There was no astonishment, no panic, and not the slightest bit of dismay.
Lin Ye's mind was entirely consumed by his analysis of the battle.
'His saber technique has changed. It's fiercer, more seamless.'
'His total Qi and Blood has increased, giving him greater explosive power.'
'His control over his Source Energy-tempered Qi and Blood is more masterful, too. He can coat his blade with it, creating an effect similar to a blade aura, but it's accelerating the wear on my weapon.'
Lin Ye silently endured the opponent's furious, storm-like assault.
This wasn't his full strength, either.
'I am, after all, worried that if I reveal even a sliver of my true strength, I'd scare off the guy on the other side who's just looking to stomp a noob.'
'The second part of the advancement quest depends on this guy.'
'I have to endure.'
'I have to let him think he can still win—and win easily.'
'Let him have his fun first, then strike back.'
'But it's been long enough.'
Lin Ye was getting tired of being on the defensive.
In the instant that Zhou Kai, who was getting increasingly carried away, let his control slip on a slash—
Lin Ye's eyes changed.
The bottomless, placid pool of his eyes suddenly erupted into a monstrous, bloody wave.
A cold, pure killing intent exploded from his body. The alloy staff in his hands instantly kicked up a gear!
His impenetrable defensive stance transformed, as silent and fluid as water seeping into earth.
In its place was the Staff Form: Heavy Staff Form!
Lin Ye seized the moment.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, stepping forward to meet the blade Zhou Kai aimed at his neck!
He seemed to drop half a foot as he mobilized all the Qi and Blood in his body in a single instant.
It flooded into his arms, and from an impossibly vicious angle, the staff in his hands shot upward!
This strike was nothing like his previous blocks and parries.
This was a counter-attack.
The defensive counter-attack that Zhou Kai had been so proud of was now being used against him by Lin Ye.
The smile on Zhou Kai's face froze for a second.
'It was like his opponent had become a different person in an instant.'
'How could a punching bag hit back?'
But the ensuing wave of slaughterous intent pricked his skin, raising goosebumps.
With no time to think, Zhou Kai could only rely on his combat instincts, forcing a change in his technique to block with his saber.
CLANG—!
A colossal boom, far deeper and heavier than any previous impact, rang out!
Zhou Kai felt an irresistible, terrifying force travel up his blade, nearly knocking the weapon from his grasp. His Qi and Blood roiled as he staggered back five or six steps before regaining his footing.
The web of his hand was instantly numb and flushed crimson!
'How is this possible?!'
'His strength... how did it suddenly get so much stronger?!'
Before he could recover from his shock, Lin Ye's attack followed.
Flourishing Staff Form!
The heavy, fierce power of the Heavy Staff Form vanished. The staff in Lin Ye's hand became a blur, its speed skyrocketing!
The alloy staff trailed afterimages, like a gale sweeping through leaves, instantly enveloping Zhou Kai.
CLING CLANG CLING!
The tables turned; offense and defense were reversed.
Zhou Kai was struggling to keep up.
One moment, it was a heavy staff, powerful enough to make his hands numb.
The next, a sky full of staff afterimages rained down on him.
Zhou Kai's once-unbroken flow of attacks was completely shattered.
He could only flail his saber to block, but Lin Ye's strikes were simply too fast—so fast his eyes could barely follow!
He felt less like he was fighting a staff-wielding Martial Artist and more like he was fending off an impenetrable storm of metal!
'Something's wrong…'
'Something is very wrong.'
Zhou Kai's heart suddenly sank.
'This isn't the "Goblin" grunt I thought he was!'
'Those fluid transitions between staff forms, that demonic reaction speed, and that heart-stopping aura of slaughter from before…'
'The water's getting hot.'
As a thousand thoughts raced through Zhou Kai's mind,
the staff in Lin Ye's hands switched forms again.
It returned to the heavy, powerful style, each strike weighing a ton.
CLANG!
Another heavy blow landed. Seizing a fleeting opportunity, Zhou Kai dipped his blade, using a deflection technique to knock the staff aside. He retreated explosively, trying to create distance and reset his rhythm.
However, Lin Ye gave him no such opportunity.
Disorderly Staff Form!
Lin Ye's Staff Skill was still changing!
After entering the Third Realm of Slaughter, Lin Ye found he could switch between his three staff forms almost seamlessly.
He knew which form to use and when, without even thinking.
It was as natural as breathing.
The previously lightning-fast afterimages of his staff now became utterly patternless, completely unpredictable.
A strike without any warning smashed towards Zhou Kai's head, forcing him to raise his saber to block.
But it was just a feint!
The staff paused abruptly mid-swing, and its butt end whipped back towards his calf like a viper striking from its hole!
Zhou Kai's expression changed drastically. Blocking was out of the question; he could only dodge.
The moment he dropped his center of gravity, Lin Ye's staff jabbed out from under his ribs at an angle that defied all physics, aiming for his kidney!
"Fuck!"
Zhou Kai could no longer maintain his composure and blurted out a curse.
'What kind of Staff Skill is this?'
'This is some fucking street-brawling bullshit!'
'No logic, no form, impossible to predict!'
'He's a psycho!'
He felt Lin Ye was like a madman.
'Except this psycho is holding a nuke.'
PFFT!
The tip of the staff grazed past his waist. It didn't cause any real damage, but the force of the swing tore off a corner of his clothing—and with it, the last shred of his complacency.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Zhou Kai's forehead.
He was starting to sweat buckets.
'It's been, what, a little over ten days since I added him as a friend!'
'How could a normal person undergo such an earth-shattering transformation in just ten-odd days?'
'Even if those top martial arts families force-fed him heavenly treasures, it wouldn't be this ridiculous!'
'Right!'
'It must be an illusion!'
'It must be. I just had my breakthrough today, so I got a little cocky. That's why his desperate all-or-nothing attacks caught me off guard!'
Zhou Kai rationalized, his eyes growing sharp once more.
He took a deep breath, furiously circulating the Qi and Blood in his body. His saber techniques renewed, fiercer and more decisive than ever!
He was getting serious now.
Otherwise, he might just suffer a humiliating defeat tonight.
On Lin Ye's side, as the battle dragged on,
he began to see the light of victory.
'Zhou Kai's Cultivation Technique is better than mine, and his Qi and Blood levels are higher.'
'But my greatest advantages are the endurance the system deliberately boosted and my ridiculously high Life Value!'
The longer it dragged on, the greater his advantage became.
Just as one of Lin Ye's heavy strikes was about to shatter Zhou Kai's defense,
a torrent of Qi and Blood, far stronger than anything before, suddenly erupted from Zhou Kai's body!
Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply.
He felt his opponent's strength, speed, and even the density of his Qi and Blood suddenly surge by at least twenty percent!
The scales of victory, which had been tipping in his favor, were instantly yanked back by a brutally overwhelming force!