Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill

"Hmph!" Lou Hui snorted. His body twisted abruptly, evading Chen Cheng’s incoming strike, and he redirected his saber to slash at Mu Chuan’s face.

The scoundrel was truly worthy of his title as a Perfect Martial Artist in Saber Technique. The attack on Chen Cheng had clearly been a feint; the real killing blow was aimed at Mu Chuan.

Mu Chuan, having been personally taught by Mr. Mu, was by no means inexperienced. He knew Lou Hui’s strike was fierce, swift, and unstoppable, so he threw himself into a roll, moving far out of the way.

Lou Hui’s strike missed, and he couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback.

If an ordinary Great Success Blade Master had faced that last strike, they would have certainly chosen to retreat, block with their saber, or even counterattack like Chen Cheng. No matter how they responded, Lou Hui’s follow-up combination would have easily slain them.

Mu Chuan’s desperate roll, though ungraceful, was the best possible response for a Great Success Blade Master. It took him just outside Lou Hui’s attack range, forcing Lou Hui to break off his assault.

Although Mu Chuan’s action surprised him, it also exposed that his skill was merely at the Great Success in Saber Technique level.

And Chen Cheng’s counterattack, though fierce, was also just a Great Success Level Saber Technique.

Lou Hui was confident he could easily kill five or six Great Success Blade Masters, let alone just two.

Just then, Chen Cheng attacked again, slashing straight for Lou Hui’s right shoulder.

Lou Hui suddenly spun around and countered with an incredibly swift slash at Chen Cheng’s face. His Saber Technique was profound and subtle, revealing its true mastery in the details—his counterstrike, though launched second, would land first.

If Chen Cheng followed through with his strike, he would be cleaved in two before his saber even touched Lou Hui’s shoulder.

One strike to decide victory and defeat, life and death—this was the gap between Saber Technique Perfection and Great Success!

A flash of cruel satisfaction crossed Lou Hui’s eyes. He was already anticipating the gruesome sight of Chen Cheng being split in two by his saber.

But Chen Cheng’s next move left him utterly astonished.

Like Mu Chuan before him, Chen Cheng curled up and rolled, ending up over ten feet away.

Another desperate roll!

Missing with his saber once again, Lou Hui was so exasperated he laughed!

"Two ants, yet so troublesome! Since you insist, Master Lou will make a proper example of you little bastards today!"

His Saber Technique suddenly changed. He no longer sought to kill Chen Cheng and Mu Chuan in a single strike, but instead switched to a chain of linked moves, sealing off their escape routes.

Like a cat toying with a mouse, he planned to injure them first before slowly torturing them to death.

For a time, even with Chen Cheng and Mu Chuan fighting together, they were pushed into one perilous situation after another by Lou Hui.

Mu Chuan was covered in numerous cuts. If not for Chen Cheng’s life-for-a-life ferocity rescuing him at every critical moment, Lou Hui would have killed him countless times over.

In the blink of an eye, they had clashed for dozens of rounds. Lou Hui’s techniques were sharp and fierce, giving him the complete upper hand.

Mu Chuan was bleeding from cuts all over his body, while Chen Cheng was also covered in dust and looked utterly wretched.

Even so, Lou Hui was still unable to kill either of them.

He became infuriated. His blade techniques changed once more; ignoring Mu Chuan, he launched a furious and incredibly swift assault on Chen Cheng.

After fighting for so long, he had finally figured it out. Although the Saber Technique Chen Cheng displayed was only at the Great Success Level, it was far stronger than Mu Chuan’s. Only by killing Chen Cheng first could he end this battle.

"Brother Cheng, watch out!" Mu Chuan wanted to help, but he was completely unable to harm Lou Hui. Several times, he was nearly killed by a backhanded strike from Lou Hui, so all he could do was shout anxious warnings.

Chen Cheng used the desperate roll again to evade Lou Hui’s attack and shouted, "Don’t worry about me! Don’t clash with him head-on. Just stay out of his attack range and lead him on a chase."

Chen Cheng practiced what he preached. Whenever Lou Hui attacked, he would quickly dodge, keeping well outside of Lou Hui’s attack range.

The moment Lou Hui went after Mu Chuan, Chen Cheng would turn back and throw a few strikes his way.

It was a fighting style focused entirely on harassment, with no expectation of actually wounding the enemy.

Despite his Perfect Level Saber Technique, Lou Hui could never catch up to Chen Cheng. He assumed Chen Cheng had used some sort of Cultivation Technique that boosted his speed, and he grew increasingly anxious.

"Sigh..." A soft sigh echoed.

On a nearby courtyard wall, a figure in black had appeared at some unknown point.

"The great South City Thirteen Thieves can’t even kill two measly constables. How embarrassing!"

The man in black spoke leisurely before dashing along the top of the wall. With a few leaps, he landed not far from the three combatants.

He was dressed in black Night Clothes, his face covered by a black cloth. His figure was lean, and he held a mottled Longsword.

The black-clad man’s arrival was abrupt. Lou Hui suddenly withdrew his saber and stopped, asking warily, "And who might you be?"

"You are not worthy of knowing!" the man in black said coolly. He then turned to Chen Cheng and remarked leisurely, "Even the South City Thirteen Thieves couldn’t kill you. You truly are something else!"

Chen Cheng frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

"Sigh..." The man in black sighed again, then said, "Seeing as you’re a dead man walking, I’ll make an exception, just this once!"

As he spoke, he pointed his Broken Sword diagonally at Chen Cheng, his gaze turning chillingly cold and indifferent.

"Ding Mo of the Wind and Rain Tower! Now you can die!"

"And here I was, wondering what master had arrived. Turns out it’s just a D-rank rat from the Wind and Rain Tower!"

Just then, a young man wearing the black, cloud-patterned uniform of a City Guard Department Chief Constable, with a Longsword at his waist, walked out slowly from a nearby alley.

The young man was tall and slender. In the moonlight, one could see he was in his early twenties, with a handsome face and sharp eyes. He exuded the palpable aura of a newly unsheathed sword.

Ding Mo’s eyes narrowed. Staring at the young man, he retorted scornfully, "So you’re Yan Jian? The Shen Family’s lapdog and the youngest Chief Constable in the South City District?"

The word "lapdog" undoubtedly struck a nerve with Yan Jian. His brows furrowed, and he abruptly drew the Longsword from his waist, charging at Ding Mo with extreme speed.

"I have a sword, and it is for slaying rats like you!"

His Body Technique was as fast as lightning. In an instant, he was before Ding Mo, his Longsword aimed straight for the vital point of his heart.

The Sword Technique was fierce and sharp, like a clap of thunder—swift beyond compare. It was, unmistakably, a Perfect Level Sword Skill.

"Hmph! The light of a firefly dares to compete with the sun and moon!" Snorting, Ding Mo did not retreat but advanced, thrusting his own sword toward the vital point of Yan Jian’s throat.

As if driven by sheer pride, neither was willing to give an inch. Their swords met in mid-air with blinding speed, sending sparks flying and erupting in a shrill screech of metal on metal.

Both of their techniques were exquisite, and they seemed evenly matched. They quickly repositioned and began to fight again.

Under the faint moonlight, the two figures moved so fast they became a series of afterimages, dazzling the eye and making it almost impossible to tell who was who.

Lou Hui watched, slightly dazed. ’These two must be Perfect Martial Artists of the Skin Grinding Realm,’ he thought. ’Their strength is far beyond mine.’

"Go!"

Chen Cheng grabbed Mu Chuan and sprinted wildly in the direction of the City Guard Department.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

When Lou Hui snapped out of it, he saw that Chen Cheng and his partner were already several dozen feet away. He quickly gave chase, Long Saber in hand.

But this time, Chen Cheng and Mu Chuan ran extremely fast. Lou Hui pursued with all his might, but he always remained a few dozen feet behind them.

He was burning with rage and didn’t stop to consider why their speed had suddenly increased. He just assumed it was a burst of potential from a desperate flight for their lives.

After another stretch of chasing, Chen Cheng and Mu Chuan suddenly slowed down. Delighted, Lou Hui unleashed his full power and charged forward, determined to catch and kill them.

Just then, the two of them turned and suddenly ducked into an alley.

Lou Hui was a veteran of the Jianghu and not one to be reckless. He cleared the way with a swing of his Long Saber and followed them in.

As soon as he entered the mouth of the alley, a cloud of white lime powder suddenly burst toward his face.

Lou Hui was prepared. He immediately shut his eyes, his Long Saber a blur that was impossible to penetrate, and continued charging forward.

Throwing lime powder was a dirty trick that might work on street thugs, but for a Great Success Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm like him, it would only block his vision for a few breaths.

As soon as he charged out of the cloud of powder, his sight would return, and that would be the moment of their deaths.

As for a potential ambush, that would be courting death. With his Perfect Level Saber Technique, Lou Hui was confident he could kill them both, even with his eyes closed.

In the blink of an eye, Lou Hui burst out of the area covered by the lime powder. He opened his eyes again, a vicious and gleeful light flashing within them.

Resorting to a low-down trick like throwing lime powder clearly meant Chen Cheng and Mu Chuan were exhausted and at their wits’ end.

At that exact moment, a ripple suddenly spread through the air around him. An intense premonition of life and death welled up in his heart. Lou Hui swung his Long Saber even faster, forming an impenetrable defense.

In that fleeting instant, a Constable’s Saber gently sliced out from an angle. Lou Hui felt a chill on his neck. The light in his just-opened eyes slowly dimmed and faded away!

’In the end, I was careless, just like the boss!’ This was Lou Hui’s final thought before he died.

The only thing that could break through the defense of his Perfect Level Saber Technique was another Perfect Level Saber Technique!