Chapter 118 Collision
The Assassin’s sword was short, measuring only 1 ja 7 chi (approximately 50cm). This was less than two-thirds the length of Namgung-woo’s Ban-yeon, which boasted a blade nearly 3 ja long. To compensate, the Assassin rapidly closed the distance, aiming to eliminate any reach advantage.
While it was possible to overcome the difference in reach by manifesting Sword Qi or Sword Aura, such a choice would be highly inefficient. It was a fundamental principle that the further Qi extended from the body—its core of Internal Force—the weaker its cohesion became. To compensate for this, martial artists relied on external objects as tools. Attempting to extend Qi into empty space, without even such a tool, demanded several times the concentration and Internal Energy. This was precisely why weapons like bows and hidden weapons, despite their long range, rarely found widespread acclaim in the Jianghu Martial World.
Thus, the Assassin’s judgment was undeniably sound. Even if there was a disparity in skill, deliberately handicapping oneself by not unleashing one’s full power would leave no room for a desperate gamble.
The Assassin, employing bizarre and intricate Footwork, swiftly breached Namgung-woo’s sword domain. It was indeed a Footwork perfectly suited for an Assassin specializing in ambushes. Had Namgung-woo faced a Martial Artist of comparable skill, they would likely have been unable to react to the sudden shifts in speed and the peculiar Footwork that masked the Assassin’s Presence in the darkness, inevitably suffering a stab wound.
