Huo Chen shot through the streets, his earth Qi flooding through his legs with every step. Buildings blurred past. Cultivators on the road scrambled aside as he passed.

  Behind him, the distance was closing fast.

  Too fast.

  Zhou Kang moved through the crowd like water, his ninth-layer cultivation making it look effortless. The gap between them was shrinking with every breath.

  Huo Chen's jaw tightened and he called back over his shoulder without breaking stride.

  "Hmph. You idiot—why are you closing the distance so quickly? Do you dare attack me in Qingfeng City?"

  Zhou Kang's expression changed instantly. His eyes flared with killing intent, sharp and cold, like blades catching light.

  His face twisted into something dangerous and his spiritual pressure spiked briefly before he forced it back down.

  "You think the city protects you?" Zhou Kang's voice was low, controlled, but the rage underneath it was clear. "The moment we leave these gates, I'll show you exactly what happens to people who don't know their place."

  The city gates came into view ahead. Huo Chen pushed harder, his speed increasing as he burst through and onto the open road beyond.

  The moment his feet hit dirt outside the walls, he felt it—the weight of the city's formations lifting.

  Zhou Kang cleared the gates seconds later and drew his saber in one smooth motion. The blade gleamed in the late afternoon light, spiritual energy wrapping around it like smoke.

  He slashed forward without hesitation. The saber cut through the air and a qi slash shot forward—compressed, sharp, glowing faintly with spiritual power.

  Then another.

  And another.

  Three attacks in the span of a heartbeat, each one following the same path toward Huo Chen's back.

  Huo Chen sensed them immediately.

  He didn't stop running. Instead he shifted diagonally forward, his body sliding to the side while maintaining speed.

  The first slash passed inches from his shoulder. The second cut through the space where his head had been. The third grazed his robe, tearing fabric but missing flesh.

  Then Zhou Kang moved. His body blurred forward with an explosive burst of speed, closing the distance between them in an instant.

  His saber came up, glowing with concentrated qi.

  "Shattering Mountain Cleave!"

  The attack descended like a hammer.

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  Huo Chen twisted forward and slammed his hands down. Three earthen walls erupted from the ground in rapid succession, each one thick and layered with compressed stone.

  The saber struck the first wall. It shattered.

  The second wall cracked and exploded into fragments.

  The third held for half a second before Zhou Kang's blade cut through.

  When the dust cleared, Zhou Kang was right there—almost face to face, his saber raised, his eyes burning with cold fury.

  "You talk too much," Zhou Kang said.

  His blade moved. Huo Chen's earth-coated fist came up to meet it. Their energies collided—stone against steel, earth qi flashing against saber qi. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward. They exchanged blows in a blur.

  Zhou Kang's saber came high, then low, then across. Huo Chen blocked, deflected, countered. Earth qi wrapped around his arms and fists, reinforcing every movement. Saber qi cut through the air around them, leaving faint trails of light.

  The speed was brutal. No room to think. Just react.

  Huo Chen felt it immediately—the density of Zhou Kang's qi, the overwhelming power behind each strike. Every block sent vibrations through his arms. Every deflection took more effort than it should have.

  'I'm outmatched. His qi is on another level.'

  Zhou Kang saw the realization in his eyes and smiled coldly.

  His saber came down in a vicious overhead slash, spiritual energy concentrated along the edge. Huo Chen raised both forearms to block.

  The blade struck his earth-reinforced guard and the force of it lifted him off his feet and sent him flying backward.

  He twisted mid-air, regaining his balance, and the moment his feet touched ground he surged forward again with explosive speed.

  His earth qi detonated through his legs and he covered distance in massive strides, pulling away from Zhou Kang.

  Zhou Kang followed immediately, his body blurring as he gave chase.

  Huo Chen ran hard, the landscape blurring around him. Trees. Rocks. Open fields. He pushed his cultivation to its limit, his meridians burning with the effort.

  After covering what felt like several li, Huo Chen turned sharply.

  His feet dug into the earth and he reversed direction entirely, sprinting back toward Zhou Kang at full speed.

  Zhou Kang's eyes widened slightly—surprised—but he didn't slow down. They closed the distance between them in seconds.

  Huo Chen jumped. His body arced through the air and he brought both fists down with all his strength, aiming directly at Zhou Kang's head. Zhou Kang's saber came up.

  Their attacks collided mid-air.

  BOOM!

  The impact sent both of them skidding backward. Zhou Kang recovered instantly and attacked again, his saber cutting forward in a flurry of strikes. Qi slashes shot out in rapid succession, each one aimed at vital points. slash, slash, thrust—each strike sending crescents of Qi forward or cutting through the air directly at Huo Chen.

  Huo Chen attacked back but his body was already moving backward, retreating while defending.

  Earth spikes shot up from the ground trying to intercept the slashes. Some succeeded. Others were cut through entirely.

  The pace was insane.

  Both fighters moved at full speed—Huo Chen retreating rapidly, Zhou Kang pressing the attack like a storm of blades.

  Then Zhou Kang saw it. An opening. Huo Chen's left side exposed for just a fraction of a second during a dodge.

  His saber flashed forward.

  The blade cut through Huo Chen's earth qi like it wasn't there and bit into his shoulder. Blood sprayed. Huo Chen grunted, the force of the slash sending him stumbling backward.

  Zhou Kang stopped, his saber dripping red. His expression was cold and satisfied.

  Huo Chen pressed his hand to the wound, breathing hard. Blood seeped between his fingers. The cut wasn't deep but it burned.

  'A ninth-layer cultivator really is on a different level.'

  He looked up at Zhou Kang, who stood a dozen paces away, calm and confident.

  'But this distance... this is enough.'

  Huo Chen straightened. His face went cold. His voice came out steady despite the pain.

  "You're going to die today."

  Zhou Kang's lips curved into a smirk. "Still talking? You can barely stand."

  Then the air beside Huo Chen shifted. Another figure materialized—identical, standing side by side with him. The clone's eyes were sharp, focused, its posture mirroring Huo Chen's exactly.

  Zhou Kang's smirk vanished. His eyes widened.

  "What—"

  Both Huo Chens moved. Their bodies shot forward together in perfect synchronization, covering the distance between them and Zhou Kang in an instant.