Chapter 6

After colliding in mid-air, the two fell from the sky. Bigu's left hand was cut, and Xunxin's chest was grazed by the tip of Bigu's sword, leaving a short blood trail. Although both were injured, Bigu had a slight advantage. Bigu stood at 189 centimeters tall and weighed 87 kilograms. Xunxin, on the other hand, was only 178 centimeters tall and weighed 70 kilograms. Physically, Bigu was well-built, exuding a sense of power.

Although Xunxin's physical abilities were not inferior to Bigu's, they were not the result of his own training. The system's power enhancement allowed Xunxin to have a body far superior to others, but it did not fully unlock the body's potential. In other words, the current level of potential development was similar to an unenhanced body, except that the potential of this body far exceeded his past body, which gave Xunxin his current strength. If Xunxin could continue to train, he might surpass Bigu in physical ability in a few years. However, Xunxin had not even mastered his own body, and naturally, he was no match for an expert like Bigu.

"Looks like I have a slight advantage this time, Xunxin," Bigu said, turning around and placing the long sword on his shoulder. The wound on his left hand was not severe and was already showing signs of healing. Long-term training had significantly improved his recovery ability. The wound caused by Xunxin's attack was akin to a paper cut, and under Bigu's remarkable vitality, it was hardly considered effective damage.

"Yes, Bigu, your strength is truly formidable," Xunxin replied. The wound on his chest was not deep either. The clothes he wore, exchanged from the system, had been reinforced with enhanced fiber strength. Although the reinforcement was not significant without spending Heart Coins, the system was still principled, and the protection against bladed weapons was quite effective. Bigu's sword would not penetrate the windbreaker. This time, Xunxin had been overconfident, allowing Bigu to strike his back, where the thin shirt offered much less protection.

Moreover, the sword in Bigu's hand, Kikyo Sengetsu, was a top-tier weapon of this era. Even if the force had been reduced, it would be unscientific if it couldn't penetrate a piece of clothing. Xunxin moved his body, feeling that the injuries would not affect the next confrontation. He gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand and placed his left hand on the tip, assuming the starting stance for a Qi Thrust. Seeing Xunxin's posture, Bigu cautiously adopted a defensive stance. With a loud explosion, the ground beneath Xunxin's feet was left with a crater as he thrust Kikyo Sengetsu at Bigu. The sword's aura extended about a meter visibly.

With Bigu's keen eyesight, he naturally wouldn't face this powerful attack head-on. He dodged by spinning his body and countered with a Dragon Tornado Flash, aiming at Xunxin's neck. Blocking this attack, Xunxin quickly executed a Qi Turbulence, creating nearly ten sword shadows in the air. Bigu responded with the Dragon Nest Flash from the Flying Heaven Sword Style, and their battle produced the effect of dozens of people fighting. The sounds of swords and sword auras clashing filled the air, but both were holding back, and no wounds appeared on their bodies.

The乱击术 (Ranjitsu) relied on wrist strength, using high-speed wrist movements to strike. This technique was also quite draining, and even someone with the physical strength of Bigu and Xunxin would not use it for long. Seizing the opportunity, Xunxin struck Bigu's sword, forcing him to retreat.

Bigu stepped back four to five steps, gripping the hilt with both hands and assuming the most common sword stance. In the Flying Heaven Sword Style, this stance was the second strongest technique after the Heavenly Dragon Flash, involving the nine basic sword strikes: Tangzhu (overhead strike), Kasasagiri (diagonal downward cut from right to left), Gyakukasasagiri (diagonal downward cut from left to right), Left Hoshi (horizontal cut from left), Right Hoshi (horizontal cut from right), Left Kiriage (diagonal upward cut from left to right), Right Kiriage (diagonal upward cut from right to left), Gyakukaze (upward cut from below), and Tsuki (thrust). Executed with the speed of the Flying Heaven Sword Style, these nine strikes were impossible to defend against or avoid.

Xunxin, facing this attack, did not dare to be careless. Unlike the Dragon Nest Flash, which relied on wrist strength, the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash was a charging technique, using body weight and wrist strength to make each strike lethal. Bigu's sword was also extremely sharp, and unlike Kenshin's reverse-blade sword, which would only bruise, a hit from Bigu would likely turn Xunxin into a pile of minced meat, killing him instantly.

There were many ways to counter the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash, such as using the "Shukuchi" technique to dodge like Seta Soujiro, blocking with the same technique, or using a super-speed attack to strike first. However, Xunxin currently only had one technique that could reach super-speed: the ultimate technique of the Qi Heavenly Sword Style, "Heavenly Sword Qi Instant." However, Xunxin had yet to truly master this technique. Although the method was the same as the Heavenly Dragon Flash, he had not been able to take the crucial step, and without the corresponding mindset, he could not use the ultimate technique. Even in terms of power, it might not surpass the quasi-ultimate technique, Qi Nine Stars.

To be safe, Xunxin also assumed the same stance as Bigu. Seeing Xunxin's posture, Bigu's eyes twitched. 'How can this so-called Qi Heavenly Sword Style be so similar to my Flying Heaven Sword Style? It's a serious case of plagiarism.'

However, the growing aura from Xunxin made Bigu's heart tighten, and a sense of danger arose. Tensing his muscles, Bigu decided to use his full strength to test Xunxin's true abilities.

"Xunxin, the next technique is different from the previous Flying Heaven Sword Style techniques. The Nine-Headed Dragon Flash is one of my most得意 (deft) techniques, with each strike having the power to kill. Be careful," Bigu said, and his figure instantly disappeared. To the naked eye, Bigu's sword seemed to strike nine times in an instant, but to Xunxin, there was a sequence, with each strike separated by about 0.1 seconds, creating a possibility to block the Nine-Headed Dragon Flash.

"Qi Heavenly Sword Style—Qi Nine Stars." The two figures crossed, and the sound of swords clashing filled the air. Although Xunxin's physical strength was inferior to Bigu's, the Qi Heavenly Sword Style's ability to use sword auras for attacks made each strike of Qi Nine Stars accompanied by a sword aura. This meant that Bigu had to neutralize the sword aura before his sword could meet Xunxin's, reducing the terrifying force to a level comparable to Xunxin's strength.

This time, neither side gained the upper hand. One had a physical advantage, while the other had more refined sword skills, making both Xunxin and Bigu feel their blood boil. Bigu slowly sheathed his long sword, assuming a sword-drawing stance, and looked at Xunxin seriously.

"Xunxin, the next technique I will use is the ultimate technique of the Flying Heaven Sword Style, the Heavenly Dragon Flash. It is a super-speed sword-drawing technique that surpasses the other techniques in power and speed, and I cannot fully control it. It might be uncontrollable. If you don't want to bear this attack, we can stop here."

Xunxin did not answer. In fact, he was afraid. If Xunxin had mastered the ultimate technique of the Qi Heavenly Sword Style, he could still face Bigu. However, without a strong will to survive, he could not truly use the essence of the ultimate technique and could not match Bigu. Seeing the aura emanating from Bigu, Xunxin felt a similar sensation to Kenshin. The aura from Bigu was absolute death. His hands trembled uncontrollably from the fear of death.

However, if he stopped here, how could he find his true heart? Xunxin decided to challenge Bigu's ultimate technique. He fastened the buttons of his windbreaker, which had good defensive capabilities, and the wide coat provided complete protection for his upper body. This was Xunxin's reliance in challenging Bigu. After all, while katana were sharp, their ability to penetrate armor was poor. In the original story, Kenshin's full-blade sword could not even cut through chainmail, and Xunxin's windbreaker had far superior defensive capabilities. Even if hit by Bigu, he would likely only suffer bruises. Xunxin controlled his body, sheathed his long sword, and assumed the same sword-drawing stance as Bigu. Seeing Xunxin's posture, Bigu had a "I knew it" expression.

"Xunxin, your so-called Qi Heavenly Sword Style is too much like the Flying Heaven Sword Style. It's basically the same techniques with your Qi added," Bigu said. Xunxin, of course, could not say that it was an improvement by the Infinite Heart, so he could only smile bitterly. However, Bigu was not one to pry, and using the sword to communicate was what top swordsmen should do. The two simultaneously charged at each other, reaching a speed beyond human perception with the acceleration of their techniques. With almost the same speed, it came down to the destructive power of their ultimate techniques.

They drew their swords as they entered attack range, taking a step forward with their left foot to give their swords higher acceleration, reaching the realm of super-speed. The two brother swords, Kikyo Sengetsu and Kikyo Sanketsu, clashed, and the point of contact erupted with extremely violent sword auras.

The first strike was a draw, with the sword auras dispersing the air in a one-meter radius around the collision point, creating a near-vacuum. As air rushed back into this area, it maintained the distance between them, and they used the suction to spin their swords and strike again with even greater speed.

The second clash was also a draw, and the ground beneath their feet cracked from the force. In the original story, Kenshin only used the Heavenly Dragon Flash up to the second strike, not only because his opponents couldn't withstand it but also because his own physical condition did not allow him to use the third, more powerful strike.

The Heavenly Dragon Flash and Heavenly Sword Qi Instant were derived from the same technique. Although each strike was more powerful than the last, the burden on the user also increased. By the third strike, Xunxin was already struggling, and the force on his sword was gradually slipping out of control. Without truly mastering the ultimate technique, even using the same movements, the power and speed were far from the real thing. If not for the Qi enhancement, Xunxin would have lost on the first strike. However, using Qi also consumed a lot of energy, and this was even more evident when using ultimate techniques.

The third strike was another draw, and Bigu immediately followed with the fourth strike, but Xunxin could no longer use Heavenly Sword Qi Instant to counter. Seeing the fourth strike of the Heavenly Dragon Flash, which was more powerful than the previous three, Xunxin could only try to deflect it with Kikyo Sanketsu, as Shishio Makoto had done. However, Shishio had deflected the first strike of Kenshin's Heavenly Dragon Flash, while Xunxin faced the fourth strike of Bigu's, which was far more powerful.

Xunxin first felt a sharp pain in his hands as the force compelled his fingers to release the hilt. Kikyo Sanketsu was thrown away, and then Xunxin felt as if he had been run over by a truck from his right rib to his left chest. His body flew into the air and landed heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust.

'Oh no, my ribs must be broken. Is this guy using a steel whip or something...?' With this thought, Xunxin gradually lost consciousness.

Xunxin, in his first challenge against Bigu, was defeated.

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