50 Divine Sword Cutting Air (1/2)

This is... could it be a curse?'.

Xiao Fang remembered reading about it in the Death Reaper Cultivation Method scroll. Although it was the only requirement one needed to cultivate this method, he wasn't prepared to curse himself considering all the harm it could do.

Xiao Fang had dreaded about his future prospects for just a moment, but he nearly lost focus because of it. He pushed all thoughts relating to the curse aside and focused wholeheartedly on the battle at hand.

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Naturally, Sword qi was transparent so it could not be seen very easily with the naked eye, but when it was condensed it could become as white as snow.

However, Xiao Fang's sword qi was neither white nor transparent, it was grey.

'What is that?', Lei XinYi thought to herself.

She could feel that it was his sword qi, but it gave off such an ominous, heart sinking feeling.  It was almost as if it were trying to pull her in.

'There's no way he can see me in this state.... but why does it feel like something is watching me', Lei XinYi thought to herself.

She changed directions taking a step towards Xiao Fang, but in that exact moment Xiao Fang turned his head slightly in her direction. She immediately broke out into cold sweat.

The reason he was able to detect her was because she broke her concentration the moment she thought about attacking him, revealing her position for just a brief moment.

'That was close', she thought.

The feeling of death was too potent. It was unlike anything she's ever felt before.

'If this is going to work I'm going to need to keep my cool', she thought.

Calming her mind she erased the fear that lingered in her heart.

'Break'

This was a breathing technique most swordsmen learned in the inner court.

When she opened her eyes again, she had renewed vigor and a firm but determined expression on her face.

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[ Fear is a hindrance that clouds one's mind. A cloud in one's mind creates doubt in one's heart. Doubt creates hesitation. Hesitation creates opportunities. Opportunities lead to defeat ]

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'As long as I am the first to draw blood, I will be the victor. Even if I have to suffer for it, I must win, that's all that matters', Lei XinYi thought to herself after she saw her master watching her.

She finally bit her tongue and dashed in towards Xiao Fang.

It was too late to go back. Lunging forward with her arm extended, she revealed herself in the last moment to put everything she had into her final attack. However, the moment she revealed herself he immediately unsheathed his sword.

Zziiing~

The sound his sword made when he swung it through the air made everyone's hairs stand on end.

Suddenly, as if her body was acting purely out of instincts, she retracted her arm and dodged his sword acrobatically, landing a few feet away.

She was sweating profusely.

At first she couldn't believe that she didn't exchange blow for blow, because she thought she'd be faster than him, but after she dodged his attack she was relieved that her swordsman's instincts kicked in.

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Just as she thought she got away unharmed, she heard the click of Xiao Fang's sword being sheathed again and then felt a stinging sensation on her arm.

She was cut.

Her eyes widened with disbelief when she saw it. Although it was a small cut, it was enough to make her bleed. She managed to escape his blade by an inch, but it was as if the sword qi that coated his blade still cut her.

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