Chapter 29: Advance and Retreat in Disarray

  Yue Yu was now more and more excited, the old man in front of him was by no means weak. At first, he was caught off guard or somewhat at a loss, but as time passed, he slowly adapted to his style. Yue Youcheng gradually stabilized his footing, under the sword wind, a protective aura naturally formed around him, repelling his approach. And that majestic momentum, like a mountain, also slowly rose, one sword stronger than the last. The temperature within a few meters around him dropped by several degrees.

  Such a formidable opponent, he was unheard of in his previous life. However, the more so, the more Yue Yu's fighting spirit was stirred up. Even unknowingly, the various divine sword techniques he wielded were slowly beginning to transform, becoming even more concise and rapid, with each swing of the sword making Yue Yu feel a sense of exhilaration and refreshment, as if his heart was soaring and his spirit was invigorated, making him unable to resist letting out a long, loud whoop to vent the volcanic passion in his chest.

  While dozens of steps away, Ran Li was staring at the intense battle not far away, his eyes wide with astonishment. Although it wasn't a good time to be distracted, Yue Yu's majestic and heroic swordsmanship still involuntarily reminded him of several months ago. It was that day when he lost to Young Master in three moves by the small stream on the back mountain.

  However, at that time, Yue Yu's knife was also unpredictable and unstoppable, but it didn't have the same majestic and domineering aura as it does today.

  This made his forehead sweat profusely. Originally, Rong Li thought that his strength had increased a lot recently, and he began to feel restless, preparing to find an opportunity to challenge Yue Yu's left-handed knife. However, looking at today's situation, he really couldn't be sure if he could withstand even one encounter.

  At the same time, in Ran's pupils, there was a growing sense of confusion. All along, the education he had received was that power overcomes everything. Without sufficient inner strength, even the best martial skills are just floating duckweed on water. However, at this moment, this long-formed experience was thoroughly shattered before his eyes.

  A full eight levels of difference, was narrowed down by Yue Yu's dreamlike footsteps and swordsmanship. Even in his view, although Yue Yu seemed to be at a disadvantage now, he was actually moving freely between advancing and retreating. The one who was truly in trouble should be that old man with four silver lines on his sleeves, who had made him feel intimidated even from afar!

  He grasped his hair tightly, and Ruan Li reluctantly put down the ten-stone bow in his hand. This was not because of the numbness in his arm; if it were just this level, Ruan Li was confident that his strength would still be enough to support him for another three minutes. The real reason he gave up was that at this moment, he simply could not complete the task of restraining Yue Youcheng. He could see that the old man in the intense battle had already gone all out and couldn't spare any energy to pay attention to him. What made him feel even more powerless was that the two people fighting in front of him were moving so fast that their bodies were changing positions rapidly, making it impossible for anyone to catch with their eyes. He really didn't have the confidence to use his second-rate archery skills without hurting Yue Yu.

  However, Ran Li also didn't have the heart to go pick up his giant axe that he had thrown out earlier. His gaze was now tightly fixed on the two people in front of him, not relaxing for even a moment as he captured their movements and the flashes of their swords. In a way that was almost greedy, he absorbed and memorized this battle that was close to top-tier level deep within his mind. Ran Li instinctively felt that this time's observation would bring him benefits that could not be measured in the future.

  At this time, Ran Li and Yue Youcheng were also covered in cold sweat. From the start of the battle to now was only about a minute or so, but his mood had already gone through three changes, from being heavy-hearted to astonished, and then to terrified.

  For this reserved young man, Yue Youcheng was not underestimating him at the beginning, and he had never had any intention of holding back or showing mercy. However, it must be acknowledged that even if he went all out from the start, it would still be impossible for him to cut down Yue Yu under his sword. The cleverness of this young man's stance and footsteps had also reached a level close to perfection. What was even more astonishing was Yue Yu's ability to see through things, any weaknesses or blind spots in his swordsmanship and footwork were all exposed in front of him, no matter how small the opportunity, it would be taken advantage of by the opponent at the right moment.

  There is also this set of left-handed knife techniques, which Yue Youcheng had never seen before and were not collected in the library. Although they do not have those top-tier martial skills that stimulate true energy attributes to enhance their power, in terms of practicality and atmosphere, they are far superior to the former ones.

  If it was really created by Yue Yu, then the young man in front of him, who had already been classified as a genius, might have a natural talent for martial arts that far exceeded his imagination.

  The only thing that made Yue Cheng somewhat puzzled was the old and cunning experience shown by Yue Yu in the battle. Just now, he had intentionally lost his hand several times when using his sword, but had never successfully lured Yue Yu into a trap. Moreover, the handling of several crises was also frighteningly calm. This was not something that a newcomer could accomplish, nor was it just a matter of exceptional talent.

  "Uncle Cheng, what's wrong with you? Are you anxious to leave? Are you afraid of me, your junior?"

  Yue Yu sneered and took three strides, then slashed his knife towards Yue Youcheng's lower abdomen. It wasn't a vital spot, and even if he was injured, it wouldn't have much of an impact. However, Yue Youcheng's expression turned iron-gray, and he withdrew the foot that had been about to step forward.

  At this time, Yue Yu smiled as if he had suddenly realized something. "So that's it, Uncle Cheng, you're running out of internal energy, are you? This is going to be a bit tricky..."

  To be honest, Yue Yu's situation at this moment is not much better. His footsteps were between the shadows of swords, and the cold wind was biting around him, with sword lights flashing, it seemed that dancing on the tip of a knife was still a bit light. The excitement and fear of walking on the edge of death were constantly impacting his heart.

  However, the mentality and momentum of hitting the opponent to the extreme are also one of the essentials of fighting. Therefore, no matter how bad one's situation is, they cannot lose in words.

  Yue Youcheng's face turned iron-green, not uttering a single word. The sense of defeat in his heart, however, gradually deepened. He was indeed struck by Yue Yu's words earlier, and he had indeed had the intention to retreat from within. Moreover, his internal energy was also somewhat insufficient.

  In fact, the current situation is what makes him feel most disheartened. The way Yue Yu uses his knife is also something he has never seen before. Although far inferior in cultivation, this young man always fights with the smallest force and the smallest amount of true energy, never wasting a single bit. As time goes on, his original plan to exhaust Yue Yu thoroughly collapses. On the contrary, he himself falls into a desperate situation where he can't catch his breath.

  When it comes to close combat, Yue Cheng is far inferior to Yue Yu. Now he can only rely on his slightly better physical quality, the 13th level of Qīng Bīng (Clear Ice), and a mid-level sword technique that can stimulate cold attribute sword energy, "Ice Shadow Cloud Unicorn Sword", to barely suppress this kid.

  However, this dry ice sword energy was as long as two inches, and the consumption of true energy was also extremely large. It was almost like a bottomless pit, absorbing the remaining internal breath in his body, making it harder and harder for him to bear.

  The problem is, even if Yue has a conscience, he wants to stop this fighting method as soon as possible, and even retracting his sword energy by a few points would be fine. However, Yue's increasingly pressing knife forced him to quench his thirst with poison, wanting to stop but unable to do so. He suspected that if he relaxed for a moment, he would die under the knife of this 'waste'.

  One sword again forced Yue Yu to retreat, and Yue Youcheng secretly glanced around. If the battle continued like this, he would surely lose. No matter how much he couldn't afford to miss, no matter how much he dreaded this little guy growing up, at this time if he couldn't even save his own life, then everything else was irrelevant.

  However, the result of the circular view made Yue Youcheng's heart cool again. Rong Li pulled open the bowstring once more, but this time it was not aimed at him, but at his current best several retreat routes.

  Isn't it going to die here today?

  Yue Youcheng's mind was momentarily stunned, and he thought of his young children. Then in an instant, all the confusion in Yue Youcheng's mind dissipated, and a surge of endless will to fight rose from the bottom of his heart. For decades, he had been through countless battles and knew that only a desperate fight could bring a glimmer of hope for survival.

  But in the next moment, his mind was once again stunned. As he lost his balance, endless despair and terror emerged from his eyes.