Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution

Lin Shen used to spar with Wei, and it was basically a beating.

Desperate moments offered a chance of victory, but in a pure skill battle, Wei Wufu could manage with just one hand.

"Come at me, Wei," Lin Shen said, grabbing two blunt training swords from the weapon rack and assuming the Bloodlife Blade Skill stance.

Wei Wufu picked up a practice blade and chopped straight at Lin Shen.

The counterattack stance Lin Shen took seemed to be of no use against Wei Wufu; Wei simply did not fall for it and came chopping down regardless.

Lin Shen defended using the Bloodlife Blade Skill, but his way of defense was to chop back, aiming not at Wei Wufu's body but at the incoming blade.

Clang clang clang!

The sound of metal clashing was incessant, and both men exhibited a ferocity like tigers. It looked as though they were both fighting desperately, but in reality, Lin Shen was continuously defending, his defensive blade technique simply differed from that of others.

Watching from the side, Tian Xin was slightly surprised, "When did that guy's skill become so precise?"

For a moment, Wei Wufu couldn't break through Lin Shen's defense, and it appeared that Lin Shen was more than managing.

"Keep it up, Wei," Tian Xin said as she picked up another practice blade from the weapon rack and tossed it to the battling Wei Wufu.

Wei Wufu caught the training sword Tian Xin threw with his free left hand and wielded swords in both hands like Lin Shen, his assault becoming even more frenzied.

Blade flashes danced in the air as the four swords collided rapidly, creating a tumultuous din as if they were in the midst of a ferocious battle reminiscent of thousands of soldiers clashing.

Their feet were planted on the ground as if nailed down, neither retreating half a step, relying solely on their swords to hack away. The training swords could not withstand the high frequency of impacts and were left with countless notches until they were finally chopped in half by the two men.

Lin Shen held the hilt of his broken sword, seeing that Wei Wufu too was left with only the hilts of his broken swords, and felt immensely pleased.

This was the first time he had faced off against Wei Wufu head-on without falling short, and although his advantage was due to purely defensive moves, it was enough to thrill him.

"My skill has finally reached a new level," Lin Shen thought to himself, but then Tie approached.

"Lin Shen, your skill is too poor. It's too easy to get killed out there. You need more practice. I'll spar with you," Tie said, taking two more practice swords from the rack and tossing them to Lin Shen.

Lin Shen thought, "What nonsense are you spouting? I admit my skill isn't there yet, but just in terms of defense, my level surely isn't bad. What's this about getting easily killed? In your dreams! You used to bully me just because you had more strength and speed and my level was lower. If we were on the same level, try breaking through my defense."

"I lack your strength and speed, so I'd rather continue with Wei," Lin Shen tactfully replied.

"No need. I'll control my strength and speed to match yours," Tie said, also picking up a practice blade and chopping at Lin Shen.

"The same strength and speed? Let's see you break my Bloodlife Blade Skill," Lin Shen didn't believe Tie could do much to him.

As Tie's blade came chopping down, Lin Shen immediately employed the Bloodlife Blade Skill, sealing off potential changes in trajectory, and met it with his left-hand sword.

Lin Shen's block caught nothing but air; he clearly saw Tie's sword chopping down, but when he went to block, he found that his own sword was a step too quick.

By the time his sword had swung through, Tie's blade had only then come crashing down, leaving him no time to react, let alone bring his other sword to guard in time.

Tie's blade was poised at his neck, and although Lin Shen could have used the Shrimp Sliding Skill to retreat, he didn't pull back.

They were practicing Blade Technique, and by the measure of Blade Technique, he had already lost with that move.

"What was with that blade just now?" Tian Xin, observing from the side, was also somewhat surprised. She hadn't understood how Lin Shen had lost.

Lin Shen's defensive position was fine, and the timing of his strike was correct, but why couldn't he block Tie's blade? It was truly baffling.

From her angle, it looked as if Lin Shen had sped up his own sword swing, sweeping past before Tie's blade had even fallen, failing to block Tie's strike.

Wei Wufu pondered, staring at the blade in Tie's hand.

"Your Blade Technique is too fierce, yet it's all defensive, which is contradictory," said Tie as he retracted his blade, speaking slowly. "Defending in Blade Technique is like defending a city, which relies on the city's strengths to defeat a stronger foe with weaker forces. But you forsake your original advantage, sallying forth to clash head-on with the enemy. If the two sides are evenly matched, you might defeat the enemy, so why bother defending at all? Since you've chosen to defend, then why waste your troops and lose your advantage? The logic doesn't hold. Moreover, when you take the initiative, you're easily lured, and if you can't discern the feint from the real, it can be said to be an unprovoked defeat."

Tie devalued Lin Shen's Bloodlife Blade Skill completely, yet Lin Shen was not angered.

What Tie had said was not wrong, and indeed, Tie had broken Lin Shen's Bloodlife Blade Skill with a single stroke, an indisputable fact.

Far from being angered, Lin Shen felt somewhat relieved that it was Tie who had first broken his Blade Technique. If in a true life-and-death fight someone had caught him in this flaw, the price he'd pay wouldn't just be these instructive words, but a price paid in blood, and possibly even his life.

Lin Shen's thoughts quieted down as he looked at Tie, his hands gripping his twin swords tightly: "Again."

Lin Shen knew that Tie was right, but he didn't intend to change, nor could he.

The Scrap Sword Skill demanded that he attack in order to utilize its effectiveness, and if he switched to purely defensive, without the added effects of the Bloodlife Blade Skill, it would just be an ordinary defensive Blade Technique.

So Lin Shen could only continue down this path, and if there were problems, then he would solve them.

Time and again, Lin Shen clashed with Tie, but Tie's sword seemed to work magic, with Lin Shen always blocking too soon or too late, never able to touch his blade, his neck invariably ending up under Tie's sword.

This made Lin Shen realize that he and Tie were not on the same level at all, Tie was simply using changes in rhythm to break the defense of his Bloodlife Blade Skill.

Nevertheless, Lin Shen didn't give up; he patiently adapted to the changes in Tie's rhythm.

He was adept at rhythm changes himself, just not as good at controlling them as Tie.

His twin sword Merge strike was inherently a combination of two rhythms, one straightforward and one contrasting, yet in such conditions, Tie still found the rhythm's breaking point, or rather, Tie used rhythm to disrupt his rhythm entirely.

Seeing that Lin Shen didn't have the slightest intention of changing, Tie was not in a hurry, knowing well that verbal instruction is hard-pressed to change a person's obsessiveness, but the harsh reality can easily change one's perspectives.