Chapter 41 (Bonus chapter for Ice Palace Aces' top supporter)

Jiang Xiao strode forward, slashing his blade towards Song Chunxi's head.

However, Jiang Xiao held back, swinging the wide blade horizontally as a reciprocal gesture.

*Whoosh!*

Song Chunxi, kneeling and spitting blood, suddenly collapsed, the wide blade whistling past her head.

Jiang Xiao was stunned. He quickly turned, using the momentum to swing the blade down again.

Song Chunxi rolled over, the blade slamming into the ground once more.

*Bang!*

At the same moment, Song Chunxi pressed her hand directly onto the blade, abruptly lifting her head. Her dazed eyes stared at Jiang Xiao, or rather, at his general direction.

Jiang Xiao was incredibly shocked. Putting aside the chaos his Silence had wreaked upon her star power and any potential internal injuries, her eyes clearly indicated a state of confusion, as if she were completely lost. How had she dodged his attacks?

Was she relying solely on muscle memory? On her seasoned battlefield instincts?

This was a classic case of the body reacting before the mind could catch up.

This Song Chunxi... she was a tough one! What kind of talent did she possess? She must have endured thousands upon thousands of battles to develop such instincts.

Did he really have to resort to Resentment? Would she only be completely incapacitated once she was disgusted to the point of vomiting and completely unconscious?

Jiang Xiao yanked his blade backward, but Song Chunxi's slender hand shifted from pressing to gripping, seizing the wide blade and pulling it back forcefully.

In terms of raw strength, Jiang Xiao was completely outmatched by Song Chunxi.

He couldn't even contend with her movements, let alone those of a nimble warrior like Song Chunxi, or even a mage like Han Jiangxue. They had all crossed the threshold of the Star River, experiencing a qualitative leap in their physical abilities.

Because Jiang Xiao was gripping the hilt tightly, he stumbled headfirst into Song Chunxi's generous embrace.

Jiang Xiao couldn't afford to think. He clenched his right fist, covering it with azure light, needing to create distance first!

Why was a support character engaging in close combat?

Why hadn't he just taken advantage of her weakness, showered her with a few blessings, made her blissfully drunk with healing, and then stepped off the stage? That would have been perfect!

Why did he have to pick up the blade?

The Xia family blade arts had misled him! Misled him his entire life!

*Clang!*

Jiang Xiao's fist struck Song Chunxi's abdomen with a metallic clang.

The azure light was ineffective!? And this was platinum-quality azure light!

Song Chunxi hadn't even moved!?

Her body suddenly turned gray, as if petrified. The gray surface of her abdomen, where Jiang Xiao's fist had struck, shattered, revealing the original color and soft texture of her clothing.

No matter what star technique Song Chunxi was using, Jiang Xiao didn't believe it was of platinum quality.

Even a star technique that transcended quality couldn't overwhelm it, so this must be a star technique with extremely strong functionality, perhaps even a single function, specifically designed to prevent being knocked back.

*Whoosh.*

In an instant, Song Chunxi's gray appearance vanished. She moved with incredible speed, faster than Jiang Xiao could react, and lightly tapped his throat with her fist.

The victory was decided!

...Wait?

He was alright?

He Xu and Wu Yao were very confident in Song Chunxi's control of her strength. Her fist might have seemed light and fast, but it was like lifting a heavy weight with ease, intended to achieve victory without harming Jiang Xiao.

Wu Yao abruptly stood up, his handsome face filled with astonishment.

On the field, Jiang Xiao staggered backward, clutching his neck, seemingly unharmed?

Did this kid possess some powerful passive defensive star technique? Or had Song Chunxi overestimated her control?

After these two exchanges, Song Chunxi had recovered significantly.

Seeing that her punch hadn't achieved the desired effect, Song Chunxi reacted swiftly. Her slender body instantly closed the distance. Having learned her lesson from being Silenced, she would never stray far from Jiang Xiao again.

She conjured a massive black flame twin-bladed greatsword once more. After testing the waters with the throat strike, Song Chunxi seemed to understand that this kid was incredibly durable and required no holding back!

Azure light covered Jiang Xiao's greatsword as he sidestepped and slashed downwards, yelling, "Get lost!"

*Clang!*

The raging black flame twin blades collided with the Xia family blade. Jiang Xiao's azure light still had no effect. Song Chunxi's gray state flashed briefly, the petrified body appearing momentarily before shattering, allowing Song Chunxi to move freely once more.

But this time, faint shadows drifted from her body, scattering in all directions.

No need to hold back the attacks, and no need to hold back the star techniques either!

He Xu's expression was grave as he muttered, "She's getting serious."

Jiang Xiao was shocked. Was it Shadowbind, which could control people, or Shadow Follows Form, which allowed instantaneous teleportation?

Regardless, Jiang Xiao couldn't withstand it!

Her physical abilities completely overwhelmed Jiang Xiao, and she had special star techniques with extreme functionality to suppress azure light and prevent being knocked away. How could he fight this?

Jiang Xiao, unlike most Star Warrior students, revealed his true nature at this moment.

Other Star Warrior students might experience a moment of inspiration in a critical situation. If they succeeded, they would become famous. If they failed, they would meet their demise.

But Jiang Xiao, who had truly experienced life and death, was different. He didn't rely on fate or luck.

At least in the realm of combat, he was unlike those lucky fools who relied on sudden inspiration. Jiang Xiao remained calm from beginning to end. He was constantly thinking. No matter how terrible the battle, Jiang Xiao could stay calm and think rationally.

In this critical moment between life and death, Jiang Xiao gathered his remaining star power and unleashed a Silence!

The shadows had to be eliminated! Otherwise, he could die at any moment!

*Bang!*

Song Chunxi was directly struck by Silence and collapsed to her knees. The blood surging in her throat could no longer be suppressed and flowed out. This Silence seemed to be the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Wu Yao's bright blue eyes shone with intensity as he ran a hand through his short hair, exclaiming, "Damn! He's really tough!"

He Xu stared blankly at the battle, his face filled with shock. He never imagined that this kid could fight Song Chunxi to such an extent!

Wu Yao: "He Xu!"

Hearing Wu Yao's words, He Xu responded blankly, "Huh?"

Wu Yao: "You're off the team!"

He Xu: "......"

In the Silence domain, Song Chunxi was not only forced to her knees, but the flames engulfing her body were extinguished instantly. The faint shadows waiting to deliver the fatal blow were also dispelled!

The crisis was instantly resolved.

But Jiang Xiao was also struck hard by his own Silence, his head spinning and his vision blurring.

Fortunately, Jiang Xiao had very little star power left in his body, so no matter how violent it became, it wouldn't cause him too much damage. But platinum Silence didn't rely solely on violent star power to damage its target. It possessed inherent lethality!

Although it was a control technique, using it too much could actually kill people!

At this moment, Platinum Endurance proved its worth once again!

A divine skill, truly a divine skill!

A passive star technique, requiring no activation and unaffected by Silence.

Nature's Blessing only resisted natural magic, and Steel Body only resisted physical attacks.

But Jiang Xiao's Endurance... resisted everything! Not only did it resist everything, but it could even resist a unique star technique like Silence!

Why?

Because Endurance strengthened his own body, rather than offering targeted resistance based on the material, magic, or other attributes of the star technique.

Endure!

A hundred acts of endurance will make you a Buddha!

Jiang Xiao took a step forward, driving his knee towards Song Chunxi's forehead, but her arms blocked it.

However, the fierce upward angled knee strike still sent the kneeling Song Chunxi flying upwards, her face towards the sky.

In the next moment, Jiang Xiao dragged his blade with both hands, following her instantly.

But this Silence didn't achieve the desired effect.

Ultimately, the primary damage from Silence came from controlling and disrupting the target's star power, causing the agitated star power to inflict great harm.

While Silence itself did cause damage, it was far less than the former.

For Song Chunxi, enduring pain and suffering were constant in her life. Compared to other Star Warriors, it wasn't that she was necessarily more tolerant, but that she was more accustomed to this state!

Having her star power depleted by Light of逆流, Song Chunxi was spared the damage from the agitated star power.

Song Chunxi stretched out her extremely slender body, using the force of her backward flight to execute a back handspring. As her palm hit the ground, she spun at an angle, her blood spraying, and swept a long leg towards Jiang Xiao's jaw.

This sudden turn of events shocked Jiang Xiao. You could still retaliate!?

Were you even human? Were you a fighting machine?

Was this the legendary Captain of the Imperial Capital Star Warrior's Agile Warrior Department?

Jiang Xiao gripped the hilt in one hand and the back of the blade in the other, raising the greatsword vertically and leaning to the side, pressing it forward, standing the blade in front of his side.

This simple, almost rudimentary action sent a message from Jiang Xiao's Inner Star Map.

"Xia family blade art upgraded! Gold quality Lv.0!"