That thing did not dodge.
When the blade sliced into its shoulder, the muscle fibers curled around it like living creatures, wrapping around the sword, his wrist, and his entire right arm.
Silver-white light exploded beneath the fibers, blasting apart the parts that had wrapped around him. But even more fibers surged forward, densely packed like a tide.
Lu Chen drew his sword and retreated. The blasted fibers fell to the ground, still writhing like severed earthworms, twitching a few times before finally dying.
That thing lowered its head and looked at the wound on its shoulder.
The cut was smooth. Silver-white light burned along its edges, preventing the fibers from regenerating.
It reached out and touched the wound. The instant its fingers touched the silver-white light, its fingertips were charred black.
It pulled its hand back, stuffed the burnt fingertips into its mouth, and chewed twice.
"The Dragon Soul Mirror seed is indeed sharp."
It took another step forward.
This time, it was so fast that Lu Chen only had time to raise his sword horizontally to block.
Its fist smashed into the blade, numbing his entire right arm and sending him flying into the wall behind him. The wall was soft, like flesh; he sank three feet into it before stopping.
He struggled free of the wall and landed on one knee. His mouth was full of the taste of blood. The silver-white patterns on his right arm dimmed for a moment, then lit up again.
That thing stood where he had just been, its fist still raised.
A gash had been cut into its fist by the blade. Silver-white light burned within the wound, carbonizing the fibers layer by layer.
"Your sword is fast. But you are too slow." It shook its hand, flinging away the charred