One Slash Was Enough

"Junior Brother?"

A tall, handsome man with a cool, aloof air asked Han Ming curiously, "Did something good happen?"

"Senior Brother Mu," Han Ming said with a smile.

"Nothing major. I just went to see Senior Brother Jiang, and he agreed to spar with me."

"Oh?" Mu Qi sounded somewhat interested.

"I remember Junior Brother Jiang. He's quiet and detached, and all he does is tend the Spirit Medicine Garden.

Doesn't he know you've reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment?"

"He probably does." Han Ming thought for a moment before answering.

"I didn't conceal my cultivation. He seemed to notice it, too."

"Then you'd better be careful, Junior Brother," Mu Qi kindly reminded him.

"He should have just returned from the Demon Grotto. There are plenty of fortuitous opportunities in there, and he may well have encountered one.

Otherwise, he might not have agreed to spar with you.

Of course, it's also possible he felt he had no choice.

But it never hurts to be careful."

Then Mu Qi turned and left.

Han Ming furrowed his brows, thinking that no matter what fortuitous opportunity Jiang Hao had encountered, he couldn't possibly defeat him now that he was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

Still, caution was necessary.

They were fellow disciples, with little difference in age or cultivation.

A moment of carelessness could plunge him into eternal ruin.

Even so, he still believed he could win with ease.

The next day.

[Vitality +1]

[Cultivation +1]

[Cultivation +1]

[Strength +1]

Jiang Hao collected the bubbles in his courtyard, then went to the entrance to wait.

He waited for Han Ming to arrive.

Yesterday, he had gone to sell talismans. Unfortunately, he had too much stock to sell it all, and in the end, he had only made a little over a hundred spirit stones.

After deducting his costs, his profit was less than a hundred.

If he went again today, he would probably sell even less.

So he decided not to go. From now on, going once every three to five days would suffice.

On his way back, he had also spent a hundred spirit stones on a reasonably decent saber, Half-Moon.

It was a long, silvery-white saber.

He intended to use it to practice the Heavenly Blade First Form.

Last night, he had activated Clear Mind, Pure Heart to study Heavenly Saber First Form: Moon-Splitting Slash.

He hadn't made much progress. He would need some more time to comprehend it fully.

He wasn't in a hurry. Even Demonic Sound Slash had taken some time, so the Heavenly Blade First Form would naturally take longer.

"Senior Brother." Just then, Han Ming descended from the air.

He held the Spirit Sword in his hand, his bearing impressive.

"You're certainly early, Junior Brother Han," Jiang Hao couldn't help remarking.

The man really was eager.

"I wouldn't dare keep you waiting, Senior Brother." Han Ming smiled, then continued.

"Where do you intend to spar, Senior Brother?"

"Right here," Jiang Hao said softly.

"Here?" Han Ming glanced at Jiang Hao's house with a puzzled expression.

"Aren't you worried your home will get caught in it?"

Jiang Hao shook his head at that. "It shouldn't come to that."

"As long as you don't mind, Senior Brother." Holding his longsword, Han Ming fully unleashed his Foundation Establishment aura.

"Then forgive my offense."

Crackle!

Lightning enveloped Han Ming's longsword. Right from the start, he used his strongest move, Heavenly Thunder Sword.

He had taken Senior Brother Mu Qi's warning yesterday to heart, so he intended to defeat his opponent at his strongest.

Jiang Hao watched the incoming attack, his expression unchanged.

Then Half-Moon appeared in his hand, and he swung the saber down.

Boom!

Demonic Sound Slash.

At that moment, Han Ming thrust his sword forward, pitting Heavenly Thunder Sword against Demonic Sound Slash.

Yet the saber's shadow pierced through Heavenly Thunder Sword and swept past.

Bang!

Heavenly Thunder Sword shattered, and the saber's shadow surged toward Han Ming.

At the critical moment, he raised the Spirit Sword to block.

A thunderous crash rang out.

Han Ming was sent flying.

He braced his longsword against the ground, barely managing to stay on his feet.

But he saw that the longsword was riddled with cracks, and pain throbbed in his chest.

A single move had made the gap clear to him.

The difference between him and Jiang Hao was as vast as heaven and earth.

"Junior Brother Han, thank you for the match," Jiang Hao said politely as he put away his saber.

He had originally intended to win by a narrow margin, but human nature was strange. Someone only a little stronger would stir all sorts of thoughts, while someone far stronger would inspire awe instead.

So he had decided to defeat Han Ming with a single slash.

Once Han Ming understood the gap, he wouldn't challenge him every few days, nor would he be as likely to cause trouble.

The only drawback was that if his master learned of this, it could make him stand out too much. He couldn't be sure that claiming a fortuitous opportunity would be enough to get past that.

But seeing the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower put him considerably more at ease.

If any questions arose, he could attribute it to the flower.

When the time came, he could simply have his master speak to Elder Bai Zhi.

Only after taking a long while to recover did Han Ming raise his head to look at Jiang Hao.

Unlike before, there was now a trace of fear and awe in his gaze.

"Have you advanced, Senior Brother Jiang?" he asked bitterly.

"I encountered some fortuitous opportunities in the Demon Grotto, so I was lucky enough to beat you, Junior Brother. It's nothing much," Jiang Hao said slowly.

"Thank you for showing mercy, Senior Brother," Han Ming said gratefully.

He could tell that Jiang Hao's middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation was more firmly consolidated than his own.

"This was only a private spar. Don't take it to heart, Junior Brother. I won't mention it to anyone else, either." Jiang Hao retreated to advance.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Han Ming thanked him, then turned and left.

Watching his dejected figure, Jiang Hao activated his divine ability.

Appraisal.

[Han Ming: A true disciple of Heartbreak Cliff in the Heavenly Sound Sect. Exceptionally gifted, at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, favored by the spirit of mountains and rivers, and bearing the legacy of a mighty cultivator. Unwilling to accept his defeat at your hands, he wants to advance, defeat you, and then say, "I was lucky."]

Jiang Hao: "..."

Was this man petty or broad-minded?

By rights, he should have felt some resentment, yet Han Ming only wanted to win back his pride.

But what seemed to bother him most was Jiang Hao saying he had been lucky.

"I was being modest. Surely he didn't think I was showing off?"

Shaking his head, Jiang Hao tidied up and headed to the Spirit Medicine Garden.

He still had plenty to do lately. The Heavenly Joy Pavilion and the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower were each like a blade hanging over his head.

The only solution was to grow stronger and remove those two blades.