But only when he looked closely did he discover that Cheng Jianghong had attached the scabbard to the sword's hilt!
This was undoubtedly the ultimate sword move he kept in reserve. The strike itself was already superb, and the connecting motion midway through was a stroke of genius: rather than diminishing its momentum in the slightest, it raised it to another level.
As the scabbard connected, the strength of the hand gripping it was transmitted as well, combining the force of both hands in a single strike, swift and heavy.
In fact, this was still not the strike's full power-in a real fight, the scabbard would already have been filled with true qi while held in his hand, awaiting that explosive release when it connected.
The two swords crossed and passed, then stopped almost simultaneously. The wind ceased and all fell silent beneath a bright moon and sparse stars.
Pei Ye's sword was still four inches from Cheng Jianghong's throat, while Cheng Jianghong's sword already rested against his chest.
Pei Ye smiled, withdrew his sword, straightened himself, and saluted with his sword, conceding wholeheartedly.
Zhu Gaoyang was right. Only by fighting someone of a similar level with sword techniques of a similar level could he clearly see what he lacked.
To win today, he would either have needed to reach the Fourth Growth realm and use his superior physical foundation to overpower skill, or learn superior swordsmanship.
And if he pursued both together, the conditions for victory would probably be reaching Two Births or Third Growth and fully mastering the Cicada Sparrow Sword-if that had not been his first time using [Flying Copper Shadow], his sword might have been two inches from his opponent's throat, or one, rather than four.
Of course, he could win even now-he only needed to