The dense clash of blades echoed across the empty cursed grass fields.
Swaths of cursed grass were severed at the roots by overflowing sword qi. The leaning wooden hut collapsed amid the fierce battle. Scattered lightning arcs ignited the dry wood, sending flames soaring into the eternal night.
Fifteen constantly dodged and retreated, boot soles carving chaotic trails in the corrosive scorched earth.
He had long guessed this Puchi was strong, but discovering he couldn’t fully parry its sword strikes, forced to retreat and evade the unblockable ones, still left him in disbelief.
The current situation was hard for Fifteen to accept.
If the opponent were a powerful demon, being suppressed would be understandable; human racial stats weren’t high.
But it was just a Puchi!
This Puchi’s attributes were clearly far inferior; arm strength not even half his.
What did this mean?
It meant decades of bitter sword training… lost to a mushroom monster?!
How could he accept this!
Deflecting the lightning-wreathed longsword in the Puchi’s tentacles, Fifteen leaped back half a step, crossing his swords in an X before his chest, readying his stance.
“Ranbu…”
[Entangle]
A tentacle wrapped his right arm and yanked downward, interrupting his move.
Using the pull, the Puchi’s short legs struck.
*Puchi puchi—*
Touch and go.
Fifteen staggered back, fingertip brushing his nose, coming away red.
“How could I… again and again… lose to a Puchi?!”
[Trample]
[Army Breaker]
“Ranbu!”
Humiliated and furious, Fifteen charged again, twin swords becoming a storm.
The Sword Saint Puchi finally drew its second sword. Flames roared from the blade, instantly igniting surrounding cursed grass.
It calmly parried the enraged assault, every retreating step perfectly avoiding sword edges without even using [Moonstep].
Wherever they passed, scarecrows caught in the crossfire suffered.
Sliced to pieces or burned to ash.
No. 9 desperately chased behind, hopping left and right through burning grass, afraid Fifteen would stray too far and fall deeper.
Fifteen was completely immersed in the storm-like exchange, sweat dripping from his jaw.
The Sword Saint had mostly grasped this Puchi body’s capabilities and decided to end the guidance match.
Let’s try this last one…
He suddenly leaped back. The tentacles coiling the swords spun like spindles. The instant Fifteen closed in, both swords shot forward.
*Clang!*
The Sword Saint Puchi’s seemingly light thrust contained spiral force. The moment sword tips met, Fifteen’s tiger’s mouths shook; he nearly lost grip.
At that moment, two tentacles struck his wrist acupoints. Before numbness spread, his twin swords were deftly seized.
The weapons reversed with lethal killing intent!
At the brink of death, Fifteen drew his final weapon: his master’s short sword!
Cold light flashed. Amid grating clashes, he barely parried the flying swords.
When he looked up in lingering fear, the Puchi’s figure rippled and gradually dissolved into space.
“It… fell?”
Only then did Fifteen exhale the breath he had been holding. That instant, he truly thought he was done.
Lost to a Puchi again…
Unlike the previous two times of being ambushed and feeling aggrieved, this was a fair swordsmanship duel; a complete, no-frills defeat.
He could even tell the Puchi had held back… making it harder to accept.
Looking at his cracked tiger’s mouths, Fifteen couldn’t understand what was wrong with the world.
How could every random Puchi he met overpower him?
Was he really that weak?
And… this feeling of being crushed and humiliated somehow felt familiar… even a bit… enjoyable?
Fifteen shook his head violently. Enjoyable? He wasn’t a masochist!
*Puchi puchi—*
Sounds behind made his muscles tense, but he soon realized it wasn’t the dual-sword Puchi.
No. 9 finally caught up, frantically stomping out flames on its short legs, then wrapped a tentacle around the thought stone and stuck it to Fifteen’s butt.
“How did it fall? Is it really not Mushroom Tribe?” It was also shaken and decided to tattle to the Fungus Lord first thing after leaving!
Fifteen silently picked up his dropped longswords and solemnly sheathed his master’s short sword.
“Whatever. Let’s go while we can.” He looked where the Sword Saint Puchi vanished, still shaken. “I really can’t beat him. If he climbs back up, we’re in danger.”
“Who told you to ditch me and charge alone! If we fought together, that arrogant Puchi would’ve been no match!”
…
Sword light swept the fields like a new moon. Dozens of scarecrow farmers and their cursed grass fields were sliced, ignited…
The Sword Saint Puchi slowly sat amid roaring flames.
This Puchi body had all kinds of resistances; unexpectedly convenient.
Fifteen’s last-second draw to parry was still satisfactory. As for being suppressed, Fifteen couldn’t be blamed.
After all, the kid’s every sword habit was within his predictions; like anticipating every move on a chessboard.
That match not only let him regain the feel of guiding disciples but triggered new insights.
Tentacles were really useful!
Spiral thrusts and such were absolutely impossible as a human.
And the feeling when seizing Fifteen’s swords…
The Sword Saint examined his four flexible tentacles, wondering if he could add two more swords?
The more he thought, the more it made sense.
He was a Puchi now; why stick to human dual-sword style?
Besides tentacles, there were those weird skills…
Thoughts sparked like fireworks.
When thinking broke human limitations, inspiration surged. Countless possible combinations flooded his mind.
Too bad no disciple to practice on.
But… looking at the distant scarecrows shambling in the fields… scarecrows felt a bit off, but with limited conditions, he’d make do…
…
After exiting and reconnecting to the fungal mat, No. 9 immediately tattled to Lin Jun.
Said it met an out-of-control Puchi in the abyss that nearly killed their Fifteen. It barely defeated the strange Puchi, but it escaped.
From No. 9’s description, Lin Jun knew it was the Sword Saint.
As for No. 9’s claims of heroic feats, Lin Jun automatically ignored them. His own soul splinter couldn’t fool him.
But the Sword Saint teaching his disciple a lesson wasn’t Lin Jun’s business!
So after telling No. 9 it was Old Fourteen, he casually dismissed it.
Lin Jun’s attention was almost entirely on the north.
Excavation had new progress… they dug up something big!
(End of Chapter)
