Huo Shengnan fired two arrows in succession, but the swordsmen in the outer ring knocked both down.
Hu Xiaotian changed his saber technique, turning a thrust into a sweeping cut. His long saber traced a circle, clashing with the four swordsmen's blades in rapid succession. The clacks rang out like billiard balls colliding. He had barely knocked those four swordsmen down when the eight in the outer ring attacked together.
After a string of clashes between saber and sword, Hu Xiaotian tried to leap out of the ring, only to discover that their encirclement had expanded. The formation had also shifted into a pentagon, with him standing precisely at its center.
Hu Xiaotian surveyed the thirteen swordsmen, clicking his tongue in wonder. Their offense and defense were measured, their coordination seamless. Individually, each was at most a first-rate swordsman, yet together, the thirteen could contend with a top-level master. Hu Xiaotian said, "Judging by your skills, you can't be nameless rats. What grudge do you have against me? Why must you hound me so relentlessly?"
One of the thirteen swordsmen said in a low voice, "Hand over the Seven Heaven-Slaying Swords, and we'll spare your life!"
The voice sounded familiar to Hu Xiaotian. After a moment's thought, he realized it sounded exactly like Feng Xianlin, the martial instructor of Yang Yuanjie, son of Xiezhou's prefect, Yang Dao Yuan. Back in Western Sichuan, Hu Xiaotian had defeated this man, after which Xiangqin had given him a savage beating. Hu Xiaotian knew only that he was a successor of the Sword Palace and, in seniority, the junior martial brother of Sword Palace Master Qiu Xianguang. It seemed Feng Xianlin had not abandoned hope after his setback. Instead, he had gathered a group of Sword Palace experts and waited for an opportunity to