Key of Ultimate Truth

Gu Yan smiled faintly and drew his long saber.

"You could have just demanded that all Ability Users nationwide practice martial arts."

The tip of the saber pointed diagonally at the ground, a blue light seeming to dance on its sharp edge, incredibly keen.

This saber was embedded with a Quasi-Herrscher Core, and in Gu Yan's hands, its strength was comparable to a "Divine Key."

(Divine Key: Weapons in Honkai Impact 3rd created from Herrscher Cores)

However, Gu Yan was only using it now because, in their spar, ordinary weapons couldn't even withstand the force of a single swing.

"Instead of forcing them, it's better to put the benefits right in front of them."

The assessment was temporarily halted, the entire area becoming a stage for the two of them, and no one dared to interrupt.

And those in high positions knew Xu Muchi's status and wouldn't dare to interfere.

For a moment, the entire command building fell silent, the two of them facing off tensely.

"Since that's the case..."

Gu Yan gripped the saber hilt with both hands and raised it in front of him: "Then have at it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly charged forward with the saber, bringing it down with a fierce slash.

Clang!

A metallic collision rang out. Xu Muchi raised her sword, blocking the powerful strike. Her long dress rippled from the impact, and the ground beneath her feet cracked.

A collective gasp of cold air swept through the onlookers.

Their eyesight was exceptional, and they could clearly see that neither of them was using any special abilities; they had achieved this solely through speed and strength. Even with their abilities, they wouldn't have been able to defend against it.

Gu Yan's slash was enough to instantly kill an A-Class, even before they could react.

"Impressive," Xu Muchi said softly. She felt the threat and the equally matched fighting spirit.

He was completely different from the Gu Yan she knew before; now, he was like a drawn blade.

As an excellent support, you either shower allies with buffs to boost their combat power, or you pick up a weapon and kill all enemies to protect them.

Gu Yan shifted his weight to the left, pressing the saber blade down diagonally against her sword. Xu Muchi dodged to the other side.

Vwoom—

The saber and sword scraped against each other, the air tearing and vibrating.

Taking advantage of Gu Yan's unstable center of gravity, Xu Muchi swung her longsword, slashing towards his side.

The sword tip moved at extreme speed, drawing a silver-white crescent in the air that the spectators couldn't follow.

Her long dress twirled with her movements, and she herself was like a snowflake, gentle and graceful, agile and elegant.

Gu Yan, on the other hand, performed an upward kick, his toe precisely hitting the sword body and deflecting the attack. Immediately after, the saber blade slashed upwards from below, the angle vicious and deadly.

But he knew very well he couldn't harm Xu Muchi.

As expected, Xu Muchi directly reversed her grip on the sword hilt and, with a slight touch, nullified the force of the blow—

Of course, this was how it appeared to the onlookers. In reality, this collision even made both of their palms go numb.

After two or three exchanges, which in reality took only the blink of an eye, no one made a sound, their eyes fixed on the battle unfolding in the arena, a true feast for the eyes.

Though, it was a bit of a strain on the eyes.

After several exchanges in such a short time, an ordinary Ability User would have been cut into several pieces.

They put themselves in the place of the fighters, but no matter how they tried, they couldn't find a way to survive.

Not compared to Gu Yan and Xu Muchi, or rather, even if their speed and strength were considered equal, their combat awareness and movement techniques were completely outmatched. Even using their abilities would be futile.

On land, could a King Kong who knew ancient martial arts defeat Godzilla?

When various abilities are roughly equal, techniques become especially important.

Isn't this just internal competition?

"Old Qin, who is this guy? He's actually fighting Xu Senior on equal footing!"

Qin Hong'an looked like he'd won the lottery, his eyes shining as he stared at Gu Yan. He only pulled his gaze back when someone called out to him.

"He's Gu Yan. Didn't you see his file?" Qin Hong'an coughed lightly, returning to a serious demeanor.

An S-Class support, ancient martial arts comparable to Senior Xu, Gu Yan, hehehe...

This kid did a good deed earlier, and his character seems okay too? I should find an opportunity to have him meet my daughter.

Wait, my daughter's been married for years. Actually, my granddaughter too...

"It's him? I was too far away just now, and his speed was too fast, so I couldn't see clearly." The speaker was Qin Hong'an's deputy. He glanced at the two fighting again. Their speed was so fast that afterimages appeared. Forget not being able to see their faces, they couldn't even distinguish how many people there were.

Shaking his head, he looked back at Qin Hong'an and said in a strange tone, "Old Qin? Wipe that drool?"

Gu Yan slashed down with all his might, while Xu Muchi's gaze was also solemn. She swung her sword, and just as the blades were about to clash, Gu Yan rotated his saber, directly striking the longsword.

Bang!

A reverberating sound echoed, and the ground around the two had long since shattered, revealing the soil beneath. The sheer impact had even overturned the front rows of the spectator stands.

To achieve this with pure strength was terrifying.

After taking that hit, Xu Muchi's longsword vibrated non-stop. She flicked her wrist a couple of times to steady it. In contrast, Gu Yan was forced to switch to holding his saber with one hand, the tiger's mouth of his grip cracked.

"The saber is quite good. Looks like you won't have to keep asking me for one."

Xu Muchi was right. The quality of the Mutated Soul Steel was undeniable. Her sword had vibrated from the impact, and both fighters had felt numb, yet the saber remained incredibly steady.

Saber: Gu Yan is a liability, I'm the MVP!

"Are we continuing?" Gu Yan shook his hand, glancing at the surrounding mess. It had nothing to do with him; he refused to pay for any damages.

"Let's stop here." The two had been fighting for a long time, and the effect they'd created was sufficient. With a bit of editing and promotion, the matter would be basically settled.

Sheathing his saber and storing it in his Mustard Seed Space, Gu Yan shrugged and walked off the stage. If they had continued fighting, it wasn't certain who would have won.

Xu Muchi's strength lay in the combination of her techniques and ancient martial arts, making her attacks and defenses unpredictable and impossible to guard against. But when it came to pure martial arts, Gu Yan was not inferior to her.

Furthermore, his physique had Plundered from Elfa, so when it came to endurance, he feared no one.

And then there was this saber. Not only was it perfectly suited for Gu Yan, but its sharpness and toughness alone were difficult to replicate even with the highest-end technology in this world.

As for how much shock the two would bring to Ability Users in the country, that was not something he cared about.

"Don't leave in such a hurry. You haven't received your new ID yet, have you?"

Xu Muchi caught up, walking alongside Gu Yan.

"Doesn't it seem inappropriate right now?" After all, this was an assessment, not some trivial event.

"It's fine. It won't take much time, and it'll save you an extra trip!" Xu Muchi smiled gently and then transmitted a message to Qin Hong'an, giving him instructions.

"Actually, that wouldn't matter either." Taking an extra day off wasn't a bad thing!

But Qin Hong'an didn't need Xu Muchi to tell him. Seeing the two about to leave the stage, he quickly got up and hurried over.

"Who is that person?"

"The leader of the Ability Department, Qin Hong'an."

Gu Yan shivered. He hadn't expected that perverted uncle to have such a background, though his gaze was a bit too chilling.

"Why is he coming over to us?" Honestly, Gu Yan hadn't been this scared even when he was targeted by a Herrscher.

"I asked him to come," Xu Muchi said, not noticing Gu Yan's evasive glance.

Gu Yan was startled.

Holy crap, collusion between officials and gangsters! This is definitely collusion between officials and gangsters!

"Young friend Gu, please!" Just as Gu Yan was about to find an excuse to run, Qin Hong'an had already quickly arrived before them.

"I have something else to do..." Gu Yan tried to refuse.

"Young friend Gu, are you saying you're very busy?" Qin Hong'an saw through Gu Yan's misunderstanding at a glance and tried to keep him there.

"I have something good here..." He looked at Gu Yan with a very amiable smile.

"Something good? Is it an Ability ID?"

"What Ability ID? It's more exciting than an Ability ID..."