Chapter 33: Forced to Just Put on a Show

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Zhao Yun's spear danced in a flurry of blossoms, appearing incredibly fierce at first glance, but in reality, only Zhao Yun knew he was being driven to this extreme.

The ferocity of Lu Bu left him with lingering dread. In terms of technique, Zhao Yun found that the skills he took pride in seemed to be on par with Lu Bu's; in terms of strength and internal energy intensity, Lu Bu could leave him in the dust. Looking down at the horse beneath him, Zhao Yun felt a pang of heartache—previously, it was his horse biting the opponent's, but this time, it was being bitten by Red Hare. It hurt!

How could he fight this? Zhao Yun had been pondering this question since the moment he thrust his spear forward. Finally, after comparing himself to Lu Bu, he realized that even if Lu Bu were to engage in a death match with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun's chances of winning a one-on-one duel against him were only about twenty to thirty percent.

Zhao Yun had seen through it: Lu Bu's halberd techniques emphasized momentum over form. Once Lu Bu grew enraged, or as he was doing now, lost in the feverish enjoyment of combat, he remained brutal even if his internal energy had been depleted by half.

To defeat Lu Bu, one had to break his confidence and strip him of this invincible aura; otherwise, you could fight for ages and Lu Bu might maintain the same level he had at the start, or even become more formidable as the battle progressed.

It was a vicious cycle. A bitter smile appeared on Zhao Yun's handsome face. Fine, if it's a cycle, then he would stall. Zhao Yun had made up his mind not to engage in a head-on death match with Lu Bu; he would instead compete on endurance and speed.

Zhao Yun maintained an ultra-high speed, appearing from the front like a hedgehog covered in spear tips. No matter how he twisted his whirling long spear, the tip would eventually curve toward Lu Bu. Even Guan Yu, who was regulating his breath nearby, saw Zhao Yun's spear shaft twist through three or four arcs to reach Lu Bu's side. How on earth was he generating such force?

The whistling of the spear never ceased from the moment Zhao Yun engaged. Lu Bu and Zhao Yun were wielding their weapons so fast they were practically a blur, yet so far, neither side had made a direct collision. They merely stared intently at each other's vital points, waiting for a single opportunity to land a devastating blow.

Zhao Yun continued to accelerate. He felt that Lu Bu seemed to be adapting to his spear speed, so he needed to increase it to avoid being countered. Zhao Yun had truly realized he couldn't beat this guy; the man was frustratingly strong. He had initially thought he had a thirty percent chance, but the more they fought, the more alarmed he became; now, it was down to ten percent. Zhao Yun estimated that if they continued, he might not even have ten percent left.

To be honest, Zhao Yun was now experiencing the same thought Lu Bu had previously felt toward Zhang Fei: *What on earth did this guy eat to grow up like this?* However, unlike Lu Bu, who wanted to capture Zhang Fei for research, Zhao Yun had no intention of capturing Lu Bu for study. He began frequently signaling Guan Yu, hoping for assistance. Unfortunately, Guan Yu completely misunderstood Zhao Yun's intent. In his view, since neither side had gained the upper hand, there was no need to interfere; he let the spectacular battle continue.

Lu Bu stared at the "pretty boy" before him with burning eyes. At the start, he thought he could take him down through steady, methodical strikes, but as the fight progressed, a sudden thought occurred to him: *Could this guy be the master I've been waiting for—the one who levels up upon being killed?*

On second thought, Lu Bu felt it was highly possible! No ordinary person had the strength to fight him one-on-one for this long without a decisive outcome. Instantly, Lu Bu became frenzied. He had reached his limit; even if the Hegemon-King were to crawl up from the Wu River, Lu Bu reckoned he could beat him back down.

Kill, kill, kill! With this thought, Lu Bu became more excited the more he fought, and his momentum grew more majestic. In an instant, he used intuition to crack the spear technique that had previously seemed unpredictable. However, before his momentum could rise further, he felt Zhao Yun's spear speed increase again.

Lu Bu continued his torrential bombardment against Zhao Yun, and Zhao Yun silently employed his ultimate techniques. The spear speed grew faster and faster; where once it took the time of one thrust, Zhao Yun could now perform two. Yet even so, Zhao Yun remained helpless against Lu Bu. He could only watch helplessly as Lu Bu's momentum continued to climb, no longer possessing the strength to suppress it.

Dong Zhuo's army at Hulao Pass and the coalition of the eighteen lords were all stunned. Lu Bu's brutality had been proven in previous battles; in the eyes of the coalition, only Liu Bei's brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, could hold their own against him. Having defeated them, Lu Bu was already viewed as a god-like existence.

And yet, another one had jumped out from behind Liu Bei, and this one was fighting Lu Bu to a standstill. *Holy crap, Liu Xuande, your luck is too good! Why does all the good fortune belong to your family?*

Liu Bei looked at Zhang Fei with a face full of worry, completely ignoring the envious and jealous gazes surrounding him. Ever since hearing Chen Xi's words, Liu Bei had attained enlightenment. In this chaotic era, let alone the jealousy of others, even if everyone present harbored hatred and wanted to slaughter him, they could only endure it as long as they lacked the power to do so. This era was not a golden age of benevolence and righteousness, but a chaotic age driven by the strength of one's fists!

Zhao Yun finally reached a point where he could no longer aim every thrust at Lu Bu's vitals without colliding with the Sky Piercer halberd. The first true collision since their engagement occurred. Unlike Lu Bu's shock and rage, Zhao Yun's face was filled with helplessness. Taking advantage of Lu Bu's momentary shock, he lightly tapped the tip of the halberd and instantly created distance from this dangerous individual.

"General Guan, lend me your strength!" Zhao Yun roared. It was no longer playable; his previous signals to Guan Yu had been completely ineffective.

Guan Yu was puzzled. Why, after fighting Lu Bu for so long without a winner, was Zhao Yun asking for help before showing any sign of defeat? Despite his confusion, Guan Yu still shouted, "Zilong, do not panic! Yunchang is coming!" and swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade toward Lu Bu.

"I will kill you!" Lu Bu nipped his horse's flanks and charged toward Zhao Yun in a rage. He had been played. No wonder the man wouldn't engage in direct contact—he had speed but lacked power. Had it not been for that accidental collision earlier, where he discovered Zhao Yun's internal energy was quite weak and his strength was negligible, Lu Bu might not have realized how much weaker Zhao Yun actually was, even after fighting for so long.

"What a nuisance," Zhao Yun muttered helplessly, thrusting his spear at Lu Bu. The halberd tip and spear tip collided. The direct blow Lu Bu craved—to send Zhao Yun's weapon flying—did not happen. Instead, the force transmitted from Zhao Yun's spear tip was as surging and powerful as a tidal wave, pressing against him layer by layer with unexpected strength.

However, Lu Bu would never repent once he had made up his mind. If he said he would kill you, he would kill you. He was determined to finish Zhao Yun. *You dare play me? I'll hack you to death!* Holding onto this creed, Lu Bu slashed at Zhao Yun in fury.

Zhao Yun steadily defended against Lu Bu's frantic onslaught. The once-blooming spear flowers turned into points of cold light, firmly blocking Lu Bu's attacks without being forced back as Lu Bu had intended.

*Clang!* With a massive crash, Zhao Yun and Lu Bu separated once more. During the time Guan Yu was charging in, the two had engaged in another hundred rounds of hard-hitting combat like thunder and lightning. Fighting with everything he had, Zhao Yun, relying on a burst of blood energy, did not fall into any disadvantage; on the contrary, Lu Bu, failing to gain the upper hand, began to doubt his previous perceptions!