In just these few years apart, Lin Yun’s realm had actually reached the same level as his own. If more time passed, wouldn’t Lin Yun have already surpassed him?
Dong Jian knew better than anyone how difficult it was to raise one’s realm. For Lin Yun to advance at such terrifying speed left him utterly shaken. How on earth had this fellow managed it?
“Senior Dong Jian flatters me. I only broke through so quickly because I was rather lucky,” Lin Yun said with a laugh, scratching his head.
“Since you have reached Dao Transformation, we are now on equal footing. This spar will start fairly, with neither of us holding anything back. Feel free to unleash everything you have,” Dong Jian declared.
As it happened, Dong Jian was also at the second minor stage of the Void Dao Realm, Dao Transformation.
Their previous spar had been conducted without using cultivation, effectively placing them at the same level. Back then, Lin Yun’s physical body had actually been stronger than Dong Jian’s, giving him a slight edge, yet Dong Jian had still won with ease.
Now both were at Dao Transformation, so once again they were sparring on equal terms. Nothing had changed in that regard.
With those words, Dong Jian immediately drew his True Sage weapon sword.
Lin Yun flipped his hand and summoned his own sword.
“Er… Senior Dong Jian, the sword I use now is a Great Luo Heavenly Soldier. If I fight you with it, I will naturally hold a considerable advantage from the weapon alone, but I do not have a True Sage weapon to switch to,” Lin Yun said with a helpless, wry smile.
He only had this one personal sword; he could hardly go and acquire another True Sage weapon on the spot.
“Great… Great Luo Heavenly Soldier?” Dong Jian was stunned once more.
His own weapon was merely a True Sage artefact, yet this fellow who had only recently broken into the Void Dao Realm was already wielding a Great Luo Heavenly Soldier?
It left Dong Jian feeling somewhat inadequate.
“You, I really cannot see through you any longer. Surely you must have some extraordinary background?” Dong Jian could not help asking.
To advance realms so quickly and obtain a Great Luo Heavenly Soldier at such speed, if he had no formidable backing, Dong Jian would never believe it.
“Senior, why don’t we both use ordinary swords for this spar instead?” Lin Yun suggested.
“No need. Keep it as it is. Consider the Great Luo Heavenly Soldier a handicap I am giving you,” Dong Jian replied.
“Well… very well then,” Lin Yun could only agree, and drew his sword.
“Here I come!”
Dong Jian’s inner energy exploded forth, and his sword instantly turned into an afterimage that shot toward Lin Yun.
There was no flashy flourish to Dong Jian’s attack. It looked extremely simple!
Yet this was the simplicity of returning to one’s true nature. An attack that appeared light and casual was in fact incredibly difficult to deal with and frighteningly fast!
Flying Shadow Sword Art!
Lin Yun swiftly raised his sword to meet the strike.
Clang!
When the two swords clashed, Dong Jian’s soft, yielding swordsmanship neutralised much of the power in Lin Yun’s attack. Like a phantom, his blade slid along Lin Yun’s sword and streaked toward Lin Yun himself at terrifying speed!
Lin Yun instantly changed his stance to counter.
A fierce exchange unfolded.
…
Inside the pavilion.
“Daoist Beichen truly is extraordinarily wealthy. Even his weapon is a Great Luo Heavenly Soldier,” the pavilion master remarked with feeling as he watched the fight.
Only a small minority of Void Dao cultivators could wield Great Luo Heavenly Soldiers, usually those from the very top powers.
This only reinforced the pavilion master’s conviction that Lin Yun was no ordinary person.
On the battlefield.
“Flying Shadow Sword Art, Sword Rain!”
Lin Yun’s sword split into countless shadows that descended like a sudden storm.
Dong Jian’s swordsmanship was astonishingly quick. In the blink of an eye he had completely dismantled the technique.
“Your swordsmanship has improved tremendously since last time, and the secret manual you are using is clearly of a very high grade,” Dong Jian commented while still trading blows.
During their previous fight, when neither had used cultivation and realm differences did not matter, he had defeated Lin Yun with ease.
This time, things were different. Dong Jian held only a slight advantage.
Of course, part of that might be due to Lin Yun’s superior weapon.
If their weapons had been of equal level, Dong Jian’s superiority in pure swordsmanship alone would probably have been far more pronounced.
Throughout the fight, Lin Yun used only the power of his physical body. He employed none of his other techniques, and even the energy of the Tree of Origin was completely suppressed.
He did this deliberately, wanting a pure contest of swordsmanship against Dong Jian.
Naturally, Dong Jian likewise relied solely on swordsmanship and did not bring additional methods into play.
After exchanging blows for a short while, both men stopped at the same time.
