He stood in the center of the arena, breathing hard.
He had improved.
This wasn't just in his head. He could genuinely feel how his reactions had changed over those two minutes.
He had gone from the rigid pattern of "attack, switch moves, attack" to a flexible state where he could change at any moment.
After finishing two AI sparring matches in the Training Pavilion, Liao Fan exited and switched to the rankings.
He tapped matchmaking.
[Matching you with an opponent in the same realm...]
Three seconds.
[Match found. Opponent: Green Mountain. Realm: late-stage Body-Tempering Realm.]
For the map selection, Liao Fan chose the bamboo forest. His opponent chose the wasteland. The third round would be random.
First round. Bamboo forest.
The guy with the username Green Mountain used a blade. A short blade.
He charged straight in as soon as the match started.
His blade work was wild, nothing like the standard techniques taught at the High Martial Arts School. It had a fierce, unorthodox edge, every slash aimed at a vital spot.
Liao Fan was forced back three steps in a row. His opponent severed two stalks of bamboo with a single slash, and shattered bamboo segments struck his shoulder.
"...What kind of fighting style is this?"
He had no time to think about it. For thirty seconds, his opponent kept him pinned under a relentless assault. The short blade was fast, changed direction often, and this guy's rhythm had no pattern whatsoever.
There was no discernible method, yet every slash targeted his weaknesses.
One minute and forty seconds in, a slash caught Liao Fan's right arm.
Pain flared. Then came the second slash...
He failed to dodge it.
[Round one complete. Green Mountain wins.]
Liao Fan exited the defeat screen and