Phantom Demons and Sword Demons were two different types of styles. Their skills were chosen based on whether the Ghostblade wanted to mainly use Sword Skills or Ghost Boundaries. In terms of PvE, Phantom Demons were actually better than Sword Demons. But in terms of PvP, Sword Demons were clearly the winner. This was especially true in a 1v1 PK, where Phantom Demons were publicly accepted as a weaker class. Even for Li Xuan, the user of the number one Phantom Demon Sobbing Ghost, he rarely came out during the Individual or Group Competition.
This wasn't an issue of mechanics. It was simply because the class wasn't set up for duels. Anyone who was able to join the pro scene wouldn't be bullied easily by anyone, which was why, even for a Phantom Demon master like Li Xuan, even he wouldn't play a 1v1 match against one.
But the Rookie Challenge Competition was, after all, only a show. Winning or losing didn't matter too much. Normally, Li Xuan would use his Phantom Demon to do battle. But today, with Gao Yingjie and Wang Jiexi's previous battle looming over him, Li Xuan was too afraid to think of this match as just a show match. Moreover, he wasn't sure whether or not the other side had wanted to lure him into playing his Phantom Demon and then use his Sword Demon to suppress him. As a result, Li Xuan cautiously put in his points into making a Sword Demon.
In the end, Qiao Yifan actually chose to use a Phantom Demon. Li Xuan had figured this out when he made his first move.
Apart from the difference in skills for Sword Demons and Phantom Demons, they also chose different equipment.
Sword Demons mainly used Sword Skills, which were all instant casts, so they sought after attack speed. On the other hand, Phantom Demons mainly used Ghost Boundaries, which were all cast abilities, so they sought after cast speed like mages did. After the two Ghostblades chose their equipment, one of them would have a faster attack speed, while the other would have a faster cast speed.
When the two contested with Ghost Slashes and attacked at the same time, the Sword Demon had the advantage, which was why Qiao Yifan's Phantom Demon had been hit.
In a duel between Phantom Demons, the players contested against decision making and wretchedness. It could be said that Qiao Yifan couldn't compare to Li Xuan. That guy had wretchedly chosen to create a Sword Demon instead of a Phantom Demon.
His hit had connected. But in Li Xuan's mind, even though he knew that the other side was a Phantom Demon, he couldn't relax just yet. Not just him, but these fundamental combos were already reflexes to him. When the Ghost Slash hit, the follow-up Moonlight Slash was practically done without any thought.
As for Qiao Yifan? He had studied the Ghostblade recently and knew about this. The instant his attack hit, he realized that Li Xuan was unexpectedly using a Sword Demon. Qiao Yifan was still a rookie, after all. A lot of his thinking wasn't as deep as those veterans. He had originally thought that the other side would definitely pick a Phantom Demon against him. This sudden change instantly messed up his plans and he had made a mistake because of it. It was also his very first time being on such a large stage and he had initially been very nervous. The sudden difference between reality and what he had imagined caused his mind to turn blank.
Moonlight Slash, Full Moon Slash. Ghost Claw into a Sword Boundary into an Upward Slash, a Gore Cross, and then another Moonlight Slash.
Li Xuan was incomparably skilled with this combo. Sword Demons mainly focused on Sword Skills and only learned a few skills from other Swordsman classes, such as the Blade Master's Upward Slash, the Berserker's Gore Cross, etc. These low-leveled skills weren't learned for damage, but rather as links for combos to allow cooldowns to come off.
Li Xuan didn't let up while comboing. This player wasn't a monster so it wouldn't just passively take a beating while it was in the air. This was especially true for pro players, who practiced thoroughly in escaping from mid-air predicaments. But for Phantom Demons, no one was more clear than Li Xuan on what methods could be used in mid-air. He watched very closely and set up plans for dealing with whatever movements the opponent would make. However, in the end, he had done all that thinking for nothing. After being launched into the air, his opponent was just like an NPC. He didn't respond in any way and just flopped around, taking a beating. Li Xuan had even been able to complete the full combo.
