But even as Ben Li's perception of time heightened with his brain power, making everything crawl into a slow-motion film, the strength displayed by an Advanced stage Foundation Formation were still overwhelmingly frightening in the hands of this lass before him. Plus, she was pissed off. Adding more power to her already begotten strength.
He had whipped out his Glaive. Preparing an attack of his own. Yet, he was conflicted whether he should use it to block or use it to counterstrike. Eventually, his indecisiveness and lack of battle sense had put him in a dangerous position where Ran Ranxu was given the chance to perforated his head. Ben Li's eyes narrowed looking at the sword tip coming. And even if he dodges now, it will be too late for him.
Without any choice, he cladded his Glaive with Qi by a thought and stabbed it out directly towards her abdomen.
Faced with his retaliation, Ran Ranxu snorted and change the trajectory of her sword with her high reflexes and swung downwards to target his Glaive. Then, both weapons collided.
Ding!
A bright spark manifested as their blades hit and Ben Li felt a numbing sensation travel through his arm. Making him lose a bit of his grip from his Glaive as its attack was nullified.
Meanwhile, Ran Ranxu was unfazed and launched another sword strike. Swinging her sword diagonally right into his left shoulder. Her sword aura burst forth to bisected him in half!
Confronting her next attack, Ben Li gritted his teeth and drove away her sword aura that was trying to restrict his movement. He immediately executed 'Dragon Stepping Bolt' and his body flickered in an attempt to escape. But in that moment of flickering, her sword made contact with his shoulder and manage to graze his skin.
It was just a graze as an onlooker would presume. In fact, that graze wouldn't be able to cut his skin, at most, only his clothes would tear off.
However, Ran Ranxu's Sword Aura was dreadfully sharp. Making it seem as if the air she exhaled could cut grass with ease. Thus, with that graze alone, Ben Li was given a blood-splattering wound as he appeared 10 meters away. His robe gradually soaked in his blood as it seeps from the wound.
Ben Li stood and stared at Ran Ranxu before him. Clearly startled how tingling and painful it was being cut by a sword. He covered his wound with his hand to suppress the bleeding while he drove his Qi to alleviate the pain.
Meanwhile, Ran Ranxu stood haughty before him and gave him a disdainful look. Her great sword had a bit of his blood soaked in its blade, and when she swung it hard, the blood was wiped off clean and splattered on the ground.
"Weak." she scornfully commented. "Your stance is so full of openings. Your attacks had so many gaps. Your defense has so many holes. Not only are you weak, you're also amateurish. If you weren't a Core Disciple then I would've had chopped you to pieces since the beginning, you understand me?!
"Quit buzzing around, you maggot and get lost! Otherwise... I'll really kill you..." killing intent began to flicker in her eyes viciously. Along with her Sword aura bursting out, her position became imposing and seemingly brutal. As if she wouldn't hesitate anything anymore any longer.
"Well... I wasn't ready." Ben Li scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Yeah, I have to admit. Martial Arts isn't one of my second-hand skills. In fact, I've only taken my Martial prowess in consideration about a week ago. It's my first time dealing with such a lass with such a decisive caliber.
"Plus, I had a reason to provoke you. It's not because I started liking you, but because I had to be certain of something."
Of course, he was telling the truth. Ben Li did indeed have his reasons to provoke her into battle. And it wasn't because he had a stupid idea... Okay, perhaps it was a bit stupid but, in the end, it was still necessary.
Right now, Ben Li and Ran Ranxu had a contract established by Heavenly law. She has his Natal Flames which means he couldn't lie to her and he also owes her the 'Light and Void Sword Pursuit'. An ancient Sword technique of unrivaled speed derived from the unrivaled Sword Art belonging to a mysterious expert and was left as a heritage for the next generation to inherit.
With such debt that he owes, naturally, he must settle their Karma to unhindered his Path of Cultivation. However, because he had made such a Karma did he realized the mistake he had made. And until this Karma is settled soon, their lives will be in complete mortal danger.
This lass... Can she bear the burden of keeping one of the deadliest sword techniques of ancient times?
It wasn't like he was planning to renege on his Karma and not give it to her, that would be suicide and the Heavens will smite him dead regardless. But he was a bit concerned of her character. And worried a lot for her future.
If she had attained such an indomitable sword technique and speed in her current mastery, she could probably slay Power Core Cultivators with ease and probably only the most formidable of Holy Saints might be able to subdue her.
After all, the 'Light and Void Sword Pursuit' was such a formidable Sword technique that empires and sects would wage an all-out war just to get a piece of it.
And why does Ben Li know this when he has yet to understand the profundity of Heaven and Earth? It was because he wrote it!
The 'Light and Void Sword Pursuit' was a sword technique fated for the MC of this novel world, Ling Xiufeng. And after attaining just the Essential Fundamentals of this Sword technique had granted him the half speed the speed of light. Attaining that technique had left numerous blood-splattering corpses within a split-second. Dominating battles one after another with his unrivaled speed alone.
However, Ling Xiufeng had only attained the Essential Fundamentals of the Sword technique. Meaning, he had only 1/4 of the complete edition and he has never been able to display the technique's full prowess. And that also means that whoever finds the complete edition was theirs for the taking. The destined hero of this world won't stand in your way if ever he doesn't know what you're up to.
And because of that, Ben Li had stupidly promised Ran Ranxu to give her the complete edition instead of taking it for himself. Well... Either way, they were going to get it. So, he had to take his share as well.
It was just that... he was growing worried for this girl's future and what it may impact on the world.
I mean, in the upcoming future, when the world will eventually find out that Ling Xiufeng had somehow learnt the Core Fundamentals of the famous Sword technique, he will be persecuted by the world. Tens of hundreds of sects and organizations hunted him down in a witch hunt all to steal the knowledge pertaining of this Sword technique. Such a living such an ill-begotten life being chased down by the greed of the masses had left Ling Xiufeng no choice but to raise his sword and start a bloody feud against the world. Introducing an era where he rose to glory on top of a bloody mountain of corpses.
And now that he planned to give Ran Ranxu the complete edition, he was probably nailing her to her coffin. With her inheriting something she couldn't possibly bear, her bounty on her head will be doubled compared to Ling Xiufeng and the entire world will be out on a witch hunt for this lass. And if that ever happens, Ben Li wouldn't be able to forgive himself that he brought such an innocent lass to a story filled with fallen roses. A tragedy he wouldn't be able to bear.
That's why now, he was testing her. Trying to see if she could bear to keep her potential strength a secret so that she would transform into a butterfly out from a cocoon hidden inside the bushes of a rotten tree called Lust and Greed.
And... She already failed the first test. Which was a test of Patience.
Her patience was lacking... Or perhaps it was apt to say that she had no patience at all.
Well, it couldn't be help that she was too antsy and enthusiastic about things because of her young age. Especially, when she was provoked. It would take more than a chill pill to calm her down.
Because of her attitude and reaction towards provocation, he had deemed this a flaw of hers that must be fixed sooner or later.
And also, there was something odd about that Great Sword she was wielding.
Through his Soul Sense, Ben Li was able to discern that a living Spirit had resided inside that sword... Or perhaps the sword was alive itself.
Not only that, but it seems the Sword was also trying to communicate with him. Calling out to him. But with such a fuzzy frequency, he couldn't understand what it was trying to convey. Not only that, it was being wielded by Ran Ranxu and tamed to obey like a docile tool that will listen to her command. So, unless he wields the sword himself, he won't be able to know what it was trying to say.
Such a unique weapon has deeply intrigued him and left him thinking that the Great Sword she was gripping was anything but ordinary. Perhaps... It was Holy-tier tool forged by the best Blacksmiths and cultivated by the best Sword Cultivators and was granted a sentient over the passing years it was used.
Or perhaps it could be something else. Something more profound than some any Holy-tier tool. But he wasn't so sure as he has yet to conclude. Also, he was testing Ran Ranxu right now. Thoughts about the sword can come later.
Hearing what he had just said, Ran Ranxu harrumphed coldly brushes his whining. "Hmph, I'm not interested in hearing your complaints. Scram before change my mind! Final warning."
Her threatening voice was amplified by her Spiritual Sense. Giving it a trait that will shook the mind and waver the Spirit. But Ben Li seemed unfazed by it and shook his head. "No, not yet. Not until I'm sure that I got to know everything about you. That way, I can rest easy about your future."
"You..." Ran Ranxu's face contorted in anger as he grew annoyed of this bastard's smooth flirting. Her boiling anger had sparked her Sword aura to blaze like fire that it began to flare her hair. An intensified sharpness had risen to cleave her surroundings everywhere.
"Die!" the moment she spoke that, she raised her sword and swing it down. Then, an excessive amount SwordQis shot forth from her sword, capable of even cutting the hardest bones with ease, had all their dreadful edges directed at Ben Li.
Ben Li retaliated by flickering back another 20 meters. Then he raised his one hand and conjured a seal. His Qi surged out sporadically from his body to manifest as a tiny flaring sun above his head.
The appearance of this flaring sun had eclipsed Ran Ranxu's sword aura at it spiral like a spinning galaxy of stars. Condensing its form all on its own as it continues to absorb Qi from Ben Li. Afterwards, he conjured another seal in a split-second.
"Take this!" He raised one finger from his and used it to draw a large circle made of light before him. The circle was symmetrically aligned with the flaring sun above his head as the center. Conjuring as image of the sun with its glaring light rays. After which, he formed his hand into a palm strike and pushed the circle of light forward. Targeting the incoming SwordQis to collide with them.
When the circle of light first collided with the first SwordQi, then that SwordQi shattered to bits and dissipated into lost energy while the circle of light remained unharmed and continued to charge forward. Shattering the next SwordQi one after another with an unstoppable force of dazzling light.
Eventually, the circle of light broke all the incoming SwordQis like glass and arrived before Ran Ranxu just a meter away. Exerting a Heavenly force that intends to cage her movement.
Ran Ranxu was surprised for a bit under her cold dark expression. She could tell with her Spiritual Sense that the bastard before her was actually more apt in Spell conjuring than executing Martial techniques in battle. With the capability of executing a powerful Spell in a matter of seconds, clearly his mastery in Spells was already in Major Accomplishment.
And that's not all, she could also tell that this circle of light was excessively amplified by the 12 colored auras surrounding him. Giving it more than enough power to nullify all her SwordQis and subdue her in the spot if undefended.
Clearly the man before her was a Spell Cultivator! A troublesome fellow to deal with if he keeps attacking relentlessly with his spells.
Face with this, Ran Ranxu reacted quickly by raising her sword again and swiped it down on the circle of light. An unnerving Swordforce gushes from her aura and amplified the sharpness of her sword. Bringing down a force that easily cleaves steel in half.
With her attack, Ran Ranxu managed to cut the circle of light into two and the remaining Swordforce became a Power wave directly targeting Ben Li who had somehow took the chance to shorten their distance. But after seeing the Power wave coming as it left a trail of devastation behind, he had no choice but to stop his momentum and change his trajectory. Successfully dodging the Power wave which happened to had destroyed the terrain behind him and continued to shorten their distance again.
Ben Li held his Glaive tightly in his hand. Cladding it then Qi as he was ready to strike. And just as his distance was half a meter away from her, Ben Li stabbed upwards and aimed at her sword which was being swung down by her along with her auras rigid Swordforce.
'Why is he attacking close range instead of attacking with Spells?' Ran Ranxu was perplexed seeing Ben Li's odd way of fighting and thought that something was amiss here. But if there wasn't and Ben Li was just holding back his real strength, then that pissed her off even more. She swung down her sword with her strength without holding back.
Both their attacks collide with a Ding and Ben Li's Glaive almost slip from his hands from the rebound while having his momentum toppled over.
"Damn!" Ben Li gritted his teeth, trying to regain his balance. Then he cladded his attacked again, swinging his Glaive sideways to hit her flank.
"Weak!" Ran Ranxu snorted in contempt and leaned her body to the right. She slid pass his offensive range and entered his blind spot at his left side. Then she swung her sword backwards with a relentless Swordforce sharpening her attack even more. Targeting his flank!
"Shit." Ben Li's expression turned serious facing her attack. Left with little choice, he freed one hand and swiped it up to his left. Sending a surge of flaming solar flare to incapacitate her. At the same time, he flickered away with Dragon Stepping Bolt. But it was futile.
Her one sword attack, devoid of any Martial technique and was only filled with the relentless Swordforce from her aura, extinguished the solar flare into thin air and continued its attack unhindered.
Swoosh!
The sounds of tearing resounded in the air and blood began to dye in Ran Ranxu's sword once more.
Ben Li grunted in pain as he appeared 10 master's away. Sweating bullets while dripping droplets of blood. Panting heavily as he tried to recover with his Qi. Now he has a new wound to bear. On the left side of his chest was a deep sword cut that bled profusely. Trickling out with large amounts of blood. Stinging with pain that made it unbearable for him to breathe.
Meanwhile, Ran Ranxu stood staring at Ben Li with the same cold dark look. Unfazed and unnerved. A demeanor that was borderline brutal. She swung her sword again and wiped off the blood dyed in its blade. Then she took a step and walked towards where Ben Li was standing.
Seeing her approaching, Ben Li raised his hand and conjured a seal. The tiny sun above his head began to surge with brilliant energy.
"Oh no you don't!" seeing Ben li conjuring a spell, she began to sprint towards him and reacted faster.
"Ming Ming, kill the sun!" She lifted her great sword with one hand and threw it like a javelin. Targeting the tiny sun above his head.