"Listen, merchant, I never accept weak challenges, nor do I show mercy. Quite the opposite. Because duels between warriors are sacred, it's all about sword against sword, finding every possible way to end the opponent's life," said the young man with white hair. "The squad leader wants me to duel you, but I won't go against my personal principle and show mercy. Have you thought it through?"
Ben turned his head to look at Romantic.
"Ben, is he saying that he's a bit stronger than you?" The merchant lady widened her eyes, and in fact, she was trying to widen them even more. Then she blinked and asked.
"No, I don't think that's what he meant." Ben, barely keeping his temper in check, replied curtly.
"Lord?" Antitina asked.
Ben shook his head, thinking why can't they have a bit of confidence? Nevertheless, he had already drawn his sword from his waist. Ever since the Elf Sword Azure Light Piercing was lost, he had been using an ordinary Fine Steel Longsword, like the one he held now. The young man with white hair saw his sword and couldn't help but show a hint of disdain—it was brand new, as if it had just been bought from the blacksmith's shop.
He was not mistaken; that was indeed the case, as Ben's previous sword shattered under the strain of Ben's strength during a battle.
Ben held up the sword, waving it casually, as if he was getting accustomed to the new blade. But his action immediately elicited a round of boos from the mercenaries and explorers watching in the inn's hall. No swordsman would try to adapt to his sword right before a battle; Ben's display was almost as if he was a greenhorn who had never been to the battlefield.
"Redi, isn't your idol the Yabuli Sword Saint Gurekais? Beat this greenhorn; show us your strength!"
"Well said, as a fellow villager of the Sword Saint, you can't disgrace us."
"Redi, go for it, take him down!" The mercenaries started jeering; this unruly bunch never behaved themselves anywhere.
But Ben suddenly paused at hearing one name: "Gurekais?" He had originally prepared to enter the stance of Erune Military Swordsmanship—but now he became distracted, raising his head to ask. This distraction caused his movement to complete only halfway, leaving the starting stance of the military swordsmanship incomplete.
Another round of boos erupted from the mercenaries.
"You're not worthy of mentioning that name," the young man with white hair said coldly, already thrusting his sword.
This thrust was fast as lightning to an ordinary person, but within Ben's 3.7 energy level perception range, it was slow. Moreover, he had barely finished speaking when his opponent seized the initiative, instinctively countering with a backward sword swing—in fact, he raised his sword and deflected the opponent's longsword with one swipe—'clang,' the young man with white hair couldn't hold onto his sword. His sword flew out of his hand and embedded itself in the ceiling.
The young man's sword was deeply embedded in the light black wood, still trembling slightly.
The entire hall fell into a stunned silence.
Moments ago, the mercenaries cheering loudly now seemed mute, as though they had seen a dragon or some other fantastical creature. They stood agape, forgetting whether they should continue cheering—or booing.
Ben's maneuver could hardly be called elegant; to put it bluntly, it was like a barbarian swinging a club. It was not part of any swordsmanship technique, purely a reflex. But the key to that move wasn't elegance, it was the strength behind it.
Innate monstrous strength? Everyone instinctively thought of this.
It wasn't anything new; on the road of Vorn, it was rumored that some humans inherited the bloodline of gold, some awakening as Chosen Ones. But there was another type, retaining some characteristics of their ancestors. For instance, some were born with immense strength, rapid recovery abilities, or the innate ability to perceive coordinated elemental forces.
Typically, such powers were seen only in beings with golden blood, such as dragons or unicorns—fantasy creatures.
But someone quickly yelled:
"Black Iron Power!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⚑fire.net
The young man with white hair retreated five steps, clutching his wrist, staring at his swollen arm from just one exchange with the opponent. For a moment, he couldn't believe it. Although he was not as naturally gifted as Ecco, reaching Black Iron Lower in his early twenties made him a standout among most people. But he never expected to be utterly defeated by someone even younger.
How could there be so many monsters like Ecco in the world?
Redi was momentarily stunned.
His shock lasted only a moment because Macaro and another tall middle-aged man were already coming up from downstairs. Although they hadn't witnessed the previous scene, the sight of the sword in the ceiling and the reactions of those present allowed the shrewd mercenary group leader to grasp most of the situation.
His gaze fell on Ben, frowning slightly. He knew the merchant who proposed temporarily joining his team was young, but he hadn't expected him to be this young.
"Bujia," Macaro quickly lowered his voice, speaking to the middle-aged man beside him, "you go try him out."
"Me?" The middle-aged man's voice carried a thick Anlek regional accent.
"Yes, I suspect this young man might be from 'Paper Card'." Macaro stared at Ben, saying.
"Do they have such exceptional young talents? Macaro, perhaps you're overthinking this?" Bujia said while unstrapping the giant sword from his back. "But it doesn't matter, since you asked, I'll give it a try. Regardless, this young man surely has some background."
Macaro was slightly taken aback, turning to look at his old friend.
"Nothing, I just sensed a familiar vibe." The middle-aged man looked at Ben, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
(PS. Still writing, reading some of the comments warms my heart, while others bring me down. Continuing to write, I aim to rebuild my reputation.
Apologies for the unstable updates, I definitely write as much as I can, not slacking off.
Regarding stockpiling manuscripts... I admittedly lack such a habit. Sorry about that. This book only had a brief stockpile during upload, which was quickly released.)(To be continued, to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, read more chapters and support the author, support legitimate reading!)