Broken Sword

What could be done in an instant? When danger struck, it could decide whether a bystander became a hero or a coward. In a duel between masters, it could change the victor and determine life or death.

Lü Mian was a typical avenger. He had secretly trained and honed himself until he had built up enough confidence, only entering the martial world after confirming that his skills surpassed those of his enemy.

He believed in his swordplay.

Throwing a flying dagger at a great roc and charging alone into five hundred cavalrymen had both given him firmer confidence.

But he still lacked practical combat experience. In fact, apart from countless practice bouts, he had participated in only three face-to-face duels. His first opponent had been Deng Yuanlei, through which he subdued a not entirely loyal follower. His second had been Liu Qingpu, earning him the qualification to compete for the position of sect leader.

His third opponent was the Dragon King.

After a simple exchange, he had concluded that the Dragon King's saberplay was a cut below his own. Even after hearing that he had been poisoned, he believed he could kill the Dragon King before the poison took effect, then force Han Fen to hand over the antidote.

At the instant sword and saber clashed, Lü Mian experienced the first life-or-death decision of his life: Should he risk dying together with his opponent and continue his attack, or evade first and counterattack afterward?

Such experience was something one could encounter only by chance, like how a person might receive heroic training from childhood yet still panic like an ordinary man when first stepping onto a battlefield, even becoming so terrified that he collapsed. What determined his performance was still an unpredictable instant: the attitude of his comrades, the enemy's