"Dugu Jian, though you are a grandmaster of swordsmanship, you are perhaps too arrogant. What place do you think this is, for you to issue commands?"
The sword-wielding Dugu Jian, with a dismissive gaze, infuriated the old man in the kimono. "This is the Imperial Palace, not a place for you to act recklessly. Since you are here, then stay. It will be good to have one less martial arts expert in the Dragon Kingdom."
"Oh, you want to keep me?"
Dugu Jian looked at the old man in the kimono and smiled, "If you want to keep me, you must first ask my sword. Can you do that?"
"Whoosh—"
As soon as Dugu Jian finished speaking, a shadow armed with a red katana suddenly lunged from behind the old man in the kimono. Without a word, the shadow slashed directly at Dugu Jian.
The shadow's blade was incredibly fast, its trajectory completely invisible. It was so swift that it startled even Dugu Jian, a grandmaster of swordsmanship.
In what seemed like a flash of lightning, the shadow's blade struck in front of Dugu Jian.
For anyone else, evading such an impossibly fast sword strike would be impossible. But Dugu Jian was Dugu Jian. After a brief moment of shock, he swiftly drew his wooden sword and unleashed a strike.
Logically, a wooden sword should not be able to clash with a katana that could slice through iron. However, when Dugu Jian's wooden sword met the katana, not only did it not break, but it struck the shadow's weapon, causing it to fly out of its hand.
"Whoosh—"
The instant the shadow's katana was dislodged, Dugu Jian thrust forward with his sword, piercing directly through the shadow's throat.
Yet, despite having his throat pierced by Dugu Jian's sword, the shadow did not instantly collapse and die. Instead, two red beams of light shot from its eyes, and it retaliated with a heavy punch towards Dugu Jian.
Dugu Jian was taken aback by this sudden turn of events, but he quickly drew his wooden sword again, parried with a sweep, and severed the shadow's right hand.
However, what happened next shocked Dugu Jian.
He saw that the shadow's right hand had been severed by his sword, but not a single drop of blood flowed. This was because the shadow's right fingers were not flesh and blood, but visible metal tubes.
While Dugu Jian watched in astonishment, the metal tubes suddenly shifted, and a new right hand regrew, striking heavily at Dugu Jian.
In his surprise, Dugu Jian swung his sword to block, but he was forced back three steps, his sword-holding hand trembling slightly.
"Die—"
Without giving Dugu Jian a moment to recover, the shadow let out a hoarse roar. The entire figure lunged at Dugu Jian like a cheetah, its hands resembling beastly claws.
"Its body is mechanical, yet it possesses human thoughts and emotions. Is this a cyborg?"
Dugu Jian exclaimed in surprise, "I never expected the Yang Country to have cyborgs. It seems you have connections with the Killing Dao Society as well."
Cyborg technology was the patent of the Killing Dao Society. Although various countries claimed to be irreconcilable enemies with the Killing Dao Society, they had long coveted this technology.
Because those who were augmented not only possessed a longer lifespan, but their consciousness also remained intact, representing a form of human pursuit of immortality.
Moreover, augmented individuals could achieve a combat power level equivalent to those at the peak of the human martial arts pyramid.
Over the years, various countries had sought to acquire this advanced technology from the Killing Dao Society. The Killing Dao Society, in turn, exploited the desires of these nations, using this technology as a bargaining chip in their dealings, which was one of the reasons for their growth over the years.
After all, as long as the Killing Dao Society was not destroyed, this technology would persist. Once they were annihilated, this technology would undoubtedly vanish with them.
"Dugu Jian, you truly are a grandmaster of swordsmanship, with such extensive knowledge. You recognized a cyborg at a glance."
The old man in the kimono smiled upon hearing Dugu Jian's words. "His name is Shadow. He is a warrior we spent a great deal of money to augment. And I won't hide it from you, before his augmentation, he was a peak Heaven Realm expert. After augmentation, he is now a top-tier powerhouse."
"Dugu Jian, no matter how fast your sword is, you cannot kill him. His entire body is augmented with a memory metal that can regenerate infinitely. Even if you sever his limbs, they will quickly grow back. He is truly invincible."
"Is that so?"
Dugu Jian chuckled, "If cyborgs were truly perfect, the Killing Dao Society would have conquered the world long ago. However, the Killing Dao Society rarely mass-produces augmented individuals, which is sufficient proof that it is not perfect."
"Imperfect, then you can try. It will also allow me to know who is stronger, a peak augmented warrior or you, the grandmaster of swordsmanship."
The old man in the kimono's smile widened. "I refuse to believe that you, a grandmaster of swordsmanship, can truly defeat Yang Country's augmented warrior."
"You truly don't believe it?"
Dugu Jian smiled and said, "I admit that cyborgs have many advantages, but they are not qualified to act so presumptuously before me."
Upon hearing Dugu Jian's words, the old man in the kimono's face darkened. "Shadow, leave this woman's life intact. Do not kill her. I want her alive, then I will erase some of her memories and augment her to become Yang Country's strongest cyborg."
"A grandmaster of swordsmanship becoming a cyborg, with thoughts absolutely loyal to Yang Country. In the future, Yang Country will have another peerless expert."
"You want to turn me into a cyborg? I'm afraid you cannot do that."
Dugu Jian looked at the fanciful old man in the kimono and smiled, "Next, you will understand that a cyborg is always just a cyborg."
As Dugu Jian spoke, two sharp long blades shot from the shadow's fists. Then, the shadow brandished its dual blades and charged towards Dugu Jian.
Before his augmentation, Shadow was already a peak Heaven Realm expert. After augmentation, his strength became even more terrifying. With a casual swing, his fearsome blade energy could cleave everything within ten meters of the palace.
Facing a formidable enemy, Dugu Jian's expression remained calm. Instead, a never-before-seen excitement appeared on his face. "I thought coming to Yang Country would be rather boring, but I didn't expect to encounter an expert of your caliber. Since that's the case, I shall not hold back any longer."
Dugu Jian reinserted his wooden sword into his waist and then drew the massive Xuan Iron Greatsword weighing eighteen hundred pounds from his back. He said, "No matter how powerful you are, I shall break you with a single sword. Now, I shall let you witness my Sword Breaking Art."
The Sword Breaking Art was the first of Dugu Jian's nine sword techniques. It proclaimed: Faced with ten thousand swords, I shall break them with one. Faced with ten thousand arts, I shall overcome them with one.
Dugu Jian's Sword Breaking Art was an ordinary-looking sword strike, yet it was the most formidable in the world. This strike was direct, but incredibly fast.
The eighteen hundred pound Xuan Iron Greatsword felt as light as a feather in Dugu Jian's hands. As he thrust his sword towards Shadow, it seemed to tear the very air apart.