Chapter 38 Reversing the Tide of Battle

Luo Lie's offensive this time was even more ferocious. Leaning forward, his body merged seamlessly with his swordplay, transforming into a flash of lightning that swept across the distance of over a zhang between them, hurtling straight toward Pei Min, who stood ready in a firm stance.

The Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique placed its utmost emphasis on the character for "slaying," taking the act of cutting as its core. While it superficially resembled the usage of a saber, it actually maximized the striking characteristics of a sword while allowing for greater room for recovery. Unlike the unyielding forward charge of a saber, a single sword strike, though executed with full tenth-part force, still retained the capacity for retraction. Fierce yet versatile, its deployment and withdrawal were orderly, its advance and retreat uniform.

Having already witnessed the formidable power of the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique, Pei Min felt a sense of invincibility welling up inside him as he watched Luo Lie unleash it at full power. Yet the stronger this feeling, the more Pei Min pressed forward against the tide; his fighting spirit, far from diminishing, grew only more intense. He knew that if he were truly to follow such instincts and let fear take root in his heart, the outcome of the battle would be sealed.

The stronger the opponent, the calmer and more earnest one's approach must be. Only thus was there any possibility of victory, and even in the event of ultimate defeat, he would harbor neither regret nor grievance.

The sword in his hand met the onslaught without a moment's hesitation. Naturally, he chose not to clash hard against hard; instead, he used the sharpest tip of his own blade to pierce the flat of Luo Lie's sword.

Seeing Pei Min brave the assault, a flash of approval crossed Luo Lie's eyes as he raised his sword in an upward slash. Pei Min shifted his stance accordingly, still refusing to engage in a direct, head-on collision, and targeted only Luo Lie's vulnerabilities.

Trading blows back and forth, the two exchanged over thirty moves without their weapons ever making direct contact.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more alarmed Luo Lie became. Relying on his Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique, he had roamed the Guanzhong region virtually unmatched. Yet never in his life of wielding a sword in combat had he experienced a fierce battle lasting over thirty moves where the blades failed to cross even once. The flexibility, versatility, swiftness of stance-shifting, and sheer precision of his opponent's swordsmanship were unprecedented in his experience. Clearly, his own realm of mastery was superior, yet he found himself utterly unable to subdue his adversary; instead, he had the distinct sensation of being led around by the nose.

Hardening his heart, Luo Lie decided to disregard Pei Min's tricky sword paths and unleashed a relentless, unyielding barrage of fierce, charging slashes.

"Clang!"

The two treasured swords finally clashed. Pei Min's sword tip struck the flat of Luo Lie's blade; feeling a slight ache in his wrist, he nonetheless firmly absorbed this immensely fierce and powerful strike.

Pei Min's spirits soared. While the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique was indeed peerlessly ferocious, it was not entirely impossible to receive head-on. Twisting the momentum of his blade, he employed a defensive stance from the Great Dao Nine-Mystic Sword. Knowing now that his swordsmanship was inferior to Luo Lie's, he reined in his desire to conquer and win, resolving first to render himself invincible, seek out his opponent's flaws, and fight him to the bitter end.

Seeing Pei Min shift his sword stance once more, Luo Lie felt a severe headache coming on. The Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique relied entirely on an unyielding, ferocious forward momentum; no matter how agile or flexible the opponent might be, the technique could hunt them down until there was nowhere to flee and no place to hide, even forcing them into a desperate, head-on clash.

Yet Pei Min relied on an extraordinary, almost unnatural precision, aiming every single stroke precisely at the weakest points of his strength, effectively neutralizing the devastating power of the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique. Though his skill was superior, Luo Lie found the combat extraordinarily vexing. Frustrated, he abandoned all restraint, casting aside the strictures of the Tiger-Slaying Sword technique to unleash everything he had ever learned in a fierce onslaught against Pei Min.

Pei Min showed not a hint of fear. The moment his opponent altered his fighting style, Pei Min adjusted his sword stance in kind, engaging in a deadlock of blow and counterblow.

This change allowed Luo Lie to immediately bring his advantages in experience and swordsmanship into play. Pei Min was temporarily forced onto the defensive; amidst the shifting tides of attack and defense, Luo Lie would often launch five consecutive strikes before Pei Min could find an opening to counter with one or two. Yet Pei Min possessed the Taiji art of deflecting force, combined with the "maintaining the center and achieving harmony" principle of the Great Dao Nine-Mystic Sword. His sword defense was as airtight as copper walls and iron ramparts, making it no easy feat for Luo Lie to secure a victory.

After exchanging over a hundred blows, Pei Min, though relegated to the lower hand, steadily anchored his footing and maintained an undefeated posture.

Had it been an ordinary person bullying the young with seniority, harboring the condescension of an elder tormenting a junior, their mental state would surely have become unbalanced at this point, exposing fatal openings. But Luo Lie possessed a temperament that was steady and unflappable, neither anxious nor impatient, free of joy or sorrow—his mind emptied of all worldly attachments, revealing not the slightest flaw. From his perspective, victory was already within his grasp. He was currently in his prime, at the absolute peak of his physical strength and stamina, whereas Pei Min was not yet twenty and ultimately no match for him in sheer physical endurance.

Yet he failed to notice that Pei Min was gradually transitioning from a defensive posture to an offensive one. Initially, it took five consecutive attacks from Luo Lie for Pei Min to find a counter-opening; after a hundred blows, Luo Lie often needed to throw out only three strikes before Pei Min drove him back onto the defensive.

When they reached two hundred moves, their offensive and defensive exchanges were practically deadlocked.

Only then did Luo Lie sense that something was amiss. That oppressive feeling returned: he discovered that Pei Min seemed to anticipate his offensive maneuvers. Whenever he prepared to thrust or slash, Pei Min's sword would appear a step ahead of time right where it was most uncomfortable for him, forcing him to alter his stance. Yet no matter how he changed his moves, Pei Min's sword clung to him like marrow-eating worms, forever faster by a fraction. His expression grew increasingly grave.

His demeanor had undergone a perfect three-stage transformation, shifting from initial ease—sparring while speaking with effortless eloquence—to earnest seriousness, and finally to heavy burden.

Luo Lie leaned forward, holding the Liang Divine Sword high in his grip.

A trace of joy flashed in Pei Min's eyes; victory or defeat hung upon this single stroke.

Crouching halfway, his center of gravity entirely consolidated in his lower stance, he leaned forward and pushed off the ground with a fierce stomp, swinging the Qin Emperor Sword upward in a diagonal slash from low to high!

Clang!

The two swords collided violently, sending sparks flying in all directions!

Pei Min felt a sharp, searing pain in the web of his hand between thumb and forefinger, his grip slick as his own blood stained the sword hilt crimson.

Luo Lie's hands were completely empty. The Liang Divine Sword soared three zhang into the air before plunging down to the ground.

Luo Lie stood frozen, staring at his tingling hands in utter astonishment. Stunned, he blurted out, "How... how do you also know the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique?" The Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique was his unique, closely guarded secret; in the entire world, only his master, the Fire Dragon Daoist, and he himself knew it. Yet the sword skill Pei Min had just executed was undeniably the sixth form of the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique: *Stepping Forward, Lifting the Sword to Slash the Tiger's Belly*... He knew every single detail of the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique by heart; he could not possibly have been mistaken.

Pei Min smiled faintly. "I learned it from you."

Endowed with the talent of a Sword Saint, Pei Min possessed an extraordinarily profound comprehension of swordsmanship. Once he laid eyes on a technique, he could commit its forms to memory. Having exchanged over three hundred blows with Luo Lie, during which Luo Lie had repeated the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique five or six times and deployed other sword arts more than twice, he had engraved every single offensive maneuver of Luo Lie's into his mind. With every strike he made, he held an eighty-percent certainty in predicting Luo Lie's sword moves.

He had met the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique with the Tiger-Slaying Sword Technique. Utilizing the exact same art, Luo Lie had employed the first form—a top-down downward chop—while Pei Min had targeted it with the precise counter: the bottom-up *Stepping Forward, Lifting the Sword to Slash the Tiger's Belly*.

His raw force was inherently inferior to Luo Lie's, yet he still struck with his sharpest blade tip at the exact spot right in front of the flat of Luo Lie's sword—the point where his strength was weakest.

Striking weakness with strength!

He had turned the tide of battle and secured final victory.