Master of Chinese Martial Arts: I Can Steal the Skills of a Grandmaster from the Republic of China E

Chapter 108 Cat School, Item Race!

He drew his right hand from behind his waist, and the slender, silver rapier was already in his hand, its blade gleaming with a cold, mercury-like light.

He stepped over the rusty slag almost silently, leaving only a series of shallow, barely visible marks, before lunging toward the side of the gearbox where Zhou Xing was hiding.

The cat school's footwork is light, unpredictable, and so fast it's as if it doesn't touch the ground.

At the same time, the sword tip, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, pierced straight into the right rib!

The thrust was swift, precise, and ruthless. The sword tip pierced the air with a sharp "whoosh."

Zhou Xing had already moved the instant the Renault moved.

He twisted his waist and legs, sliding half a step to the other side. The Gong family short sword was already in his hand, the back of the blade against his forearm. Just as the tip of the sword touched his body, his forearm snapped and rolled outward!

"clang!"

Swords clashed, the sound sharp and piercing, sparks bursting in the dim light.

The force of the sword coming up was unpredictable; it wasn't a straight, hard thrust, but a twisting, drilling force that specifically targeted the fascia and bone crevices.

Zhou Xing's arm muscles tensed, and the [Human Puppet Appearance] was activated naturally. It was as if a thick layer of oil-soaked cowhide had been added under his skin, which slid away most of the drilling force.

Yet a trace of sharp, cold force still seeped in, making the bones in my forearm feel a little numb.

That's quite a tricky one!

This cat-eye sword has an unusual style, yet it's incredibly poisonous.

With his first strike failing, Renault flicked his wrist, and the rapier trembled as if it were alive. The tip of the sword drew a tricky arc, changing from a thrust to a slash, aiming at Zhou Xing's left wrist that was holding the knife!

At the same time, he reached into the small bag at his waist with his left hand, and three small diamond-shaped darts were already tucked between his fingers. He then flicked his wrist and shot them toward Zhou Xing's face and chest!

They attacked from both above and below, their methods insidious and ruthless.

Zhou Xing's pupils contracted. With his hearing fully activated, the faint sound of the three darts piercing the air and the trajectory of the sword blade cutting through the air became clear in his mind in an instant.

He suddenly bent his waist backward, narrowly avoiding a sword slashing his wrist.

Three darts flew over his head.

"Pfft pfft pfft!"

Three blinding, silvery-white lights exploded with a deafening roar right next to each other!

Flashbang!

Even though Zhou Xing reacted extremely quickly, closing his eyes and turning his head, the intense light still pierced through his eyelids, leaving him in a white blur and his ears ringing.

A pungent, spicy smell wafted in with the heat, instantly burning the throat.

Before the bright light had died down, Renault lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his rapier tore through the scorching air, thrusting straight at Zhou Xing's vulnerable chest and abdomen!

Zhou Xing's vision was completely white, but he still had a clear hearing.

As the sword wind reached his body, he suddenly inhaled sharply, his fascia contracted and slid inward, like a fish twisting its body at the bottom of a river, moving his vital chest and abdomen half a foot away!

"Sizzle!"

The rapier grazed his side, tearing a long gash in his uniform. The tip of the sword rubbed against his skin with a "squeak," but only left a white mark on the skin, failing to penetrate the flesh.

But a chilling force emanating from the sword seeped in, drilling into the gaps between the muscles and bones!

Renault flicked his wrist, and the tip of his sword pointed at Zhou Xing's neck again.

Zhou Xing grunted, and instinctively braced himself with his left hand on the ground, like a monkey's tail, his body lowering down, almost shrinking into a ball, narrowly avoiding the sword blade grazing his shoulder and back.

Xingyi Monkey crouches down!

As he crouched down, his left hand, with its hooked fingers, lashed out from the rusty slag-covered ground, aiming a vicious grab at Renault's face!

Dust flew everywhere!

Renault's vertical pupils instinctively contracted as his vision was obstructed, causing his thrusting rapier to pause slightly.

In that short time, Zhou Xing sprang up from his crouching position like a compressed spring, his short knife flashing upwards like a cold moon, the blade twisting as it slashed toward Renault's right armpit.

It's a variation of the Bagua knife wrapped around the head, ruthless and cunning!

Renault reacted extremely quickly, closing his eyes and turning his head to avoid the dust. He listened to the wind to pinpoint the location, but before he could withdraw his rapier, his left hand suddenly shot out, the finger glove gleaming coldly, and fiercely grabbed at the incoming blade!

"Clang!"

A sharp, piercing sound rang out. The Gong family's short sword was firmly gripped by his finger sheath!

A glint flashed in Zhou Xing's eyes, and he suddenly twisted and shook his wrist while gripping the knife!

The Bagua sword technique emphasizes entangling, sliding, and striking!

The blade was held in place, but the force did not falter. A short, violent, spiraling burst of internal energy erupted suddenly from the blade's high-frequency vibrations, like a python writhing!

Renault felt an extremely tricky, vibrating force coming from the five fingers gripping the blade. The skin, flesh, and bones under the finger cot instantly felt numb and painful, as if they were being pricked by countless tiny needles!

He felt a chill run down his spine. Even with the resistance he had developed from his Demon Hunter's Medicine Bath Hammer, the way this force penetrated his body felt tricky and difficult to defend against!

He was forced to loosen his grip, and with a few quick steps, his rapier simultaneously drew a silver arc to protect himself.

The rabbit leaps and the falcon swoops.

The two men each took two steps back and faced each other again. This was their first close encounter.

Renault glanced at his left hand, where deep marks were clearly visible on his fingertip, blood seeping from under the skin, and his fingertips trembling slightly.

He looked up at Zhou Xing, his vertical pupils shrinking to a line.

"Your body—"

His voice was deep. "Something's strange. It's not ordinary boxing."

Zhou Xing slowly adjusted his breathing, the tingling sensation in his forearm not yet completely gone.

He stared into Renault's grey-green eyes, twirling his dagger in his hand, the tip drooping: "Your sword is no ordinary sword either."

"Of course not."

Renault shook his left hand, took out a small metal bottle from his pouch, popped off the cap, and poured the viscous green liquid inside onto the wound.

With a soft "sizzle," a wisp of white smoke rose from the wound, quickly stopping the bleeding and closing the incision.

"Things used to fight demons also work quite well on people."

Zhou Xing narrowed his eyes slightly. These medicines and odds and ends were all troublesome.

"Warm-up complete."

Renault lowered his rapier, but the tip of the blade was slightly raised like a viper's hiss. "Let me see just how strong you really are."

Before he finished speaking, he pounced again!

This time, his movements were fully unleashed, truly as elusive as a ghost.

Instead of launching a straight-line attack, he relied on the piles of machine wreckage, iron barrels, and cables in the dock to constantly deflect and change direction, leaving intermittent afterimages as he launched surprise attacks from various unexpected angles.

With focused concentration, Zhou Xing unleashed the Eight Trigrams Step, using the iron pillar as the core, his steps moving in arcs, his body turning with each step, and his blade shifting with each movement.

Renault darted out from behind the pile of cables to the left and thrust forward, then he circled around the pillar to the right, parrying the sword with a swift, sweeping motion.

Renault suddenly stopped, his toes touching the ground as he turned, his sword flashing from behind the iron barrel on his right. Zhou Xing had already taken a half-beat step and turned around to get behind the pillar, then turned and swung his sword back, forcing his opponent to withdraw his hand.

Renault leaped onto the crossbeam like a nimble cat, pouncing down from above. With a quick turn of his feet, he slipped into the narrow gap below.

Both the Bagua Step and the Cat School Step are about vying for position, utilizing the environment, and are unpredictable.

Renault relies more on environmental concealment and surprise attacks, while Zhou Xing emphasizes continuous movement and using the opponent's momentum against them.

The two men, using the iron pillar as an axis, embarked on a perilous circular chase. Chasing, dodging, colliding, and separating, their footsteps plowing tangled circles in the rusty slag.

The crunching of footsteps over rusty scraps, the rattling of backs hitting suspended chains, the clashing of swords—sometimes as dense as a sudden downpour, sometimes a sharp, solitary sound—

Various sounds, mixed with heavy breathing, crashed and scattered inside the empty shell.

After several rounds, Renault missed with his sword and leaned forward.

Zhou Xing lunged forward, his short knife thrusting straight at Zhou Xing's ribs.

Renault, however, seemed to have been waiting for this. He twisted his forward-leaning body back at an odd angle, and with a flick of his left hand, a flat metal box appeared in his palm.

Aim at Zhou Xing and throw it with all your might!

Zhou Xing stepped back and slid away, the iron box crashing into the thin steel pipe with a thud.

"puff!"

The viscous ash sprayed out and instantly welded the steel pipe and iron frame together, blocking Zhou Xing's next escape route!

Zhou Xing's footwork suddenly faltered.

Renault's rapier was already upon him, aiming for the side of his neck that was exposed when he couldn't change direction in time!