A Measure of Composure

Bang! Having exhausted nearly all his strength, Chu Mu's Broken Blade flew from his hand, and his entire body was sent rolling away.

That deadly strike had only barely been blocked.

But in the blink of an eye, another blade came slashing in. His saber had shattered, he had fallen to the ground, and his arm was numb. How could he block it? How could he survive?

Staring at the increasingly close, icy blade, Chu Mu's eyes nearly split open. Under the threat of death, countless emotions suddenly surged into his heart.

"Little thief, die!"

Just then, accompanied by an explosive shout, a clear scene appeared in Chu Mu's vision.

The Iron Armor Strongman charged in recklessly and leaped high into the air. His chain-wrapped fist was like a cannonball, smashing toward the Man wielding a blade before him.

The Man hurriedly rolled away to dodge, and the biting killing intent enveloping Chu Mu suddenly vanished without a trace. "Phew..."

He had truly survived a calamity—a genuine escape from death. Chu Mu gasped heavily and tried to rise, only to discover that his arm was inexplicably weak.

After struggling for a while, Chu Mu finally managed to crawl up. He casually picked up the saber of the dead Patrol Inspector, then immediately warily turned his gaze toward the battle raging close at hand.

One fist, one blade. There were no flashy flourishes, only simple, ordinary moves. But... every strike went for vital points, every blow aimed to take a life.

Ruthless, with surging killing intent! At the beginning of their clash, the two seemed evenly matched. Chains and blade collided amid the ear-piercing clang of metal, scattering sparks that bloomed like fireworks.

But as time passed, the burly Iron Armor Strongman clearly held the advantage in stamina. His iron fists, swinging in broad and powerful arcs, forced the Black-Clothed Man back step by step, while even wielding an iron saber had clearly become increasingly difficult for him.

Seeing this, Chu Mu could not help but breathe a great sigh of relief. He surveyed his surroundings. The scattered formation still seemed to have had some effect, and he could faintly hear shouts and the clash of weapons nearby.

Clearly, this Dense Forest held more than just his battlefield.

"You're courting death!"

Just as Chu Mu's attention wavered, an abrupt roar instantly dragged his gaze back.

One glance was enough to make his heart leap into his throat.

The Iron Armor Strongman, who had originally held the upper hand, had somehow suffered a mishap. A huge gash had been cleaved through his armor, and blood seeped out like a trickling stream. As he continued throwing his fists in broad, powerful arcs, droplets of blood bloomed across the surrounding snow.

Such a severe wound caused the balance of victory to shift instantly.

The Iron Armor Strongman, who had been in control, had clearly become the one struggling to hold on! Chu Mu's brows furrowed tightly. He instinctively looked around. There was movement everywhere, but in this pitch-black night, it was clear that no one would likely come to reinforce them anytime soon.

Not far away, Xu Yuan stood shoulder to shoulder with a young Patrol Inspector. Both gripped their blades with trembling hands, their faces already deathly pale.

Behind a nearby tree, three more Patrol Inspectors huddled together, shivering violently. Clearly, if the consequences of desertion had not been so terrible, the three of them would probably have fled long ago.

His team had numbered more than a dozen when they left the Mine. Now, only these few stragglers remained on the field.

In such a situation, Chu Mu could not help but develop the urge to retreat.

As he hesitated, Chu Mu subconsciously summoned the Light Screen Panel.

The "Spirit Radiance Value," which had only been a little over fifty percent, had unexpectedly accumulated to the hundred-percent threshold in just a few hours.

"That was fast..."

Chu Mu was slightly stunned. According to the usual rate at which his Spirit Radiance Value accumulated, even in a full day, it would reach only a little over thirty percent at most.

Yet now, in the mere few hours since entering the mountains, it had risen by more than forty percent...

Could it be... that the tense focus brought on by facing a threat to his life caused the "Spirit Radiance Value" to increase faster?

At that moment, Chu Mu had no time to think further, and reality did not allow him to think further either.

Retreat, or stay...

He had to make a decision now.

In the end, Chu Mu glanced once more at the accumulated "Spirit Radiance Value," then gritted his teeth.

There was still a chance. He could not retreat!

If he retreated, his path of retreat would be severed completely! "Xu Yuan, go call people over for reinforcements!"

"The rest of you, charge with me!"

Chu Mu shouted. Without hesitating again, he gripped his blade and charged toward the aggressive Black-Clothed Man.

Hearing Chu Mu's shout, the Iron Armor Strongman's eyes also clearly lit up. While struggling to withstand the Black-Clothed Man's attacks, he shouted as well.

"Listen to him!"

"Anyone who dares retreat will bring death upon their entire family!"

Compared to Chu Mu's shout, the Iron Armor Strongman's voice carried far greater intimidation.

As the Thousand Household's personal guard, his words held absolute weight with ordinary Patrol Inspectors.

When the Iron Armor Strongman's voice rang out, even the Patrol Inspectors cowering and trembling behind the tree had no choice but to steel themselves and walk out with their blades.

Fearing death was normal. But when their fear of death would bring disaster upon their entire families, few could bear the consequences.

Seeing this scene, the Black-Clothed Man's expression visibly changed. He had not come to fight the Patrol Inspectors to the death.

As his thoughts shifted, the Black-Clothed Man's desire to retreat grew stronger. After forcing the Iron Armor Strongman back with a single slash, he was just about to turn and withdraw.

A cold blade suddenly appeared beside the Black-Clothed Man, heading straight for his neck with unmistakable killing intent.

"It's you again!"

When he saw Chu Mu slashing toward him with his blade, the Black-Clothed Man could not conceal his fury. The blade originally aimed at the Iron Armor Strongman instantly turned toward Chu Mu.

With the Black-Clothed Man raging, after several consecutive strikes, that sense of being unable to withstand him once again surged through Chu Mu's heart.

His blade technique clearly had not yet reached the level where it could make up for the gap in strength.

"Spiritual Radiance!"

As another blade came slashing in, Chu Mu silently recited the words. His eyes instantly grew deep, like a vast starry sky. The fierce incoming strike looked completely different in his eyes from what it had before.

In an instant, countless methods of responding surfaced in his mind.

It was like the logic of a precise mathematical formula: at what angle and with what force should he strike, and at what position should he block, to bring out the greatest effect of this blow?

Chu Mu had considered these things after fighting the Black-Clad Youth. But the truth was that neither his body nor his mind could support him in thinking so much during battle or making so many calculations.

But now, with the support of "Spirit Radiance Wisdom," everything seemed to flow naturally, falling into place as easily as water finding its course.

He swung his blade. The same ear-piercing collision rang out as before, but the force transmitted through the blade was far less turbulent and far less difficult to withstand.

That surging force naturally could not vanish into thin air. Instead, after the blades collided, he dispelled it with a precise angle and posture.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes...

He had been struggling desperately, barely able to withstand the burden. Now, although Chu Mu was still retreating step by step, he had clearly gained a measure of composure.