Wu Long and Sui Luxiao moved at the same time, their iron fans crossing. She used the turning of the fist to accelerate its movement and as the side of the fan hit Wu Long's, the fan folded, creating a rising continuous force.
But despite the impact, there was no sharp sound as it seemed as if the force of her strike sank into his fan as it unfolded in his hand to the other side.
They exchanged a few more strikes, all of which looked effortless and did not produce any palpable impact.
"Soft Force"
Bi Rui gasped as she widened her eyes looking at that scene.
"Hm? Soft Force?"
Yu Huan curiously asked, not taking her eyes off the beautiful movements of the two, but still noticing with her peripheral vision the same astonishment in Wu Mengqi's expression.
Their front legs were now on the same line between them, and as she turned, her leg shown from the slit of her long dress while her other one stretched as she made a pirouette, the hems of her dress flowing in the air with her posture lowered and her fan made a beautiful arc to strike at another angle. The hems of Wu Long's robes moved mirroring the fabric of Sui Luxiao's dress as his figure barely left the spot he stood on to turn and meet her strike that came at a tricky angle.
"It is a profound way to utilize force, as it grows from movement and flow, not actual muscle power. A practitioner could exert incredible power while their body is relaxed and movements are flowing.
For example, that strike right now could stop a regular blow from my spear"
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBi Rui explained as she looked at the movements of the two, not having expected the businesswoman she though of as a peaceful person to wield such an esoteric skill.
"Is it hard to do?"
Yu Huan heard a slight puzzlement in Bi Rui's voice that made it sound that while it was something she was surprised and amazed by, she was also not aspiring for it.
"Hmm, it depends.
The principle behind it is fairly simple, but the utilization is incredibly hard to pull off with an enemy who moves unpredictably.
However, at the level the two are using it right now, it is an incredibly profound skill.
The movement has to build upon movement, not breaking the flow and not giving the opponent the opportunity to break the flow, since without it the movement would not hold any actual force and the user will immediately be overwhelmed.
It is a high-level skill precisely because it is very risky to use if your technique is lacking, as any mistake could lead to your downfall"
Wu Mengqi explained next, as it was something she was able to relate to, since her sword skill was also not based on power, but at the same time was not soft power she was seeing at the moment.
Gradually, the wind moved with the movements of the two and their iron fans, the golden autumn leaves rising from the ground and dancing in between them as their actions became more and more flowing.
"So... isn't it too risky then? Why would it be used then?"
Yu Huan was not a martial artist, and was puzzled at the explanation that seemed to say that if someone interrupted a movement, something every martial artist strived to do, it would spell the practitioner's death.
"If you truly master the skill, you know how to construct the flow in a way that would flow even ifyour move is interrupted, while also keeping your style adaptable to changes in situation, but that is incredibly hard to achieve.
You see that their fans collide, but the wind around them still moves, showing that the flow is still alive"
Bi Rui shook her head, as small whirlwinds formed in the space between them, visible by the dust and the dry leaves as Wu Long and Sui Luxiao were seemingly vying for the control of the flow.
"And not to mention, that if you do manage to pull it off, the resulting power you can generate is nearly infinite. You cannot see it because Wu Long's control is too good, but the force they are applying is rapidly growing as we speak"
Wu Mengqi nodded, adding to the explanation as she watched with rapt attention.
"Mm, right now, every blow they are exchanging is roughly equivalent to my full force spear strike"
Bi Rui agreed, causing Yu Huan to widen her eyes in astonishment.
"Then, why don't you learn it too?"
She innocently asked and Bi Rui wryly smiled.
"It does not suit my style of fighting, as I prefer raw power that I can use my muscle strength in. Using muscles is actually incompatible with Soft Force, since it hinders the flow. The body must be relaxed to actually use Soft Force.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmNot to mention, it is insanely complicated, and one must constantly calculate in their mind, whereas I prefer to just trust the strength I wield"
Yu Huan nodded, understanding what the bobcut-haired beauty talked about. But, after some time, a confusion appeared on her face.
"But, does it mean that the two are completely equal? There does not seem to be anyone holding the upper hand"
She said and both Bi Rui and Wu Mengqi chuckled."They are not equal, in fact Wu Long has already let go of many opportunities to strike. He is just not doing that flashy weapon to her neck move that would stop the spar every time. In their case it is not a real spar, but a teaching one as he leads her to realize imperfections in her technique"
Wu Mengqi shook her head.
"Yes, I always feel this way he teaches a lot more productive, as he lets you know where was your mistake and how he would attack your weakness, and then just continues the spar without breaking the flow. He also adjusts his level of skill to be a level above yours without it showing blatantly"
Bi Rui nodded as his behavior was the same when he taught them, so they were very familiar with why it looked as if they were equal.
"And he is also the one perfectly killing any residual force, absorbing it into his movements, which is also a characteristic and unique strength of the Soft Force practitioners"
She then added, as the three beauties could not take away their eyes from the graceful, almost dancing movement of the two as their figures flowed with the wind amidst the stream of gold and orange leaves.
Wu Long's movements were more stoic, as he did not change his posture to a large degree, while Sui Luxiao's figure seemed to blend into the flow, the long slits on the sides of her long dress allowing her to freely switch between low and high posture, gracefully moving on her high heels that seemed to not hinder her movements at all, somehow even enhancing them.
The three suddenly realized, that while her attire looked impractical for fighting, it actually perfectly matched her combat style, and the absence of much or heavy jewelry merchants usually loved could be explained by how fluid her motions were, big accessories being an obstacle to such movements.
Suddenly, Yu Huan felt a burning sensation from the side the two beauties were, as the two visibly heated up seeing this spar, the signs of their fatigue miraculously almost completely gone as a competitive glint appeared in their eyes.