After exchanging more than a dozen moves, Lu Heng had been able to confirm that his opponent, Hideyoshi Tsugawa, had also reached the Conception Level of swordsmanship.
This was a much higher level than he had been three years ago.
Since they were using wooden swords to spar, both sides were not using their full strength.
If they had used their full strength, the wooden swords would have broken with just a casual strike.
Thus, both participants were scoring points based on hitting effective parts without using deadly moves.
Even so, the level of swordsmanship was apparent.
After several rounds of exchanges, Lu Heng had roughly gauged the opponent's strength.
Hideyoshi Tsugawa's level was indeed high, at least Level 22, with Agility Attribute over 55 points.
The Strength attribute was uncertain because neither side had unleashed their full strength, and their strikes were meant just to score points, so it was difficult to test the Strength attribute.
However, with Agility reaching 55 points, the Strength attribute, even if lower, would definitely be above 50 points.
Lu Heng could suppress his opponent with his Agility attribute, but this kind of scoring competition was new to him, so he lacked experience.
Therefore, the fight was evenly matched.
As Lu Heng fought, his demeanor became more composed because he had ascertained the opponent's strength and felt more confident.
Neither in terms of attributes nor sword skill realm was he inferior to his opponent, and he could easily handle the competition even in an area he was not good at.
If it were a direct combat, he would have been even more confident.
Hideyoshi Tsugawa, however, grew increasingly apprehensive as he could tell that Lu Heng was much younger, by at least a decade.
Yet, during their contest, he realized something astonishing.
"Has your sword skill realm reached the Conception Level?"
"Just reached it recently."
In fact, Lu Heng had also noticed that Hideyoshi Tsugawa had only recently reached the Conception Level as well, and many moves and techniques were predictable to each other during the sword fight.
In terms of sword technique level, they were about the same, but the age difference made a significant gap.
Hideyoshi Tsugawa had started learning Fusang Kashima Shindo-ryu Swordsmanship from a very young age, participated in competitions from the age of twenty, and after nearly ten years of competitions, he won a swordsmanship championship at thirty and was ranked among the top ten swordsmen of Fusang Swordsmanship.
He was also the kaomon of the modern Fusang Kashima Shindo-ryu and was regarded as a god-like figure in the Fusang Swordsmanship Circle.
Yet, he, who had received countless praises, was now evenly matched with an unknown young man from Da Xia.
For him, this was a colossal failure.
Thus, Hideyoshi Tsugawa became more anxious as they fought, and anxiety made it easy for him to show flaws.
Lu Heng seized the opportunity, performed a variation of the Cloud Piercing Style called "Swallow Breaking Body," hitting Hideyoshi Tsugawa's effective parts twice in succession, scoring two points.
In high-level matches, a two-point lead was a significant gap.
And with Lu Heng's strength, if this were an actual competition, he would just need to defend well to almost guarantee a win.
Hideyoshi Tsugawa's gaze darkened, and he launched an even fiercer attack, the wooden swords clashing with loud "bangs."
As he exerted more force, the wooden swords eventually could not withstand it, and with a loud "bang," both swords shattered.
Lu Heng leaped back, looked at the broken wooden sword, and smiled, asking, "Does this settle the score?"
If the competition ended now, Lu Heng would have won by two points, according to the score.
However, if it were a formal competition, the time hadn't run out yet, so it was up to Hideyoshi Tsugawa to decide.
Kenji Ono had been watching from outside the door; although not understanding swordsmanship, he could tell from Hideyoshi Tsugawa's disposition who had won.
His gaze sank, and with a cold huff, he turned and walked away.
Lu Heng saw Kenji Ono turn and leave without leaving behind the [Spirit Resistance Ring], which was somewhat unkind.
However, Hideyoshi Tsugawa hadn't conceded defeat yet, so it was only fair to give him a chance to catch up.
Hideyoshi's gaze turned frosty as he drew a glittering Tachi from thin air and challenged, "How about we use real swords for the second half, dare you?"
Lu Heng, who wasn't accustomed to using Fusang wooden swords, saw no reason to back down since his opponent had initiated using real swords, and equally pulled out the Aurora Blade from thin air.
With weapons switched, they clashed again.
The first clanging sound of steel exploded, and Lu Heng's blood boiled with it.
This was a true face-off, unleashing full forces, clashing blades in exhilarating combat.
Another sword strike sounded.
Lu Heng started to get excited, fully unleashing the power of the Step Sword Seven Styles.
That lousy wooden sword had been unable to execute the deadly moves of the Step Sword Seven Styles.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
As Lu Heng's onslaught intensified, Hideyoshi Tsugawa felt the pressure increasing, and with Lu Heng's 62 points in Agility overwhelming his attack speed, his 55 points in Agility became an increasingly apparent disadvantage.
Every move Lu Heng made was too fast for him to dodge; he could only block with his Tachi.
Using the Tachi to block, counterattacking became difficult.
Therefore, after switching to real swords, Lu Heng's onslaught multiplied in intensity several times, forcing Hideyoshi to defend frequently, with less than a thirty percent chance to counterattack.
Lu Heng fought more heartily, and his sword technique proficiency continued to improve during the battle.
[Executing sword combat techniques, gaining insight, Sword Technique Proficiency +1]
After a few exchanges of sword strikes, Lu Heng realized Hideyoshi Tsugawa's Strength attribute was around 51 points.
Lu Heng's Strength attribute was 49 points, slightly lower by 2 points, but his Agility was 62 points, seven points higher than Hideyoshi Tsugawa's.
Therefore, leveraging his superior agility, Lu Heng launched attacks as swift as lightning, pressing Hideyoshi Tsugawa to the point where he could barely catch his breath.