A Fierce Battle with Lin Hu

"Who goes there?"

Hearing the hostile voice outside the carriage calling him out by name, Fang Han, who had been in quite a good mood after the banquet, could not help frowning.

Pulling aside the carriage curtain, he jumped down and looked at the burly youth blocking the road.

Once he saw the burly youth's clothing, his heart sank, and a name surfaced in his mind—Lin Hu.

According to Elder Fang Yuan, Lin Bao's elder brother, Lin Hu, was the Lin Family's second-ranked Inner Hall disciple. After learning that Lin Bao had been injured, he would most likely come looking for Fang Han to stand up for his brother.

This man was very likely Lin Hu.

"You are Lin Hu?"

Fang Han asked. Though he had already guessed, he still needed confirmation.

"That's right, it's me!"

Lin Hu was broad-backed and thick-waisted, powerfully built and imposing, his eyes fixed on Fang Han with a cold gleam.

"Fang Han, you injured my brother Lin Bao. Today, it's time to settle this debt!"

So it really is Lin Hu. He came because of Lin Bao!

Fang Han suppressed his anger and tried to explain.

"What happened that day was that Lin Bao tried to snatch my mission target first, and he was the one who attacked me first. I was forced to fight back."

"Bullshit!"

Lin Hu could not listen to any explanation at all. He roared and cut him off.

"Why would my brother covet that trifling bit of merit from you? It must have been you acting arrogant and tyrannical, bullying the weak with your strength!"

"Enough nonsense. Let our hands reveal the truth! Let me see just how much this Qilin Child of the Fang Clan is worth!"

Before his words had even faded, a savage glint burst from Lin Hu's eyes. With a clang, he had already drawn his blade!

The blade was broad and heavy, flashing with cold light. Like a fierce tiger locking onto its prey, it instantly fixed Fang Han in place with an acute, domineering aura.

"Since that is the case, then as you wish!"

Seeing the other man being so unreasonable and determined to fight, Fang Han's anger was thoroughly ignited as well.

Even a clay Buddha had three parts anger, let alone a man.

He spoke no further. Taking a deep breath, the blood and qi of his Bone Refining Mid-Stage cultivation surged through his body, and the Azure Edge Sword leaped from its sheath.

The sword tip angled toward the ground. His whole body seemed to transform into a sword, his aura turning ethereal and sharp in an instant.

"Take my blade!"

Lin Hu bellowed, violently pushing off the ground. The bluestone pavement trembled faintly as he lunged forward like a tiger bursting from its cage.

The Thick-Backed Blade in his hand tore through the air, carrying a dangerous aura as it chopped straight at Fang Han's face.

It was the opening move of the Lin Family's renowned Mountain-Breaking Blade Art—Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking!

Before the blade even arrived, its heavy pressure was already bearing down on him.

"Breeze Piercing Forest."

Fang Han's gaze sharpened. He did not dare let down his guard in the slightest. His opponent possessed immense strength and a ferocious momentum; he could not take this head-on.

His footwork shifted, like a breeze brushing willow branches. In that hair's-breadth instant, he twisted aside and avoided the fiercest edge of the blade.

At the same time, the Azure Edge Sword became a streak of azure light, swiftly stabbing at the weakest point in the power of Lin Hu's blade.

Clang!

The blade and sword collided for the first time, erupting with a deafening boom as sparks scattered in all directions.

Fang Han felt a vast force travel through the blade, numbing his arm slightly. He had no choice but to drift half a step backward with the force, shedding its impact.

Lin Hu's wrist also trembled, his forward charge halted. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes.

"He has already broken through... to Bone Refining Late-Stage?!"

Staring at Lin Hu, Fang Han's expression grew several degrees graver.

His opponent was even stronger than Elder Fang Yuan had described. Not only had his blade art reached the major mastery stage, his cultivation had also ceased to be at the peak of Bone Refining Mid-Stage. He had already broken through to Bone Refining Late-Stage.

Fang Han was only at Bone Refining Mid-Stage, while his opponent was already at Bone Refining Late-Stage, a whole realm above him. One could easily imagine how troublesome such an opponent would be.

"Bone Refining Mid-Stage? Perfect sword intent?!"

Lin Hu's face likewise turned solemn as he put away his disdain.

He had originally believed that his Bone Refining Late-Stage cultivation, paired with the major mastery Mountain-Breaking Blade Art, would be enough to crush his opponent in a single strike. Yet he had failed to gain any advantage.

The information he had received was that Fang Han had only recently entered the Bone Refining Realm and had achieved major mastery in swordsmanship. Who would have thought that in such a short time, Fang Han had broken through to the mid-stage and brought his sword art to the perfect stage?

This rate of progress was simply appalling.

Both men realized how difficult the other was to deal with, and the atmosphere instantly grew even tenser.

Roar!

Lin Hu's fighting spirit surged higher. He roared again and pounced, his blade light turning into layer upon layer of violent waves that swept toward Fang Han.

The blade wind howled, even whipping the dust from the ground into the air.

Fang Han focused fully as he brought the perfect-stage Breeze Sword Art to its limit.

His sword light no longer sought overwhelming grandeur, but rather ultimate concentration and precision.

Like a breeze that slipped through every opening, and like willow threads that wound on without end, it always struck the weak point of the blade's momentum at the most crucial moment—either deflecting it, blocking it, or counterattacking.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—!

The dense ringing of metal on metal, like rain striking plantain leaves, exploded wildly through the street. Blade light and sword shadows crisscrossed as the two figures leaped and darted, meeting speed with speed. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of moves.

Sharp force scattered in every direction, leaving deep gashes across the surrounding walls and ground.

Fang Zheng and the others hurriedly climbed down from the three carriages. Seeing the fierce battle before them, every one of them turned pale, their hearts rising to their throats.

"Xiao Han!"

Lin Wan clutched her husband's arm tightly, her nails nearly digging into his flesh.

"Don't panic. Trust Xiao Han!"

Fang Zheng was just as tense, but he still forced himself to remain calm as he shielded his family.

The commotion alerted nearby residents and passersby. Many came at the sound, gathering at a distance to watch and letting out startled cries.

"I know one of the fighters—it's Lin Hu, second in the Lin Family's Inner Hall! He's actually already at Bone Refining Late-Stage!"

"Who's fighting him? Huh? Judging by his clothes, he's a Fang Clan disciple... Such a young Bone Refining Realm martial artist!"

"It should be Fang Han, that newly risen Qilin Child of the Fang Clan!"

"He can actually fight Lin Hu evenly?!"

"Bone Refining Mid-Stage against Late-Stage, yet he hasn't been defeated. Hiss, Fang Han's sword art seems to be... at the perfect stage!"

Recognizing the identities of the two fighters, the crowd cried out in shock.

No one had expected the young Fang Han to already possess the strength to contend against a veteran top Inner Hall disciple like Lin Hu.

But Fang Zheng and the others could not help feeling their hearts tighten. The person fighting Fang Han was actually the Lin Family Inner Hall's second-ranked disciple, a Bone Refining Late-Stage martial artist.

Could Fang Han truly be a match for such a veteran top Inner Hall disciple?

Within the battlefield, they had already exchanged over a hundred moves!

They had given their all in every move, and their stamina rapidly drained away. Both men's breathing had grown heavy, sweat appearing at their temples.

At this point in the battle, the sharp exhaustion of their strength inevitably caused flaws to appear in both of them.

Slash!

Fang Han's Azure Edge Sword suddenly accelerated, like a venomous snake leaving its hole, piercing through a gap in the blade light.

The sword tip sliced across Lin Hu's left arm, bringing up a spray of blood and leaving a wound behind.

Almost at the same time, Lin Hu roared. Ignoring his injury, he changed his blade momentum and launched a swift, fierce upward slash in retaliation.

Fang Han was half a beat too slow in drawing back his sword to block. The blade edge grazed his right shoulder, tearing his robe and likewise leaving behind a streak of blood.