Chapter 10

"......If you can handle it on your own, we won't bother you." A smile curved at the corner of Erin's lips as she reached out to stop Lydia, who was about to intervene after hearing Ji Ran's words.

"That's right, that's right! Let us see more of your sword skills! Speaking of which, this guy's sword skills are truly amazing; he can create an encircling effect all by himself... Even though I've seen it many times, I still can't figure out how he does it!" Beck stood to one side, holding his long spear with both hands, watching Ji Ran's battle with the armored lynx with great interest.

"This sword skill is different from all the popular human sword skills, but it has a certain similarity to elven sword skills. However, even elven sword skills don't have this... charm." Erin, the only elf among them, naturally had the authority to comment on the differences between Ji Ran's Level 4 sword skills and elven sword skills.

"Indeed, I can see that. I thought about learning it, but no matter what, I can't reach his level. I always feel there's something I can't understand..." Beck stroked his chin, lost in thought.

It was natural that he couldn't understand it. The Four Seasons Sword Technique is a martial art from the game "Swordsmen Unparalleled," rich in the profound cultural heritage of Chinese history, and could even be considered a philosophy. If he could learn it just by watching, it would be a great insult to thousands of years of Chinese culture.

"That armored lynx is doomed if it doesn't have any other tricks up its sleeve. But why do I always feel that this guy won't lose so easily?" Uncle Ray stood to one side, leaning on his heavy sword, deep in thought.

"......I mean, if you're not going to help, at least don't lower my morale, right?" Ji Ran was even more helpless. Among this group, except for Lydia, who was a bit confused because Erin had stopped her, the others were completely watching the show...

"Alright, alright, even if that guy has some ultimate move, he still can't beat you, right? Seriously, you can't even let us be jealous for a while..." Beck looked at Ji Ran with a face full of disdain.

Ji Ran was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. After more than ten days of interaction, everyone had become quite familiar. His easy-going personality quickly won the favor of everyone, and Beck often made small jokes. However, Ji Ran didn't mind; after all, on Earth, he was also known for his cheerful and optimistic personality among his classmates... If he hadn't been more optimistic, he might have become psychologically twisted and retaliated against society long ago.

It seemed that these people had no intention of helping, so he would have to deal with the armored lynx on his own. Fortunately, although the armored lynx had reached Level 3—according to Ji Ran's observation, it was probably around Level 35 or 36—it was still within his capabilities.

Taking a deep breath, he let his true qi surge. Ji Ran calmed his mind, his eyes fixed on the armored lynx in front of him, but his spirit was fully immersed in his sword technique.

The internal martial arts of the Hidden Sword Manor are divided into two types: Heart Sword and Intent Sword. Heart moves with intent, and the sword becomes spiritual. The two techniques have different focuses: Heart Sword emphasizes the sword following the heart, graceful and agile; while Intent Sword controls the sword with intent, heavy and powerful. Both techniques are equally important and can be switched during combat, but each switch requires a waiting period before the next switch can be made.

However, to fully utilize the power of these two techniques, the appropriate weapon must be used. Heart Sword, being agile, is best used with a one-handed sword to leverage its grace. Intent Sword, being heavy, is best used with a two-handed greatsword, which is powerful and overwhelming.

Ji Ran currently only had a beginner's iron sword, which couldn't be used for Intent Sword. Therefore, he was now using Heart Sword.

In Chinese culture, martial arts are often linked to art, culture, and religion. This is even more emphasized in the game, where the martial arts of the Hidden Sword Manor exude a deep cultural heritage spanning thousands of years.

To make Heart Sword work at its best, it's not just about technical conditions like stability, accuracy, and speed. The user must fully immerse themselves in the essence of the technique.

Ji Ran wasn't a fan of ancient culture, but through osmosis, he had gained some insights. So, he was now trying to immerse himself in the realm of "controlling the sword with the heart."

His current posture didn't look like that of a swordsman at all. He didn't assume a stance suitable for attack or defense; he just stood there leisurely, holding his sword in one hand, the tip pointing down, hanging by his side. It looked more like he was chatting after a battle than preparing for one.

The armored lynx, although it had dragon blood, had an intelligence far below that of a dragon, at best slightly higher than an ordinary magical beast. Seeing the opponent's posture, its brain immediately gave it a signal—it was time to counterattack!

So, the armored lynx counterattacked. After being pressed by Ji Ran for so long, even the most timid magical beast would have accumulated a lot of anger. The opponent's completely unguarded stance was the perfect opportunity to teach it a lesson!

The armored lynx crouched low, its body forming a straight line. It pounced at Ji Ran with a swift movement!

The armored lynx was incredibly fast, especially in short sprints. Even Ray and Ben, the two brothers, found it hard to keep up with its speed. This sprint left a series of afterimages in the air, making it difficult to distinguish its true form!

But Ji Ran wasn't relying on his eyes to see—more accurately, he wasn't relying solely on his eyes.

In the Heart Sword technique, there is a special skill called "Heart Eye."

Using the heart as an eye, one can see through everything. Compared to ordinary eyes, Heart Eye can see the surroundings and movements in more detail, more quickly, and more clearly.

Although this skill was at its lowest level, it was enough for the current situation.

The armored lynx's movements were completely exposed to Ji Ran's Heart Eye. Its actions were slowed down many times, and every small movement was clearly visible to him.

Heart Eye was so powerful that it could almost double one's strength, but it had many limitations. Although it didn't consume sword qi, Ji Ran's remaining true qi was rapidly depleting. He had calculated that with his current true qi, he could maintain Heart Eye for only about ten seconds. After ten seconds, his true qi would be exhausted. While he wouldn't lose his fighting ability, he wouldn't be able to use any techniques and would only have a bit more reaction time than an ordinary person. Unfortunately, he couldn't use his mana in sword techniques, or his endurance wouldn't be a problem...

Now, he didn't need to maintain Heart Eye for that long. One second was enough to see the armored lynx's attack.

Stepping back with his right foot and tilting his body, Ji Ran sidestepped. Just like the killing blow to the Red-Tailed Fire Wolf, he dodged the armored lynx's pounce and delivered a strike—Tide Breaker!

A sword light swept across the armored lynx's abdomen, causing a trail of blood. However, compared to the armored lynx's body, the blood was minimal!

Actually, the appearance of blood wasn't a good sign. When he killed the Red-Tailed Fire Wolf, no blood splattered at the time; it only seeped out after it fell. This indicated that the Tide Breaker strike was so sharp that it didn't even trigger the blood vessels.

But the blood from the armored lynx indicated that Tide Breaker didn't have the same effect. This was normal, as the armored lynx's scales, derived from dragon blood, must have some defensive power.

However, this was within Ji Ran's expectations. The Tide Breaker strike inflicted a heavy wound on the armored lynx, but he didn't relax. He immediately followed up with another strike, aiming for the armored lynx's eyes.

The armored lynx let out a painful cry, but it also aroused its ferocity. It turned its head, staring directly at Ji Ran, and opened its mouth wide, a sulfurous smell spreading around...

"Dragon Breath! This guy's innate magic is so powerful! It looks like its magic crystal will be worth a lot of money!" Although they saw the armored lynx about to use its ultimate move, the onlookers weren't worried. Beck was even more delighted.

"A Level 3 magic crystal probably can't extract both Dragon Breath and Dragon Aura. But even so, its value won't be lower than a Level 4 magic crystal... I bet this one could sell for 70 to 80 gold coins!" Uncle Ray was also very happy.

Of course, while they were discussing the magic crystal, Ji Ran didn't stop attacking. His first strike missed, but it made the armored lynx turn around. Seeing the armored lynx's open mouth, although he didn't know what spell it was about to cast, he knew that a spell saved for a last resort would be powerful...

So, Ji Ran wouldn't give it a chance.

Before the armored lynx could release its Dragon Breath, he took a step forward and swung his sword from top to bottom, without any concealment!

This strike was not only incredibly fast but also produced a loud, thunderous sound as it cut through the air! The sound was deafening, like a thunderclap!

This was the second sword technique Ji Ran had mastered—Thunder Listener.

Indifferent to the storm, laughing at the thunder.

This technique is a direct confrontation skill, emphasizing momentum. One strike, and the thunderous sound would shock all around!

The loud thunderclap even startled the onlookers, including Ray. The armored lynx, directly facing this strike, was dazed and staggered. The Dragon Breath it was about to release naturally dissipated.

At the same time, the Thunder Listener strike landed on the armored lynx's head!

With a loud boom, the armored lynx let out a painful cry and was blasted away. The power of this strike was in its shock; under the intimidation of Thunder Listener, the armored lynx had no chance to dodge and took the full force of the strike!

Even with its scales, which provided much higher defense than ordinary Level 3 magical beasts, the armored lynx was still split open and bleeding profusely. It rolled on the ground, struggling to get up, which seemed quite difficult.

Actually, Thunder Listener would be more suitable for the Intent Sword technique, with even greater power. If it hit directly, it might have killed the armored lynx in one strike. But using the Heart Sword technique, this sword technique was much faster, each with its own advantages.

At this moment, Ji Ran activated the skill "Step of the Thousand Miles" and instantly appeared in front of the armored lynx. Looking down at the struggling, dazed armored lynx, he thrust his sword down.

This strike aimed at the wound on the armored lynx's abdomen, which had been opened by Tide Breaker. With the protection of its scales, Ji Ran's ordinary iron sword caused very limited damage to the armored lynx, only slightly injuring it with the help of sword qi. But now, there was already a wound there.

So, the iron sword pierced in, sinking halfway.

The armored lynx let out another painful cry and struggled desperately. However, this time, it was severely injured, and its struggles only caused the iron sword to stir inside its belly. In just a few moments, blood and internal organs spilled out of the wound.

Thus, the armored lynx's breath grew weaker and weaker, and it finally lay still on the ground, motionless.

"Finally done..." Ji Ran exhaled, pulling out his sword. To be honest, he was also exhausted. After all, this was a Level 3 magical beast with the strength of a Level 4 Silver magical beast...

"You guys really have the nerve to watch until the end, huh?" Waving his sword to shake off the blood, Ji Ran turned to look at Ray and the others who were walking over.

Page break for ads

End of page break for ads