The 22nd Sword of Taixu Sword Qi

Gu Chu, however, felt a pang of regret.

He regretted that he didn't have a sword in his hand. His reach was ultimately much shorter than Fu Hua's with a blade. If only his fingernails were a little longer, Fu Hua would already be covered in wounds.

The thought made him chuckle.

He didn't launch an immediate attack. Instead, he watched the panting Fu Hua, his gaze fixed on the sword in her hand.

This time, his failure wasn't due to a lack of skill, but because his opponent had the advantage of a weapon.

Fu Hua's expression, meanwhile, had grown completely solemn.

His mastery of Taixu Sword Qi had surpassed her wildest imagination. Not only could he use every form with fluid ease, but his combinations, his application of [Aura], and his use of Taixu Sword Qi's signature external energy cycling... it was all becoming too much for her to handle.

More importantly... when he had first started defending against her, it seemed he didn't understand the counters between the forms.

But that last exchange, when he had followed up Shadow Orchid with Wind-Quake to specifically counter her Rain Swift, Fu Hua was certain that he had now mastered the system of counters and synergies between the sword forms.

She should have realized it sooner...

Thinking back on the five previous battles, the intensity had skyrocketed starting from the third round.

The pressure from the combined twin swords in the third round was far greater than that of the "Dust-Clearing Willow" and "Peerless" forms, yet it had still taken her three full minutes to defeat him.

In the fourth round, Ling Shuang's "Ataraxia" was her strongest single strike, a move that even contained some of her own understanding of the Sword God. The time it took to defeat Gu Chu that round...

...was ten minutes.

Fu Hua felt as though in every battle, she was facing the version of herself from the previous round. Even if she used a move only once, he could replicate it in the next battle and use it against her.

And so, the fifth round... had taken her half an hour. In the end, she had only won by exploiting the fact that the Xuanyuan Sword's predecessor was the "Scented Dye" form, which limited his need to use superfluous techniques.

Now, she could no longer rely on pure skill to win. His own techniques were on par with hers.

And in this sixth round... she was using her own sword style, the purest form of Taixu Sword Qi.

If she could win this sixth round, she would immediately unleash the Xuanyuan Sword's full power in the seventh and secure victory with Taixu Sword God.

But could she truly win this sixth round?

Looking at his battle-hungry expression, Fu Hua wasn't sure. But she had to win.

Suppressing the tremor in her hand, Fu Hua took the offensive for the first time.

Sword-Transforming Form - Moon Heron!

The migratory bird crossed the long distance between them, its wide, sweeping form descending upon Gu Chu.

And for the first time, Gu Chu took a purely defensive stance.

Sword-Guarding Form - Green Pine!

He stood firm and unyielding, taking the full force of her strike. Just as he was about to counter, a sense of crisis assaulted him from the side.

Sword-Transforming Form - Flying Cuckoo!

A tricky, deceptive attack struck from the shadows. Gu Chu glanced in disbelief at the Xuanyuan Sword still in front of him. In his eyes, the phantom of the white heron entwined around the blade was still crying out!

So then, this attack was...

Using a finger as a sword. Fu Hua can do it too!

Taking two strikes while in the Green Pine stance, Gu Chu's posture began to waver. Just as Fu Hua was about to press her advantage, he lifted his foot and stomped down hard.

Sword-Unleashing Form - Mountain Crumble!!

The flat ground fractured and split. The massive shockwave blasted Fu Hua off her feet, leaving her suspended in mid-air.

Her attack came to an abrupt halt. Gu Chu dropped his defensive stance.

Sword-Unleashing Form - Rock Breaker!

A heavy blow that could shatter any hard object. Suspended in the air, Fu Hua had no foothold to dodge and could only raise her sword to block.

Sword-Guarding Form - Weeping Willow...

"I've seen this one!" Gu Chu laughed, raising a hand to intercept the willow branch's lash as if he'd been expecting it all along.

Of course he's seen it. Wasn't "Dust-Clearing Willow" an evolution of this very form?

After blocking the first move, Gu Chu had a second ready!

Sword-Transforming Form - Vine Sparrow!

Like a flock of sparrows taking flight from a vegetable patch, a dense flurry of attacks rushed toward her. Gritting her teeth, Fu Hua once again used Ink Chrysanthemum, trying to block them all.

But this was another strike Gu Chu had already seen!

The attack finally landed on Fu Hua. She was sent spinning through the air, flipping several times before managing to halt her momentum.

But before she could steady herself, she dropped to one knee, using her sword to stay upright.

A bloody gash now marred her shoulder, so deep one could see the white of the bone. The impact of his [Aura] had disrupted her once-steady breathing, causing her heart rate to become erratic.

"Cough..." Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Fu Hua forced herself to stand and face Gu Chu once more.

Can I win?

Fu Hua asked herself again. She had no answer.

Perhaps from the moment she took the offensive, trying to force an opening, she had already lost her confidence in victory... Fu Hua didn't dare to imagine what the wound on her shoulder would look like if he'd had a sword.

Gu Chu was thinking the same thing.

Perhaps... if I had so much as a tree branch in my hand, Fu Hua would have been sliced in two?

The wound on her shoulder was only so deep not because her defense was so good, but because his fingers were only so long.

There were twenty-one forms in Taixu Sword Qi, and now, only the final Initiating Form had yet to appear on the battlefield... Fu Hua didn't know if he knew it, but could a single sword form truly turn the tide of battle?

Perhaps... it really was possible.

Fu Hua took a deep breath, steadied her stance, regulated her breathing, and gripped the Xuanyuan Sword with both hands.

Seeing Fu Hua's stance, Gu Chu couldn't help but look disappointed.

Is this it?

He had a good idea of the strike Fu Hua was about to unleash. Though he didn't know its name, he knew what kind of strike it was.

A strike that could tear the sky asunder, right?

Gu Chu sighed, preparing to end this farce.

I'll just use the same move as her... and then, should I go hunt down that disgusting thing, or should I just clean up the people in ARC City first?

Gu Chu's mind wandered, a little regretful that he wouldn't get to see that legendary ultimate strike.

Maybe... I should give this sword back and let that little squirt have a go? I might get to see that strike then.

With that thought, he stepped into the range of her anticipated attack.

Almost simultaneously, they both launched their attacks.

But... they were different!

Gu Chu used:

Initiating Form - Sky-Render.

And Fu Hua used...

Taixu Sword Qi—

Heaven-Opener