Fierce Battle

Tightening the straps on his backpack so it wouldn't hinder his movements, Liu Zhi gripped the longsword in his hand.

The sword had belonged to a mercenary swordsman. It was a fine blade made of pure steel, and its owner had taken excellent care of it. But after being exposed to the venom of a poisonous snake, the entire blade now gave off a visible toxic sheen.

Compared to the longsword in Liu Zhi's hand, the weapon held by his opponent was far less impressive. It was a traditional weapon of the Aztec civilization: a macuahuitl.

The weapon's main body was a wooden club over a meter long and about ten centimeters wide. From a distance, it looked like a wooden paddle.

Small but razor-sharp obsidian blades lined both sides of the paddle.

The weapon might not look like much next to steel, but Liu Zhi believed that in his opponent's hands, one blow would be enough to sever an enemy's head.

So, as he stood before his opponent, Liu Zhi had already settled on a plan: dodge first, then counterattack, and avoid meeting his strength head-on.

The instant Liu Zhi prepared himself to fight, the warrior charged at him.

The warrior wore leather armor made from tiger skin, the distinctive attire of the most elite Jaguar Warriors.

As he charged toward Liu Zhi, Liu Zhi almost felt as if a jaguar were pouncing on him.

Faced with the charge, Liu Zhi tapped his foot against the ground and withdrew. He used the Night Strike Counter footwork from the Z-Secret Sword.

The moment he retreated, Liu Zhi felt a strong wind rush into his face. Then the macuahuitl came crashing down toward him.

From that single strike, Liu Zhi could tell that the Jaguar Warrior's strength was at least 5.0. He couldn't hope to match him in strength; he had to rely on his own speed and technique.

With that in mind, Liu Zhi turned his right hand, sending his sword thrusting out at an uncanny angle toward the Jaguar Warrior's throat.

The Jaguar Warrior had spent years fighting in the jungle and knew a great deal about poisonous snakes. The moment Liu Zhi thrust his sword, he sensed the potent venom coating the blade.

The Jaguar Warrior saw nothing wrong with that. Their arrows and spears were coated with venom from the most poisonous dart frogs in the rainforest.

Poisoning one's weapons was nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, obtaining such potent poison was a sign of talent.

The Jaguar Warrior darted aside and twisted his upper body, evading the strike. Then his body sprang back at an uncanny speed, and the macuahuitl swept horizontally toward Liu Zhi's left hand.

The sudden change left Liu Zhi speechless. From that one move, he could tell that his opponent's speed was also around 5.0.

On top of that, the warrior's battle skills far surpassed Liu Zhi's, honed by years of combat.

For a time, Liu Zhi found himself on the defensive.

Fortunately, he wielded a pure-steel longsword coated in poison. The Jaguar Warrior knew he couldn't match Liu Zhi's weapon, so he kept steering clear of it as he attacked. Whenever Liu Zhi struck, the warrior dodged, keeping Liu Zhi from losing too quickly.

But Liu Zhi also knew that his opponent's weapon wasn't meant to be swung for long. At most, he could wield that heavy weapon for ten to fifteen minutes.

As an elite Jaguar Warrior, he knew his limits. He wouldn't wait until he reached them to act. Before then, he would do everything he could to kill Liu Zhi.

Sure enough, once the Jaguar Warrior had figured out Liu Zhi's fighting style, he noticeably sped up his attacks. Confident that he was stronger and more agile than Liu Zhi, he ignored technique and tactics, instead throwing wide, powerful strikes aimed at Liu Zhi's vital spots.

Liu Zhi had to use all his strength to deal with every blow. At first, he could still find ways to dodge and even counterattack.

But as the warrior's attacks grew faster and faster, Liu Zhi could barely keep up.

Every time he swung his sword, he failed to land a hit. Worse, the instant he thrust it forward, he left openings that his opponent seized.

If Liu Zhi hadn't had more than ten years' worth of Sailor's Basic Swordsmanship, he would already have been killed.

Recognizing his weakness, Liu Zhi immediately changed tactics. While fending off his opponent's attacks, he reached his left hand toward his backpack.

Liu Zhi had modified his backpack to include an opening on the side. It was normally tied shut with a cord, but in an emergency, he could pull it open and reach inside for something.

Liu Zhi was already in considerable danger. He had no time to check what he grabbed. He snatched something from the backpack and threw it at the Jaguar Warrior.

The Jaguar Warrior wasn't surprised that Liu Zhi had thrown something at him. He had a quiver on his back, and when necessary, he too would fight with throwing spears or blowpipe darts.

Liu Zhi's use of a thrown weapon meant he was nearly finished. The warrior only had to hold on a little longer, and he would win.

So when Liu Zhi threw something at him, the Jaguar Warrior was quite pleased.

But Liu Zhi had prepared for all kinds of trouble. The things he kept within easy reach through the side opening were small tools he had made himself, such as pouches of quicklime and bottles of sesame oil.

The Jaguar Warrior had no idea what Liu Zhi had thrown. He swung his macuahuitl and smashed the objects to pieces, scattering a cloud of powder through the air.

This was Liu Zhi's chance. He forced the Jaguar Warrior's macuahuitl aside and pointed toward him.

"Supernatural Ability: Strong Wind."

A powerful gust blew from behind Liu Zhi, swept up the powder, and sent it flying toward the Jaguar Warrior.

It was the first time the Jaguar Warrior had suffered a setback since the battle began. He hadn't expected Liu Zhi to have a magical ability in addition to his fairly ordinary combat skills. The powder had mixed with the liquid, weakening its effect, but it was still enough to affect the Jaguar Warrior.

The moment the quicklime got into his eyes, a searing pain flared through them. He could barely see.

The enraged Jaguar Warrior roared and charged at Liu Zhi with his macuahuitl raised. Seeing an opening, Liu Zhi darted aside and tried to stab the Jaguar Warrior from the flank.

But his movement was too obvious. The Jaguar Warrior turned his macuahuitl, changing a downward chop into a horizontal sweep, and struck Liu Zhi's longsword. The blow carried all of the warrior's strength and knocked Liu Zhi's sword out of his hand.