"Don't chase me don't chase me don't chase me!"
Huohuo's voice trembled with fear. The foxian girl ran as fast as she could, darting around in panic.
Behind Huohuo, "Huohuo" chased after her with killing intent, looking completely determined to kill the real Huohuo.
Strangely enough, this impostor didn't seem timid at all. Perhaps because she wanted to replace Huohuo, she was eager to kill the real one right now.
Above them, the real and fake Yanqing were still fighting fiercely.
No one knew what "Yanqing" was thinking, but Yanqing himself felt great at the moment.
Ever since Nero came to the Xianzhou, Yanqing's sparring partner had basically become fixed. But since Nero returned, he had never won a single match.
It could be said that every fight with Nero wasn't really a fight at all, just a one-sided beating.
Even when he clearly felt his skills had improved a lot before a sparring match, once the match began, the result never changed.
Only the process sometimes varied.
Sometimes Nero would use the same sword techniques as him, learning while fighting. Sometimes Nero would use moves he learned from elsewhere.
Other times he would use his own techniques, and those were usually the times Yanqing lost the fastest.
Especially during one match, when Yanqing got a little desperate and asked to see Nero's full strength.
Helpful Nero naturally didn't refuse his request and showed him a move called Heaven's Collapse.
After that, Yanqing stayed depressed for nearly five days before recovering.
Since then, although Yanqing still maintained the habit of sparring with Nero, he no longer regarded Nero as an opponent.
The gap was simply too big. Even a genius like him didn't think he could match Nero.
They were clearly people of the same generation. The general had even said Nero was a bit younger, yet Yanqing felt as if he were facing a great senior from hundreds of years ago.
After that, Yanqing also reined in some of his youthful arrogance and focused more attention on improving himself.
Jing Yuan was very satisfied with Yanqing's current state, because this was exactly the result he had hoped for.
However, although the Divine Foresight General felt relieved about Yanqing, he began to worry about Nero instead.
At first, he had simply thought the boy had unique advantages and decent talent, making him a good opponent to mutually push Yanqing forward.
But now it seemed he had been a bit naive.
Now Yanqing had become more restrained, but who would keep Nero in check?
Compared to Yanqing, Jing Yuan worried less about Nero. From Nero's daily behavior, he wasn't concerned that Nero would grow crooked without restraint. He only hoped Nero's habitual disregard for others could be toned down a bit...
At this moment, sword shadows flashed everywhere and blades clashed.
The more they fought, the more "Yanqing" felt something was wrong.
After nearly a hundred exchanges, sweat had already started dripping from the impostor's forehead.
Why did it feel like the real one was stronger?
Why was this guy getting more energetic the longer they fought?
Was he really this excited?
Yanqing was indeed excited.
After all, someone who sparred with Nero regularly hadn't fought a "normal person" in a very long time.
Right now, he was far stronger than anyone imagined.
This created an information gap that caught the copy off guard.
The originals didn't know how the copies were created, but the copies themselves knew very well.
Aside from things that were difficult to replicate, their creation was based on the impressions of the original person and the people around them. Within those limits, their strength relied entirely on imagination.
For someone like Nero, whose strength was terrifying, the copies would usually end up even stronger than the original. But clearly Nero was a bit too strong.
As for someone like Yanqing, because he had long been beaten down by Nero, the version of him in other people's impressions was actually somewhat weaker...
Because he had finally encountered an opponent with normal strength, Yanqing was fighting more and more freely.
But "Yanqing" was starting to struggle. Gritting his teeth, he could only barely block the sword techniques Yanqing kept sending at him.
In Nero's impression, Yanqing was someone whose physical strength wasn't great but whose sword techniques were exquisite. So why, when he actually fought him, did he discover this guy had so much brute force?
While the battle above raged fiercely, below them one chased while the other fled.
Tail thought for a moment.
'The copies' behavior patterns are relatively simple. Being so eager to kill the original and replace them is probably part of their nature. But although they copied this little coward, they didn't copy me... Is it because they can't copy me?'
Huohuo kept running in circles until she finally rushed into a dead end.
When she realized there was no way forward, Huohuo froze in place, her tear-filled eyes losing all their light.
"N-no way out..."
Huohuo crouched helplessly in the corner, hiding there. Watching the fake version of herself get closer and closer, she hugged Tail and cried, "Tail~ help me!"
Seeing the weak, pitiful, and helpless Huohuo, the corners of "Huohuo's" mouth almost stretched to her ears as she pounced forward.
Immediately afterward, a series of "clang clang bang bang" sounds of punches and kicks rang out.
A few seconds later, a figure flew out of the dead end and slammed heavily onto the ground.
"Huohuo" climbed up from the ground with a confused expression and brushed the dust off her clothes.
She couldn't understand why that original suddenly became so good at fighting.
Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided not to think about it.
"Huohuo" charged forward again.
Soon there was another round of punching and kicking noises. A few seconds later, she flew out again and crashed onto the ground.
This time she was injured more badly than before. Her face was bruised and swollen, and several cuts had opened on her body, bleeding.
"Huohuo" wiped the blood from her face and rushed forward again stubbornly.
This time there were no sounds of fighting, but "Huohuo" stayed inside the dead end for an even shorter time.
Not even two seconds passed before she suddenly ran out again, sprinting away into the distance.
But with just two legs pumping like that, how fast could she really run?
Several talismans ignited in midair. Pale flames gathered into the shape of wolf heads.
These spiritual flames opened their bloody jaws and pounced on "Huohuo," viciously pinning the impostor to the ground and tearing at her until nothing remained but a pool of filthy blood.
Inside the dead end, Huohuo raised her hand and wiped the tip of her nose. Her expression was extremely confident, and her eyes were full of intimidation.
Then she spoke in the voice of Lord Tail, "I already told you. That thing wasn't scary at all. Just hit her and that's it!"
Huohuo didn't say anything.
After so many years in the Ten-Lords Commission, it felt like Lord Tail was actually much better than her at using talismans and spells...
With the fake Huohuo dealt with, the fake Yanqing on the other side was also close to collapsing.
After another clash of blades, he was smashed straight down to the ground.
"Yanqing" looked up and saw the bright smile on Yanqing's face.
"I haven't won a sparring match in a very, very long time. As expected of 'me,' that was truly a satisfying battle!" Yanqing said.
"I'll satisfy your damn a*s!" "Yanqing" was clearly furious. Even now he still hadn't figured out why he had been completely suppressed.
What looked like an evenly matched fight had actually been him getting beaten so badly by the original that he couldn't fight back.
For a moment, Xianzhou-style profanity erupted like a volcanic eruption and a flooding river, pouring out wildly and adding plenty of colorful language to Return Star Port.
Yanqing didn't care at all. He simply formed a sword gesture with one hand in front of his chest and began circulating his power at full force.
"After losing to Nero that day, I studied his Heaven's Collapse and trained hard with it. Although it's still far from what he displayed that day, I can at least use it now."
Hearing this, "Yanqing" looked up.
His mind went blank and his gaze became dull.
"?"
'What move? Heaven's Collapse? Seriously? When I copied you, how come I never heard of it? Can you really use that kind of move?'