Chapter 108: A Master of the Dao of the Blade, Both Gentle and Firm, Paying Attention to the Smalles

The youth in leather armor was not a magnanimous person. On the contrary, he had a very narrow mind and was prone to jealousy.

Back in his sect, he had secretly killed a fellow disciple who had better natural talent and admired him. The reason was that he saw a threat in that disciple. Their master favored him more, and given time, with the master's bias, he feared that disciple would take away the resources that were meant for him.

So he decided to strike first. On one of their outings, when the disciple was caught off guard, he killed him.

He had planned that incident meticulously and made sure he had an alibi. Although his master was grief-stricken, he never suspected him. Instead, he focused more attention on the youth, providing him with abundant cultivation resources.

From then on, something inside the youth in leather armor seemed to have changed. Every time he saw someone with better natural talent, he couldn't help but feel a murderous intent, wanting to destroy them.

Now, seeing Lu Qing, who was so young and yet already a Muscle Body Realm warrior, only slightly weaker than himself, and almost falling for his trap and dying under his blade, he couldn't help but burn with jealousy and a strong desire to kill.

"Kid, you're a martial arts genius, but unfortunately, you're destined to die by my hand!" The youth in leather armor said coldly to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing remained calm in the face of the youth's harsh words. He quietly reflected on the previous exchange and concluded that the direct inheritance of the Precelestial Realm was nothing special.

Although the youth's martial arts realm was one level higher than his, his combat ability was inferior. He knew a lot of moves; he used claw techniques, blade techniques, and from the quiver on his back, it seemed he also knew archery, although strangely, he only had arrows and no bow.

Perhaps because he dabbled in too many things, none of his martial arts were pure. They were far inferior to Lu Qing's Quadratic Blade Technique, which he had honed to perfection.

The youth in leather armor's eyes turned even colder as Lu Qing ignored him again.

"Brother Lu Qing, let's fight side by side," Mag said as he walked to Lu Qing's side, holding his knife in one hand.

"There's no need. I should be able to handle him alone," Lu Qing refused.

He looked at the youth in leather armor with a hint of strangeness in his eyes. Ever since he entered the Muscle Body Realm, Lu Qing had discovered something strange during his cultivation, perhaps due to the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid.

His progress in cultivation was frighteningly fast. Every time he practiced the Body Nurturing Fist, he could noticeably feel his muscles and bones strengthening. In just a few days, his physical strength had increased significantly, and he was not far from the minor achievement realm.

This was why he had been able to slice the youth in leather armor away with one strike. In terms of physical strength alone, he was not much weaker than his opponent.

However, despite his rapid progress, Lu Qing had always been unsure of his true strength because he cultivated alone. Now, the appearance of the youth in leather armor presented an opportunity to test himself.

His realm was slightly higher, but he was also weakened from using a secret technique. There couldn't be a better whetstone to test his skills.

Lu Qing's eyes held a strange glint as he looked at the youth in leather armor.

That look again! The youth in leather armor was furious. Despite his superior strength, the kid kept giving him a look that he found extremely displeasing, as if he didn't acknowledge him at all. He couldn't bear it.

"Kid, you're asking for death!" The youth in leather armor held a short knife and kicked a stone on the ground with great speed, sending it toward Lu Qing. Then, he burst forth with his qi and blood, following the stone with a very agile movement, attacking Lu Qing!

"Uncle Ma, please help me with the formation!" Lu Qing laughed and dodged the stone before charging forward to meet his opponent.

Hearing Lu Qing's words, Ma Gu could only stand his ground. As a fellow martial artist, he understood a warrior's pride. Since Lu Qing wanted to fight alone, it would be an insult to join him now.

The two martial arts geniuses clashed. Lu Qing, with the advantage of his longer blade, took the initiative this time.

A snowy blade glowed as he slashed at his opponent's face from several steps away.

Facing Lu Qing's straightforward blade technique, the youth in leather armor revealed a look of disdain.

Chapter: The Youth in Leather Armor

The youth in leather armor had only been caught off guard before, which was why Lu Qing had been able to push him to such a desperate state.

Now that he was prepared, how could he possibly be injured by such clumsy swordsmanship again?

With a slight shift of his body, the youth in leather armor easily dodged the blade and closed in on Lu Qing.

Every inch of distance was a dangerous gamble. His short dagger was most effective at close quarters.

If he could get within a step of Lu Qing, his opponent's longsword would be useless, and his dagger would be able to inflict maximum damage.

Once he got close enough to entangle Lu Qing, victory would be his!

The youth in leather armor was full of confidence.

However, what he didn't expect was that as he sidestepped, believing he had evaded Lu Qing's blade, and was about to close the distance, he felt a chilling sensation on his neck, as if his skin was being pricked by a thousand needles.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Qing's longsword tracing a strange arc, skillfully following his movement and slashing towards his neck.

Impossible!!

The youth in leather armor was shocked to his core.

He had clearly seen that Lu Qing's swordsmanship was based on wide and sweeping movements. Logically, it shouldn't have been able to exhibit such subtle changes!

Overwhelmed by surprise, the youth in leather armor didn't have time to think.

As the blade was about to touch his neck, he could only twist his body to the side.

Swish!

The longsword grazed the youth's neck, barely missing him as he narrowly dodged the deadly strike.

After evading this perilous blow, the youth in leather armor seized the opportunity to flip backward, intentionally creating distance between himself and Lu Qing.

Then, he felt a stinging sensation on his face, and when he touched it, his hand came away stained with blood.

He had failed to completely avoid Lu Qing's sword and had been slashed across the right side of his face.

Cold sweat drenched the youth in leather armor.

"What a pity!"

Uncle Ma, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

Such a masterful strike had almost taken down the youth in leather armor.

At the same time, he was astonished by Lu Qing's proficiency in swordsmanship.

As a skilled swordsman himself, he understood the intricacies of Lu Qing's move.

In one moment, Lu Qing's sword was fierce and aggressive, brimming with killing intent. But in the next moment, he seamlessly transitioned from hardness to softness, changing his technique without a trace of excess movement, and adjusted his sword to target the youth's neck.

This subtle and exquisite swordsmanship caused the hairs on Uncle Ma's body to stand on end, leaving him in awe.

At that moment, Uncle Ma finally understood why so many people from the Happy Valley had been slaughtered by Lu Qing alone, and even the Heart-Plucking Wolf had failed to harm him.

It turned out that Lu Qing's swordsmanship had reached such an extraordinary level.

With such profound skill, even if a few more Heart-Plucking Wolves appeared, they would likely pose no threat to him.

However, speaking of the Happy Valley, Uncle Ma's mind suddenly conjured a strange thought.

During Lu Qing's two clashes with the youth in leather armor, each of his sword strikes had been aimed at the opponent's head or neck.

Uncle Ma wondered if this was due to the style of swordsmanship he had learned or a personal preference. He noticed that Lu Qing seemed to have a particular inclination for beheading his opponents.

The image of the rolling heads in the Happy Valley flashed through his mind.

"Your agility is commendable."

After forcing the youth in leather armor to retreat with his sword, Lu Qing chose not to pursue him further.

Instead, he stood in place and calmly acknowledged his opponent's skill.

This time, the youth in leather armor did not respond with anger.

He stared intently at Lu Qing, his eyes reflecting a hint of disbelief. "A perfect blend of hardness and softness, with exquisite precision. Your swordsmanship has reached such a level?"

"It's a mere trifle, not worth mentioning," Lu Qing replied nonchalantly.

Hearing Lu Qing's acknowledgment, the youth in leather armor's eyes widened in shock.

He couldn't believe that Lu Qing's swordsmanship had truly attained the level of blending hardness and softness with exquisite precision.

Because in the outside world, this level of swordsmanship had another name.

Master-level Swordsmanship!

Indeed, it was swordsmanship worthy of a master! Any swordsman who could achieve a perfect blend of hardness and softness in their technique could be considered a master in the art of the sword.

This level of swordsmanship indicated that they had reached the pinnacle of post-celestial realm in their understanding of the sword.

The next level was beyond the grasp of post-celestial realm warriors.

Even a master-level warrior who had perfected their inner cultivation couldn't surpass this level of swordsmanship.

Yet, Lu Qing, who was merely in the Muscle Body Realm, had already achieved master-level swordsmanship. This left the youth in leather armor utterly astonished.

In the face of the youth's astonishment, Lu Qing remained calm and composed.

Chapter: The Youth in Leather Armor, Part II

The youth in leather armor was shocked to his core. He had never imagined that his own knife techniques, honed through his connection with his abilities, could be flawed in any way.

After all, whenever he trained, he did so with the assistance of his abilities.

By activating his ability's learning mode, he entered a quasi-enlightened state, where he could easily grasp and master any technique, no matter how complex.

Moreover, his mind was a treasure trove of mysterious martial arts legacies that would drive any external warrior mad with envy.

These legacies vastly broadened his horizons, allowing him to view his own techniques from a higher perspective.

With all these advantages, if he still couldn't achieve some level of mastery in knife techniques, he would truly be dumber than a pig.

In fact, Lu Qing was now confident that his understanding of knife techniques had even surpassed that of the founder of the Four Directional Knife Technique, a master of the Muscle Body Realm.

His own version of the Four Directional Knife Technique had broken free from its original constraints and evolved into a unique style that belonged solely to him.

As Lu Qing maintained his calm demeanor, the youth in leather armor felt a chill run down his spine.

He never expected to encounter such a monster as Lu Qing in this remote, unknown valley.

Even at the Muscle Body Realm, Lu Qing had already attained an understanding of knife techniques that bordered on the master level.

If not for their difference in cultivation levels and strength, that first strike might have taken his head.

However, the youth in leather armor was no longer interested in continuing the fight.

Facing a monster who had attained mastery in knife techniques, he felt no shred of confidence in victory.

The dangerous first strike had already shattered his courage.

Besides, Ma Gu was still standing by, ready to strike at any moment.

"Time to retreat!" The youth in leather armor was decisive. In an instant, he made up his mind to flee into the forest behind him.

"Trying to run?" Lu Qing had already anticipated the youth's plan from the hesitation in his eyes.

As soon as the youth moved, Lu Qing stepped forward and slashed at him with his knife.

His knife strike perfectly intercepted the youth's escape route.

"Kid, don't push me too far!" The youth in leather armor was startled and enraged by Lu Qing's move.

He knew that if he didn't make a decisive move now, he might very well meet his end here today.

Immediately, he circulated a profound mental technique in his mind, causing the energy in his body to surge and stimulate his physique in a mysterious pattern.

The next moment, a white mist rose from the youth's body, indicating that his energy had reached its peak state.

"Die!" After activating his secret technique, the youth's strength and speed surged.

With a fierce expression, he lunged at Lu Qing, aiming his short knife directly at Lu Qing's neck as if he were staking his life on this move.

Despite the youth's surging power, Lu Qing remained unmoved.

In response to the youth's aggressive advance, Lu Qing's war knife in his hand became agile and nimble.

With a sticky and seamless motion, Lu Qing's knife adhered to the youth's blade and slid along it, aiming for his arm.

Swish! The exquisite change in Lu Qing's knife technique caught the youth off guard, and the knife sliced into his arm.

However, Lu Qing's brow furrowed in the next moment.

"Troublesome leather armor!" The youth's armor was unusually tough; Lu Qing wasn't sure what it was made of.

Even with his finely honed war knife and the strength of the Muscle Body Realm, he would need to exert his full strength to cut through it.

A simple slash with his wrist wasn't enough.

"Looks like I have to aim for the neck," Lu Qing thought to himself as he shifted his gaze to the youth's body.

He noticed that apart from the neck and above, the rest of the youth's body was covered in protective leather armor.

If he wanted to kill the youth, decapitation seemed to be the only option.

As these thoughts flashed through Lu Qing's mind, he sidestepped the youth's lunge, his war knife tracing a mysterious arc in the air as he adjusted its trajectory toward the youth's neck.

"Damn it!" The youth in leather armor felt a chill run down his neck once again. Without hesitation, he channeled all his strength into blocking Lu Qing's war knife.

With the boost from his secret technique, his strength far surpassed Lu Qing's, and he was confident that he could knock Lu Qing's knife away.

However, Lu Qing anticipated his move.

Just as the youth's knife was about to make contact with Lu Qing's, Lu Qing deftly twisted his wrist, avoiding the clash and continuing his strike toward the youth's neck.

This time, the youth couldn't dodge.

He could only watch in horror as the blade arced toward his neck, a trace of indescribable fear flashing in his eyes.

The next moment, a large head went flying into the air.

The youth in leather armor was dead.

"Junior Brother!!!"

At the same time, a heartbroken roar echoed from above in the valley.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end