Chapter 182: Under the Moonlight, the Masked Gray‑Clothed Man Revealed His True Form

Lu Cangfeng, who heard Chen Yan's order, took no action, but turned his head and cast his gaze toward Yuwen Ze standing nearby.

As the Prince Heir's personal guard, entrusted by the Grand Tomb Steward Faction, he knows exactly what his mission is.....

"What are you hesitating to do about the matter Brother A Xiong ordered?"

Yuwen Ze, seeing Lu Cangfeng's delayed response, showed a displeased expression, furrowed his brows slightly, and urged, "Hurry up and do it!"

"Rest assured, I will protect your family's Prince Heir together..." Zhu Yi, knowing why he hesitated, immediately nodded and said in a deep voice.

"As you command." Having set aside his lingering worries, Lu Cangfeng raised his fist toward Yuwen Ze, lifted his knife and sprang away.

Zhu Yi glanced sideways, sizing up Chen Yan, whose mouth curled a faint, ambiguous smile, and after a brief thought, thought to himself, "Young Master wants to use that gray‑clothed person to test Lu Cangfeng's abilities....."

Not letting him go, but deliberately sending Lu Cangfeng instead—its purpose could not be clearer.

He simply wants to use this chance to see Lu Cangfeng's true skill.....

"How confident are you that the Prince Heir's guard can fight those who slaughtered the Jing Hong Assembly?" Dou Luling lifted a water jar, took a sip, then turned to Wang Xiong and asked with a smile.

"Sixty to eighty percent, I'd say!"

Wang Xiong lightly brushed the tip of his nose, his gaze sharpening, and replied.

He widened his eyes and continued, "Anyone sent by the Grand Tomb Steward Faction to protect the Prince Heir cannot be mediocre or incompetent."

Yuwen Ze's status is extremely special; he is not only the Prince Heir of King Jin, but also King Jin's only son, the sole heir.....

The Grand Tomb Steward Faction will be doubly cautious about his safety!

Having trained out of Chang'an with only Lu Cangfeng by his side, the sixty to eighty percent figure is merely a conservative estimate.

Moreover, with the opponent already depleted, the confidence will only grow!

"You're a master!"

The masked gray‑clothed person stood opposite, staring unflinchingly at the knife‑wielding man, and said in a deep voice.

The intuition honed from years of training kept warning as this restrained aura appeared before him.....

It was a situation that had never occurred before!

"That's irrelevant...."

Lu Cangfeng, expressionless, glanced sideways and shouted, "Lord Chen Yan ordered me to spar with you, regardless of life or death!"

Before the words finished.

Lu Cangfeng moved, his figure flashing, the knife in his hand slashing down from above, generating a fierce whooshing sound.....

Like a mountain crushing from above.

In his steadfast eyes burned only the desire to cut down the gray‑clothed man!

"Bang!"

The masked gray‑clothed person did not dodge but advanced, battle spirit erupting, brandishing his sword to meet Lu Cangfeng's knife head‑on.

The two sharp weapons collided violently, emitting a piercing blast.

Then, under the massive recoil, the masked gray‑clothed person staggered back several steps, steadying himself.

The only visible depth in his eyes was the shock from the just‑finished round.....

Absorbing that slash, his right hand went numb from the shock, forcing him to quickly switch to his left‑hand sword.

"When you slaughtered the Jing Hong Assembly earlier, you weren't this weak..." Lu Cangfeng shook his head, pursed his lips in a light smile, and swung his knife forward again.

"Is that so?"

"It's too early to draw a conclusion, that's not appropriate!"

The masked gray‑clothed person, seeing this, gave a half‑smile, stepped into a certain footwork, and his body began to rotate to a rhythm.

He knew well that meeting force with force would put him at a disadvantage, so he had to change his strategy....

Thus, his left hand wielded the sword in continuous motion, leaving after‑images like silver serpents flashing and coiling.

A moment later, the knife and sword silhouettes intertwined, repeatedly producing the sound of clashing weapons.

In that instant, it was impossible to discern superiority.

"Silver Snake Sword Dance?"

Zhu Yi narrowed his eyes, watching the snake‑like footwork of the masked gray‑clothed person, murmuring, "He reacts quickly and is very clever!"

His words were full of praise.

The masked gray‑clothed person knew that to counter ultimate force one must use softness against hardness, moving a little weight to shift a thousand, extending strengths and avoiding weaknesses.....

What caught Zhu Yi's attention even more was the sword technique he employed!

"Silver Snake Sword Dance? The name isn't bad at all........" Chen Yan heard this, made a mental note, gently nudged Zhu Yi and asked, "Do you know the origin of this sword technique?"

"I know a little..."

Zhu Yi nodded, saying in a deep voice, "It was created by a renowned swordmaster!"

He paused, then continued, "But that person's comprehension is even higher than the master's!"

Zhu Yi wasn't trying to boost anyone's morale; he was speaking plainly.

The masked gray‑clothed person's execution of the Silver Snake Sword Dance could only be described as "exquisite"....

Indeed, it could be said to surpass its creator, far stronger than the one who forged it!

If he weren't tasked with guarding the Young Master and the Prince Heir, his hands would itch to try it out.....

Chen Yan clicked his tongue, watching Lu Cangfeng's expansive, initiative‑seizing knife style, and laughed, "Old Lu's knife technique is highly aggressive; I could learn it sometime....."

The momentum of this knife technique sparked Chen Yan's interest.

Learning another defensive skill would indeed be a good choice!

"Young Master, shall we perhaps switch to learning something else?" Zhu Yi said, choosing his words carefully, and asked tentatively.

"How so?"

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow, teasingly said, "Looking down on your Young Master like that?"

He said, placing his hand on Zhu Yi's shoulder.

After being in contact for so long, this is still the first time he's "going against the grain."

"Old Lu can be so sharp, not only because his sword technique is exquisite, but also due to his own strength and the ultimate control over that strength!"

Zhu Yi shook his head, staring straight at Lu Cangfeng, and said in a deep voice.

He paused, then added, "At least ten years of effort...."

A cultivation method is one thing; innate talent is another.

That domineering power wasn't forged later; it was born from the womb.

Combined with great perseverance and continual honing, it forged this sword technique's domineering agility.

Even if Zhu Yi learned the sword technique, he would scarcely unleash even a tenth or a fifth of its power....

That is the reason for the warning.

"Huh?"

Chen Yan twitched his mouth, looking very clear‑headed, giving up quickly, "Then just have a look, that's enough....."

Ten years?

Without that talent, I don't want to endure that hardship....

If there's time, better to refine the Horse Spear!

"Bang!"

The masked grey‑clothed man sheathed his sword, leapt back violently, his breathing growing rapid, and said, "You are the strongest opponent I've encountered so far....."

"Lu Cangfeng probably isn't his real name, right?"

"May I know your honorable surname and given name?"

Anyone who can force himself to this point cannot be a nobody.

After all, a being at the tip of the pyramid is no ordinary cabbage....

But among living sword giants, the masked grey‑clothed man ransacked every gut, and none could match.

Especially those who have reached that level—who isn't unruly yet willingly serves as a guard—it's truly baffling.

"You don't need to know!" Lu Cangfeng said coldly, having no intention to answer.

"Fine, if you won't speak, I can't force you....." the masked grey‑clothed man said, shrugging helplessly.

There's no way; with his current strength, achieving a fifty‑fifty is already hard enough, and trying to force an answer is nothing but a pipe dream.

"Warm‑up over...."

A strange hue flashed in Lu Cangfeng's eyes as he calmly said, "Now it's time to finish!"

Speaking thus, he leapt upward, his speed soaring, and charged forward.

"Wait!"

"He hadn't been serious before....."

The scene before made the masked grey‑clothed man realize something belatedly.

This guy fought me for dozens of rounds, both testing and performing for his master to watch.....

"Bang!"

Lu Cangfeng arrived in an instant; the masked grey‑clothed man was forced to block with a horizontal sword, "This power is more than three times stronger than before....."

"With such domineering power, he can still release and retract freely, turning at will?!"

At that moment, the masked grey‑clothed man was stunned, eyes wide open....

The swordsman seemed like a different person; the missed slash, falling by inertia, could still be redirected at will, slashing again toward himself.

Terrifying control.

And the ever‑tightening sense of pressure.....

"Yielding to overcome the rigid?"

"Naïve!"

Lu Cangfeng surveyed the exhausted masked grey‑clothed man, gave a contemptuous smile, his voice dripping with disdain.

With a single force he could shatter ten thousand techniques.

"Bang!"

The masked grey‑clothed man's sword was knocked down, the blade now a mere arm's length from his throat.

Thanks to his peerless body movement and lightness skill, he barely evaded.

But at the hair‑breadth moment, Lu Cangfeng's sword tip snagged the mask.

"The mask was knocked off....."

Wang Xiong and the others stared fixedly.

In the moonlight, the masked grey‑clothed man revealed his true face.....

"Long hair?"

"Woman?"

"So young?"

Chen Yan was stunned, his eyes fixed, unable to look away: "What a handsome face!"