"Su Muyu." Xie Bu Xie, having traversed the various formations along the way, arrived at the corridor with several wounds already marking his body. Yet, his eyes rarely betrayed a hint of excitement.
"I haven't seen you before. It seems the Xie Family has hidden a fine blade," Su Muyu remarked coolly as he observed Xie Bu Xie.
Xie Bu Xie stepped forward slowly. "I often asked my master how my blade skills were. He always told me that among the younger generation of Dark River, my blade was unmatched. But compared to Su Muyu, the foremost in swordsmanship, there was still a long way to go."
"Who is your master?" Su Muyu inquired.
"Xie Family’s Xie Qidao," Xie Bu Xie replied solemnly.
"Uncle Qidao is an excellent teacher. No wonder you could make it this far as his disciple," Su Muyu nodded in approval.
"I don’t need your verbal praise. The best compliment you can give me is a fight," Xie Bu Xie said, lightly swinging the Dragon Tooth Blade in his hand.
Mu Xuewei arrived at that moment. Seeing Su Muyu, her pale pupils flickered with recognition, though her tone remained composed. "Su Muyu, you have no chance left. Let it go."
"Xuewei, you’re here," Su Muyu smiled.
Xie Bu Xie tilted his head slightly. "You know each other?"
"We once carried out a mission together," Mu Xuewei replied.
"That was many years ago," Su Muyu murmured.
"Regardless, don’t interfere with our duel. Whether you help him or me, if you act, I’ll kill you," Xie Bu Xie said coldly.
"Are you threatening me?" A faint glow flickered over Mu Xuewei’s gloves.
"Then let’s grant your wish," Su Muyu said, stepping lightly and appearing beside Xie Bu Xie in an instant. His paper umbrella struck directly at Xie Bu Xie.
Xie Bu Xie swung the Dragon Tooth Blade fiercely, knocking the umbrella aside. "I want to fight your sword, not a broken umbrella," he growled.
"The umbrella is my sword," Su Muyu replied. The umbrella spun, and an invisible Sword Qi, entwined with raindrops, shot toward Xie Bu Xie. Blocking with his blade, Xie Bu Xie was forced back ten steps.
"You know what I want to see. Am I not worthy enough for you to use the Eighteen Sword Formation?" Xie Bu Xie demanded.
"Indeed, not yet," Su Muyu answered honestly.
"Fine." Xie Bu Xie took a deep breath, his muscles gradually relaxing. He took a step back and slowly closed his eyes.
Mu Xuewei was stunned. "The Art of Blade’s Breath." She had heard of this secret technique of the Xie Family, passed down only to those who had mastered blade skills to the pinnacle. Those who activated this art would, for a short time, ignore all distractions, seeing only their blade and their opponent. Combined with exquisite blade techniques, it was nearly invincible in one-on-one combat.
"Slash." Xie Bu Xie suddenly opened his eyes. His figure blurred, moving at a speed impossible to track with the naked eye, appearing before Su Muyu in an instant. His blade arced downward, drawing a perfect circle.
Su Muyu frowned slightly, raising his umbrella to block, but the force of the strike drove his feet a foot into the ground.
"Su Muyu!" Mu Xuewei cried out, forgetting for a moment that she and Su Muyu now stood on opposing sides."Back!" Xie Bu Xie swung his long blade forward, then abruptly retracted it. Su Muyu, already hindered in movement, couldn't evade in time and had his sleeve sliced off by the strike.
"Rise!" Xie Bu Xie's blade surged upward from below. If this strike landed, Su Muyu would surely be defeated. Mu Xuewei could no longer restrain herself—a wisp of black smoke slowly coiled between her hands.
"Eighteen Sword Formation, rise!" Su Muyu uttered softly. The oil-paper umbrella in his hand bloomed like a flower, and beneath its eighteen ribs, sharp blades shot forth. Xie Bu Xie hastily withdrew his blade and retreated as several blades shot toward him. He dodged with ghostly speed, his blade technique pushed to its limits. Even Mu Xuewei, standing nearby, couldn't follow the movements of his blade—she only felt the biting edge of his sword aura. Even from a distance, the sharpness stung her face like a blade's cut.
Finally, Xie Bu Xie deflected the last blade, halting his momentum with a swing of his weapon. He exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his brow. "So this is the Eighteen Sword Formation?" He looked ahead—the ground was studded with gleaming blades, each tied to an almost imperceptibly thin thread that gathered in Su Muyu's left hand. A man controlling eighteen blades with just one hand? Xie Bu Xie swallowed hard. For the first time in his life, he tasted fear.
"You've seen the Eighteen Sword Formation," Su Muyu said calmly. "So, do you think you can surpass it?"
Xie Bu Xie suddenly laughed. "I don't think I can. But isn't that the point of trying? Only by facing a battle you might lose does victory hold meaning."
"You're a blade fanatic," Su Muyu remarked slowly.
"Perhaps. Many have said so." Xie Bu Xie leveled his blade. "And what of you, Lord Puppet? Are you a sword fanatic?"
"No," Su Muyu shook his head.
"If not, how could you master such an extraordinary sword technique? Though I've never seen the remnants of the Eighteen Sword Formation's manual, to reconstruct such an unfathomable sword array from fragments—I'd say your obsession rivals mine."
Mu Xuewei was surprised. She had known Xie Bu Xie for days, yet she'd hardly heard him speak more than a few words. Why, at this life-or-death moment, had he become so talkative? And why was the hand gripping his blade trembling ever so slightly?
Was it fear?
No—it was excitement.
Su Muyu gave a slight tug on the threads. "If we continue, it will be a fight to the death."
"My master often said, only by facing death can one glimpse the heavens and earth. If this is truly the chance, then I thank you, Lord Puppet." With a sudden roar, Xie Bu Xie charged at Su Muyu, swinging his long blade.
Su Muyu flicked his left hand, and the eighteen blades tore from the ground, hurtling toward Xie Bu Xie. His movements were spectral as he dodged the blades, his own weapon weaving blossoms of steel that clashed against the flying edges, producing a crisp, rhythmic sound—like a fierce and relentless melody.
"My master often said I was one strike away from surpassing him. The eighth blade—the one he sought to grasp his whole life. Today is the day I unleash it." Xie Bu Xie leapt into the air.Su Muyu slightly furrowed his brows, swiftly flicking his left hand as eighteen sharp blades formed a Sword Forest beneath Xie Bu Xie...
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