"How dare you preach to me with such arrogance? The sword arts of Nianxin Style are beyond your comprehension!"
Lindwan bent his knees slightly, lowering his body. Both hands gripped the sword hilt, drawn back to his waist—a stance resembling an iaijutsu draw, yet utterly distinct. This was Nianxin Style’s exclusive counter stance.
But mid-sentence, his steady breath hitched. His posture drooped just a fraction.
Right then—
Vvvvv—
Verlith shot forward like a silver comet. Her slender form blurred as her sword cleaved the air. Though she hadn’t reached him, her Sword Intent surged first—ripping through space itself, unleashing crushing force toward Lindwan.
"Perfect timing!"
Lindwan surged upward—but didn’t draw his blade. As Verlith’s wooden sword neared, he accelerated. Wind whistled past his ears. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from sight.
Just as Verlith had done to Lal.
He reappeared behind Verlith, a cold smirk curling his lips.
"The true essence of Counter Arts isn’t stillness before motion—it’s motion within motion!"
His hands tightened on the hilt. Triumph flashed in his eyes. Sword light blazed as his draw unleashed a sonic whip behind Verlith.
*Shhhhk—*
Steel met earth. A jagged fissure split the ground.
But the Silverhaired Maiden he’d aimed to bisect had vanished.
A melodic voice chimed behind him:
"Mm. You’re absolutely right. It *is* motion within motion!"
"How?!"
"So you see—I know Counter Arts too."
Her wooden sword thrust forward. At the moment of impact, a derisive chuckle escaped Lindwan. His feet traced crisscross steps—evasive, uncanny. The wooden sword pierced only empty air. Lindwan disappeared again.
A frigid whisper slithered against Verlith’s spine:
"Don’t get cocky. Counter Arts are just Nianxin Style’s beginner techniques!"
"Hm? Crisscross Steps... and the follow-up Double Flash Strike? Core Nianxin sword arts!" Verlith’s voice sharpened with surprise. "Who taught you? I’m suddenly very curious about your place in Nianxin Style..."
Lindwan froze mid-motion. Her next words cut deeper:
"How do you know these techniques’ names? How could you possibly understand Nianxin Style so well?!"
"Well... if I must say—"
Before she finished, the Silverhaired Maiden vanished—mirroring Lindwan’s earlier steps. Her voice danced in his ear:
"Because I know them too! Since you held back your Double Flash Strike... let me show you how it’s done. Catch this!"
A knowing smile touched Verlith’s lips. Her wooden sword flicked forward, feather-light.
Panic seized Lindwan. His signature moves were laid bare. He dropped low, crisscrossing away from her strike. Steel clashed against wood as he parried.
The wooden sword’s tip deflected wildly.
Lindwan blinked—then sneered.
"Pathetic. Stealing Nianxin techniques means nothing when your strikes lack power!"
"Eh? Who said I *stole* them?"
"I grew up in Nianxin’s dojo. I know every disciple. You’re some impostor who scraped together scraps of our art. Counter Arts aren’t that simple to master. I’ll kill you now—erase this fraud."
*Lie.*
He knew her Counter Arts were flawless. If they kept exchanging counters, the one who used Double Flash Strike first would be trapped by the other’s response.
He abandoned defense. Crisscross steps carried him in. His steel blade unleashed a dozen thrusts in the blink of an eye. Verlith watched the flurry, head tilting slightly. Like a nimble butterfly, she sidestepped each strike.
Her wooden sword slid along his blade. At the precise moment steel and wood aligned, she gripped his blade and yanked. Lindwan couldn’t retract in time—his momentum hurled him straight toward a tree trunk.
A playful grin lit the Silverhaired Maiden’s face.
Her wrist flicked down, forcing his sword tip earthward.
*CRASH—*
Lindwan’s face smashed into the bark. Blood streamed from his nose.
"Hahaha! That’s *Sword Flow*—Nianxin Style’s most basic technique!" Her laughter rang out, bright and unrestrained.
Humiliation burned through him. He’d been toyed with like a circus monkey!
Lindwan roared, clutching his bleeding nose. Rage blinded him to the truth: only a superior swordsman could manipulate him so effortlessly.
Steel flashed toward his chest—a textbook thrust.
"Solid fundamentals. Let’s play."
Verlith’s arm coiled like a spring. Footwork fluid, she dodged his strike and unleashed a storm of counters.
"Nianxin’s essence lies in *intent* over blade. This is *Sword Intent*!"
Her voice carried the weight of a master correcting a pupil. Blow after blow rained down. Lindwan blocked each one—but whenever he tried to counter, the wooden sword forced him back on defense.
A snarl escaped him. *Her weapon’s just a branch!*
He saw his chance. He took a glancing hit and lunged—not to strike her, but to sever that dancing twig. In sword duels, a broken weapon meant defeat. Choosing a branch was either arrogance... or insult.
Had she looked down on him from the start?
Fury detonated in his chest.
He swung to shatter the branch—just as Verlith’s thrust pierced his guard, aiming for his heart. She saw his intent. Her wrist twisted. The wooden sword spun, meeting his steel edge-on.
*CLANG!*
Lindwan grinned savagely. *Finally facing me head-on?*
His blade’s sharpness was absolute. That branch would snap like kindling.
He pictured her despair holding the broken twig—
But reality shattered his fantasy.
The Silverhaired Maiden stood untouched, wooden sword extended. She settled into a new stance, unhurried.
The branch remained whole.
Lindwan’s mind reeled. *How?*
He replayed the clash: her branch had avoided his edge entirely, striking the flat of his blade instead.
*Terror gripped him.*
Such precision mid-combat was inhuman.
This girl wielded not just transcendent swordsmanship—
But lightning reflexes.
And surgical strike placement.
Shame washed over him. His initial dismissal of her—because she was a woman—now felt like ash in his mouth.
After mere exchanges, Lindwan—the dojo-raised prodigy—knew: this mastery surpassed even his master’s. Her wooden sword had shattered his pride.
*Impossible.*
How could someone so young command the blade like this?
*Who...*
*What in the world are you?!*
