"Call..."
Li Mo gripped Crimson Firmament and slowed his breathing.
Xie Xuan seemed to have little chance against Ice Block in their earlier duel, but that doesn't mean Xie Xuan isn't strong.
It was Ice Block's martial arts prowess that even Qin Yuzhi, Seventh Realm Profound Mastery, considered it a foul.
Of course, he had already seen Xie Xuan's moves; otherwise, it was hard to say whether he could have lasted ten moves.
"Okay, then I will..."
Xie Xuan took a deep breath.
"Etc!"
Li Mo suddenly raised his hand.
"What's wrong?" Xie Xuan's momentum faltered.
"Shall we exchange a few moves? We need to set some ground rules."
If you let me defend for even one move, then you win.
Xie Xuan thought for a moment. His opponent was none other than the Divine Hammer Little Overlord, the fourth-ranked Hidden Dragon. Although he was currently wielding a sword, he was not to be underestimated.
"Alright!"
Li Mo nodded and sighed.
Unfortunately, this is a proper sparring match, so I can't use the King of Brawling techniques...
Xie Xuan let out a long breath, gathered his sword intent once more, and pointed the tip of his sword slightly downwards, aiming it at his opponent from afar.
He drew his sword...
"Etc!"
"Cough cough..."
Xie Xuan staggered, his face flushed, and he almost choked. This time, he was genuinely unhappy.
"What's wrong now?"
"Um, excuse me, I have another question."
Li Mo smiled apologetically; he really didn't mean it.
"If I can't withstand ten of your moves, I can't Cloud-Stepping Tower. But what if I do? Does that just mean I get in? Cloud-Stepping Tower isn't your business. Isn't this wager a bit unfair?"
"..."
Xie Xuan was taken aback, then he thought about it and realized it made some sense.
It was only natural for the other party, Cloud-Stepping Tower. He was the one who stood in front, and even if the other party took ten moves, he only got what already belonged to them.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Now that we've decided who won, we can't challenge her to another match."
Li Mo pointed at Princess Little Jiang.
Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying in a low voice:
"Okay, you don't have any other questions this time, right?"
"That's all."
"I'm also acting on someone's behalf; I can't let her stay in the Imperial Capital. Take the sword!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xuan's aura suddenly surged, and he was clearly no longer as casual as he had been before.
His eyes shone brightly, brimming with brilliance.
He slowly drew the seemingly ordinary longsword, his movements perfectly precise and his speed unwavering.
He seemed to have repeated this action countless times; with a single draw of his sword, he was as still as a deep pool and as imminent as a storm brewing.
Li Mo narrowed his eyes slightly; he smelled a familiar scent.
Skill approaches the Tao.
A simple act of drawing a sword seems to have already eliminated the barriers between various Swordsmanship, conveying a sense of harmony and unity.
Of course, this is only the meaning; it is still quite far from the true skill that approaches the Tao.
The next instant, Xie Xuan moved.
It is still the Go Sword Art. The moves seem steady, calm and simple, but they contain many subtle variations.
It's like you've just figured out a way to counter this sword, only to find that it has changed again, forcing you to completely overturn your original plan—it's so frustrating it makes you want to vomit blood.
"Xie Xuan truly lives up to his reputation as a sword fanatic..."
Elder Zeng let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
The emergence of the Go Sword Art signifies that Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa has replaced Cloud-Crossing Sword City.
Throughout history, the strongest warriors of Sword City have tried every means to break this sword technique.
It wasn't just him; there were many great sword masters in the Imperial Capital, and almost everyone took pride in carrying a sword. Moreover, the current Hidden Dragon Assembly also brought together experts and powerful figures from all over the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
"After being suppressed by Cold Fairy's swordsmanship, Xie Xuan actually gained new insights and reached a higher level."
"No wonder he's remained Xie Lao Er (a nickname) all these years without fail."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have gained the approval of the Heavenly Mountain Ancestor's sword."
At the end of the chattering crowd, a sedan chair carried by eight people suddenly passed by. Although it was a suspended sedan chair, it was covered with delicate and beautiful flowers that bloomed in the wind and even attracted butterflies to stop on it.
How can dead wood come back to life?
It's probably only natural that anyone who sees that graceful figure behind the curtain would think it's perfectly normal.
She wore an embroidered silk dress, her neck long and her waist slender, yet her wickedness was overwhelming...
Even Li Mo would be startled upon seeing this; it was the first time he'd seen something even larger than his beautiful master...
"My lady, there are people having a sword fight in front of Cloud-Stepping Tower!"
The maid beside him looked on curiously, then smiled and said:
"It seems to be that poor, silly swordsman."
How could the maid recognize Xie Xuan at a glance?
In order to get closer to his wife, Xie Xuan, the young master of the prestigious Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa, actually disguised himself as a servant at the Wind and Moon Cottage.
He didn't fight back when hit, nor did he talk back when insulted; he managed to endure it for half a year.
"These people of the martial world are all competitive and shrewd; there's nothing to see here. Let's go."
The alluring woman didn't even spare a glance.
"Oh..."
Ruan Jiao started moving again, but halfway there, she suddenly heard people talking amongst themselves.
"If the Wife-Prospering Fighting Soul' uses a sword, then this time it's probably going to be tough."
"Etc."
She suddenly called for the sedan chair to stop.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
The unpredictable sword light was aimed directly at Li Mo's chest, getting closer and closer.
Li Mo's breathing became lighter, the general principles of the Nine Swords of Dugu flowed through his mind, and a clear understanding of the Sword-Breaking Stance arose, seemingly turning all the trajectories of the sword into black and white lines.
If there's no way to hide, then there's no need to hide.
Force him to retreat and defend!
Crimson Firmament neither dodged nor avoided, but instead drew a strange trajectory from bottom to top.
The opponent's unpredictable sword light seemed to settle, but then suddenly changed again, as if it had cleaved through a wave, revealing a deeper undercurrent beneath.
The Go Sword Art is to devise ten or even a hundred swords with a single strike.
Li Mo remained calm and composed, his Crimson Firmament leaping along the undercurrents in the opponent's sword light, like a large fish riding the waves.
Square sword techniques were layered and overlapping, as if an invisible net had been laid out, making it impossible to distinguish between flaws and traps, with hidden murderous intent everywhere.
Square may appear casual, but in reality, it simplifies the complex and uses the most efficient method to directly address the opponent's core issues.
Did the fish die in the net, or did it break free and return to the open sea?
In retrospect, it seems to be the former.
"Even with my minor mastery of the Nine Swords of Dugu, I'm still not enough to break through the Go Sword Art..."
Li Mo discovered that while he seemed to be constantly breaking through his opponent's sword moves, he was actually causing the opponent's ever-changing sword formation to tighten up.
But at this very moment...
Ding-dong--
A single note from the piano rang out, a sound like that from beyond the heavens, its lingering melody resonating long afterward.
Li Mo felt as if he were listening to celestial music, his ears were temporarily clear, but Xie Xuan was stunned.
That brief pause created a hole in the net.
Clang--
Crimson Firmament pierced the spine of the simple longsword.
The sword light vanished.
"Xie Xuan has returned his sword to defend!"
"Divine Hammer Little Overlord has won!"
"His swordsmanship is so superb that he forced Xie Xuan to parry with his sword. Just how powerful must his hammer be?"
"His swordsmanship is superb, and his hammer technique must be divine."
"That's right, there are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames."
"I know a little about Brother Li's hammer technique. If you've seen him strike that hammer blow in the Southern Border..."
Xie Xuan froze on the spot, then suddenly turned around.
"...?"
Li Mo, however, fell into deep thought and slowly typed out a question mark.
Damn it, I was clearly using a sword, I didn't even take out my hammer, so how did I suddenly become a master hammer user?
What a clever bunch! They're really good at judging people!
Little Li's stubbornness shattered.
Xie Xuan was completely absorbed, his mind no longer on the competition.
It seems there are no winners in this competition.