I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The blade held high above his head, the seemingly ordinary downward slash... though it was a common move, the power of his strike could be described as "earth-shattering and awe-inspiring."

Before the blade even arrived, Qingdeng could already feel the wind pressure, sharp as a blade and heavy as a mountain.

He barely managed to dodge to the side, thus avoiding the attack.

Nagasone Kotetsu cut through the air, where Aoto's figure was no longer present.

Just before its blade was about to strike the ground, it suddenly stopped, hovering about an inch above the ground.

The speed suddenly drops from a near-invisible high speed to zero... The resulting wind pressure sweeps outwards with a rolling roar.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning-fast blade came to a sudden halt—this single move was enough to demonstrate that Prajna's mastery of power had reached a level that was difficult to imitate.

Qingdeng's accumulated combat experience over the years told him that if he did not interrupt Banruo's offensive at this moment, he would definitely suffer a continuous pursuit.

So he gritted his teeth and, before he could even steady himself, swung his sword back at Prajna's body.

Although it was a hasty attack, the timing was excellent.

The Vairocana sword, slashing upwards from below, drew a breathtaking arc in mid-air... but was deflected by Nagasone Kotetsu with even greater speed and force.

Prajna's offensive overwhelmed Qingdeng, leaving him struggling to cope.

Qingdeng's counterattack failed to pose any threat or cause any damage to Prajna.

Anyone with eyes can see that Qingdeng is in a completely disadvantageous position!

Whether it's strength or speed, offense or defense, Prajna has surpassed Qingdeng in every aspect and has no weaknesses.

In particular, his reaction speed far surpasses that of Qingdeng.

The greatest benefit of the "selflessness" state is increased focus.

Because of complete focus and no distractions, the "thinking" step is omitted, and actions are taken entirely based on subconscious instincts!

In this way, the reaction speed is naturally incredibly fast.

Whether dealing with threats or seizing opportunities, he was adept at it.

In this state, Qing Deng couldn't even touch a corner of the opponent's clothes, let alone hit him!

As time went on, the gap between the two widened significantly due to the ebb and flow of their fortunes.

All that could be seen were large and small wounds of varying lengths cut into Qingdeng's shoulders, chest, calves, and other parts of his body.

The flowing blood stained half of his body.

Fortunately, Qingdeng possesses the talent "Invincibility +7".

[Note: Blood Lock +7: High blood vitality and strong hematopoietic function; activates red blood cell metabolism, increases hemoglobin oxygen saturation, and enhances the body's utilization of oxygen and ATP; activates the body's immune system and enhances phagocytic ability; blood loss of 50% of total blood volume will cause physical discomfort, and blood loss of 70% of total blood volume will lead to severe shock or death.]

If it were an ordinary person, losing so much blood would have caused them to faint on the spot, even if they didn't die.

Although there is a talent that grants "Pain Tolerance +8", this only weakens the effect of pain, not completely eliminates it.

In addition to the external pain, the internal suffering also made Qingdeng feel extremely miserable.

The dense barrage of blades slashing towards him left Qing Deng no time to even catch his breath.

He often fought while lacking oxygen.

Therefore, his lungs had long been swollen and painful due to lack of oxygen.

Just then, Qingdeng suddenly felt a terrifying pressure as if Mount Tai were falling from the sky—the Prajna in front of him raised the tip of her knife high, adopting the Eight-Pair Stance.

It's obvious that his pose hides amazing explosive power!

From assuming a fighting stance to wielding the sword—only a snap of the fingers had passed.

call out! !

clang!!!

The sound of something cutting through the air and the sound of something being blocked rang out almost simultaneously.

Unable to dodge, Qing Deng could only hold the knife in his hand vertically in front of him to take the blow head-on.

A blast of air flew out, along with fragments of the blade.

Unsurprisingly, this was another clash that left both blades with new, obvious nicks.

An overwhelming and terrifying force traveled along the blade and into Qing Deng's entire body.

Qingdeng was directly knocked back, his body unable to recover its momentum, and he retreated violently backward, his feet carving shallow furrows in the ground.

Coincidentally, when he regained his balance, he happened to stop right next to Mr. Kiryu.

Completely unable to spare any attention to check on Kiryu's condition, Aoto hurriedly drew his sword, regrouped, and prepared to face the impending onslaught.

Strangely, this time, Prajna did not rush to attack.

He walked towards Qingdeng with light and unhurried steps.

Having already gained a decisive advantage, he suddenly stopped his attack... Anyone with a brain knows that Prajna had no good intentions.

Although he knew there must be something fishy going on, Qingdeng didn't care about anything else and took the opportunity to recuperate.

This rare opportunity to catch our breath should not be wasted.

Qingdeng didn't waste a single second, greedily inhaling the fresh air with heavy breaths.

Prajna stopped about ten meters away from Qingdeng.

At the same time, he spoke again, addressing Qingdeng in his cold, emotionless tone:

"How boring... I mean, don't you have any other skills?"

Before Qingdeng could respond, he continued speaking on his own:

"I've heard you're skilled in sword-drawing techniques."

"The sword-drawing technique you've mastered must be Master's 'Flowing Light,' right?"

"If that's the case, then quickly show me what you've got."

"Let me see just how much of your master's 'Flowing Light' you have learned."

Qingdeng stared solemnly at Prajna, offering no reply.

The Prajna in the present moment is very relaxed. She doesn't even adopt a fighting stance. She stands straight with her arms hanging naturally at her sides.

It's not hard to see... he no longer takes Qingdeng seriously at all! It's like a cat playing with a mouse!

Although he was arrogant, it must be admitted that his arrogance did come at a cost.

Judging from the battle between the two just now, even by a conservative estimate, Qingdeng would fall under the Prajna Blade in no more than twenty rounds.

Qingdeng remained silent and made no response to Prajna's provocative words.

He wiped his sweat and continued to stare intently at Prajna.

At this moment, he was racking his brains to come up with a way to defeat the enemy.

—As expected of a prodigy who commands such high regard from Kiryu-sensei…

He suddenly broke through halfway through the battle, comprehending the legendary "state of no-self," and turned the tide of the battle in one fell swoop... Qing Deng thought that such a plot could only happen in the mouths of novelists and storytellers.

Although this is outrageous, it is still within Qingdeng's comprehension.

After all, Kiryu had already said that this person was a once-in-a-century genius.

His remarkable skills do match the description given to him by Kiryu.

Physical fitness, focus, techniques... he was inferior to his opponent in every aspect.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable to place the hope of victory on the powerful and invincible "Flowing Light"!

However... "Flowing Light" is his ultimate secret technique, and it should never be used lightly unless absolutely necessary.

Qingdeng had a premonition: even if he used "Flowing Light", he would not be able to defeat Prajna!

Just then, Qing Deng suddenly heard Kiryu's voice.

"Tachibana-kun..."

Kiryu-sensei was calling him... Because Hannya was still in front of him, Aoto dared not be distracted.

He could only turn his head slightly and glance at Mr. Kiryu out of the corner of his eye.

The Kiryu boss, with a stern face and a serious expression, spoke to him in a low voice, loud enough for only the two of them to hear:

“This is a personal matter between me and Keji; you have no need to get involved.”

"You go ahead."

"Let me deal with this foolish disciple who has gone mad with evil."

"You have a long way to go, don't waste your precious time here."

"Even if I am no match for him now, I will definitely surpass him in time!"

Although Kiryu put it tactfully, his meaning was clear: Run away!

Judging from the expression on Kiryu's face, Hannya's breakthrough in the face of battle was indeed beyond his expectations!

Kiryu's boss naturally understood the power of the "state of no-self".

He knew very well that Prajna in the state of "no self" was definitely not an opponent that Qingdeng could handle at present.

To save his life, he directly advised Aoto to escape immediately... Kiryu's fear of Hannya and his worry for Aoto were already evident.

Although he tried to persuade Aoto to escape in a lighthearted tone, as if he had a way to fight against Hannya, Aoto exhausted his optimism and did not think that Kiryu, who was currently exhausted and could not even stand up, would have a good ending after facing Hannya alone.

This is Arashiyama, a place with lush trees and complex terrain.

If Qingdeng is determined to escape, he has a very high probability of escaping alive, given his advantageous location.

But what happens after that?

Prajna was clearly a madman who had lost his mind.

In order to gain Kiryu's recognition of his abilities, Aoto felt he was capable of anything.

The image of him raising his knife to sever Kiryu's arm was still deeply imprinted in Aoto's mind.

"..."

Aoto stared intently at Kiryu, as if deep in thought.