Starforce Warriors

Chapter 96: The True Form Of Staff Technique

What happened?

Fang Buyi and the others stared at Li Xiaofei, who looked like he had just been fished out of a pool of blood, with a mixture of shock and suspicion. They knew that Li Xiaofei had gone to lure the enemy out but they hadn't expected that he would come back so injured. It seemed like he had almost been bitten to death by a snake when luring it out of its hole.

“What are you standing around for? They're chasing us.” Li Xiaofei leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily. "Prepare for battle, proceed according to the original plan."

He looked at his teammates, his eyes dancing with excitement. "I'm not exaggerating, but every single one of the Longteng team is injured. They've been fighting for so long that their stamina and starforce qi are greatly depleted... This is our chance. Strike while the iron is hot and bury them all here."

Fang Buyi and the others felt their confidence surge. They finally understood. Li Xiaofei had taken such severe injuries to create an opportunity for them to take revenge. If Li Xiaofei had gone to such lengths and they still couldn't defeat the enemy, they might as well cut their own throats.

Fang Buyi whispered, "Proceed according to the original plan."

"Alright."

"Let's go."

"Move out."

In an instant, the eyes of the other three became resolute.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed. A stone building located in the middle of the camp suddenly exploded, sending dust spreading like a torrent in all directions. In the blink of an eye, it covered an area of a thousand meters in diameter around the entire camp. This amount of dust seemed unusual.

In the next moment—

Swish, swish, swish.

Zheng Shou and his men rushed into the camp.

"It's powdered bitter herb mixed with some expanding agent. It's a trick from that little medic on the other side," Feng Yuzhen said, reaching out to pinch some of the dust in the air and sniffing it lightly. "It's pure, with no other toxins added. It's purely for obscuring vision. The enemy wants to use hit-and-run tactics. Cowardly."

Jia Yiyu, clutching his wound, sneered, "Everyone in Red Flag High School, except for Li Xiaofei, is worthless trash. I can sweep them all away by myself."

Guan Guan flicked his long bangs and said, "We still can't be careless."

Feng Yuzhen nodded as she took out four homemade detox pills, and said, "After all, we're in their meticulously prepared camp. Be wary of poisons. Keep this pill under your tongue; it can resist most poisonous plants and toxins in the Sky City map, just in case."

The group immediately took the pills and swallowed them. Zheng Shou scanned the surroundings. With the bitter herb powder obscuring their vision, visibility was less than five meters. A hint of ferocity appeared on his face.

"Li Xiaofei is severely injured and has no combat strength left. But we can't give him time to heal. We must end this quickly... We’re splitting up. Once someone spots him, signal immediately, and we will converge on your location." Zheng Shou gritted his teeth and said, "This time, we must tear him to pieces."

Xing Yuantao asked, "What if we encounter other members of Red Flag High School?"

Zheng Shou replied indifferently, "Do you even need to ask? Kill them on sight."

With a wave of his hand, the five of them immediately split into different directions to search.

***

Xing Yuantao advanced through the powdery fog. He listened carefully to the sounds around him as he searched the fog. He wanted to kill Li Xiaofei with his own hands.

Of course, before killing him, he intended to torment the person who had humiliated him in solo mode. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be a match for Li Xiaofei but now, Li Xiaofei was gravely injured. He was a spent force. Whoever found him first would claim the glory of the kill.

He waved his hand irritably as he dispersed the bitter herb powder in front of him using his starforce qi. Suddenly, he detected footsteps ahead. Stumbling, irregular, and very concealed footsteps.

It must be Li Xiaofei. Xing Yuantao was overjoyed and quickened his pace. He burst forward with all his strength, covering several hundred meters, and suddenly realized something.

A severely injured Li Xiaofei shouldn't be able to run so fast. It must be another member of Red Flag High School imitating the footsteps of an injured person to lure him away.

What does this mean? Li Xiaofei must not be in this direction.

Xing Yuantao immediately stopped. He thought for a moment, then turned back toward the original location of the footsteps. Since the enemy had made noise there to attract him, it meant he had been close to Li Xiaofei's hiding place. But just as he turned around...

Whoosh.

A gust of energy swept toward Xing Yuantao's back.

"Die."

Xing Yuantao had been prepared and turned to thrust his sword.

Clang.

A long staff blocked his sword. The force of the impact numbed his hand and wrist.

"It's you?"

Xing Yuantao was a bit surprised to see the figure slowly emerging from the thick fog. It was Fang Buyi. The weakling, whom he had easily killed in the last match, had shown surprising strength with that strike.

"Your opponent is me," Fang Buyi said, advancing with his staff.

"Hahaha... " Xing Yuantao laughed derisively, as if he had heard a joke. "Just you?"

"Just me," replied Fang Buyi. Fang Buyi unleashed the power of his eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. His newly crafted staff trembled slightly.

Xing Yuantao laughed, saying, "Daring to appear before me again, your courage surprises me. But your fate remains unchanged... Don't waste my time. Die."

He thrust his sword with all his might. Fang Buyi’s face was resolute as he met the attack with his staff. He had been cultivating a staff technique called Xuanwu Staff, which had been personally taught to him by Grandpa Qin. The ancient martial art seemed simple, with wide and powerful movements, as it followed a path of raw strength.

Grandpa Qin had said that while the technique appeared straightforward, it was incredibly powerful, earning the title of the king of staff techniques within the ten stages of the Qi Refining Realm.

Fang Buyi had been cultivating this technique for two years. He had mastered its moves, variations, and energy flow to perfection. Yet, he had not reached the level of strength Grandpa Qin spoke of as the king of staff techniques.

Fang Buyi had asked why.

Grandpa Qin had simply said, "You have not yet grasped the true essence of this technique."

When Fang Buyi asked what the true essence was, Grandpa Qin replied, "The true essence must be understood on your own."

So, Fang Buyi practiced and pondered daily. He still hadn't truly grasped it. He had used the technique he was most familiar with in the previous battle with Xing Yuantao. Yet, he was defeated with a single strike. At that moment, his faith in the Xuanwu Staff had completely shattered. But now, in the second confrontation, Fang Buyi no longer thought about the meaning of the staff technique.

In his mind, there was only one thought—

Defeat the opponent.

Driven by the thought, Fang Buyi attacked relentlessly. He did not want to waste the opportunity Li Xiaofei had created. He no longer cared about the significance of victory or defeat. He just wanted to be worthy of his new, extraordinary teammate.

Kill!

The shadows of the staff multiplied.

Attack! Relentless attacks! Frenzied attacks!

Fang Buyi launched himself into a relentless assault, utterly disregarding his own safety.

Boom, boom, boom.

The clash of staff and sword. The collision of starforce qi generated waves of violent currents.

Gradually, a look of surprise appeared on Xing Yuantao's face. Incredibly, he felt that the power emanating from his ant-like opponent's staff was growing stronger and stronger with every blow. The shadows of the staff were unending. Wave after wave crashed upon him like the vast, endless waters of the Yangtze River.

Xing Yuantao found himself unable to withstand the onslaught.

How is this possible?

Though he was injured and had expended a lot of his starforce qi... It shouldn't be enough to prevent him from defeating such a weakling.

Boom, boom, boom!

The staff kept crashing down. Xing Yuantao was struggling to hold his ground. He kept getting forced back, as his arms turned numb and his swordsmanship disorganized.

Suddenly—

Ding!

A clear ringing sound echoed. The longsword slipped from Xing Yuantao's grasp, flying out of his hand.

"This is impossible.. " Xing Yuantao spat blood as he roared in anger.

"Die." Fang Buyi, his eyes blood-red, brought his staff down on Xing Yuantao's chest with unstoppable thunderous force.

Bang!

Ribs shattered and internal organs were reduced to pulp. The outcome was decided in an instant. Xing Yuantao's face was filled with disbelief as he slowly fell backward, disappearing in a stream of data light.

Fang Buyi continued to wield his staff, executing his technique. After several more moves, he gradually slowed as his eyes cleared. He looked at the staff in his hand and then at his own hands.

A puzzled expression appeared on his face. He stood there, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly, his whole body trembled, and he looked up, laughing heartily.

"Haha, I understand now, I understand the true essence of the staff technique.. "

He laughed with pure joy. After seven hundred and thirty days of training, today he finally saw the true form of the technique. Meanwhile, Grandpa Qin, who was watching the live broadcast from the sidelines, wore a gratified smile.

A seed had sprouted. After absorbing two years of nourishment, it had finally pushed out tender green shoots. The season of harvest had arrived.