"How could he defeat you with just one slash, Senior Brother?" Zhao Kuo opened his mouth, unable to speak, and simply said: "That day, his slash was indeed extremely domineering." Li Danxun laughed and said, "That's where, Senior Brother Zhao, you've fallen into a trap. Wasn't he rather indifferent that day, just sitting there drinking wine? Or perhaps at that time, he had been gathering strength all along." "Blade techniques differ from other weapons, as they have a 'hidden blade unsheathes, its edge revealed' method. If he has mastered such an advanced Hidden Blade Technique, taking advantage of your unpreparedness for an unexpected result in one strike is only natural." "Looking at it this way, it seems you were a bit careless, Senior Brother, hahaha..." Zhao Kuo also felt a bit suspicious in his heart, after all, the opponent only made one strike and then quickly left that day. With his temperament displayed that day, it's impossible he would deliberately delay his moves, wouldn't that ruin his Blade Madman reputation? For people of the Jianghu, reputation is sometimes even more valuable than their life and fortune. Why would he do such a thing? Could it really have been just a Hidden Blade that day? Seeing his hesitation, Li Danxun laughed again and said, "If you're still unconvinced, Senior Brother, then let me step in and challenge this Fufeng Blade Madman myself. Given his conduct, he's likely to accept the challenge, and then we'll clearly see the truth." Zhao Kuo hesitated and nodded, saying: "That would be good." "I'm sorry to trouble you, Junior Brother..." At the same time, members from various sects and renowned experts of the Jianghu also thought of the "Hidden Blade" method in blade techniques. In the Beimang Sword Sect, a middle-aged swordsman frowned and said: "So it was just relying on 'Hidden Blade' and strategic deception, taking advantage of unpreparedness, a mere trickster. If encountered suddenly, it could still pull off a facade, but in a head-on confrontation, it exposed its flaws, nothing much after all." "Ziyang, you don't need to challenge the Fufeng Blade Madman later." "Engaging with a martial artist relying on such crooked means only diminishes our status." A young man in a blue sword robe, with a rather calm demeanor behind him, said: "But he did break through the Great Wilderness Stronghold after all..." The middle-aged swordsman dismissively said, "The Great Wilderness Stronghold has been a menace for a long time, but in fact, it's only the fortress leader that's slightly troublesome, and that too is just an ordinary Sixth Rank Martial Artist. The real challenge is finding their hideout." "If you could find their hideout, with your swordsmanship and martial prowess, breaking through that Great Wilderness Stronghold is merely a matter of course..." Earlier, in the place where Wang Anfeng was seated, a robust martial man, who was from the same hometown as Ma Yihong, sighed and said: "Who would've thought that Ma Yihong, who used to be so timid back then, would develop such martial prowess. But it's a pity that this Fufeng Blade Madman, though his reputation is rather loud, his skills are decent, but not much more." "I remember he even made it to the auxiliary list of the Sword and Saber List this year, truly a case of a reputation undeserved." Several martial artists nearby echoed his sentiments. At that moment, the match on the ground was reaching its end, Wang Anfeng, who learned his martial arts in Copper Man Lane since childhood, exhibited flawless techniques. Apart from those who were guided, no one could notice anything unusual about his moves. Feeling the timing was right, he slashed diagonally with his right-hand blade, deflecting Ma Yihong's sword. The latter staggered back two steps, and the violent flame illusions clinging to his blade slanted out, easily suppressed by the elder of the Huangfu Family. Although he was repelled, Ma Yihong felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration within his heart. Now, looking around, he was no longer afraid or timid but rather rose with a surge of heroic ambition. The Elder of the Huangfu Family glanced at the two and said: "Very well, the victor is the Fufeng Blade Madman." "Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge him?" Wang Anfeng sheathed his blade, his voice cold, nodded slightly at Ma Yihong and said, "You fought well." This voice was heard by the surrounding martial artists when suddenly, out of nowhere, came a ghostly, seemingly eerie voice that floated and drifted; sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, snickering and saying, "He fought well, look at how poorly you fared, where's the big face coming from?" Ma Yihong received grace and guidance from Wang Anfeng, and in his heart, he already regarded this enigmatic bladesman before him as the most revered figure besides his teachers. Holding his blade, he angrily said, "Who is it? Come out from hiding!" The voice drifted northward again, clicking its tongue: "Why get angry that easily?" "Heh, according to me, this so-called Fufeng Blade Madman shouldn't even be here. Where is this place? It's a place for our Northwest Jianghu heroes to debate and spar. Why is a Fufeng man, a northerner coming over here to our west?" "Fighting amidst noise, why not just hurry back instead..." Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel-fire.ɴet Soon followed by another eerie laugh, Ma Yihong was infuriated, yet he had no way to discern where this ghostly laughter was coming from. Even the Elder of the Huangfu Family found it elusive; although proficient in blade techniques, he wasn't adept at dealing with such crooked tricks. The martial artists present naturally harbored no goodwill toward someone who spoke in such ghoulish tones without revealing themselves, but upon hearing it, their hearts couldn't help but fill with a sense of strangeness— Today was the martial assembly of the seventeen provinces in the Northwest. Even the experts of the Xiahou Family, Dongfang Clan, and Xuanyuan Family hadn't stepped forward. A man from Fufeng with mediocre martial arts was participating in competitions here; his martial prowess was average. Of those present with reputations, was any one of them not stronger than him?