I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 112 One Step, One Stab

Everyone held their breath. When they heard the sound of Pei Ju's sword being drawn, they saw him rush out. His sword light was like a crescent moon.

It gives people a feeling of lightness, yet invincibility. In that instant, it seems that everything in front of this sword light will be cut down.

Wu Weiyang narrowed his eyes, his already serious face becoming even more serious. Although he was surprised, he was not flustered. His skills were also earned through fighting, and his swordsmanship was formed after thousands of sparring sessions with others.

He instinctively stepped back to intercept the sword, which stood upright in front of him.

However, he did not hear the sound of the two swords clashing, nor did he feel the impact of the two swords striking each other.

Sometimes the sword is so fast that you can't even see it clearly, even if you can use sound and feel the sword to help you determine where the other person's sword is.

It's somewhat like a three-in-one positioning.

But when he no longer felt the force intercepted by the sword, Pei Ju suddenly stopped when he saw the sword draw an arc of light. From extreme movement, he instantly became extremely still. Pei Ju's sword stance had changed to the same one he had just used, with the sword pointing at him.

In that instant, he failed to intercept the sword, feeling empty inside and with nothing in his hands.

Pei Ju thrust his sword out again, suddenly shifting from extreme stillness to extreme movement.

The sword thrust out so fast it left a trail of shadows.

Wu Weiyang instantly swirled the sword in his hand, making a circular motion.

His circular sword stroke appears to be defensive, but once his sword touches the opponent, he can deflect the opponent's sword onto the outer circle, and then his own sword can follow the opponent's blade to slash and thrust at the opponent's body.

This is a very practical and useful defensive counter-attack sword technique. It is a basic skill that you should practice from the beginning of learning swordsmanship, and you should continue to practice it until the end.

However, despite his efforts to manipulate the sword, he still couldn't touch Pei Ju's sword, which had already been withdrawn.

His thrust was actually a feint; he withdrew his sword halfway through, leaving his sword to miss its mark. When he felt the emptiness beneath his blade, he had no choice but to retreat a step, knowing he had lost his chance to defend and counterattack.

Pei Ju's sword technique involved retracting his sword once, then thrusting again.

To others, this is a thorn.

Wu Weiyang continued to swirl his sword in front of him, but this time he saw a sword tip about to pierce his face. However, his own sword was already there, but before it could touch Pei Ju's sword, Pei Ju withdrew it.

With two consecutive thrusts, Pei Ju's sword was already at his feet. His heart was in his throat, because it was like playing chess; after two moves, the third move would checkmate him.

From the very first strike, he had been building up his advantage, gradually increasing it until it became an insurmountable defeat for him.

He saw that Pei Ju's sword hadn't retracted much, and his own sword, which he had slashed across his face to block, had missed its mark. He could imagine that as his sword passed by, the opponent's sword would strike down again during that opening.

Each of them wields a sword, having practiced for many years, possessing masterful basic skills and seasoned in countless battles. Yet, why is it that when a sword is thrust at them, they are unable to block it?

This is because someone else stabbed into your defenses when your sword was in a gap. But they are all seasoned veterans, all wielding the same sword. Why would there be a gap?

Pei Ju's sword was now hovering not far in front of Wu Weiyang. There were no dazzling sword techniques; it was just a simple upward slash followed by two consecutive thrusts. But after Wu Weiyang missed the first attack, he was at a disadvantage, or rather, in a losing position. Pei Ju's sword was now so close, almost within reach, that it felt like someone's sword was about to stab him from just centimeters away—it was difficult to block or dodge.

However, Wu Weiyang has no intention of admitting defeat in the face of this situation.

A swordsman must have the courage and determination to turn the tide in the face of defeat.

He didn't try to block with his sword anymore, because he had only blocked one and couldn't block anymore. So he turned to the side and fell to the ground, while his sword went straight for Pei Ju's armpit.

This turn of defense into offense was absolutely brilliant.

Pei Ju's sword stance didn't change much. He stepped forward, flicked the scabbard with his left hand, and blocked the opponent's sword.

And because of his forward stride, he turned the opponent's thrust into a routine sword move.

It was the kind of thrust that went too far, and then Wu Weiyang fell backward to the ground. His body was in a low position, and his movements lacked variation, so Pei Ju thrust his sword down from above. He was not affected by Wu Weiyang's sudden fall; his sword path remained smooth.

A stab thrusts down from above, like stabbing a fish.

At this moment, Wu Weiyang's heart jumped, but he remained calm. He used the scabbard in his left hand to deflect Pei Ju's sword, but Pei Ju's sword seemed to have eyes and suddenly paused for a moment. Wu Weiyang's sword had already missed its target. He was shocked and tried to block again, but Pei Ju's sword had already pierced down.

The other person fell to the ground, rolled over and got up. Looking down, he saw that there was a tear in the collar of his clothes, but no flesh was injured.

Before the students could even figure out who had won or lost, Wu Weiyang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Talented people emerge in every generation, and the new generation surpasses the old. Your swordsmanship is very impressive; you can compete for the title of the next four-year Mirage Sword Champion."

Pei Ju also clasped his hands in return, asking, "Is the current Sword Master's swordsmanship very impressive?"

"It's awesome."

"How powerful is it?" Pei Ju asked.

"It's hard to say. I couldn't really last more than a few moves against his sword. You know, if your swordsmanship is slightly better, it's hard to fight back. Your swordsmanship is better than mine, so you don't need to use any special sword moves to make me unable to resist. Although this is the first time we've sparred, I guess the result will be the same if we do it a few more times."

Pei Ju knew very well that he was right. In some things, being at a higher level is equivalent to being at a higher realm. Every step reveals a new scene, and looking down from a high place is like descending to a lower dimension.

If you can't grasp this, you'll never reach the top.

Afterwards, Pei Ju went down to the stage and practiced with the students. He was the only one to be attacked by everyone, and his sword moved among the swords without much resistance. The swords flashed, and he moved through the dazzling sword light with an air of leisurely ease.

A sword in his hand gleamed around him.

Afterwards, the students who participated in the attack said, "He was clearly in front of us, with his back to us, but after we stabbed him with a sword, he changed position, as if he had eyes in the back of his head."

Another student said, "I clearly aimed my sword at an opening where he couldn't defend, but his sword was able to turn at an incredible angle, block my sword, advance along the blade of his sword, and dart past me, almost causing other students' swords to pierce me."

"He was very good at using other people's bodies to block other students' swords, so that we could draw our swords without any restraint."

(End of this chapter)