Dusk settled, and the sky slowly darkened.
The snow piled by the courtyard's edge had yet to melt.
On the branches of the crabapple tree in the center of the yard, crystal-clear icicles had formed. Amidst the biting wind, the occasional sound of one cracking could be heard.
Chu Fan stood in the heart of the courtyard, his posture as straight as a pine tree, a Long Saber held horizontally in his grip.
The blade's edge reflected the gray-white light of the sky, gleaming with a chilling glint.
The blood and qi in his body surged faintly. The white mist that puffed from his mouth and nose scattered the moment it met the wind.
HUFF—PUFF—
His breaths were rhythmic, carrying a subtle, peculiar cadence.
Suddenly, he moved.
A flash of the blade erupted like a thunderclap splitting the sky, its passage through the air a piercing shriek!
Four streams of Force—distinct, yet perfectly unified—traveled from his arm to the blade's edge and erupted with a deafening roar!
BANG!
