The sword techniques she had dismantled might have been too numerous for me to imagine. Close-quarters sword combat was clearly her strong suit, so perhaps challenging her to a sword duel from the very beginning had been a poor choice.
I had originally intended to throw her away, but I discovered that her understanding and familiarity with close-quarters combat were terrifyingly profound. Once she had her sword in hand again, Sword Qi poured down as she leaped, forcing me to retreat several steps. I was exhausted just trying to cope. The process of dismantling techniques was a battle in itself.
Every move and variation of Siyu Niang's was met with a simple yet effective response. Her Beginner's Sword Dao had already reached the realm of perfection when it came to dismantling ordinary sword techniques. In other words, aside from super sword arts like the Infinite Heavenly Sword, any sword art used before her would merely give her continuous opportunities to counterattack!
Seeing me forced back several steps, Siyu Niang knew that if I gained enough distance, she would have to fight for another chance to close in. Thus, she unleashed her sword techniques all the way while using her momentum to draw closer. Close-quarters combat was the battlefield she feared least.
It was also the first time I had felt the threat of close-quarters combat. Even when I had faced Xiao Jianlan, I had never felt such apprehension during hand-to-hand fighting. Back then, in the passageway beneath the sacred grounds, Xiao Jianlan and I had exchanged blows with blades flashing dangerously at every turn, but neither of us had been driven forward by such one-sided pressure as I was now.
It was obvious that this Beginner's Sword Dao was no rudimentary sword art. The more formidable the swordsman, the more