Jiang Biehe's strike missed. He attacked once again, this time unleashing the "Sweep Thousands of Troops" skill. A half-moon slash, radiant with a yellow glow, hurtled towards Jiang Chen, who quickly counterattacked with a Sword Pulling Slash.

BOOM...

The two different forces collided and instantly exploded.

After his move, a thought crossed Jiang Chen's mind. He activated the Dragon Slayer skill, sending three hundred Sword Auras slicing towards Jiang Biehe.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...

Sword Qi surged. Jiang Biehe looked at Jiang Chen in shock and said, "You really are different from other Swordsmen. But with such meager attacks, you think you can assassinate me? Prepare to die!"

Jiang Biehe charged at Jiang Chen, swinging his knife to cut him down. Jiang Chen swiftly dodged, reappeared behind Jiang Biehe with a Flash in the Void, and followed up with a casual Sword Qi Break.

CLANG...

The strike was ineffective, not even stirring a breeze of Sword Qi.

Jiang Chen struck again with "Sword Blade - Storm."

It was the same this time, once again blocked by Jiang Biehe's True Qi.

Jiang Chen understood. "Sword Qi Break" and "Sword Blade - Storm" required a direct hit on the target to trigger Sword Qi. Clearly, these two skills hadn't hit their mark but were instead blocked by Jiang Biehe's True Qi shield. The game mechanics determined that if the attacks didn't land, their Sword Qi attributes wouldn't activate.

If those two skills were ineffective, only the [Dragon Over the Sky] skill remained—his most powerful offensive ability.

The three hundred Sword Auras continued to assault Jiang Biehe's Protective Shield. Although they couldn't hit Jiang Biehe's body, they gradually wore down his True Qi. Once his True Qi was depleted, Jiang Biehe would undoubtedly die.

This was a war of attrition.

Another critical point was that Jiang Biehe's speed couldn't match Jiang Chen's. Jiang Chen was much faster, having already surpassed him. He also had another skill: [Sword Array].

To deplete Jiang Biehe's True Qi, Jiang Chen activated [Sword Array]. As soon as it was activated, another of The Fallen was instantly killed by a hundred Sword Auras.

At this time, Jiang Biehe also sensed the danger and understood what Jiang Chen was doing. Hundreds of Sword Auras barraged his Protective Shield. Each attack depleted his True Qi, and once it ran out, the outcome was clear. Without True Qi, he'd be no different from an ordinary person.

The Fallen's only advantage was their lack of skill limitations and time constraints. With enough True Qi, they could use their powers indefinitely.

Jiang Biehe kept pursuing and attacking Jiang Chen, who easily dodged. Jiang Biehe's attacks couldn't keep up.

"Kid, you want to deplete my True Qi, but you have miscalculated. My True Qi is incomparably vast!" Jiang Biehe said, throwing several daggers.

Using hidden weapons? Jiang Biehe, you have no martial honor!

Several daggers flew at Jiang Chen, who dodged again. The daggers seemed to have eyes, tracking him relentlessly.

Eh?... That's Mind Control! How does this old fellow know it too?

Jiang Chen casually struck the daggers with his sword.

CLANG, CLANG...

The daggers clattered to the ground.

It worked! The daggers posed no further threat. After a few more moves from Jiang Chen, they were rendered useless.

Sensing the danger, Jiang Biehe attempted to retreat. But as he turned to leave, the blind old man blocked his way.

"You're courting death!" Jiang Biehe exclaimed, his shame turning to rage.

Jiang Biehe, not taking the blind old man seriously, thrust out a palm strike. At that exact moment, the old man made his move. He extended his right hand, sending a bolt of Thunder and Lightning straight into Jiang Biehe's chest. The Protective Shield shattered instantly, and the attack pierced Jiang Biehe's chest.

Jiang Biehe's eyes widened. "You are..." He fell to the ground, his eyes filled with unwilling resentment.

What ancient Martial Art is this? Chidori?

"Your speed is fast, your attack speed is also fast, and you have a unique way of attacking," the old man said. "It's just that your Offensive Power is quite lacking. What Level are you now?"

"Level 76."

"What? Only Level 76? Your attack power is equivalent to what you call a Fourth-stage Master. If you were to advance to the Second-stage, you could easily break his Protective Shield."

"What Level is he?" Jiang Chen asked.

"His True Qi has already solidified. He's a Fifth-stage Expert."

A Fifth-stage Expert, huh! Indeed, my own ability is lacking. My Level is too low, not even reaching the Second-stage. I need to raise my Level as soon as possible.

Jiang Chen asked, "Can the attacks of a Wanderer be blocked as well?"

"Of course. Whether it's the True Qi Energy of a Wanderer or the skill attacks of a Hero, they're all forms of Energy. Energy can counter Energy. In the end, it all comes down to who has greater Attack Power and whose Attack Power is more focused."

The old man continued, "You said the path the New Faction takes is to condense Energy, like turning ten chopsticks into one, enhancing Attack Power in a short period. All Gods developed the Swordsman Class, and some people are also researching the skills of Heroes, seeking breakthroughs from them."

Jiang Chen had a sudden realization. They learned from each other, and thus the New Faction was born.

"Now, a third faction has appeared," the old man continued. "They walk between the New Faction and the Ancient Faction, practicing ancient Martial Arts. They don't need to learn too much, just master one segment, and then take the New Faction's path to condense ancient Martial Arts into formidable Attack Power. Aggie is such a person. His point Attack Power is strong. This is like the difference between a handgun and a sniper rifle. The handgun is slower with a shorter range, while the sniper rifle is fast and has a much longer range."

The blind old man continued, "For Wanderers, every three stages mark a threshold. The Third-stage is Protective Gang Qi, which marks a true expert. At the Sixth stage, one can traverse the air."

"What about the Ninth Stage?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't reached the Ninth Stage."

"What Stage are you?"

"The Seventh Stage."

"So you can fly?"

"Yes."

"Fly up and let me see."

The blind old man sighed. I'm not some Birdman, why should I fly up just for you to see?

"Against a Sixth stage expert, you probably wouldn't be an opponent," the old man said. "Although you're fast, an expert at the Sixth stage could track your movements."

The two returned to the Cloud End Tavern.

Jiang Chen had intended for the old man to teach him more, but [Heart Realm] was the only thing the old man could actually teach him; other things were completely unlearnable by Jiang Chen from him.

Jiang Chen looked at Jin Yunxi and sensed the True Qi within his body. It was as vast as Jiang Biehe's. He must be a Fifth-stage Expert.

With [Heart Realm], his Perception ability had become even stronger. Experts whose strength was previously indeterminate were now clear to him. Apart from Jin Yunxi, the rest were Wanderers of about the Second-stage. Since they haven't even reached the Third-stage, they pose no danger.

Eh?... There's another expert hidden inside the building. Their presence is faint yet discernible, giving off the same sensation as the old man.

Jiang Chen stopped in his tracks.

The old man asked, "What's wrong?"

"I sense a powerful individual, someone as strong as you, likely at the Sixth stage. This person's True Qi is even more immense than Jiang Biehe's. Their inner True Qi is like a small, crystal-clear orb."

The old man was startled. He inwardly regretted it. After comprehending [Heart Realm], has his Perception become this strong? This is the student surpassing the master!

The old man coughed. "You really have inherited my true legacy, but you still fall a little short of me."

"Master, do you sense if it's a man or a woman?"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's a woman."

"Mm, your guess is the same as mine."

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