Golden Core Realm VS Primordial Infant Realm
“You going to hand over the dragon vine and fruit and then get lost, or am I going to have to take it from you?” asked Kuai Jian, not worried Man Jian was soon going to break free.
By the time they were done exchanging a few sentences, eight more people had joined the encirclement. Seeing as escaping was impossible, Mu Yu responded, “Since all of you want the dragon vine and whatever fiend fruit, I’ll fight you. If I lose, the two are yours. If I win, you can show yourselves the door. How about it?”
“Hahaha, are you serious?”
“I heard, ‘I dare not.’”
“I’ll give you a one-arm advantage,” jeered Kuai Jian, placing one hand behind his back. He told the others, “How about I give you all some entertainment? I shall teach him not to let his luck get to his head.”
Mu Yu psyched himself up despite the casual exterior he showed. The strategy was to stall and resort to Nameless Swordsman’s granted power if necessary to stall until Lie Shang could back him up.
“Let’s see if you can keep up with me.” Making light of Mu Yu, Kuai Jian decided to utilise his quick swordplay and even quicker movements to disgrace Mu Yu.
Mu Yu returned to the ground. The dragon vine acted as a sentry while Mu Yu dealt with Kuai Jian. Mu Yu’s nerves subsided after Kuai Jian vanished. There were many levels to swordplay, ranging from fast to slow, simple or complex. Every discipline and style had its pros and cons. Speed came at the cost of power. To deal lethal damage, the attacker had to come into close quarters. At close quarters, their openings would reveal themselves. To overcome their swift attacks, one needed to finish their opponent before they could conceal their openings with their speed.
“Six point three centimetres from the top of your left shoulder,” notified Xiaoshuai.
Mu Yu shut his eyes and let Xiaoshuai call the shots. Mu Yu summoned Sword Splitter to defend his left shoulder and took a few steps back to reduce the impact. With Xiaoshuai calling the shots, Mu Yu could focus on reacting.
Although surprised Mu Yu reacted accurately and timely, Kuai Jian moved away right after his strike to continue. It was no big deal if it was only a feeling-out strike.
“Centre of your right chest.”
“Right knee.”
“Left ear.”
“Temple.”
Kuai Jian’s scornful smirk gradually receded without him being aware. Mu Yu evaded every strike Kuai Jian tirelessly drilled as if he knew the latter’s swordplay. To see his movements, Mu Yu had to be faster than Kuai Jian. Pride hurt, frustration began to invade Kuai Jian’s calm mind.
At first, Mu Yu only had enough time to devote evading Kuai Jian’s strikes. As Mu Yu gradually developed an understanding of Kuai Jian’s striking formula, he gained confidence he could use retreat as a means of countering.
Kuai Jian abruptly stopped. Behind his piercing gaze was his desire to salvage his reputation. He stopped taking it easy and used a clone technique to strike again – Clone Switch. To execute the technique, one had to move extremely fast to create two clones to land a simultaneous attack. Only one body was his real body. The reason it was lethal was he could switch between which body was real, meaning either of them could inflict damage.
“Top of your skull. Wait, no. Your heart. Actually, both of them are targets. Be careful.”
Mu Yu: That’s it? Two clones only? “Celestial Sword Nine Catalysts” would laugh at this.
Dustfallen Swordplay’s eighth technique: Heaven’s Lightning Strike. Dao begets all life. Lightning controls a part.
Mu Yu had the spiritual qi shove each other. Blues flames flickered. Spiritual qi in the atmosphere stirred the air as they transformed into spiritual clouds and phantom lightning flashes. His clone emerged. One leapt up and summoned lightning using sword qi. The other’s Shadow Splitter flashed and boomed. He intercepted Kuai Jian’s strikes with a single pure lightning spirit.
“You can use our ‘Double Team Swordplay’?”
“’Double Team Swordplay’? Never heard of that garbage.”
Feng Haochen once explained, “Dustfallen Swordplay consists of nine techniques, each of which can be utilised to reverse a reactive position into an active position. Nine techniques, nine shadows. At the highest level, you can create nine out of one, meaning you can pit nine clones against one opponent. The onus of figuring it out is on you.”
Kuai Jian’s eyes widened as he watched Mu Yu summon a third clone.
Dustfallen Swordplay’s nine techniques could be transformed from one another and co-existed. Nine techniques could be combined into one, or one technique could be split into nine. Likewise, nine techniques can be transformed into eighty one techniques. Combined appropriately with Dustfallen Mental Cultivation, it was possible to produce eighty-one swords out of nine swords.
Though he had three clones, Mu Yu had to stay alert when he only had Shadow Splitter left. He fully grasped Kuai Jian’s swordplay by that point and could read the latter’s successive attacks.
“When adopting a bent-over posture to attack, Kuai Jian’s zigong acupuncture point, located in the centre of his sternum, is open. The other clone’s shenting acupuncture point, located at the top of his forehead, is open when attacking front-on.”
Problem was, Mu Yu needed external support to have enough power to dismantle Kuai Jian’s attacks.
It was kill or be killed. Mu Yu called upon the sword spirit in his right arm. He split Shadow Splitter in two. Combining a vigorous hip swivel, he thrust his sword on a straight upward trajectory toward Kuai Jian’s zigong while thrusting his other Shadow Splitter at the other Kuai Jian’s shenting acupuncture point.
Kuai Jian wanted to slip Mu Yu’s thrust, but Mu Yu unleashed even more force. Thus, Kuai Jian switched to his clone above; however, that clone was also in danger.
“Noooo, ugh!” Kuai Jian felt his conscious fading after Mu Yu’s sword plunged through his chest. Eyes wide, he muttered, “This shouldn’t be happening…”
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