Wu Tong had vaguely guessed at the tangled emotions between Fearless Lü Qiang and the Jade Rakshasa, but he had not expected that Thunderblade Gao Jin, blinded by jealousy, carried such deep yet suspicious feelings for her. Wu Tong did not argue. Instead, he clasped his hands respectfully and said humbly,
"Since senior wishes to instruct me, this junior can only comply."
The Jade Rakshasa, Tang Yan, seeing that the two were about to fight, smiled—whether by accident or design—her tone playful yet probing:
"Gao Jin, this man is the disciple of Fearless Lü Qiang. Why not test him yourself? Let him witness the might of the Thunderblade!"
At her words, Gao Jin's heart sank, but he forced a cold laugh:
"Of course! This boy, still so young, already has a name shaking the jianghu. Wu Tong, draw your blade! I will not use fists or kicks—just one stroke of the knife, clean and swift!"
Unfazed, Wu Tong drew the Wolong Saber with calm poise.
"Senior, blades and swords have no eyes. Reckless play brings needless death. Let us be cautious."
Gao Jin's eyes hardened.
"Boy, we took Brother Yin's heavy payment. Even if it costs our lives, the task must be done. If you're afraid, then flee now while you can!"
Realizing the fight was unavoidable, Wu Tong raised his saber before his chest, voice steady:
"If senior insists, I shall accompany you!"
At once, Gao Jin drew a deep breath into his dantian and roared. His long knife flared with murderous aura, cold light flashing, cleaving down with a ferocious strike!
Wu Tong lifted his saber to block, body shifting lightly.
"Is this truly a fight to the death?"
Gao Jin sneered:
"In the jianghu, one cannot always choose! Take the money, shoulder the disaster!"
His blade turned, and a storm of slashes came in rapid succession, crashing like waves against the shore, relentless and fierce!
Wu Tong dared not be careless, parrying swiftly. Suddenly, with a twist of inner force, he flicked the scabbard from his hand—shooting straight for Gao Jin's face! Gao Jin grunted, parried with his knife, sending the scabbard clattering to the ground. But in that instant Wu Tong had already pressed forward—his saber unleashing Two Faces, Three Blades, a roaring tide of layered strikes, surging with unstoppable force!
Gao Jin spun his knife in a dazzling wheel, blade-flowers whirling around him, sealing every gap. His defense was tight, impenetrable. Then, with a sudden shift, his attack flared anew. His strikes rained down like a storm, the blade light covering Wu Tong from head to toe, dazzling all who watched. None could believe human hands could wield a blade with such speed.
Yet if Gao Jin's Thunderbolt Knife lived up to his fame, Wu Tong's Wolong Saber was no less legendary.
Each fought with his own mastery—Wu Tong's saber a balance of hand, eye, body, and footwork, each move calculated; Gao Jin's famed thirty-six Thunderbolt Linked Blades, peerless in attack and defense, a style that had won him the title Thunderblade of the Martial World.
Now Gao Jin unleashed Thunderclap on a Clear Day. His body spun in the air, knife striking down with the weight of ten thousand catties, like a bolt from the heavens. Wu Tong twisted aside, lifting his saber to deflect, dispersing the force before leaping upward in counter—his blade arcing like a soaring dragon—Ascending Flight!
The two clashed in midair, steel screaming against steel, sparks flying like stars. Their speed was such that the ground quaked beneath their strikes, dust swirling, ears ringing. To the onlookers, it was as if thunder and lightning had descended before their eyes.
By now Wu Tong had forced Gao Jin to the thirty-sixth move of his style—something no opponent had ever done. Gao Jin, though seasoned by decades of wandering the four seas, began to tremble inside: the boy's saber was faster still!
Suddenly, amidst their whirlwind exchange, Wu Tong spoke, voice low and deliberate:
"Senior Gao—might the Jade Rakshasa be your cherished confidante?"
Gao Jin faltered, startled:
"Wu Tong, what nonsense is this?"
Even as blades clashed, their words clashed as well. Wu Tong sighed:
"Senior, allow me a word of counsel. If she is your true beloved, then after today—leave this jianghu. Seek peace in the mountains, and vanish from these endless strifes."
For a moment, Gao Jin's eyes flickered with doubt. But then his face hardened with anger.
"Enough! Blades will speak, not words!"
With another roar, his knife stormed down faster, fiercer—light raining like arrows, wind howling around them.
But Gao Jin's blade was fast—Wu Tong's was faster! Every stroke of the Wolong Saber claimed the initiative, each forcing Gao Jin back a step. Suddenly Wu Tong gave a piercing cry, his wrist flicking, saber twisting into a direct thrust—Single Blade into the Heart!
The blade-light speared for Gao Jin's chest like thunder.
The crowd gasped. Tang Yan, the Jade Rakshasa, paled and cried out,
"Young hero, spare him!"
But at that instant, a resounding clang! shattered the air. Gao Jin's knife flew from his grasp, spinning away to crash to the earth several paces distant!
Stunned, his face drained of color, Gao Jin stood dazed. Decades of martial triumph seemed to collapse into emptiness, like a dream breaking at dawn. His gaze drifted to Tang Yan, filled with sorrow and regret. A single thought rose in his heart:
"If I could take her away from this world of blades and blood… perhaps it is not yet too late."
And yet—he knew—it might already be too late.