X9500 retreated a few steps without making a sound.

It wasn't because he was intimidated by Lin Qiubai's presence.

Could a cold weapon break through his fully automated shield?

Utterly ridiculous!

He was simply feeling a bit curious.

Both used cold weapons. One was a Sword Saint, the other a Sword Master, the strongest sword wielders in their respective worlds.

What kind of brilliance would their duel produce?

Although the Grey-clothed Sword Saint had already been forged into a card, X9500 back then did not realize the value of the hero and did not extract his Thought Essence, instead compressing all his lifetime sword training memories and combat experience into the card using memory integration technology.

This means at the moment the Grey-clothed Sword Saint was made into a card, his combat power did not weaken in the slightest compared to his peak during life.

Moreover, as a character card, he had been highly valued by X9500 over those fifty years.

X9500 didn't know how many resources and how much technology he invested to strengthen the Grey-clothed Sword Saint.

One could say that the current Sword Saint's strength far surpassed that of the past.

He is the ultimate fusion of science and sword skills.

As of now, if the Sword Saint could battle against his past self, he would only need two or three rounds to slay his former self!

With this thought, X9500 looked at Su Qiangwei with amusement and confidently declared, "Ten seconds! I bet that Lin Qiubai can't last ten seconds against the Sword Saint!"

On Cangming Star, with Lin Qiubai of the Seven Whirling Sword Sect, single-handedly subduing a planet, forcefully regulating all resources, leading the entire civilization against natural disasters, protecting the Human Race's reproduction, and when the time was ripe, in pursuit of the 'Perfect Sword,' he burned his body to slash through the void with one sword, with the fragmented soul leaping through a spatial wormhole to arrive on Earth...

This resume...

Indeed looks formidable!

So formidable that when X9500 first collected this data, he couldn't believe its authenticity and thought it was a deliberate misinformation tactic by Earthlings to mislead, a means of information deceit.

X9500 is a veteran at 'asymmetric information tactics,' often disguising himself as a deity or demon to deceive the natives of low-level civilizations, so his first reaction was—fake!

But just recently, while remotely controlling the City of Sails battlefield, X9500 validated the authenticity of Lin Qiubai's related information while simultaneously honing that 'God' surnamed Ma.

After repeated research and verification, he could finally confirm that Lin Qiubai's experience had at least fifty percent credibility!

For the other half whose authenticity couldn't be established, X9500 tagged it as 'clever deception.'

At least, the existence of Cangming Star and the Seven Whirling Sword Sect, and the Sword Master's solo interstellar journey, shouldn't be fake.

X9500 rarely believed the words of life forms capable of high-level mental activities.

Words mean nothing.

Actions mean everything!

No matter how well a person hides, at least the comprehensive purpose their various actions ultimately point to is telling!

Lin Qiubai at his prime was powerful!

One hundred percent a mature Golden Hero!

He might even exceed the level of heroism, entering a more advanced rank yet unnamed by X9500. Capturing him could instantly increment a century's worth of soul longevity!

However…

So what?

"Lin Qiubai now isn't at his prime, what can he bring to a fight with the Sword Saint?"

X9500 soliloquized, "He is currently depleting the power of Thought Essence and his residual soul, right?"

"Merely depleting without replenishment, no matter how formidable he is, how long can he last?"

If possible, X9500 wanted to purify Lin Qiubai's Thought Essence, turning it into nourishment for his own soul.

But…

That's not possible.

Though he had never conversed with this man, X9500 had remotely manipulated the Thought Essence Extraction Device to observe him.

The results were terrifying.

No thoughts whatsoever!

No notions whatsoever!

This self-proclaimed Sword Master seemed like a rock incapable of thought or desire!

No!

More accurately, he was a human-shaped Spirit Sword!

No human existing in this world could possibly lack thought fluctuations and dissemination, right?

Lin Qiubai probably had extremely strong self-control, nearly perfectly containing all his thoughts!

He was like a ripe, sweet fruit.

Unfortunately, X9500 had no entitlement to savor him.

Can only squander him, forcing his destruction!

As X9500's words fell, Su Qiangwei coldly observed without responding.

Meanwhile, the Grey-clothed Sword Saint's momentum peaked, tightly gripping an absurdly long sword, and his figure flickered.

Swoosh!

His speed was at its peak, and whatever secret technique was used was beyond recognition with the naked eye, leaving only a fading shadow visible.

In the distance, Zhu Hanyi's eyes widened, mouth agape in shock.

He knew the gap between himself and the Grey-clothed Sword Saint was enormous, but hadn't expected it to be this colossal!

Clang!

Lin Qiubai just barely brushed past the Grey-clothed Sword Saint.

In that instant, a faint blue glow seemed to flash and disappear!

But upon closer inspection, the previously seen blue glow seemed to have been an illusion.

In the blink of an eye, the Grey-clothed Sword Saint charged tens of meters away with undiminished momentum.

Fizz...Fizz...Fizz...

The overly long Treasure Sword in the Grey-clothed Sword Saint's hand emanated scorching red light and an incredible heat wave, as though it had been reforged in a forge at that previous moment.

Yet Lin Qiubai, with his left hand folded behind his back and his right hand forming a sword gesture at his side, remained unhurried.

"This man is formidable."

Without even glancing at the Grey-clothed Sword Saint, Lin Qiubai calmly walked up to Zhu Hanyi and gave an indifferent assessment: "Although I didn't use a sword, I still used thirty percent of my strength."

"Worthy of the title of Sword Saint..."

"He deserves it."

As his words fell, far away…

A crisp "crack" sounded.

Spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared on the Grey-clothed Sword Saint's long sword.

It shattered!

No!

The long sword in the Grey-clothed Sword Saint's hand couldn't be described with merely "fragmented!"

It was crumbling, disintegrating, bursting!

With a bang, that peculiarly shaped long sword broke into a myriad of metal fragments.

These fragments, within a blink of an eye, further decomposed into even finer dust!

Witnessing this spectacle, X9500 seemed a bit out of his mind, babbling: "Damage to a cold weapon is a common occurrence, but in this sword, I specifically integrated nanoworm technology and used the most advanced superalloy materials for reinforcement, and even bombardment by low-level civilization artillery could only leave a few scratches."

"Even if it completely snapped, it should auto-repair!"

"What on earth did Lin Qiubai...just do?"

X9500 felt everything happening before his eyes was utterly irrational, illogical, and unbelievable!

Over the fifty years, the Sword Saint had fought across the interstellar, slaughtering countless so-called 'strongmen' from low-level civilizations.

Over the fifty years, utilizing the superb forging materials X9500 plundered, alongside high-level metallurgical technology from the Eternal Civilization, this indestructible, unbreakable long sword was crafted!

Despite appearing like a fragile art piece, in actuality, it was resistant to irreversible damage from even the kind of attack that could easily smash through a basic energy shield!

"He's playing tricks!"

X9500 patted his helmet and shouted loudly, "For a guy without a body, achieving this is already the limit!"

"Sword Saint, don't conserve your Inner Qi! Just kill him directly!"

Ninth Rank's Inner Qi already involved the subtle employment of Spiritual Power.

When fully unleashed, the Grey-clothed Sword Saint could even shatter the scattered thoughts of others!

Theoretically speaking, he did have means to harm Lin Qiubai!

However…

The Grey-clothed Sword Saint remained standing still, ignoring X9500's orders, as unmoving as a statue perpetuated by time.

——

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