The intense fighting had already lasted three minutes.
Kaguya Torarō was gradually falling behind Yechen's speed.
"What happened? You talked big, but you're already running out of steam?"
With his next strike, Yechen's ice blade skimmed past Hu Dalang's bone sword and slashed into him.
Although bone spikes blocked the blow, Yechen had put half his strength into it, sending Hu Dalang flying.
That was right. Yechen had never used his full strength from the start. He wanted to see just how strong this arrogant fool was while honing his own sword technique.
Rapidly improving his sword technique required more than training alone. He also needed constant combat experience.
Though the system pointed him in the right direction for training, reaching a higher realm of swordsmanship still depended on his own efforts.
Feeling the pressure Yechen exerted, Hu Dalang began changing his strategy. He no longer intended to compete with Yechen to see whose sword technique was superior.
Instead, he focused entirely on killing his opponent and washing away his humiliation.
He controlled the bones throughout his body, unleashing the full power of Shikotsumyaku and weaving together five secret techniques as he fought Yechen.
Why only five secret techniques?
Because no one in the Kaguya Clan could perform the final technique, "Dance of the Seedling Fern," except Kimimaro, who was used as a weapon.
That left only five secret techniques.
To Yechen's disappointment, however, the five secret techniques Hu Dalang used seemed inferior to Cinder Dance, at least in how smoothly they flowed together.
"Hu Dalang, if that's all you've got, you can die now."
Yechen knocked Hu Dalang back with a slash and spoke as he watched him coldly.
"Boy, you're far too arrogant!"
With that, Hu Dalang gripped his bone sword tightly and charged at Yechen.
Yechen shook