"Yes!" Zhao Yun left the military camp and rode his horse toward Luoyang.

After Zhao Yun left, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the camp. Lu Li went out and saw a group of soldiers surrounding Xu Ermao and a general, making a fuss.

Upon seeing Lu Li, the general immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Zhang Liao greets you, sir!"

Lu Li's eyes lit up. Zhang Liao? Could it be Zhang Liao, one of the Five Elite Generals of Cao Wei?

"Get up. Do you recognize me?"

Lu Li was unaware that Zhang Liao was in the Yellow Turban Army. Zhang Liao played a crucial role in the attack on Changsha and was later appreciated by Xu Huang and given important responsibilities by Lai Fu.

“Sir, I had the honor of meeting you once in the army, though I was just a lowly soldier at the time,” Zhang Liao said respectfully.

Lu Li nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yes, very good!"

Lu Li then turned to Zhang Liao and asked, "What were you doing leading your soldiers to surround Xu Ermao just now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao hurriedly explained, "Sir, I only wish to spar with him; I have no other intentions."

Lu Li was quite familiar with Zhang Liao's abilities; he was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also had remarkable command capabilities.

Zhang Liao once commanded 800 elite guards, causing Sun Quan's 100,000 men to flee in terror. In Jiangdong, it was even said that the name of Zhang Liao could stop a baby from crying.

Moreover, Lu Li also wanted to know what Xu Ermao's strength was, so he smiled and said, "In that case, why don't you two have a spar?"

With Lu Li's approval, the soldiers in the army breathed a sigh of relief and shouted in unison, "Good! Good! Good!"

Zhang Liao held a long sword, while Xu Ermao's sword was somewhat unusual, with a long blade but a rather short handle.

This kind of knife can only be used by people with immense strength.

The two stood facing each other. Upon seeing Xu Ermao's broadsword, Zhang Liao abandoned his contempt and launched the first attack, charging towards Xu Ermao.

Xu Ermao also brandished his broadsword and charged forward. The two clashed quickly. Zhang Liao's swordsmanship was extremely steady, and his sword strikes were continuous.

Xu Ermao's movements were somewhat chaotic; his blade flickered erratically, appearing scattered.

But just as Zhang Liao was about to strike his chest, Xu Ermao suddenly changed position with his sword, slashing diagonally towards Zhang Liao's waist and abdomen. This move was somewhat strange.

Ding~

Xu Ermao used this move skillfully, blocking Zhang Liao's attack and taking the opportunity to counterattack.

Now Zhang Liao had no choice but to defend himself, otherwise he might get injured or even lose his life.

Xu Ermao seized this opportunity and launched another fierce attack.

Such confrontations become increasingly difficult once one falls into a disadvantageous position.

Zhang Liao kept defending, and a light sweat was already beading on his forehead.

Soon after, Xu Ermao seized an opportunity and thrust his sword into Zhang Liao's ribs.

If this stab had landed, Zhang Liao would likely have been seriously injured, if not killed.

Zhang Liao narrowed his eyes, stepped forward with his left foot, raised his right leg, and kicked Xu Ermao straight in the chest.

Xu Ermao dodged to the side, but Zhang Liao took advantage of the situation and slashed at his neck with his sword.

He hurriedly parried with his sword, and the moment the blade and the back of the sword touched, Xu Ermao felt a tremendous force coming from the back of the sword, and immediately staggered back several steps.

Zhang Liao pressed his advantage and charged forward.

Xu Ermao gritted his teeth and raised his knife again to meet the attack.

Ding~

The two swords clashed again, and Zhang Liao felt a tremendous force from the back of the blade, causing his entire arm to go numb.

Zhang Liao secretly exclaimed, "What incredible strength! This Xu Ermao is indeed formidable; his brute strength is even more astonishing than Dian Wei's!"

Xu Ermao was a little frustrated. He thought he had the upper hand, but he didn't expect to suffer a loss.

Zhang Liao pressed his advantage, unleashing several consecutive slashes that left Xu Ermao in a sorry state.

However, Xu Ermao seemed to have found a pattern and gradually figured out Zhang Liao's tactics.

Although Zhang Liao's swordsmanship was steady and domineering, each strike required a moment of charging up, which gave Xu Ermao room to react and a chance to catch his breath.

Gradually, Xu Ermao adapted to Zhang Liao's rhythm and slowly gained the upper hand.

Before long, Xu Ermao sent Zhang Liao flying with a single blow, then leaped up, shouted, and with a flash of light, slashed at Zhang Liao.

"not good!"

Zhang Liao's expression hardened, and he quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the blow, but his shoulder armor was slashed by the blade.

Xu Ermao was overjoyed at the sight and charged forward with his sword.

The knife was placed directly against Zhang Liao's neck.

"You lost!" Xu Ermao grinned.

Zhang Liao gave a wry smile and said, "Brother Xu is truly formidable. I, Zhang, am completely humbled."

Judging from the battle between the two, Zhang Liao's strength was only at the peak of the eighth-level martial artist, and he had not yet stepped into the ninth level.

Xu Ermao had already reached the ninth level, but he lacked practical combat skills, which is why he fought Zhang Liao for so long before narrowly defeating him.

Lu Li nodded slightly. Xu Ermao was able to win entirely because he was familiar with Zhang Liao's tactics.

This also demonstrates that Xu Ermao has an extremely strong ability to adapt.

If he could also cultivate the internal energy techniques of Guigu, he would definitely be able to enter the ranks of minor grandmasters before the age of forty.

“Brother Xu, I see that your longbow on horseback is quite powerful. May I have the honor of giving it a try?” Zhang Liao said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Xu Ermao laughed heartily, jumped off his warhorse, and handed his longbow to Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao reached out and pulled the bowstring, causing the veins on his arm to bulge.

"Huh? What a heavy bow!"

He had already used seventy percent of his strength, and he could barely draw the bow. How much weight must that be!

"Brother Xu, how many loads does this bow carry?"

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