Judging by how the silver needles, infused with his true qi, were sliced in half, the man before him was at least a mid-to-high-tier expert, far from a mere grunt.
Xu Fei also picked up on a few subtle details.
For instance, despite the man’s cold and harsh demeanour, it was merely a facade to mask his lack of decisiveness.
From Xu Fei’s experience, true masters never spoke before a fight. This wasn’t some television drama where there was time to posture and show off.
A real ronin, one who lived by the blade, would seize every fleeting opportunity, striking with a Blade Draw Slash when their opponent was unprepared, achieving a one-hit kill.
You could call it卑鄙, but that was the essence of a ronin’s spirit.
They cared only for results, not the process, and certainly not for their reputation.
In mere moments, Xu Fei had sized up the man before him—a testament to the instincts honed through countless battles.
This was a gap the despicable figure before him could never bridge.
The blue-haired man assumed the same stance as before, but it was a deliberate feint, a calculated misdirection.
The same posture, yet a completely different technique—this was a unique skill exclusive to ronin.
But Xu Fei saw through it instantly.
Or rather, Xu Fei, ready to conserve time and fight with full force, had no patience for the man’s schemes, whether overt or covert.
In the face of absolute strength, all tricks were utterly powerless.
Xu Fei enveloped himself in a layer of true qi, then overlaid it with a layer of yang energy.
To an outsider, it might not be noticeable, but Xu Fei knew he now had dual layers of protection.
No matter how cunningly the ronin tried to attack from an unexpected angle, it would be futile.
“Flowing Cherry Blade, Spirit Link!”
The blue-haired man shouted, adopting the same stance but drawing his blade with a flourish.
This time, there was no swift, powerful Blade Draw Slash. Instead, he hurled the sharp longsword into the air.
Standing in place, he formed a strange hand seal, likely completing some mysterious, unknown ritual.
From the moment the longsword soared overhead, Xu Fei had been closely observing it.
As he suspected, the so-called “Spirit Link” was likely a technique for connecting with and remotely controlling the blade.
The sword had quietly concealed itself on the ceiling. Though the overhead lights were bright, the ceiling was too high.
Positioned behind the lights, it was shrouded in a blind spot, invisible to the naked eye.
Fortunately, Xu Fei’s enhanced vision allowed him to lock onto the blade’s position.
Realising the man was merely switching to another method of sneak attack, Xu Fei relaxed.
“This guy’s a real novice. He won’t cause any trouble. Time to finish this!” Xu Fei thought.
With that, he took decisive action, choosing to strike first and charging straight at the man.
Seeing this, the blue-haired man sneered repeatedly.
“Can’t figure out my plan, so you’re recklessly charging in? You’ll regret it!”
