Chapter 130: Black Armor of Power

"If nothing goes wrong, there should still be the final set of armor; I just don't know what attribute the last piece would add, if any," Li Xuan said with a smile and a nod, but he did not rashly head west of the Killing Treasure Vault.

He instead entered the space of the Palm Heaven Bottle to recover soul power.

Li Xuan also didn't know the attribute of the final set of armor, so he didn't dare to overestimate; he adjusted his condition to optimal, only then could he challenge the final armor‑wearer.

After half an hour, Li Xuan's entire soul power had been adjusted, he emerged again from the space of the Palm Heaven Bottle, and headed straight toward the west side of the Killing Treasure Vault; of course, he still held a heavy steel shield in his hand.

He also didn't know what kind of rogue this corpse‑refining guy was, every corpse would ambush! Arriving at the western side of the city, this time Li Xuan didn't encounter an ambush; through a gap in his shield, he saw an armor‑wearer entirely cloaked in black armor, kneeling on one knee, leaning on a pure black heavy sword that looked like a door panel.

Li Xuan looked at the black‑armored swordsman before him and suddenly felt a very familiar sensation.

"Huh? Isn't this the same armor as the Black Iron Heavy Guard and the Terror Knight wear? They look identical in appearance, but their armor has no enhancement effect. If there were an enhancement, I would have noticed it when I fought that Terror Knight." Li Xuan slapped his forehead, recalling where he had seen this armor before, but the Black Iron Armor in the City of Slaughter has no special auxiliary effects.

Li Xuan's movement caught the armored person's attention; the stiff head slowly turned, and its hollow gaze stared angrily at Li Xuan.

Clack… clack… clack…

The black‑armored swordsman slowly rose from the ground, lifted his heavy sword, and then stepped toward Li Xuan.

Although the Golden Knight's power is strong, it does not feel as oppressive as the black‑armored swordsman.

Li Xuan was also a bit nervous, staring at the black‑armored swordsman.

"Could it be that this black armor is the final product, and the ones spread throughout the City of Slaughter, used by Terror Knights, are just defective copies?" Li Xuan muttered.

Although Li Xuan thought this black‑armored swordsman wouldn't be too hard to handle, after a moment's thought he circulated his soul power to unleash Filthy Flame, covering a ten‑meter radius around himself with Filthy Flame.

If the black‑armored swordsman comes within ten meters of him, there is no chance of survival.

Facing such an opponent, Li Xuan's favorite thing is to keep a tactic that can turn the tide.

The black‑armored swordsman's speed kept increasing, and he wasn't afraid of Filthy Flame's erosion; he ran forward while treading on the Filthy Flame.

Seeing the Filthy Flame already crawling up the black‑armored swordsman's calf, Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief.

Now that Filthy Flame forms a base, Li Xuan always has a chance to kill the black‑armored swordsman, so he drew the long blade of the Silver Armor Crossbowman to fight the black‑armored swordsman.

The Eight Trigrams Wandering Dragon Palm is itself a palm technique derived from swordsmanship, so the Eight Trigrams Palm already contains sword methods; coincidentally Li Xuan also held a tremendously powerful long blade.

Li Xuan took the opportunity to improve his sword technique.

Soon the black‑armored swordsman rushed to Li Xuan's front, his massive sword flicked upward; Li Xuan quickly stepped to the right, then turned and thrust his blade into the unarmored area of the black‑armored swordsman's waist.

The heavy sword defended, blocking the long blade.

Blade and sword clashed, and the massive force traveled through the blade into Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's hand went numb instantly, and the long blade almost flew out of his grip.

"Too much force!" Li Xuan muttered, frowning.

However, Eight Trigrams Palm does not rely on strength but on flexibility and variability. As the flashing swords and blades between the black‑armored swordsman and Li Xuan continued, Li Xuan's sword technique grew increasingly proficient; the black‑armored swordsman's skill served as perfect practice for Li Xuan.

It won't exceed Li Xuan's strength by much.

Soon, Li Xuan and the black‑armored swordsman's duel lasted a full two hours, progressing from being suppressed at first to eventually managing to hold his own against the black‑armored swordsman.

Suddenly Li Xuan's vision went blank, and the next second he entered a sudden enlightenment, self‑forgetting state, which was largely due to the Enlightenment Tea he had been drinking lately.

After entering the sudden enlightenment state, Li Xuan's footwork became increasingly unpredictable, and his long blade moved like a phantom.

Each move and technique, Li Xuan's sword method became more agile than before, and his swordsmanship level rose rapidly.

While in the sudden enlightenment state, Li Xuan's sword technique gradually began to suppress the black‑armored swordsman's style; thus, by instinctively using the black‑armored swordsman to hone his own technique, his swordplay became increasingly seamless, with smoother transitions between moves.

Suddenly, Li Xuan's expression changed, ending the sudden enlightenment state; the feeling of wielding the blade had already been fully imprinted on his body, forming muscle memory.

"Ping!"

Blade and sword clashed, and Li Xuan stepped back a few paces, creating some distance from the black‑armored swordsman.

"Too bad, the Grandmaster realm is too hard to break through; this soulless black‑armored swordsman isn't enough for me to breach the Grandmaster realm. In that case, let's end it," Li Xuan said, looking at his long blade with some disappointment.

This battle indeed accelerated Li Xuan's sword technique, yet it still didn't allow him to break through the Grandmaster realm, for the Grandmaster‑level sword technique far exceeds Great Completion.

Li Xuan's mind stirred, and Filthy Flame instantly seeped through the gaps of the Black Iron Armor, entering the armor; within just a few minutes of burning, it completely annihilated the black‑armored swordsman.

The black‑armored swordsman had just raised his Black Iron Heavy Sword, and the next second his body was reduced to ash by Filthy Flame.

"Boom!"

The Black Iron Heavy Sword and Black Iron Armor scattered on the ground, and the black‑armored swordsman was completely dispersed.

Li Xuan sat on the ground to rest for a while; while in the sudden enlightenment state he had forgotten his fatigue, so he never stopped, and only when the state faded did he feel a wave of muscle soreness.

Enduring the discomfort, Li Xuan stored the Black Iron Heavy Sword and Black Iron Armor into his Void Pearl, checked that nothing remained nearby, and then entered the space of the Palm Heaven Bottle.

He stripped his clothes and leapt straight into the Hot Spring; the warm spring water greatly relieved Li Xuan's fatigue and also cleared the toxins from his body.

Li Xuan let out a long sigh, lying comfortably in the Hot Spring, enjoying its warmth.

After soaking for a while, Li Xuan dried off, returned to his bed, and fell into a gentle sleep.

Even in his dreams, Li Xuan continued to practice swordsmanship.

……

Early the next morning, Li Xuan rose from the bed feeling refreshed and clear‑headed.

Next, Li Xuan still needs to clear the surrounding corpses and obtain a Soul Guide Device.

(End of Chapter)