Chapter 452: Tai Chi
Qiao Jiaying swallowed and reached out to touch his forearm.
It really was an iron ball, and the timing of its launch was exactly as Ning Shiba had said.
That icy iron ball had only rolled across his arm for a moment, yet it felt as if it had stripped away all his skin, leaving a searing, burning pain.
But after carefully feeling it, it was just a graze, nothing serious.
"It's not that difficult after all..." Qiao Jiaying flexed his wrist and reset his stance. "Seems like if you just treat your opponent as someone who might throw a punch at any moment, everything becomes a lot easier."
Even as he said this, a trace of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Being able to deflect this pitch-black iron ball was partly skill, but even more so luck.
If the angle had been just a little off, the iron ball might have slammed straight into his chest, leaving him dead or crippled.
Comparing a high-speed iron ball to a "punch" wasn't inappropriate, but this punch was far too heavy.
"Lord Guan... is it because I admire you so much that you held back?" Qiao Jiaying stood up, pressed his palms together at his brow, and then bowed respectfully. "I'll follow the rules. Forgive me."
The people pushing the cart quickly snapped back to attention and seized the opportunity to move forward at speed.
"Wait..." Ning Shiba, still seated in the chair, suddenly spoke. "Ninth Sister, don't go too fast."
"What's wrong?" Bai Jiu waved her hand, signaling the group to slow down as she asked.
Ning Shiba thought for a second and said, "As I guessed earlier, the launch of the 'ball' depends on how far we've advanced. Give Brother Qiao some more time to prepare."
"Alright!"
The group eased their pace a little, waiting until Qiao Jiaying had firmly planted his stance again before slowly crossing the second eight meters.
"Brother Qiao! Watch out!" Ning Shiba called out again.
*Bang!*
The wooden box in front once again shot out a black iron ball. Qiao Jiaying intended to use the same trick, reaching for the bottom of the ball, but this time the ball clearly veered off course, flying toward the left.
Seeing that his right hand could no longer reach the iron ball, Qiao Jiaying shifted his feet and directly bent his left elbow, thrusting it upward.
He didn't know which teammate the ball flying left was aimed at, but he had to make it deviate from its trajectory.
*Thud!*
The collision between his elbow and the iron ball produced a very dull sound. Although Qiao Jiaying had tried his best to avoid the point of impact, choosing to push the ball upward from below, he still felt an excruciating pain in his elbow, as if it were about to break.
*Whoosh!*
Because Qiao Jiaying was so close to the iron ball, it was hard to control the force. He had almost brute-forced the ball's direction change, sending it soaring high into the air. But judging by its path, it still seemed dangerous, as if it might still land on the track.
"Hey!" Qiao Jiaying shouted back. "Watch out!"
The people pushing the cart naturally didn't dare let their guard down. They had been watching the flying iron ball from the start. Seeing it shoot high into the sky, they all slowed their steps. When the ball began to descend, everyone's hearts were in their throats.
Fortunately, the iron ball's landing point wasn't the cart, just an empty spot on the track.
"Twenty." Bai Jiu suddenly frowned. "The track can't be damaged. Do it."
Everyone understood Bai Jiu's meaning in an instant. If the iron ball came straight down, it would definitely smash a hole in the icy track. Then, whether the ball was there or not, their movement would be hindered.
"Got it!" Chou Ershi nodded, pulled down the zipper of his leather jacket, and slowly closed his eyes. "I need a gust of wind..."
"Steady the cart!" Bai Jiu said. "Ning Shiba, bend down. You're sitting too high—you'll get blown away."
No sooner had she spoken than a breeze gradually stirred around them. Even Qiao Jiaying in the distance was drawn by the sight.
In just a few seconds, the breeze turned into a gale. Everyone nearby could barely open their eyes, heads bent low, one hand gripping the cart.
Ning Shiba, sitting on the "Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse," even crouched down and wrapped her arms around her legs.
Bai Jiu sensed something off and quickly shouted, "Mind your conviction!!"
Chou Ershi kept his eyes tightly shut, imagining a gust of wind intercepting the falling iron ball. Unfortunately, the image was far too abstract.
When a gust of wind blows, trees sway, leaves tremble, grass quivers, and flowers shake.
But how do you move a rapidly falling iron ball?
"Give it some power..." Chou Ershi grit his teeth. "I'm Chou Ershi, the 'Gale'..."
As Chou Ershi muttered to himself, the people around felt the strong wind seem to withdraw, gathering toward a single point.
Chou Ershi felt like he had found the loophole in this: if he couldn't stop it, he could make it unstable.
Under the assault of a strong gust, the iron ball's trajectory changed again. Meanwhile, Qiao Jiaying, after a moment's thought, shifted toward where the ball was falling.
"Shit, I almost forgot..." he murmured to himself. "Our team does have a 'Terminator'..."
Chou Ershi continued to control this moderate gale, making the iron ball experience force from all directions in the air. Although it slowed down and changed course, it still seemed destined to land on the track.
"I can't do it anymore... Ninth Sister, I tried my best." Chou Ershi slowly opened his eyes and saw that the iron ball was indeed just as he had thought—slower in speed, but its path unchanged.
But he didn't realize that the slight reduction in speed was enough. At that moment, a nimble figure stepped directly beneath the iron ball, raising his right hand high to catch its landing point.
The moment the iron ball touched Qiao Jiaying's fingers, he once again softened his limbs, letting the ball roll from his fingers to his palm. Then, following the ball's descent speed, he crouched down, guiding the ball into a spin. The movement was so beautiful that everyone felt like they were watching an action movie from start to finish.
After three continuous rotations, all the force was finally dissipated, and the iron ball came to a steady stop in Qiao Jiaying's hand.
"What?!"
Everyone simply couldn't understand Qiao Jiaying anymore.
From the beginning until now, they increasingly felt that this man was vastly different from what they had imagined. They had originally thought that failing to defeat him last time was because he could keep resurrecting. But now that they thought about it... even without any "Resonance," could an ordinary person take him down?
Qiao Jiaying didn't have time to look at the iron ball. He simply placed it steadily on the ground to the side, turned back to the group, and said, "Hurry up and push the cart. Keep an eye on the time."
Before everyone could snap out of it, Qiao Jiaying had already returned to face "Wu Qu," raising his hands once again in the posture of Tai Chi.