CLANG!
Metal clashed against metal, and the Ceremonial Saber snapped upon impact.
Zheng Jun's body was already leaning forward. The moment the weapons met, the Ceremonial Saber was cleanly slashed in two. The severed half of the Broken Blade flew through the air and embedded itself straight into the nearby stone wall, leaving a deep white scratch on the surface.
"Huh?"
Seeing his strike blocked, Lou Wei felt the shockwave reverberate through his hands and was momentarily stunned.
He had lunged forward with a fierce chop, intending to end the fight quickly.
But looking at the situation now, Lou Wei wasn't sure if the kid in front of him had just gotten lucky or actually possessed real skill. The boy had used his saber as a shield, rolled forward to disperse the force, and forcibly withstood the blow!
SWISH!
A perfectly good weapon had once again been reduced to a broken one. However, Zheng Jun didn't pause. Instead, he rode the momentum and slashed outward.
The moment the blade swung down, veins bulged all over Lou Wei's body. He retreated while letting out a fearless, sinister laugh. "You've got some nerve, little brat!"
SWISH!
Missing his target, Zheng Jun felt his entire body heat up. His adrenaline and Qi and Blood surged simultaneously as the muscles in his arms knotted with power!
At this critical juncture, a spark of Spiritual inspiration suddenly flashed through Zheng Jun's mind. His speed inexplicably increased as he stepped forward and slashed down once more!
Derived trait: Ingenious Adaptability!
Right now, there was no time to think about anything else.
Wave-Treading Saber, slash!
"Hm?"
During the first strike, Lou Wei hadn't thought much of it. He had merely dodged slightly to the side, preparing to raise his own weapon and chop the little brat who had killed his prime disciple into two.
He never expected the kid's second strike to come so fast!
It was so fast that even he, a Qi Storage Martial Artist who had recently crossed the threshold and hadn't yet had time to cultivate a breath of True Qi, couldn't react!
Even so, Lou Wei narrowly dodged the blade, letting it graze past his face.
But before the first strike ended, another arrived!
Zheng Jun's endless, tide-like Blade Forms truly infuriated and irritated Lou Wei.
With his skills, he had roamed Pingzhang Commandery unhindered for three or four years. He had fought countless Blood Refining Martial Artists, and even when facing Qi Storage Martial Artists, he could always retreat unscathed.
How could he be suppressed so miserably by a Blood Refining kid today?!
Moreover, why did this brat's Blade Form seem somewhat familiar?
Lou Wei was furious to the extreme, but Zheng Jun didn't care.
Life hung by a thread! Who had time to think about all that?
Zheng Jun simply linked one move after another, attacking with the momentum of overlapping waves. Capitalizing on Lou Wei's carelessness, he found an opening with the Wave Splash Form of the Wave-Treading Saber and unleashed a barrage of strikes with the Sea Tide Form. It was the classic case of overwhelming an experienced master with chaotic blows!
With every downward slash, Zheng Jun felt a refreshing thrill surge through his body. It felt as if all the difficult bottlenecks he had encountered during his previous practices were being resolved. He was finally grasping the nuanced differences between wielding a Wide-Backed Saber and a Ceremonial Saber, bringing him immense satisfaction.
This was different from when he had killed Zhao Da. That was a sneak attack in the dead of night, not a display of true skill.
This time, he was fighting a Qi Storage Martial Artist—Lou Wei, someone who had achieved Great Success with the Wave-Treading Saber.
Zheng Jun had never felt so invigorated!
Forced back step by step by the overlapping Sea Tide Form, Lou Wei's eyes turned bloodshot. He violently swung his Wide-Backed Saber to interrupt Zheng Jun's assault. With the muscles all over his body bulging, he roared, "You little animal, you push too far!
"Did you think killing that incompetent fool Liang Fan meant you could kill me?!"
As soon as he spoke, a berserk surge of True Qi explosively erupted from Lou Wei's body!
With a single step, the blue bricks of the alley shattered, and the soil beneath loosened!
Facing those bulging veins, Zheng Jun felt as if an unstoppable mountain had appeared before him.
As the Wide-Backed Saber was swung high, Zheng Jun instantly recognized it as the Sea-breaking Form of the Wave-Treading Saber!
For a brief moment, a hint of fear sprouted in Zheng Jun's heart.
But the fear dissipated just as quickly as it came. Gritting his teeth, he pushed off the ground with immense force. His mind raced, recalling the mechanics of the Sea-breaking Form. He boosted his already incredible speed by another thirty percent, gliding toward Lou Wei with the momentum of splitting seas and parting waves!
Although Lou Wei was a Qi Storage Martial Artist, his True Qi was scattered.
He knew he still had a chance to win!
CLANG!
The screech of grinding metal exploded in the alleyway. The Broken Blade in Zheng Jun's hand was instantly sent flying. His arm went numb, and blood poured uncontrollably from the webbing between his thumb and index finger. However, a bright, exhilarating smile spread across his face as he rapidly retreated, falling back into the crowd of Black Officials!
"How is this possible?!"
Lou Wei's pupils abruptly shrank, his heart in turmoil.
"How could he block my strike? How could he block my strike?!" he thought in disbelief.
A tiny notch had appeared on Lou Wei's Wide-Backed Saber. He still couldn't accept the fact that he hadn't managed to chop Zheng Jun to death.
The first strike was forgivable; he could chalk it up to carelessness and underestimating his opponent, so he hadn't taken it to heart.
But what about this chop?
This chop contained twenty years of his martial arts prowess. Even that wasn't enough to chop the little brat in front of him to death?
A flash of confusion crossed Lou Wei's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
If one chop couldn't kill him, then a few more would!
The brat really had some skill. With such an abnormal, Demon-like talent, it was no wonder he could kill Liang Fan.
If given another ten years... no, five years, Lou Wei feared he would no longer be a match for him.
Since they had already formed a blood feud, the boy had to die here today!
Consequently, a tyrannical surge of Blood Qi erupted once more, bringing with it a suffocating wave of killing intent.
The exchange between Zheng Jun and Lou Wei had happened in the blink of an eye. The Black Officials, who had been stunned into silence, finally snapped back to their senses. They exchanged glances, and a sense of dread began to fester as they stared at the ferocious Lou Wei.
At that moment, Wang Lai swallowed hard. Making up his mind, he drew his saber and shouted, "Protect Squad Leader Zheng!"
He decided to take a massive gamble—betting that he wouldn't die today, and betting that Squad Leader Zheng had a limitless future ahead of him!
Hearing Wang Lai's words, the other Black Officials instinctively drew their sabers and raised their batons.
However, their imposing manner was clearly lacking.
"Bring me a saber!"
Despite his torn webbing and the blood streaming down his hand, Zheng Jun remained heroic and radiant with spirit.
After his shout, Wang Lai directly handed over his Steel Saber.
Gripping the blade and ignoring the blood on his hand, Zheng Jun pointed the tip at Lou Wei. "Lou Wei, you're not leaving here today!"
It was true.
Right now, he couldn't kill Lou Wei. He couldn't even defeat him. If the fight dragged on for the time it took a few incense sticks to burn, Lou Wei would likely slash his head off. However, for a Qi Storage Martial Artist to be reduced to such a wretched state when dealing with a newly advanced Blood Refining Martial Artist like himself, and to be forced to waste so much time doing so...
If it were any other day, Zheng Jun would have already ordered everyone to scatter and run for their lives. But today was different. Tonight, the entire city was under martial law.
Given the major crime committed last night, even if Lord County Magistrate didn't take it seriously, they still had to put up a front for at least the first three nights. They needed to show the county citizens that the Government Office wasn't just sitting around doing nothing.
Because of this, Historian Xu Heng, County Magistrate Tian Zhenyuan, and Chief Clerk Shen Yunyi—along with the master of the eight-hundred-mile Black Mountain County, the Outer Gang Martial Artist, County Magistrate Meng Xian—were all stationed at the County Government Office, managing everything.
Not to mention the night patrol Ti Cavalry of the Garrison Command.
As long as he delayed Lou Wei, they would definitely be able to eliminate him! After all, once an opportunity is lost, it rarely returns; time waits for no man.
Furthermore, Zheng Jun had no desire to have a Qi Storage Martial Artist constantly breathing down his neck!