Han Yu flourished his sword, his eyes full of disdain.
This defensive Soul Skill was so fragile. His first Soul Skill clearly leaned toward offense, yet he had chosen a defensive one for his second.
To his surprise, the black-clad man's feet shifted rapidly as he closed in on Han Yu. A seven-foot-long, pitch-black spear appeared, its shaft held straight out.
The instant their weapons clashed, several golden arcs of electricity snaked out from the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, trying to crawl up the spearhead. The black-clad man abruptly twisted his wrist, using the momentum to flick the spearhead upward. He struck several times in quick succession, deftly deflecting the sword and thrusting toward Han Yu's face.
Han Yu was forced to use his first Soul Skill again, turning into an afterimage as he pulled away.
The black-clad man paused, his ears twitching. He gave a slight nod, slid the spearhead behind him, and rushed forward, dragging the long spear.
The spear is the king of weapons—that saying isn't baseless. After all, every weapon has a move specifically designed to counter spears.
This time, Han Yu didn't attack recklessly. He first activated the Soul Bone Skill Godspeed and quietly watched his opponent's opening stance. When the spearhead thrust forward, he retreated half a step and held the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords horizontally in front of him, relying on his enhanced strength to forcibly sweep the spear shaft aside.
Whoosh—.
A purple blade of light appeared again. Golden light flashed in Han Yu's eyes as he shifted to the right. The black-clad man seized the opening, gripping the spear farther forward with one hand. The shaft instantly shortened by three inches, and the spear tip traced a tiny arc around the sword, stabbing toward Han Yu's throat.
Han Yu's pupils contracted.
What a troublesome opponent. His moves were seasoned; it was like an old man teasing a child.
Without hesitation, Han Yu's purple Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Flash!"
The afterimage vanished, leaving only faint specks of light. Han Yu appeared behind the black-clad man, cloaked in a layer of golden light. He unleashed the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder at full power, turning it into electric snakes that crawled over the blades of the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.
Han Yu's feet shifted sharply. Using his remaining momentum, he slashed horizontally at the black-clad man's neck, stirring up a fierce gust of wind.
A Rock Armor Shield abruptly appeared, only to shatter with a thunderous crash just like before.
An indescribable force swept over Han Yu. The next instant, he felt an immense force strike his hand, sending him flying backward. More bizarrely, a mass of Evil-Warding Divine Thunder followed close behind and struck him in midair.
"Damn!" A thread of blood ran from the corner of Han Yu's mouth. Remembering his earlier disdain, he managed a bitter smile.
The black-clad man's second Soul Skill actually reflected damage. The fragile armor shield had merely been a smokescreen. The first time Han Yu shattered it, he had unintentionally created distance with his first Soul Skill. This time, he had taken his own strongest attack head-on.
Han Yu rolled across the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably. The foreign golden arcs of electricity rampaged through him and collided with the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder inside his body, leaving him severely injured.
He shook his head. Activating the Soul Bone Skill so many times had left him dizzy, but with the black-clad man slowly approaching, he had no choice but to activate it again.
"So this is... I see!" Han Yu's mouth fell slightly open. His gaze cleared, and joy rose across his face.
As Han Yu directed the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder in his body to counterattack, he happened to divert some of it to protect his head. He never expected that the Thunder Tiger Head Soul Bone would absorb the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder.
He recalled the Soul Bone's nearly useless ability: absorbing the power of heavenly lightning to increase its age. Heavenly lightning and the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder shared the same origin. Didn't that mean the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder could increase the age of the Thunder Tiger Head Soul Bone?
In high spirits, Han Yu wiped the blood from his mouth and concealed his left hand behind his back as he summoned his Mystic Array Disk Martial Soul. His eyes turned sharp.
His swordsmanship was still too weak to handle the black-clad man's practiced spear techniques, and that bizarre Soul Skill had badly injured him. He could only use his trump card: a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
A formation glowing with azure light abruptly formed around Han Yu, moving along with his flashing figure. Countless azure sword shadows hovered behind him and flew toward the seemingly stunned black-clad man from every direction.
"That's enough, Han Yu. It's your teacher." Gu Rong's voice suddenly rang out.
All the azure sword shadows seemed to freeze in time, then vanished under the terrifying pressure.
Gu Rong and Chen Xin descended from the sky. The black-clad man removed his hood and bowed respectfully.
Han Yu stopped moving. Seeing this scene, he understood that the black-clad man had been his teachers' test for him.
"This disciple greets both teachers," Han Yu said, panting.
Gu Rong nodded, came over to Han Yu, and examined his injuries.
The two of them had watched the battle for a long time, carefully planning this assassination to test Han Yu. They had deliberately chosen a Soul Master whose second Soul Skill wasn't very powerful to be his opponent. They hadn't expected Han Yu's own Soul Skill to be so strong that he would end up badly injuring himself.
This left Gu Rong and Chen Xin feeling somewhat frustrated.
"Han Yu, you're strong. This test shouldn't have been a problem for you." Chen Xin pointed at the black-clad man, then looked at Han Yu with a stern expression. "But your performance was truly poor. I'm counting this as a failure."
"See, decide, act."
That was the mantra Chen Xin had taught Han Yu.
Yet Han Yu hadn't even completed the first step. Or perhaps he'd merely gone through the motions, making no effort to understand his opponent's intentions. He'd fallen into the enemy's trap and been badly injured by his own attack.
The test hadn't accomplished much. At most, it had taught Han Yu to be cautious, think things through before acting, and never again treat any enemy like a fool.
"Teacher, this disciple knows he was wrong." Han Yu scratched his head awkwardly, obediently stepped forward, and answered earnestly.
"For a swordsman, what matters isn't right or wrong. What matters is whether you learn anything from a fight." Chen Xin gently pulled his hand away from Gu Rong, who had been quietly trying to hold it, and spoke sternly.
Han Yu didn't rush to answer. He calmed himself and replayed the battle in his mind, over and over.
The black-clad man's second Soul Skill was clearly defensive, while his first made it easy for an opponent to create distance and evade.
His true means of fighting was that terrifying spear technique. Once he got close, his opponent would be trapped in a tangle of attacks with no way to escape, until the enemy spotted an opening and struck a fatal blow.
As for Han Yu, he had foolishly relied on his speed to stick close. His swordsmanship hadn't even reached the threshold, yet he had engaged in close combat.
He had even nearly paid dearly for underestimating his opponent.
If he hadn't had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he would never have been able to defeat him.
Han Yu's path had been far too smooth, so smooth that he had unconsciously treated everyone else like stray dogs by the roadside.
"This disciple was too reckless. I should have made a plan before acting." Han Yu answered calmly, without the slightest discouragement.
Chen Xin turned his back to Han Yu and silently nodded.
"Heroes are as numerous as carp crossing the river, yet those who can attain the rank of Titled Douluo are few enough to count on one hand. Han Yu, you must always carry a heart of reverence. Never look down on any enemy.
"If you want to go farther on the path of the sword, you must first make sure you can survive countless battles. Only those who live are worthy of speaking about the future." Chen Xin spoke slowly, every word deliberate.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll be your sparring partner. You're not allowed to use your Martial Soul Fusion Skill until you comprehend sword intent." With that, Chen Xin left without looking back.