Wandering Swordsman |

At this moment, neither of them knew that the young man was none other than Albert the Fighter, one of the Seven Stars renowned throughout the far west.

After Hua Tianyou finished speaking, Albert looked the two of them up and down.

His gaze swept over Shen Mo's simple yet subtly imposing black robe, then over Hua Tianyou's silver robe, where a chilling aura was faintly visible beneath. His brows furrowed slightly, and he chuckled, "A wandering knight? That's quite interesting." Albert narrowed his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone revealing the arrogance of someone who had been through countless battles.

He crossed his arms, his longsword tucked diagonally at his waist, his gaze sweeping over the two men like a hawk's, as if assessing the weight of his prey. "However... the aura emanating from you is far stronger than that of ordinary knight commanders from other territories!"

The wind lifted a corner of his clothes, and also lifted the smugness in his words—in his view, being able to see through the other person's "extraordinary" nature at a glance was already proof of his extraordinary martial arts perception.

Hua Tianyou and Shen Mo exchanged a glance, a barely perceptible smile flickering in each other's eyes, like ripples on a moonlit lake. —This man before them, if released back into the Central Plains, would be enough to shake the martial world: the Martial Alliance would not dare to treat him lightly, and he might even be treated as an honored guest by the eight great families.

Yet, on this desolate wasteland, he was like a frog in a well, judging the world by his own standards, and mistakenly identified two beings of higher realms than himself as "slightly stronger wandering knights."

What's even more amusing is that he could so confidently declare, "Since you're interested, why don't we have a friendly spar? I'll only use one-tenth of my strength so as not to hurt you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, a hint of indifference bordering on pity flashing in his eyes; Hua Tianyou, on the other hand, choked back a laugh—he quickly lowered his eyes to hide his amusement, thinking to himself:

One-tenth of your power? Even if you used all your cultivation, you probably couldn't defeat me. The "strength" you saw was just a wisp of residual energy that my lord and I deliberately concealed, like a dragon hiding its claws, revealing only half a scale, which made you mistake it for a fierce tiger.

Hua Tianyou, however, remained as gentle as jade, nodding slightly, his tone mild yet leaving no room for refusal: "Very well. Since you are in such a good mood, I will go first."

Before he finished speaking, his right hand had already slowly pressed against the silver sheath at his waist.

"Zheng—!"

A clear, resonant dragon's roar tore through the twilight. The sword was not fully drawn, yet a cold light, like the moon reflected in autumn water, seemed to overflow from its scabbard.

Hua Tianyou remained motionless, his left hand behind his back, his right hand holding a sword pointing diagonally at the ground. His silver robe fluttered lightly in the evening breeze, and he stood like a lone pine tree on a precipice, immovable as a mountain, yet the wind of the entire wasteland seemed to freeze.

Between heaven and earth, only that sword intent, yet still unsheathed, remained, like the rising moon, silent and still, yet already weighing heavily on people's hearts.

But in that instant, Albert was suddenly filled with heroic spirit, and he abruptly raised his hand and shouted, "Wait!"

His eyes blazed with renewed fighting spirit, and his voice boomed like a bell: "Not just you, not just him—but both of you, come at me together!"

The wasteland was silent for a moment.

Then, Hua Tianyou finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The laughter was clear and melodious, like a spring striking jade, carrying a hint of helplessness, a touch of amusement, and an unspeakable sorrow—as if watching a child raise a wooden sword and challenge the gods.

Shen Mo also shook his head slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips. His gaze was distant, like looking at a thousand snow-capped mountains. 'This martial arts fanatic... actually treats the Heavenly Demon God Sect's top combat force as an ordinary opponent, and even dares to attempt to fight two against one?'

Hua Tianyou stopped laughing, his expression returning to calm, his gaze gentle yet unyielding: "You'll talk after you beat me."

He slightly raised his wrist, and the tip of his sword lightly touched the ground.

"laugh--"

A thin, almost imperceptible silver line extended from the tip of the sword, carving a half-inch deep mark on the sand. Straight as a foot, it stretched for three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and silently cleaved a stubborn rock in two, leaving a smooth, mirror-like surface.

Albert shuddered, his breathing faltering slightly.

He had never seen such sword intent before—unassuming, not violent, yet like the will of heaven descending, not to be defied.

But his inherent pride wouldn't allow him to back down. He threw his head back and laughed, the sound shaking the withered grass: "Fine! Since you're so confident, then I'll defeat you first!"

Before he finished speaking, he stomped his foot, the sand and dust exploded like lotus flowers, and his figure fell to the ground like a meteor, his long sword suddenly thrusting out!

The sword light seemed to tear through the twilight, aiming straight for Hua Tianyou's heart.

Hua Tianyou remained standing in the same spot, his silver robe unmoved and his sword not fully drawn.

But a hint of seriousness finally flashed in his eyes—not because his opponent was strong, but because this martial arts fanatic's purity was worthy of his respect.

......

Albert fell to earth like a meteor, his sword light tearing through the twilight, seven cold stars forming a line, piercing straight into Hua Tianyou's heart—that was the condensation of his life's learning, the sharpness tempered in countless life-and-death battles, and his declaration to challenge the word "invincible"!

However, just as the sword tip was only three inches from Hua Tianyou's clothes—

Hua Tianyou moved. Not to dodge, not to block, but to take half a step forward.

Just half a step, yet it was as if the world had turned upside down.

He raised his right hand, and the silver sheath blocked the attack. The movement seemed slow, but it was as precise as if he had already foreseen the future.

With a crisp clang, Albert's thunderous sword strike was easily blocked, deflected by an inch, and grazed Hua Tianyou's shoulder, leaving a scorching trail in the air.

Albert's pupils constricted sharply—he hadn't even seen how his opponent made their move!

Before he could change his move, Hua Tianyou twisted his wrist, and the sheath tail, like a serpent turning its head, lightly touched his wrist pulse.

Albert's hand went numb, and the longsword almost slipped from his grasp. He quickly withdrew and retreated, his toes carving two deep furrows in the sand.

Before the second move arrived, the third move was already upon us.

Hua Tianyou moved like the wind, his silver robes billowing like clouds under the moon. With his left hand, he flicked his sleeve, and a wisp of dust rose from the corner, which transformed into an invisible force that rushed straight towards Albert's face.

Albert hastily raised his arm to block, but the seemingly gentle flick of the wrist sent his blood surging and he staggered backward.

"So fast!" he thought inwardly, but gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm. "But I don't believe it!"

He roared, forcibly steadied himself, and stomped his feet on the ground, spinning like a top. The sword light transformed into a rain of stars, enveloping Hua Tianyou from all directions!

But Hua Tianyou's eyes showed no panic, only a hint of respect.

Though this man is arrogant, he is not hypocritical; though proud, he has backbone. He pursues the ultimate martial arts with a mortal body—this purity is worthy of my serious attention.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Hua Tianyou finally stopped holding back.

He lightly tapped his right foot, his body rising from the ground like a white crane soaring into the sky. The scabbard in his hand transformed into a silver dragon, slashing, thrusting, pointing, and sweeping, each strike silent yet so precise it was despair-inducing.

The fourth move was to strike Albert's elbow joint with the tip of the sheath, causing his right arm to go numb instantly; the fifth move was to gently pat his shoulder with the left palm, seemingly gentle, but actually to send a soft true energy into his meridians, blocking the flow of his internal force.

Albert gritted his teeth and endured it, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat mingling with sand as he slid down.

He fought back with all his might, his swordplay growing increasingly ferocious, but each time Hua Tianyou deflected it by the slightest margin, as if his opponent had already seen through all his thoughts.

The sixth move: Hua Tianyou dodged a horizontal slash by sidestepping, then flicked his wrist, the back of the scabbard striking Albert's side, making his internal organs churn. The seventh move: he hooked a pebble with his toe and flicked it, which struck the spine of Albert's longsword—"Buzz!" With a tremor, the longsword flew out of his hand, spun several times in the air, and plunged deep into a distant sand dune.

Albert stood frozen in place, his hands empty, his chest heaving violently.

After a long silence, Albert stared at him, his eyes filled not with humiliation, but with a burning intensity: "Who...who are you?"

Hua Tianyou smiled slightly: "I've already said, I'm just a wandering knight. In today's battle, I respect you as a true man, which is why I showed my strength."

Albert paused for a moment, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his laughter like thunder rolling across the wasteland, shaking the withered grass and sending dust flying. His eyes blazed, as if stars were exploding deep within his pupils, and his voice was loud and impassioned:

"Hahaha, no matter who you are—from this day forward, the name 'Seven Stars' will belong to someone else!"