,

“I wonder if the boy can spot the flaw in the wooden man formation?”

The steward, surprised, pressed further,

“There’s a flaw? I’ve overseen several solo candidates and never noticed one.”

Elder Chi allowed himself a faint smile and replied,

“There wasn’t one before, but ever since that girl Tianxin broke through, a flaw has remained.”

The steward considered this, then asked, “You mean the one...?”

Inside the formation, Chen Qi’s gaze locked onto the whip-wielding wooden man, who lingered at the rear, clearly waiting for a chance to strike, rather than joining the fray.

Fuming, Chen Qi had no choice but to contend with the wooden sword and blade-wielders at the front.

Swinging his blade, Chen Qi, now attuned to the wooden men's attack rhythm, could fend off two at once without being overwhelmed.

The wooden men behind did not attack in concert, instead spreading out to surround him.

Chen Qi watched the distant whip-wielder out of the corner of his eye—it remained behind the sword-wielder, some seven or eight meters back, its whip slicing the air with a baleful hiss.

Having learned from the earlier onslaught, Chen Qi took the initiative and charged toward the whip-wielding wooden man.

His seemingly reckless move caused the encircling wooden men to hasten their positions.

The sword and blade-wielders launched bold, sweeping attacks, trying to force Chen Qi back and trap him in their encirclement.

Sparks and screeching friction erupted as Chen Qi’s long blade met the wooden sword.

He tried to force his way through with sheer strength.

With a swoosh, a wooden sword stabbed straight for his chest.

His blood energy shock was still on cooldown, and he did not wish to use his focus burst yet. Seeing the sword’s speed, Chen Qi gritted his teeth and braced himself.

The wooden sword stabbed his chest, leaving a swollen, reddened mark. The force rattled his ribs, making him spit blood.

Yet he did not retreat. Instead, the pain fueled his strength.

His long blade drove the sword-wielding wooden man back two steps, exposing the whip-wielder behind.

The whip-wielder reacted instantly. Sensing the gap, it struck, its whip lashing out like a snake.

Relying on his constitution of over fifteen points—and the knowledge that a wooden weapon couldn’t kill him with one blow—Chen Qi endured several lashes to his head.

Bleeding from deep gashes across his face, he pressed on, closing the distance to the whip-wielder. He would not rest until he avenged this humiliation!

The wooden men behind quickly closed in. If the whip-wielder could delay Chen Qi for just a few seconds, they would complete the encirclement.

As the whip-wielder drew back to defend itself, Chen Qi unleashed his focus burst.

In an instant, every nerve in his body flared with excitement, and his heart pumped blood furiously.

Superhuman reflexes took over. Chen Qi’s long blade broke through the whip’s defense, stabbing fiercely at the wooden man’s chest.

More sparks than ever before scattered from the whip-wielder’s chest, lighting the ground. Yet the wooden man merely faltered; its wooden chest remained unscathed by Chen Qi’s blade.

“Damn this cursed wood! Is vengeance truly beyond me?” Chen Qi roared in frustration, a deep and bitter resentment welling up inside him at being bested by a mere piece of wood.

Below the stage, Elder Chi and the steward watched with amused smiles. The steward could not help but remark,

“This whip-wielder is something else! Even Tianxin was forced into this situation back then.”

Elder Chi crossed his legs again, settling into a more comfortable posture. “Let’s see if the boy can spot the flaw Tianxin discovered.”

Seizing the remainder of his focus burst’s duration, Chen Qi launched a wild assault on the whip-wielder.

In barely a second, he struck at its head, neck, and waist.

The whip-wielder’s attacks were utterly suppressed by Chen Qi’s long blade.

Clang! Clang! Thud!

One blow to the waist rang out with a dull knock.

Now, the effect of his skill faded, and the wooden men behind closed in. Yet Chen Qi's face lit up with delight.

The whip-wielder was not invulnerable!

Chen Qi dodged a thrust from a wooden spear, then struck fiercely at the wooden man’s waist.

Feeling the jarring force through his blade, he saw fissures spread across the whip-wielder’s waist.

As if sensing its vulnerability, the whip-wielder swung its whip at Chen Qi’s neck, desperate to stall him.

But Chen Qi would not back down now. Gripping his left fist tight, he met the whip head-on, his right hand flexing, ready to deliver another blow.