Chapter 19

With a swift slash, Linghu Chong extended his sword and lightly shouted, "Tian Boguang, take this!" As soon as he moved, he used the lethal move "Phoenix Comes to Pay Homage" from the Huashan Sword Technique. The sword blade trembled, humming, instantly enveloping Tian Boguang's upper body in a web of sword light.

"Excellent sword technique!" Tian Boguang praised, swinging his saber to block the long sword and stepping back. However, Linghu Chong's sword did not stop. It was vastly different from the Huashan Sword Technique Tian Boguang was used to. He flicked his sword, creating three sword flowers that obscured the eyes, making it impossible to discern the real and fake moves. 'Indeed, he has greatly improved!'

Tian Boguang swung his saber horizontally, and with a loud thud, it struck Linghu Chong's sword. The force of the impact caused Linghu Chong's sword to wobble, while Tian Boguang stepped forward and swept his saber horizontally.

"Hmph!" In the past, Linghu Chong would have had no choice but to dodge such a move, but now... He used the force to spin his sword, leaped into the air, and kicked Tian Boguang's saber with great speed. Using the momentum, he turned his body and thrust his sword forward. Tian Boguang leaned back, his body almost touching the ground, and with a slap of his left hand on the ground, he slid past Linghu Chong, appearing behind him and kicking at his back.

Without turning or moving his feet, Linghu Chong kicked backward. Although he was slower to react, he managed to reach first, forcing Tian Boguang to quickly change his move to avoid it.

The two exchanged several moves in an instant, the intensity and danger of which thrilled Bai Xiaosheng, who was watching from the side. Tian Boguang was expected to be skilled, but Linghu Chong's techniques were truly impressive. Compared to them, Bai Xiaosheng felt far inferior.

Landing on his feet, Tian Boguang's face showed a hint of seriousness. "Linghu Chong, you have truly improved. I didn't expect that in just over half a year, your sword technique would have advanced to such a level." His tone carried a note of surprise at Linghu Chong's rapid progress.

Linghu Chong smiled proudly. "Tian Boguang, stop flattering me. I won't hold back today."

"Haha... Nonsense, how could I let you hold back!" Tian Boguang spat, his feet moving swiftly as he appeared in front of Linghu Chong in a few steps, his saber slashing rapidly.

Having seen Linghu Chong's martial arts, Tian Boguang took him more seriously. His first move was his famous "Flying Sand and Rolling Stones" thirteen techniques. This saber technique, combined with his lightness skills, was his mainstay. Each move was faster and stronger than the last, like a fierce wind sweeping up sand and stones.

Linghu Chong had seen this saber technique before and had even memorized it, pondering how to counter it. Unfortunately, despite his improvement, he had not reached the level where he could instantly see the flaws in others' moves. Breaking Tian Boguang's famous "Flying Sand and Rolling Stones" thirteen techniques was impossible. Otherwise, there would be no place for Tian Boguang in the martial world.

However, Linghu Chong had discussed countermeasures with Bai Xiaosheng, and Ning Zhongze had created the "Unparalleled Ning's Sword" to match speed with speed. This was a lethal move, aiming to exploit the few flaws and strike a fatal blow. But executing this move in combat to kill Tian Boguang was not easy.

During their discussions, Bai Xiaosheng had suggested, "Tian Boguang's saber technique is very fast, each move faster than the last. However, this also means he consumes a lot of energy and internal strength. If we can hold out for a hundred moves, his saber technique will slow down. Alternatively, if you are faster than Tian Boguang, you can directly break through his fast saber."

These were two strategies. One was to match speed with speed, but Linghu Chong knew he could not match Tian Boguang's speed. Although he had improved greatly and his sword technique had become faster, he could only last about thirty moves against Tian Boguang. Therefore, he had to use a defensive strategy to wear Tian Boguang down.

As he thought, their weapons had already clashed seven or eight times, the clanging sounds almost continuous. Once he made up his mind, his sword technique changed, the sword light forming a protective circle around him as he slowly retreated, continuously blocking Tian Boguang's fast saber.

Tian Boguang's saber technique was fast, and the force of his attacks grew stronger with each move. But how long could he maintain such an attack?

Overall, Linghu Chong was not as strong as Tian Boguang, but when his sword technique was fixed around him, he could withstand Tian Boguang's fast saber.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged forty to fifty moves. Tian Boguang's fast saber became even more fierce, and Linghu Chong's defense became increasingly strained. This puzzled Bai Xiaosheng, who had thought this strategy would allow Linghu Chong to hold out for over a hundred moves. Why was he struggling after just fifty moves?

Observing the battle closely, Bai Xiaosheng realized the problem. The strategy was sound, but he had overlooked the impact of internal strength. Tian Boguang was stronger, and while Linghu Chong could block his fast saber, the counterforce severely drained his energy. In a way, this consumption was even greater than Tian Boguang's.

In "Smiling, Proud Wanderer," Linghu Chong could still fight top-notch experts with the Nine Swords of Dugu despite lacking internal strength. Why? Because his sword technique was fast and unpredictable, never directly clashing with opponents' weapons. Otherwise, his sword would have been knocked away. This was the strength of the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Now, however, Linghu Chong's sword continuously clashed with Tian Boguang's saber. His internal strength was not enough to match Tian Boguang's, and over time, he would tire first.

Realizing this, Bai Xiaosheng suddenly said, "Tian brother, we agreed to a sword and saber duel. Using internal strength is an unfair advantage." He was reminding Linghu Chong that in "Smiling, Proud Wanderer," Tian Boguang often used excuses to avoid defeat and repeatedly challenged others. Today, he would not let Linghu Chong go to Hengshan with Tian Boguang.

Hearing Bai Xiaosheng's words, Linghu Chong immediately jumped back and shouted, "Bai brother is right, Tian Boguang. You are using internal strength to bully me. Even if I lose, it will be because of your strength, and I won't be convinced."

Tian Boguang's face turned black. He looked at Linghu Chong and then at Bai Xiaosheng, looking helpless. "Fine, what do you want?"

"We cannot use internal strength in our fight. Only then will I be convinced if I lose," Linghu Chong suggested. Tian Boguang cursed. In the past, he wouldn't have taken Linghu Chong seriously without using internal strength, but after seeing his sword technique, he knew that without internal strength, he might not defeat Linghu Chong, and his "Flying Sand and Rolling Stones" thirteen techniques would be much less effective.

But if he didn't agree, Linghu Chong would not go down the mountain with him.

Tian Boguang hesitated. If he agreed, he might lose; if he didn't, Linghu Chong might not be swayed. What should he do?

Because of Bai Xiaosheng, Linghu Chong's improvement had put Tian Boguang in a difficult position.

Seeing his silence, Linghu Chong seemed impatient. "Well, Tian brother? Have you made up your mind?"

Tian Boguang looked up, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine, I agree. No internal strength."

"Ha... Ha... Great! Tian brother truly has the spirit of a true man," Linghu Chong laughed. "Let's rest for a bit and resume the fight when we're both fully recovered."

Tian Boguang said nothing, just nodded and walked to a large rock, sitting down to focus on his breathing. It was clear he was taking the upcoming fight seriously. Linghu Chong walked to Bai Xiaosheng and sat down, whispering, "Bai brother, if not for you, Linghu Chong would have lost just now. Thank you."

Bai Xiaosheng shook his head. "I don't want Linghu brother to lose either. Otherwise, where would I see such an exciting fight?"

"You..." Linghu Chong shook his head and laughed, then said seriously, "Bai brother, even without internal strength, Tian Boguang's saber technique is still very difficult to deal with. In a real fight, we might be evenly matched. Do you have any ideas on how to counter his fast saber?"

Bai Xiaosheng shook his head. "Linghu brother, although Tian Boguang's saber technique hasn't reached your level, it is extremely fast, making it very difficult to handle. In my opinion, to break such a technique, you either need to match speed with speed or have skills like Tai Chi Sword. Otherwise, it will be very difficult." He hesitated for a moment and added, "There might be another way..."

Linghu Chong's eyes widened. "What way?"

Bai Xiaosheng began to explain, but the page turned, and an advertisement started.