Swish!
Dongfang Bubai charged forward, a shadow slicing through the back mountain's barren air. Alex, calm and focused, controlled his knife with a thought. The blade slashed Yang Lianting's face four or five times, carving deep, jagged wounds that spilled blood onto the rocky ground.
Yang Lianting gripped his face, screaming, his cries echoing across the desolate slopes.
"Brother Lian!" Dongfang Bubai shouted, rushing to Yang Lianting's side. He knelt beside him, his expression darkening at the sight of the bloodied, scarred mess.
"Alex! Why did you do this?" Dongfang Bubai demanded, his fierce eyes locked on Alex, his voice sharp as a drawn blade.
Alex held his gaze, unflinching. It was his first real look at Dongfang Bubai, the Sun Moon Sect's dreaded leader. Clad in dark robes, his movements were swift and deadly, a master of the martial world. If Alex hadn't known his reputation, he'd never have guessed this figure commanded Blackwood Cliff.
"The Sunflower Manual's power is unmatched," Alex thought, noting Dongfang Bubai's speed and precision, a mark of his fearsome skill.
He brushed the thought aside and spoke, his tone steady. "Yang Lianting faked your orders, claiming I betrayed the Sun Moon Sect by joining the Five Mountains Sword Sect. He lured me to Blackwood Cliff for questioning, then dragged me to the back mountain to kill me in secret. Tell me, Leader, doesn't a liar like that deserve death?"
Dongfang Bubai's eyes shifted to Yang Lianting, turning cold as he studied his trembling face. He'd warned him about jealousy before, but this was too far.
"Leader, I—I…" Yang Lianting stammered, fear cracking his voice. He'd never seen such ice in Dongfang Bubai's stare.
"By rights," Dongfang Bubai said after a heavy pause, "Yang Lianting faked my orders and tried to murder you. Killing him would be fair."
"Leader!" Yang Lianting gasped, his face paling, his wounds forgotten in his panic.
"But," Dongfang Bubai added, his voice hardening, "Yang Lianting is the Sun Moon Sect's chief steward. You should've consulted me before striking him. Do you think I, the Leader, am just a title?"
He stood, his dark robes shifting in the mountain wind. "I've heard of your Ghost Hand Sword Saint name—master of hidden weapons and swordplay. Let's test your skills today!"
With a flick of his wrist, three embroidery needles gleamed in the air, darting toward Alex like deadly sparks.
Alex's face grew grim. He summoned Magneto's power, twisting the metal needles' paths with his mind. Gripping his knife like a sword, he unleashed the Dugu Nine Swords' moves for countering hidden weapons. His blade flashed, striking at the needles with pinpoint precision.
Cunning and ruthless, Dongfang Bubai struck. His embroidery needles, wielded with deadly precision, carried the weight of a master's skill.
The needles, thin as hair, seemed unbreakable, infused with Dongfang Bubai's true energy. Though Alex could control metal, his strength wasn't enough to fully stop the needles' force.
Still, he could weaken them. Using Magneto's power, Alex slowed the needles' speed. His steel knife, held like a sword, flashed with Dugu Nine Swords' moves, knocking each needle aside with pinpoint accuracy.
"What was that?" Dongfang Bubai muttered, his brow furrowing. An invisible force had dulled his needles' speed, leaving him puzzled.
With a sharp gesture, he sent a dozen more needles flying toward Alex.
Alex countered, his mind bending the needles' paths. His knife wove a blur of shadows, using Dugu Nine Swords to deflect every needle, sending them clattering to the rocky ground.
Dongfang Bubai's two attacks failed—Alex had blocked them all.
Though he couldn't grasp how Alex slowed his needles, blocking two strikes proved Alex's skill was top-tier.
"Few in the martial world can stop my attacks," Dongfang Bubai said, his voice low and steady. "You're a rare talent."
"Thanks, Leader, for holding back," Alex replied, his tone respectful.
He meant it. Dongfang Bubai hadn't gone all out—Alex felt no killing intent. If he had, those needles would've been unstoppable.
"Don't thank me yet," Dongfang Bubai said. "They say three strikes settle a fight. I've got a new move. If you block it, Elder Alex, we'll call this even."
He raised two fingers, a single embroidery needle glinting between them.
"Show me, Leader," Alex said, his face set, gripping his knife tightly.
Whoosh!
Dongfang Bubai poured his true energy into the needle and launched it. The tiny projectile screamed through the air, fast and fierce, strong enough to pierce steel.
Alex threw everything into stopping it, but his power barely slowed the needle's force.
He channeled all his inner energy into his knife, swinging with Dugu Nine Swords to deflect it.
Whoosh!
Before the needle reached him, Dongfang Bubai fired another. It struck the first with a sharp ding, sending one needle to the ground. The other veered at a new angle, hurtling toward Alex.
Alex's eyes widened—too late to shift his stance.
At the last second, his blocking skill kicked in. His knife snapped to his chest at an impossible angle, catching the needle. The impact rang out, but the blade held.
Heart pounding, Alex stared at Dongfang Bubai. That needle trick—using a collision to redirect it—was brilliant. Alex's Magneto powers had masked his moves, but they'd inspired Dongfang Bubai to invent this technique.
"My skill's still raw," Dongfang Bubai said, his tone calm. "I can only redirect one needle, and it works maybe seven times out of ten. You must find it crude, Elder Alex. Someday, I'd like to discuss hidden weapons with you."
After three moves, Dongfang Bubai stopped. He grabbed Yang Lianting, leaped into the air, and vanished from the back mountain, leaving Alex alone on the rocky slope.
"Dongfang Bubai's skill is terrifying, truly the top master in this world," Alex thought, watching Dongfang Bubai's dark robes vanish swiftly into the back mountain's shadows.
Hitting one flying embroidery needle with another was already a feat. Yet Dongfang Bubai could calculate the needle's path after the collision, redirecting it with a 60–70% success rate? That precision stunned Alex.
Still, he'd held his own against Dongfang Bubai without taking a hit. Shaking his head, Alex turned and headed back to the main hall of Blackwood Cliff, its towering pillars looming in the distance.