Chapter 124 – 「Fire Fang」

“That’s the legendary Qilin Blade, isn’t it?”

Su Ming gazed at the combat saber in Gao Xu’s hand, his eyes gradually growing solemn.

After his Vision Mark Awakening, Su Ming’s Spirit Art had surged dramatically, allowing him to easily detect unusual fluctuations emanating from the blade.

These fluctuations gave Su Ming an ominous and dangerous impression.

Based on this alone, Su Ming could confirm that this legendary Qilin Blade was truly extraordinary.

It was an alchemical weapon capable of genuinely enhancing its wielder’s combat power—so formidable that even Upper-Rank Professionals coveted it.

Coupled with Gao Xu’s renowned mastery of Blade Art—having been invited multiple times by the Demon Hunter Academy to lecture, with many members of the Xu Family being his students and receiving his guidance—such a blade expert wielding this alchemical weapon could unleash truly astonishing power.

The moment Gao Xu drew his famed weapon, Su Ming’s situation turned precarious.

After all, Su Ming had only acquired his Bloodline recently—barely two or three days. Though the Bloodline was exceptional, granting him a starting Rank as a Three-Star Hunter and continuously transforming his body to make him stronger, facing Gao Xu—who had already transcended human limits—the power of a Three-Star Hunter was practically negligible.

Su Ming’s ability to hold his own, and even gain the upper hand against Gao Xu, relied entirely on his mutated right hand and surging Spirit Art.

His right hand possessed ten times the strength of his left, enabling Su Ming to match Gao Xu blow for blow in direct clashes, even repelling him at times.

Although Su Ming’s other attributes lagged far behind Gao Xu’s—meaning even with equal right-hand strength, his reaction speed and mobility shouldn’t compare—his post-Awakening Spirit Art allowed him to clearly perceive Gao Xu’s movements, barely keeping pace.

Thus, Su Ming’s slight advantage stemmed from his tenfold-stronger right hand and Spirit Art approaching Upper-Rank Professional levels.

This might be the advantage of being a Dual Professional: even without employing Spirit Art, Su Ming could compete with Gao Xu—a Four-Star Hunter—through comprehensive conditioning.

But now, with Gao Xu drawing the Qilin Blade, the situation shifted.

Su Ming’s tenure as a Hunter was brief, his close-combat experience scarce and immature.

If Gao Xu relied solely on his Four-Star Hunter superhuman physique for direct clashes, Su Ming remained unfazed. But if Gao Xu employed his famed Blade Art honed through years of battle, Su Ming’s meager combat experience became incomparable.

Moreover, the Qilin Blade itself was a formidable alchemical weapon.

Such priceless alchemical weapons were rumored to enable users to challenge opponents beyond their Rank.

Even if the rumors were exaggerated, this demonstrated how significantly an alchemical weapon could boost a Professional’s combat power.

Thus, Su Ming’s advantages vanished.

Fortunately…

Snap…A faint sound, carried by the wind, reached the ears of everyone present.

A weapon materialized out of thin air, landing firmly in Su Ming’s palm, where he gripped it tightly.

It was also a saber.

But one completely different from the Qilin Blade wielded by Gao Xu.

Gao Xu’s Qilin Blade was a broad-edged war saber—thick, heavy, and fitted with a blood groove, clearly designed for maximum lethality.

In contrast, the saber in Su Ming’s hand had a narrow, straight blade without the slightest curve. Its edge slanted slightly, and it lacked a guard, giving it an agile, almost ethereal feel.

Yet, this was not the most significant difference.

The greatest distinction lay in the aura each blade exuded.

Gao Xu’s Qilin Blade radiated a dangerous, ominous atmosphere.

Su Ming’s saber, however, was adorned with dazzling streams of light and intricate runes, emanating an otherworldly sense of sanctity and mystery.

If Gao Xu’s blade could be likened to a ferocious, savage beast, then Su Ming’s was a deity reigning from on high.

“You…”

Gao Xu’s gaze toward Su Ming finally shifted.

It was no longer merely cold and stern but now brimmed with shock and doubt.

With Gao Xu’s discerning eye, he could clearly discern the origin of the weapon now held by this mysterious powerhouse.

Without a doubt, it was also an alchemical weapon.

And by the looks of it, its quality surpassed even that of his own Qilin Blade.

This was the specialized Hunter’s alchemical weapon Su Ming had drawn from one hundred and forty-seven packages.

It had no name.

It was not crafted by any known Alchemist, so it held no history, no reputation.

Su Ming, however, had given it a name.

“Let’s begin, Fire Fang.”

A whisper, audible only to himself, slipped softly from Su Ming’s lips.

“Hum!”

The alchemical weapon in Su Ming’s hand seemed to emit intense heat, bursting into scorching flames that caused the surrounding air to warp and shimmer.

Then, Su Ming moved.

Like a cannonball fired from its chamber, he surged forward, closing the distance to Gao Xu in an instant.

“Come on!”

Gao Xu’s pupils contracted, and a blazing Battle Intent ignited in his eyes.

As fellow wielders of alchemical weapons, as fellow sabersmen, Gao Xu felt his own fighting spirit flare in response.

In unison, both raised their sabers and swung at each other.

Su Ming lifted his Fire Blade high, leveraging the tenfold strength of his right arm, and brought it down squarely toward Gao Xu’s head.

Gao Xu, in turn, raised his Qilin Blade to the side, his motion embodying both lightness and weight, carrying an indescribable saber momentum as he struck toward Su Ming.

Both sabers sliced through the air, generating sonic booms that seemed to slow time around them, their strikes appearing deceptively slow yet impossibly swift.

And then—collision!

“Clang—!”

As if a giant golden bell had been struck, a deafening metallic clash soared into the heavens, echoing through the skies.

A fierce gale whipped up once more.

The shockwave erupted like a tsunami.

Within the thin, transparent barrier, a sandstorm appeared for what felt like the umpteenth time—stronger, fiercer, and more turbulent than ever before.

Amid this cataclysmic phenomenon, all others had vanished from sight, their whereabouts unknown.

Only the two locked in fierce combat remained, the sole living beings still active within this confined stretch of the world.”Clang!””Clang!””Clang!””Clang!””Clang!”…

The metallic collisions resembling temple bells rang incessantly, continuously emerging within the sandstorm.

Su Ming and Gao Xu had already transformed into two streaks of flowing light, chasing each other back and forth at the center of the sandstorm.

The streaks of light sometimes collided, sometimes separated, sometimes crossed paths, and sometimes pursued one another, as if neither was willing to yield, engaging in a back-and-forth exchange that stirred waves of metallic clashing sounds.

Between the two, saber gleams intertwined incessantly, resembling both a dazzling galaxy and scorching waves of heat.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!”

Gao Xu, transformed into one of the streaks of light, chased after Su Ming at an astonishing speed while wielding the Qilin Blade, displaying a Blade Art that could be described as terrifying.

His saber was formless and shadowless, with only cold glimmers flashing in the air, forming a galaxy of saber light that engulfed the sky and earth as it slashed toward Su Ming.

Su Ming felt as if everything before his eyes was filled with streaks of saber light, his entire body enveloped in that sharp gleam, as if he might be sliced into countless pieces at any moment, his skin tingling with stinging pain.

This overwhelming saber light was so terrifying it left Su Ming with no room to retreat or escape.

Faced with such a fearsome assault, an ordinary Professional would likely not even muster the will to resist.

They could only abandon hope in despair, or perish in despair, with no chance of survival whatsoever.

Fortunately, Su Ming was no ordinary Professional.

He was a rare Dual Professional in the world. Even if his body couldn’t keep up with this overwhelming onslaught, his spiritual nature would subtly guide him, allowing him to find a path to survival.

“Silver Arm · One Percent · Slash!”

Su Ming abruptly raised the alchemical weapon in his hand amidst the overwhelming saber light, his right arm emitting a ghostly glow as it was coated with the scorching high-temperature Fire Fang.

The originally splendid flowing light on the blade of the Fire Fang Saber was immediately replaced by an eerie ghostly glow, transforming it into what seemed like a Demon Blade, appearing full of sinister energy.

Su Ming channeled magical power through his right arm into the Fire Fang Saber, causing it to erupt with astonishing force.

“Boom!”

As the ghostly blue slash swept through, a power that destroyed everything from the level of existence violently erupted, not only completely annihilating the overwhelming saber light enveloping him but also continuing unabated as it swept toward Gao Xu.

“……!?”

Gao Xu’s expression drastically changed, a shadow of death directly emerging in his heart.

This told Gao Xu that he absolutely must not block this eerie slash.

Without any hesitation, Gao Xu chose to trust his intuition, his figure flashing as he dodged sideways.

“Boom—!”

The ghostly blue slash immediately struck the ground, shattering, destroying, demolishing, and even vaporizing it.

A chasm as deep as an abyss thus appeared.

“What terrifying power!”

Witnessing this scene, Gao Xu’s expression shifted repeatedly.

Su Ming’s 【Silver Arm】 had revealed its edge for the first time, and the effect was truly shocking.

Especially with the Fire Fang in hand this time, the 【Silver Arm】 on his right hand, amplified by the alchemical weapon, had its power elevated to another level. Even with only one percent of its strength, it still posed a life-threatening danger to a Four-Star Hunter like Gao Xu.

Naturally, Su Ming wouldn’t let slip the opportunity to beat a drowning dog.He knew that relying solely on Blade Art, even a hundred versions of himself combined would stand no chance against Gao Xu.

Since that was the case, facing the opponent’s ultimate technique, Su Ming had no choice but to counter with ultimate strength—overpowering all methods with sheer force.

“Silver Arm—Five Percent—Slash!”

With a low shout, terrifying power once again surged through Fire Fang.

“Damn it!”

Gao Xu’s face drastically changed.

“BOOM——!!!”

A deafening roar erupted.

The sky trembled.

The earth, too, trembled.

(End of Chapter)