A Pawn's Passage

Qi Xuansu drew both cutlasses and disappeared in a flash.

Almost at the same time, Wan Xiuwu felt a chill on his back. He was about to turn around, but it was too late. Qi Xuansu had already appeared behind Wan Xiuwu, leaving an X-shaped wound on the latter’s neck and back.

Since he had injected qi into the two blades, Wan Xiuwu’s wound was charred by flames.

This was the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique.

Fortunately, Wan Xiuwu was a Martial Arts Practitioner with self-healing abilities, so no matter how gory this wound looked, it was not life-threatening.

After the attack, Qi Xuansu retreated as soon as possible.

Wan Xiuwu was furious. He gathered his blood qi, and his wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, he leaped forward and attacked Qi Xuansu.

However, Qi Xuansu did not fight with him head-on. He used the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique to distance himself. At the same time, he threw one flaming blade toward Wan Xiuwu, using the Sword Controlling Technique to propel the cutlass forward, increasing its momentum.

Wan Xiuwu raised his arms, revealing two thick forearms with bulging veins under his sleeves. The number of protruding veins was alarming, as if Wan Xiuwu had worn a pair of arm guards made of twisted metal wires. His acupoints also lit up.

The moment Wan Xiuwu raised his right arm to block the strike, there was a sound of metal and stone clashing. A violent shockwave of qi rippled around them, and the flaming blade flew back in its original trajectory.

While Qi Xuansu reached out to catch the cutlass, he threw the other one out using the same technique.

Once again, Wan Xiuwu blocked the strike, but with his left arm. However, before the cutlass rebounded, another flaming blade flew at him, so he had no choice but to use his right arm to resist.

From an outsider’s perspective, two flaming blades could be seen flying between the two men in a loop, as if they were playing a game. Only the two of them knew this was a deadly game, as the two cutlasses flew back and forth with increasing speed. In the end, the flames on the blades almost formed a continuous line.

The fight became more intense. Qi Xuansu was focused—his mind clear and his heart still. He did not think about whether he would win this fierce battle or who would end up dead.

On the contrary, Wan Xiuwu was put in a passive position. Although his life was not in danger, the number of wounds inflicted on him was increasing by the minute. As such, he became more furious and impetuous.

The difference between their mental states was clear as day.

Wan Xiuwu suddenly roared and raised his arms, relying on his superior cultivation to knock away both cutlasses. Then he lifted his legs to kick Qi Xuansu’s temples.

Qi Xuansu did not panic. He used the Sword Controlling Technique to summon the cutlasses back. The flaming blades were like baby swallows returning to their nest, flying toward Qi Xuansu again.

At the same time, Qi Xuansu put his left fist up to protect his face. Wan Xiuwu’s kick did not achieve its desired effect, but Qi Xuansu’s arm broke from the impact. However, Qi Xuansu did not seem to care. He immediately struck Wan Xiuwu’s ankle with his right fist.

This was a move from the Tantai Fist Intention.

As soon as the two of them separated, Qi Xuansu dropped his left arm to his side and caught the two cutlasses with his right hand.

Wan Xiuwu seemed fine, but he did not put pressure on the foot that Qi Xuansu injured, only touching the tip of his toe on the ground to maintain his balance.

Qi Xuansu exhaled gently and regulated his blood qi and innate qi, focusing on rapidly restoring his broken arm with his body-regenerative abilities. After all, he only had some fractured bones. It was nothing compared to the time Feng Bo severed his arm.

The injury on Wan Xiuwu’s foot also healed quickly. He slowly applied pressure to his foot until his heel could touch the ground, his ankle as good as new.

This was a common occurrence when two Martial Arts Practitioners fought. They could often heal their wounds quickly due to their body-regenerative abilities. Their physiques were also more resilient than other lineages. Thus, it was difficult to determine the winner in a short period, as it was a battle of endurance. They would only give up when their blood qi was exhausted.

Wan Xiuwu’s expression turned solemn after seeing how quickly Qi Xuansu’s broken arm recovered.

He did not expect that Qi Xuansu would also be a Martial Arts Practitioner with self-healing abilities. However, Qi Xuansu also had innate qi, as seen in the flaming blades. He thought, Is Qi Xuansu a Martial Arts Practitioner or a Rogue Cultivator?

However, Wan Xiuwu did not dwell on this for long. He was determined to win this fight. As long as he won, he could always force an answer out of Qi Xuansu.

The next moment, Wan Xiuwu approached Qi Xuansu, keeping a distance of three meters from him.

Qi Xuansu launched his cutlasses several times in a row, but there was only silence. There was no trace of the sword qi or breeze as the cutlasses flew past. Wan Xiuwu could not see the trajectory of Qi Xuansu’s blades, so he could only rely on his intuition to punch the air ten times in a row, preventing Qi Xuansu’s blades from striking him.

Although Qi Xuansu had a lower cultivation level, he was on the offensive, while Wan Xiuwu was on the defensive. All they could hear was a series of clangs.

Qi Xuansu struck faster, using the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique. The cutlasses slashed from all sides, constantly leaving small wounds all over Wan Xiuwu’s body.

Although these wounds were minute, they would add up to something serious. After all, a Martial Arts Practitioner had to use blood qi to heal wounds. Qi Xuansu was using this strategy to exhaust Wan Xiuwu’s blood qi.

Of course, Wan Xiuwu also understood what Qi Xuansu was doing. He was trying to figure out the flaw in Qi Xuansu’s mysterious blades. Qi Xuansu cleverly hid these flaws so that Wan Xiuwu could not see them. Thus, Wan Xiuwu would have no choice but to use brute strength to defeat them.

Wan Xiuwu took a deep breath, circulated his blood qi and pushed his palms in front, his strength forcing Qi Xuansu to slide back, leaving two deep skid marks on the ground. Qi Xuansu’s clothes also rustled from the impact.

Qi Xuansu’s Dayan Spirit Blade Technique was broken by Wan Xiuwu’s brute force. As soon as Qi Xuansu lost his momentum, Wan Xiuwu took the opportunity to counterattack.

Caught off guard, Qi Xuansu managed to conjure a slight sword qi, but Wan Xiuwu stretched out his palm to block it. The sword qi collided with Wan Xiuwu’s palm and spattered in all directions, hitting the surrounding ground and creating countless potholes of varying sizes and depths.

Soon after, Qi Xuansu swiftly slashed at Wan Xiuwu with his cutlasses.

Wan Xiuwu caught the blade with his backhand and pointed a finger at Qi Xuansu. This seemingly casual gesture actually contained spiraling power enough to drill a bloody hole in Qi Xuansu’s body.

Qi Xuansu did not dare to take the attack head-on, so he dodged to the side.

Wan Xiuwu struck out both fists, straightening his slightly bent arms. His surging blood qi roared like a torrential river. The force of his punch broke through the air, creating thunderous booms that echoed all around them.

Qi Xuansu controlled the cutlass with all his innate qi, and the two exchanged more than ten moves before separating.

Wan Xiuwu looked down at his hands and saw countless knife marks that were dripping with blood. Some wounds were so deep that he could even see his bones.

Qi Xuansu exhausted most of his innate qi, but he did not hesitate to slash Wan Xiuwu’s fists with the flaming blades again. The clashing of metal and stone was so loud that the air reverberated.

Holding two cutlasses in hand, Qi Xuansu jumped off the ground and circled Wan Xiuwu once, like a butterfly circling a branch. During this time, he kept striking with the flaming blades, displaying all the techniques he had learned thus far.

Wan Xiuwu could only defend himself blindly. Whenever the flaming blade in Qi Xuansu’s hand struck Wan Xiuwu’s fists, it caused violent fluctuations of innate qi to ripple between them. Wan Xiuwu’s feet sank deep into the ground, and his blood qi weakened significantly.

Qi Xuansu unleashed dozens of strikes in one circle, but the power of each strike was superimposed, so his momentum was rising steadily.

Wan Xiuwu did not expect Qi Xuansu to be so aggressive on the offense. He originally wanted to drag out the fight to exhaust Qi Xuansu before counterattacking. Little did he know, he was the one who was exhausted first, to the point he could barely defend himself. On the contrary, Qi Xuansu’s strikes were getting faster by the second.

Although Qi Xuansu’s cultivation level was lower than Wan Xiuwu’s, the former had both innate qi and blood qi. His innate qi’s cultivation level was almost at the Guizhen stage, and his blood qi that came from the Xuan Jade of Life was equivalent to the Yuxu stage. When these two were combined, he was better than Wan Xiuwu. This was why Qi Xuansu dared to challenge Wan Xiuwu head-on.

Qi Xuansu raised the flaming blades up high before slamming them down hard on Wan Xiuwu. Although Wan Xiuwu used both arms to block the strike, he was forced to retreat. He even panted.

Wan Xiuwu was not seriously injured at this time, but his blood qi and stamina were severely depleted. He was in a much weaker state compared to the beginning of the fight.

Qi Xuansu did not pursue him further and strike the victory blow, not because he did not want to, but because he could not. At this time, the innate qi in his body was almost exhausted.

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