The battle between Lu Yuan and the Western Heaven Battle Emperor.
It had seemed long, but it had actually been very short.
Or rather, battles involving cold weapons—especially those wielded by superhumans—would not play out like in many anime, where they fought dozens of exchanges before narrowly winning with a single move.
Even when divine abilities and spells were involved.
They would not drag on for dozens of exchanges.
Moreover, one thing needed to be understood: an exchange meant both sides had attacked and neither had won or lost. It did not mean that one side making a move counted as an exchange. If one party did not even get a chance to strike, that was an instant kill, not one exchange.
This showed just how impressive Lu Bu's feat of facing all the heroes alone beneath Hulao Pass had been. Some so-called exchanges had been no different from instant kills.
Of course.
Real combat was not divided so precisely.
After all, real combat was no game.
If one lost, people died.
The number of exchanges held no value, because only the living had the right to define it. Though for most victors, there was no need to insult a dead man's strength.
The reason the battle between the Western Heaven Battle Emperor and Lu Yuan had ended so quickly.
Was mainly because there had been no probing.
Probing.
It was an extremely common practice in battle.
From the moment one embarked on the path of cultivation.
The combat skill every cultivator had to learn was probing their opponent.
This fundamental lesson stood above all spiritual arts.
It was the principle that drove all practical combat techniques.
Thus, from the moment they began cultivating, every cultivator—whether they wielded weapons, used formations, tempered their bodies, or employed any other imaginable method