Chapter 137: The Shadow Flash

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Ding Ding Ding

Under the bright moonlight, the sound of sword clashes repeated continuously.

In the darkness of the night, Zhu Zhuqing wielded her long sword and continuously attacked Zeng Yi. Zeng Yi, on the other hand, had a calm expression on his face with a relaxed smile. He brandished his weapon, Ronin Sword, to block Zhu Zhuqing's fierce attacks.

The swords gleamed, emitting a cold light.

Zhu Zhuqing, with one azure and one emerald eye, focused on Zeng Yi's movements while wielding her shadow. She searched for a momentary flaw.

Now is the time!

Zhu Zhuqing seized a slight flaw in Zeng Yi's movements and her eerie eyes condensed. Two yellow soul rings rhythmically glimmered around her body, and one of them instantly burst into radiance.

First soul skill, [Hell Rush Stab!] ~Modified!~

[Shadow Flash!]

The speed instantaneously accelerated, and the sword light became like a shadow. The sharp blade of the shadow shone with a cold light, as if wanting to cleave through space.

Sensing the power of this attack, Zeng Yi was shocked.

When did she learn this sword technique?

However, in the blink of an eye, the experienced Zeng Yi reacted. The trajectory of Ronin Sword in his hand changed, and the blade emitted a sharp cold light.

Instantly, the silhouettes of Zeng Yi and Zhu Zhuqing crossed paths, and both of their bodies seemed frozen in place, maintaining the posture of launching an attack. The sharp blade under the moonlight flashed with a fierce silver light.

"I lost," Zhu Zhuqing said lightly as she sheathed her shadow and absentmindedly touched her neck.

When they brushed past each other, she felt a fleeting chill on her neck, as well as the scent of death, as if the Grim Reaper had brushed past her.

Zhu Zhuqing knew that Zeng Yi had held back, so she had also lost.

"Hahaha, well done! Xiao Zhu, your talent in swordsmanship is indeed outstanding!" Zeng Yi looked at the neat cut on his left arm's sleeve and couldn't help but laugh.

Turning around, he looked at Zhu Zhuqing admiringly. Zeng Yi had been teaching Zhu Zhuqing for fifteen days now, and he was surprised to find that her talent in swordsmanship was remarkably high. She easily grasped the basic sword techniques he taught her and was already able to use swordsmanship in combat.

In just half a month, she had a foundation in swordsmanship.

Of course, apart from talent, Zhu Zhuqing's own hard work and effort were inseparable from her progress.

"What was that sword move you just used?" Zeng Yi looked at Zhu Zhuqing curiously.

"Shadow Flash! I modified it by using the effect of my first soul skill, Hell Rush Stab, and created my own sword technique," Zhu Zhuqing explained to Zeng Yi.

Zeng Yi had told her not to limit herself to the effects of soul skills but to learn from them and create more diverse techniques. Her soul skill, Hell Rush Stab, instantly increased her speed and attack power, launching a lethal attack on the enemy. So, Zhu Zhuqing combined swordsmanship with her own soul skill to create a unique style.

~Shadow Flash!~

She had just recently developed this move, but its power was stronger than that of Hell Rush Stab. Once she perfected it and improved her swordsmanship, its power would be even greater.

Zeng Yi was right; her greatest strength was speed, and by supplementing her attack weakness with swordsmanship, she could achieve significant improvement.

Zhu Zhuqing felt much stronger than before she had learned swordsmanship. Even if she faced a lower-ranked Soul Ancestor now, she had confidence in winning.

"Amazing!"

Hearing her words, Zeng Yi couldn't help but admire. She had only been practicing swordsmanship for a short time and already created her own sword technique – truly a sword genius. Both her Shadow Flash and Zeng Yi's Gale Wind Strike were similar in terms of extreme speed and powerful strikes against enemies.

In martial arts, the fastest is unstoppable! And Zhu Zhuqing's greatest strength was speed.

It could be said that among the Shrek Seven Devils, no one could match her in terms of speed.

"In today's fight, you won because of the final strike that I used soul power for, so I lost," Zeng Yi said casually.

This was the agreement they made before their fight. They would solely rely on their swordsmanship and physical abilities to battle without using soul power.

This way, Zhu Zhuqing could have an equal back-and-forth fight with Zeng Yi. Though Zeng Yi was only defending passively, letting Zhu Zhuqing try different moves.

However, Zeng Yi did not expect Zhu Zhuqing to suddenly use that move. For a moment, he didn't react, and if he hadn't used soul power, he would have been hit by Zhu Zhuqing's attack.

But in the end, the attack only left a small cut on Zeng Yi's sleeve.

Hearing Zeng Yi's words, Zhu Zhuqing's cold expression showed a hint of surprise, but it quickly calmed down.

"But I still lost," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly.

Even though she won based on the agreement, what's the use? Zeng Yi could fight against her without using soul power, which was already frustrating for her. Why would she be happy with such a victory?

Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing knew that the flaw earlier was deliberately given by Zeng Yi, but she didn't expect to create her move, Shadow Flash.

If they fought again, it would definitely have a different outcome.

"Hehe, Xiao Zhu, don't be too hard on yourself," Zeng Yi couldn't help but chuckle seeing Zhu Zhuqing's downcast expression. "If you surpass me so quickly, then what am I cultivating for? I might as well go home and raise pigs."

"Can you teach me the Swallow Return move now?" Zhu Zhuqing gazed straight into Zeng Yi's eyes and asked.

"Swallow Return?"

Zeng Yi pondered for a moment.

"Well, considering your current level of swordsmanship, you can start practicing that move."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but feel excited. "What should I do?"

"Well, slowly practice drawing the sword. When you're able to draw five swords within a second, you can move on to the next stage of training."

"But remember, it's purely about drawing the sword! No using your soul power."

Zeng Yi narrowed his eyes, smiling at Zhu Zhuqing like a devil.

These words made Zhu Zhuqing tremble inside. Zeng Yi made it sound simple, but even with the aid of soul power, it would be difficult to draw five swords within a second, let alone relying solely on physical ability.

However, if she could achieve that, her power would undoubtedly increase dramatically.

Swallow Return, a technique that could slash three times almost simultaneously, a powerful move that could be executed solely with physical ability. If combined with soul power, its power would exceed even soul skills.

This was the reason why Zhu Zhuqing insisted on learning swordsmanship. After witnessing Zeng Yi's strength, almost every sword move he demonstrated was as powerful as a soul skill. This meant she had more skills than other soul masters naturally and few could rival her.

Looking at her shadow hanging from her waist, a determined expression flickered in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

"I will master the Swallow Return!"

"Then you have to work hard," Zeng Yi said with a faint smile. He lightly stepped on the ground and leaped high, landing steadily on the roof of his house.

"All right, today's training is over. You can go back and rest."

"Over?"

Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily surprised.

"But I just arrived not long ago, and it's still early."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's puzzled expression, Zeng Yi shook his head.

"You've already mastered the basic swordsmanship. The rest is up to you to comprehend. Besides, looking at the dark circles under your eyes, you haven't rested much these past days, training day and night. If you continue like this, your body will collapse."

"So, go back and rest properly."

"But I can still practice now," Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly said upon hearing Zeng Yi's words.

"It's not about what you think, it's about what I think." Zeng Yi stared at Zhu Zhuqing with a serious gaze, exuding an irresistible authority.

"I..."

"If you don't leave now, I'll knock you out and personally take you back, you know." Before Zhu Zhuqing could say more, Zeng Yi interrupted her.

This made Zhu Zhuqing shudder, and a trace of indignation appeared in her eyes as she stared back at Zeng Yi.

After taking a deep look at Zeng Yi, Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, turned around, and left without a word.

"Remember, don't secretly practice when you go back. If I see black circles under your eyes tomorrow, I'll give you more time off."

This comment made Zhu Zhuqing pause for a moment, then she glared at Zeng Yi before quickening her steps to leave.

What a stubborn and strong girl she is!

Watching Zhu Zhuqing's departing figure, Zeng Yi couldn't help but smile wryly.