In the Ethereal Combat Trance, to Su Lan, it felt as though Adam was invincible and the longer their battle stretched on, the more skilled he became and the harder it was for her to keep up.

She had completely lost any advantage that she had over him and was the one that was being pushed back and overwhelmed, unlike how it was at the start of their battle, and he was using her own Blade Art against her.

But she had managed to push him away from her for a split second which was just about enough for her to activate and use the Ultimate Plum Blossom Blade Art.

A blade art that even the most skilled and experienced seniors in her family would struggle to use and required many years to learn and master.

It would cause her body and mind to experience a boost in speed and power, but that wasn’t its main function and the reason it was such a difficult and renowned skill.

The skill would allow one to create and wield sword energy, which was an energy that could only be used by those that lived by the blade and had reached an unparalleled level of mastery of the sword.

Sword Energy was very powerful as it was an energy that once released could still be controlled remotely. 

Making it so that energy blades produced through attacks, like that of the Dual Slash Skill, could be manipulated after they were unleashed, making it much harder for the opponent to avoid the attack.

And that was just one of the possibilities that came with sword energy.

It was known to some as sword qi, but essentially it is all the same thing, a mystical power that one could wield through their blade after reaching a great level of understanding and mastery.

The Ultimate Plum Blossom Blade Art required one to be a master sword wielder that could use sword energy, and had a unique application of sword energy that her clan was known for.

Their sword style was known for being beautiful, mesmerising and elegant, but it was also known for its deadliness, speed and power.

As soon as she activated, despite being in an Ethereal Trance, Adam immediately put his guard up and was much more sensitive to danger and energy in that state.

All it required was for Su Lan to close her eyes for a moment and stream large amounts of sword energy through her blade, to then activate the Ultimate Plum Blossom Blade Art.

Immediately upon her activating it, those that recognised what she was using were on the edge of their seats, excited to see just how powerful the legendary Blade Art was, while the Branch Master also couldn’t help but be enthralled in their battle.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of red and pink light, and her blade shattered into thousands of pieces, or so it seemed.

And each of those pieces floated around her and outwardly they appeared to be pretty flower petals, all suddenly burst towards Adam at unbelievable speeds, even faster than bullets.

While each of them held even more power than bullets, with each of the petals being sharp enough to cut through normal metals with ease, like a hot knife through butter.

The more powerful one’s sword energy, the sharper and stronger one’s energy would become, and it would make it so that your average attacks wouldn’t be easily pierced through by master sword wielders.

Controlling thousands of petals, as she waved her sword forward, they all blitzed towards Adam, who despite being in an Ethereal Combat Trance, struggled to deal with so many attacks at once.

His fundamental defensive techniques and barrier skills would be useless against such an attack that felt as though it could pierce through any form of protection, while dodging it was even more unfeasible.

All that one could do was try to face it head-on, which was exactly what Adam was doing, as he formed a second sword out of energy in his left hand and began deflecting the petals.

But there were just too many of them and they were too quick, that it was just impossible to counter, as he began being slashed all over his body,

With his full power, using force and brute strength, he could easily break through it, and he had many abilities in his arsenal that could blow away Su Lan’s Ultimate Plum Blossom Blade Art.

However, he didn’t want to be forced to use his full power and incredibly was still managing to hold out despite only using the power of an early Advanced Cultivator.

Although his output was only that of an Advanced Cultivator, he could fight unsparingly with his ocean-like energy reserves and incredible stamina, but the same couldn’t be said for Su Lan who was clearly struggling.

The Ultimate Plum Blossom Blade Art required an extreme level of focus and energy, which pushed her body and mind to their limits, but only with it, did she manage to even land an attack on Adam who had slashes all over his body.

He was covered in blood and losing blood quite quickly, and thought that the pain and worry would be enough to break Adam out of the miraculous trance he was in, but it was to no avail.

No matter how injured he became, his blade didn’t waver in the slightest.

It was almost as if he was the perfect swordsman.

Someone with his talent in the blade had the potential to become one of the strongest figures in the country and someone that was revered throughout the world. While it was unheard of for someone to be able to stay in an Ethereal Trance for so long and copy someone’s skills so easily.

Just who was her opponent?

And how was he able to do what he did?

As more and more questions arose within her mind, the indifferent and completely focused Su Lan was beginning to falter, and it was the perfect opportunity for Adam to finish their battle.