Please pull the trigger for this world one more time.

A gentle breeze stirred up some of the grass and trees.

"Anta!!!"

Captain Murfit roared and charged at his opponent with his bakelite longsword, while Mo Zian shouted "Kill!" almost simultaneously and raised his sword to meet him.

The two bakelite weapons, carrying surging ether, struck each other with a loud "crack!" that echoed through the small patch of forest.

The opponent's strength was so great that Mo Zian's hands went slightly numb. After a few rounds, Mo Zian gained a preliminary understanding of the person's strength.

The high-level martial arts apprentice was one level higher than Mo Zian, but the total amount of ether in their bodies was about the same, and the basic physical qualities were inferior to Mo Zian's.

"Snapped!"

With another loud bang, the two weapons were locked in a stalemate once more.

Mo Zian raised his right leg like lightning, aiming for the opponent's lower body, but collided with the opponent's kick that came at almost the same time.

This perfectly coordinated exchange of blows startled Mo Zian slightly, but the person opposite him was not affected at all. The longsword in his hand, made of bakelite, slashed along Mo Zian's sword like a venomous snake.

Mo Zian, who was momentarily stunned, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and threw his Bakelite Greatsword into the air. The opponent's sword strike lost its support and missed its target by brushing against Mo Zian's chest.

At this moment, Captain Murphy, who had missed his first attack, was in a state where his old strength had not dissipated and his new strength had not been replenished.

Faced with this momentary opening, Mo Zian slightly rotated his palms, and a stream of etheric energy traveled through a specific path to instantly reach his arms, before unleashing a powerful strike!

Captain Murphy was startled, and his left hand, which was not holding a sword, hurriedly reached for his chest.

With a muffled thud, the seemingly strong highland man was knocked back several steps by Mo Zian's blow.

Mo Zian stretched out his right arm and caught the bakelite greatsword that he had thrown into the air earlier.

"kill!"

Mo Zian's counterattack certainly didn't stop there. The instant he caught the weapon, he slashed down with the force of the blow, and his opponent clearly hadn't expected Mo Zian's aura and power to be so long and sustained.

Captain Murphy, who had not yet fully regained his balance, turned slightly to the side almost by instinct.

With a slight deflection of the sword shadow slashing down at his head, he thrust out a counterattack with all his might.

Mo Zian did not choose to dodge this offensive move—

Although his bakelite greatsword was disrupted and avoided the head that was originally intended for him, it still slammed solidly into the opponent's shoulder.

Captain Murphy felt the pain and unconsciously shrank a fraction of an inch.

But the next moment, the other party gritted his teeth without saying a word, and suddenly added some force to his hand, striking Mo Zian's most vulnerable abdomen.

Mo Zian felt a powerful force penetrate through the stabbed area and into his internal organs, causing a strong churning sensation within his body. The pain made him involuntarily take several steps back.

This allowed the two sides to widen the gap again.

Both sides adjusted their positions in a very short time, and then each took a step forward to attack the other again!

However, Mo Zian was a level lower than his opponent, and the quality of the ether within his body was far inferior. As the fight dragged on, fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on the tip of Mo Zian's nose and forehead.

"ah!!!"

The opponent roared and brought his longsword down with a simple, unadorned strike.

With another "snap," Mo Zian, who had raised his sword to parry, let out a muffled groan. The opponent's fierce force aggravated the hidden injuries in Mo Zian's body, causing his internal organs to churn.

Seeing that Mo Zian was finally showing signs of fatigue, Captain Murphy quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and immediately intensified his attack.

Mo Zian's defensive weaknesses were widening, and the amount of ether stored in his body was decreasing. As his defensive movements became less effective, Mo Zian began to take hits from his opponent from time to time.

Mo Zian was barely holding on by sheer willpower, but soon, the last bit of ether in his body was drained.

Captain Murphy on the opposite side finally got his chance. He launched a flying kick at Mo Zian, who managed to block it but staggered several steps.

By the time he came to his senses, a longbamboo sword had already come crashing down.

"Ha...Are you tired again?"

A rough yet slightly childish voice suddenly rang in Mo Zian's ears, "It's my turn to come out and play for a while..."

Mo Zian was shocked!

The next moment, Mo Zian felt the time around him suddenly become viscous, and the long sword that was originally moving so fast that it seemed to freeze in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, Mo Zian saw his body move uncontrollably.

"Snapped!"

The two wooden swords clashed together forcefully once again.

However, they did not meet head-on.

Mo Zian watched as his wooden sword, with an astonishingly fast reaction speed, deflected the opponent's wooden sword from the side, and then thrust it forward with all his might!

It must be said that this "bullet time"-like ability is an almost invincible off-field tactic in battles of roughly the same level.

By the time the other side reacted, Mo Zian's greatsword, which had suddenly thrust forward, was already heading towards his chest like a python in motion, with the tip of the sword less than inches away from his body!

"ah?!"

The situation reversed in an instant, from heaven to hell. Captain Murphy didn't have time to think and leaned backward, losing his balance and crashing to the ground, breaking out in a cold sweat!

Even so, the opponent still gripped the longsword tightly in his hand, and slashed straight down at Mo Zian's ankle.

Then came the scene that made Murphy question the meaning of life.

From his perspective, Mo Zian was just a second ago preparing to raise his sword to strike someone without any warning, but the next second the other party didn't even look at him and simply raised one foot to step on his wooden sword.

"what!"

Captain Murfit's wrist was struck by Mo Zian's wooden sword. In pain, he had to let go of the hilt, and then Mo Zian kicked the wooden sword away in an instant.

The next moment, the tip of the wooden sword in Mo Zian's hand swiftly stabbed towards the throat of the person on the ground. Captain Murphy instinctively closed his eyes, and the tip of the wooden sword stopped less than an inch away from the throat.

At this moment, Mo Zian was also drenched in cold sweat. At the last moment, he regained control of his body and stopped the falling sword tip.

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep. Don't come looking for me. I won't open the door even if you do, you monster."

Me? A monster?

Mo Zian suddenly had a déjà vu feeling, as if he had been called a robber by the American from a certain country in his previous life.

However, this is clearly not the time to dwell on this.

Mo Zian's comeback was so swift that the onlookers were caught off guard. By the time they realized what had happened, Captain Murphy was already lying on the ground.

Without a doubt, Mo Zian won.

"stop!"

Count Greenhorn, who had been watching from the sidelines, shouted to stop the match, "The outcome is decided! The duel on the battlefield ends here. The challenger has won his claim!"

As Count Trema spoke, all the highland warriors around him began to strike their shields in a peculiar rhythm—the "bang bang" of the strikes created a percussion symphony that was neither melodious nor particularly exciting.

"The shield drums sound for the victor, wherever he comes from, and wherever he goes." Philip Trema looked at the young man before him. "This is the honor that the victor deserves in a duel on the battlefield."

Surrounded by the resounding drumbeats echoing through the small forest, Mo Zian felt an involuntary surge of pride.

He first stood at attention, saluted the people around him, then picked up the batik sword that had fallen to the ground and walked to the man who was clutching his wrist.

"I won by sheer luck, please forgive me."

Captain Murphy hesitated for a moment, then, enduring the pain in his wrist, took the longsword in a low voice and said, "A loss is a loss. Warriors of the Highlands are brave enough to admit defeat." (Highland language)

"Alright, everyone, go home and do what you were doing. It's almost noon, let's prepare lunch here."

Count Cui Ma clapped his hands, dismissed the people around him, and looked at Mo Zi'an. "You have shown us the style and demeanor of a Guangwu warrior, young man."

"Just find a place to rest, and you'll get a proper lunch. In fact, we'll provide you with three meals a day until the exercise ends; it's what the victors deserve." (Highland language)

"Yes, sir!"

After listening to the translation, Mo Zian gave Earl Cui Ma a standard Guangwu military salute, packed his equipment, and turned to leave.

Watching the retreating figure, Earl Trema tilted his head slightly and asked, "How do you feel now, Murphy?"

"Me? I...I don't know," Captain Murphy shook his head. "If I had to say, is it frustration?"

"You should be frustrated. When you were seventeen or eighteen, this kid would have absolutely crushed you, and now you're almost 26!"

Earl Trema's somewhat sarcastic words reached Murphy's ears, but the latter did not react at all, only pursing his lips.

Count Greenhorn turned around, sighed softly, and said, "Alas... now do you understand why I insisted on coming to Guangwu?"

Murphy's previously unfocused gaze gradually returned to calm: "...I understand. We've fallen far behind without even realizing it."

"Good to know. With your strength, advancing to the Spirit Warrior realm in the future is almost a certainty... Murphy, a hundred years from now, the future of the Highlands will be in the hands of your generation."

Earl Cui Ma gazed towards his hometown: "But now the highlands are surrounded by powerful enemies. Besides the Chen Huan people, even small countries like the Duchy of Linmu and the Kingdom of Benlei are eyeing us covetously."

In the past, we highlanders could protect our homeland by relying on our superb skills, unparalleled honor, and courage.

As he spoke, Count Turquoise pointed to a repeating musket with a waist knife placed to the side, "And this weapon can fire continuously using only its mechanical structure; it doesn't even need ether stones!"

We paid the price of smelting and casting techniques that we had accumulated over thousands of years to obtain it, while the Guangwu people have only existed for less than two hundred years since inventing the ether gun. This is already quite discouraging.

Count Greenhorn turned around and pointed in the direction Mo Zian had left. "And look at this spirited young man. It proves that we Highlanders are not the only ones who possess honor and courage."

We can no longer cling to the pure holy mountain and indulge in a fleeting paradise of forgetfulness; otherwise, sooner or later, our blood will stain the holy mountain red...

Count Trema suddenly became agitated as he spoke, "Therefore, the Highlands must change! We, the descendants of the Highlands, need to change even more! Tradition and honor are indispensable, but these two things cannot make us an invincible army. An army that cannot win battles is destined to only allow its homeland to become a plaything for others to ravage!"

Baron Murphy, who had been listening quietly, suddenly looked rather grim upon hearing Earl Trema's words.

"I understand everything you've said, Your Excellency."

Captain Murphy shrugged. "I just... have some reservations. Why did we have to go this far, wearing the uniforms of the Guangwu people, and possibly even losing our lives for it? We could have stood on equal footing with the Guangwu people..."

"To gain something, you must first invest something."

Count Cui Ma's tone was unusually firm: "There is a saying in Guangwu, 'You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.' Ten years ago, the people of Guangwu beat the people of Chenhuan so badly that they cried for their parents. There are so many things we can learn from here, and some things can only be understood by going there in person."

Count Greenhorn paused slightly after saying this.

"Besides, do we even have a choice?"

......