A dense flurry of sleet, whipped up by the fierce wind, pelted Chen Cheng, enveloping him completely.

Amidst the swirling wind and snow, Chen Cheng stood motionless, his gaze sharp as he gripped the saber hilt at his waist.

The man in black was none other than Ren Fei, who had come to kill Chen Cheng. The Flying Saber he threw was a fleeting blur, as fast as a lightning strike and hidden within the dense, raging blizzard, making it impossible to guard against.

Ren Fei’s timing was impeccable, bordering on miraculous. He had taken full advantage of the weather and his position. It was a single throw—ruthless, fast, precise, and stealthy. A strike meant to kill in one blow.

A cruel smile spread across Ren Fei’s face, hidden beneath his conical hat and black cloth mask.

’This strike will surely kill Chen Cheng,’ he thought, utterly convinced. ’Never mind a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm; even someone at Great Success in the Muscle Strengthening Realm or a Perfect Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm would die. The Flying Saber is coated with a lethal poison that kills the instant it enters the bloodstream. A mere scratch is all it takes. Once the poison mixes with blood, death is certain.’

But his smile suddenly froze. In that hair’s breadth of a moment, Chen Cheng moved. His long saber slashed forward, cutting through the air and sweeping up the sleet in a blur so fast it was nearly shadowless.

CLANG!

With a sharp shriek of metal, the Flying Saber was knocked away. Chen Cheng erupted into motion, kicking up flurries of snow as he charged toward Ren Fei. His long saber was poised but not yet swung, yet it radiated a lethal sense of danger, like being stalked by a savage beast.

Ren Fei’s pupils contracted. Chen Cheng’s strength far exceeded his expectations. He had poured the full force of a Beginner Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm into that throw, and yet he hadn’t managed to even graze Chen Cheng. How could he not be shocked?

Fortunately, he was a hardened veteran of countless battles, and the shock was fleeting. He kicked off the ground, his steps light as he retreated with incredible speed. His hands blurred toward his waist, and in a flash, he held two more Flying Sabers in each hand, all four glinting with a sinister, green light.

The Flying Sabers were in his hands for only a moment before they vanished again, streaking toward four of Chen Cheng’s vital points.

The distance between them was still about twenty to thirty feet—the most lethal range for the Flying Sabers. Worse, Chen Cheng was still charging forward, making the blades even more difficult to dodge.

The moment the Flying Sabers left his hands, he twisted his body, drew a short saber from his waist, and charged to meet Chen Cheng head-on.

’As a Flying Thief famous for years, do they think I only know how to use Flying Sabers? I’m not afraid of a direct confrontation. This short saber has slain countless experts of the Martial Dao!’

He had seen it clearly. The technique Chen Cheng used to block his first throw was merely a Perfect Level Saber Technique. ’I have nothing to fear from that!’

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Chen Cheng unleashed his Wind Chasing Saber Technique. In a flash, his blade struck down all four incoming Flying Sabers, sending sparks flying!

The sparks had barely vanished into the swirling snow when Ren Fei was upon him, short saber in hand. His Blade Techniques were sharp and vicious, striking like a venomous snake. In the blink of an eye, he launched several strikes, each aimed at Chen Cheng’s vital points.

"Excellent!"

Chen Cheng roared! His long saber became a blur of afterimages, each slash targeting Ren Fei’s vitals.

In just a few breaths, the two had exchanged more than a dozen blows. Both of their Saber Techniques favored agility; they would immediately switch to a new attack if one missed, never lingering on a single strike.

Furthermore, both of their Body Techniques were incredibly fast. For a time, all that could be seen were two blurs weaving and dodging across the snow-swept street, moving so quickly it was hard to tell one from the other.

In less than ten minutes, they had exchanged fifty or sixty blows, yet neither could gain the upper hand. The fight was a stalemate, with no sign of a decisive, fatal strike.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more alarmed Ren Fei became. His Deer Cutting Saber Technique was an incredibly dangerous art, specialized for ambushes and assassinations that relied on overwhelming speed. Combined with his lightning-fast Body Technique, he had always been successful when facing a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm. No one had ever lasted more than twenty moves against him.

This was the source of his confidence, the reason he dared to come and assassinate Chen Cheng alone.

The dim light and the raging, chaotic blizzard were ideal conditions for his skills to shine. He had witnessed Chen Cheng’s abilities before, so he hadn’t pinned all his hopes on his Flying Sabers. He had a backup plan: if the throwing blades failed, he would rely on his Deer Cutting Saber Technique to take Chen Cheng’s head within a few moves, then vanish, leaving behind the legend of an assassin who kills and disappears without a trace.

But Chen Cheng’s performance was far beyond his expectations. He was, after all, a true Beginner Martial Artist of the Muscle Strengthening Realm, his strength vastly superior to that of a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm, yet he hadn’t been able to gain the slightest advantage.

After fighting for so long, he could clearly feel that the power Chen Cheng displayed was only at the Skin Grinding Realm Perfection, exactly as his intelligence had indicated. And yet, Chen Cheng’s Saber Technique was subtle and flawless, and his Body Technique was not the least bit slower than his own.

’How is this possible? Isn’t Chen Cheng always wearing a pair of heavy Iron Claws, patrolling the streets around Qingshui Pier while practicing his Powerful Eagle Claw Skill?’

’He’s been doing that for months. Everyone has seen it, so it can’t possibly be a fake!’

’If he spends every day on Horizontal Cultivation Techniques, where would he find the time to practice Saber Techniques? And even if he could, his style shouldn’t be so light and swift!’

’This is unbelievable!’ Ren Fei thought, a mix of shock and anger welling up inside him. The idea of retreating began to take root.

’No matter how bad the weather, it’s still daytime, and this is a public street. There are plenty of people coming and going!’