"There, Ye Gongzi, that is all I can do to help you," Xue Nü smiled at Ye Xiu, clutching the pure white rose petals in her hand tightly. "If possible, I truly hope to see how many white roses you might repay me with in the future. Take care of yourself." With that, Xue Nü, having put away her snow whip, spread her hands like a hesitant fairy and glided toward the depths of the bamboo forest. Her stunning blue gown and graceful figure once again stirred the loneliness within Ye Xiu's heart.

"Alright, Gui Yin," Ye Xiu took a deep breath, pointing his sword toward the distant flames. "No matter what, I must defeat you, or perhaps I should say, kill you."

After several whoosh sounds, Gui Yin’s faint, almost imperceptible figure flickered momentarily before the flames, and simultaneously, three darts shot out from that spot toward Ye Xiu. With a single slash, Ye Xiu managed to knock them all aside.

"Are you just going to stay hidden like this?" Ye Xiu shouted into the air. "Or are you too ugly to bear showing yourself and frightening people!"

"Hmph! Brat, do you know why I was given the name Gui Yin?" That voice sounded proud and commanding. "No one besides the Sect Master has ever seen my true face. Even the souls lost to my blade never knew how they died."

Ye Xiu sensed this fellow was also extremely arrogant, and arrogance always carried a fatal flaw. "Very well, Elder Brother Gui Yin, I admit your technique is formidable. By saying that, I suppose I’m about to become another soul lost to your blade. Could you tell me what martial art you practice? That way, even if I die, I can die with no regrets."

"It's no harm to tell you." Gui Yin indeed fell for the bait, but he was utterly confident in his own martial arts, not even sparing Xue Nü a glance earlier. "The Gui Jun Shu I cultivate is a rare and supreme art. Whether judging by speed, strength, or agility, it has reached the pinnacle of human potential. I can even say my movement speed surpasses the recognition capability of mortal eyes like yours. Based on this alone, you should have died instantly by my blade."

"Oh, just speed? What kind of bogus Gui Jun Shu is that?" Ye Xiu hoisted his sword and asked with extreme arrogance. "Speed alone cannot subdue me."

A hiss suddenly sounded, and Ye Xiu saw the stones before him scatter as if stomped upon. When he looked up again towards the front, a black masked face was blocking his view—that was Gui Yin.

Clang... Ye Xiu hastily held his sword across his body to block Gui Yin’s ghostly attack, but the moment his sword clashed with Gui Yin’s blade, he found himself unable to stand firm, rebounding dozens of meters away.

"Oh, it seems Ye Gongzi has practiced some measure of speed technique, managing to block my first strike. Entertaining," Gui Yin’s figure had already vanished somewhere else, leaving only a voice echoing in Ye Xiu’s ears.

Hoo, hoo. Ye Xiu used his sword to prop himself up, narrowly avoiding a clumsy fall. He waved a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. That moment had truly been a hair’s breadth; Gui Yin could have closed the distance in the time it took Ye Xiu to utter a single word. Such speed, combined with the force that sent him flying, was indeed rarely seen—the Gui Jun Shu was terrifyingly effective.

"But you won't be so lucky with this next strike." Before Gui Yin could clearly utter the last word, a fierce gale rushed toward the staggering Ye Xiu.

Gurgle... Ye Xiu didn't react at all before a bloody gash was sliced across his left hand by Gui Yin’s blade. Indeed, Gui Yin’s threat level was immense, and the force of his blade exceptionally swift. He was sent flying once more, crashing heavily against the threshold of the small lodge.

Gui Yin’s location remained unknown; only his leisurely voice drifted over: "How does the taste of a demonic blade feel, Ye Gongzi?"

"Demonic blade, hehe." Ye Xiu found it laughable; what was there to be proud of in a common thin blade? "If someone like you calls that a demonic blade, then what about this in my hand?" As he spoke, Ye Xiu lifted Tianyi with his left hand. At that moment, the blood flowing down his left arm seemed to find direction, flowing straight towards Tianyi, stirring a wisp of purple energy along the sword’s body.

"The sword thirsts for blood, life drifts away," Gui Yin’s cold words scattered around, mournful and chilling. "Ye Gongzi nurturing his sword with blood is truly rare in this world, but today, I will be the one to end your painful life."

"Hmph, the victor is not yet decided." Tianyi craved blood, and Ye Xiu’s fighting spirit gradually intensified. This time, it was his turn to attack proactively. He swung his sword in a 'Sweep the Universe' maneuver toward where Gui Yin’s voice had sounded. Immediately, a heavy clang rang out. Not far away, Gui Yin’s figure reappeared, adopting a posture to parry the sword strike, but then he vanished again.

"Ye Gongzi..." Gui Yin attempted to utter a few more words, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Ye Xiu’s sword edge rushed toward that spot again. Helpless, Gui Yin reappeared to block the incoming sword and then disappeared.

Ye Xiu observed his movements, grinned, and said, "Elder Brother Gui Yin, aren't you tired? I’ve already figured out the trick behind your so-called Gui Jun Shu."

"Is that so? How about this sword strike?" In an instant, the voice, accompanied by roaring winds from all directions, charged toward Ye Xiu once more. Ye Xiu felt a chill spread across his face and swung his sword to block, but he was already a step too late. Gui Yin’s face reappeared before him, and this time, the sharp tip of his blade had bypassed Ye Xiu’s sword and pierced his abdomen.

Ye Xiu managed to force Gui Yin’s attack away, retreating several zhang backward. He thought he could escape Gui Yin’s assault, but in the next instant, he saw Gui Yin’s face again, blade ready before him. "Aah!" He struggled to flip his body several times, trying to evade the fatal strike, but his sword was again a step too slow; his shoulder was sliced, and he crashed heavily onto the stone slabs, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Next time, it will be your life," Gui Yin’s voice seemed to be right around Ye Xiu. His cold, bizarre blade might already be raised above Ye Xiu's head.

"Heh heh, ha ha ha!" Ye Xiu opened his mouth and laughed loudly. His body was covered in blood, yet his confidence was completely undeterred. "Mr. Gui Yin, I finally know your weakness."

"Weakness." Gui Yin’s voice suddenly sounded distant. In the bamboo forest far away, bamboo leaves drifted down gently, as if brushed aside by someone.

Ye Xiu wiped the blood from beneath his lip and said, "The so-called Gui Jun Shu is nothing more than a method of high-speed footwork. I suspect, Mr. Gui Yin, that other than the split second when you engage in parries or strikes, you are constantly running at high speed. Although my eyes can't quite keep up with your speed, I can still sense it."

"Then what solution do you have?" Gui Yin’s tone held a hint of hesitation, showing that Ye Xiu’s guess was entirely correct.

"Hoo..." Ye Xiu sighed deeply, slowly tidying his clothes, patting the dust he’d picked up from the ground, and said slowly, "I know that you stop moving the moment you initiate a move or when your blade and my sword meet. Therefore, the most effective way to deal with you is..."

"What is it?"

Ye Xiu slowly walked to the base of the bamboo forest, looked up at the slightly bent bamboo stalks, and smiled: "You want to end every fight quickly, right? Because your stamina simply cannot support prolonged combat."

"Hah!" Gui Yin’s figure suddenly materialized. It turned out the few bamboo stalks earlier were the precise area where he had been running back and forth. At this moment, having his technique seen through, he was enraged.

"Tianyi • Urge the Bamboo!" Ye Xiu knew Gui Yin was near. Although he hadn't fully appeared, Ye Xiu thrust his sword upward toward the sky, then quickly spun his sword at high speed. In an instant, the sword body and its afterimages formed something like a fan, striking toward that sea of bamboo in a triangular cone formation.

Rustle, rustle. The sword’s energy swept through the entire bamboo grove, making it sway violently, like wind and rain. But Ye Xiu didn't stop; he took another step back, planting his feet firmly, and forcefully swung his sword, increasing the intensity. Immediately, purple energy shot through the bamboo sea.

Clang... A sharp sound suddenly rang out. Ye Xiu’s lips curled up; he knew his scheme had succeeded. Without a second thought, he unleashed the 'Wind Red Autumn Separation' toward the source of the sound, sweeping his blade to cast a ray of purple light across the sky.

Poof... A splash of blood, mixed with fluttering fallen leaves, drifted down to the ground. It turned out Ye Xiu's area-of-effect sword move was designed to force out Gui Yin’s parry. He knew Gui Yin’s movement was limited; his speed was merely an illusion created by moving rapidly within a small area. Whenever he needed to perform an action other than movement—such as blocking sword energy—he would inevitably pause in place. This was the core of Ye Xiu’s strategy.

"Haha, you finally showed yourself," Ye Xiu said triumphantly, watching the black figure slide out from the bamboo forest. "It seems the few cuts I took weren't in vain. What now, Mr. Gui Yin? Do you plan to continue using the Gui Jun Shu steps to confuse me?"

"Hee hee hee hee." Gui Yin slowly pulled himself up from the ground. He was clad in a tight black suit, making his entire frame appear particularly lean and tall. When he raised his head, only a pair of cold eyes beneath his mask were locked firmly onto Ye Xiu. "Ye Gongzi truly lives up to his reputation. But it can only be said that your sword is too fast; the Ghost Step was ineffective against you."

"Ghost Step? So that's what it’s called." Ye Xiu showed some interest in the footwork.

"In the world today, I am the only one who has mastered the Ghost Step," Gui Yin admitted, blood still seeping from his chest, yet this did nothing to diminish his arrogance. "You are the first person to learn about it before dying. Truly rare."

Hearing this, Ye Xiu tossed Tianyi into the air, intending to unleash that moment of incredible sword speed he had used earlier to narrowly defeat Yu Li. As he stomped through the dusty ground, he laughed, "If you are unfortunate enough to die by my sword, then hand over the Gui Jun Shu to me. Or perhaps we'll see if your speed can keep up with my blade."

"Hmph!" Gui Yin held his blades before his eyebrows, and in an instant, his entire person vanished between heaven and earth.