Seemingly extremely slow, but in reality, extremely fast.
Kazuo and Kazuhiro didn't need to strain their eyes, to the point of getting cataracts or pink eye, just to catch a glimpse of the action. They could see it all with ease.
But for the two contestants in the field, time wasn't even measured in seconds. Countless changes occurred in a single second.
One of the afterimages closest to Tenjirō suddenly moved! It silently launched a surprise attack from behind him! It seemed that this was Ling Qing's true body, and the other afterimages were just decoys to distract Tenjirō.
It was as if Tenjirō had eyes in the back of his head. Without looking, he sidestepped and twisted his waist, delivering a kick behind him!
However, Tenjirō's kick missed again!
The moment his kick missed, an afterimage in his upper right corner also moved, mercilessly kicking down at Tenjirō's head!
So, this was Ling Qing's true body.
Just as this thought crossed Kazuo and Kazuhiro's minds, they saw Tenjirō dodge Ling Qing's kick with a difficult backbend and counter-attack, but this time it also missed!
Suddenly, the contest between Ling Qing and Tenjirō fell into a strange rhythm. Unlike before, where they couldn't see anything and didn't know what was happening, this time they could see everything clearly, but still couldn't understand.
Or rather, it was the inability to understand everything that was so confusing.
Kazuo and Kazuhiro knew that mere illusions couldn't affect Tenjirō; he would definitely be able to see through them. The fact that Tenjirō chose to attack meant that the attacker must be the real body, but every one of Tenjirō's attacks missed, which was difficult to comprehend.
No one would explain it to them. The contest in the field continued.
Tenjirō no longer passively countered. He started to move as well, but no matter how he moved, a large number of afterimages followed him like his own shadow. At every moment, he was surrounded by a large number of afterimages, with some constantly turning into solid forms to attack him, but his counter-attacks always missed.
Then, even Kazuo and Kazuhiro could see a hint of what was happening.
That is, Tenjirō… was actually at a disadvantage?
It was an incredibly hard thing to believe, but the situation before them could only be explained this way. Perhaps, from the moment Tenjirō's speed began to slow, he had already started to fall behind.
At this moment, Tenjirō's mood was anything but pleasant. He had wanted to see Ling Qing show him something new, but he had never expected the new thing Ling Qing showed him to be so frustrating! He had actually already seen through Ling Qing's pattern, through the logic of his movements, but he couldn't break it!
If he had understood it from the beginning, he might have been able to break it with force, but now he was like a butterfly caught in a spider's web, completely powerless to resist!
As much as he was unwilling to admit it, Tenjirō had to face the reality that he was completely on the defensive.
If he had to describe why he was so uncomfortable, he could only explain it in one sentence. It was that he seemed to be evading Ling Qing's pursuit, but in reality, every step he took had already been calculated by Ling Qing!
That's right, Tenjirō knew that Ling Qing had a special movement technique, one different from Shunpo, used specifically in combat. It could firmly grasp the rhythm of the battle, preventing the enemy from shifting their attention away from Ling Qing while he gradually took control of the entire fight.
But Tenjirō had never thought that Ling Qing could combine the two movement techniques after learning Shunpo!
To put it simply, in the past, Ling Qing could only maintain control of the battle's flow. But now, Ling Qing could control the battle itself, both himself and his enemy. Everything was within his calculations.
What Ling Qing did was, first, to use his superior Shunpo to anticipate the enemy's landing spot and move there to attack before the enemy arrived. If it were just that, it would still be within Tenjirō's ability to handle perfectly. But that was just the beginning.
Ling Qing's "prophecy" followed his prediction! Yes, it could only be described as a prophecy. In the shortest amount of time, Ling Qing predicted all of Tenjirō's possible movements and came up with the optimal solution!
At the same time, he gradually sealed off Tenjirō's speed, distance, and even range of movement, completely reversing their advantages!
Tenjirō could no longer use the speed that would have allowed him to dominate Ling Qing if he got serious. Ling Qing, however, could perfectly calculate all of Tenjirō's actions and attacks, and at the same time, expand multiple possibilities into the same world, achieving an effect similar to creating clones.
Those were not afterimages, nor were they clones. But if necessary, every one of them could become the real Ling Qing.
As long as Tenjirō made any move, Ling Qing could come up with a corresponding counter.
This time, Ling Qing had truly given Tenjirō a surprise. The boy had shown no trace of this before, secretly holding back this ultimate move, and finally won this round!
This also meant that Ling Qing's style was officially formed!
In the field of Shunpo, Ling Qing had come up with his own solution.
Ling Qing could now deservedly be called a master in the field of Shunpo.
His Shunpo might not be the fastest, but it was definitely the most dominant, able to give the enemy an irresistible, suffocating pressure in battle!
This was the reason why Tenjirō's speed had gradually slowed down, and why the seemingly slow battle was actually breathtakingly thrilling and ever-changing.
"But even so... you're underestimating me, Tenjirō the Thunder-Fast!"
Tenjirō's face grew darker and his mood worsened.
Or rather, in a predicament where every move was anticipated by the opponent, where even your own actions were what the opponent wanted you to do, and not acting that way meant you wouldn't even have a chance to struggle, anyone would be driven mad.
Realizing that he had completely lost control of this battle and could not bring it back to his familiar territory, Tenjirō, for once, went against his nature and decided to go all out!
He completely ignored all the invisible shackles that had been placed on him, forcefully breaking free with raw power. When facing Ling Qing's attack again, during the "Shunpo contest," he suddenly stopped moving!
And then, he finally felt pain!
It was Ling Qing's attack!
"Got you!"
A ferocious smile appeared on his face. Tenjirō reached out to grab Ling Qing!
In an instant, a fleeting flash of light erupted in the field. Kazuo and Kazuhiro subconsciously covered their eyes. A moment later, they looked back at the field.
The strange, suffocating atmosphere had gradually dissipated.
This time, it wasn't Tenjirō who had pinned Ling Qing to the ground. Just like before the contest began, the two stood with their backs to each other, on opposite sides of the field.
Kazuo and Kazuhiro were greatly shocked. They couldn't imagine how Ling Qing had dodged Tenjirō's almost suicidal attack under those circumstances.
But…
Tenjirō raised his hand.
In his hand, a bathrobe had appeared out of nowhere. Looking again, the bathrobe on Ling Qing's body had disappeared, leaving his finely-toned body exposed.
The result seemed to be out.
The master is still the master. Not an opponent who could be defeated by petty tricks.
But…
As if understanding the audience's thoughts, Ling Qing also raised his hand.
In his hand, there was nothing dramatic, just a strip of cloth.
However, both Kazuo and Kazuhiro's eyes widened, their expressions twisting.
Behind Ling Qing, the back of Tenjirō's extremely wide-legged Shihakushō pants had slipped down to his ankles, revealing his hairy legs…
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