The entire sword-practice session was more grueling than any before.
"Clang!"
Their swords clashed. Gu Chengming's wrist trembled slightly as he redirected the force, the flat of his blade striking the side of Su Qingmeng's sword with pinpoint precision.
Unable to withstand the deftly applied force, Su Qingmeng was sent flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground.
Gu Chengming had just started to lower his sword when he saw Su Qingmeng roll over and scramble back to her feet without even pausing.
"Again!"
She tightened her grip on her sword and charged at Gu Chengming once more.
"Clang!"
She was knocked back again.
"Again!"
She got up, charged, was knocked back, and got up again.
Fine beads of sweat covered Su Qingmeng's forehead. A few strands of hair clung to her cheeks, leaving her looking a little disheveled.
Her breathing grew ragged, and even the hand gripping her sword trembled slightly. Yet her gaze grew brighter and brighter as she looked at Gu Chengming.
Gu Chengming calmly dismantled her moves while carefully observing her condition.
He could clearly sense that Su Qingmeng had reached a crucial turning point.
If so, he would give her a hand.
Gu Chengming stopped merely defending and counterattacking, and began to guide her actively. Each of his strikes landed at the precise moment Su Qingmeng most needed to break through, forcing her to wring every last bit of potential from herself.
The sun sank completely below the horizon, and night fell.
In the courtyard, only the sparks from the two swords clashing and scraping against each other continued to flicker.
When Su Qingmeng was knocked back for who knew how many times, and could barely keep hold of her sword, Gu Chengming suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around them had changed.
The evening breeze