Sun Yunso stood firm, his sword still at the ready, his eyes locked intensely on Zhang Pojun, his face a mask of calm determination.
“…There’s something I don’t understand.”
Zhang Pojun raised an eyebrow.
“Hm?”
“The two cultivators I killed, before they died, they both asked the same, and here you are asking me the exact same thing.”
Zhang Pojun’s smile slowly widened.
“And?”
“I sensed only three cultivators.”
Sun Yunso’s voice remained steady.
“The first two died by my sword and the third is standing in front of me.
So tell me.
Who is this ‘other cultivator’ you’re talking about?”
Zhang Pojun burst out laughing at Sun Yunso’s question, clearly entertained by it.
“You look so lost, like you don’t know what’s even going on.
It seems like you’re not as aware of everything as you thought you were.
There actually is a cultivator here, and they have been with us the whole time.
You just didn’t notice them at all.”
Sun Yunso was still confused but he was slowly getting more annoyed by the pointless chatter of Zhang Pojun.
He simply raised his sword and stood in a stance, ready for combat.
Zhang Pojun witnessed this and was genuinely surprised.
“Why are you choosing to fight right now instead of searching for the other cultivator?”
“There’s no reason for me to respond to that question, because I don’t care.”
Another maniacal laughter came out from Zhang Pojun’s mouth.
This time he couldn’t contain himself at all.
Accepting Sun Yunso’s challenge he instructed the surviving bandits to keep an eye on the Lei siblings while he has his fun with Sun Yunso.
Zhang Pojun slowly lowered the broad sword that rested upon his shoulder.
The grin on his face never disappeared.
He took one step forward.
You think you’re clever, don’t you?
Well, let’s put your bravery to the test and see if you can back up your words with some real action.
I’m more than happy to show you what I’m capable of, so bring it on!
In that instant, Sun Yunso didn’t say a word, and before anyone knew it, their swords had already clashed.
A violent shockwave rippled through the snowy ground as both men pushed against one another.
Neither gave an inch until they got separated.
Zhang Pojun immediately stepped back in.
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Clang!
Clang!
Sun Yunso’s sword moved with a fluid motion, like water flowing effortlessly.
Every step, every swing, was smooth and calculated, with no unnecessary energy spent.
His cuts were sharp and precise, each one a perfect, clean strike.
Zhang Pojun’s sword crashed down again.
Bang!
Sun Yunso caught the attack with the flat of his sword, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through his arms, making his sleeves flutter wildly.
He didn’t hesitate, swiftly twisting his wrist to deflect the massive blade, and in one swift motion, he counterattacked, thrusting his sword towards Zhang Pojun’s chest with lightning speed.
The movement was so fast, it was as if he had anticipated the attack all along, his reflexes honed to perfection.
As the blade hurtled towards its target, the air seemed to vibrate with tension, the outcome hanging precariously in the balance.
Pojun laughed.
He moved his body just a little, so the attack barely missed his shoulder, and then he swung his arm in a wide, horizontal motion to strike back.
Sun Yunso ducked beneath it.
The sword came crashing down over his head, cutting through a few stray strands of dark hair that had fallen across his eyes.
He moved in close, dodging Zhang’s attack, and countered with a swift stab, followed by another slash, finishing with a powerful rising cut.
Each attack flowed seamlessly into the next like a river carving through stone but Zhang Pojun blocked every one of them.
Their exchange became faster.
The surviving bandits stared with open mouths.
“I…I can’t even follow them.”
Lei Mei covered her mouth.
“They’re…so fast…”
A crash sent sparks flying everywhere.
Sun Yunso slid backwards, his body gliding several metres across the snowy ground before he finally managed to stop himself.
He charged forward once more, his sword slicing through the air in a swift arc, heading straight for Zhang Pojun’s throat.
Zhang leaned away by the smallest margin.
“Excellent.”
He came back with three hits in a row.
Sun Yunso stopped the first one, changed the direction of the second, and just managed to get out of the way of the third.
Zhang’s sword flashed through the air, its tip cutting across the sleeve of his dark robe.
A faint line had appeared on the fabric, and Sun Yunso couldn’t help but notice it, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took a closer look.
“…”
The attack had been close, much closer than any before it.
“You noticed?”
“The difference between us.”
Another clash echoed.
Their swords locked once more.
Zhang Pojun spoke quietly, only loud enough for Yunso to hear.
“You’ve trained beautifully.”
“…”
“But training…”
He forced Yunso back with sheer strength.
“…isn’t the same as surviving.”
Sun Yunso slid backwards once again.
Watching from afar, Lei Shun’s expression became serious.
“…He’s losing.”
It wasn’t that his sword fighting skills were bad.
But Zhang Pojun had something that you can’t learn from eight years of training alone.
He had been in many battles where one wrong move could be fatal.
This kind of experience is what made the difference, not his actual fighting ability.
Eight years of isolated training can teach you a lot, but it can’t replace the experience of being in real battles, where every decision counts and mistakes can be deadly.
Sun Yunso quickly turned his wrist, changing the direction of Zhang Pojun’s powerful sword.
Then, in a flash, he moved to the side, getting behind his opponent where he couldn’t be seen.
“…!”
A quick slash shot toward Zhang’s ribs.
Zhang pivoted.
As they clashed, their blades scraped against each other, sending sparks flying into the snow, the sound echoing through the cold air.
“You nearly had me.”
Sun Yunso didn’t answer.
Instead, his mind raced.
‘He’s reading every attack…’
It’s not like Zhang had a huge advantage when it came to speed or strength.
He simply knew how to react.
It seemed like Zhang had already seen them many times.
Sun Yunso suddenly changed his rhythm.
He didn’t back down after their last encounter, instead, he moved closer to Zhang Pojun, right into his range.
In a swift motion, his sword vanished beneath Pojun’s guard, only to quickly reappear, slicing upward in a sharp, powerful arc.
“Huīhé Jiàn…”