Carson didn't even draw his saber to block. He simply tapped the floor.
"ORB: Duel Mode."
The Cloud-Reach Gardens vanished. They were suddenly standing on a platform made of clouds, high above a digital representation of the ocean.
Liang Chen's ice needles struck an invisible barrier three inches from Carson's face. "An ORB? You think a pocket dimension will save you?"
"The ORB isn't to save me," Carson said, standing up slowly. the 11th strand of silver Qi flickered at his fingertips. "It's to ensure your Master doesn't complain when I send you back with a broken rapier."
Liang Chen roared, his 15 strands of Frost-Qi manifesting into a Giant Snow-Leopard. The beast leaped across the cloud-platform, its claws made of absolute zero.
Carson finally gripped the Star-Shedder. He didn't use the Azure Dragon. He didn't use the Phoenix. He used the 11th strand—the Sense.
He moved his blade an inch to the left.
CRACK.
The Leopard's claw struck the flat of the saber and shattered. Carson hadn't used power; he had used the "Sense" to find the exact molecular flaw in the Frost-Qi.
