SWOOSH!
The woman swung her sword.
A flash of green light shot past.
The entire courtyard collapsed with a deafening crash.
At the same time, the aura around the woman completely changed. Her long green dress billowed as if in a nonexistent wind, and the fallen leaves around her swirled in a constant vortex.
But just as quickly, this aura receded.
The courtyard fell silent.
But the once poetic and picturesque scene was now utterly gone.
The woman held her sword.
She closed her eyes.
Gathering her strength.
Calming her spirit.
Waiting!
Time passed, second by second.
Two hours later, a few sounds broke the silence. Soon, they grew louder, turning into a clamor.
Reporters came running, one after another.
They held video cameras and DSLRs, ready to start shooting.
But they soon noticed the collapsed courtyard, which surprised them. ’What happened? How did Fairy Liu’s courtyard get destroyed?’
’Is the challenge already over?’
"Fairy Liu is over there!"
"Her eyes are closed... but her clothes don’t seem to be torn?"
"Fairy Liu’s residence is a complete wreck. I wonder what happened? But it doesn’t look like the fight between Speaker Gao and Fairy Liu has started yet!"
"..."
The reporters chattered amongst themselves.
But the woman paid them no mind.
She just stood there quietly at the entrance to her courtyard, holding her sword with her eyes closed, ignoring the constant flashes from the cameras around her.
Finally, a roar echoed from the sky.
A small helicopter appeared and slowly descended.
"Gao Neng is here!"
"He’s here again!"
"This time, his target is the one known as the ’Heartless Sword,’ Fairy Liu!"
"After her last great battle, I heard Fairy Liu had sealed her Heartless Sword. I wonder... if Speaker Gao’s challenge will make her draw it once again!"
"Are you blind? She’s already drawn it!"
"..."
"Wow, this is a once-in-a-millennium event! Fairy Liu has drawn the Heartless Sword!"
The reporters were ecstatic.
Just then, Gao Neng leaped down from the helicopter.
The surrounding reporters swarmed him.
But Gao Neng’s gaze wasn’t on them.
He looked at the collapsed courtyard.
And at the woman standing before it, holding her sword with her eyes closed.
’Looks like this challenge won’t require much idle chatter.’
"Speaker Gao, could you comment on your confidence in challenging Fairy Liu? The reputation of her Heartless Sword is not to be underestimated, even among the Strongest!"
"Yes, which is why I’m here to challenge her." Gao Neng spoke, then waved his hand. "The Fairy is already prepared. Let’s save the interview for after the fight."
"O-Okay!" The reporters wanted to ask more, but since Gao Neng had spoken, they all obediently backed away.
Unlike at Li Tiannan’s mountaintop villa,
this time, the reporters immediately retreated several hundred meters.
They’d learned from experience, after all!
Getting too close to a battle between one of the Strongest and a ninth-rank wasn’t a joke. People could die.
The reporters cleared the area.
Gao Neng walked toward Fairy Liu.
"You’ve come." Fairy Liu spoke, her eyes slowly opening to reveal a shimmering green light, much like a tranquil love.
"Mhm, I’m here." Gao Neng nodded.
"My special attributes are Wind and Water. Wind has no constant form, and water has no constant state. I also possess a 100% Tungsten attribute and 10 other different elemental abilities." As Fairy Liu calmly introduced herself, she released a barrier of energy that enveloped both her and Gao Neng.
This was, of course, to prevent others from hearing them.
"Oh, my elemental abilities include 100% Iron, 100% Silver, 100% Gold, 100% Aluminum, 100% Tungsten... and so on. Basically, any you can think of, Fairy, I have it. And I have quite a few special attributes, too, around fifty or so, including: Wind, Fire, Thunder, Lightning, Water, Wood, Ice, Gigantification, Miniaturization... etc. Each one is at 100%. As for the specifics, the Fairy can experience them for herself, slowly." Gao Neng introduced himself in kind.
"..." said Fairy Liu.
"Honestly, I’d love to be as ordinary as you, Fairy, but unfortunately, my power level just won’t allow it." Gao Neng shrugged.
"In today’s battle, I will use my full strength." Fairy Liu took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart once more.
"Thank you for indulging me, Fairy. But there’s something I have to say upfront. When I fight, I never hold back, man or woman. So, if I happen to offend you in any way, I hope the Fairy can forgive me." Gao Neng said sincerely.
"It’s fine. In any case..." Fairy Liu trailed off. For some reason, she lowered her head and glanced at her own chest. A hesitant look crossed her face, but she finally gritted her teeth. "I’ve long heard about Speaker Gao’s fighting style. If that’s the case, then show me what you’ve got!"
"I only seek a single defeat." Gao Neng looked up, a lonely expression on his face.
"Then I shall grant you your wish today!"
The moment her voice fell, her sword arrived.
There were no fancy moves.
Just one word: fast!
As fast as a fleeting shadow.
In a mere instant, the sword was at Gao Neng’s throat.
SWOOSH!
The tip of the sword passed through Gao Neng’s body.
The afterimage vanished.
When he reappeared, Gao Neng was already behind Fairy Liu.
Two short daggers, thin as a cicada’s wings, flashed out, stabbing toward the small of Fairy Liu’s back.
Closer!
A direct hit!
But there was no blood.
And likewise, no sensation of impact.
’An afterimage?’ Gao Neng had seen plenty of fast opponents, including the Six-winged Archangel Tianzang. Although Fairy Liu’s speed was nowhere near that of a Six-winged Great Angel,
it was getting close.
In terms of speed alone,
Fairy Liu, with her 100% Wind attribute, was definitely at the forefront.
"Gao Neng!" A sharp cry.
It rang by Gao Neng’s ear like a clap of thunder.
Gao Neng glanced over instinctively.
And then, he saw a sword...
plunging straight for his heart.
Gao Neng was slightly alarmed and immediately spun around.
But at the same moment he turned, immense force struck him from the other side, stabbing directly at his neck.
’What’s going on? There’s another one behind me?!’ Gao Neng was bewildered. He was sure he had just dodged Fairy Liu’s sword, yet he was still struck.
What did this mean?
It meant that Fairy Liu had two swords!
Or rather, that there were two Fairy Lius, attacking him from both sides at once.
And that sharp cry...
was a deliberate distraction.
BOOM!
A violent explosion.
Gao Neng’s body was knocked back a few steps to the side.
"So tough?" Fairy Liu’s figure hovered a meter in the air, a surprised look on her face. A faint green aura enveloped her.
"A man has to be tough!" Gao Neng nodded, then touched his neck. It was a little wet; the skin had clearly been broken.
Ouch!
’What a sharp sword!’
’It actually broke my skin!’
Gao Neng was genuinely impressed. After all, his current body had been "tempered a thousand times," enhanced by dozens of special attributes, and had awakened the bloodline of the Dragon Race. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it "indestructible," yet she had managed to break his skin right after they met.
’She’s truly amazing!’
’As expected of the Heartless Sword.’
"Since you’re so tough, I suppose I don’t need to hold back either." The corners of Fairy Liu’s mouth lifted. She didn’t seem angry at all; on the contrary, she looked rather pleased.
"Bring it on, Fairy! I can take it!" Gao Neng grinned as well.
’The Fairy is so capable.’
’So of course I can’t show any weakness.’
"Do you know how old I am this year?" Fairy Liu’s eyes narrowed.
"A Fairy is forever eighteen."
"Heh, you have a sweet tongue. It’s a pity we weren’t born in the same era." Fairy Liu tilted her head up slightly, as if reminiscing about something.
"Are you thinking of Sword Elder, Fairy?" Gao Neng asked, seeing this.
"Mhm..." Surprisingly, Fairy Liu didn’t deny it. She just let out a soft sigh. "Once the Heartless Sword is drawn, there can be no more sentiment!"
"And if you develop feelings, what then?"
"What then? You descend into madness, of course."
"Have you been reading too many wuxia novels, Fairy?"
"Hm?"
"The sword may be heartless, but the person wielding it can have feelings. In fact, the better one understands sentiment, the more heartless one can be. Isn’t that right?" Gao Neng blinked.
"..." said Fairy Liu.
"Fairy, watch your back!"
"!!!"