Chapter Sixty-Two: Only a Fool Would Duel You One-on-One!

The Lord of the Swift Leopard, seeing a fiery red glow in the distance, hurried over with his subordinates, urgency clear in his every movement. Emerging swiftly from a dense forest, he was immediately confronted by a black longsword standing upright twenty meters ahead. The blade bore faint, dark dragon patterns shimmering with a subtle violet light, while the blue spirit pearl embedded in the hilt radiated a gentle glow.

He drew in a sharp breath, his heart pounding wildly with both shock and elation. “Could my luck be any better? This Black Demon Sword is actually a violet-grade spirit weapon, and it’s only level eighteen?”

A third-tier, low-grade Swift Leopard differed little from its second-tier counterparts, save for a more robust physique and the transformation of the blue spirit pearl on its forehead into green.

“So, you’re the Black Demon Sword?”

Qin Chuan’s consciousness frowned slightly. “Black Demon Sword? Is that a nickname they gave me?”

“Yes, I am the Black Demon Sword! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!” Qin Chuan decided not to argue, boldly accepting the title, his tone domineering and confident—almost intimidating.

The Lord of the Swift Leopard lowered his head a fraction, forepaws shifting lightly. As a paragon of the divine movement lineage, he maintained a posture ready to strike at any moment.

He parted his jaws slightly, licking his left forepaw with a mocking smile. “Waiting for me? Is this a joke? Are you planning to just wait for your death?”

Qin Chuan’s blade quivered faintly. “Ha, of course not!”

The leopard’s eyes narrowed, brimming with self-assurance and amusement. “Then what do you want? Are you offering your spirit core to me? That’s not a bad idea.”

“Clearly, you have no escape. You’re surrounded.”

With just a few words, the well-trained Swift Leopards had encircled Qin Chuan, the situation turning dire.

“You’re overthinking it. I’m here to claim your life!”

With that, Qin Chuan abruptly changed his tone, and the Cold Iron Sword let out a resonant hum.

“Flow Strike!”

A sharp whistle rang out.

Qin Chuan’s sudden attack startled the leopard lord. “This Black Demon Sword dares to take the initiative—I’d better be cautious.”

“Leopard Leap Flash!”

In three consecutive leaps, the lord had traversed over a dozen meters.

“Alert! Attack failed.”

“Damn, this guy is fast. Even my Flow Strike can’t lock him down.”

“And those leaps are as swift as the Blackscale Beast.”

The Cold Iron Sword fell mid-flight, something Qin Chuan had never experienced, and his skill was now on cooldown.

“Hey! You’re a third-tier lord—how can you be so cowardly?” Qin Chuan fumed, having calculated a critical hit that should have taken half the leopard lord’s health. Yet the lord proved cunning, darting away in an instant.

“Never underestimate any opponent—that’s always been my way of fighting.”

“I haven’t even seen the Fire Swift Bird Lord yet. I suspect he might already be dead.”

The leopard lord bared his teeth in a semblance of a smile, unfazed by Qin Chuan’s taunts.

Qin Chuan now understood the lord’s speed—at least 350+, putting him at a disadvantage.

“Damn, this one is tricky!”

“You’re fast, and if you don’t come close, it’s hard for me to hit you. But your subordinates have become my targets.”

With a sudden grin, Qin Chuan found his solution and cast a hostile gaze toward the surrounding Swift Leopards.

“You think just because you’re far away, I can’t hit you? Watch this!”

He shouted deliberately, leaping toward the leopard lord.

Earlier, the lord had tricked Qin Chuan out of an attack skill, gaining a slight advantage. Now, seeing Qin Chuan approach, he grew excited and immediately activated the skill—Jaguar Shadow Flight.

Though the lord focused on speed, his sharpness was impressive, thanks to powerful skills.

Leopard Leap Flash: Stage one, level three triple jump, allowing three consecutive leaps within one second. Stage two, level one dodge, increases dodge chance by 10% during triple jump.

Conversion (Passive): Converts speed value proportionally into sharpness, increasing by 10% per level, currently at level nine.

Jaguar Shadow Flight: Stage one, level three claw shadow, conjures a claw shadow sweeping a five-meter range. Upon hitting the target, triggers stage two, level one shadow flight, affecting a four-meter area.

Leopard Spirit’s Wrath: Level three possession, manifests an illusory leopard spirit, boosting sharpness by 150% for three seconds.

Overall, the lord’s speed and sharpness both exceeded 350+. Qin Chuan’s toughness was just under 300+, so if Jaguar Shadow Flight struck him, it would inflict considerable damage.

Of course, no matter how formidable the skill, missing means nothing.

“Ha! Never thought you’d use your skill. I’ll dodge!”

Qin Chuan’s earlier shout was merely a feint, his real target the surrounding Swift Leopards. If he could trick the lord into wasting his skill, all the better.

Just as the claw shadow was about to descend, Qin Chuan blinked, appearing beside the nearest Swift Leopard and executing a swift sword strike.

A wet sound was followed by a series of alerts.

“Alert! Critical hit triggered, 150% increased damage, knockback effect applied.”

“Alert! Killed a level 19 elite Swift Leopard, gained 900 experience points, bonus 100% experience for defeating a higher-level foe, total 1800 experience points.”

“Alert! Defeated an elite servant of the ruler of Deer Plains, additional reward of 1800 experience points.”

“Alert! Mutant skill Slaughter triggered.”

“Alert! Sharpness increased by 5%, all attributes of opponents within ten meters reduced by 5%.”

Qin Chuan’s sudden appearance left the Swift Leopard no time to react—it was slain instantly. With his current sharpness, even an ordinary attack would overwhelm most Swift Leopards, let alone a critical hit.

The leopard lord watched helplessly as his skill missed its mark, left bewildered. Qin Chuan’s disappearance had been abrupt and unexpected, turning what seemed a certain strike into a pointless effort.

“Argh!” After hearing several screams, the lord finally snapped out of his confusion, witnessing Qin Chuan’s uncanny display.

“This wretch! He tricked me into wasting my skill. I’ll tear him apart!”

The lord lunged at Qin Chuan, but Qin Chuan refused direct confrontation, using agile maneuvers to slay the surrounding Swift Leopards.

“If you’ve got guts, stop running and face me one-on-one!”

It had begun as the Swift Leopards besieging Qin Chuan, but now the lord was demanding a duel, creating a rather comical reversal.

With Slaughter activated, Qin Chuan’s sharpness increased by 5%, and as the lord pursued within ten meters, his attributes dropped by 5%. This difference in speed was critical.

Qin Chuan relied on agile movement to compensate, so overall he was not at a disadvantage.

“Ha! A duel? Only a fool would accept that!”

Weaving among the level 19 Swift Leopards, Qin Chuan dispatched them one by one with exhilaration, deliberately provoking the lord, always just barely escaping capture.

“Ha! Missed again, so close! Isn’t it infuriating?”