"Ding!"
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
Can Jian's sword flashed with specks of silver light, pouring down like a torrential rain.
Wu Ming was struggling to keep up.
In terms of swordsmanship, he was slightly outmatched by Can Jian. Right now, Wu Ming was like a flickering candle in the wind, on the verge of being snuffed out.
"Buzz!"
Seeing Wu Ming's weakening stance, Can Jian unleashed a move called "Moon Over the River," his sword aimed straight at Wu Ming's chest.
Can Jian's sword style was known for its relentless follow-ups. Once he locked onto an opponent, a barrage of successive attacks would come crashing down.
If his opponent failed to block even a single move, they'd be done for in an instant.
After a long, grueling fight, Wu Ming's strength was nearly depleted by Can Jian. If he took another combo like this, defeat was certain.
Facing Can Jian's blade, Wu Ming didn't retreat—he advanced.
He reached out with his left hand, grabbing at the gleaming sword with his bare flesh.
"Slash!"
How could mortal flesh withstand the edge of a master's blade?
Wu Ming's five fingers were sliced off in an instant.
But he didn't flinch, pushing his left hand forward even further.
"Crack!"
Amid the bone-chilling sound of sword grinding against bone, the entire blade pierced through Wu Ming's arm.
The bloody scene stunned even the King of Qin, who watched in shock.
Using his hand as the price, Wu Ming finally earned the chance to get close and strike with his sword.
This was his deadliest move: the Ten-Step Killing Strike.
Once unleashed, blood would flow like a river.
In that moment, all Can Jian could see was a blinding sword light, too bright to face.
He threw everything he had into dodging backward, desperate to avoid Wu Ming's fatal blow.
"Thud!"
A sound like tearing cloth rang out. Can Jian's entire left leg was severed, blood soaking his white robe and splattering onto the black palace tiles.
"Huff! Hiss!"
"Huff! Hiss!"
The scene fell silent, save for the heavy panting as both men caught their breath, preparing for the next round of brutal combat.
All the fight scenes in Hero up to this point had been shot with an elegant, almost poetic flair.
Characters often floated through the air on wires, gracefully deciding victory in a dance-like flurry.
But this final battle was different—heavy, gritty, and bloody.
This duel was meant to decide the fate of the world, symbolizing the cruelty of war. Light and graceful choreography no longer fit.
Only iron and blood could determine the course of the world.
Wu Ming gripped his sword in his right hand, ready to press the attack.
After all, he'd only lost a hand—his mobility was unaffected, giving him the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Can Jian, now missing a leg, leaned on his sword for support, his bloodshot eyes locked on Wu Ming, forced into a defensive stance.
Wu Ming capitalized on his mobility, circling Can Jian relentlessly.
Unable to keep up, Can Jian could only stay calm and wait.
Suddenly, Wu Ming darted behind and thrust his sword at Can Jian's back.
Sensing the killing blow, Can Jian didn't dodge. Instead, he swung his sword backward in a counterstrike.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Both swords pierced their targets simultaneously.
In that moment, Can Jian chose to trade his life to take Wu Ming down with him.
"Was it worth it?" Wu Ming asked in his final moments.
Can Jian only nodded, replying, "Was it worth it?"
Wu Ming didn't answer. His head slumped forward.
"Cut!"
Director Zhang shouted excitedly. This scene had finally been shot to everyone's satisfaction.
The entire crew erupted in enthusiastic applause.
Li Renjie wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned. "Mission accomplished—finally pulled it off."
He'd doubted himself multiple times, wondering if he could really nail the fight scene Luke had choreographed. But in the end, he did it.
For this scene, he'd given it everything he had, pouring all his skill into it.
Thinking about how this scene would look on the big screen, he felt it was all worth it.
Luke nodded back with a smile, then walked off to sit and rest.
Gao Yuanyuan quietly handed him water and a towel, then sat beside him without disturbing his break.
Luke was pretty wiped out too. As the main attacker in the scene, he'd been moving a lot more than Li Renjie, burning through way more energy.
But right now, he was more focused on his task progress.
The system projected golden text in front of his eyes:
[Host has completed a B-level difficulty action scene, earning 5 assignable attribute points.]
Five points, huh?
D-level tasks rewarded 1 point, C-level gave 2.
B-level jumped straight to 5?
Luke opened his attribute panel.
[Name: Luke]
[Age: 19]
[Strength: 17]
[Agility: 20]
[Constitution: 15]
[Assignable Attributes: 5]
[Skills: Master-Level Swordsmanship, Master-Level Parkour, Master-Level Throwing Knives, Master-Level Hand-to-Hand Combat, Master-Level Line Delivery, Advanced Acting Technique, Advanced Acting Insight, Master-Level Marksmanship, Master-Level Blade Technique, Master-Level Japanese]
The first thing that caught his eye was the long list of skills.
Without realizing it, he'd already mastered so many.
And these skills were on the verge of evolving, merging into something even higher-level.
But first, time to allocate those points. Strength was at 17, so he'd prioritize bumping it to 20.
That would upgrade his Advanced Acting Technique to Master-Level Acting Technique.
Luke poured the assignable points into Strength.
[Strength: 17 → 19]
[Assignable Attributes: 5 → 1]
The boost in strength made his muscles even more robust.
His strength was now close to peak Mike Tyson levels. Combined with his master-level power techniques, throwing a 1,000-pound punch would be a breeze.
The strength increase also enhanced his legs, boosting his running and jumping ability.
Usain Bolt hadn't risen to fame yet, but Luke figured he still couldn't outrun him—for now.
He estimated he could hit 9.8 seconds in a 100-meter sprint, no problem.
Maybe he should enter the Olympics sometime, break some track records for the Asian community?
The thought crossed his mind.
He wasn't planning to become an athlete, but showing off his insane athletic ability in public would do wonders for building his image as a superstar action hero.
After all, it's all about proving he could pull off unparalleled feats of athleticism.
Luke tucked the plan away in his mind. He wanted the moment he stepped onto the field to stun the world, leaving a record no one would dare challenge.
But he wasn't quite there yet.
He figured he'd need all three attributes—Strength, Agility, Constitution—at 25 points.
If he could surpass Bolt's 100-meter record of 9.58 seconds and lock in a time under 9.5 seconds, what a dazzling achievement that would be.
Then people wouldn't talk about "Lightning" Bolt anymore—it'd be "Lightning" Luke.
That day wasn't too far off.
[Host's current attributes have reached their potential limit.]
[Complete Task: Establish an intimate relationship with any Type A or AB woman to unlock a potential limit breakthrough.]
As expected, the system's prompt was right on cue…