Chapter 33: Recognition

Pang Wei’s expression was grave. He stared at the black scythe in his hand, where beads of bright red blood trailed down the edge of the blade.

An opponent so powerful as to be beyond comprehension could no longer be measured by human standards. Yet, facing such a foe, Pang Wei’s heart was as still as stagnant water. With the "Conviction Severer" in hand, were not this bloodlust, this sharpness, and this contempt the very emotions he ought to possess? Was it not his destiny to crush his opponent?

Though he seemed to be at a disadvantage, what of it?

Taking a step, Pang Wei lunged forward. The dozen or so meters across the rooftop were bridged in a mere two or three seconds. He swung the massive black scythe, looking every bit like a rampaging Grim Reaper.

Clang!

Sparks flew! The black scythe and a silver dagger clashed frantically beneath the night sky on the rooftop.

Pang Wei swung the scythe with wide, sweeping motions, constantly shifting his position and angles. He had only one goal: to defeat the man before him.

Graceful and agile, Su Mingyu’s eyes remained calm. He flipped the dagger in his hand, his feet making subtle adjustments. Whenever faced with a strike, he would skillfully parry and deflect the force, keeping the blade from closing in. However, Su Mingyu felt a vague sense of unease—an intuition that had saved his life countless times, or perhaps, taken the lives of his enemies.

*Then, I shall end this quickly.* The same thought echoed in both Pang Wei’s and Su Mingyu’s minds.

The black scythe sliced through the air, creating a fierce friction against the silver dagger, the shrill sound grating on their nerves.

In the next instant, Pang Wei muttered under his breath. The dozen or so wide, sweeping strikes had merely been to numb his opponent’s senses, all for the sake of this one blow. When one cannot match an opponent in raw strength, one must use tactics to secure victory!

As the scythe was parried away and the dagger flipped in his opponent’s hand, a blood-red light stained the edge of the black scythe. Even though the blade was in a state of recoil and its trajectory seemingly fixed, it suddenly refreshed its attack status. The crimson blade lunged violently toward Su Mingyu’s chest!

Su Mingyu’s pupils constricted. His right arm, holding the dagger, could not change its posture in time. The attack was too fast—this time, he was in danger.

Yet, calmness is the hallmark of a killer. Su Mingyu jerked backward, slightly delaying the moment the blood-red blade would strike him. The moment the opponent utilized this crimson energy, he understood: the opponent could manifest the "blood-red cutting blade" from that "little black room" into the real world. It was unexpected.

In that split second, Su Mingyu found his window of reaction. He pulled the dagger back before him; in this posture, he could parry any attack!

The blood-red blade was about to strike, but Su Mingyu’s dagger was already positioned on its trajectory. However, the corner of Pang Wei’s mouth curled upward: "This thing cannot be blocked by a dagger!"

The blood-red blade grazed past the dagger—as expected, such a weapon could not be stopped. Su Mingyu was right there, and that streak of crimson plunged into his chest.

It was a repeat of the previous scene, though before it had been Su Mingyu’s dagger piercing Pang Wei’s chest. This time, it was Pang Wei’s scythe cutting into Su Mingyu’s. But there was no joy of victory on Pang Wei’s face, for he felt no resistance of flesh and bone...

*Trouble!*

In an instant, the Su Mingyu whose chest had been severed dissolved into useless light—it was an afterimage left behind by speed pushed to the limit!

The opponent had not been using his full strength until now. Such terrifying speed—perhaps even the wind could not catch him!

A sharp flash of silver light streaked through the air. The dagger in Su Mingyu’s hand slashed across Pang Wei’s neck. Perhaps this battle had reached its conclusion.

However, there was no blood, no wound—only a faint, ominous wisp of black aura. Su Mingyu frowned again. The person before him no longer seemed to possess a body that could be injured like a normal human.

Pang Wei ignored the wound on his neck and swung his blade once more. He had to defeat his opponent before the blood-red light faded. The crimson streak flashed toward Su Mingyu’s body again with lightning speed!

This was a duel of speed—a battle between human quickness and an ominous weapon. It seemed as if neither could emerge victorious, but was that truly the case?

Pang Wei’s scythe missed again, slicing only through an afterimage, while the crimson glow on the black scythe faded away, drop by drop.

"Very good," Su Mingyu’s gentle voice came from the other side of the rooftop. Pang Wei turned his head. The distance between them was about ten meters. Was this the gap? His fastest attack, launched when his opponent could barely react, had only struck an afterimage, yet the other man was already standing ten meters away... Such speed was enough to strike fear into one’s heart!

Clad in white, calm and elegant, the "Falling Feather White Blade" maintained his poise, even with the bright red stain on his shoulder marring the purity of his attire. Pang Wei sighed. "This was indeed my limit. But I will not give up on Su Yunxian, even if you kill me next time!"

The corners of Su Mingyu’s lips curved into a gentle smile on his perfect face. "I accept you. You are indeed a satisfying person, both in character and in strength."

"What?!" Pang Wei thought he had misheard. His mind was filled with exclamation points. In his view, he was just a "scum" who didn't study well and ran a small internet café; his martial prowess was weak, and he wasn't particularly clever. Facing the daughter of Asia’s richest man, no matter how he looked at it, he was completely unworthy!

But Su Yunxian’s brother, the fourth-ranked "Falling Feather White Blade" of the Falling Feather Pavilion, had actually said to him: "I accept you." If he hadn't misunderstood, did that mean he accepted him as his "brother-in-law"?!

When true recognition arrived, Pang Wei was momentarily at a loss. He stood frozen, while Su Mingyu looked at him with satisfaction, noting that the man remained calm even after hearing the news.

"Do you want to join the Falling Feather Pavilion?"

Just then, Su Mingyu extended an olive branch. "The sixth-ranked 'Rain Falls, Dust Settles' is gone. Perhaps you could take his place."

"!"

He had heard of the Falling Feather Pavilion from Shen Liangxin, though not much—only that it was the most powerful assassin organization in China. He hadn't expected Su Yunxian’s brother, Su Mingyu, to be a member.

"Yes!"

After a pause of a few seconds, Pang Wei answered firmly.

Soon, Pang Wei was connected through Su Mingyu’s channel. On the other end of the phone was a rather elderly, yet reassuring voice: "Codename [Falling Feather Conviction Severer], welcome to the Falling Feather Pavilion."

This news was soon transmitted to the other members.

Pang Wei also learned the codenames of the others. The Zheng Chao he had encountered earlier was "Falling Rain Firearms," ranked ninth, while "Falling Feather White Blade," Su Mingyu, was ranked fourth.