But at this moment, the arrow was already on the string and had to be released. Franklin Fu didn’t hesitate in the slightest; he swung his longsword down with brute force.
Yet to his utter shock, the opponent didn’t move at all—just flicked a finger, and instantly, Franklin’s sword snapped with a loud 'bang', and even his fingers gripping the hilt split open.
“A supreme master?” Franklin Fu froze, panic rising in his heart, and hastily retreated several steps.
Behind him, Daoist Master Xuanlong was utterly shocked. He hadn’t expected Franklin’s sword to break so easily—he knew this blade wasn’t top-tier, but it was forged from fine steel over an entire year and could easily cut through stone and metal.
“Defend!” Simon Sun immediately sensed the opponent’s uniqueness. In a flash, Divine Medicine Valley’s formations activated all around. Simon was a medical powerhouse, but the valley’s defenses were also formidable—crossbows, swords, and halberds all coordinated perfectly. The whole valley was a turtle-shell formation; ordinary people couldn’t hope to break in.
Seeing all defenses in place, Simon Sun finally felt reassured.
Across from them, Lady Four Huo sneered, “That’s Franklin Fu, sect master of Golden Sword Gate in Dragonridge—supposedly invincible in swordsmanship. But now? He’s just trash!”
“Yeah, total trash!”
...
At this moment, Franklin Fu was shocked and knew he couldn’t win, but hearing those words, he couldn’t hold back. As the sect master of Golden Sword Gate, how could he let his dignity be trampled? With a wild scream, his upper robe shattered, revealing golden armor. Ten slender swords instantly appeared in his hands.
“Three years—it’s been three years since I last saw Franklin Fu’s self-created Sword-Path Ten Slashes in action!” Daoist Master Xuanlong couldn’t help but sigh. He knew this technique was Franklin’s greatest achievement after a lifetime of sword training—each slash earth-shaking, each one stronger than the last. Years ago, Franklin used it to defeat a so-called ‘Sword Demon’ and secure Golden Sword Gate’s dominance in Dragonridge.
Now, Franklin Fu didn’t hesitate at all—ten flying swords shot up and lined up before him. Wrapped in powerful gang-qi, Franklin floated horizontally in midair, and faint purple aura shimmered above his head.
Clearly, the title of Dragonridge’s number-one swordsman was well-deserved. Franklin’s strength had already reached Blue Realm grandmaster level, but now with a sudden flash of purple aura, it was clear how powerful Sword-Path Ten Slashes truly was.
“Impressive, Franklin! Looks like you’ll reach Purple Realm before I do—I’m envious!” Daoist Master Xuanlong exclaimed with admiration.
The crowd was secretly amazed. Dragonridge was nothing like Harbor City; though Ryan Ling was a superstar, there were plenty of other dazzling talents here.
At this moment, Franklin Fu seized the initiative and attacked—he shouted “Slash!” from midair, and the first sword streaked toward the opponent with overwhelming force.
A deafening explosion rang out; from a distance, it looked like the sword struck the opponent’s skull.
“Good!” Daoist Master Xuanlong cheered immediately.
But just as he finished, his voice cut off—because the flying sword was blocked by a strand of sword-qi from the opponent.
Sword-qi blocking a real sword—unbelievable.
As everyone watched in shock, a sharp metallic snap rang out—the sword shattered into several pieces.
“How is this possible?” Franklin Fu broke out in cold sweat. He’d practiced swordsmanship for over forty years, but this kind of powerful sword-qi was a first.
“Trash!” Lady Four Huo sneered, her eyes filled with wild arrogance.
“Who is this guy? How can he be so strong?”
“No one like this in Dragonridge, and the Azure Dragon Society doesn’t have a top sword master like him. Did he come straight from Hong Kong last night?”
“Could the Huo Clan really react so fast? There weren’t any flights from Dragonridge to Hong Kong last night!”
Everyone was utterly bewildered; their nerves were stretched tight.
But just then, Simon Sun—who often traveled between the mainland and Hong Kong—suddenly thought of something. He shouted to his men, “Quick, check if any top North American sword masters have entered China recently! Also, boost Divine Medicine Valley’s defenses to maximum, and send someone to the Lotus Pond to notify Ryan Ling—hurry!”
“Slash! Slash! Slash!” Even now, Franklin Fu didn’t hesitate. Even facing a top sword master, he refused to back down.
In an instant, three swords attacked from different directions, aiming for vital points. But this time, to Franklin’s despair, the swords exploded in midair—just like the saying: eggs smashing against a rock.
“Franklin, fall back! You’re no match for him!” After four slashes had landed without touching the opponent, Daoist Master Xuanlong urgently called out from below.
“Dragonridge swordsmanship? It’s not even trash anymore—after all these years, it’s just dog crap!” The opponent sneered, his eyes full of mockery.
In an instant, the remaining six swords trembled. Franklin Fu was completely enraged; shouting, he charged forward with all his swords, aiming to kill his opponent.
“Anyone who insults Dragonridge swordsmanship—I’ll kill them!”
Just as Franklin Fu finished his roar, someone from Divine Medicine Valley shouted from behind, “Valley Master, we’ve checked—there really is a North American sword master in China, but we only found his surname: Hua!”
“Tiger Hua?” Daoist Master Xuanlong and Simon Sun shouted at once.
Number one Chinese expert in North America—everyone in East River State knew that name. Jason Lin, Harvey Jin, and the others instantly recalled Nate Ye’s death in Wuzhou; Tiger Hua’s sudden arrival in East River was surely connected to his disciple.
“Franklin, get back! Did you hear? That’s Tiger Hua—you’re no match for him!” Daoist Master Xuanlong shouted again.
Franklin Fu wasn’t stupid—he was very sensitive to that name. A top North American sword master was not someone he could face alone. Now, Tiger Hua stopped holding back, sneering as he stepped forward, his Purple Realm grandmaster aura flaring.
In an instant, Franklin Fu tried to retreat, but a strand of sword-qi locked his feet in place. Tiger Hua roared, “Sword-Path Ten Slashes is full of holes! Using such a lousy move, you dare call yourself a sword master? Break!”
With a thunderous crash, the remaining six swords were all shattered. At the same time, Franklin’s right arm was severed, his body riddled with sword fragments. In just seconds, he was left half-dead!
“Everyone fall back! Retreat into the defensive circle!” Simon Sun shouted. Fortunately, he’d prepared in advance—otherwise, they would’ve been helpless.
As soon as he finished, all crossbows and weapons aimed at Tiger Hua.
Yet Tiger Hua seemed unfazed, striding forward at a steady pace, as if the so-called super defenses meant nothing to him.
“Attack!” Simon Sun shouted, cheeks puffed out. He had no choice but to fight back with everything. Right now, only he and Daoist Master Xuanlong could put up a fight—but even then, ten moves at best before death.
He could only hope the messenger at the Lotus Pond would reach Ryan Ling in time.
Just as Simon Sun was distracted, Tiger Hua stepped into the ambush zone. Instantly, all crossbows and hidden weapons fired—a rain of arrows flew toward Tiger Hua alone.
But sword-qi around Tiger Hua instantly formed a huge protective shell. Every defense mechanism within his gaze exploded.
“He can release such terrifying sword-qi just with his eyes—has his sword-dao really become invincible?” At this moment, Simon Sun was drenched in cold sweat. Even Divine Medicine Valley’s strongest defenses could hold out for only a few minutes.
Tiger Hua had only taken four or five steps, and already seventy percent of defenses had collapsed; a dozen people in the valley were dead…