"Oh? Flying swords?" Mulan deflected the sword light with her short sword, saying, "I once heard that there was a sword immortal in Chang'an who could control swords with his qi. You're not him, are you?"
Bai Ye shook his head. "No."
As he spoke, Bai Ye tossed the sword box forward.
Seven flying swords dropped from the sword box simultaneously, transforming into sword light and attacking Mulan.
Seeing the seven streams of sword light descending upon her at once, Mulan showed no panic. She quickly wielded her short blade, deflecting the sword light one after another.
The next moment, Mulan charged forward, reaching Bai Ye again and slashing down at him with her sword.
"Teleportation!"
Using the flying swords' attack as a cover, Bai Ye had set up the positioning for teleportation. His figure flickered, and he instantly created a distance of about ten meters, causing Mulan's dual swords to miss their mark.
After creating distance, Bai Ye immediately resumed his sword seals.
Seven-Colored Sword Qi (generates seven-colored sword qi by agitating the seven swords, seven at a time. Requires a 10-second interval between uses.)
Hum, hum, hum...
In the sky, the seven-colored flying swords vibrated continuously, emitting a sword's hum. Immediately after, streams of sword qi began to descend from the sky.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The sword qi struck the ground, creating a rumbling sound and incessantly cracking the earth.
Though they appeared immensely powerful, they still failed to harm Mulan. Her speed was faster than Bai Ye had anticipated. She continuously moved sideways, weaving through the sword qi before throwing a short sword at Bai Ye.
The short sword spun towards Bai Ye, who immediately drew his famed blade, Bloodthirst, from behind his waist.
Clang!
Weapons met with a crisp sword chime, and the spinning short sword was knocked away by Bai Ye.
Mulan leaped high, caught the short sword, and as she descended towards Bai Ye, she swung her sword again.
Clang!
Bai Ye blocked the sword with his famed blade, Bloodthirst, held horizontally in front of him. However, the immense force made it difficult for him to resist.
Gritting his teeth, Bai Ye swept his leg forward fiercely. As he did, flames ignited on his leg.
Mulan quickly leaped backward and looked at Bai Ye, saying, "Oh? Besides controlling swords with qi, you also wield demonic power? Then let me see it!"
Bai Ye wasted no words. He continuously swept his legs forward, sending fireball after fireball flying.
Mulan directly raised her sword, intending to shatter the incoming fireballs, but she suddenly felt danger and swiftly leaped backward.
As expected...
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The fireballs exploded simultaneously in the air with a deafening roar.
The next instant, Bai Ye dashed forward, passing through the flames to reach Mulan. He assumed a sword-slashing posture, and just as Mulan prepared to defend, the seven flying swords simultaneously descended from the sky, stabbing towards Mulan's back.
Bai Ye couldn't help but grin.
He had succeeded!
But at this moment, Mulan suddenly stomped her foot down hard on the ground.
Boom!
The ground shattered, revealing countless cracks. Immediately after, fragments of stone were flung into the air, colliding with the descending flying swords and knocking them away.
Bai Ye almost spat out a mouthful of blood. It actually worked?
Simultaneously, after shaking off the flying swords, Mulan leaped forward again and struck at Bai Ye.
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal clashing rang out again. Bai Ye raised his hand to block one of Mulan's short swords. However, in the next instant, another short sword in Mulan's hand was placed at Bai Ye's throat.
Mulan smiled, moved the short sword away, and then stepped back.
"We'll stop here for today. That was a good fight."
Mulan walked to the side, placed her weapons on the weapon rack, and picked up a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.
Shouyue smiled and came to Bai Ye's side, handing him a new handkerchief. "Sister Mulan is very strong, isn't she?"
Bai Ye nodded. "She's alright."
It was merely a sparring match, and Bai Ye had naturally not used his full strength.
For example, if Bai Ye were to use the Poison-Poison Fruit, he would have been aiming to kill, and moreover, it would have been an uncontrollable killing.
"She's alright?" Shouyue chuckled, then gestured towards the weapon rack. "See that greatsword?"
Bai Ye nodded.
"That's Sister Mulan's sword too," Shouyue said. "Sister Mulan fights with three swords."
Bai Ye was stunned. Did that mean the other party had also held back?
Bai Ye mused for a moment, then realized that the woman before him was likely not just an ordinary member of the Borderlands Guard, but a hero who could enter the Hero's Tomb.
"Hey!" At this moment, Mulan tossed a jar of wine towards Bai Ye. After Bai Ye caught it, she smiled and said, "Bai Ye, would you be willing to stay at the Borderlands? The Borderlands needs your sword, and it needs your strength."
Bai Ye thought for a moment. "I am just a traveler. I cannot guarantee that I will always stay at the Borderlands, but I swear that when I do stay, I will fight for the Borderlands, for my companions, and for the common people."
Mulan smiled. "That is enough."
"You have successfully joined the Borderlands Guard (Temporary)."
The sudden notification left Bai Ye stunned, then he rejoiced inwardly.
This was great news!
Although it was only a temporary joining of the Borderlands Guard, it reminded Bai Ye of the Demon Land. Most importantly, the Hero Zone was indeed a region with unlimited potential, containing a large number of forbidden areas and many good items. Of course, the most valuable aspect was the ability to possess heroes.
After possessing Lu Bu, the feeling of being unstoppable against any god or Buddha was something Bai Ye would be lying if he said he didn't want to experience again.
Moreover, the possession of Sikong Zhen that Bai Ye obtained in the Hero's Tomb in his previous life was also of golden quality, no weaker than Lu Bu.
As for the Borderlands Guard...
Li Xin's possession should also be of golden quality. However, Bai Ye encountered Li Xin in the Land of Fallen Gods in his previous life. It was uncertain if he was of golden quality now, but he at least had the potential for golden quality.
As for Mulan, because she had held back during the spar, Bai Ye found it difficult to judge. However, based on their brief exchange, Bai Ye felt that Mulan's possession should reach at least black quality, and considering he had not witnessed her full strength, it might even be red quality.
And then there was Kai...
During the spar with Mulan, the strength Kai displayed was no less than Mulan's. Furthermore...
Bai Ye had a strange feeling that the aura hidden within Kai was even more profound. Although his position was lower than Mulan's, his strength should be even greater than Mulan's.
Thinking this way, Bai Ye felt that joining the Borderlands Guard was very valuable. He might even be able to find forbidden areas or hidden quests here, and even without going through the Hero's Tomb, he might have a chance to obtain the possession abilities of the aforementioned three.
Wouldn't that be wonderful...
Then...
Bai Ye realized he was overthinking!
...