He drew his longsword, pointing it diagonally at the ground. Raindrops slid down the gleaming blade, his figure seemingly frozen, as if even his breathing had stopped.

　　Woman in Black narrowed her eyes and examined him carefully. Only now did she notice that Ryan Bennett's sword was rather unusual—it was a single-edged sword. Except for the tip, only one side was sharpened. Although this sacrificed some of the killing power of a double-edged sword, it allowed for slashing, chopping, and smashing moves that double-edged swords couldn't perform. Thrusting to pierce armor wouldn't cause it to bend either, making it suitable for martial artists who excelled in strength.

　　After discerning the general idea, Woman in Black placed her right hand on her sword hilt, her expression turning serious. She lowered her oil-paper umbrella slightly, eyes fixed on Ryan Bennett's boots, ready to strike at any moment...

Chapter 7: Do You Yield or Not?

　　Crack—

　　On a rainy spring night, a muffled thunderclap echoed through the capital, turning the earth as bright as day.

　　On the bluestone street, thousands of raindrops blossomed on the pavement. Two figures stood facing each other, as still as statues.

　　But in the instant when the lightning illuminated the street and then darkness returned, the sound of a longsword being drawn—'clang'—rang out in the rain.

　　Both moved at the same time, two flashes of cold light streaking through the rain.

　　But as Woman in Black stepped forward, she was startled to find that Ryan Bennett, ten paces away, seemed to vanish with the lightning—he was gone.

　　!!

　　Woman in Black was no amateur. A chill rose in her heart. She immediately switched her grip, changing her thrust to a sweeping slash, spinning in a full circle despite having no target.

　　The wooden shaft of the oil-paper umbrella couldn't withstand such a rapid spin. It twisted and then snapped in two.

　　Meanwhile, Ryan Bennett, who had moved to her side, brought his sword down in a fierce chop, but it was blocked by her flawless, all-encompassing slash.

　　Ding—

　　A few sparks burst in the rainy night.

　　Double-edged swords aren't suited for chopping, especially in a clash of blades. They are bound to be at a disadvantage in terms of strength, and their lack of rigidity can easily turn them into 'noodle swords' that injure the wielder. By rights, Ryan Bennett's single-edged sword should have had a big advantage in this move.

　　But this is where the superhuman nature of cultivators shows.

　　Ryan Bennett gripped his sword with one hand and slashed down with all his might. The blade landed on the seemingly light sword edge, but the force that rebounded up his arm was as overwhelming as a mountain.

　　Woman in Black's sword remained perfectly straight, while Ryan Bennett's sword visibly bent and twisted.

　　Ryan Bennett felt his palm go numb, his whole body swept aside by the blow, sent flying sideways and crashing through an already battered house.

　　Crash—

　　After the strike, a hole appeared in the wooden wall of the roadside house, accompanied by the soft sound of shattered debris.

　　Woman in Black stood in the rain, holding her sword single-handedly, having gained the upper hand but not immediately giving chase, as she too had broken out in a cold sweat.

　　Just now, Ryan Bennett had moved so fast that when he vanished with the lightning, she thought he was pretending to be weak to trick her, and for a moment, she felt her life was hanging by a thread.

　　But after their swords clashed, she realized Ryan Bennett hadn't lied.

　　If he were a cultivator, infusing his weapon with true energy, even if she managed to block that strike, the force would have knocked her off balance. There was no way she would have sent him flying instead.

　　Though he lacked cultivation, and his follow-up was a bit weak, Ryan Bennett's stillness like a mountain and explosive speed like thunder still put pressure on Woman in Black.

　　After all, he was just too fast—she couldn't even see his movements clearly.

　　If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed an ordinary person could be this fast.

　　But this only ignited Woman in Black's fighting spirit. If he were just an empty braggart, there would be no fun in fighting him.

　　Woman in Black hesitated only for a moment before stomping hard on the ground, sword in hand, charging into the house after him, not forgetting to taunt:

　　"Is that all you've got?!"

　　Her sword was fierce, unstoppable.

　　But after rushing through the hole in the wall, Woman in Black glanced around and found that Ryan Bennett had vanished again.

　　Losing track of your opponent in a fight often means your own death is imminent.

　　Woman in Black's eyes narrowed. The dilapidated house was bare, with nowhere to hide—he could only be above. Without hesitation, she fell back to the ground, raising her sword to strike upward.

　　Ryan Bennett, having crashed into the pitch-dark house, had already guessed she would follow. He leapt up, hooking his boot on a beam.

　　But the moment Woman in Black charged in, sword in hand, Ryan Bennett did not launch an ambush.

　　This resulted in Woman in Black's extraordinary reflexes turning into a solo performance—she stabbed upward at nothing.

　　Woman in Black had anticipated his move, but struck only empty air. Realizing things were bad, she quickly slapped the ground with her left hand, trying to spring up and attack again.

　　But in a duel, one wrong step means total defeat. The opponent would never give you a chance to regroup.

　　Ryan Bennett waited for the moment when she had yet to recover, then kicked hard off the beam, cracking the old wood, and his body shot down like a cannonball, crashing straight into the still-prone Woman in Black.

　　This time, from above, he was even faster than his earlier explosive move on the street.

　　Woman in Black tried to thrust her sword up, but Ryan Bennett blocked her blade.

　　Ryan Bennett gripped his sword in a reverse hold with one hand, pressing down along Woman in Black's blade until they were chest to chest. He drove his knee into her waist and abdomen, while his left forearm pressed against her neck, using his falling momentum to slam her forcefully to the ground.