Chapter 1 The Subtle Change in the Cloud Vortex, the Rumble of Thunder About to Erupt!

[The cloud vortex shifted subtly, and the thunder was about to erupt! Footsteps as dense as rain pounded the desolate earth, a figure as swift as the wind swept past the desolate wall.]

[Foundations differ greatly, and combat strength is clearly defined. Kuangzong Jianying did not wish to prolong the battle, and facing the fleeing opponent, he unleashed a fierce killing move.]

The narration was a fraction of a second behind the actual events, as the system needed time to translate what was happening into words. By the time the description reached Feng Bujue's ears, Kuangzong Jianying's attack had already arrived.

[Behold Kuangzong Jianying sweeping qi into his blade, instantly causing the sword to radiate a chilling light. In the dim moonlight, the shadows of figures danced. In a moment of bated breath, the sword's light was the only movement, a focused clarity. As the floating clouds obscured the moon, plunging the earth into darkness, he struck!]

[Ha! Kuangzong Jianying flashed forward, the distance of over ten steps vanishing in an instant. The first move stirred up the sounds of clashing metal. Beneath the mountain wall, in the wilderness, the sound of the sword was particularly intense.]

At this moment, Kuangzong Jianying used his title (Quick Sword Like Wind) technique, Hui Ying Zhan.

[Name: Hui Ying Zhan (Shadow Flash Strike)]

[Special Ability Type: Active]

[Consumption: 15% of Stamina Value Limit, 15% of Spirit Value Limit]

[Effect: Instantly appears directly in front of a target within ten meters, and gains an 80% attack speed increase for three seconds. Cooldown time is ten minutes.]

[Note: A sword technique woven with light and darkness, incredibly fast and exceptionally dangerous, leaving enemies overwhelmed and caught off guard.]

When Kuangzong Jianying suddenly appeared in front of Feng Bujue, the latter almost crashed into the sword. Fortunately, Feng Bujue reacted quickly, instinctively dodging to the side while raising his pipe wrench to block.

The sword blade and pipe wrench touched, sparks flying, and a metallic clang rang out. However, Feng Bujue only managed to block the first sword strike, avoiding a vital point. As he brushed past Kuangzong Jianying, the quick sword danced in the opponent's hand, continuously striking Feng Bujue several times with the added attack speed, leaving wounds on his left thigh, left shoulder, and back, inflicting the [Bleeding] effect.

[The ultimate technique appears for the first time, and Feng Bujue uses his unique weapon, exerting his full power, skillfully reversing the situation, dodging and fighting with miraculous movements! Every step is shocking, every step is dangerous! But the momentary alertness is no match for the momentary sword energy. The sword covers like a net, the blade glimmers, Feng Bujue pierces through the gap, but leaves behind a bloody storm.]

"They sure know how to exaggerate! I'm practically being hacked to death!" Feng Bujue continued to run forward, indicating that he had not given up. He was also well aware that Kuangzong Jianying's skill from earlier could not be used consecutively in a short period of time, otherwise his combat strength wouldn't be at level fifteen, but closer to twenty-five.

[Cold eyes, swift movements, just as the moon reveals its clear light, Kuangzong Jianying turns and chases, flicking his wrist in a thrust, another attack!]

"Here it comes again?" Feng Bujue heard the commentary just as the opponent's follow-up move was almost upon him, the sword tip nearly touching his back.

[Kuangzong howls domineeringly, the sword shadow speaks of ruthlessness. Ha~ ya!]

Playing along, Kuangzong Jianying no longer felt embarrassed by the narration; he was quite high. This second move was his ordinary skill, Gong Bu Zhi Ci (Bow Stance Straight Thrust). Taking advantage of Feng Bujue's inability to create distance, he could use this move to close in for a strike.

At this point, Kuangzong Jianying had basically figured out Feng Bujue's capabilities and felt confident. Judging from Feng Bujue's blocking during the brief exchange of blows, he did not seem to be a player specializing in Fighting. Although escaping from Hui Ying Zhan was commendable, that was all. At this speed, he could not avoid this sword. The battle would end with this move.

[The night is silent, only the whistling wind sweeps the cold shadows, the bloody shadow breaks through the void, the decisive sword strike actually misses!]

"How could this happen?" Kuangzong Jianying's expression changed as his skill missed. He saw Feng Bujue's speed suddenly increase, instantly creating a distance of several dozen meters, leaving behind a faint smell of blood in the air.

"Hmph...as expected, it's not that simple. This kid was holding back." Kuangzong Jianying smiled, his fighting spirit rising even higher.

[Seemingly on the verge of defeat, a moment of life and death! Feng Bujue suddenly unleashes a strange move, reborn, with a nimble figure, moving like lightning.]

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

Since he had already activated Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Sense Gathering Technique), Feng Bujue would not just run away. After creating some distance, he turned around, aimed at Kuangzong Jianying in the distance, and fired his gun, emptying a clip in ten seconds.

"This kind of ranged attack is useless." Kuangzong Jianying smiled and approached again.

It wasn't that he had some passive skill that could ignore bullet attacks, but rather that the defensive attributes of all his armor, including the hidden helmet, armor, and greaves, were all refraction, and all were of Excellent quality. Handgun bullets were unlikely to cause damage to Kuangzong Jianying unless the opponent's marksmanship was extremely accurate, hitting the same spot several times in a row, or directly hitting his eyes or neck. Otherwise, it would be impossible to break his defense.

Of course, if he used a Winchester within ten meters, or shot with rifle bullets at a distance, it would still cause some damage, but Feng Bujue did not have these conditions, and he was not a player who specialized in shooting.

After removing the magazine and replacing it with the last clip, Feng Bujue put the gun away.

"Makeshift repairs are useless, Bear Kid's Leg Sweep can only be used on monsters, Jue Sheng Qian Li (Decisive Victory from a Thousand Miles Away) is impossible to use, and it would be meaningless to use it in this kind of duel..." Feng Bujue thought. "The only skill I can use is Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Sense Gathering Technique), but he's not in a much better state..." Seemingly fleeing, Feng Bujue was actually calmly analyzing the opponent's situation at all times. "This guy has already used two active skills. The first move, the instant teleport plus attack, is very strong, probably his title skill. The cooldown time won't end so quickly. The second move, even if it has no cooldown, is just a relatively powerful thrust that can be dodged."

Feng Bujue took out his small knife, held it in his left hand, and continued to hold the pipe wrench in his right hand. "With the mask of Casey Jones, my Fighting specialization is D. He's the same level as me, and his Fighting specialization is at most D. Theoretically, his fighting ability is at the same level as mine, so I was able to escape his killing move without using skills..." As he thought of this, the opponent gradually approached. "Now that I've activated Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Sense Gathering Technique), my maximum speed and strength are definitely above his. Besides, I brought a Survival Value Supplement, so this battle...I can fight!"

[The wild sword sweeps again in attack, and Bujue returns with a surge of anger! Hmm~ Ha! The two figures intertwined, exchanging blows.]

[The vast sword splits the chaos, tempered a thousand times, qi and spirit collide, making victory and defeat temporarily indistinguishable.]

Kuangzong Jianying was mentally prepared after seeing the opponent's acceleration just now. Feng Bujue's counterattack was within his expectations. This time, he did not adopt a fully offensive stance, but first defended himself flawlessly, and then used some faster feints to restrain the opponent.

Perhaps based on years of combat intuition as a professional player, Kuangzong Jianying vaguely felt that Feng Bujue's current state would not last long. By simply dragging out the battle, this person would collapse on his own.

[Feng Bujue faces a strong enemy, ignoring the wounds on his body, fighting more and more bravely, his fighting spirit soaring, his joy unrestrained. Ha—]

"Friend, not bad, how about joining our guild? I'll introduce you." Kuangzong Jianying fought with him for a while, gradually adopting a completely defensive posture.

As the saying goes, a shorter weapon is more dangerous. At this moment, Feng Bujue wielded the knife and wrench, two short weapons, as fast as lightning. His movement speed was also above his opponent's, relentlessly attacking Kuangzong Jianying.

On the surface, it seemed that Feng Bujue was suppressing the opponent, but in reality, he was the one heading towards defeat.

This exchange of attacks and defenses reflected the huge gap in fighting strength between the two. Even with inferior speed and strength, Kuangzong Jianying could remain invincible with his superior combat experience and skills. Feng Bujue, on the other hand, was rapidly consuming his Stamina and Survival Value in this unwinnable entanglement.

"No need, I don't want to run into a guy like you a second time." Feng Bujue replied, which could actually be considered a compliment.

"Hehehe...since you know you're going to lose, why bother struggling?" Kuangzong Jianying added.

Feng Bujue didn't answer, continuing to attack, not knowing what he was planning. His Stamina Value had been depleted by a third in this short exchange; his Survival Value was even worse. Even though his clothing could reduce the effect of [Bleeding] a little, the loss of Survival Value would not stop completely. The damage he had taken earlier and the 2% consumption of Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Sense Gathering Technique) every five seconds had quickly dropped his health below 30%.

Facing an opponent like Kuangzong Jianying, Feng Bujue would never dare to be careless in the slightest. If he waited until his health dropped to 10% before replenishing, he could easily die from a mistake. So, when his Survival Value was at 30%, he used the first Survival Value Supplement.

"You're wasting items." Kuangzong Jianying became more and more composed as he fought. He gradually became familiar with Feng Bujue's attack patterns, so he spoke more. "I might as well be frank, prolonging the battle won't do you any good, it will only benefit me more and more."

Feng Bujue said, "You're quite frank. In that case, I might as well be frank..." He suddenly stopped attacking and jumped out of the battle circle.

[The wounded body, a battle with no chance of victory. Even if unwilling, what can be done?]

[The killing intent as cold as frost remains, the fierce attack as turbulent as a tide has stagnated. Is this moment a desperate breath of the loser, or a resolute stand of one who has burned his bridges?]

"You think prolonging the battle is beneficial to you, and you're considering the problem from a combat perspective." Feng Bujue continued from what he had said earlier. "But in fact, I also hope that you can adopt a defensive posture and not be eager to determine the victory with me, because I also need time to think about the answer to the hidden mission."

The composure on Kuangzong Jianying's face disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Laughing, I watch the vast ocean, breaking through thousands of troops, plotting and planning, calculating karma. Without awareness, without fear, lightly regarding life and death, neither ghost nor god, resembling a mad demon." Feng Bujue recited his poem title, and then heard the system prompt:

[Hidden Mission Completed]

[You have obtained an Exclusive Spirit Weapon - Death Poker]

[The Spirit Weapon is permanently bound to the player, cannot be traded, discarded, or destroyed, and does not need to occupy an inventory slot. It can be generated at any time by consuming 2% of the Spirit Value Limit. The weapon's attributes will grow with the player's level.]

Feng Bujue put away the two weapons he was holding. With a thought, white light immediately gathered in his hand and quickly turned into a deck of cards. His Spirit Value also decreased accordingly, becoming 147150.

He quickly read the item's attributes, and then canceled Ling Shi Ju Shen Shu (Spirit Sense Gathering Technique).

[Humming a poem title, gathering spiritual waves, a detached figure, with a vast aura.]

[Feng Bujue gently raised two fingers, holding a piece of spiritual equipment between his fingers. Without moves, without stance, without offense, without defense, a stream of light suddenly rises, pointing directly at Kuangzong Jianying and rushing away.]

"Didn't you say that this kind of long-range attack is usele..." The last few words of Kuangzong Jianying's sentence choked in his throat as a poker card flew past his cheek, cutting a bloody gash.

"What was that..." Kuangzong Jianying's expression changed drastically. If he hadn't seen that something was wrong and quickly turned his head, the attack would have directly hit his eyes.

Feng Bujue calmly replied, "A playing card."

"So that's it...is this the power of a Spirit Weapon?" Kuangzong Jianying said. "It seems this hidden mission is worth doing."

"Did you think I would let you slowly think of a poem title and then fight you after you got a Spirit Weapon?" Feng Bujue said, throwing two more cards quickly. After the poker cards left his hand, they seemed alive, cutting through the wind and drawing unbelievable arcs in the air, flying towards Kuangzong Jianying.

[Two more streaks of light attack, swift as a startled goose. Kuangzong Jianying raises his sword to meet them, his sword qi overflowing like a peak. Ha—]

[The sword is raised, the spirit is drawn, the sword qi pierces the white rainbow, a vast force sweeps out, two streams of light fly and dart.]

Kuangzong Jianying's hand holding the sword was trembling because his sword was trembling. "Strange movement trajectory, considerable speed, and such strong force..." He felt that something was wrong. The opponent had fifty-four poker cards in his hand. Although he dodged one and blocked two with his sword, at this rate, it was only a matter of time before he was killed.

"Okay, the greetings are over. Now I'm going to start attacking for real." Feng Bujue said.

[The situation changes abruptly, and the arrogant declaration makes Kuangzong Jianying look horrified.]

"Tch..." Kuangzong Jianying heard the narration and, although he was unconvinced, he had nothing to say, because when Feng Bujue was at a disadvantage earlier, he hadn't shown any "horrified" expression at all, at most just complaining.

This time, Feng Bujue drew five cards at once, spreading them out in his hand. "Let's try a flush first."

[At Kuangzong Jianying's moment of hesitation, Feng Bujue attacks!]