Chapter 192 Actions Must Be Responsive
"Mysterious!"

Qin Tianjiu put aside the doubts in his heart and said coldly: "Young man, you are still far from being able to fight me. You must hold your sword well this time. If you drop it again, you will definitely die!"

Liu Xunyi raised the Wuji Sword in front of him and replied, "I've got it. Thank you for your advice!"

Qin Tianjiu's eyes changed, and his figure flashed and disappeared in an instant. In the field, there was only a black shadow, flashing left and right like a ghost, moving around Liu Xunyi at a speed so fast that it was dazzling. Liu Xunyi could only see a circle of blurry black shadows, but could not find the real position of Qin Tianjiu at all.

The knife light flickered in the black shadow, and the cold light sometimes peeked out from the left, sometimes chopped from the right, sometimes above, sometimes below, it was hard to distinguish the real from the fake, like a flickering ghost fire, making it hard to cope with.

"This move is... 'Ghost Fire Fox Roar' from the Thirty-Six Styles of Red Fire."

Liu Xunyi stood motionless in the middle of the field, staring at the fast-moving black shadow with deep eyes, and gradually recalled the conversation between him and Qin Ku in the dense forest last night.

Last night, Qin Ku had demonstrated the 36 Red Fire Moves one by one in front of Liu Xunyi. Therefore, for Liu Xunyi, the moves Qin Tianjiu was performing at this moment were not unfamiliar, but rather quite familiar. He could even distinguish the true and false of this "Ghost Fire Fox Howl".

"The will-o'-the-wisp is like the wind and the sword is like a shadow. Three in, six out, and nine back to the grave. Qin Tianjiu is lame, so his habit is to retreat first and then advance, that is, four in and five out. His killer move is also in the ninth move. However, due to his size, he doesn't like to chop down in mid-air, but is good at pushing the sword upwards. So when you defend against his killer move, you only need to block it with your sword diagonally..."

Liu Xunyi silently recalled Qin Ku's instructions. At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the flashing knife light that was advancing and retreating, and he silently counted Qin Tianjiu's moves in his heart. After a moment, his pupils suddenly condensed and he shouted inwardly: "Here we are!"

Before he finished thinking, Liu Xunyi had already swung his sword and stabbed out diagonally. With a loud "clang" sound, the Wuji sword and the short knife collided heavily. The rapidly flashing black shadow also stopped suddenly at this moment, revealing Qin Tianjiu's ugly old face full of surprise and shock.

"Defense... Defense..."

Qin Da, who was in a nervous mood, suddenly changed his expression after seeing this scene. He stood up subconsciously and looked at Liu Xunyi in horror. He muttered to himself in disbelief: "How...how is this possible?"

At this moment, Luo Tianjin, Xuan Ming, Qin Ming, Murong Bai, Song Yu and the others all changed their expressions, and when they looked at the battle situation, several completely different and strange looks emerged in their eyes.

Some were surprised, some were shocked, some were stunned, some were worried...

Qin Tianjiu was just as shocked as everyone else watching the fight. He had never expected that Liu Xunyi could tell his true colors from his false ones, and he had never expected that he could resolve the situation with one move. This strange feeling was like someone had seen through his heart beforehand, which was really terrifying.

"Qin Ku really didn't lie to me!"

In fact, Liu Xunyi was also sweating in his heart. It was not until this moment that his heart finally settled down.

According to Liu Xunyi's usual fighting style, when Qin Tianjiu made a move just now, he would not stand still and wait for an opportunity. Instead, he would take the initiative and adapt to the situation to avoid being attacked passively. Although that could not completely resolve Qin Tianjiu's killer move, it could at least save his life in the critical moment.

Liu Xunyi had undoubtedly gambled his life just now. If what Qin Ku said was true, he could defeat the enemy with one move. But if Qin Ku lied to him, then he would stand still and miss the opportunity to attack in vain. In the end, he would not even have the chance to escape, and would be dead for sure.

Fortunately, Liu Xunyi won the bet.

"Boy, you..." Qin Tianjiu stared at Liu Xunyi with complicated eyes, and hesitated several times. Because he didn't know how to ask, and he was also unsure whether Liu Xunyi was a martial arts master or the scene just now was just a coincidence.

"Thank you!" Qin Ku's advice was verified, which made Liu Xunyi more confident at this moment.

"I want to see whether you are a human or a ghost!"

Qin Ku shouted in a deep voice, swung the blade, and pounced on Liu Xunyi again.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them were already fighting in the middle of the field, with swords flashing and sabers flying, and the fight was very exciting. At the same time, the people watching on the sidelines were also sighing with emotion and secretly exclaiming that it was exciting.

Both of them were top-notch masters. Qin Ku was originally lame, and Liu Xunyi was also limping because of an injury to his right foot. Therefore, neither of them dodged or moved too much during the fight. They were both tit-for-tat, fighting fiercely, one move for another, one style for another.

For a moment, the field was filled with flying swords, saber winds, flying sand and rocks, and a desolate scene. In a short while, the two had fought for nearly 150 rounds, but they were still evenly matched, with no clear winner.

"Is Liu Xunyi's martial arts really... so strong?" Song Yu exclaimed in disbelief, then turned to look at Qin Ming who had a solemn expression, and said thoughtfully, "Palace Master Qin, as far as I know, the martial arts of the Crippled Swordsman should be one of the best in the Hexi Qin Clan, even comparable to Palace Master Qin. But why can't he even defeat a mere Liu Xunyi today?"

Song Yu represented Jin Jianwu, and today he came here on behalf of Jin Fuyu to strengthen the influence of Hexi Qin Clan. Therefore, the two families were friends who used and cooperated with each other.

However, the premise of cooperation is that Hexi Qin Clan must be strong enough to be noticed by Jin Jianwu. However, in today's competition, Hexi Qin Clan's performance obviously disappointed Song Yu.

Song Yu seemed to be asking casually, but in fact, he was questioning. Especially when these words reached Qin Ming's ears, they were a great mockery and insult, so his face became even gloomier.

"The blazing fire distinguishes the sun, the wind blows the fire, the lightning travels through the sky, the beacons are connected..."

In the arena, Liu Xunyi became more and more frightened as he fought. Because he found that although he could recognize Qin Tianjiu's moves one by one, he was still overwhelmed by Qin Tianjiu and couldn't breathe. He couldn't help but think in his heart: "The martial arts of the lame swordsman are indeed extraordinary. If it weren't for Qin Ku's advance teaching, I'm afraid I wouldn't have lasted until now in his hands..."

At this moment, Qin Tianjiu's mind was even more complicated than Liu Xunyi's. He found that every move and every style of his seemed to be within Liu Xunyi's expectations. No matter how he changed his moves, Liu Xunyi could cope with it and accurately resolve them one by one.

"Is this guy a worm in my stomach?" Qin Tianjiu thought to himself, "Why can he always see through my thoughts? There were even several times when I hadn't even made a move, but he seemed to have anticipated my attack and counterattacked in advance?"

On the sidelines, Murong Bai was shocked and whispered to Luo Tianjin, "Palace Master, I know Liu Xunyi's martial arts are good, but I didn't expect it to be so high. I also know about the Cripple Swordsman's martial arts. If I fight him, I think my chances of winning will be no more than 30%. Now Liu Xunyi has fought him for nearly 200 rounds with injuries, but he can still fight him on equal terms. It's really... really impressive."

Lin Fangda came forward and asked excitedly, "Palace Master, Seventh Master, is it possible that Xunyi's martial arts is better than that of the lame swordsman? After all, Xunyi was injured, while the lame swordsman..." "No!" Before Lin Fangda finished speaking, Luo Tianjin shook his head slowly and said, "In terms of strength, Liu Xunyi is no match for Qin Tianjiu. But the reason why he can perform so unexpectedly is because there is a noble person secretly helping him behind the scenes."

"What do you mean, Lord?" Murong Bai asked suspiciously.

"Look carefully. It seems that Qin Tianjiu and Liu Xunyi are evenly matched, but in fact, Qin Tianjiu has been suppressing him, while Liu Xunyi is struggling to find an opportunity to counterattack while resisting."

Luo Tianjin's eyes shot straight at Liu Xunyi like two sharp swords, and he said quietly: "In your eyes, they are attacking each other. But in fact, Qin Tianjiu is the main attacker, and Liu Xunyi is the passive counterattack. This kind of fighting is enough to show that there is still a big gap between the two martial arts, otherwise Liu Xunyi would not be able to only defend and not attack. According to common sense, under attack and defense, it is not easy for the passive party to hold on for fifty rounds, and if it can hold on for a hundred rounds, it is considered an experienced first-class master. But Liu Xunyi held on for two hundred rounds in a row, and he is still not at a disadvantage. In this case, there can only be one reasonable explanation. That is: there is a master who knows Qin Tianjiu very well, who has instructed him behind his back, so that he knows Qin Tianjiu's swordsmanship and methods very well, so he did not reveal a fatal flaw. Now it's not that Qin Tianjiu can't beat Liu Xunyi, but Liu Xunyi's defense is tight and precise, so Qin Tianjiu has not been able to find an opportunity."

"If we continue fighting like this... won't it take three days and three nights to determine the winner?" Lin Fangda said in surprise.

"No." Murong Bai replied thoughtfully, "They are both waiting for an opportunity now."

"what chance?"

"Let's see who will show a flaw first." Luo Tianjin pondered, "Qin Tianjiu is much older than Liu Xunyi. As the saying goes, a young man is better at boxing, so in terms of energy consumption, how can Qin Tianjiu, who is over 50 years old, compare with Liu Xunyi, who is in his prime? However, although Liu Xunyi is familiar with Qin Tianjiu's methods, no one knows to what extent he is familiar with them. Once Qin Tianjiu uses a move that Liu Xunyi is not familiar with, he may not be able to resist it smoothly? So in this competition, Qin Tianjiu has been changing his moves, with the goal of finding an opportunity to give Liu Xunyi a fatal blow. Therefore, fighting endlessly is risky for both of them. Neither of them wants to drag it on, and only by finding the opponent's flaws first can they win by surprise. This is what masters emphasize when fighting, accumulating strength for a while, and responding to each other's moves, and one move determines the outcome!"

While they were talking, Liu Xunyi and Qin Tianjiu fought for dozens of rounds. Qin Tianjiu still failed to break through Liu Xunyi's defense, and Liu Xunyi also failed to find a chance to counterattack.

The Red Fire Sword Technique was extremely powerful, especially when performed by a master like Qin Tianjiu, each move was a killing move. It was wide open and wide yet impenetrable, continuous yet inexhaustible.

The knife is like heavy waves, cascading endlessly. It is as steady as Mount Tai, standing still.

Today, Liu Xunyi completely abandoned his previous fighting style. He knew very well that Luo Tianjin, Xuan Ming, Qin Ming and others who were watching the fight were all knowledgeable and top masters. If he let go of everything and fought with Qin Tianjiu, he would inevitably reveal the sword skills and martial arts of other sects inadvertently when his life was in danger. If he was discovered, he would undoubtedly be in trouble.

This is also another reason why Liu Xunyi only took advantage of the situation to counterattack but did not take the initiative to attack.

On the sidelines, Qin Da clearly heard Song Yu's questioning just now, and then saw Qin Ming's face was extremely ugly, as if he was quite ashamed. Then he looked at the complacent Lin Fangda and Xu Heng, and the excited Pan Chuba. Qin Da suddenly felt ashamed, and could not help but feel grief and anger. He suddenly stood up and shouted to Qin Tianjiu: "Uncle Jiu, do you really want to fight this unknown person for 300 rounds? This is related to the reputation of the Qin family. If you drag it on, I'm afraid we will all be ridiculed by others..."

"Shut up!"

"Snapped!"

Before Qin Da finished speaking, Qin Ming's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he suddenly slapped him hard. At the same time, he angrily scolded: "The most fearful thing about a martial arts competition is being disturbed. What are you yelling about?"

Although Qin Ming stopped him in time, Qin Tianjiu had heard Qin Da's words clearly and subconsciously became anxious. Although this feeling was fleeting, Liu Xunyi, who was watching closely, still seized it firmly and took advantage of the situation to raise his sword. At the same time, he recalled Qin Ku's teachings again in his heart: "When Qin Tianjiu is in danger, he usually uses the move of 'moth to the flame' to force the opponent to retreat. This is your only chance to defeat him. Don't miss it..."

In a flash, Liu Xunyi's sword was coming, and Qin Tianjiu had no time to think. With a fierce look in his eyes, he rushed towards Liu Xunyi. At the same time, he had no intention of dodging Liu Xunyi's sword. He swung his sword backhand and went straight for Liu Xunyi's throat. This move really fulfilled Qin Ku's words "a moth flying into a flame".

Qin Tianjiu seemed to want to die together with Liu Xunyi, but in fact, it was a strategy of attacking Wei to save Zhao. The idea of ​​dying together was fake, and forcing the opponent to retreat was real.

Liu Xunyi, who had already seen through everything, was not afraid of danger. A gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he had no intention of retracting his attack. The extremely sharp Wuji sword pierced straight into Qin Tianjiu's chest.

The sudden chill startled Qin Tianjiu. He had never expected that Liu Xunyi would dare to die with him. He panicked and quickly tapped the ground with his feet, subconsciously flying away.

The Wuji Sword penetrated Qin Tianjiu's chest by less than an inch, without injuring his heart. At the same time, the blade he used to attack Liu Xunyi was thrown far away as he retreated.

Liu Xunyi succeeded in one move, and took advantage of Qin Tianjiu's unpreparedness to chase him. He had never taken the initiative to attack in the past three hundred rounds, but at this moment he changed his previous conservativeness. The sword tip created layers of energy ripples in the air, forcing Qin Tianjiu, who was caught off guard, to panic and retreat.

In an instant, a rain of swords came one after another, covering the sky and the earth, whistling and whistling. In the blink of an eye, the heavy sword shadows had completely engulfed the frightened Qin Tianjiu.

Liu Xunyi took the opportunity to chase after him, letting go of his hands and feet in the rain of swords, attacking with all his strength, the edge of his sword was as sharp as thunder and lightning, and the sword's power was as swift as a whirlwind that swept away all the clouds.

"Clang clang clang!"

"Pfft!"

Accompanied by a series of sounds, attacks came from the flying sand and rocks. Qin Tianjiu, who was able to barely resist a few moves in panic at the beginning, was completely deadlocked after a while. He was stabbed several times by Liu Xunyi, and every move drew blood.

This scene happened so suddenly that the people on the sidelines were unable to react.

A strong wind blew and the sword shadow disappeared.

Panting and sweating, Liu Xunyi stood with his sword on his back. At this moment, he was in tattered clothes, covered in wounds, blood and looked miserable.

However, the most shocking thing at this moment was that a few meters in front of Liu Xunyi, Qin Tianjiu, whose body was covered with sword wounds, was lying on his back in a pool of blood, motionless, and his life or death was unknown.

……

(End of this chapter)