Invitation to Join

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The harsh screech of clashing blades echoed across the battlefield, Pusis leaving two shallow grooves in the ground beneath her feet as she barely managed to steady herself.

Her sharp eyes remained fixed, unblinking, as she scrutinized the opponent before her from head to toe.

"Such brilliant combat technique—flawless to the extreme!"

Pusis marveled inwardly.

She now finally understood why Kulu had fallen in a single move.

Bai Yuan's combat technique was too exquisite; every motion was precise to an unbelievable degree.

Even when she replayed his movements in slow motion in her mind, she could find no opening.

Or rather, even if an opening theoretically existed, her body couldn't keep up with the reaction speed required.

This wasn't suppression through strength or speed—it was absolute domination in combat technique.

Whoosh!

Pusis struck again.

This time, her figure flowed like water, her feet tracing a complex footwork pattern as she transformed into several afterimages, spinning around Bai Yuan at high speed.

This was her signature movement technique, "Flowing Shadow Phantom Steps," which had once made her nearly unbeatable among her peers.

Boom!

Just as Pusis launched a surprise attack from behind, Bai Yuan, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, turned without warning. His war blade swung at an angle that seemed simple yet was terrifyingly precise, perfectly blocking her full-force strike.

Where blade met sword, sparks flew.

Failing in her attack, Pusis quickly retreated, her figure once again merging into the afterimages.

Then, she accelerated her movement, launching attacks from different angles.

A feint from the left followed by a real strike from the right, a false lunge from above suddenly shifting to a low attack—each strike was cunning and vicious.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The ringing of blade against sword continued without pause.

Yet, Bai Yuan in the center of the field remained as calm as ever, his breathing rhythm unchanged.

He merely adjusted his steps slightly, his war blade always appearing at the perfect position at the perfect moment, blocking all of Pusis's attacks one by one.

Those onslaughts that seemed dazzling to outsiders lost all effect before him.

The three watching from the sidelines wore different expressions.

Kulu's face was grim, a trace of bitterness in his eyes.

He had just personally experienced that feeling of powerlessness.

The other two were completely stunned by the battle before them.

"So effortlessly—just how terrifying is this guy's strength?" one murmured.

The other swallowed hard, shocked. "Exactly, Pusis is clearly going all out, yet she can't do a thing to him. This is no longer a contest on the same level."

Kulu explained bitterly, "It's useless. This man's combat technique has reached the level of 'Insight into Opportunity.' Senior Sister Pusis's movement technique is transparent to him. He's probably seen through everything long ago and can easily predict every move she makes."

As if to confirm Kulu's words, Bai Yuan suddenly spoke from the field:

"Your movement technique has a 0.1-second lag in the transition between the third and seventh forms. When you pivot to the left, your center of gravity rises two inches too high. And every time you attack from behind, your right shoulder unconsciously drops half an inch."

Pusis's figure jerked to a halt at his words, shock spreading across her face.

These subtle habits were things she herself had never noticed, yet he had seen them all.

Bai Yuan continued, "Your technique is already excellent, but you rely too much on fixed patterns. In real combat, there are no patterns—only responses."

Before his words faded, Bai Yuan launched his first proactive attack.

His movements weren't fast, but they were terrifyingly precise. Every step landed where Pusis was about to move, every blade stroke aimed at her most difficult angle to defend.

After three moves, the long sword in Pusis's left hand was sent flying. Bai Yuan's blade tip lightly tapped the armor at her throat, then withdrew.

"Your concession."

Pusis stood frozen in place. Only after a long while did she let out a deep breath and smile bitterly.

"I lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly."

His strength was above hers, but only by a margin; in speed, he was far inferior.

Yet he had perfectly compensated for all these gaps with his exquisite combat technique.

This battle—she had no excuse for losing.

"I have one more question. I hope you'll answer it." Pusis looked seriously at Bai Yuan.

"Please speak."

"In our exchange just now, how much of your strength did you actually use?"

This was what concerned Pusis the most.

She could clearly sense that Bai Yuan wasn't using his full strength at all—she just didn't know how much he was holding back.

"A few percent of my strength?" Bai Yuan pondered briefly, then answered frankly. "I can't say for sure either. If I went all out, I'd be able to instantly kill the version of myself from just now."

After three months of secluded, intense training, all of his abilities had improved significantly.

What's more, even three months ago, with his combat power, he could easily defeat Pusis within the same realm.

Pusis took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and extended her most sincere invitation.

"Yuan, on behalf of Hundred Tiger Tower, I sincerely invite you to join. With your talent, once you enter Hundred Tiger Tower, you'll at least become a First Grade Elite, and you might even become a Special Grade Elite directly!"

Her tone was earnest as she continued, "You may be of the Blade Clan, but when you're out in the world, having a powerful faction as your backing is far more secure than wandering alone."

Bai Yuan heard this, his heart utterly unmoved, and waved his hand to decline.

"No need. I've already decided that once I break through to the Star Realm, I'll head to the Universe Mercenary Alliance."

If he truly wanted to join some faction, wouldn't Ganwu Dojo or the Virtual Universe Company be far better choices?

Ganwu Dojo was established by the Lord of Ganwu to repay his debts, a place specifically for nurturing geniuses.

Not to brag, but with the talent and strength he had displayed so far, entering Ganwu Dojo and securing a First Grade Elite position would be more than enough.

As for the Virtual Universe Company, it was one of the five major titan forces in the vast universe. Even Ganwu Dojo had to yield to it, let alone Hundred Tiger Tower.

The fundamental reason Bai Yuan didn't want to join these factions was that he didn't want to be constrained.

His answer didn't surprise Pusis.

In the universe, many strong warriors would rather join the Universe Mercenary Alliance, living a life on the edge of a blade, fighting for survival, than be bound by any faction's rules.

And it was precisely this path that had forged countless true powerhouses.

Those warriors originally stuck at a bottleneck, unable to break through, often underwent a transformation under the pressure of life-and-death crises.

Such cases were not uncommon in the universe.

Take the "Giant Axe Martial Artists" of the Giant Axe Arena—they had to complete a brutal streak of a thousand consecutive victories.

In that environment, not breaking through meant death.

And those who survived were all ruthless characters who had pushed past their own limits.

"Alright, since you're not willing to join, we won't force you. If you don't mind, how about we add each other as friends?"

"Sure."

The two then exchanged friend contacts.

It wasn't just Pusis and Kulu—the other two also proactively swapped contact information with Bai Yuan.

They all recognized Bai Yuan's extraordinary potential; his future achievements would surely far surpass theirs, so naturally, they wanted to build a connection early to lay the groundwork for the future.

To put it bluntly, whether they could even touch the threshold of the Universe Realm in the future was questionable.