At the sight of the heavy greatsword, Qiu Mubai frowned, but inwardly he rejoiced. Hu Xiaotian was finally willing to meet him head-on. That sword was no lightweight; anyone who could wield it must have tremendous strength in both arms. Though a greatsword excelled at cleaving blows, striking with immense force, it lacked agility.
"My sword is called Hidden Edge," Hu Xiaotian said. "The only reason I refused to draw it earlier was that I didn't want to commit any more slaughter. Once Hidden Edge leaves its sheath, it must taste blood." Boasting wasn't taxable anyway, so he might as well scare him first.
"Then I must have a proper look," Qiu Mubai said with a smile.
Hu Xiaotian raised the sword in both hands and delivered an utterly ordinary downward chop.
Qiu Mubai fixed his eyes on the incoming blade. The slender sword in his hand flicked abruptly, and with a whoosh, it darted lightly toward Hu Xiaotian's heart. Though he attacked after Hu Xiaotian, his movement was twice as fast. Hu Xiaotian gripped his sword in both hands and raised it high above his head. Such a swing could bring the strength of both arms fully into play, but its flaw was a neglect of defense, leaving his entire chest wide open to his opponent. Against a swift-sword expert like Qiu Mubai, that mistake was simply fatal.
Though the earlier chase had drained considerable stamina from Qiu Mubai, he remained confident that he could kill Hu Xiaotian with a single thrust. His slender sword shot forward, crossing the space between them in an instant. It was only a foot from Hu Xiaotian's chest, while the greatsword in Hu Xiaotian's hands was still two feet above Qiu Mubai's head.
Zhou Mo's expression changed. He could not understand why Hu