said: I am not your friend to call me pal.
He sighed and replied: Take it easy, pal. I know you want revenge on him, but fighting an unarmed person, with no weapon in his hands, even if he is at the Peak Realm, is not a reason to face him — the fight would not be fair.
I added: And what concern is it of yours? This is a matter between me and him, it has no basis nor connection to you. You'd better step aside from here, or I will cut you in half.
He said: As you wish.
He released an aura far stronger than mine. Though just an unknown young man in his early twenties, his aura was even greater than my own. I released my aura as well and said: Let's fight outside — have you forgotten that the civilians will be harmed?
We left the place. The young man removed the straw hat from his head. His hair was black mixed with violet, tied in a ponytail, and his eyes were dark, tending toward crimson. His appearance was strange, even his clothes were tattered.
The battle began. Ling Tian charged straight in with his first attack, a swift strike from above. I tried to block it but the force rebounded violently onto my shoulder, followed by a rapid chain of side punches with the hilt and straight strikes to my legs and waist. Each blow carried tremendous power pressing against every part of my body.
I moved to evade, yet some still landed despite my aura. Then he thrust with a horizontal slash that forced me back a step, followed by an upward strike toward my legs. I tried to twist away, but he kept pressing with unending blows from the sides, above, and below.
His assault grew fiercer. Every moment, I saw his strikes raining down endlessly. I swung my sword to deflect some, twisting them away into the air, but most landed near me or forced me to retreat. I moved and spun to keep my balance, blocking ceaselessly until I reached a sloped part of the ground, hoping to use it to rebound.
But Ling Tian did not stop. He struck with a double slash from above and below, driving me further back, his sword gliding near my neck with every motion. I pressed my aura to lessen the impact and redirect the blows, yet with every strike I felt myself bending and swaying under his relentless force.
At last, the moment came — I fell to the ground with his sword at my neck. And suddenly, I found myself in a strange place, pitch black as endless darkness.
Even after all this effort, I am about to lose. I lack talent. My opponent is gifted, a genius born once in a hundred years. Even accumulated experience cannot suppress the nature of geniuses. A failure remains a failure, and the genius remains exalted above all.
A black phantom appeared, just as before, and said: You place everything upon your shoulders, thinking you can handle it, but every being carries a burden beyond its own awareness. It seeps into its inner boundaries, mixed with overlapping consciousness. If the wave exceeds his capacity, he collapses partly, but internal disintegration weaves complex networks of self-reconstruction, where accumulated experiences intertwine with self-reassessment. The beginning of repair lies uncertain, between fragmentation and harmony woven in the fabric of a being layered with levels of consciousness and maturity. At certain moments, the self must distribute the weight of interaction and responsibility to other entities. Every being is bound by its own limits, impossible to surpass, and thus the web of interdependence interlaces with internal constraints, forming a complex patchwork of obligations and boundaries.
He continued: Also, no matter how poor your talent, do not be harsh on yourself. Despite your poor talent, you have already surpassed your own limits. This is what is called obsession — or madness. You may lack talent, but you have more than enough drive.
The Yin-Yang Sword formed in my hands, and I plunged it into my chest. He added: Even so, you can now wield this power for a certain limit of time. Your limit is around half an hour, and that is more than enough.
Suddenly, the phantom vanished, and a man appeared wearing a massive black cloak, hair white, eyes dark. He patted my shoulder and said: Well then, you may consider me your Sword Will. He embraced me as he faded away, saying: Do not overburden yourself. A man must either share his burden or lay some of it down.
That… that made me feel better. Speaking with these figures who seemed to embody parts of myself gave me comfort.
After awakening, the sword in my hand transformed into the Yin-Yang form, a black-and-white aura swirling around me. It merged with my movements until every part of me became the embodiment of the sword, every strike capable of cutting through any defense before me.
Ling Tian smiled and said calmly: It seems I shall now unleash all that I have. His sword turned into pure blue, releasing a powerful aura that engulfed the entire battlefield.
I unleashed my aura as well, our forces colliding and shattering the mountain ground beneath us. Each second his blows came one after another, some I deflected, some I diverted, but his aura closed in on me from all sides.
Then, in an instant, Ling Tian's sword vanished as though dissolved into the air. I focused on the surrounding aura and saw faint threads invisible to all but me. I gathered them into my sword at lightning speed and launched them toward him in a double strike. Each thread clashing against him shook his balance, relieving some of the pressure on me.
The fight continued back and forth, each strike meeting another, each aura clashing against the other. We moved in every direction and angle, equal in skill, power, and aura.
In the final clash, I gathered all the sword threads, saw every possible outcome, every prediction, and fused them into my blade, releasing them as two intersecting lines, unleashing all that remained within me. Ling Tian gathered his own strike into his sword and released it horizontally. Our attacks collided, merging into a devastating explosion that shattered more than ten mountains around us.
As the dust settled, Ling Tian's sword dissolved from his hand, as did mine. The aura faded from us both.
Ling Tian said: Hohoho… that was truly enjoyable. One of the finest battles I've ever had. Truly, all this struggle was worth it.
I replied: The same to you. Calling you a genius would be an understatement. You could even contend against those at the Peak of the Supreme Realm. Also, what do you think about joining me?
He said: I don't want to be anyone's subordinate.
I continued: You won't be a subordinate, just a partner.
He added: What benefit will I gain? My only desire is exciting battles, nothing else.
I answered: Very well. I heard you are in debt, and you have no patron or partner. Money will not be an issue, and battles you shall surely have.
Inside Ling Tian's mind: Damn, this is an opportunity beyond measure. I cannot let it slip away.
He responded: Agreed. That won't be a problem. I'm glad to work with you, Mr Tian.