Gu Long's Martial Arts World: Starting with the Invincible Demon Blade

Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not answer the question directly. He simply smiled slightly and let it pass.

He was at the peak of his physical strength, while Bai Tianyu was still too young, with more than ten years less cultivation than him.

Even though Bai Tianyu was exceptionally talented, wasn't Li Xunhuan also a natural-born martial arts prodigy?

Those who can be included in the martial arts weapon rankings are all geniuses that others could never catch up to in ten lifetimes.

Instead of answering that question, Li Xunhuan, that old fox, asked:

"But you seemed to stop before even using a single move today, and there must be quite a few reasons for that."

Xue Bufeng said, "Do you not understand the reason? Or would you rather hear me explain?"

Li Xunhuan was an exceptionally intelligent person, and also a master who ranked third on the Weapon Ranking and had experienced countless life-and-death battles. His understanding of martial arts had reached its pinnacle.

He said slowly, "Could it be... that you refuse?"

Xue Bufeng said calmly:

"Bai Tianyu is also unwilling to actually draw his sword."

"As I said today, he couldn't find any opportunity to strike under my blade, and I didn't find any opportunity to cut off his head in just a few dozen moves. So we both know that whoever strikes first is essentially exposing their trump card to the other. And today, as soon as we exchanged blows, we knew that with our skill levels, it would be difficult to determine a winner under those circumstances."

Li Xunhuan nodded, forced to admit:

"Your swordsmanship is strange, unpredictable, fast, and dangerous, like a demon soaring through the sky."

"When fighting, one often suppresses others with the force of a whirlwind. With a single strike, no one can stand against him. Even a master who can barely withstand the attack will be caught off guard within a few moves, his mind will be taken away, and he will be killed in one blow when he reveals an opening."

"As for Bai Tianyu's sword, especially what we saw today, its main purpose is to observe it."

"He used stillness to control movement, and unchanging principles to respond to all changes. In the instant when his opponent's moves changed and his energy fluctuated, he saw the only real flaw, and struck first after the opponent had moved, deciding the outcome with a single strike."

He looked at Xue Bufeng and slowly said:

"Your knife is too fast and too unpredictable. It's so fast that he doesn't have time to see the entire trajectory, and so unpredictable that he can't instantly judge the truth from the falsehood. So he can't find it, or even if he does see it, he can't grasp that fleeting, one-off weakness, and thus he hesitates to unleash his true killing move."

"On the contrary, as long as he doesn't unleash that divine blade he's been preparing to strike, he's perfectly balanced in his defense, with almost no weaknesses. So you can't easily win against him in a fast attack either."

Xue Bufeng laughed and said, "That's right, but it's still a little short. How could someone like Bai Tianyu be so simple?"

Li Xunhuan pondered even more deeply:

"What I'm about to say may not be something others can do, but after seeing Bai Tianyu's swordsmanship today, I'm convinced he can definitely do it."

"I understand. The reason you didn't use the full eight techniques is because you know that Bai Tianyu is exceptional in both resilience and comprehension. His defensive stance today is certainly because your blade is fast and unpredictable, making it difficult for him to find an opportunity to strike, but it's more likely that he's memorizing your blade patterns."

"He is waiting, waiting for you to unleash all the variations of the Ruyi Heavenly Demon Continuous Eight Forms."

"If you cannot completely defeat him with absolute speed, power, or unexpected moves before he finishes using all eight techniques, then the balance of victory may shift. All the variations, connections, and even weaknesses of his moves will be imprinted in his mind and repeatedly analyzed."

"By then, you won't be able to kill him, and he will have mastered the Ruyi Heavenly Demon's Eight-Style Combo. If you try to use it again from the beginning, or even just any one of the moves, he might already know it like the back of his hand, allowing him to break your swordsmanship at the most opportune moment and in the simplest way!"

Bingbing and Yuanyuan, who were standing nearby, were completely bewildered by what he said and didn't understand at all.

Tie Chuanjia, however, merely pondered.

Thousand-Handed Rakshasa, who was carefully examining the golden silk armor in his hand, couldn't help but prick up his ears upon hearing this, though he didn't quite believe it.

No wonder.

After all, martial arts training is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Let alone the most advanced martial arts techniques, even ordinary and rudimentary martial arts skills would take more than a day or two to learn from scratch, one move at a time.

How could anyone learn the Ruyi Heavenly Demon Eight-Style Combo, the sect's signature technique, with just one glance?

How could ordinary martial arts practitioners possibly compare to peerless masters like Li Xunhuan, Xue Bufu, and Bai Tianyu?

If a person has never reached their level, they may never imagine how terrifying the talent of a true master is.

This talent is so great that he can memorize and master the top-notch skills that allow him to dominate the world after just one look.

This achievement is not simply due to martial arts skills, but rather because this peerless master himself possesses extraordinary talent, a rarity in the world.

After all, how could someone become a peerless master if they weren't exceptionally talented?

There is no shortage of hardworking people in this world.

But how many truly unparalleled masters are there?

Effort may allow one to barely cross the threshold into the ranks of experts, but to become a peerless master requires extraordinary talent.

Conversely...

Li Xunhuan turned his gaze back and said, word by word:

"On the contrary, if Bai Tianyu loses his temper and strikes first, but fails to break your sword technique or even kill you in an instant, then you will also be able to grasp the various subtle changes of his Bai Family Divine Sword, thus breaking his moves and defeating him completely."

"So today's battle may seem like just a casual exchange of swordsmanship between the two of you, but in reality, there were too many variables involved, including the environment at the time, your own spirit, thoughts, and intentions to attack."

"You're both unwilling to rush to reveal your trump cards, nor are you willing to actually fight to the death and kill each other at that point, which is why none of you are willing to use your ultimate moves."

Xue Bufeng smiled and said:

"I'm afraid that a madman like Bai Tianyu never imagined that he wouldn't find a chance to strike under my blade, otherwise he wouldn't have engaged me so hastily."

Li Xunhuan had no choice but to admit it.

If it's a one-sided battle, then there's no need to be particular about the occasion.

However, when it comes to a duel with the top masters of the contemporary era, the environment, mindset, physical condition, and weapons are all key factors in determining the outcome.

Xue Bufeng paused for a moment, then said:

"Even so, I won more often than I lost back then. Although my swordsmanship was destined to be broken by his divine sword, techniques are one thing, but the depth of skill is another."

"However, if the two of us really fight to the point of exhaustion and have no choice but to fight to the death, we will definitely be severely injured, or even perish together. If Ma Kongqun really wants to take advantage of the situation, with the manpower that Wanmatang has laid in ambush today, even with Brother Li's flying knife and that Miss Ding who relies on her family background, I'm afraid we might not be able to escape unscathed. Brother Li might even perish here."

"Although Bai Tianyu is arrogant, he is not so arrogant that he is stupid."

"The moment he and I displayed our swordsmanship, the entire Wanma Hall was terrified. They dared not stop us afterward, knowing that the presence of the three of us was enough to allow us to run rampant in the vast Wanma Hall."

At this point, the situation at that time has been analyzed thoroughly.

Outsiders thought the two had just exchanged a few blows on a whim, but they had no idea how many undercurrents were brewing in those few breaths.

Just then.

A clear, melodious voice, tinged with a hint of melancholy, suddenly came from behind a tall poplar tree in the courtyard:

"Relying on family background? Talking about someone like that behind their back... that's not a good thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned around and saw Ding Baiyun walking out gracefully.

Dressed in pure white, she appeared even more ethereal and otherworldly in the twilight, untouched by the world's dust.