Chapter 195 - 192: Kill
"Alright, this’ll be quick. I can kill him within three moves!" Fang Yuanzhu, the second of the Fang Brothers, sneered. He unleashed his Lightweight Skill and charged directly at Ye Xing. Once he was close, he raised his Great Saber and brought it down on Ye Xing’s head.
Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu, was at the Peak of the Martial Arts Fifth Realm, while Ye Xing’s cultivation was only at the Martial Arts Fourth Realm. The gap in their power was more than a full realm, bordering on two. Thus, Fang Yuanzhu naturally didn’t take Ye Xing seriously. Though he boasted he would kill Ye Xing within three moves, he secretly thought, ’One or two should be more than enough.’
The gap in Inner Strength was nearly two full realms, a massive difference in and of itself. Inner Strength determined the power and foundation of one’s techniques. If it wasn’t substantial enough, a martial artist could easily be injured by an opponent’s sheer force—that was the might of Inner Strength. Of course, the realm of one’s External Skills also determined one’s strength. A sufficiently high realm in External Skills could compensate for a lack of Inner Strength through ingenious techniques. However, Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu, didn’t believe his Saber Skill could possibly be inferior to Ye Xing’s. His family’s ancestral Saber Skill was Profound Tier Top Grade, and he had cultivated it to the Great Success Realm. A Profound Tier Top Grade Saber Skill at the Great Success Realm was equivalent to an Earth-tier Lower Grade skill at the Minor Achievement Realm, or an Earth-tier Middle Grade skill at the Entry Realm.
Earth-tier Manuals were typically only possessed by High-tier Martial Artists of the Eighth and Ninth Realms. Thus, a Profound Tier Top Grade Saber Skill was already considered incredibly formidable. Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu, was extremely confident in his Saber Skill; he didn’t believe Ye Xing could possibly have an Earth-tier Manual. Even among other Fifth Realm Martial Artists, his External Skills were well above average. With his superior Inner Strength and excellent External Skills, he was certain he could kill the young man in blue before him in three moves—or maybe even one or two.
But the blue-robed young man’s behavior baffled him. His Great Saber was about to cleave down, yet the young man still hadn’t drawn his sword.
’Could he be too scared to move?’
WHOOSH!
The Great Saber whistled as it cut through the air, kicking up fierce gusts of wind.
’Not a bad Saber Skill! A pity it’s not nearly enough to kill me.’ Ye Xing’s gaze was calm. Just as the Great Saber was about to land, he executed the *Wind Shadow Step*. Unleashing the Lightweight Step Technique, his body moved with the wind, instantly shifting back three feet and effortlessly dodging the ferocious strike.
The *Wind Shadow Step* was an Earth tier Middle Grade Lightweight Skill, and Ye Xing had already reached the Entry Realm in its practice. In terms of power, this was comparable to an Earth tier Lower Grade Lightweight Skill at the Minor Achievement Realm, or a Profound Tier Top Grade skill at the Great Success Realm.
While Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu, engaged Ye Xing in combat, Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, and the Three Heroes of Xibei watched from the sidelines, offering casual commentary with relaxed expressions. They clearly had no intention of joining the battle; in their eyes, Fang the Second alone was more than enough for the job.
"Boss, how many moves do you think it’ll take Fang Yuanzhu to kill that kid?" the third of the Three Heroes of Xibei asked their leader.
"Probably three to five moves," the leader of the Three Heroes of Xibei answered. He then turned to Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, and asked, "Brother Yuanqing, what do you think?"
"Why would he need three to five? One is more than enough. Yuanzhu’s Inner Strength is far more substantial than that kid’s—over one realm higher, nearly two. As for External Skills, Yuanzhu has reached the Great Success Realm in our Fang’s Saber Skill. Killing that kid will be effortless. Look, the boy in blue must be scared stiff. He’s just standing there, completely forgot to draw his sword." Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, said smugly, "Our Fang’s Saber Skill is Profound Tier Top Grade. It’s ferocious, overpowering, and intimidates from the very first move. That kid is already terrified. He’s about to be insta—Ugh!"
Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, choked on his words mid-sentence.
"Hey, Boss, Third Brother, look! That kid’s Lightweight Skill is amazing! He actually dodged Fang the Second’s strike!" the second of the Three Heroes of Xibei exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, that kid’s Lightweight Skill is no weaker than Fang the Second’s! Looks like we’ve got a real fight on our hands!" The leader and the third of the Three Heroes of Xibei also wore expressions of astonishment. Keep in mind, Ye Xing’s Inner Power Cultivation was more than a full realm weaker than Fang the Second’s—almost two realms weaker. Yet, he was still able to dodge Fang the Second’s devastating strike. This meant Ye Xing’s mastery of the External Skill of Lightweight Skill was superior, completely compensating for his deficiency in Inner Strength.
Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, felt his face burning. After all, he had just confidently sworn that the kid in blue was scared stupid and that his younger brother could kill him in a single blow. And yet, that same kid had just dodged his brother’s incredibly powerful strike with ease, almost with a casual flair.
"Boss Fang, that kid’s Lightweight Skill seems pretty decent. You sure your brother can handle him? Does he need a hand?" the third of the Three Heroes of Xibei taunted, clearly enjoying Fang Yuanqing’s predicament. He had gotten into a rather unpleasant argument with Fang the Second not long ago. Although they hadn’t come to blows for the sake of their shared goals, he couldn’t resist a sarcastic jab now that the opportunity had presented itself.
"He doesn’t need any help!" Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, snapped, his embarrassment turning to anger. "The kid’s just a bit better at Lightweight Skill, that’s all! His Inner Strength is so much weaker that he can’t possibly last in a drawn-out fight. He’ll be defeated in thirty moves, tops!"
The prediction had shifted from a one-move defeat to a thirty-move defeat—such was the advantage of a powerful Lightweight Skill. Fang Yuanqing could now clearly see that Ye Xing’s Lightweight Skill was a cut above Fang Yuanzhu’s, so he no longer dared to make such a bold claim. He amended his prediction to thirty moves because a superior Lightweight Skill granted a degree of initiative. It allowed one to be agile, to dodge, and to avoid direct confrontations. Thus, even though an Early Stage Fourth Realm cultivation was no match for the Peak of the Fifth Realm, relying on a masterful Lightweight Skill to hold out for twenty or thirty moves was entirely possible.
The four men—Boss Fang, Fang Yuanqing, and the Three Heroes of Xibei—fixed their gazes forward, watching intently.
At that moment, Ye Xing was executing the *Wind Shadow Step*, his feet seeming to generate their own wind as he easily dodged the slash from Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu.
When Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu, saw Ye Xing effortlessly evade his supposedly inescapable strike, he grew annoyed. He realized this kid in blue had likely been hiding his true strength; killing him quickly would be difficult. But what infuriated him even more was the young man’s calm, indifferent expression. He still had no intention of drawing his sword.
’What’s the meaning of this? He’s facing my ferocious assault and he won’t even draw his sword? Is he looking down on me?’
"Kid, why won’t you draw your sword!" Fang the Second roared.
"I want to end this quickly. Drawing a sword is a hassle," Ye Xing said calmly. "Drawing a gun is faster!" He then pulled out a pistol, aimed the dark muzzle squarely between the eyebrows of Fang the Second, Fang Yuanzhu, and pulled the trigger.