Two cold flashes stabbed straight at Ye Yiqing.
Ye Yiqing swung his katana at the instructor, but the blade suddenly stopped in midair. He spun around and slashed backward.
With one stroke, he knocked down the straight blade stabbing at him from behind.
The instructor seized the chance to reach toward the ground, and the straight blade he had dropped flew back into his hand.
Then he once again controlled the two blades in the air, sending them slashing at Ye Yiqing.
All three blades attacked Ye Yiqing at once, yet he dodged them without the slightest panic and found chances to strike back.
Blades clashed. With a single sword, Ye Yiqing fought the instructor's three blades to a standstill.
The one-armed girl standing nearby watched it all, her eyes filled with shock.
The white-haired youth leaning against the wall beside her and watching the show noticed her expression and spoke with some pride.
"Well? Impressive, isn't he?"
The girl nodded. As she watched the powerful Ye Yiqing, admiration and longing flashed in her eyes.
"Hehe, he's my big brother. His name's Ye Yiqing, and mine's Ye Ciqing.
Miss, what's your name?" Ye Ciqing asked, looking at the girl with a mischievous grin.
"Han Xiaoxiao," Han Xiaoxiao replied indifferently, her eyes remaining fixed on the fight.
"Oh, what a cute name-just like your looks! But why are you so cold?" Ye Ciqing continued, looking at Han Xiaoxiao.
"Why are you helping me?" Han Xiaoxiao didn't answer his question, asking one of her own instead.
"Hm? Hmm..." Ye Ciqing rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
"Hehe, of course it's because we saw an injustice on the road and drew our swords to help!"
Disbelief was written all over Han Xiaoxiao's face.
Ye Ciqing shrugged, looking as if she could believe him or not.
Watching Ye Yiqing and the instructor fight, Han Xiaoxiao's eyes flashed with determination, as though she had made a decision.
Three blades swept past Ye Yiqing at once. He jumped back, putting distance between himself and the instructor.
Then he adjusted his breathing and footwork and abruptly exerted force with both hands.
A sharp arc of sword qi swept from his blade and flew toward the instructor.
The instructor didn't dare take it head-on. He dodged to the side, then sent another blade flying to harass Ye Yiqing and keep him from closing in.
"Whoa, damn!" Seeing the sword qi flying toward him, Ye Ciqing, who had been leaning against the wall, shot into motion and threw himself to the side.
He looked back at the wall he had just been leaning against and saw that it had been cut in half. Feeling as though his heart was about to leap out of his chest, Ye Ciqing immediately roared at Ye Yiqing:
"Big brother! Are you trying to get me killed so you can inherit all my girlfriend's property?!"
Nearby, Ye Yiqing, who had just knocked a straight blade away, heard his younger brother's words and his lips twitched.
"Little brother! It's dangerous here. Stand back for now; I'll get a bell for you."
"Oh~" Ye Ciqing answered casually. Then he got up, dusted himself off, and sauntered away with a swagger.
After thinking it over, Han Xiaoxiao left with Ye Ciqing.
Watching the two walk away, the instructor honorably let them go without stopping them. Then he fixed his gaze on Ye Yiqing.
Ye Yiqing stood opposite him with his katana in hand, staring at the instructor. The two faced off like that.
"I admire you. You've attained such strength without a special ability," the instructor said suddenly, praising him as he held his blade.
"Not at all. You're very strong yourself, Instructor," Ye Yiqing replied modestly, though his eyes remained fixed on the instructor.
"No." The instructor lowered his eyes. "I'm not strong at all. If I didn't have my special ability right now, I'd be no match for you even if my full cultivation realm were restored." As he spoke, the instructor grew even more downcast.
"Don't say that, Instructor. Your special ability is your talent, while swordsmanship is mine. Everyone's talents are different. You can't compare someone else's talent to your own weakness," Ye Yiqing counseled gently.
"Is that so..." The instructor listened to Ye Yiqing's words thoughtfully, though his gaze remained downcast.
Seeing the instructor's sword hand slowly droop, Ye Yiqing charged forward without hesitation.
But suddenly, he seemed to notice something and forcibly stopped his charge.
Then he looked up at the sky.
An indescribable creature was in free fall, coming down in their direction.
The creature wore the same camouflage uniform as Ye Yiqing, and its figure looked human as well.
It was just that the creature's hands and back seemed to be covered in strange tentacles, a sight that was genuinely a little nauseating.
Ye Yiqing hesitated as he looked at the strange creature about to crash into him.
In the end, he steeled his heart and reached out to catch it.
As Hela plummeted, Ye Yiqing suddenly caught her in one arm. She blinked her large peach-pink eyes and looked at him.
Seeing that the creature really was human, and a girl at that, Ye Yiqing immediately breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad he had gambled correctly. Then he let go.
Hela stood there, staring blankly at Ye Yiqing. The tentacle-like whips on her hands and the two bone whips behind her swayed slowly.
But rather than feeling disgusted or afraid at the sight, Ye Yiqing even had a flash of excitement in his eyes.
Seeing that Hela was still looking at him, Ye Yiqing hurriedly hid the excitement in his eyes, then coughed lightly twice.
"H-hello, miss." Ye Yiqing was as refined and courteous as ever, though a little awkward this time.
When Hela saw someone greeting her, she immediately introduced herself.
"Hello, my name is Hela. I'm a [Symbiote], and my symbiotic partner is [HeLa Cell]," Hela said without emotion, as though reciting a lesson.
Ye Yiqing, however, didn't mind at all. Instead, he gave a polite little bow and introduced himself in turn.
"My name is Ye Yiqing. I'm Ye Ciqing's older brother, and I'm not an ability user."
Hela nodded, then began looking around.
When Hela's gaze fell on the bells at the instructor's waist, she immediately locked onto her target.
Ye Yiqing, standing nearby, also saw what Hela intended and chuckled softly.
"All right, Miss Hela, sorry for the trouble, but let's team up to snatch the bells." Then he looked at the instructor opposite them, who was already somewhat dumbfounded, and spoke with a mix of sympathy and helplessness.
"Sorry, Instructor. It looks like you'll have to hand over your bells today." With that, he resumed his fighting stance, while Hela charged straight ahead.
The instructor was startled to see Hela charging at him. He quickly retreated, controlling two straight blades to stab at her in an attempt to stop her.
Both straight blades struck Hela squarely, running her through.
The instructor froze for a moment, his retreat noticeably stalling for a brief instant.
But Hela didn't slow down. Once she was within attack range, she swung the countless tentacles on her left hand and one of the bone whips behind her without hesitation.
The instructor reacted and immediately ducked. The bone whip grazed his hair as it swept over his head.
At the same time, he quickly swung his sword, using the back of the blade to deflect the slender tentacles, before putting distance between them once more.
But he had only taken a few steps back when another arc of sword qi, shaped like a shark fin, swept toward where his next step would land. The instructor desperately stopped in his tracks.
What followed, however, was Ye Yiqing's merciless katana. Helpless, the instructor could only tighten his grip on his straight blade and trade blows with Ye Yiqing.
Seeing his two straight blades embedded in Hela, the instructor didn't know what to do for a moment. He didn't dare pull them out, for fear that she would bleed to death.
The instructor really hadn't lied earlier. Without his special ability, he truly was no match for Ye Yiqing now.