ked this name because calligraphy is his ultimate passion and thousands of writing brushes had turned bald in his hands from practicing. It is not because he is baldheaded. Please don’t confuse one with the other.”

“Got it!” Linghu Chong acknowledged with a smile.

Reaching out with his right index finger, the man named Mr. Bald-Brush stared at the “Willful Book” and began writing in the air following the ticks and strokes in the calligraphy work, his mind completely imbedded in his own world. Not only didn’t he cast a single glance toward Xiang Wentian or Linghu Chong, apparently he didn’t even hear a word from Mr. Paint’s introduction.

Suddenly, Linghu Chong felt a shock in his heart. “Brother Xiang must have planned this way beforehand. When I first met him in the roadside pavilion, he was already carrying this package behind his back,” he thought to himself. But then he had a second though. “At that time, the package did not necessarily contain those two scrolls. Maybe, along our journey, in order to get the four Masters of the Plum Manor to treat my injury, he went outside and bought them, or even stole or snatched them, when I was resting in the inn. Hmm, he most likely stole them. Where can he find such invaluable artwork for sale anywhere?”

He could hear the slight sound made by strong energy force tearing through air when that Mr. Bald-Brush wrote in the air with his finger. The powerful internal strength shown was in par with that of Mr. Black-White. “My internal injury was caused by the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies and Great Master No Commandment,” he thought. “It seems that the internal strength cultivation of the three Plum Manor Masters is no less than that of the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies and Great Master No Commandment. The first Plum Manor Master might be even more powerful. Together with Brother Xiang, all five of them working together, they perhaps can heal my injury. I certainly hope it would not cost them great inner energy exhaustion.”

Xiang Wentian did not wait for Mr. Bald-Brush to finish. He quickly rolled the “Willful Book” back into a scroll and put it back into the package.

Mr. Bald-Brush stared at Xiang Wentian in great disbelief. After a long while, he finally said, “What do you want in exchange?”

“I don’t want to exchange it for anything.” Xiang Wentian shook his head.

“How about the twenty-eight moves of Stone-Drum[14] Acupoint-Hitting Brush Kung Fu?” Mr. Bald-Brush proposed.

“No!” Mr. Black-White and Mr. Paint shouted in chorus.

“Yes! Why not? If I could use it in exchange for this genuine Crazy Grass work of Zhang Xu, why should I feel pity for losing my Stone-Drum Acupoint-Hitting Brush Kung Fu?” Mr. Bald-Brush disagreed.

“No!” Xiang Wentian shook his head once again.

“Then why did you show it to me?” Mr. Bald-Brush asked anxiously.

“Well, my mistake then. Third Master, just pretend you have never seen it before,” Xiang Wentian answered.

“But I have seen it. How can I just pretend I have never seen it?” Mr. Bald-Brush rejected.

“If Third Master really wants to acquire this genuine work of Zhang Xu, it’s not difficult at all. All you have to do is to accept our wager,” Xiang Wentian said.

“What’s the wager?” Mr. Bald-Brush asked hurriedly.

“Third Brother,” Mr. Paint cut in, “this mister here is a little bit out of his mind. He wants to make a wager that no one in our Plum Manor could beat the sword arts of this friend Feng from the Huashan School.”

“What if someone could beat his sword arts? What then?” Mr. Bald-Brush asked.

“If someone in the Plum Manor, regardless of whom, can beat my Brother Feng’s long sword, then I’ll give this genuine ‘Willful Book’ of Zhang Xu away to the Third Master for free, and leave that authentic painting by Fan Kuan, ‘Traveler in Mount Brook’, to Fourth Master as a gift. I’ll also write down the twenty famous Go games played by fairies, ghosts, and immortals that I’ve memorized and give them to the Second Master,” Xiang Wentian explained.

“How about our Big Brother? What are you giving to him?” Mr. Bald-Brush asked.

“I have this music score of the ‘Guang-Ling Song’. Maybe the First Master….”

“Guang-Ling Song?” the three Masters of the Plum Manor cried out all together before Xiang Wentian even finished his sentence.

Linghu Chong also felt a shock. “Wasn’t it Elder Qu who found the ‘Guang-Ling Song’ music score after digging through numerous ancient tombs and composed it into the ‘Smiling Proud Wanderer’ song? Where did Brother Xiang get it?” he couldn’t help but ponder. Then he realized, “Brother Xiang was the Right Counselor of the Demon’s Cult, and Elder Qu was an Elder of the Demon’s Cult. They were probably on friendly terms with each other. And when Elder Qu got hold of this music score, in the great joy, he of course would tell Brother Xiang about it. If Brother Xiang had wanted to borrow it and make a copy, Elder Qu, for sure, wouldn’t have any problem with it.” At the thought that the music score was still present while the founder had perished, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

“Ever since Ji Kang died, the ‘Guang-Ling Song’ had been lost forever. Brother Tong, aren’t these words of yours a bit deceitful?” Mr. Bald-Brush shook his head in disbelief.

“I have an intimate friend, who is obsessed with zither music. He said that everybody believes that after Ji Kang died, there is no more ‘Guang-Ling Song’ under the sun. Undoubtedly, this music score had fallen into oblivion after the Western Jin Dynasty, but what about before the Western Jin Dynasty?” Xiang Wentian grinned.

Mr. Bald-Brush and the other two Masters glanced at each other blankly; none could understand what Xiang Wentian’s words meant.

“This friend of mine possesses extraordinary mentalities. Furthermore, he is not the kind who shies from committing all kinds of outrages. So he began excavating in famous Pre-Jin Dynasty zither players’ tombs. A willful man will have his way. After digging through dozens of ancient tombs, he finally found the music score manuscripts in the tomb of Cai Yi, the famous musician of the Eastern Han Dynasty.”

Both Mr. Bald-Brush and Mr. Paint let out a slight cry of surprise. Mr. Black-White nodded slowly and exclaimed, “Intelligent and courageous! Extraordinary!”

Xiang Wentian opened his package and then took out a booklet with the words “Guang-Ling Song Music Score” written on the cover. He turned a few pages through it casually. Sure enough, it had music notes recorded in it.

“Brother Feng,” Xiang Wentian said after he handed the booklet to Linghu Chong, “if anyone in the Plum Manor beats your sword arts, please give this music score to the First Master of the Plum Manor.”

Linghu Chong took the booklet and placed it into his chest pocket. “This could have been Elder Qu’s relic. Since Elder Qu has passed away, what’s so difficult if Brother Xiang wanted to pick out the music score, himself?” he thought to himself.

“Brother Feng, here, is well accomplished in the art of wine; his sword skills must be just as excellent. But he is only a young man; it’s hardly possible that within our Plum Manor…ha-ha, isn’t that a bit ridiculous?” Mr. Paint grinned.

“If it is true that no one within our Plum Manor can overcome young hero Feng, what do we lose?” Mr. Black-White asked.

Although Linghu Chong had the agreement with Xiang Wentian beforehand that he would let Xiang arrange everything, he didn’t expect things to turn out this way and felt that Xiang Wentian had gone a bit too far. Weren’t they here to ask for a healing treatment? How could they be so arrogant and belittling the hosts so much? Besides, he had lost all his inner strength. How could he be a match for these very capable masters of the Plum Manor? At that thought, he opened his mouth.

“Brother Tong always likes to make jokes. How dare I, an insignificant junior who lags greatly behind in the understanding of martial arts, deliberate sword arts and exchange moves with the Masters of the Plum Manor?”

“These polite remarks are, of course, necessary; otherwise people would have called you a conceited swordsman,” Xiang Wentian said.

Mr. Bald-Brush didn’t seem to have heard any of these words, instead, he muttered, “‘Three drinks turns Zhang Xu into Sage of Grass; baring his head before nobility he showed no class; wielding his writing brush he pours clouds onto papers in a blast.’ Second Brother, Zhang Xu was known as the Sage of Grass, the ultimate master in Grass Style calligraphy. This is how Du Fu wrote about him in the poem ‘Eight Drinking Saints Song’. He was also one of the ‘Eight Drinking Saints’. Just by looking at the ‘Willful Book’ you can probably imagine how he waved his writing brush about after drinking to his heart’s content. Well, it is so powerful and unstrained like a heavenly steed soaring across the skies. Just Brilliant! Just Brilliant!”

“Yep! If he likes to drink, then he must be an awesome guy, and of course the stuff he writes can’t be bad at all,” Mr. Paint agreed.

“Han Yu[15] also wrote about Zhang Xu in his poem: ‘Joy, anger, shame, or uneasiness; depression, sorrow, happiness, or leisure; hatred or aspiration. Inebriated and tipsy, when discontent is felt in the heart, he let it flow through his writing brush in Grass Style.’ This mister and we are just of the same kind. When discontent is felt in the heart, let it flow in writing the Grass Style, as if with a flick of the sword, happy we become!” Mr. Bald-Brush continued. Raising his finger once again, he began writing in the air. After a few strokes, he said to Xiang Wentian, “Hey, come on, let me take another look.”

Xiang Wentian shook his head. “Once Third Master wins the contest, this calligraphy book would have become yours. There is no need to be impatient.” He grinned.

Mr. Black-White was an export in gamesmanship and always had careful consideration of the overall situation. Before thinking about winning, he was already considering the consequences of a defeat.

“If on one within the Plum Manor could defeat Brother Feng’s sword arts, what kind of stakes would we be losing?” he inquired again.

“We have come to the Plum Manor with no intent for any favor or any item. All Brother Feng wants is to come to the ultimate summit of world martial arts and have the opportunity to exchange the understandings of sword arts with the best martial artists in this world. If, with any luck, we end up winning the contest, we’ll turn around and leave right away without asking for any stake from you,” Xiang Wentian answered.

“I see. This Hero Feng has come for fame. Defeating the ‘Four Playfellows of Jiangnan’ in succession will, indeed, gain him great fame in the Martial World,” Mr. Black-White said.

“Second Master, you’ve thought it wrong,” Xiang Wentian replied as he shook his head. “After today’s sword contest in the Plum Manor, regardless of who the winner is, if even one word about it leaks out, Brother Feng and I will stand condemned by Heaven, and we are no better than dog’s droppings.”

“Good, good! I like your frankness,” Mr. Paint remarked. “This room here is very spacious. Let me exchange a few moves with Brother Feng right here then. Brother Feng, where is your sword?”

“We are not bold enough to bring weapons to the Plum Manor,” Xiang Wentian replied with a smile.

“Bring me two swords,” Mr. Paint shouted out.

Someone answered from outside the room and soon Ding Jian and Shi Lingwei returned, each holding a sword with both hands. Walking in front of Mr. Paint, they bowed and presented the swords. Picking up the sword from Ding Jian’s hands, Mr. Paint said to Shi Lingwei, “Give that sword to him.”

“Yes,” Shi Lingwei acknowledged and then walked in front of Linghu Chong, holding the sword high with both hands.

Feeling very embarrassed about this entire matter, Linghu Chong turned his head and glanced at Xiang Wentian.

“The Fourth Master of the Plum Manor has reached the acme in the understanding of sword arts. Brother Feng, even if you could only learn one move or one technique from him, you would still benefit from it the rest of your life,” Xiang Wentian affirmed.

Linghu Chong knew that under the current circumstance, this sword contest had become inevitable. Having no other alternatives, he took the sword with both hands, bowing slightly.

“Hold it, Fourth Brother,” Mr. Black-White spoke up suddenly. “This Brother Tong here has put up a wager that no one in our Plum Manor can defeat Brother Feng. Ding Jian also knows how to use a sword, and he is also part of the Plum Manor. You don’t necessarily have to do it yourself.” The more confident Xiang Wentian sounded, the more worried he became. So he decided to let Ding Jian take the challenge first and test the water. He knew that Ding Jian possessed excellent skills in sword arts; besides, Ding was only a servant in the Plum Manor. Even if Ding lost the fight, there would have been no harm done to the great name of the Plum Manor. And with this test, they would be able to tell how good or bad this Feng Er-Zhong’s skills in sword arts actually were.

“Sure, sure! As long as a person from the Plum Manor defeats my Brother Feng’s sword arts, it counts as our defeat. It doesn’t have to be the four masters themselves. Brother Ding here has earned the nickname ‘Straight Line Lightning Sword’ in the Martial World. His sword moves are so fast. Such speed is rarely seen in the world. Brother Feng, it will be good for you if you check out Brother Ding’s Straight Line Lightning Sword first.” Xiang Wentian did not object.

Mr. Paint tossed his long sword toward Ding Jian. “If you lose, you’ll be going to Turpan to transport wine for me as your punishment.” He grinned.

Ding Jian caught the long sword with a blow and turned toward Linghu Chong. “Ding Jian here thanks Mister Feng for the chance of the sword match,” he said. A short ring echoed as he drew his sword.

Linghu Chong also drew his sword and set the sheath on the stone table.

“Three Masters, Brother Ding, this is a contest of sword arts, so there’s no need to compete in the inner strength department,” Xiang Wentian spoke up again.

“Of course both sides will know when to stop,” Mr. Black-White commented.

“Brother Feng,” Xiang Wentian turned to Linghu Chong, “you have to promise to not use any inner strength in the match. We are having a contest of sword arts. The one with fine and intimate moves wins the match and the one with crude and sluggish moves loses it. The inner energy cultivation method of your Huashan School is very well-known in the Martial World. If you use your inner strength to achieve victory, then it counts as our defeat.”

Linghu Chong almost laughed at these words. He thought to himself, “Brother Xiang knew very well that I don’t have any bit of inner strength. He is using these words to trick them.” So he said, “If I use my inner strength, for sure the three Masters, Brother Ding and Brother Shi will laugh their teeth off. I certainly dare not to use any bit of it.”

“We’ve come to the Plum Manor with complete sincerity. If Brother Feng keep sticking to etiquette and being too modest, that would be disrespectful to the four senior masters. Everyone in the Martial world knows that the ‘Divine Art of Violet Twilight’ of your Huashan School is far superior to the inner strength cultivation method of our Songshan School. Brother Feng, why don’t you stand in these two footprints of mine when you spar with Brother Ding and make sure you don’t move your feet?”

After these words, Xiang Wentian took a few steps aside, and two footprints, each almost two inches deep, appeared on two bricks on the floor. It turned out that while he was speaking he had shifted his inner strength to his feet and stamped two footprints on the bricks with shear force.

“Excellent Kung Fu!” Mr. Black-White, Mr. Bald-Brush, and Mr. Paint cheered in chorus.

Seeing how Xiang Wentian had shifted his inner strength to the bottom of his feet as he spoke without turning a hair, and there was not a single broken brick piece in the footprints he created, while the depth of the two footprints were exactly identical and the footprints were so smooth as though someone had carved it out carefully, they could tell that Xiang Wentian’s inner strength had reached an incredible level, which was way above the inner strength level of their own. They all thought that Xiang Wentian was just showing off his inner strength. Although such an affected performance appeared shallow, not something a true martial arts master would have done, his amazing inner strength cultivation was still very admirable. None had a clue that Xiang Wentian actually had profound meaning in his action.

Linghu Chong had no problem understanding Xiang Wentian’s behavior. Xiang had been propagating that his inner strength cultivation was superior to that of Xiang’s. If Xiang’s inner strength had been so extraordinary, then his could only have been more formidable, then when the match started, his opponents would not be bold enough to use inner strength against him, fearing of bringing disgrace to oneself. Besides, except for the skills in sword arts, he was no good in any other Kung Fu skills, and leaping and springing about were certainly not his good qualities. By standing in the two footprints and only use sword arts in the spar, he could easily hide his inadequacy.

When Ding Jian heard Xiang Wentian suggesting Linghu Chong to have the sword fight with him while standing still in the two footprints, he couldn’t help but feel greatly annoyed by the obvious contempt. But the profound inner strength Xiang Wentian showed by leaving footprints on bricks also astounded him. “If they are bold enough to challenge our four Masters, they could not have been ordinary. If I can get a draw out of the fight, I would have made a great contribution to the Plum Manor of the Lone Hill,” he thought to himself.

He used to be an extremely arrogant swordsman in former years, but later he encountered a very formidable enemy. He was taken prisoner and was put through many torments. Fortunately the “Four Playfellows of Jiangnan” rescued him and set him free. That was when he decided to join the Plum Manor and willingly took on the job of a servant. After so many years, the fierceness and boldness inside him had almost died out entirely.

“Brother Ding, please!” Linghu Chong stepped into the footprints made by Xiang Wentian and said with a smile.

“Please excuse my lack of manners,” Ding Jian apologized. He brandished his long sword transversely and suddenly, a long, white flash shot across everyone’s eyes like a lightning, accompanied by the slight sound of the blade cutting through the air.

Although he had been living in seclusion in the Plum Manor for over ten years, his Kung Fu skills had not declined a bit. The sword art he used was named the “Straight Line Lightning Sword Art,” and every time when a move in the sword art form was executed, it looked as though a lightning had just shot across the sky. The dazzling effect was so dramatic that it would have easily stunned the opponent and put fear in his heart. The formidable enemy that had once defeated him was a blind loner robber. Because the man was completely blind and used his hearing to detect Ding Jian’s sword moves, the awe-inspiring atmosphere created by the “Straight Line Lightning Sword” had no effect on him. At this moment when he put the sword art to good use, suddenly, the entire room had been filled with dazzling lightning flares.

But only after the first move of the “Straight Line Lightning Sword” was put to display, Linghu Chong had identified three major flaws in the sword art. Ding Jian didn’t rush with his attack and simply waved his sword about as though he was showing a good amount of manners to a guest of the manor when in truth, he really intended to dazzle and slacken Linghu Chong so he would not be able to withstand the sharp attacking moves following behind.

By the time Ding Jian was on his fifth move, Linghu Chong had already counted a total of eighteen flaws in his sword moves. “Excuse me,” he said as he thrust his long sword out at an oblique angle.

At the moment Ding Jian was in the middle of sweeping his sword from the left to the right in a rapid swing. Although the blade of Linghu Chong’s sword was still two feet and six inches from his wrist, but the swing would have sent his own wrist toward the naked blade, and since the sweep was too rapid and carried too much strength, it was already impossible to take it back.

“Look out!” the five bystanders called out in unison as if by prior agreement.

Mr. Black-White happened to be holding two game pieces, one black and one white, in his palm. Just when he was about to shoot them at Linghu Chong’s long sword to save Ding Jian’s hand from being cutting off, a thought popped into his head, “If I help Ding Jian out by interfering with the contest, that would make the fight two against one, then clearly the Plum Manor would have lost the match and there would be no need for any further contest.” Amid his hesitancy, Dian Jian’s wrist had swept toward the sword blade speedily while Shi Lingwei uttered a loud cry of panic.

At the faction of the second, Linghu Chong turned his wrist gently, turning the blade of the sword sideways. With a light clap, Ding Jian’s wrist hit the flat side of the sword, and to all the audiences’ pleasant surprise, his wrist didn’t suffer even the slightest damage. Only after a short daze did Ding Jian realize that his opponent had really shown great leniency. Within that fraction of a second, he had been fortunate enough to keep his hand. If his wrist had been cut, all his Kung Fu skills would have been ruined. Covered with cold sweat, he bowed down deeply.

“I am utterly grateful for the mercy Hero Feng has shown with his sword.”

“I don’t really deserve it!” Linghu Chong also bowed back.

Witnessing how Linghu Chong had turned his long sword to spare Ding Jian from bloodshed, Mr. Black-White, Mr. Bald-Brush, and Mr. Brush all felt their favor toward Linghu Chong growing rapidly. Mr. Paint poured a cup with wine and then raised it with both hands.

“Brother Feng, your sword skills are marvelous. Here’s a toast for you!” he said.

“You flatter me!” Linghu Chong replied. Taking the wine cup from Mr. Paint, he drank it up.

Mr. Paint also drank a cup of wine in accompany. Filling the wine cup in Linghu Chong’s hands again, he said, “Brother Feng, you are a man with great mercy and spared Ding Jian’s hand. That calls for another toast.”

“It was just a coincident. There’s nothing to it,” Linghu Chong answered and drank up his wine, holding the cup with both hands.

After drinking a cup in accompany, Mr. Paint filled the cup once again.

“Let’s hold on to the third cup here, shall we? Let’s have our play first, and whoever loses the match will have to drink the third cup as his penalty,” he said.

“I’ll be losing the match naturally. Why don’t I drink it first?” Linghu Chong showed a big grin.

“No hurry! No hurry!” Mr. Paint shook his hand in disapproval. Setting the wine cup onto the stone table, he grabbed the long sword from Ding Jian’s hands. “Brother Feng, you go first.”

At the time of the first two cups of wine, Linghu Chong had already been deliberating inwardly, “He claims that he is addicted to, firstly, the art of wine, secondly, the art of painting, and thirdly, the art of sword, then his skills in the sword art had to be very exceptional. Judging from that celestial beings painting of his at the reception hall, the strokes are no doubt swift and fierce, however, it seems that he had some problem discipline himself. If his sword moves are comparable to his painting techniques, then they must have many flaws.” Bowing down respectfully, he said, “Fourth Master, I beg for your clemency.”

“Don’t be too modest. Go ahead, show your moves,” Mr. Paint said.

“Yes!” Linghu Chong answered.

Raising his long sword, he thrust it at Mr. Paint’s shoulder. The thrust was both skewed and tremulous. It obviously carried no strength, nor did it follow any methodical sword art principles. There simply could not have had a sword move like this amongst all possible sword arts in the entire world.

“What the hack is this?” Mr. Paint cried out, astounded.

Since he knew that Linghu Chong was a member of the Huashan Sword School, he had been pondering over the many sword art forms of the Huashan School in his mind. Who would have thought that when the first move was shown, it was nothing like it? Not only wasn’t it a move from the Huashan Style Sword Arts, it couldn’t even be called a sword move.

Ever since Linghu Chong studied the art of sword from Feng Qingyang, he not only learned the world-prominent “Dugu Nine Swords,” but also grasped “overcoming a move without a move” the ultimate gist in the art of sword. This gist and the theory behind the “Dugu Nine Swords” supplement each other. Though the profoundness and subtlety of the “Dugu Nine Swords” had reached the extreme as a sword art form, it contained moves and techniques after all, which were still traceable. But once one applied the principle of “overcoming a move without a move” to it, it became even more volatile and unpredictable, leaving no mark for the opponent to fathom. Therefore, when Linghu Chong made the thrust, Mr. Paint was immediately stunned, not knowing what would be the right way to block it using his own sword. Very confused, he took two paces back to dodge it.

When Linghu Chong made Ding Jian threw down his sword and gave in with only one move, although Mr. Black-White and Mr. Bald-Brush both praised Linghu Chong’s sword skills inwardly, neither of them found the result surprising, thinking that if he was bold enough to challenge the Plum Manor, it would have been ridiculous if he couldn’t even defeat a servant of the Plum Manor. After seeing how Mr. Paint was forced to retreat two steps by his first thrust, they found themselves astounded.

After retreating two paces back, Mr. Paint charged two paces forward right away. Linghu Chong sent another thrust out with his long sword, this time aiming at the upper left side of Mr. Paint’s body. This thrust was, again, just a random thrust that did not follow any of the general sword art principles. Mr. Paint wanted to fend it off with a side swing of his sword, but before the two swords even collided, he immediately realized that the opponent’s sword tip had shifted into a slanting angle pointing toward the lower right costal region, which was wide open, and if the opponent took advantage of this weakness in defense, the situation would be beyond redemption. That meant the block would be very unwise. In desperation, he changed his move instantly. With a quick push to the ground, he sprang backward over ten feet.

“Excellent sword skills!” he shouted out and charged forward once again without any delay. Putting his entire weight behind the sword, he drove the blade toward Linghu Chong in great speed. This was a thrust with overwhelming power.

Noticing an obvious flaw at Mr. Paint’s bending right arm, Linghu Chong swung the long sword in no time and chopped toward his right elbow. If Mr. Paint did not change his move midway, then his right elbow would be cut off before he could incur any damage to his opponent. But Mr. Paint was a true swordsman with great skills. In the great hurry, he quickly lowered his wrist and thrust his sword at the floor. Relying on the counterforce from the floor, he flipped backward and landed steadily in over twenty feet. At the time his back was only a few inches from the wall. If he had used a little bit more strength when he executed the back flip, his back would have collided with the wall, which would have undoubtedly put a big dent on his reputation as a Martial Arts Grandmaster. But even so, the escape was simply too awkward, and his face showed some slight purplish red from the rush.

Being an open-minded and generous person, Mr. Paint laughed out, instead. Raising his left thumb, he uttered, “Excellent sword skills!” Waving his long sword vigorously, he launched a move “White Aurora Shooting the Sun,” which was then changed to “Willow Wickers Fluttering in the Spring Breeze,” which in turn changed to the “Mounting Flood-Dragon and the Soaring Phoenix.” The three moves were completed without any letup. It looked as though he didn’t ever move his feet, but once the three moves were executed, the tip of his long sword had reached Linghu Chong’s face.

Linghu Chong tilted his sword and smacked down gently, the flat side of his sword pushing down against the middle ridge of Mr. Paint’s long sword. The gentle smack was executed with such accuracy in its positioning and timing. At that exact moment when Mr. Paint thrust his sword forward, his strength and energy were all concentrating on the tip of the sword, and the middle ridge of the sword carried no strength at all. As a light clank echoed, the long sword in his hand sank helplessly. Linghu Chong snapped his wrist gently and sent his long sword forward, pointing directly at Mr. Paint’s solar plexus.

“Ah!” Mr. Paint cried out and leapt to the left. Folding his left hand into a sword finger form, he charged forward, waving the long sword in his right hand fiercely. This time he resorted to forceful hacks and chops, bringing his sword swishing down through the air. “Watch out!” he shouted.

He didn’t really want to injure Linghu Chong. But this strike named “Jade Dragon Hanging Upside Down” was extremely swift and fierce. If the opponent had overlooked it and he couldn’t rein in his own force in time, he was afraid that the strike might actually wound the opponent.

“Got it!” Linghu Chong acknowledged as he poked his long sword upward. With a slight rustle, the edge of his sword sliced upward right next to the side of Mr. Paint’s sword.

If Mr. Paint followed through with the sword strike, before his blade could rea