After Li Tingyun's first slash was blocked, he brought his saber down again. The burly foreigner advanced instead of retreating. With a bear-like roar, he crossed his arms above his head, the brass studs on his bracers gleaming coldly in the firelight.
Clang!
A deafening crash set teeth on edge.
The force of the block made Li Tingyun's plain-looking saber hum faintly.
"Strong, aren't you?"
Li Tingyun was still in midair, but a cold smile curled his lips.
He used the force of the impact to change direction without landing. His broad silhouette loomed like a dark cloud, and power surged through his waist and abdomen as he spun like a top whipped around by the wind.
"Bagua Saber: Turning Body, Shifting and Blocking!"
The saberlight poured down like water, changing direction in an instant.
One moment, the blade was cleaving down like a stroke that could split Mount Hua. The next, it darted like a snake's tongue toward the gap beneath the foreigner's arm. For all his brute strength, the man had never seen such exquisite saberwork. A chill touched his armpit, and he was half a beat too late to defend himself.
Shnk!
The blade bit into flesh, though not deeply. Li Tingyun flicked his wrist and drew it sideways.
The foreigner screamed as a bloody gash opened across one side of his body. Ferocious even then, he tried to catch Li Tingyun in a bear hug.
"Fool."
Li Tingyun snorted. His toe touched the man's knee, and he sprang three feet higher.
His saber changed course again. This time, there was no flourish.
Only speed.
One horizontal slash, swift beyond belief.
A fierce streak of lightning seemed to flash across the night sky.
The foreigner froze, his arms still poised to close around Li Tingyun. A thin