"I'm Geng Ping, and these are my Brothers," said Geng Ping. The shaven-headed man smiled with squinted eyes as he pointed toward the other bandits, introducing them as if he were a friendly neighbor who had just arrived.
Despite his attempted warmth, his calloused fingers fidgeted subtly with the hilt of the weapon partially.
"I'm Wei Shan. I greet you, Master Ji," said the first man to respond, Wei Shan, as he cupped his hands respectfully.
A thin film of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his adam's apple bobbed nervously as he swallowed.
"I'm—" The rest of the group hastily followed suit, as though they had only just realized they should introduce themselves.
Their voices overpped in an awkward chorus, feet shuffling in the dirt as they exchanged uncertain gnces.
On the other hand, Ji Wuye calmly observed their tense introductions. His steady breathing never faltered, and his eyes—clear and penetrating—methodically assessed each man before him.
Noticing how anxiously they kept gncing at their leader, Geng Ping, Ji Wuye turned his attention to him and asked, "I'm Ji. So, what brings you all here?" He lowered his cupped hands and slowly turned his back to them, reaching for a bag.
"A-ahaha, we're just sightseeing, you know. It gets a bit boring in the camp, Master Ji," Wei Shan replied with an awkward ugh that echoed hollowly in the tense silence.
However, his expression quickly froze as he realized the rest of the group wasn't ughing along. The forced smile died on his lips, repced by a mask of dawning horror.
His eyes widened when he noticed that Geng Ping and the others had unsheathed their sabers and were now holding them firmly.
"Master Ji, it seems there's been some kind of misunderstanding here," Geng Ping said, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on Ji Wuye.
The pretense of cordiality evaporated from his voice like morning dew under a harsh sun. His stance widened subtly, weight shifting to the balls of his feet as his grip tightened around his weapon.
"Is this how you choose to perform a chivalrous act? By threatening innocent bystanders?"
His tone was sharp, almost accusatory, as he watched Ji Wuye casually pick a jian from the lone bag hanging from his horse.
Meanwhile, two of the bandits began moving to the sides, their footsteps deliberately soft against the packed earth as they attempted to distance themselves from the conversation while seeking an opening for attack.
This left only Wei Shan and Geng Ping standing face-to-face with Ji Wuye, a bead of sweat trickling down Wei Shan and Geng Ping's temple despite the cool valley air.
Unfazed, Ji Wuye held the jian in his hand, his posture rexed. Suddenly, the bde began glowing with a bluish light—not like Qi energy wrapping around it, but fring outward as if it were pure radiance.
"Sword Aura..." Geng Ping muttered solemnly, his entire body tensing. His melr armor cttered with a metallic whisper as bluish faint Qi began to slowly envelop him and his whole saber. The ptes of his armor caught the ethereal light, reflecting it in fragmented patterns across his hardened face.
"No, you're wrong," Ji Wuye replied, casually waving the jian in his hand. The bde's edge shimmered with a bluish glow, resembling Qi but not quite the same.
With a rexed movement, he let the sword drop slightly while his crimson eyes shifted toward them, and then...
In what seemed like mere py or experimentation, Ji Wuye performed a loose, downward ssh, as though testing the glowing jian. His wrist rotated with fluid grace, the movement so effortless it appeared almost dismissive. The sleeve of his robe billowed softly with the motion, stirring the dust-den air.
The motion was unhurried, careless even, especially given the considerable distance between him and Wei Shan as well as Geng Ping. However...
————————————————————
Active Skill: Ssh Breaker!
————————————————————
Before Ji Wuye's crimson pupils, a transparent screen momentarily fshed, rippling like water disturbed by a pebble, while simultaneously, the bluish ssh—seemingly destined to fade into the air—continued to push forward with unstoppable momentum. The air parted before it with a soft, whistling sigh.
Its light was dazzling, although not blinding enough to make one avert their gaze in this daylight in this valley where jagged cliff faces in the far distance on the right and left side shadowed them.
The rays of sunlight filtered through the mist that clung to the valley walls, creating a stark contrast with the ethereal blue of the ssh. Instead of harshness, it gave off an ethereal beauty, like the arc of a half-moon suspended in motion.
As the glowing ssh traveled through the dirt-den air, it left a rough trail beneath it, despite never touching the ground.
Wei Shan, eyes wide with disbelief, could only gape as the luminous ssh bore down on him. It appeared mesmerizing—a ribbon of impossible blue light that seemed to sing as it cut through the air.
The color drained from his face, his pupils diting in terror as his mouth formed a silent plea that never found voice. Until a sudden gust of wind surged past his body, carrying with it the scent of scorched metal and something more primal—the unmistakable copper tang of blood.
For one fleeting moment, it was a breathtaking sight to behold. Time seemed to slow, particles of dust hanging suspended in the air around the perfect arc of light. Wei Shan stood frozen, his expression caught between wonder and horror, the blue reflection dancing in his terrified eyes.
And then…
Wei Shan's body began to split apart. No sound escaped his lips—not a scream, not a whimper—as the perfect line of separation traveled from his right shoulder to his left hip.
For a heartbeat, he remained standing, his mind not yet comprehending what his body already knew. Then crimson bloomed across his torso, his knees buckled, and the two halves of him separated with a sickening wet sound.
The delicate arc of light had already passed through him, continuing to travel further ahead, carving its unyielding mark in the air before finally dissipating into nothingness.
Behind it, a faint trail of glittering blue particles lingered, like stars against the darkness of the valley floor, before they too faded away. The remaining bandits stood transfixed, their faces masks of horror as they witnessed their comrade's demise.
At that very moment, another transparent screen appeared before Ji Wuye's eyes.
==============================
[>> Ssh Breaker (C) <<]
Type: Active Skill
A sword technique commonly used by Adventurers to sy thick-skinned monsters, imbuing the bde with concentrated mana. Now capable of cleaving through even the densest materials.
(New) The bde becomes enveloped in an intense aura of condensed mana, capable of releasing a shockwave that extends the ssh beyond its physical range.
==============================
Then, out of sudden...
"DIE!" The guttural cry tore from a bandit's throat as he lunged forward, his face contorted with rage and fear. Veins bulged at his temples, and spittle flew from his clenched teeth.
At that moment, a saber sshed toward the hovering transparent screen before Ji Wuye's vision, aiming directly for his eyes. The bde whistled through the air, its polished surface catching the sun ray as it sought its target with deadly intent.
But…
=======================
[!] Your passive skill, Quick Adaptation (B), has been triggered!
=======================
As soon as the notification fshed before him, countless faint, guiding arrows materialized in Ji Wuye's vision—a consteltion of pathways, each one glowing with faint azure light.
They traced elegant patterns through the air, mapping every possible movement and counter-movement in this deadly dance. Trusting these guiding lines, Ji Wuye moved.
STAB!
"HAA!" the bandit shouted loudly, his voice cracking with desperation. Tendons stood out on his neck like cords as he committed his entire body to the strike.
The saber, aimed at Ji Wuye's left neck, sliced through the air with enough force to decapitate—but Ji Wuye casually leaned to his right, evading it with precise timing.
The bde passed close enough that he could feel the dispced air brush against the skin of his throat, yet his crimson eyes remained calm, almost disinterested.
"NOT THIS ONE!" the bandit ughed, a manic edge to his voice that bordered on hysteria. His eyes bzed with a feverish light as sweat beaded on his brow.
And then, the next moment...
SWOOSH!
The same saber became enveloped in a faint bluish light of Qi, forcing its speed to increase dramatically, its attacks multiplying endlessly.
SWOOSH!
Seeing the relentless strikes, Ji Wuye calmly followed the arrows that only he could see. His breath remained measured and controlled, his heartbeat steady despite the flurry of death surrounding him.
SLASH!
Another strike targeted his chest, the bde whistling through the air with deadly intent. The metal gleamed hungrily in the sunray as it sought flesh.
This time, Ji Wuye tilted his entire body to the side with serpentine grace, his robes rippling like water as he narrowly avoided the bde.
A hair's breadth separated steel from skin—so close that the passing edge stirred the fabric of his garment. And then, at that very moment…
"Bck Gale Saber Style - Raging Wind!" The bandit roared as his movements shifted.
With sudden ferocity, he ducked low and performed a vertical ssh aiming for Ji Wuye's waist. His muscles bunched and strained beneath sweat-soaked clothing, his knuckles white against the hilt of his weapon.
The saber cut a perfect arc through the air, leaving a faint trail of disturbed dust particles. The motion left the bandit certain that there would be no escape this time, a gleam of anticipated triumph flickering across his face.
But…
SWOOSH!
Ji Wuye leapt upward with ease, his body seemingly defying gravity itself. Time appeared to slow as he nded directly atop the saber's edge for a fleeting moment, bancing with impossible precision on the razor-thin surface.
The bandit's eyes widened in disbelief, pupils diting with shock as his mouth fell open.
For that suspended instant, Ji Wuye stood above him like a phantom, crimson eyes looking down before jumping back down again, nding without a sound on the packed earth.
However, undeterred, the bandit quickly adjusted his stance once more, his breathing ragged and uneven as sweat dripped into his eyes.
WOOSH!
This time, he unched himself mid-air, his body twisting like a storm-tossed leaf as he attempted a spinning ssh aimed straight for Ji Wuye's neck.
The bde carved a whistling circle through the air, fast enough to create a subtle vacuum that stirred the dust at their feet.
SWOOSH!
But...
Once again, Ji Wuye followed the guiding lines in his vision, the ethereal arrows mapping a perfect path to safety.
His face remained pcid, almost bored, as he tilted his body to the side and took a small step backward,.
The spinning attack swept harmlessly through empty air where his neck had been just heartbeats before.
The bandit, caught in the momentum of his attack, his body contorted and overextended, was now about to fall.
The exchange sted less than five breaths, the movements too rapid for most to follow.
Yet, in spite of the relentless onsught, the bandit failed to nd even a single hit on Ji Wuye, whose robes remained unruffled, whose breath remained even.
But just as the bandit fell to the ground, his knees hitting the dirt with a dull thud, he suddenly lifted his head. He raised his hands, fingers spyed wide, dirt and small stones clutched between them.
Then…
SPLASH!
A lump—or rather, a burst—of dust was hurled into the air with surprising force. It expanded outward in a billowing cloud, particles catching the light like countless tiny mirrors.
It sparkled like water glistening under the sunlight, momentarily captivating and distracting.
The dust, illuminated by the harsh daylight, cast tiny, shifting shadows that danced across the ground and faces of those present.
At the same time, another bandit suddenly sprang out from the shadows behind Ji Wuye—seemingly emerging, almost literally, from his very shadow.
With a saber in hand, enveloped in a faint bluish Qi, the bandit lunged forward. His eyes, narrowed to gleaming slits, reflected nothing but cold determination as the bde poised to stab directly into Ji Wuye's chest where the heartbeat would be strongest.
"HAHA!" the bandit ughed.
SWOOSH!
Simultaneously, something dark—thin yet unnervingly sinuous, like bck strings or writhing tentacles—slithered out from the ground around Ji Wuye's feet.
The tendrils coiled around Ji Wuye's neck, constricting just enough to feel the pulse beneath the skin. More wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
