Chapter 581: Sacrifice
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Yi Dongmu didn’t think much. There was only one heartfelt desire right now - defeat Dollar.
Yi Dongmu clutched his daggers upside down like fangs, and his eyes were fixed calmly upon Han Sen. He seemed to be wholly relaxed, as if his breathing had achieved a constant, uninterruptible rhythm.
He slowly walked closer to Han Sen, quite unlike the expected killer out for his enemy’s blood. He walked casually, as if he were just taking a stroll in the park.
"Mister Long, what are your thoughts concerning this fight?" Fang Mingquan, the commentator, had with him a very famous evolver as a guest on the broadcast.
This Mister Long was known to any person who frequented the official evolver’s platform.
He was over 100 years old and had made countless instructional videos to help out fresh evolvers, teaching them how to perform skills and hunt creatures. Those videos were a great help to normal people, and they reduced the risks evolvers would take when ascending to the Second Shelter. His videos were invaluable to the development of people’s talents and abilities; this made him a person of much renown, respect, and admiration among evolvers.
Fang Mingquan was able to invite Mister Long as a guest on the broadcast, and it drew in a lot more viewers. People would tune in so they could see what was about to unfold with greater clarity, through Mister Long’s live analyses.
Mister Long looked upon the two people pitted against each other in the arena and said, "I haven’t studied Yi Dongmu much; but Dollar, I have researched extensively and analyzed his battle tapes."
"Mister Long, if you have done serious research on Dollar, could you share some of your conclusions? We are all curious as to what we can expect out of Dollar tonight. We are all extra keen to know whether or not Dollar is using the legendary Heavenly Go, as well. Could you provide us your input?" Fang Mingquan asked.
"This is tricky. I have spent a lot of time analyzing this move of his, and what he uses isn’t 100% authentic Heavenly Go. It is not even a high-end replication of the skill, either; in fact, it is a low-quality knock-off," Mister Long replied, with absolute certainty.
If Han Sen heard what Mister Long had just said, he would have admired his perception. Han Sen really did just copy the skill loosely, and very little of it was of his own invention.
"So, Mister Long, you are fairly sure that Dollar is not using the true Heavenly Go. Do you have evidence to back up your claim?" Fang Mingquan noticed from the stream chat that there were many Dollar fans dismissing Mister Long’s statement.
Mister Long was able to see the comments as well, but he calmly said, "I haven’t had a very fortuitous life, but when I was younger, I was lucky enough to hunt with Fu Qingmei, and I witnessed the entirety of the skill Heavenly Go. It was right before my eyes."
After he said that, no one said anything more about his claim. If Mister Long was able to witness Fu Qingmei perform Heavenly Go, then his analysis could not be incorrect. Everyone knew Fu Qingmei’s Heavenly Go, since the skill gained its popularity from her.
At this time, Yi Dongmu made a move towards Han Sen.
Mister Long, who was watching Yi Dongmu’s casual demeanor as he strolled, expressed absolute surprise. In his reaction, he blurted out, "Huh?!"
"Mister Long, what is going on?" Although Fang Mingquan was a professional commentator, he didn’t know much about fighting skills; it was because of this that he did not notice anything special.
Mister Long said with admiration in his voice, "If I am not mistaken, Yi Dongmu is using Sacrifice. This skill is reliant on your mental fortitude, not your physical power. If you could not focus your mind, it would not matter if you were a surpasser - you could not perform the moves efficiently."
"That sounds like an incredible fighting skill. How would you gauge his performance, Mister Long?" Fang Mingquan asked.
"Fighting skills aren’t mathematics. Everything is relative on the field of battle, and that is especially true of this skill, which depends entirely on the situation in which it is cast. I cannot use numbers to calculate his performance of it; all I can say is that Yi Dongmu has indeed mastered ’Sacrifice.’ A great future must lay ahead for this young man."
Fang Mingquan then asked, "My knowledge of fighting skills is limited, so I’m not entirely sure what Sacrifice is. Could you provide me and the audience an explanation of why Sacrifice is so spectacular?"
"To use Sacrifice, you must throw away all the other thoughts that might occupy your mind. You need to be without fear, without worry, without sorrow and without happiness. Your mind must devote itself to one, singular purpose; if you do this, then you can achieve mastery of Sacrifice, and it will aid you. But doing this is more difficult than it sounds. Reaching the state absolute single mindedness is something not even the ancient heroes of yore could frequently attain. And what’s more, Yi Dongmu is still so young. His ability to channel Sacrifice through his pure, dust-free mind is something extremely rare." Mister Long was in true admiration of Yi Dongmu.
Fang Mingquan noticed Mister Long was not speaking in specifics and was failing to explain what the skill Sacrifice actually did. So, he had to ask, "I’m not sure what type of skill Sacrifice is."
"The most straightforward explanation I gave give is that Sacrifice is a movement. But it’s not just any movement; it’s one that combines the sky with the earth. Every step he takes will accelerate his momentum and increase the power he can achieve. The more steps he takes, the more power and momentum he can use. If he reaches one hundred steps, then his power and momentum will max out. If that were to occur, I don’t think there is anyone out there who could stop such an attack."
"Is it really that powerful? If Yi Dongmu takes one hundred steps, then Dollar will lose?" When Fang Mingquan heard this, he was shocked.
The audience watching the stream started to discuss the skill amongst themselves, too.
"Is that true? That sounds way too magical."
"According to what Mister Long says, if Yi Dongmu took ten thousand steps, then he could beat the world!"
"There must be a reason why Mister Long is saying this."
"I think what Mister Long says makes sense. Look at Yi Dongmu’s momentum; it’s getting stronger and stronger. Even right now, my heart trembles."
"Is Sacrifice really that powerful?"
"Oh, no. Dollar doesn’t know Yi Dongmu is using Sacrifice. He should strike now, before he gathers too much momentum."
...
Mister Long shook his head and said, "It is easier for someone to make up his mind to die for a noble purpose than to actually go through the execution of such sacrifice. Sacrifice still needs its user to maintain his focus for the entire duration of the cast. The longer he walks, the greater the chance his faith and focus might change. If his resolve quivers by only just a bit, his momentum will decrease."
"It is very much like war; first, there is much momentum, but when the horrors of battle rear their ugly faces... it’s gone before you know it. Humans are sensitive beings, and even scholars and geniuses cannot maintain their faith forever. The highest Sacrifice I have seen was one hundred steps. Even if he kept on walking after this, his momentum would still decrease."
"I wonder how many steps Yi Dongmu will be able to take, with his usage of Sacrifice." Fang Mingquan was watching Yi Dongmu intently.
After Mister Long’s explanation, viewers of the stream started counting Yi Dongmu’s steps.