Chapter 712: Man in Black vs. Man in Black

Kai Xin didn’t hear the wild claims made by the mysterious man in black earlier; otherwise, he surely wouldn’t have labeled him a “war fanatic.”
However…
The people on the dock saw that the second masked man in black seemed to agree with the mysterious man’s proposal, and they immediately became excited.
Though both men’s identities remained mysterious and unknown, the former excelled to an extraordinary level in terms of strength, skillful application, and control over his surroundings. Even experts from the First Rank Hall and Lingxiao Palace had verified his strength, confirming that he was among the top tier—perhaps even on par with Kai Xin and the Emperor.
As for the strange man in black who appeared on the dock secondarily, his strength also seemed unfathomable…
The duel between these two, coupled with their masked faces and black clothes, added to its mystery, sparking endless speculation and anticipation.
Immediately, everyone temporarily forgot about the treasure chests on the freight ship and focused intently on observing the two, waiting for their battle to begin!
“Go ahead.”
The mysterious man in black’s voice was as hoarse as ever. It was unclear whether it was genuine or not, but when Kai Xin drew out his water-like third-tier masterpiece sword, the mysterious man couldn’t help but brighten his eyes and speak up.
Kai Xin didn’t attack first. Instead, he smoothly unleashed a wave of icy sword energy in front of him, appearing indifferent. “Fight or not? If not, I’m leaving.” His tone was somewhat rogue-like.
The mysterious man in black frowned.
He had thought by letting the other party attack first, he could discern their intentions and prepare accordingly. But it seemed this guy was an old hand who wouldn’t give him any chance.
The battle outside the dock had already ended, with crowds gathered on both banks!
Gritting his teeth, the mysterious man in black moved!
His fleshy palms emitted an aura of mastery and power, forming an invisible pressure that enveloped the dock, though his speed was neither fast nor slow…
“Who exactly is this person? I’ve never heard of such a figure in the martial world.” Meng Yun was baffled. Even standing behind the mysterious man in black, she could clearly feel the pressure he exerted.
“That’s right. When the Male and Female Demons appeared before, they also carried out a series of missions before entering our sight and eventually making it onto the Dragon List. This guy’s strength and tactics are both extremely strange.”
“Stop guessing. Keep watching—maybe we’ll discover something.”
As they discussed, the mysterious man in black had already slowly approached within five meters of the second man in black…

For any martial artist in a life-and-death situation, five meters is already the optimal distance to launch an attack. Yet strangely, neither of the two men in black moved. They stared at each other! Their breathing was extremely steady and regular, their eyes seemingly unfocused as they gazed ahead, as if they had entered some mysterious state. The more this happened, the more solemn their expressions became! As the distance narrowed… An invisible gust of wind stirred the dust on the dock, lifting the edges of their clothes. The atmosphere was desolate and tense! “What the hell? They still haven’t attacked at such close range.” “Shut up!” … On the dock! The two attacked almost simultaneously. When the distance between them dropped to less than three meters, the mysterious man in black stepped on the ground. In that instant, Happy’s Nine Yang Divine Skill clearly detected a hidden force surging up from the ground—extremely stealthy. His eyes lit up! “Earth Shaking?” Not daring to delay, the long sword in his hand suddenly emitted a stunning silver light, like a bright, round moon, cutting a deep, sharp sword-shaped groove in the dock’s surface. The hidden force approaching from below was instantly shattered by Happy, with the residual power of his sword strike spreading outward. The mysterious man in black reacted quickly, dodging the moon-like sword light. Instead of retreating, he advanced, using one hand to grab, his momentum filled with aggressive pressure. But in terms of launching a preemptive attack, Happy had never feared anyone before. Earth Shaking—a tactic that, even in the third year of his past life, was still considered a high-level skill for battles between experts—appearing in the mysterious man in black immediately piqued Happy’s great interest! Driven by his competitive spirit, he didn’t back down. Before the sword strike could be retracted, he pointed his left hand, using a move from the Yi Sword Technique, at the void in front of him. Yi Sword Technique! Although using a finger instead of a sword made its power slightly weaker, this finger strike was highly precise, timing it perfectly with the punch the mysterious man in black was about to deliver. The latter’s eyes narrowed! Although this finger strike wouldn’t cause serious harm—his protective barrier could easily block it—right now, neither of them had activated their protective barriers yet. Whoever activated theirs first would be at a disadvantage. In battles between masters, it’s sometimes about exhausting each other through details, and other times it’s like gambling at a card table—whomever reveals their cards first loses! The mysterious man in black immediately found himself in danger. He quickly withdrew his hand, stopped in his tracks, leaped into the air, spun rapidly, and with his fists and legs, sent out a flurry of leg and fist shadows—so fast it was dazzling. Happy also frowned at the sudden change in the opponent’s attack… Whoosh!

Huanmo stepped back half a pace, spun around, and thrust his sword—like a flash of autumn water—into the aggressive leg movements of his opponent!
Ding!
The dazzling onslaught vanished in an instant; yet Kaixin failed to capitalize further. His sword trembled, and immense force transmitted up the blade to his grip, interrupting his attack mid-swing.
Both of them pulled back simultaneously as if shocked by electricity!
“So you’re also a fellow martial artist…” That brief encounter allowed them to learn a bit about each other. The mysterious man in black glanced at Kaixin’s mask and said gravely, “Your sword techniques are common in the martial world and easy to counter. It won’t be simple to defeat me.”
Although Kaixin had been in the martial world for not long, his solid foundation enabled him to instantly recognize many martial arts moves—he identified the opponent’s techniques as the relatively ordinary “Yijian Art” and “Feilong Sword Technique,” along with the common “Huanmo Movement” practiced by most martial artists. It was hard to determine the latter’s true identity based on this alone.
Kaixin casually drew a sword flourish: “Your ‘Crippled Leg Technique’ is quite good, but it’s probably not your strongest skill. Without activating your realm or defensive barriers, trying to force me to go all out is rather lacking in sincerity.”
Their conversation was casual, devoid of tension, but to those listening on and around the dock, it sounded like thunder…
The earlier dazzling clash had been filled with danger and murderous intent, and many details remained unclear. Yet both claimed they hadn’t given it their all!
Excessive!!!