"Clang!"
Gu Changqing hurriedly swung his sword to block the black spike that stabbed silently toward him, but the twin-hammer Grandmaster had already brought his hammer crashing down.
He hastily twisted aside. The wind from the hammer grazed his shoulder, tearing his clothing and leaving a scrape across his skin.
Before he could catch his breath, the female Grandmaster to the north had already thrust her emerald-green short sword toward his throat.
Every hair on his body stood on end. He retreated sharply, narrowly escaping.
But the four Grandmasters' attacks surged like a tide, wave after wave, giving him no chance to breathe.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Metal rang against metal as densely as falling rain. Alone with his sword, Gu Changqing twisted and darted among the four figures.
His swordsmanship was seasoned and shrewd, and he was confident he could defeat any one of them alone. Against all four together, however, he was clearly outmatched.
After a dozen exchanges, cold sweat had appeared on his forehead.
"Slash!"
Even the staunchest defense would eventually falter, and he soon exposed an opening.
The withered Grandmaster's spike swept across his left arm, carving a bloody gash.
The wound was extremely deep, and blood instantly soaked his sleeve.
"Ugh!"
He let out a muffled groan, his movement faltering.
The twin-hammer Grandmaster seized that fleeting opening and swung a hammer straight at his head.
"Clang!"
He barely managed to block with the flat of his sword, but the savage force drove him sliding backward, each step leaving a deep crater in the ground.
Before he could regain his footing, the lanky Grandmaster struck with a finger. This time, he could not dodge, and the force pierced his right shoulder.
"Thud!"
A bloody hole appeared in his shoulder, blood gushing from the wound.
While Gu Changqing