Chapter Twelve: Three Blades

With these words, Shen Ye gripped the Tiger Zen Blade with both hands.

A pitch-black flash of steel, striking with the force of a thunderbolt, slashed directly toward the "Left-Handed Swordsman," Zuo Leng. This strike was the first move of the "Blood-Battle Eight Directions" technique: the Horizontal Slash. It was executed with the relentless ferocity of a soldier on the battlefield who vows never to return unless he has claimed an enemy's head.

Zuo Leng had never regarded Shen Ye as a threat. In his mind, what could a mere newcomer possibly achieve? In the martial arts world, it was always the newcomers who died the fastest and the most often. Thus, he was careless.

However, as soon as Shen Ye’s blade descended, Zuo Leng suddenly realized something was wrong. This strike was too overbearing, and far too fast. It was so fast that he had no time to dodge; all he could do was draw his left-handed blade and block in front of him.

*Clang!*

The two blades collided violently. But Shen Ye’s blade weighed thirty-six pounds, while Zuo Leng’s weighed only eight. Furthermore, as a practitioner of the "Hero" class, Shen Ye’s greatest attribute was his strength—a force eight times that of an average adult male. Zuo Leng, on the other hand, favored a style of strange, unconventional swordplay that relied on speed, while his physical strength was unremarkable, barely two or three times that of an average man.

The consequence was inevitable. Zuo Leng felt an unimaginable force surge through his blade—a power as vast and surging as a great river, as crushing as the charge of an elephant. It sent his body reeling backward uncontrollably. He had just stepped onto the fifth-floor landing from the stairs, and the staircase was now directly behind him.

As he staggered backward, his heels struck the concrete steps. With his upper body still propelled by momentum, his feet were blocked by the staircase, causing him to topple backward. This completely shattered his defensive stance. He frantically reached out with his right hand to grab the banister, hoping to use the leverage to stabilize himself. If he had just one second to recover, he could have regained his footing and launched a counterattack.

But Shen Ye’s combat experience—honed through battles with Li Jinguo, Old Beggar Lu, the "Thunder Dharma King" Yang Feikuang, the Yin-Yang Duo, and the ruthless Du Sha—was no longer what it once was. He would never let such an opportunity slip. His second strike arrived in an instant, again the Horizontal Slash of the Blood-Battle technique. He had decided to use this time to properly refine his blade skills.

The black light arrived in a flash.

Zuo Leng, now lying half-prostrate on the stairs, was in an awkward position where he couldn't exert force, and the narrow space made dodging impossible. Helpless, he could only raise his blade to block once more.

*Bang!*

The blades clashed again. Zuo Leng felt another wave of overwhelming force, sending him tumbling further back, leaving his defenses wide open.

Shen Ye’s third strike descended.

*Swish.*

From the crown of his head down to his neck, he was cleaved clean in two. Zuo Leng’s eyes—one on the left side of the blade’s path, the other on the right—were filled with utter disbelief. He, a left-handed swordsman who had dominated the martial arts world for decades, had died just like that!

...

Shen Ye felt a massive surge of experience points flooding into his body. He had been just a sliver away from reaching level seven. Having previously slain several criminals with high notoriety, and now the head of the organ-harvesting syndicate, the "Left-Handed Swordsman" Zuo Leng, he finally had enough. He initiated the upgrade.

A moment later, his attributes updated:

Name: Shen Ye
Class: Hero (First Promotion)
Level: 7
Alignment: Just
Basic Attributes:
Spirit: 4 (Base 1; higher spirit increases spell power)
Strength: 9 + 0.1 (Base 1)
Agility: 6.3 (Base 1; influences movement and attack speed)
Defense: 8 (Base 1; reduces damage taken)
Constitution: 8 (Base 1; improves stamina and recovery)
Internal Energy: Shaolin Internal Energy

Skills:
Just Eye (Level 1)
Living in the Wild (Level 2)
Giant Force Strike (Level 5)

Levels six, seven, eight, and nine offered no new skills—a disappointment. However, level ten would bring another class promotion. That would be interesting; it was the point where he would choose a specialized path for his Hero class, defining his future growth.

...

On the concrete stairs, blood splattered three feet high.

Zuo Leng, who had been so arrogant just moments ago—looking down on Shen Ye and boasting he would defeat him within ten moves—now lay on the stairs, split from head to neck. The wide-eyed look on his corpse and the stench of blood in the air confirmed the reality. Even more shocking was that this wasn't a bitter struggle; it had taken only three strikes!

Zuo Leng’s henchmen were stunned. In their minds, Zuo Leng was invincible. How could their boss die at the hands of that black-bladed youth?

Lü Yi was equally dumbfounded. He had pegged Shen Ye as a typical "second-generation" silver-spoon kid, a grandson of a squad leader who joined the Special Operations Group just to pad his resume. He had assumed Shen Ye’s attempt to take on the organ-harvesting gang was mere youthful impulsivity. He never expected Shen Ye to butcher Zuo Leng in three strikes.

Shen Ye was incredibly strong!

Lü Yi, as Shen Ye’s deputy, saw his own honor and disgrace tied to his superior. If Shen Ye was strong, he would rise with him. If Shen Ye was weak, he would suffer. A surge of wild joy erupted in his heart. However, he decided not to mention in his report that Shen Ye had killed Zuo Leng in only three strikes. Doing so would expose Shen Ye’s true strength. With the squad leader selections coming up after the new year, Lü Yi realized Shen Ye had a genuine shot at the position. If others learned of his prowess too early, they would surely target him.

As for Gao Yousheng the doctor and Maba the anesthesiologist, their legs were shaking uncontrollably. Their criminal protector was dead, and the young man with the black blade was standing before them, radiating murder.

But their fear did not last long. The dead feel no fear. The black light of the Tiger Zen Blade swept out, severing their lives and their sins together.

No matter the time, no matter the place.
The heart remains unchanged.
The will remains unchanged.
The Hero remains unchanged!
The black blade slays the sin! Seeking only clarity for the world!