Top-Class Insight: Start with Basic Fist Techniques - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Lu Changsheng’s Sword Is Faster!

Translator: Daoist6fubtiW

Zhao Qilei rarely unsheathed his knife.

In Nan Yang Prefecture, while not claiming to be invincible, he was close to it. There were very few people who could make him draw his blade, and when he did, it always resulted in bloodshed.

At this moment, his swift strike was indeed unstoppable for Li Hongzhuang. Despite both being Organ-Refining Realm martial artists, there were distinctions between them.

In Zhao Qilei’s eyes, Li Hongzhuang, even as an Organ-Refining Realm martial artist, was no different from the numerous Bone-Refining and Blood-Enhancing Realm martial artists he had slain. To him, all it took was a single stroke to finish them off.

As Zhao Qilei’s blade was about to strike down Li Hongzhuang, he suddenly felt an ominous sign.

He sensed an impending threat.

With his keen senses, Zhao Qilei finally detected a subtle and nearly invisible surge of power coming from his side.

“Slash!”

Zhao Qilei swiftly altered his attack. He unexpectedly swung his blade horizontally to his side.

Under this strike, Zhao Qilei faintly saw a fleeting red light, like it was made of Qi and blood.

“Chih!”

The red light was severed, but a partial strand grazed Zhao Qilei’s hand, instantly cutting open a long gash on his palm.

Blood spurted out, yet Zhao Qilei seemed unfazed by the injury on his hand. He focused on the direction beside him and said, word byword, “Blood Qi Sword! An astonishing Blood Qi Sword!”

“In the martial world, the ability to manifest a sword from Qi and blood is unheard of.”

“I wonder what i should call you?”

Zhao Qilei was on high alert, treating the situation as a formidable adversary. Just then, a figure slowly emerged from the night.

“Li Hongzhuang, 1 didn’t expect to see you in trouble again.”

The newcomer was none other than Lu Changsheng.

“Whoosh!”

Li Hongzhuang abruptly opened her eyes. She heard a familiar voice, one she had longed for. She seemed to find it hard to believe, her eyes filled with excitement.

“Is it really you…”

For some reason, upon seeing this familiar figure, Li Hongzhuang’s tension slightly relaxed.

“Hmph, do you underestimate me, sir?”

Zhao Qilei coldly snorted.

He felt slighted as the mysterious figure in black seemed to pay no attention to him, not even giving him a direct glance. This left Zhao Qilei slightly annoyed.

He usually held himself in high regard and considered himself superior even to the other six members of the Zhao family’s seven sons. Now, an unfamiliar person in black dared to disregard him completely.

Li Hongzhuang clenched her teeth and said in a low voice, “He is one of Zhao Family’s seven sons, Zhao Qilei, known as ‘Ferocious Blade.’ His blade technique is renowned for its speed and fierceness. He is considered nearly invincible in all of Nan Yang among martial artists below the Divine Power Realm. You must be cautious!”

Even though the “Black-Clothed Figure” had arrived, Li Hongzhuang still had concerns. The reputation of “Ferocious Blade” Zhao Qilei was simply too formidable.

The combined fame of the other six sons of the Zhao Family couldn’t compare to that of “Ferocious Blade” Zhao Qilei. He stood at the pinnacle of the Organ-Refining Realm and had even defeated other top Organ-Refining Realm martial artists.

The “Black-Clothed Figure” might be strong, but Li Hongzhuang had doubts about whether they could contend with Zhao Qilei. She wasn’t certain.

“Zhao Qilei?” Lu Changsheng’s gaze was fixed on Zhao Qilei.

“Who exactly are you? With your skills, you should not be unheard of in the martial world,” Zhao Qilei coldly inquired.

“Weren’t you searching for me all this time?” Lu Changsheng gripped his short sword.

Seeing the short sword, Zhao Qilei’s eyes widened, and a realization dawned upon him.

“Is it you?” Zhao Qilei suddenly brightened up. He had been relentlessly looking for the swordsman who had killed the Zhao Family martial artists previously. Now, that swordsman stood right in front of him.

Recalling the “Black-Clothed Figure’s” Blood Qi Sword from before, Zhao Qilei didn’t feel fear; instead, he grew excited. It had been a long time since he had encountered a worthy opponent.

Below the Divine Power Realm, Zhao Qilei almost felt invincible. But seeing the wounds on the bodies of the Zhao Family’s martial artists last time, he subtly sensed that the swordsman’s speed was unbelievably fast. This piqued his interest.

“Your sword is swift!” he exclaimed. “But my blade is not slow.”

“Today, we will see whether your sword or my blade is faster.”

Zhao Qilei’s aura kept rising, and he appeared like a sharpened blade.

Lu Changsheng’s expression remained calm. He had seen many top Organ-Refining Realm martial artists before, including “Dragging Blade King” Li Ji, “Ghost-Faced” Chen Sannine, and “Venomous Sect Left Envoy” Zhao Xing, who were practically invincible below the Divine Power Realm. But all of them had been slain by him.

Today, there might be one more addition to that list in the form of “Ferocious Blade” Zhao Qilei.

However, regarding the speed of swordsmanship or bladework, Lu Changsheng had hardly encountered martial artists faster than himself.

“As you wish.”

Lu Changsheng’s hand gripped the hilt of his sword.

“Clang!”

Lu Changsheng drew his sword, but there was no blinding white light. In fact, the sword’s movement was imperceptible. Simultaneously, Zhao Qilei made his blade move.

Zhao Qilei’s blade was incredibly fast, even faster than when he had faced Li Hongzhuang earlier. Even Li Hongzhuang, who was watching from the sidelines, could only see a faint blade shadow, highlighting Zhao Qilei’s astonishing speed.

In the face of such a blade, it was challenging for Li Hongzhuang to imagine what could possibly withstand it.

However, Lu Changsheng didn’t attempt to block this blade. He merely unsheathed and sheathed his sword, and his figure swayed slightly. It was as if he hadn’t moved at all.

While Li Hongzhuang could barely perceive Zhao Qilei’s faint blade shadow, she couldn’t see any trace of Lu Changsheng’s sword movements. Even with her eyes wide open, she couldn’t be certain whether Lu Changsheng had acted at all.

“Sss!”

With a soft sound, a bloodstain suddenly appeared on Zhao Qilei’s neck, just three inches in front of Lu Changsheng.

However, those three inches seemed insurmountable, like an impassable chasm.

An expression of astonishment appeared on Zhao Qilei’s face.

“I’ve practiced the blade since 1 was six, started killing at ten, mastered fast bladework at thirteen, gained fame in Nan Yang at eighteen, reached the Organ-Refining Realm at twenty-eight, and remained invincible below the Divine Power Realm ever since.”

“Until today, 1 had never seen anything swifter than my blade.”

“But now 1 have.”

“Your sword is faster than my blade!”

In Zhao Qilei’s eyes, there was no fear or regret, only excitement and contentment.

He had finally encountered a sword faster than his own, something he had believed was unattainable even if he practiced for another hundred years.

“Seek the Dao until you die.”

In his heart, fast bladework or swordsmanship was the meaning of his existence.

“Sss!”

A bloodstain on Zhao Qilei’s neck instantly split open, and blood sprayed out.

A “thud.”

Zhao Qilei fell to the ground.

The renowned “Ferocious Blade,” who had been considered invincible in all of Nan Yang, had perished at the hands of a swifter blade technique.

He died fulfilling his destiny!

Seeing this scene, Li Hongzhuang appeared to find it hard to believe.

“Zhao Qilei… Is he dead?”

She gazed at Zhao Qilei’s body in the pool of blood, with the bloodstain on his neck being particularly horrifying.

For Lu Changsheng, however, this seemed quite ordinary. His sword had taken countless lives of top Organ-Refining Realm martial artists.

Unfortunately, Zhao Qilei’s body yielded only a few silver coins and no martial arts secrets.

Lu Changsheng stood up and shifted his gaze back to Li Hongzhuang.

“You had left Nan Yang Prefecture, so why have you returned?”

Lu Changsheng asked.

Li Hongzhuang glanced at Zhao Qilei’s lifeless body on the ground, and her eyes subtly brightened.

Afterward, her gaze towards Lu Changsheng became increasingly intense..