Bixie Swordplay

As his words fell, Duàn Yì and Lin Bohui each displayed their lightness skill and leaped onto the arena, revealing remarkable attainments.

Duàn Yì moved like a powerful arrow loosed from a bow—straight and direct. Though it looked simple, the single word "fast" encompassed the very essence of his movement technique.

Lin Bohui was even somewhat faster than Duàn Yì, but his movement seemed exceedingly crude. Under the urging of explosive true qi, the earth beneath his feet burst apart and sprayed in all directions, lacking Duàn Yì's natural ease.

"Eh? This man's true qi seems exceptionally formidable, yet wild and unruly, as though he cannot wield it freely. Could it be that Lin Bohui did not cultivate this true qi himself, but had it poured into his body by another?"

There were quite a few experts watching this battle. Even the more senior inner disciples of the Golden Cauldron Sect could see that something seemed wrong with Lin Bohui's condition, and they all frowned.

Under ordinary circumstances, nothing could be seen. Yet when the two had just employed their lightness skills, Lin Bohui's leaking true qi had exposed certain clues. Of course, perhaps he had deliberately chosen to show it off.

Eunuch Qiu, who was watching alongside Granny An and Helan Yue'er, wore a hesitant expression. He touched his right abdomen, where Lin Chunwang of Fuzhou, Lingnan's longsword had once cut him. It had nearly disemboweled him. Yet the other man's true qi seemed different from what Lin Bohui cultivated.

"Today's battle is a duel between Lin Bohui, representing the Ruan family, and Duàn Yì. Both sides know full well what is at stake, so I need not say more.

"In this match, true qi, swordsmanship, and all other methods are permitted. However, it ends at the point of contact. The victor must not seize the chance to kill the loser. Do you understand?"

Qū Dōng Liú had not come, so Liu Zhiwei presided over the matter. Seeing the two nod in agreement, he led them to a table beside the mountain wall.

Paper, brushes, and a letter of duel had long been prepared there. It stated what would happen should either side win or lose—chiefly recording the Ruan family's demand that Duàn Yì kneel before Ruan Dong's spirit and sever his hand. It would serve as written proof, rather than a mere verbal agreement.

Duàn Yì had no objection. With a sweeping stroke of his brush, he wrote down his name. His handwriting was neat, every stroke like a sword, its sharp edge exposed. He had Father Duàn's instruction to thank for that.

Lin Bohui was more straightforward. Finding it troublesome, he simply dipped his thumb in ink and pressed down a thumbprint.

"Good. You may begin."

Seeing how decisively they had acted, Liu Zhiwei collected the letter of duel and stepped down from the arena. The others also fell quiet, waiting for the duel to begin.

Many of the spectators had no interest in why the two were fighting. They were merely curious.

One was a youthful prodigy who had studied martial arts for only a short time, yet had astonished everyone. The other was already a renowned swordsman, with a deep family legacy, whose sword had defeated seven famous swordsmen. Which of them would prove superior?

Generally speaking, most favored Lin Bohui. His record was there, his reputation was there, while Duàn Yì—though he might possess potential—was simply too young.

Others felt differently. Bái Xī Wén and Helan Yue'er were worried, while Ruan Xiang and Steward Xu wore expressions of anticipation, eagerly awaiting Duàn Yì's defeat.

Duàn Yì walked to the center of the arena and slowly drew the Ten Refinements Sword. The screech of metal scraping against metal was especially piercing. He then assumed an opening stance, one move from the Songshan Swordplay.

He knew full well that against this man, he had to go all out. He absolutely could not treat this as he had his battle with Ruan Dong, using basic swordplay to test and temper what he had learned. Otherwise, there would be only one outcome: defeat.

At this moment, he was in excellent condition. The hand gripping his sword was strong and steady, while his heart held neither sorrow nor joy, like a silent lake, waiting only for his opponent to draw his sword.

Lin Bohui likewise came to the center of the arena. Seeing Duàn Yì acting as though he faced a great enemy, he let out a loud laugh, carrying a trace of mockery.

His posture was loose and slack, like a drunken man. His entire body was full of openings, as though he did not take Duàn Yì seriously at all, nor feared an attack from his opponent's sword.

"Your name is Duàn Yì, isn't it? Though you're young, you have courage and strength of character.

"Unfortunately, lacking strength means lacking strength. I hope you won't blame me after today's battle."

The instant the final sound of the word "me" left his mouth, astonishing cold light and Killing Intent burst from Lin Bohui's bull-like eyes. With a clang, the longsword in his hand had already left its sheath. Sword light flashed and vanished, like lightning suddenly splitting a clear sky, as it hacked toward Duàn Yì.

Before this duel, Duàn Yì had relied on his supreme comprehension and limited knowledge within the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts to ponder and guess what the Bixie Swordplay was truly like. To that end, he had even devised several hypothetical methods of meeting an enemy.

For instance, he could use the fast Sword Path of the Songshan Swordplay from the outset, matching speed with speed, attack with attack, and waiting for an opportunity to win.

Or he could use defensive swordplay throughout, building his defense so airtight that not even a drop of water could pass through, forcing his opponent to waste true qi and stamina without gaining anything, then counterattacking after ten moves or so.

But only now, after truly witnessing the Bixie Swordplay, did Duàn Yì realize how laughable his earlier thoughts had been.

Because if one had never seen it, one could not imagine the terrifying nature of the Bixie Swordplay.

The seven swordsmen Lin Bohui had defeated all had vastly different styles. Surely some had tried such methods before, yet they had clearly failed. That alone was enough to prove that Lin Bohui's swordsmanship was far from simple.

But no amount of surprise or shock could help.

For with this single sword strike, Duàn Yì seemed already to be facing tremendous danger.

That sudden sword light crossed space and pierced through the air, stabbing straight at his throat. Once his throat was pierced, survival would be all but impossible.

Lin Bohui's longsword was not only swift as lightning, but also contained immensely powerful force. As the sword thrust forth, the air shrieked. The impact sent Duàn Yì's long hair flying wildly. Had it not been bound by a red hair ribbon, it would likely already have blinded him.

Though those below the arena did not face this sword directly, the sight still made their hearts pound.

Helan Yue'er cried out, then immediately covered her mouth. Her bright, glittering eyes watched Duàn Yì anxiously, afraid that her cry might distract him.

Upon seeing this sword, Eunuch Qiu seemed to return to the battle from many years ago. What similar swordsmanship. What bizarre swordsmanship. It was called the Bixie Swordplay, yet despite its name of warding off evil, it was truly a most wicked sword art.

Bái Xī Wén's expression changed slightly as well. He folded his arms across his chest, the fingers of both hands tapping repeatedly. Clearly, his heart was far from calm.

That sword was certainly formidable, but he had a hundred, a thousand ways to counter and break it, because his martial arts far surpassed Lin Bohui's.

The reason he could not remain calm was that he feared Duàn Yì would be unable to handle such swordsmanship and be injured, or even lose his life.

Yet he could not immediately stop the match. If he interfered after Duàn Yì failed to receive even one move, this duel would truly become a joke.

Sword light came hurtling in, fierce wind pressing against his face, killing intent surging beneath the surface. It was indeed a razor-sharp attack.

Duàn Yì himself was startled but not thrown into disorder. He had long anticipated that the essence of the Bixie Swordplay lay in a single word: fast. Whether its movement technique was fast or its sword strikes were fast, neither was surprising.

Since he had prepared for it already, he naturally would not be defeated so easily.

The Ice True Qi that had long been gathering within his dantian instantly poured into the Ten Refinements Sword in his hand. With a hum, he swept the sword upward from below in counterattack, while his footwork retreated. This was the strongest defensive Sword Path among the seventeen forms of Songshan Swordplay: Shaking Mountains from the Ground.

Its essence was that no matter where the opponent's sword struck across the front, this move could counter it, turning defense into offense.

If Lin Bohui insisted on driving through with that sword, he could certainly kill Duàn Yì, but Duàn Yì's sword would also cut him in half at the waist. Unless one sought death, no one would choose that. His opponent could only change moves.

This move had not been anticipated, but was the product of adapting to the situation.

Sure enough, Lin Bohui was also rather astonished upon seeing Duàn Yì's sword. His thrusting blade turned back midway, tracing an arc as it collided with Duàn Yì's diagonally rising Ten Refinements Sword.

With a crisp ding, the two longswords collided fiercely, sparks bursting through the air. Both men retreated, shaken back by the force within the other's sword. Lin Bohui took half a step back, while Duàn Yì took two.

From this, it could be seen that Lin Bohui's internal cultivation surpassed Duàn Yì's somewhat.

Fortunately, martial contests were not merely contests of Internal Energy. Though Duàn Yì's sword-gripping right hand felt waves of numb soreness and the meridians within his body trembled, he could still endure it.

And at the instant the swords collided, an exceptionally alluring fragrance shook loose from Duàn Yì's Ten Refinements Sword. Swept by the force of their qi, it drifted past Lin Bohui's body.

Yet in that brief drift, the rich fragrance entered Lin Bohui's body with his breath. His expression changed slightly, his face growing hot, and the sensation felt extraordinarily familiar.

But before Lin Bohui could consider what the sudden fragrance meant, Duàn Yì attacked with his sword, giving him no chance to react.

Duàn Yì's sword technique was solemn and imposing as it swept down grandly. Though its tip was only a single point, it seemed to divide into dozens. As sword light flickered and surged, it enveloped Lin Bohui's entire body. It truly deserved to be called exquisite.

Moreover, under the circulation of Ice True Qi, a chilling coldness filled the sword, fierce and icy enough to startle even Lin Bohui.

"What a Jade Well Heavenly Pool. It's practiced quite well."

Seeing this sword, Bái Xī Wén silently praised it, and at last breathed a sigh of relief.

With his extraordinary talent and the transformation brought by executing condemned criminals in Daming County, Duàn Yì's martial arts were now enough to contend with the seven swordsmen who had fallen beneath Lin Bohui's sword.

Even if he was not Lin Bohui's match, he would not be easily defeated. His current performance was even more impressive.

The importance of this move did not lie in its techniques, nor in the changes that followed, but in Duàn Yì's bold ambition to dare to draw his sword.

Just as Bái Xī Wén had taught Duàn Yì, the Songshan Swordplay was a sword art that valued both technique and momentum. Only by giving equal weight to both could one grasp its foundation. Otherwise, no matter how exquisite one's sword technique, without an aura that feared nothing beneath heaven, one could not bring out the essence of this swordplay.