Chapter 13: Su Mo Reaches His Limit, Post-Battle Review
"Second Spirit Skill, Asura Blood Armor!"
A red light flashed around Su Mo, and a thin layer of blood-colored energy armor instantly covered his body.
He felt a warm current surging wildly through his limbs and bones.
He could clearly feel that his defense and strength had increased significantly at this moment.
However, at that very moment, the cyan blade aura was already upon him.
Su Mo had no way out, and he did not intend to retreat.
He gripped the Asura Demon Sword in his hand and met the cyan blade aura head-on.
Boom!
The two forces collided with a roar, and violent shockwaves exploded in all directions from the point of impact.
Su Mo felt a tremendous force travel through the Asura Demon Sword and throughout his entire body, forcing him to take five involuntary steps back before he could barely steady himself.
The stalemate lasted only a moment; under the sharpness of the Asura Demon Sword, the cyan blade aura trembled violently before finally turning into specks of cyan light and completely shattering and dissipating.
Su Mo panted slightly, feeling his internal energy in turmoil, and his right arm, which held the sword, had become somewhat numb.
If not for the power and defense boost from the Asura Blood Armor, he would undoubtedly have been injured by this strike.
However, Zhou Lie did not give him a chance to catch his breath at all.
"First Martial Soul Skill, Gale Step!"
An afterimage still remained where Zhou Lie had been standing, but in the blink of an eye, the Wind-Slashing Blade appeared within three feet of Su Mo!
Too fast! Su Mo didn't even have time to adjust his breathing and could only rely on instinct to hastily raise his sword to block.
Clang!
Sword and blade clashed, emitting a metallic ringing sound.
Clang, clang, clang...
Zhou Lie did not give Su Mo any chance to breathe, delivering one strike after another in an endless stream; his swordsmanship was exquisite, and every strike was heavy and powerful.
Su Mo could only barely hold on by relying on the amplification of his two Martial Soul Abilities and the basic sword techniques he had just learned in the morning.
For a time, the two figures, one large and one small, flashed across the field, with blades and swords constantly crossing and the sounds of their collision echoing endlessly.
But soon, Su Mo realized that although Zhou Lie's blade appeared fierce, he always held back a bit of force at the most critical moments.
He could clearly have forced him into a desperate situation with a single strike, yet he deliberately left openings for him to catch his breath; he could have ended the battle, yet he stubbornly dragged the fight into a stalemate.
Clearly, Zhou Lie was feeding him moves, allowing him to rapidly accumulate experience during the battle.
Consequently, Su Mo's heart slowly calmed down, and he began to feel the changes in the rhythm of Zhou Lie's blade momentum.
Gradually, he went from purely passive defense to being able to occasionally strike back with a sword move.
After dozens of rounds.
"Not bad," a trace of approval flashed in Zhou Lie's eyes, "but let's stop here for today."
He could see that Su Mo's Soul Power was about to be exhausted.
He struck the Asura Demon Sword hard with his blade, knocking Su Mo back three steps, and at the same time, his third Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
"Third Martial Soul Skill, Heavy Blade Enhancement!"
In an instant, the weight of the blade and his own strength increased by fifty percent!
He slashed down with one strike!
Su Mo felt an irresistible force coming from the sword; it felt like being hit head-on by a small hill. He instantly lost his balance, his body flew backward, and he fell heavily to the ground three zhang away.
Su Mo climbed up from the ground, propped himself up with his sword, knelt on one knee, and gasped for air.
At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, and his chest heaved violently.
The light of the Asura Blood Armor on his body was dim, as if it would dissipate at any moment.
Although Su Mo's Martial Soul was powerful, he was only six years old; his strength could not compare to the prime-aged Zhou Lie, and the difference in combat experience was worlds apart—his combat experience was almost zero.
The sudden increase in Zhou Lie's force caught him off guard, which was why he was knocked flying by a single strike.
Across from him, Zhou Lie's breathing was also somewhat rapid, with fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead; his Soul Power had also been more than half consumed.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at Su Mo was full of approval.
For Su Mo's first real combat, facing him, a level 35 Soul Elder, to achieve this level was far beyond his expectations.
"Your Highness, thank you for the match." Zhou Lie retracted his Martial Soul and bowed to Su Mo with cupped fists.
Su Mo nodded without saying much; he had reached his limit.
Both of his Martial Soul Abilities were for amplification; he had no offensive means and could only rely on amplification to hold on.
Perhaps only when his swordsmanship became more refined could he truly fight against an opponent like Zhou Lie.
"Junior Brother!"
At this moment, Bibi Dong's figure came running from not far away.
Her battle had ended long ago.
Facing a control system Great Soul Master, even though her first Soul skills could double her speed, the gap in Soul Power was simply too large, and coupled with her lack of combat experience, she hadn't even gotten close to her opponent before her Soul Power was completely exhausted.
She had been resting on the sidelines for a long time, watching Su Mo's battle the whole time.
Seeing that he had finally finished the battle, she hurriedly ran over and grabbed his arm to support him.
"Are you okay?" Bibi Dong asked, her face full of worry.
Su Mo retracted his Martial Soul and managed a smile at her: "I'm fine, it's just that the consumption was too great."
"Then let's hurry back and rest!"
"Okay."
Bibi Dong supported him, and they walked back slowly, step by step.
When they returned to the sleeping quarters, the maids had already prepared a medicinal bath.
The medicinal bath prepared by Qian Xunji used precious medicinal herbs; the thick, fragrant scent of medicine permeated the swirling steam, and just smelling it was enough to refresh one's Martial Soul.
Su Mo soaked his whole body in the tub, the warm water wrapping around his exhausted body, and the soreness all over him gradually eased under the infiltration of the medicinal power.
He closed his eyes, but in his mind, he was replaying every detail of today's battle over and over again.
Zhou Lie's first Soul skills was agile and elusive, suitable for surprise attacks and kiting.
The second Soul skills was a long-range area attack.
The third Soul skills, Heavy Blade Enhancement, was an amplification-type Soul skills that could instantly increase strength and the weight of the blade.
And as for himself... both of his Martial Soul Abilities were for amplification; he had no offensive means, and his swordsmanship was too rusty. The basic sword forms he had just learned in the morning could not possibly become muscle memory by the afternoon, so he could only rigidly copy and use them.
But Su Mo was not discouraged in the slightest, because he knew very well that these were all things that could be practiced.
Sword techniques could be practiced until proficient, experience could be accumulated, and reactions could be improved.
If he couldn't block it today, then he would tomorrow.
If he couldn't win tomorrow, then he would the day after.
One day, he would win.
After the medicinal bath ended, he changed into clean clothes, sat cross-legged on the bed, and entered meditation.
Su Mo discovered that after a day of high-intensity training, coupled with the nourishment of the medicinal bath, the circulation of his Soul Power had become much smoother.
Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he could break through to level 26.
Time passed in a hurry, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
During this year, Su Mo's life was extremely regular.
Every day, at the first light of dawn, he would get up and head to the mountaintop to practice sword techniques under the guidance of Qian Daoliu.
Spring turned to autumn, winter turned to summer; for a full year, he never wavered, regardless of the weather.
His sword techniques had gone from rusty to proficient, from stiff to fluid, and had finally reached Qian Daoliu's requirements.