Book 3: Chapter 19: Black Cloth Between the Shaft and Fingertips

Dusk, in the training valley.

While dressed in the ‘Silver Fox’ black armor, Lin Xi rushed through the mountain forest with a short blade he was familiar with in his hands.

Even though both Xu Shengmo and Tong Wei’s training were extremely strict, the increase they brought to his strength was still easy to see.

Right now, what he wanted to do was first determine, with his current strength, just what level of opponent he could defeat in this mountain valley… the opponents who he originally couldn’t defeat, if he couldn’t find a powerful weapon or bow he liked, perhaps he could defeat them by relying on his special ability.

If he could, then he could still fight against them, obtaining considerable experience from the battle, experiencing many benefits. If he couldn’t and needed to chase after achievements, then he could only use his ability to avoid them for now.

Since he was purposely trying to attract opponents this time, when moving through the mountain forest, Lin Xi intentionally made a lot of noise. After less than fifteen minutes of time, Lin Xi saw a black-armored student who was currently cautiously moving through a weed filled hillside that didn’t provide that much cover. The two faced each other on a slightly inclined mountain slope.

‘Yellow Antelope’, this was an opponent Lin Xi had never encountered before. The black-armored symbol on his chest was a yellow coiled horned antelope.

Before entering the training valley this time, Lin Xi had carefully examined the simple and crude record signboard.

The simple and crude signboard didn’t have any rules written on it, but the ‘Firefly’ and ‘Thunder Python’ who had both exceeded five instances of five emblem achievements, now ranked the highest, both had nine successive five emblem withdrawals. Meanwhile, the nicknames of some experts Lin Xi was familiar with instead weren’t necessarily still on the rankings, for the academy students who were all smart, this wasn’t hard to understand. That signboard only recorded successive winning records, even if one obtained five instances of five emblem achievements, if they lost afterwards, not obtaining a five emblem achievement, then their record would naturally be cleared. 

Because there were two times where Lin Xi only left with four emblems during these days, the name ‘Silver Fox’ didn’t appear on that ranking.

As for Liu Ziyu, with his cultivation and strength, he shouldn’t be Tang Ke and the others’ opponents. There were quite a few people who were stronger than him, which was why the nine instances of five emblem withdrawal record he spoke about should only be nine in total, and not like ‘Firefly’ and ‘Thunder Python’, nine times in succession.

If they were only talking about the number of times, Lin Xi should have seven times now in total. However, he still understood that this and continuous five emblem withdrawals weren’t the same thing at all extremely clearly. ‘Firefly’ and ‘Thunder Python’, as well as the individuals below them, what they represented was absolute power and strength, while Liu Ziyu, this type of accumulating nine times, wasn’t much at all.

Meanwhile, this ‘Yellow Antelope’ before him wasn’t a ranked individual, his strength shouldn’t be particularly great.

Lin Xi gave the weapon in the other party’s hand a look. It was an ordinary black long blade, not all that powerful either.

…

While Lin Xi was thinking this, ‘Yellow Antelope’ was also thinking that ‘Silver Fox’ wasn’t a well-known expert on the list. While Lin Xi was sizing up the weapon in his hands, he also saw the weapon in Lin Xi’s hands, having the same thought.

Because he felt like they could fight, this ‘Yellow Antelope’ symboled black-armored student raised the black longsword in his hands towards Lin Xi, this could be considered an act of courtesy, and then his quick steps crushed the weeds, rushing at Lin Xi like a black wave.

When faced with this black-armored student whose speed was becoming faster and faster, Lin Xi stood in place, not moving. He only stared at the other party’s body, watching the black longsword in his hands closely.

Only when the other party was in front of his face, when his shoulder fell slightly, about to deliver a strike, did he release a light shout, taking a step forward, at the same time, he thrust his blade fiercely.

In his hands was a blade, yet the form he took was a sword stance. The black-armored student who took action at the same time immediately felt extreme fear, because the same Green Luan sword thrusting motion, under the other party’s movements, seemed to carry a wave of mysterious power that was erupting from the very soles of the other party’s feet, launching through his body like a formless ripple. With a muffled and heavy pa sound, when his sword was still a foot away from his opponent, the opponent’s blade already stabbed into his throat ferociously.

A feeling of suffocation like that of being unable to swallow food and a feeling of pain instantly almost paralyzed his mind. Meanwhile, the other party’s movements didn’t stop at all. Following a smash into his shoulder, his body becoming unsteady, leaning backwards from the impact, the other party’s blade drew a true blade form, thrusting fiercely at his neck.

The black longsword in his hands finally fell powerlessly. He stared at Lin Xi, clutching his throat as he fell onto the ground heavily.

Only at this time did he finally admit that in an instant, he was already defeated by this opponent of his.

Lin Xi was a bit pleased. He took a step forward, picking up the black longsword. Just now, when he struck out with the way he trained with the Green Edge Sword, it was extremely fast as expected… not even he himself expected this battle to actually end this easily. Currently, it hadn’t been that long since he completed his Windstalker special lesson, so his arms were still sore and powerless. If he didn’t experience Xu Shengmo and Tong Wei’s training, this strike would definitely be even more ferocious.

En?

The moment he removed the golden pentagon emblem from Yellow Antelope’s body, Lin Xi immediately suddenly turned around. It was because in the mountain forest behind him, there was a wave of clear footstep sounds.

These steps were extremely steady, crushing the dried branches, making rocks tumble about. Because the other party didn’t hide himself in the slightest, it seemed even more domineering.

Lin Xi became a bit more serious. His left hand held the short blade, right hand the longsword, taking several dozen steps away from the ‘Yellow Antelope’ who was coughing with difficulty, heading to a level area, quietly waiting for this opponent to appear.

Several tree branches were hacked aside by a black border army long blade. This opponent then appeared before Lin Xi’s line of sight.

“Spirit Vulture!”

Lin Xi didn’t know whether he should feel happy or nervous. Only, fine beads of sweat appeared between his palms.

This black border army long blade wielding opponent had a Spirit Vulture symbol on his chest, ranked fourth on the training valley’s signboard, accomplishing eight successive five emblem withdrawal achievements. This was definitely a powerful individual.

“Silver Fox?”

When he saw the symbol on Lin Xi’s chest, this opponent who wielded a black border army long blade instead stopped, the first to speak out. “I recall seeing you on the ranking before as well, at that time already four five emblem results. From how calm you are when facing me, it seems like you should have completed five instances of five emblem withdrawals.”

Lin Xi didn’t mind giving the other party a bit of pressure, nodding his head. “You are not wrong.”

“I like fighting against strong opponents, I only hope that you won’t disappoint me.” The black border army long blade wielding ‘Spirit Vulture’ nodded, and then continued walking with a steady gait in Lin Xi’s direction.

“This really is a martial idiot, he is instead worried that his opponent isn’t strong enough?” Lin Xi laughed, but his body instead bent slightly, ready to exert strength at any time.

Spirit Vulture’s right leg suddenly stomped heavily into the ground, the earth surface immediately erupting with waves of energy, a crater appearing in the level hillside. With the distance between him and Lin Xi and the situation he was in, with a stomp of his feet, his entire being could immediately charge at Lin Xi like an arrow. However, after this stomp, he actually didn’t make any following movements.

He only simply stamped his feet, but Lin Xi who wasn’t greeted with an attack couldn’t help but freeze up a bit. Lin Xi’s body was like a bow that had already been drawn to its limit, the arrow about to leave his fingers, but he suddenly lost his target, causing him to stop rigidly in place.

In that instant, ‘Spirit Vulture’ already moved. His entire body sprung up from his original location, the black long blade hacking through the peaceful mountain wind, smashing down between Lin Xi’s eyes!

Dang!

Lin Xi’s black longsword faced his opponent. After just a single strike, sparks flew about, his right arm already completely numb, unable to even grip the black longsword. The long sword was directly smashed out of his hands.

However, his movements didn’t stop either. The moment his body leaned slightly to the left, the short blade in his left hand also smashed towards Spirit Vulture’s lower abdomen.

Spirit Vulture’s figure stopped slightly, his left hand grabbing downwards, seemingly wishing to forcibly grab the short blade in Lin Xi’s hand.

What left him slightly baffled was that Lin Xi actually really let him easily grab the short blade. The instant he grabbed the short blade, Lin Xi’s foot already smashed heavily into his chest, and then while borrowing the opposite force of that stomp, he rolled backwards several times in a rather unattractive fashion, picking up the black longsword that flew out of his hands.

Spirit Vulture’s body swayed a bit, and then he stood steadily in place like a boulder. With a fling of his arm, he threw the short blade in his hands into the distant forest.

He took a steady step in Lin Xi’s direction, but what made his pupils under the silver mask rapidly contract was that this ‘Silver Fox’ whose weapon was sent flying under a single exchange, cultivation clearly much inferior to his own, didn’t back up, instead taking a firm step towards him, and then striking out.

Moreover, this strike was far faster than he imagined.

Dang! He, who was originally destined to be on the offensive, under this extremely vicious sword shadow, was actually forced to adopt a defensive position, only by blocking at an angle, letting the weapons grind against each other, did he barely block this strike.

However, what left him shocked was that the other party still didn’t back up. He moved past his side, the black longsword in his hands seemingly flying, hacking at his waist with extreme speed.

Dang!

He fiercely twisted his body, using his body’s quick twisting motion to support the long blade in his hands that he didn’t have time to react with. Like a whip, it forcibly blocked the opponent’s attack.

However, the other party didn’t stop at all either, twisting his body, and then another blade hacked down. His breathing suddenly stopped, falling fiercely to his left side. The instant he fell, his left hand fiercely pressed against the ground, like a spinning top, his entire body tumbled outwards along the weed filled slope.

Lin Xi leapt out, the longsword in his hand hacking out once more.

Dang!

The longsword in his hands intersected with the black long blade in Spirit Vulture’s hands just after he had stabilized himself once more.

Pa!

The longsword in his hands bounced out once again, and then following his leaning swooping stance, smashed towards Spirit Vulture’s back. However, right at this time, Spirit Vulture’s black long blade also left his hand, striking the longsword in his hands.

Dang!

Lin Xi’s entire right arm shook, the strength he accumulated seemingly also completely scattered. The black longsword was forcibly sent flying out of his hands once more.

However, Spirit Vulture’s black long blade instead stopped its momentum in midair, returning to his hand.

Between the shaft and fingers, was an unremarkable black old cloth strip.

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