Mercenaries in Two Worlds

Without exchanging a word, the two looked at each other and started walking at the same time.

Unlike Zhang Qian, who wielded a large sword with an air of domineering arrogance, Xia Yun moved with rapid footsteps, yet without uttering a sound. He walked with a slight hunch, as if suppressing a powerful force, ready to strike at any moment.

Several ear-piercing metallic clangs rang out as the two exchanged several blows.

Zhang Qian, who had always prided himself on his footwork, found himself evenly matched with the young man upon engaging in combat. After a brief exchange, both relied on their footwork to move about, like two fluttering butterflies, soaring within a narrow circle, a dazzling display of skill. Zhang Qian's mind suddenly conjured up a mid-level Earth-rank technique, the Ethereal Divine Art, which he had perfected to a low-level Heaven-rank technique, along with a low-level Heaven-rank footwork technique, the Cloud-Following Step, which he couldn't perfect. At this moment, Zhang Qian felt little joy, instead focusing on exchanging blows with Xia Yun.

Compared to Zhang Qian's meticulous and methodical walking, Xia Yun seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, using footwork as a foundation but acting more freely.

One was like a dream, the other like a shadow, putting on a thrilling and exhilarating battle of footwork for everyone.

Zhang Qian's swordsmanship was only so-so. He moved with illusory, intersecting steps, but his hands were being suppressed by Xia Yun's twin daggers, making him somewhat flustered.

Watching Xia Yun's exquisite combination of hand techniques and footwork, Zhang Qian felt as if a door had been opened. He had only been rigidly using the martial arts techniques given by the quantum computer data group, but now he was beginning to slowly integrate and adjust his footwork.

Before long, the two had exchanged thirty blows. Xia Yun's movements became faster and faster, and Zhang Qian's clothes were torn in more and more places, but he was no longer as flustered as he had been at the beginning.

Hong Miaoxian and his nephew exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. Hong Miaoxian exclaimed in surprise, "The footwork of these two is extremely profound, especially Xia Yun. At such a young age, he has already achieved such skill."

"That young man named Zhang Qian is also incredibly talented. He has improved his understanding of footwork so much in just a short time." Hong Yunyi could tell from the beginning that Zhang Qian's footwork was extraordinary, but his comprehension was not as good as Xia Yun's. However, as time went by, he became more and more proficient and gradually became able to compete with Xia Yun.

Xia Yun snorted coldly, "That's enough for the warm-up. If this is all you've got, then I'm very disappointed." After feinting twice, he created some distance, and suddenly a red light flashed from the tips of his two daggers.

Zhang Qian frowned and remained silent. Xia Yun was indeed qualified; so far, the other party had not used a single martial skill.

Seeing the other party's arrogant attitude, I still felt a bit annoyed.

It's no use being itchy-toothed; I don't study hard enough, and I'm so ashamed I could never be helped. I feel like I'm about to be tortured by a teenager.

As Zhang Qian stood ready, another martial skill appeared in his mind: Blood Light, a high-level Earth-rank martial skill, perfected to a mid-level Heaven-rank martial skill.

Zhang Qian has always despised those who wait for the opponent to charge up their ultimate move. Why not interrupt if you can? They're incredibly stupid.

So he took the initiative and shouted "Torrent Blade!" He slashed forward, and a torrent of water rushed towards Xia Yun like a tiger.

This was a martial arts technique that appeared in his mind when he returned from Ghost Night Forest. As for when he "stole" it, he didn't know. The quantum computer data group accepted everything that came to him, but at the time, there were constant crises, so he didn't have the leisure to look at these things.

The Torrent Blade was merely a low-level Xuan-rank martial skill, which originally wouldn't have caught Zhang Qian's eye. However, since it was the only blade technique he had, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.

Xia Yun suddenly moved, bursting forth with even greater speed than before, rushing directly towards the torrent.

Zhang Qian thought he was going to use force to overcome force, but to his surprise, the hand that the other party had thrown behind him showed no intention of moving. Instead, he leaped up and rushed into the torrent.

"Huh?" He had never seen such a suicidal fighting style before, and was a little stunned.

A chorus of exclamations arose from the surrounding crowd, all showing signs of tension, while Hong Yunyi remained with a faint smile.

In that instant, Xia Yun mysteriously passed through the torrent without a single injury, as if he had become nothingness and passed through it all.

Without pausing, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped up again, raising his left hand, the dagger, tinged with crimson, aimed at Zhang Qian.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Zhang Qian barely managed to withstand the attack, and the broadsword shattered in response.

Xia Yun's right hand, which had already started moving, stopped abruptly. He put away the dagger, stood up straight, and said, "You've disappointed me too much. You have pure spiritual power, but you only have advanced footwork."

"This...this genius! His combat talent is incredible!" Hong Miao exclaimed first, his words echoing the shock of everyone around him. His moves were as fluid as flowing water, both beautiful to watch and extremely dangerous.

"Spiritual energy and footwork must be coordinated." Xia Yun seemed to be getting addicted to educating Zhang Qian, one sarcastic remark after another.

"Again." Zhang Qian's fighting spirit was ignited. Ignoring his taunts, he only wanted another match. Xia Yun was the first expert he encountered after arriving in this other world, and he experienced the thrill of battle for the first time.

Fight, not kill.

"As you wish," Xia Yun said indifferently.

On his way to exchange the knife, Zhang Qian carefully recalled the moment Xia Yun broke through the torrent. When he picked up the knife, he seemed to have realized something and stopped motionless by the weapon rack.

Unlike the whispers of the onlookers, Xia Yun curiously observed the pensive figure and murmured, "Could it be that you've seen through something? That would make me less disappointed. Unfortunately, even if you could see through it, you still can't master it without going through the trials of thousands of martial arts techniques."

“Spiritual energy gaps, that’s right, the weakness of the Torrent Blade is that the spiritual energy gaps are too large.” Zhang Qian analyzed his Torrent Blade while trying to figure out a way to break it.

The Torrent Blade is only a low-level Xuan-rank martial skill. Although it has momentum, it lacks inner power and has many weak points, namely gaps in spiritual energy. As long as you find a gap in spiritual energy, you can directly "pass through" it.

The key is being able to spot the weaknesses in a martial arts technique at a glance, and having such agility to move around; these are things that ordinary people cannot do.

"I have the advantage of the data cluster, so I should be able to see the weaknesses more easily." It's easier said than done. The data cluster allows Zhang Qian to memorize martial arts techniques in an instant, but to truly understand the techniques and find their flaws is an extreme test of one's comprehension ability.

Zhang Qian, somewhat dazed, stood opposite Xia Yun again. After a moment, his eyes sharpened. "Come on, let's see how I break your martial arts."

"Hmph, try it." Xia Yun moved, gripping two daggers in reverse, one held horizontally at his side, and the other slashing at Zhang Qian from the air.

With a "clang," Zhang Qian's knife shattered, and he staggered back five or six steps. It turned out that he had been distracted while analyzing the martial arts technique and had taken a solid hit. If he hadn't reacted quickly and managed to defend with his knife, he would probably have been injured.

Xia Yun's Blood Light martial art is a combo skill. If he had followed up with the dagger in his other hand, he could have directly defeated Zhang Qian.

Xia Yun bent slightly, standing in a lunge position, and said coldly, "Distraction is a major taboo, you fool."

Xia Yun, despite her young age, always spoke in a lecturing tone, which drove Zhang Qian to the brink of collapse, though he was no match for her in a fight.

Zhang Qian ignored his taunts, picked up a new large knife, and said, "Again." He had already lost twice; he didn't know if he would have the audacity to ask for another round.