Swish, swish, swish!
Before the Li family's main hall, figures who had been waiting for a long time drew their blades in unison, surrounding Liu Chu on all sides.
Several Tendon Refining elders and guest-guard retainers joined the fray as well. They stood outside the battle circle, watching for openings in Liu Chu's defense and waiting for a chance to strike.
"Hmph. So what if you can kill the Great Elder? We have dozens of people here. More than ten are Skin Refining martial artists, and seven are Tendon Refining martial artists!"
"That's right. With so many martial artists, even if the Great Elder himself were here, we could wear him down to death!"
The Tendon Refining elders gave cold snorts. Their shocked minds gradually settled, and as they watched the Black Dragon Gang Leader surrounded by the crowd, they let out a long sigh of relief.
Lower Three Grades martial artists couldn't shrug off blade and sword wounds. Even they would meet a bitter end when besieged by a crowd.
At that moment, thirty or forty martial artists had surrounded Liu Chu, all armed with blades, swords, and cudgels. Even if Liu Chu had the strength of a Bone Refining expert, a few careless blows could still leave him seriously wounded!
That was the limitation of external cultivators.
The Lower Three Grades were known as external cultivation: refining the sinews, bones, and skin. Though their speed and strength far surpassed those of ordinary people, they could fight ten opponents at once—or even dozens—if those opponents were unarmed.
After all, their skin, sinews, and bones were tough. Even if they took a few punches and kicks, they wouldn't be seriously injured.
But the situation was completely different if their opponents were all armed with blades and swords!
A sharp saber, brought down in a single slash, could still cut through the skin of someone who had completed Skin Refining and turned his flesh into tough, stone-like hide.
The strike might not kill him outright, but it could break through his skin and leave a gash.
Take a few more slashes, and he could still bleed to death.
It was like hunting an elephant. Its hide was tough, and even if dozens of people swarmed it, punching and kicking, they might not do much damage.
But give them blades and swords, and they could easily bring down an elephant with terrifying strength and defense.
"Not bad. Seven Tendon Refining martial artists, more than ten Skin Refining martial artists, and a few others close to Skin Refining... The Li family really is a powerful clan!"
Looking at the martial artists surrounding him, Liu Chu couldn't help but marvel. He felt a trace of pressure.
Most of these people were martial artists, and they were bound together by family ties. They weren't a loose organization like a gang, whose members had gathered for profit.
When facing dozens of gang members, he only needed to show enough strength to cow them.
First, gang members had gathered for profit. They made only a few taels of silver a month. Why risk their lives?
Second, most gang members were ordinary people who knew little more than a few basic fist and foot techniques.
But most of the Li family members before him were martial artists. They had the pride of martial artists and wouldn't be frightened away so easily.
And bound together by family ties, some even considered it an honor to die in battle and earn their own page in the family genealogy. When their clan was in danger, they dared to sacrifice themselves!
Sure enough, the Li family head announced in a loud voice, "Whoever kills this man will get a page of his own in the family genealogy and a thousand taels of silver!"
The crowd erupted!
At his words, the Li family members' eyes gleamed with bloodlust. Their fighting spirit surged as they fixed their gazes on Liu Chu.
"Kill!"
Great rewards always drew brave men!
Someone immediately rushed forward, gripping a saber and bringing it down hard at Liu Chu.
"Looking for death!"
Liu Chu's expression was cold as he swung the long saber in his hand. A dazzling blade-light flashed, swift as lightning, slicing through the night.
Spurt!
After the blade-light passed, the Li family martial artist collapsed on the spot.
But more Li family martial artists attacked Liu Chu right after him!
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
In the blink of an eye, these martial artists charged at Liu Chu like men whipped into a frenzy, heedless of their lives. Blades and swords filled the air from every direction, a dense, unbroken rain of steel.
At that moment, Liu Chu felt as though he were caught in the terrifying slaughter of a battlefield.
Under such a fearsome siege, even a Bone Refining martial artist would likely have turned pale.
But Liu Chu remained calm, his gaze as still as an ancient well. He seemed to transform into a fierce tiger, pouncing straight toward the enemies ahead.
He unleashed his saber technique, wielding it at the level of perfection. His blade-light flashed as swiftly as lightning, as fast as thunder, and as violently as a raging tide!
With a long saber in hand, Liu Chu was like a meat grinder. Every slash he made easily claimed a life!
Spurt, spurt, spurt!
In the blink of an eye, he had killed several people.
But more attacks came from behind, forcing him to turn and sweep out one blade-light after another.
Enemies surrounded him on every side. No matter how peerless Liu Chu's saber technique was, he still felt a trace of pressure.
But that trace of pressure didn't crush him. It only roused his fighting spirit, making the long saber in his hand faster and more vicious with every swing.
Swish!
Suddenly, a figure darted in from behind.
A Tendon Refining martial artist had spotted a tiny opening and immediately struck.
But Liu Chu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His saber abruptly swept out. It looked like a simple slash, yet carved an incomprehensible path through the air, striking the Tendon Refining martial artist who had tried to ambush him.
"How is that possible..."
Clutching his throat, the Tendon Refining martial artist couldn't understand how his opponent had delivered a slash along such a trajectory.
It clearly defied the normal principles of generating force...
"This kid actually mastered his saber technique to perfection. No wonder he could defeat the Great Elder!"
Watching from the steps before the hall, the Li family head saw the level of Liu Chu's saber technique. Shock filled him, and he finally understood why the Great Elder had lost.
After killing the Tendon Refining martial artist with a single slash, Liu Chu didn't pause. He swung again at several Skin Refining martial artists charging toward him.
His saber technique was sharp, decisive, and utterly ruthless. His angles were bizarre and tricky, impossible to read.
At times, it was like thunder roaring through the sky; at others, like dragons and tigers surging forward, or golden waves crashing against the shore. He brought every kind of move to hand as if by instinct!
In just a few breaths, nearly half of the thirty or forty people had been killed.
"Attack! All of us, together!"
The six remaining Tendon Refining experts finally joined the battle. They moved at tremendous speed; some wore silver-thread gloves, while others wielded long sabers. They closed in on Liu Chu from all sides.
"Break!"
Suddenly, Liu Chu swept out his long saber. His entire being seemed to have been reborn, while his weapon blazed with an even more dazzling light!
That slash surpassed his previous level, radiating a danger that made the heart tremble.
"This is bad. How can this be..."
The two Tendon Refining martial artists at the front widened their eyes, horror bursting from their gazes.
This slash was completely beyond their expectations.
It was nothing like the slash Liu Chu had shown in the battle they had just watched!
"Thunderclap Blade Technique... perfected!"
A streak of purple lightning flashed through Liu Chu's eyes.
Under the relentless clash of blades and swords, Liu Chu had driven his three saber techniques to their limits and merged them together, forcing out even more of his potential.
Liu Chu's comprehension was four times that of an ordinary person, making him a natural genius. Under these circumstances, he broke through the Thunderclap Blade Technique straight to perfection!
In an instant, with two of his saber techniques perfected, his blade-work became even more terrifying!
His saber swept out with a thunderous roar. The blade-light was so fast that the two Tendon Refining martial artists had no time to dodge!
Spurt! Spurt!
The two Tendon Refining martial artists could only watch in despair as the blade-light swept past their eyes. Then they both fell, lifeless.
One slash, two kills!
The two Tendon Refining martial artists couldn't withstand a single slash from Liu Chu!
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