The crowd outside the Xiong family’s memorial hall grew larger and larger, their curses rising to a crescendo. Some were wishing Su Mo dead, while others were simply calling him shameless.
There was even one family head who was particularly sneaky, saying nice things but doing evil deeds.
Case in point: he was still advising everyone to be rational, all while subtly pushing Su Mo further into the center of the storm.
Su Mo was never the type to let others bully him. You treat me well, and I’ll repay you doubly. If you harbor ill intentions towards me, being ground to dust will be your fate.
His expression unchanged, he strode boldly towards the door.
Some hot-headed young men tried to step forward to vent their anger, but unexpectedly, their heads suddenly swam, as if they’d been hit with a blunt weapon.
A mental attack technique!
Although he had only grasped the basics, the force was just right—dazing them without causing brain damage.
He had consistently encountered problems during his previous training, never able to resolve them. But just moments ago, he suddenly understood a principle: Techniques are rigid, but people are flexible. Sometimes, when you face a problem, you don’t necessarily have to solve it directly. As long as the underlying principle is sound, achieving the goal is what matters most.
What is the purpose of training in mental attack techniques?
Isn’t it for combat?!
So, as long as I can make you fail in battle, that’s enough. Why bother with so many rigid rules?
So annoying!
He left the City Lord’s mansion smoothly, with no one daring to truly stop him.
But just after exiting the mansion, he encountered a group of people. The leaders were three C-Classes, and the rest were all D-Classes.
These were just the ones in the open; there were certainly others hidden in the shadows, possibly even including a B-Class.
Su Mo frowned slightly. Although he had once slain the Blood-Eyed White Tiger—which had peak C-Class cultivation but B-Class strength—with a single slash, that was due to the suppression effect of his inheritance. In a real fight, he was no match for a true B-Class. Even facing a few powerful C-Classes could prove very troublesome for him.
(Note: The artificial superhuman he killed earlier only had physical attributes that met the standard; all other aspects were inferior to natural superhumans, so their strength is generally weaker within the same rank.)
Directly attacking would be disadvantageous for him. So, he remained calm on the surface, his tone still steady. “What is the meaning of this?”
One of the C-Classes said, “We’ve long heard the ‘Fairy’ is exquisitely beautiful. Seeing you today, you surpass the rumors. We just don’t know how your skills are and wanted to test them out personally.”
The others laughed upon hearing this, their smirks utterly disgusting.
Seeing how things stood, Su Mo knew there was no place for him left in Xiong City and decided to flee.
If it weren’t for the fear of pressure from the other three cities, Xiong Lin would have already taken action himself.
“Trying to escape? Not a chance!”
The team led by the three C-Classes suddenly swarmed forward, surrounding Su Mo. They taunted him with words while launching their attacks.
Su Mo’s right hand made a grasping motion in the air, and a long sword appeared out of nowhere.
It was the Tetanus Blade!
It resembled a zhanmadao in appearance, possessing great slashing power. Although not exceptionally sharp, its considerable weight made it, in Su Mo’s hands, more formidable than most keen blades.
Thwack! A D-Class who had been spouting lewd remarks was cut in half at the waist. It took a moment before blood began to flow from the wound.
The others were shocked. They hadn’t expected Su Mo to hold back, but once he acted, he would take a life, and not even leave a whole corpse.
“Well, well! So this is the Fairy we’ve waited centuries for! We were just feigning attacks, but she actually goes straight for the kill! She’s truly—pfft—”
“So damn wordy.” Another slash, and another D-Class fell. A fierce killing intent flashed in Su Mo’s beautiful eyes. “I said, don’t provoke me, or I’ll make you regret ever being born.”
“But you never said that… Ah!”
The three C-Classes had initially just been observing, mainly serving as a deterrent and to prevent the target from escaping. They hadn’t expected these D-Classes to be like cucumbers in Su Mo’s eyes, unable to withstand even a single strike before being cut down.
“Let’s attack together. Her strength is greater than we imagined.”
“Mostly her ruthlessness. We didn’t think she’d actually dare to kill someone here.”
“If she dares to make a move, she won’t be walking away from this today!”
Kill!
Three powerful auras swept over him. In a flash, Su Mo’s thoughts raced. His long sword whirled around his waist as the exquisite techniques of the Pojun Blade Art forced the encircling enemies back.
The long sword gathered power for a heavy slash.
His momentum suddenly surged, and the blade emitted a buzzing sound.
In the eyes of the three C-Classes charging at Su Mo, the Tetanus Blade seemed to have become an extension of Su Mo’s own body. The man was the sword, the sword was the man.
This was the highest realm of sword practice: Man and Sword as One!
Su Mo had only just touched the surface of this realm.
To truly achieve it, one must first comprehend their own Sword Intent.
Su Mo had already sensed this before. Although he hadn’t truly cultivated it yet, he felt his Sword Intent would likely be the kind that charges forward relentlessly, never stopping until death—a style that matched his own combat approach.
Why not try to comprehend it today?
Practical combat is the best teacher. With three experienced C-Classes as sparring partners, not trying would be a waste of resources.
Su Mo inwardly cursed that waste is shameful; he refused to be a shameful person!
The fists of the three C-Classes were simultaneously wreathed in a red glow, apparently some technique that enhanced the strength and defense of their hands.
However, how could fists be harder than a blade’s edge? At the very least, they weren’t harder than the Tetanus Blade’s edge. Upon contact, their fists were painfully slashed, even shaking to the point of drawing blood.
They probably hadn’t expected this slender-looking war sword to actually be a heavy blade.
But the three were experienced fighters. This strike hadn’t used their full strength; it was just a probe, so their injuries weren’t severe.
“Form the formation! Subdue her quickly to avoid complications.”
They suddenly each employed different fist techniques. They seemed unrelated on the surface, but were in fact closely linked. Every move and style cleverly interconnected with the other two, creating a balance of offense and defense.
Seeing this, Su Mo didn’t retreat. Instead, his fighting spirit burned brighter. He shifted his footing and closed in.
However, this time he gained no advantage. Instead, he found himself trapped within the trio’s fist formation, seemingly at a disadvantage.
The more desperate the situation, the more excited Su Mo became. A towering fighting spirit was fully ignited within him at this moment.
“Three Talents Fist Formation, Heaven’s Fist: Judgment!”
“Three Talents Fist Formation, Earth’s Fist: Suppression!”
“Three Talents Fist Formation, Man’s Fist: Enlightenment!”
The first fist intent contained a power of judgment, condescending, imposing a sense of authority.
The second fist intent was fierce and violent, aiming to break through all techniques with pure force.
The third fist intent was soft and weak, like a gentle breeze, slowly soothing the fighting spirit in one’s heart.
Su Mo’s mental state wavered slightly, a feeling of lethargy creeping in.
He refrained from using either his Yin Fire or the Rage Mantra for assistance, intending to break this Three Talents Fist Formation relying solely on the long sword in his hand.
But things went contrary to his wishes. Under the trio’s coordinated assault, Su Mo was quickly beaten back. Merely defending was almost too much, let alone mounting an offense.
Seeing their advantage, the three intensified their attacks wildly, pressing Su Mo to the point where he could barely even wield his blade.
One onlooker couldn’t help but exclaim, “Forcing the three masters to use the Three Talents Fist Formation, she certainly lives up to her reputation. Even our family head wouldn’t claim certain victory when facing this technique.”
“Ah, what a beautiful girl. What a pity. If only she could marry me…”
“You dare to covet the Fairy? You’ve got some nerve.”
“There’s no such thing as a Fairy. She’s just a woman with an ethereal aura. Otherwise, why would the City Lord suddenly want her dead?”
“That’s true…”
“Hey, how long do you think she can hold out?”
“Ten moves.”
“I think three moves at most.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Call the winner ‘Dad’.”
“Deal!”
None of the spectators were optimistic about Su Mo’s chances, as the Three Talents Fist Formation was famous throughout Xiong City, with very few losses to its name.
But that didn’t mean no one believed in him.
……
In distant Jiang City.
Ye Qingyi was alone at home, dancing erratically on the floor, her eyes vacant, as if she had just returned from Yunzhou Province.
She shouted at the top of her lungs, “Su Mo, you can do it!”