Although the attack seemed instantaneous to Shu Himo, the Dark King Dragon didn’t think the same. He felt instead restrained by suppressing his cultivation level. But it was impossible to notice such feelings just from his expression.

Meanwhile, Shu Himo did not cower in front of the incoming attack. Although he was surprised by his opponent's speed, it didn't send him into a panic. He would not yield against what he regarded as a predictable frontal attack.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he bent backward. Just barely grazing his nose, the old man's punch was eluded by a close shave. A smile grew on his face and he countered instantly. Planting a foot behind to act as a foothold, he stopped his descent and swung his scythe sideways at the old man.

Delighted that Shu Himo managed to react facing such speed, the old man jumped to avoid his attack. Avoided the slash from the scythe, he then twisted his body with a backflip and sent a kick toward his opponent.

Unlike most would react in his situation, Shu Himo did not try to evade the kick. He instead jumped toward it. A smirk grew on his face. If I win by hitting you once, then I may as well trade one for one, right?

Naturally, the old man had noticed his plan. He couldn’t help but chuckle. His offensive remained unchanged, and his kick bashed Shu Himo's shoulder.

Shu Himo’s eyebrows twitched for the pain, he had nearly feared that his bones were broken. However, he didn’t step back. He knew that a chance had come!

He wheeled the scythe behind the old man, trapping him. As if it were a guillotine, the scythe’s blade enclosed the old man from behind. Pulling the scythe with his right hand and throwing a punch with his left one, Shu Himo was convinced of his victory. But reality was different.

Albeit surprised, the old man wasn’t in a pinch. As if an invisible platform materialized midair, he pressed on it with his hand. Suddenly, a force of propulsion thrust the old man to the sky, a place Shu Himo could not even hope to reach.

Dumbfounded, Shu Himo cursed at the cheat he defined as a double jump. He could do nothing but look how his opponent leaped out of his reach. He stared the old man for a second, when a thought made his eyes lit up. “Dark King Dragon, once I win will you teach me that double-jump technique?”

The Dark King Dragon paused for a moment. He felt amused to receive such a proposal. "You're quite confident, but just plain confidence won't be enough to beat me! You want me to teach you my technique? Very well! Since we raise the stakes like this, what will you bet in exchange?"

Speechless, Shu Himo fell in thought for a moment. He initially thought that he did not have anything to bet, when he remembered the scene from a novel he had read time ago. “What if I will give you any information about my old world if I were to lose?”

“Information from your world? Seems interesting. Well then, I, the great Dark King Dragon, shall accept your bet!”

Shu Himo felt something wrong about those words. He is not surprised that I’m from another world? And why did he accept so easily?

But before he could inquire about it, the old man in front of him continued, “Now, let’s continue with the fight!”

Knowing that there wasn’t a second to waste, Shu Himo left his thoughts behind and, unlike before, made the first move. At that moment, all he could think of was the technique that he could get from the old man. His eyes had a hint of greed and a foolish smirk grew on his face.

About to take his stance once again, the old man suddenly noticed that Shu Himo had vanished. Lowering his gaze, he found his opponent running toward him with his body lowered to the ground, slashing with a scythe almost two times his size.

In front of the nearly comical situation, the old man’s smile stiffened. He sensed that his opponent’s fighting style had changed. He jumped backward, only to see that the child had sent a kick toward him. He felt that Shu Himo had thrown away any sort of prudence to the wind, focusing purely on attacking. Since a single hit was enough to win, his strategy may seem to make sense, but…

Attacking recklessly without a proper strategy will never work against a true expert.

The old man immediately decided to exploit the flaws in Shu Himo’s strategy. He pointed his feet toward the side, and vanished abruptly from Shu Himo’s sight. In but a moment, he reappeared again to strike from the side. Just as he was about to attack, however, his eyes widened all of a sudden.

It was because the scythe was standing exactly on his path. Had he not noticed it, he would’ve been cut in half.

Did he predict it? Such thought invaded his mind. He knew that it was impossible for someone at Shu Himo’s realm to react against such speed by reflexes alone. Only predictions could cover the gap in physical abilities required to resist.

The suspicion that it was just a fluke lingered in his mind. Thus, he moved once again. Vanishing again from his opponent's sight, he reappeared from another side. However, the scythe barred his way.

Not stopping for a second, he tried again.

And again.

And yet again.

Even after several attempts, the result had never changed once.

The sharp blade of the scythe always awaited his arrival, as if it were a predator waiting for its prey.

Halting his continuous attempts, the old man’s gaze fell on the child in front of him. After so many tries it became obvious that it was all but a fluke. A doubt crept into his mind: how did Shu Himo gain such combat experience?

Being able to predict such attacks meant having already experienced fighting against similar or higher speed. It wasn’t something feasible just through imagination, it was something that one was required to experience directly with their own body.

Yet, even if he knew that Shu Himo had high difficulties to even just react to his speed, he felt that his opponent did not recognize his speed as truly ‘fast.’ Almost as if it were just child’s play.

It wasn’t a feeling a low-level cultivator should produce, much less a child. It made the old man suck in a cold breath. For a moment, he, the Dark King Dragon, felt like when he fought against his peers.

While the old man was lost in thought, the blade from the scythe suddenly presented in front of him. Expecting it, he promptly dodged it by a hair’s breadth. Forced to be serious, the old man’s speed accelerated exponentially. Before Shu Himo could react, a punch plunged straight to his leg.

Powerless in front of the assault, Shu Himo’s leg broke. Pain overhauled him, but he did not lose his composure. He knew that it was the ‘do or die’ moment, the one which would determine the winner of the fight.

He threw his scythe to the sky from outside his opponent’s field of view. Diving through the mist, the scythe seemed to vanish completely.

Using his remaining leg, Shu Himo bounced toward the old man and opened his arms as if trying to hug him.

The old man was startled by the child’s behavior. Leaving his front open like that, wouldn’t that just be begging to get attacked? But thinking back to their first exchange, he narrowed his eyes. Shu Himo wanted to trade one hit for one once again!

With such thoughts, he decided to leap backward. It was a mistake.

As soon as he jumped, his gaze fell on Shu Himo’s hands. He noticed immediately the vacancy of the scythe. His eyes widened in shock, while Shu Himo's lips grew into a wide smile.

Before he could do anything, a sharp pain spread from his arm.

His gaze turned quickly, only to find that his arm had almost been severed. Impaled to the water-like ground, the blade of the scythe then ceased moving.

Startled, the old man looked toward his opponent, when he saw the child standing still with a nonchalant smile.

"Hahahaha! It seems I've lost!" Although his arm was nearly amputated, it was clear from his expression that he didn't feel pain. "Finally someone has beaten me! Good! Really good! I'll teach you my technique and let you use the scythe... you've won this one, Shu Himo!"

Hearing those words, Shu Himo held mixed emotions. Although he felt relieved to have won, he was sure that his opponent had let him win. He did not believe once that someone like the Dark King Dragon had only a single skill in his arsenal.