Ren Yuanhao had no weapons in hand, but his right fist was clenched with a swirling vortex of energy—the power generated by an emasculated version of the "San Fen Gui Yuan Qi." This considerable force gave him the confidence to sever his opponent's gleaming silver saber.
"Kid, I admit your strength, but to escape my blade, I'm afraid it will be quite difficult!"
Before the words finished, Ren Yuanhao felt a violent gale whip around him. The grass, branches, and even the eastward flowing water all emitted distinct sounds, responding to the man's technique.
Ren Yuanhao knew this was merely a deceptive illusion to confuse him. As long as he concentrated, held his breath, and could pinpoint the true energy of the blade, he would be able to catch the man's "fox's tail"!
Suddenly, just as he felt a flicker of confidence in his mind, a fierce wind struck directly at his forehead!
The blade was only 0.01 centimeters from Ren Yuanhao's flesh, its edge already tearing his skin. Yet, at this critical moment, Ren Yuanhao managed to force it away with the swirling vortex of his finger!
"Holy crap, did you learn Flash?!"
Ren Yuanhao, like Erlang Shen, had a small gash torn on his forehead, from which blood continuously spilled.
In contrast, the man's sword-wielding hand seemed to have suffered a violent impact, shaking back and forth. His concealed form was also revealed due to the excessive consumption of his ability.
He switched hands to grip the saber, intending to relieve the pain in his right hand. But the moment the saber transferred to his other hand, it emitted a crisp, light cracking sound. It had actually shattered into two halves at the point of Ren Yuanhao's block!
It was important to note that this saber was forged with hundred-refined steel, blessed with the caster's inscription, and quenched with mountain spring water. Its strength, sharpness, and resilience were all top-tier. Even some of the surviving blades on the market would be cut in half upon contact with this saber.
Yet, the pervert before him had snapped this saber with his bare hands!
Was there no law? No justice?
Holding the shorter saber, the man's dismissive attitude vanished, replaced by speculation about the man's identity.
"In the entirety of Yun Jin City, there are no more than five individuals who can snap my Miao Dao with their bare hands. Who exactly are you, an esteemed expert?"
Ren Yuanhao wiped the blood streaming down his nose and smiled somewhat brazenly, "Well then, I apologize, but I've just become one of those five."
"Don't think that just because you broke my saber, I have no way to deal with you!" The man casually picked up a branch, and with a flick of his sleeve, declared, "With True Qi, all vegetation becomes a sharp blade. Without this saber, I can still kill you!"
Ren Yuanhao also picked up a branch, mimicking the man's posture. The cuff of his suit sleeve gave a sharp flick, and his lips curved upward. "Alright, if you want to compare True Qi with me, I'm not afraid of you."
As soon as the words fell, the two, as if by agreement, abandoned any further probing and directly clashed their True Qi in a fierce, unending onslaught!
Wild grass whirled, withered leaves rustled, the river water occasionally churned backward or heaved into white waves. The fish and shrimp, seemingly frightened, all swam and hid among the green weeds beneath the stone bridge. Ripples swayed, and water droplets, agitated by their True Qi, scattered like flying flowers and shattered jade, falling like rain.
In the blink of an eye, they had fought a hundred rounds, neither gaining an advantage.
They stood on a stone in the river, dry branches entwined with surges of True Qi, appearing even more formidable than ordinary swords.
However, such a leakage of True Qi severely consumed internal energy. The man in the fox mask clearly had not anticipated that the opponent's True Qi would be on par with his own. Combined with the previous depletion of his ability and over a hundred rounds of direct True Qi combat, he was already struggling immensely.
What was more, Ren Yuanhao appeared even more at ease, not even showing a hint of breathlessness, displaying no adverse reactions from his depleted True Qi.
This caught the masked man completely off guard. However, if he truly wished to decide the outcome, it was not impossible, but he needed a significant amount of internal energy to digest the ability he had just acquired from the assassin. Therefore, dividing his focus to kill this mysterious man was clearly not worth the effort.
After careful consideration, the man felt a surge of intent to retreat. Once he had fully absorbed the assassin's ability and the unclaimed ability cores in his bag, dealing with this man would be as easy as turning his hand.
"I think, at this very moment, your intention is to flee, isn't it?"
A sly smile flashed across Ren Yuanhao's face.
"So what if I flee? I have no intention of wasting time on you, and with your meager skills, trying to stop me is likely wishful thinking."
Though the masked man spoke such words, Ren Yuanhao had seen through his true thoughts completely, and a strong desire to kill this person arose within him. He suddenly clenched the dry branch in his right hand.
"Yes, yes, yes, no one can stop a deserter. However, if you flee, I believe you will suffer a tremendous loss."
As he spoke, Ren Yuanhao slowly revealed something he had been hiding behind his back, waving it ostentatiously in front of his face. Moisture from it gently patted his face, its faint light dim. Although it resembled some kind of fruit, its contained power was unfathomable to anyone.
The masked man felt his pocket, but could not find the unclaimed ability core he had stored. Only then did he realize that what Ren Yuanhao held was indeed an ability core!
However, during their intense exchange, when and under what circumstances had Ren Yuanhao managed to steal the ability core?
The more the masked man thought about it, the angrier he became, and his killing intent towards this man instantly reached its peak!
He knew very well that this man possessed internal True Qi possibly even stronger than his own, was younger, and if left unchecked, would likely occupy a significant position in Yun Jin City before long. At that point, eliminating him would require considerable effort!
With this thought, the masked man frantically channeled qi from his dantian once more. The dry branch in his right hand had transformed into a sharp blade. But at this moment, perhaps due to excessive True Qi consumption or a rejection phenomenon from a new ability within his body, his dantian began to throb with a dull ache, which intensified with the flow of True Qi.
This development caught him completely off guard. Moreover, with the unclaimed ability core in the opponent's hands, all the effort he had put into deliberately releasing rumors, using human lives to cleanse the malevolent aura from the unclaimed ability core, had ultimately benefited this mysterious man before him!
The more the masked man considered it, the more enraged he became, and the more his True Qi became chaotic. His Danzhong acupoint felt as if it were being sliced by a knife. He knew that continuing the fight would only be inviting trouble, and if it affected his foundation building, it would be a significant loss.
Although the masked man was unwilling, the best course of action at the moment was to flee, with no other option. Without any preparatory movements, he leaped to the riverbank with a whoosh and disappeared among the white birch trees.