After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 133 Li Xiaoyi

"Shen Xu, you really are punctual!" Yuan Wuwei said with some dissatisfaction.

"This place is too big, I got lost on the way," Shen Xu replied calmly.

“This place is indeed hard to find, it’s normal to get lost. The main reason I called you here is to have you spar with someone!” Zuo Chen said slowly.

"Swordsmanship?" Shen Xu couldn't help but wonder how Zuo Chen knew he was good at swordsmanship.

In the alley completely shrouded in the shadows of the buildings on both sides, Li Xiaoyi looked at the white-robed man in front of him and asked coldly, "Are you the one who wants to challenge me?"

"I wonder if Miss Li agrees to the bet in my letter?" Zuo Chen asked with a smile.

How can I be sure you're not lying to me?

“I think Miss Li should recognize this item.” Zuo Chen tossed a piece of broken jade to Li Xiaoyi.

Li Xiaoyi reached out and caught the flying fragment of jade, glanced at it only once, and then threw it back to Zuo Chen.

“The item is fine, and I agree to this bet with you. However, it’s unwise of you to choose to compete with me in swordsmanship. I can let you choose again,” Li Xiaoyi said disdainfully.

"Miss Li may have misunderstood. It wasn't me who was sparring with you in swordsmanship." After Zuo Chen finished speaking, he turned into a wisp of mist and disappeared into the alley. His last words echoed in the alley, and the shadows that covered the entire alley faded away as if they had been painted, eventually returning to their original state.

Before the shadows had completely disappeared, Shen Xu's figure gradually emerged from the darkness.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiaoyi's expression immediately turned extremely serious, and he immediately questioned those around him, "Such a sophisticated illusion! Who exactly are you?"

Looking at the woman in front of him, Shen Xu felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. If he had known beforehand that Li Xiaoyi was among the people Zuo Chen had chosen, he would never have joined Zuo Chen's team.

He was somewhat confused about who he had offended. He had just met the witch, and now he was being asked to meet Li Xiaoyi. With such bad luck, he couldn't help but wonder if participating in the Four Directions Sword Selection was really the right decision.

"Since you won't answer, I'll defeat you first, and then go find that person from before." Looking at the gray-robed figure hidden in the shadows in front of her, Li Xiaoyi touched the hilt of her sword at her waist. The sword trembled slightly; her sword could sense that the person in front of her was very strong.

"But why isn't he drawing his sword? Is he waiting for her to make the first move?" Unconsciously, Li Xiaoyi's heart began to race.

“You seem to be waiting for me to draw my sword, but I’m afraid that once I do, you won’t have a chance to fight back. So I’ve decided to give you a few moves first. This is also basic etiquette among swordsmen,” Shen Xu said coldly.

Since he couldn't avoid meeting Li Xiaoyi, this was a perfect opportunity for revenge. He wanted to make Li Xiaoyi taste the pain of death, since she had often held a sword to his neck in his previous life, and in the end, she actually did it.

"Cough cough cough~" After hearing Shen Xu's words, Yuan Wuwei choked on the tree fruit in his mouth.

"Has he always been this arrogant? And where did he learn swordsman etiquette? I roughly know how he offended Su Jing." After saying what was on his mind in one breath, Yuan Wuwei took a deep breath.

With a crisp clang, Li Xiaoyi instantly drew his sword! His figure shot out like an arrow released from a bow at an astonishing speed.

In an instant, the bright sword light flashed like a fleeting shadow, carrying an incomparably sharp momentum, and slashed straight at Shen Xu.

As the sword was swung out, a strong wind rustled the leaves around it, and even the air seemed to be forcibly torn apart by this terrifying sword strike.

Li Xiaoyi drew her sword without any warning. The dazzling sword light was so striking that it was impossible to look directly at her. Her eyes were resolute and unwavering, as if she was completely unaffected by Shen Xu's previous mocking words.

At this moment, only that chilling and sharp sword light seemed to be silently telling the story of the endless anger deep within the heart of its owner.

Shen Xu's pupils clearly reflected the sword light that was rapidly approaching him, yet he showed no sign of panic.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly with his right hand, standing firmly in place, as immovable as a mountain, quietly waiting for the deadly sword light to strike him.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiaoyi's heart tightened, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Why wasn't the man in front of her drawing his sword? But she couldn't stop now, because the distance was too close. At her speed, her sword was bound to strike him. She had already won the bet.

Suddenly, Li Xiaoyi felt a chilling light flash before her eyes, as fast as lightning and gone in an instant. Compared to this cold light, the sword light in her hand became dim and lifeless, as if it had lost all its brilliance and power.

In an instant, an intense and inescapable killing intent, like an invisible giant net, tightly enveloped her.

The murderous intent was so intense that the hairs on her body stood on end involuntarily, and a chilling feeling welled up inside her.

But before she could even react to what was happening, she felt a sudden chill on her neck, and a slight stinging sensation spread throughout her body like an electric current, constantly stimulating her sensitive nerves.

Her sword, however, remained completely untouched, a fact that greatly alarmed her, causing tiny beads of sweat to continuously seep from the pores of her face.

She quickly stopped in her tracks, staggered a bit, and then reached out somewhat absentmindedly to gently touch her neck.

After confirming that there were no wounds there, Li Xiaoyi finally breathed a long sigh of relief, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was somewhat relieved.

With her back to the man, Li Xiaoyi suddenly felt a little afraid to turn around and face him.

She had always prided herself on her unparalleled swordsmanship, but just now, in front of that man, she felt like a child waving a toy and challenging an adult.

No, perhaps it's more like a child with no cultivation attempting to use his rudimentary swordsmanship to fight against a profound and unfathomable cultivator.

This filled her with immense shame.

"Holy crap! Zuo Chen, did you see what happened?"

"It was too fast, I couldn't see it clearly!" Zuo Chen couldn't help but feel a little bewildered.

Yuan Wuwei said with some emotion, "You're right, Shen Xu's swordsmanship is unmatched among those of the same level!"

At this moment, Shen Xu was still marveling at how his talent seemed to have increased again. The reason he only drew his sword when Li Xiaoyi's sword light was close to him was to use Li Xiaoyi's sword to force out his talent.

He wanted to see if the changes in the void in his soul would affect his evasion talent. He found that the void in his soul had become larger, and his talent seemed to have become stronger. It was also thanks to his evasion talent that he was able to perform such high-level maneuvers.

He was absolutely certain that a void in his soul was not a good thing, but why it enhanced his talent was a source of some distress for Shen Xu. He decided it was best to use this talent less in the future.

"Welcome, Miss Li, to our team!" Zuo Chen jumped down from the roof and said with a smile to Li Xiaoyi, who was still a little dazed.

At this moment, Shen Xu also sheathed his sword and came to Li Xiaoyi's side.

"Shen Xu, please guide me in the future." Shen Xu smiled and extended his right hand.

He couldn't be happier now. In his previous life, he would have been the one to get beaten up. He never thought he would be able to defeat Li Xiaoyi, especially in her most prized swordsmanship. He had finally turned the tables!

"It seems that meeting Li Xiaoyi isn't such a bad thing after all!" Shen Xu felt a sense of satisfaction. Just thinking about how he had defeated Li Xiaoyi made the emptiness in his soul seem endearing.

Moreover, Shen Xu suddenly realized that Li Xiaoyi was not as scary as he had imagined. As long as he could keep Li Xiaoyi in the lead, why should he hide from her?

Li Xiaoyi looked at Shen Xu, who was smiling brightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes. But she still reached out and gently grasped Shen Xu's hand, and then stared at Shen Xu in a daze.

Feeling the coldness in his right hand, Shen Xu realized he had done something foolish, so he quickly withdrew his right hand and apologized hastily, "This is a custom we have there, I'm sorry for the trouble it caused you!"

"I'm curious where you learned etiquette, Shen Xu. I'd like to take some lessons sometime. After all, this kind of etiquette—being able to touch a girl's hand as soon as you meet her—is just too amazing!"

"Yuan Wuwei, please give me your guidance!" Yuan Wuwei also extended his right hand, but Li Xiaoyi seemed to have not yet come to her senses and ignored Yuan Wuwei.

“Miss Li, you can’t treat me differently!” Yuan Wuwei immediately cried out in protest.

"Haha, it seems you have to be good yourself to succeed. Now it's your turn to shine, and the other person is a girl too! Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on yourself," Zuo Chen reminded him with a smile.

"Zuo Chen, you are such a good leader. Now we have three girls in our team. How can anyone not understand the timeless principle that men and women working together makes the work easier?" Yuan Wuwei couldn't help but sigh.

"Zuo Chen, you'll be the temporary captain of this team. Please give me your guidance!" Zuo Chen extended his right hand to Li Xiaoyi.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Li Xiaoyi asked after regaining her senses, as if she hadn't seen the right hand.

Zuo Chen naturally withdrew his right hand, then said with great enthusiasm, "I want to obtain a title in all directions!"

"You have big ambitions!"

“If I didn’t have such great ambitions, these people wouldn’t have gathered around me!” Zuo Chen replied with a smile.

“That makes sense. A bet is a bet, and I’m willing to join your team.” Li Xiaoyi sheathed his longsword.