On the twenty-fourth of June in the Year of the Tiger, it is inauspicious to conduct burials but advisable to perform purification rituals.
In the private room of Fuk Yee Mansion, Judy and the Red Ghost were seated on the sofa, their gazes converging on the weapon in Li Yan's hands below.
Li Yan wielded an Eight-sided Han Sword, measuring one meter three in length and three fingers wide. The blade gleamed brilliantly, while the blood groove remained dim, exuding a grave and stern presence. Carved upon the sword were the imposing characters, "Qi Sheng Wan Jing Huan Cheng Qu Long" – "Spirit Engenders Myriad Sceneries, Encircling to Form a Coiled Dragon."
Zhang Mingyuan held a Lanmian Sou, a staff measuring ninety centimeters, with a pipe and blade extending four fingers wide. Both ends were wrapped in iron, while the middle was a spotty wooden shaft. The pipe's mouth resembled a bird's beak, slightly curved.
"Ah Hong, where did you get this sword? Can it be trusted?" Judy asked, somewhat uneasy.
"Relax, Sister Judy. This is a private treasure of Taisui, a weapon that has tasted blood. There's no issue," Ah Hong reassured her.
The one-meter-three Han Sword didn't sound particularly long, but in Li Yan's grasp, it was evidently much longer than an ordinary iron sword, creating a palpable visual oppression.
Yu Shu sat among the crowd, her glossy black ponytail draped over her chest, listening to the murmurs of the gamblers around her and muttering to herself, "The Han Sword is fierce and consumes much strength. He doesn't seem like a fool courting death. Could it be that I've really misjudged?"
Atop the Han Baiyu's Arena, the two men stood facing each other.
Zhang Mingyuan took a deep breath. The people of Nine Dragons City might not have heard of the name Hejian Skinny Tiger, but to him, it was as familiar as thunder.
The fact that Li Yan had a mastery of Ancient Martial Arts reaching a staggering 81% in A Fleeting Glance laid bare the gap in their skills. Therefore, Li Yan was somewhat surprised when he heard that Zhang Mingyuan had actively sought to challenge him to a duel on the arena.
Yet Zhang Mingyuan did not feel that defeat was certain.
The young man bowed slightly. "Branch Child Sect, Zhang Mingyuan."
Li Yan, examining the Han Sword in his hands, looked up upon hearing this and replied, "Between the Rivers, Li Yan."
Zhang Mingyuan grasped the pipe staff with one hand, his legs slightly bent. As he exploded forward, his feet scraping against the floor with a hissing sound, he charged at Li Yan like a hawk falcon skimming the ground.
Li Yan flicked his wrist upwards, the sword blade slashing like a whip towards Zhang Mingyuan's wrist. Zhang Mingyuan neither dodged nor evaded; instead, he pushed the staff downward, the pipe's mouth hooking the Han Sword's edge, diverting the blade to one side. His body surged forward like an arrow released from a bow, the blade on his pipe aimed at the fingers of Li Yan's sword-holding hand.
"Hit!"
Zhang Mingyuan bellowed fiercely.
Li Yan, unable to retreat in time, made a split-second decision to release the hilt and lean back. With a pivot on the tip of his toes, his right leg swung in a roundhouse kick aimed at Zhang Mingyuan's head.
“Oh no!”
Judy's hand trembled in shock as she saw Li Yan being forced to abandon the Han Sword in a single exchange. Her drink spilled and soaked her clothes, but she was completely unaware of the wetness.
Zhang Mingyuan's heart leapt with joy. He leaned back to dodge Li Yan's right kick, waiting for the moment his opponent's foot passed to close in, determined not to give Li Yan any chance to catch his breath. But as he dodged Li Yan's right foot, a flash of sword edge unexpectedly appeared before his eyes, slashing towards his neck!
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What!
Almost instinctively, Zhang Mingyuan contorted his body into a backbend, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow to the throat. Nevertheless, a long gash oozed blood from his neck down to his chin.
On Li Yan's side, the gamblers had a clear view. Li Yan released the hilt of his sword and, with a spinning leap, his left hand caught the descending Han Sword. Using his right leg as a cover, the Han Sword carved out a wide arc, aiming for Zhang Mingyuan's neck.
Zhang Mingyuan could dodge Li Yan's right leg, but not the one-meter-three reach of the eight-sided Han Sword!
The Li Family from Hejian, unparalleled in spear and sword, twenty-four mother sword frames battle, Moon Concealment Stance!
“Wudang Sword?”
Yu Shu took a sip from his small wine jar, commenting with interest.
Zhang Mingyuan wiped the blood from his neck and, instead of attacking rashly, began to pace slowly around Li Yan.
Li Yan was in no hurry either, shifting the eight-sided Han Sword to his right hand. His eyes followed Zhang Mingyuan's footsteps, and blood dripped slowly down the blade of the eight-sided Han Sword. Before long, the blade was as white as snow.
Li Yan's eyes brightened: “What a sword!”
No sooner had the word "sword" landed than Zhang Mingyuan charged at him again! Li Yan pushed off the ground lightly and flicked his wrist, the long sword sweeping up from below towards Zhang Mingyuan's groin.
Zhang Mingyuan, holding his smoking pipe, intercepted Li Yan's sword with the pipe, propelling himself into the air! The inch kick, embedded in his stepping foot, aimed for Li Yan's neck—a move so unexpected that even Li Yan was caught off guard and struck.
Zhang Mingyuan, with his feet locked around Li Yan's neck, twisted his waist in mid-air, his legs powering up like a mountain torrent erupting, his smoking pipe aiming straight for Li Yan's eye!
Suddenly, Zhang Mingyuan grunted, his legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, rolling to a stand with blood pouring from his right ankle.
Li Yan smoothly retracted his long sword, wielding the sharp weapon as if it were an extension of his own body. Just moments ago, the smoking pipe had been less than an inch from his eye, yet he showed no fear. Li Yan looked at the pale-faced young man and said, “You are no match for me. Step down and concede defeat, or else I will not be responsible for your life or death.”
Zhang Mingyuan clenched his teeth and stood up, determination etched in his face. "Just a little more."
Li Yan narrowed his eyes and gestured to Zhang Mingyuan with a beckoning sweep of his hand.
Zhang Mingyuan steadied himself, his eyes beginning to swirl with black ripples.
"A Fleeting Glance, activate!"
"You have chosen to initiate A Fleeting Glance on your target."
"Target locked: Li Yan. This lock can be released at any time."
"Unfortunately, you have not discerned your opponent's weakness. If the target remains under A Fleeting Glance for an extended period, the likelihood of discovering their vulnerability increases."
The following information has been acquired:
Name: Li Yan
Status: None
Talent: Ancient Martial Arts 81%/100%
Skills: None (Li Yan has not acquired A Fleeting Glance; the previous instance was He Andong using it directly by spending Yan Fu Points.)
Threat Level: Deep Red
Note: As a newcomer facing the Yanfu Incident for the first time, this man has not experienced the power of Yan Fu. Trust me, this is your only chance.
Li Yan launched an attack, flying towards his opponent. The longer A Fleeting Glance lasted, the greater the probability of uncovering the target's weakness. Li Yan, having faced He Andong, had not discovered any so-called vulnerability, but he was not inclined to take chances.
The Han Sword clashed with the tobacco pipe, Zhang Mingyuan's eyes roiling with increasingly intense black ripples. His hands moved with the speed of lightning, blocking and parrying, while his right knee lifted in a sudden motion, the Emperor's Lift Leg technique aiming a kick at Li Yan's shin.
Li Yan's Han Sword came slashing down, repelling Zhang Mingyuan's leg, but Zhang Mingyuan, still under the influence of A Fleeting Glance, spotted Li Yan's emerging weakness—New Strength Yet to Arise. With a swift motion, he thrust the bird-beak mouthpiece of his tobacco pipe towards Li Yan's neck!
This was the moment...
Li Yan sighed inwardly. He too had used A Fleeting Glance and had his own understanding of this skill categorized as of ordinary quality.
To an ordinary person with no martial arts experience, after employing A Fleeting Glance, their opponent's movements would seem exceptionally slow, allowing them to perceive even the slightest details with clarity.
But for those skilled in combat like Li Yan and Zhang Mingyuan, A Fleeting Glance would enhance their reaction speed, allowing for a more composed and effective response. The impact was extraordinary. Without a doubt, the Zhang Mingyuan of before, when faced with Li Yan's sword, would not have possessed such keen eyesight and reflexes.
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