Lin Qing didn't meet the attack head-on. He darted aside with quick steps, drawing the saber at his waist as he used the Wave-Breaking Blade Technique to keep his opponent at bay.
"The Wave-Breaking Blade Technique! So it really was you who killed my younger brother. And you dare use my family's blade technique!"
Seeing Lin Qing use his sect's blade technique, the tall, thin man became even more certain of his suspicions. Rage surged through him, and his blade grew more and more ferocious, crashing like a storm-tossed sea as it threatened to swallow Lin Qing whole!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two sabers clashed again and again, sparks flying.
Lin Qing's arms went numb, and his blood and qi churned. He was secretly shocked.
"Such strength! That explosive power is definitely beyond the Skin Refining Realm. He's a martial artist in the Tendon Opening Realm!"
The gap in their cultivation left Lin Qing completely outmatched in strength and speed. He could only rely on his superb blade work to keep his opponent at bay, narrowly avoiding danger at every turn.
Little did he know that the tall, thin man was even more astonished. He hadn't expected the masked man to have mastered the Wave-Breaking Blade Technique to such perfection.
It had taken him a full three years to reach his current level.
In an instant, the killing intent in the tall man's eyes grew even stronger.
"You're nothing but a Skin Refining weakling, yet you dared to kill my younger brother. Die!"
The tall man suddenly stamped his foot. With a burst of qi, he shot forward and brought his blade down in a savage strike!
The moment the tall man lunged at him, Lin Qing's blade flashed, and he met the attack head-on, striking the blade.
Clang!
A burst of sparks exploded.
At the moment of impact, Lin Qing's arm shook, and he couldn't help taking several steps back. His heart skipped a beat.
The tall, thin man wielded his blade with ruthless skill, killing decisively.
He had undoubtedly taken many lives.
"Daring to get distracted in the middle of a fight?"
After learning Lin Qing's strength, the tall man sneered.
His saber slashed forward once more.
Clang—!
"Drop it!"
Lin Qing's thumb webbing jolted, and the saber flew from his hand.
It spun through the air and embedded itself in the dirt not far away.
A look of shock crossed Lin Qing's face, and he hurriedly retreated.
"Hmph, you little bastard. That all it takes?"
The tall man advanced with his blade in hand, a cruel, cat-playing-with-a-mouse smile on his face.
"You killed my younger brother. I'll slice off your limbs one by one and let you slowly wail in agony until you die. I'll make you regret ever being born!"
Seeing that Lin Qing had only reached the Skin Refining Realm, he was reassured.
He had no intention of killing Lin Qing at once. He wanted to torture him slowly and vent the hatred in his heart.
He flicked his wrist. The blade glinted coldly as it swept toward Lin Qing's right shoulder, intending to cripple one of his arms first!
But the scene he'd expected—blood and flesh flying—never came.
Riiip—!
The sharp blade merely sliced through the gray cloth of Lin Qing's shirt, revealing a dark iron plate underneath!
Even more astonishingly, three gleaming throwing knives were cleverly secured to the plate with leather straps, along with a neat row of small needles coated in a green sheen and several large packets of powder.
The tall man's sure-kill strike had left only a faint white mark on the iron plate. It hadn't even scratched the surface.
The sneer on his face froze, and astonishment filled his eyes.
Even the hand gripping his saber stopped in midair.
He looked up at Lin Qing in disbelief.
Lin Qing, meanwhile, silently looked back at him.
His gaze was calm and unruffled.
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
The tall man's mind went blank.
He'd roamed the martial world for years and killed countless people, but this was the first time he'd seen someone strap an iron plate beneath his clothes—and the damn thing even came with all sorts of odds and ends!
Was this supposed to be a martial artist?
This was clearly a walking armory and poison shop!
In that instant, Lin Qing moved!
His real killing move erupted only now!
He stopped holding back and undid the iron rings on his arms. His muscles bulged, and eighteen iron rings slid from his sleeves with a metallic clatter.
He didn't bother picking up the saber on the ground. Instead, he clenched both fists.
He surged forward with a heavy step and drove out one fist like a cannonball.
"Ha!"
His fist howled through the air, fierce and powerful!
Though startled, the tall man kept his wits. He was, after all, an experienced martial artist in the Second Barrier Realm, and he forced down the absurdity of the situation.
He swung his saber around and met Lin Qing's iron-hard arm with the blade.
He knew the punch was fierce and couldn't be met head-on, so he tried to overcome strength with skill.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Fist and blade collided with the thunder of metal striking metal.
The iron rings on Lin Qing's arms smashed violently against his opponent's blade, sparks flying everywhere!
They traded blows at blinding speed, exchanging dozens of strikes in an instant.
Though Lin Qing's cultivation was slightly weaker, the force generated by his mastery of Iron Wire Fist was incredibly concentrated. Combined with the body he'd tempered day and night, he managed to hold his ground for a time.
When he struck out with the opening stance of Hard Bridge, the domineering intent faintly contained in the move made the tall man's heart jolt.
He had no choice but to avoid its edge and retreat half a step!
"Iron Wire Fist? Just who are you—"
The tall man was both shocked and furious. He hadn't expected his opponent's fist technique to be so refined and powerful—a far cry from the despicable, underhanded style he'd shown earlier!
But before he could finish speaking, Lin Qing swung his arm and shouted, "Flying Dragon Fist!"
The tall man's heart tightened.
He instinctively slashed his saber toward Lin Qing's chest, hoping to block the punch.
But in the next instant—
Lin Qing's toes touched the ground. His leg tensed and burst with force, and his left leg lashed out like a steel whip, slamming into the tall man's crotch.
Thud—!
The tall man's eyes bulged from the brutal blow. His face instantly turned purplish, the saber nearly slipping from his hand as his legs clamped together.
The agony made his whole body shake like a sieve. He nearly passed out on the spot.
He was so enraged and humiliated he could hardly see straight.
"You bastard! I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Suppressing the pain, his eyes bloodshot and wild, he swung his saber with all his might, hacking madly at Lin Qing!
His blade flashed like a raging, directionless tide, attacking without defending.
He was fighting as if they would both die!
Facing this storm of desperate attacks, Lin Qing refused to meet them head-on.
He retreated quickly, his figure darting through the blade flashes like the wind.
His iron arms blocked and deflected the blows, the rings clanging as they neutralized most of the attacks.
The tall man was both shocked and furious. He hadn't expected the black-clad man before him, despite being only in the Skin Refining Realm, to be so difficult to deal with.
At once, he thought of retreating.
He feinted with a slash, then turned and ran.
Seeing that his opponent was about to flee, Lin Qing immediately stepped forward and kept him engaged.
As they fought, layer after layer of white powder scattered into the air.
The tall man suddenly felt his arms going numb.
His saber slowed for an instant.
At first, he thought it was the effect of his anger and paid it no mind, continuing his fierce assault.
After a few more exchanges, the numbness didn't fade. Instead, it spread through his body like a rising tide.
His vision swam, and dizziness came over him.
What puzzled him was that there was no dust on him.
His opponent also looked quite clean, and even the powder packets hanging from his body seemed untouched.
How was it that every time they fought, a cloud of powder burst into the air?
Just then, Lin Qing, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
"Do you smell anything?"
The tall man paused at the question.
His attacks slowed involuntarily.
A smell?
He sniffed instinctively, but aside from the smell of blood and sweat, there was nothing else.
Suddenly, he realized something and looked down at the arms that Lin Qing's iron fists had just numbed.
Beneath the skin of his arms, he saw—
Fine purple-black veins, as thin as spider silk, had appeared at some point!
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