The Martial Artist Speaks with the Sword (12)
His internal energy is ridiculously abundant.
By the standards of the Central Plains, it was easily enough to qualify as a full Jiazi or more. William felt a strange sense of disparity in this odd place and drew aura up from his mana core.
Pang Jishan, who had undergone marrow cleansing and consumed spiritual herbs like they were rice since childhood, possessed internal energy to the point of excess. He declared with a confident grin.
“Let’s see what you can do!”
The internal energy rippling across his body scattered a savage momentum like a tiger on the prowl. On the great saber he raised high, a clear blade of saber qi extended roughly one cheok.
The unmistakable outward release of qi—the hallmark of a Peak expert.
“Woaaaaaaaah!”
“We’re actually seeing saber qi with our own eyes!”
The spectators’ interest reached a fever pitch at the rare chance to witness a Peak expert’s saber qi firsthand. Feeling their gazes, Pang Jishan grinned and called out to William.
“As expected! Sword qi! You truly are an extraordinary man!”
Expected?
William tilted his head at the odd remark, but he likewise coated his own blade in sword qi. Its length was rather shabby compared to Pang Jishan’s, yet the latter did not lower his guard for even a moment.
Father always said those who rely on others’ power will also rely on sword qi. I must not be careless!
Qi was not omnipotent.
Even though qi symbolized power, it consumed a tremendous amount of internal energy. The moment an opponent also coated their weapon in qi, the advantage often vanished entirely.
In the end, what decided the outcome of any fight was refined martial technique.
“Let’s do this!”
Pang Jishan kicked off the ground and pounced like a tiger sighting prey. The great saber fell with enough force to cleave William in two. William took two crisp steps sideways and slipped out of its path.
Concise, flawless movement.
While the great saber was buried in the arena floor, William swung his sword. In a fight between ordinary men, that single stroke would have ended it.
But Pang Jishan chose a bold, explosive escape.
The saber qi swelled massively and split into three prongs like a tiger’s claws.
To deliberately detonate your own saber qi and ride the shockwave clear of the attack. What a wasteful, luxurious move. This is honestly depressing.
Stuffing qi in so violently that it exploded on command—William could only feel dumbfounded by both the sheer brutishness and the ridiculous reserves that made it possible.
“Hah.”
“Haap!”
The great saber cleaved the air in half once more. William received the blow aimed at his waist with a smooth, flowing motion. Saber qi and sword qi collided, perfectly balanced.
As always, William angled his blade diagonally, letting the force slide away.
The rising tip of the saber stopped dead against the crossguard wrapped in aura. No matter how much brute strength Pang Jishan possessed, he could not win a contest of power so easily.
The closer to the hilt, the more efficiently force could be transmitted.
“I never imagined it would be stopped by a crossguard!”
To Pang Jishan, the sight of his massive saber being checked by something so comparatively tiny was genuinely shocking. He had only expected blade-to-blade impact; the idea of using the crossguard to receive the edge had never crossed his mind. Central Plains weapons simply weren’t designed with such a technique in mind.
Time to start pressing him.
If the fight dragged on, the advantage would clearly shift to Pang Jishan and his absurd internal energy reserves.
William’s sword tilted forward, using the great saber as a pivot. Pang Jishan felt a flash of alarm at the sudden threat but immediately retreated out of range.
“Your attacks are fierce!”
“I haven’t even started yet.”
William chased the retreating man and brought his sword down in a simple overhead cut. It contained neither principle nor hidden subtlety. Pang Jishan found the seemingly ordinary strike puzzling and blocked it with his saber. Almost no power reached him.
There’s hardly any force behind it…
Puzzlement crossed his face. He soon learned exactly why.
William’s sword slid across the flat of the blade. The instant the weapons separated, he reversed direction and cut upward from below. Carrying such a massive weapon, Pang Jishan could only throw his upper body backward to avoid it.
There simply wasn’t enough time to recover and swing again.
A chain attack. If I’m not careful…
William’s relentless barrage continued. Pang Jishan could not find a single opening to counter.
It wasn’t merely a matter of overwhelming him with qi. The attacks came from every angle—high, low, sideways. If blocked, William struck with the pommel. If he thrust, he spun into a cut. Every motion flowed seamlessly into the next, never giving the eye a chance to rest.
Ox. Vom Tag. Pflug. Ox. Vom Tag. Ox. Alber. Ox. Alber. Pflug. Ox. Vom Tag…
Whenever Pang Jishan tried to seize the initiative, William instantly returned to a rock-solid defensive posture. From Pang Jishan’s perspective, it was absurd.
It feels less like he’s attacking and more like he’s simply changing stances. An attack that isn’t truly an attack. In some ways, it’s even stranger than Wudang swordsmanship!
An ordinary martial artist would have been trapped in that endless cycle, rendered completely helpless.
But Pang Jishan was no ordinary martial artist.
It costs a bit, but!
Internal energy erupted from Pang Jishan’s body like a storm. The violent qi wave forced William to retreat three full steps. He narrowed his eyes, reassessing his opponent.
“Brother Wei! You’re incredible!”
“I don’t recall becoming your brother.”
“Just let it slide!”
Since the previous exchange had been William’s turn, now it was Pang Jishan’s. He began to unleash the true forms of the Five Tiger Gate-Cutting Saber.
The moment he moved, the saber qi around him surged violently.
William did not retreat. Instead, he lowered his stance, poured aura into his legs, and shot forward like an arrow.
Even when defending, defend aggressively.
That was the core principle of longsword swordsmanship.
The three ferocious claws of saber qi closed in. William’s longsword tangled with the great saber and slammed into its side with unexpected power. The massive blade twisted off course.
“This hurts!”
Pang Jishan could not block the elbow that smashed into his face.
He staggered back several steps and spat blood. He had reacted instantly by wrapping qi around his face, but he could not completely negate the impact.
“I can’t remember the last time I took a hit like that!”
“You shouldn’t be saying that already.”
William gave him no breathing room. Cut, thrust, slice—the attacks came in an endless, unpredictable storm.
Every strike comes from a blind angle…
If blocked, William pivoted around the saber into another cut. If it looked like a thrust, he spun into a slash. Even when Pang Jishan tried to create distance, William closed in like a ghost.
Yet Pang Jishan was not simply enduring. His footwork and saber techniques met every blow. A perfect balance of power.
This is fun. So much fun!
How long had it been since he enjoyed a spar that made his blood burn like this? Among his peers he had no true rivals, and even when he sparred, it was rarely this thrilling. William’s sword was the perfect remedy for his thirst.
He’s a natural-born battle maniac.
Seeing that ferocious smile—exactly as it had been described in the original novel—William sighed inwardly. Battle maniacs were the most troublesome type to get entangled with.
Still, this was the path he had chosen. There was no point complaining now.
“It’s about time to end this.”
“Isn’t it still enjoyable?”
“Well. Everything has an end.”
“Haha! True enough! Qi Ho Ji Se!”
Pang Jishan’s qi surged forward in the shape of a roaring tiger. Marveling at the almost magical application of energy, William charged straight at the beast.
It looked like suicide. Every spectator’s eyes locked onto him.
Why charge instead of retreat? How would he break that technique?
Some clutched their chests. Some cheered. Some watched with shining eyes.
In answer to their expectations, William began wrapping his entire body in aura.
It’s a bit crude, but I can endure this much.
Following the proper sequence and drawing on experience, the aura around him coalesced into the shape of armor.
The aura armor, refined to its absolute limit, literally pulverized the qi tiger on contact and surged toward Pang Jishan.
An absolute crisis.
Yet Pang Jishan laughed as he swung his saber.
“It was a truly enjoyable spar!”
“You’re saying that now?”
The great saber bounced away helplessly. At the same moment, William’s sword came to rest against Pang Jishan’s neck.
“I lost.”
The victor of the first bout had been decided.