"So you think I’m just a little lamb at your mercy?" Hatanaka Tairou sneered.

"Something like that!" Lin Mu said.

"You’re underestimating me. Do you know my nickname? Blood Shadow Demon Saber. Don’t you know I haven’t used my ultimate weapon yet? Killing me won’t be that easy!" Hatanaka Tairou answered his own question, suddenly flashing and appearing by the wooden table, then picked up the Eastern Saber from it.

Lin Mu watched Hatanaka Tairou, not daring to relax his vigilance. Since Hatanaka Tairou is also known as Blood Shadow Demon Saber, his swordsmanship must be extremely refined!

"Hehe, does using a saber not consume inner strength?" Lin Mu laughed and said.

"You can try and see." Hatanaka Tairou coldly looked at Lin Mu.

"Alright, I want to try it." Lin Mu thought of testing Hatanaka Tairou’s swordsmanship.

Hatanaka Tairou looked at Lin Mu, sneered, waved his hand, and tossed the Eastern Saber into the air. Hatanaka Tairou leaped up, grabbing the Eastern Saber. At that moment, Lin Mu indeed felt a chill, an abnormal coldness, as if he were in Antarctica, and this chill was precisely what is called sword qi.

Lin Mu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at how profound this swordsmanship must be! Clearly, this old bastard’s power is indeed extraordinary! Hatanaka Tairou wielded the Eastern Saber, casually swinging and striking at Lin Mu, who quickly dodged the sharp edge, while a wooden table behind him became the backdrop. The saber hadn’t yet fallen, but the qi arrived first; the table instantly split in two, the sword qi was awe-inspiring, reaching the pinnacle of perfection.

"Haha, how about my swordsmanship? Do your Huaxia swordsmanships have such power?" Hatanaka laughed, looking at Lin Mu while holding the Eastern Saber.

"Hmm, not bad. But we Huaxia people value practicality more. It’s no longer the era of cold weapons; what good is excellent swordsmanship now?" Lin Mu laughed.

"Useless? Hmm, let me open your eyes then." Hatanaka Tairou sneered, and then a surprising scene unfolded before Lin Mu.

Hatanaka Tairou wielded the Eastern Saber casually, appearing simplistic, yet the sword qi it generated was astonishing. Hatanaka Tairou’s figure flickered with the saber, as streams of air in the atmosphere formed vortexes by the Eastern Saber in his hands. That kind of marvel brought Lin Mu profound shock. It must be admitted, this kind of skill Lin Mu had never encountered before; it seems the reputation of Blood Shadow Demon Saber is well-deserved!

Although Lin Mu hadn’t studied Eastern swordsmanship and sword techniques, he couldn’t help but be amazed by Hatanaka Tairou’s mystical moves and the invincible sword qi he emanated. Undoubtedly, Hatanaka Tairou had reached the realm of man and sword as one, a true Sword Demon!

Though the sword contained a soft yin, it became exceedingly rigid upon encountering hard objects. Furthermore, Lin Mu found that the set of moves Hatanaka Tairou displayed just now required very little inner strength, implying that he could use minimal inner strength. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Quickly, Hatanaka Tairou’s figure flashed again, "How about it?"

"Not bad, hehe, the swordsmanship is indeed impressive, worthy of being the number one in Eastern Swordsmanship, Blood Shadow Demon Saber!" Lin Mu complimented. However, despite these words, it didn’t mean Lin Mu feared him.

"Hehe, given this, you should have made your choice, right?" Hatanaka Tairou said with a smile.

"Yes, I’ve made my choice. No matter what, I will compete with you. Even if I can’t win, I still want to experience your swordsmanship!"

"Alright, in that case, let’s try it." Hatanaka Tairou showed no fear.

Lin Mu wouldn’t engage in a losing trade; if he really couldn’t fight, he’d leave it at that, retreating when the going gets tough. Should he manage to eliminate him, all the better, as it would save much trouble. But after seeing Hatanaka Tairou’s earlier demonstration of swordsmanship, Lin Mu felt uncertain about his current strength.

Because the old guy’s displayed swordsmanship was exceedingly refined, almost flawless, Lin Mu didn’t retreat. He dashed towards the opponent, and Hatanaka Tairou, holding his saber, lightly blocked with a perfect arc, halting Lin Mu’s charge.

Even if Lin Mu were a fortress, this one slash by Hatanaka Tairou would have ripped him open. Thus, Lin Mu landed on the ground, attacked from the flank, aiming for close combat, as Hatanaka Tairou’s strong inner strength meant he would hesitate to use it, making close combat Lin Mu’s best offensive strategy.

Similarly, Hatanaka Tairou maintained distance with his Eastern Curved Saber, not giving Lin Mu a chance to get close. Hatanaka Tairou employed swordsmanship to form a protective circle; any approach by Lin Mu would result in certain death! Lin Mu felt incredibly frustrated; Hatanaka Tairou’s swordsmanship was almost impenetrable, making it difficult for Lin Mu to find an opening.

Since he couldn’t close in, he decided to use the Diamond Sutra’s Black Qi to deal with him! Thinking this, Lin Mu secretly channeled his inner qi, gathering a sphere of black qi, tossing it at Hatanaka Tairou. However, Hatanaka Tairou was much wiser, not engaging in a frontal assault, lightly evading instead and then launching a fierce attack on Lin Mu’s upper level with his longsword.

"Damn this old monster, he’s practically a demon," Lin Mu muttered to himself. Lin Mu’s fighting style greatly consumed primordial qi, as black qi is not an inexhaustible resource but a fixed quantity within the body; using some diminishes it. Hence, after several moves, Lin Mu began to feel immense pressure! Even after repeated attacks on Hatanaka Tairou, he still couldn’t injure him in the slightest, finding no flaws, and had no choice but to give up.

"What other techniques do you have? Use them all!" Hatanaka Tairou taunted Lin Mu.

"Hehe, old guy, consider yourself lucky tonight; I’ll let you off!" Lin Mu laughed, although he had no intention of letting it go in his heart, but he simply couldn’t deal with the old guy!

"Kid, I think it should be me saying this to you. Consider yourself lucky tonight and me unlucky for momentarily being taken advantage of by you. If we were to fight again, you know well enough what the outcome tonight would be." Hatanaka Tairou watched Lin Mu and said.

"Oh, is that so? Rest assured, I’ll come looking for you again. I’ll let you know now, within ten days, I’ll take your life! Treasure these ten days; your time is limited!" A fierce gleam flashed in Lin Mu’s eyes, and Hatanaka Tairou could see the immense killing intent contained within!

"Alright, I’m looking forward to that day, but it seems unlikely you’ll win. Even when I’m wounded, you stand no chance; once I clear the toxins from my body, won’t you obediently die by my saber?" Hatanaka Tairou looked at Lin Mu arrogantly and said.