Chapter Fifty-Two: The Void Severing Slash

(Gongsun, how are things on your side—)

Attempting to reach his friend via telepathy, Renyi Shiyu slightly closed his eyes at the roar of a gray-haired youth.

(Finally, you’re here, Shiyu! Things are in utter chaos now. I have a ton of stuff to confirm with you! Do you know that blue-clad, dual-sword-wielding, quarrelsome Uncertain Envoy?!)

(I believe you mean Mingke.)

(What level do you think he is among the Uncertain Envoys? Are you and Shiyu Ling at that level? Higher? Or perhaps...)

The young man in the suit unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter and answered silently in his mind.

Upon hearing the reply, even the usually talkative Gongsun Ce fell silent.

(...Thanks, I understand.)

(Gongsun, don’t be reckless.)

(I know what I’m doing, don’t worry. Shiyu, if I want to achieve that effect...)

The gray-haired youth slowly described the outcome he envisioned from the exchange.

(What price would you have to pay? Be honest, don’t lie to me.)

Renyi Shiyu glanced to his side; the blonde woman in the passenger seat was excitedly taking pictures of the aerial train.

(At most, it’s only a few minutes of freedom, with virtually no risk.)

(In that case, I’ll leave it to you.)

Renyi Shiyu sighed silently.

(Is this really a battle plan?)

(What can I do? We have to try to see if it works! By the way, is the young lady with you? She didn’t get caught up in this, right?)

(I thought Qin Qianbo was with you.)

(That can’t be...)

Both of them, separated by distance, looked up simultaneously at the blue train drifting through the sky.

·

Mingke’s blade was about 1.7 meters long.

Judging by length alone, it was about the height of an average person.

An overly long weapon increases attack range but is disadvantageous in close quarters. Perhaps if one could get close enough to Mingke’s side, an opportunity might be found...

Should I try to close the distance?

“—!”

Qin Qianbo narrowly sidestepped in a life-or-death moment, the long blade sliding close along her forearm, severing only a single strand of hair fluttering in the air.

No need to even think about it. It was impossible.

The gap in skill was not something that could be bridged so easily.

She was a rare genius of the Qin clan, trained in martial arts since childhood without a single day of slackening. Through innate talent and hard work, she advanced rapidly along the martial path, surpassing countless peers and predecessors to reach a realm tread by only a handful.

And Mingke had already transcended that realm.

This was an inevitable result.

Even if they shared similar talent, the years of experience and accumulated knowledge she had were far less than his. Not to mention, he wielded the only weapon of its kind in the world...

The dusk-colored Ming Blade.

“Hmm.”

Mingke raised his blade and turned as if to guard.

He tentatively thrust the blade forward. In response came four lightning-fast consecutive slashes.

The first was a vertical cut that sliced the throat; the second, a backhand that severed the right arm; the third, a sweeping strike aimed at the abdomen; the final blow targeted the heart, piercing through it.

One could trace the trajectories and predict the flow of attacks, but...

“...”

She dodged again, narrowly evading each strike.

She could not confront the Ming Blade with the ink blade.

The clashes at the sides were the utmost limit; the Ming Blade’s slashes could not be blocked. This had nothing to do with the weapon’s material — even a divine weapon forged from the special alloys of the White Coats would be cleaved like paper before the Ming Blade.

“Hah...”

Exhaling a breath of stale air, she struggled to control her breath, keeping it steady.

Mingke, seeing her slash the ink blade in a restraining move, chose not to respond.

The man asked expectantly,

“Do you have more moves?”

The girl replied calmly,

“This is only just the beginning.”

“Oh...”

Not out of tactical consideration but from a desire to enjoy the fight, Mingke took a step back.

At this moment, he was enjoying himself even more than when facing ten adversaries earlier.

The enemy’s intention could not be hidden.

Opponents who come merely to stall, no matter how skilled, lack genuine fighting spirit. Without the will to fight, there is no joy to be found.

Sensing the opponent’s intent requires no technique; it is a warrior’s instinct. Qin Qianbo understood the gap between them better than anyone, yet she truly desired to defeat him, just as Shiyu Renyi had sought a deal that day. Her words, eyes, and actions overflowed with the resolve to overcome the enemy—

This was a worthy opponent. Only such a foe could possibly provoke a move worthy of his admiration.

Curiosity, interest, impatience—the emotions within him surged. How wonderful!

What moves will you use?

Do you have any hope of defeating me?

·

The possibility of defeating this man was zero.

She was fully aware of the gap in their combat power. Defeating him with sheer strength or more refined technique was impossible.

Therefore, she had to approach it from the impossible angle. She had to create a weakness in the flawless Mingke—

“Hah!”

Planting one foot, she charged forward with her blade.

Using every ounce of strength her body contained, her speed was so fast that even the blood coursing through her veins seemed slow. Thoughts ceased; she let her body act on pre-planned instinct and warrior’s intuition.

Faster, even faster—faster than the speed of sound...

Faster than the speed of thought!

Describing it as movement was too conservative; it was more akin to disappearing. Her actions exceeded the perception of the human eye—no afterimage remained as the rapid strike caused the air to tremble!

A flash of black lightning danced in the air, the ink blade cutting diagonally toward the blue-clad man’s body—

“I see it.”

Mingke gauged the distance and stepped back once more; the ink blade brushed past his clothes without the slightest harm.

In sheer instantaneous speed, Qin Qianbo undoubtedly held the advantage. However, Mingke’s move had been made even earlier—he had already seen through his opponent’s intentions before she began, capturing her purpose before the thought could even form. This skill was akin to foresight, robbing the only fairness in battle—that both fought on the same time axis!

Responding to present attacks with future awareness ensured he would never lose.

Qin Qianbo, unable to reach this realm, could not land a strike on Qin Ming standing there.

This was a hopeless chasm no amount of talent or effort could bridge.

Therefore, she had no chance of defeating this man.

—Since that was the case, she would make strategy based on that premise.

Attacking on the assumption of failure, striking with empty swings as the foundation!

The ink blade grazed Mingke’s garment, and at the same time...

The blue robe, untouched by any attack, was suddenly torn at the corner!

“Oh?”

Without time to observe her opponent’s face, the girl slashed the ink blade again at empty space.

This time, countless sounds of air being cleaved echoed around Mingke.

“—Void Severing Slash.”

Head, throat, ribs, heart, left wrist, right arm, abdomen, groin, both thighs, ankles. At the instant his attention was diverted, ten invisible slashes struck various parts of Mingke’s body!

[Initial Evolution]

The unforeseen Void Severing Slash formed an intangible and inescapable “net.” This surpassed martial skill, entering the supernatural realm. Such an attack was impossible through mere technique, but Qin Qianbo could execute such an unthinkable strike.

Because she was a psychic!

“I see, you’ve fixed the trajectory of your slashes!”

As Mingke had said, the principle was this:

If you cannot hit your enemy, use that to your advantage, turning your missed strikes into momentum for your next attack.

Every time she failed, she solidified the air her blade’s tip had passed through. Using each defeat in battle, she accumulated invisible blades. When she failed utterly on the final strike, she linked all the traces into a single slash, unleashing an impossible all-around attack!

This was a tactic never seen in ordinary combat—one mistake and the opponent would see through the truth. Only with confidence both in oneself and the enemy—and the acceptance that one’s best efforts would fail—could such an impossible attack be realized!

“Well done!”

Mingke praised as he struck out. The dusky yellow light of his blade flickered like a venomous serpent’s tongue, its trajectory inscrutable and its speed breathtaking. In his hands, the long blade moved with the dexterity of a short dagger.

With just this one strike, Qin Qianbo’s Void Severing Slash was completely shattered!

The expressionless girl closed in at his side, the black blade slashing toward Mingke’s left flank. Timing, speed, force—all perfect. Even the head of the Qin clan could find no fault in this strike. Yet...

It was only perfect in theory. Only a foreseeable perfection.

The Ming Blade surged, cleaving the ink blade in two, its tip flicking toward the girl’s lips.

The victor of this duel would be decided here!

“Oh.”

The one raising an eyebrow was not the girl but Mingke.

Because at this moment, the broken ink blade had transformed into a different weapon!

Qin Qianbo was not only an unparalleled martial artist but also a psychic honed over three years with Gongsun Ce. Defeat in martial skill was compensated by a shift in her abilities. The long handle reverted to flowing water, reshaping into a long hook, intercepting Mingke’s blade at the last moment; the blade’s body swung into a long sword, the tip aimed straight at Mingke’s heart!

A secret technique taught in childhood by Qin Ming, based on wielding dual weapons.

Qin Secret Technique: Sun and Moon.

Before the Ming Blade could strike back, the ink sword pierced Mingke’s chest.

The outcome was decided.

·

Mingke sincerely admired her—admired her as a junior, admired her as an opponent.

Wonderful.

She had exploited the blind spot in his thinking, used his combat habits against him, and pushed everything within herself to the utmost limit—a strike born of indomitable will.

Using the technique created by Qin Ming, she had defeated Mingke’s long blade.

Very well done.

As an elder and an opponent, he must respond.

Out of respect for her technique and the one who wielded it—

Thus, the short blade was drawn.

“—Crescent Moon.”

The sharp blade cut forward, its path as beautiful as a crescent moon.

The blade shimmered with the same dusky yellow as the Ming Blade.

The ink sword shattered. The long hook broke.

With this one move, the tide of battle reversed instantly.

Both long and short blades struck simultaneously. No means of resistance came to mind.

Abandoned thoughts returned to her mind.

As expected.

She could not defeat this man.

Qin Qianbo closed her eyes—

·

The sound of blades cutting the air resembled a piercing wind.

The sensation of collapsing from serious injury felt like being swept backward by a gale.

Perhaps the blue-clad man’s skill was too great; she felt no pain.

Only warmth on her shoulder, as if someone supported her arm.

“—”

In disbelief, Qin Qianbo opened her eyes.

Before her was the familiar face of the gray-haired youth, hair tousled by the wind.

“This is way too dangerous, young lady! Facing someone like that alone isn’t exactly rational. You really scared me.”

It was no lie.

The hand resting on her shoulder trembled slightly.

He did not look at the swordsman nearby but turned to gaze at her face, relieved by the fact she was unharmed.

“Don’t worry, young lady. I told your grandfather I wouldn’t let you get hurt here...”

“I will absolutely protect you.”

He was always so reliable, making it impossible to look away from him.

Then, she heard Gongsun Ce speak seriously.

“Alright, if you’re okay, let’s get ready to run!”

“...Huh?”

Correction.

Most of the time, he was very reliable.