Ken already tried to summon healing pills from his storage ring but failed, indicating the space was locked and storage rings were useless there. He tried to use One Step but failed again, so he was sure using techniques was banned in the long corridor.
He faced the second man that charged at him. It was another man in the low phase of his stage, and Ken used the lower part of his flexible sword to block the man's swing while the upper part of the blade bent from the momentum, curving toward the attacker's shoulder.
"Ah! It's flexible!"
The man shouted in pain as Ken's sword sent a pulse of dangerous Sword Qi into his shoulder, rupturing his muscles and trying to fracture the shoulder blade. He retreated to let his teammates take over the battle, while he stabilized his Qi.
Although they couldn't perform completed techniques, the formation couldn't prevent simple Qi manipulation, and given Ken's great expertise, it was still within the realm of simple manipulation.
Ken soon opened a heated battle against the other 6 low Nascent Soul cultivators. The one he kicked earlier was moving slightly slower, confirming Ken's suspicions that he broke the man's ribs with his previous kick.
His flexible sword flashed in the room as it moved from side to side, taking full advantage of its elasticity. Ken used it to make the blade bounce from sword to sword, helping him deflect everything he couldn't dodge.
He still fought carefully as he didn't want to open his back to the disciples that didn't attack yet. His raw speed and power were superior to his enemies, and he managed to keep up with the fight.
Two of them were using greatswords while the other four used different types of smaller swords. Ken made sure to dodge the large ones as he deflected the smaller ones, always watching his step to avoid getting surrounded.
"Damn! I can't hit him! How can he be so strong at the fourth stage!"
One person shouted in anger. Ken's technique which hid his stage was canceled along with his Sheathed Man since he already incorporated this method into his concealing technique.
At first, they held the advantage and pushed Ken to the edge of death time after time, but he always managed to slip out of their grasp and never fell for the same trap twice. He was growing as they fought, and he never stopped learning new lessons with every exchange.
'The stronger cultivators aren't involving themselves in the fight, but they also aren't keeping their distance. If I had to guess, I'd say they can't cross the corridor, and they think that more BP would change that.'
Ken analyzed the situation as he swung his sword again, parrying a woman who attacked him from the right and making her trip with a simple movement of his leg. Before he could finish her off, one of her teammates attacked, and he had to divert his attention.
'If they need BP to save themselves, it'd be weird that the stronger cultivators didn't prey on the weak yet. It means they managed to enter a stalemate with numbers; the weaker cultivators make up for their disadvantage with numbers. In other words, they aren't allies.'
Ken found a plausible explanation as to why the stronger cultivators didn't join the fray and attacked him along with the weaker cultivators. He decided on a plan to test his theory and executed it.
He planned his steps better, taking a few light wounds in exchange for pumping up the opponents and controlling their positions. It only took 30 seconds, and they were exactly where he wanted them to be.
One female cultivator lunged forward and tried to stab him with her sword, but his sword bounced back from the former attacker in lightning speed, meeting hers. He dashed in surprise and crashed into her with his shoulder, sending her stumbling back in shock.
"Lisa, careful! Behind you!"
One man shouted, but it was too late. She walked straight to the hands of the high Nascent Soul Cultivator, and the man didn't hesitate to hack the sword and execute her on the spot. She looked down at her stomach, seeing the man's sword coming out. He stabbed her back, and she didn't stand a chance.
*Cough*
She coughed blood as she struggled to breathe, but the man pulled out the sword mercilessly and kicked her to the floor, where she could only lay on the ground and die from her injuries.
"Damn, watch your steps! Don't reveal your backs!"
The man shouted but yet another tragedy took place. Ken jumped in the air and delivered swift double kicks. The first one hit the hilt of a great sword carrier while the other struck his chest, pushing him back right next to one of the intermediate Nascent Soul cultivators.
The woman also gladly took the free BP and cleaved the man in half with her greatsword.
The others learned their lesson and tried to reposition themselves, but their pressure on Ken decreased dramatically now that two were dead, two were wounded, and the other 3 were panicking and trying to understand their surroundings.
Ken blocked another sword stroke and used the natural recoil to let his sword bounce to someone who tried stepping back, grazing her chest. The cut was shallow, but Ken's technique of inserting his Sword Qi into the bodies of the wounded ones was lethal.
The Qi pulse was enough to cause a mess in her chest and force a painful groan out of her lips.
'That's why breasts can be a weakness.'
Ken mused as his sword would miss her by a few centimeters if not for the bulge on her chest.
Now, the other cultivators had no reason to remain passive and watch the fight. They recognized that Ken would win, and they didn't want to lose the BP.
"We are under attack! Work together to defend!"
The team leader shouted, and they regrouped in a swift motion. Out of the five of them, 3 were wounded. One couldn't use his right arm, one had broken ribs, and one had a few ruptured blood vessels in her chest.
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