The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1763: Chapter 1860: A Section of Willow Twig

"A masked agent from Sky Swallowing Palace? Looks like a decent opponent." The girl with a willow leaf in hand murmured to herself and, after knocking down a few swordsmen in front of her, stepped forward straight towards the idle Cao Xuesheng.

Cao Xuesheng was looking around, wondering if he should make a move for the sake of appearances. Otherwise, just standing there doing nothing seemed rather dull.

"Hmm?" Just then, Cao Xuesheng noticed a girl walking towards him, holding a piece of willow branch.

"Interesting." Cao Xuesheng smiled, realizing the girl was probably coming for him.

Sure enough, when the girl was about ten steps away from Cao Xuesheng, her figure suddenly moved extremely swiftly, reaching Cao Xuesheng in an instant, less than a step away from him.

The willow branch, with the sound of breaking wind, aimed straight at Cao Xuesheng’s face, seemingly attempting to knock off the Wolf Head Mask he wore.

Cao Xuesheng stepped lightly backwards, seemingly narrowly avoiding the girl’s willow branch.

"Not bad reaction." The girl’s eyes became brighter, keeping closely attached to Cao Xuesheng, continuously striking various parts of his body with the willow branch.

Yet, Cao Xuesheng always managed to narrowly avoid the girl’s attacks, time and again, which made the girl somewhat displeased.

"Let’s see how you dodge this?" The girl snorted softly, and the willow branch in her hand suddenly shook. Instantly, it created countless illusions, attacking Cao Xuesheng from all directions.

This time, Cao Xuesheng indeed had no way to evade because there was truly nowhere to hide. He had to face it directly.

Standing firm, Cao Xuesheng faced the dense incoming illusionary willow branches without drawing his sword, his right hand holding two fingers together.

The next moment, a powerful Sword Qi burst from his fingers with an unstoppable momentum, instantly shattering the countless illusionary willow branches.

But it didn’t end there; after breaking the girl’s move, the Sword Qi formed by the finger glint continued to rush toward the girl with undiminished force.

Now it was the girl’s turn to feel troubled.

The girl’s figure seemed agile, retreating repeatedly, and with a snap, the willow branch in her hand struck the incoming sword glint.

For a moment, Sword Qi scattered, affecting several swordsmen nearby, while the girl remained unscathed, yet her previously leisurely expression was replaced with an uncommon seriousness.

Cao Xuesheng looked at the girl and couldn’t help but nod secretly. For the girl to block his Sword Qi meant her strength was quite impressive, at least among the young swordsmen present, few could withstand Cao Xuesheng’s Sword Qi.

"You’re impressive, different from others. No wonder they say the masked agents from Sky Swallowing Palace are extraordinary." The girl spoke, her voice crisp and pleasant, yet her tone revealed a hint of defiance.

Cao Xuesheng chuckled, "You’re impressive too, defeating so many young swordsmen."

The girl snorted, "Those people are too weak. Fighting them is boring; it’s much more interesting to spar with someone as skilled as you."

Cao Xuesheng felt a bit helpless; this girl was really carefree. Other young swordsmen feared his identity as an agent of Sky Swallowing Palace and didn’t dare to challenge him, yet this girl not only actively sought him out but also claimed sparring with him was interesting. Could it be that this girl didn’t care about the Palace’s intimidation?

But that was what Cao Xuesheng hoped for. He didn’t participate in the Sword Head evaluation for fun but rather to hone himself by encountering strong swordsmen. If others avoided him because they feared the sacred beast face mask he wore or the influence of Sky Swallowing Palace behind him, then what was the point of participating in the Sword Head evaluation?

"Where’s your sword? Why don’t you use a sword and only a willow branch?" Cao Xuesheng asked curiously.

The girl shook the willow branch in her hand and laughed, "This works much better than a sword."

After speaking, the girl’s aura surged, causing the once curved and soft willow branch to become straight and sharp, with fierce Sword Qi permeating the branch.

At this moment, the piece of willow appeared no different from a sharp sword.

"I have a sword in hand, but you don’t use yours. Why? Do you look down on me, not even bothering to draw your sword?" The girl spoke discontentedly to Cao Xuesheng, as his sword remained sheathed on his back.

Cao Xuesheng smiled, "When I feel I’ll lose to you, I’ll naturally use my sword."

The girl snorted, her eyes showing even more displeasure. She disliked being underestimated, especially by someone who hid behind a mask. Not drawing the sword was one thing, but not using it at all?

"Watch as I take off your mask!" The girl attacked again, her moves unstoppable, and within a breath, the sword Qi of the willow had intensified tenfold.

No unnecessary sword moves or decorations, just a simple and direct approach, yet extremely sharp.

Cao Xuesheng’s eyes brightened upon seeing the girl’s current technique, which was entirely different from her previous moves, seemingly as if she had transformed into a different person.

"Nice!" Cao Xuesheng still did not draw his sword, yet he treated the incoming willow like a sharp sword seriously, meeting her attack with two fingers.

In an instant, the girl gasped, her figure retreating continuously, her face becoming pale.

Meanwhile, Cao Xuesheng stood firm, unyielding, though droplets of blood were dripping from his fingertips.

Cao Xuesheng felt astonished; this girl seemed young, yet the Sword Qi from her previous attack was quite formidable. Few martial artists of the same level could withstand it.

Cao Xuesheng managed to block it only because his Sword Qi was more potent than hers, even so, his fingertips were still injured.

"What a powerful girl! Which force is she from?" From a distance on the peaks, Fang Lin exclaimed in surprise.

Dugu Nian glanced over, slightly frowning, "Cao Xuesheng is being too complacent. If he drew his Cold Cicada, the girl would have lost long ago."

"Perhaps he feels there’s no need to draw Cold Cicada to deal with her," Nangong Shoujian chimed in.

"The girl’s strength isn’t weak; she’s already defeated over twenty swordsmen. Cao Xuesheng really shouldn’t be so complacent," Dugu Nian expressed dissatisfaction, believing Cao Xuesheng should overpower any opponent.

Fang Lin suddenly smiled, "Perhaps Cao Xuesheng fancies that girl and is deliberately showing leniency."

With these words, those around him gave Fang Lin peculiar looks.

ps: Second update here, continuing to write.

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