A figure moved across the empty lot like flowing water, splitting into seven images.
Mu held his breath and watched closely, then shouted, "Found you!"
He reached into thin air and grabbed a clump of frost, flinging it out.
The moment it left his hand, the frost became a crystal-clear frost halberd. With a hum, it thrust toward one of the figures.
Clang!
All the other figures vanished, leaving only the one that had blocked the frost halberd.
Eight-year-old Gu Qingshan.
"How did you know I was here?" Gu Qingshan asked in surprise.
This was the Assassin Guild's secret movement art, Flowing Shadow Step, yet Mu had seen through it at a glance.
Mu laughed loudly. "Your feet are planted on the world. Of course I can feel which one of you is real."
As he spoke, he sprang forward, a flaming short blade appearing in his hand.
Gu Qingshan gripped the standard-issue sword supplied by the valley and swung to block him, immediately unleashing his secret sword art—
Ling Jue!
Gu Qingshan struck three times in succession, each slash more vicious than the last, battering Mu's short blade one after another.
The first strike drove him back.
The second sent his weapon flying.
The third came crashing down from above!
Mu landed and braced himself against Gu Qingshan's third strike with all his strength, holding up his flaming blade.
A dull thud rang out, and both of them staggered back a step.
They were evenly matched!
Gu Qingshan was astonished.
Mu had actually managed to withstand his secret sword art.
He hadn't even used his full strength, and Mu was only eight years old!
"Interesting. Your sword can unleash three successive layers of power, each different from the last. You must have put in a lot of work," Mu