jiā huo shǒu duàn céng chū bù qióng ， dàn lín xuān yǎn zhōng què lù chū yī sī gǔ guài shén sè TTT xiàn shēn yǐ hòu bào tiào bù yǐ ， sì hū bìng bù tài shòu tài bái jiàn xiān de kòng zhì 。
家伙手段层出不穷，但林轩眼中却露出一丝古怪神色TTT现身以后暴跳不已，似乎并不太受太白剑仙的控制。
The guy's tricks were endless, but Lin Xuan’s eyes revealed a hint of strange amusement. After appearing, he roared furiously, seemingly not too well-controlled by the White-Plum Sword Immortal.
nán dào ……
难道……
Could it be...
lín xuān xīn zhōng yǒu le cāi cè ， rán ér hái bù děng tā yǒu suǒ dòng zuò ， zhāng tài bái yǐ shēn shǒu rù huái ， qǔ chū yī xíng mào gǔ guài de líng cǎo lái 。
林轩心中有了猜测，然而还不等他有所动作，张太白已伸手入怀，取出一形貌古怪的灵草来。
Lin Xuan had his suspicions, but before he could act on them, Zhang Taibai reached into his robes and pulled out an oddly-shaped spirit herb.
zhǎng yuē bàn chǐ ， yǔ rén shēn pǒ wèi xiāng sì ， rán ér què tōng tǐ wū hēi ， sàn fà chū zhèn zhèn xīn là de qì wèi 。
长约半尺，与人参颇为相似，然而却通体乌黑，散发出阵阵辛辣的气味。
About half a foot long, similar to ginseng, yet completely black with a pungent odor emanating from it.
zhāng tài bái de yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī bù shě ， dàn suí jí jiù bèi hěn lì suǒ dài tì le ， kǒu yī zhāng ， pēn chū yī dào jiàn máng ， zài zì jǐ de shēn shàng gē xià yī dào kǒu zi ， xuè wù pēn yǒng ér chū ， bìng xùn sù jiāng nà líng cǎo bāo guǒ 。
张太白的眼中闪过一丝不舍，但随即就被狠厉所代替了，口一张，喷出一道剑芒，在自己的身上割下一道口子，血雾喷涌而出，并迅速将那灵草包裹。
Zhang Taibai’s eyes flashed with reluctance, but quickly hardened. He opened his mouth and spat out a sword beam, slicing himself open and causing blood to spurt out before enveloping the spirit herb.
xī shōu le jīng xuè yǐ hòu ， nà líng cǎo zài wū hēi zhī zhōng ， gèng tòu chū yī gǔ xiān hóng ， xiǎn de guǐ yì yǐ jí ， rán hòu zhāng tài bái jiāng tā pāo le chū qù 。
吸收了精血以后，那灵草在乌黑之中，更透出一股鲜红，显得诡异以极，然后张太白将牠抛了出去。
After absorbing the essence of the blood, the spirit herb glowed even more vividly in black, appearing extremely strange. Then Zhang Taibai threw it away.
jù mǎng kuáng tūn dú yán ， yī kǒu jiāng tā hán jìn le zuǐ lǐ ， tóng líng dà xiǎo de yǎn zhū guāng máng shǎn shuò ， xiǎn de xīng fèn yǐ jí 。
巨蟒狂吞毒蜒，一口将牠含进了嘴里，铜铃大小的眼珠光芒闪烁，显得兴奋以极。
The giant python greedily devoured the venomous snake, swallowing it whole. Its eyes, as big as copper bells, gleamed with excitement.
zhāng tài bái shēn shǒu yī zhǐ ， jù mǎng yǎn zhōng de bào nüè xiāo shī ， xiǎn chū jǐ fēn duì zhǔ rén wēn xùn de yàng zi ， rán ér mǎng tóu zhuǎn xiàng ōu yáng qín xīn ， què yòu lù chū liáo yá ， yī kǒu dú wù pēn chū ， tóng shí tā shēn xíng yī niǔ ， yě guǐ yì de cóng yuán dì xiāo shī dé wú yǐng wú zōng 。
张太白伸手一指，巨蟒眼中的暴虐消失，显出几分对主人温驯的样子，然而蟒头转向欧阳琴心，却又露出獠牙，一口毒雾喷出，同时牠身形一扭，也诡异的从原地消失得无影无踪。
Zhang Taibai pointed a finger. The ferocity in the python’s eyes vanished, showing a docile demeanor towards its master. However, when the serpent head turned to Ouyang Qinxin, it revealed fangs and spat out a cloud of venom while vanishing from sight with a twist.
ōu yáng qín xīn yù róng yī hán ， miàn duì zhè tóu kǒng bù de guài wù ， tā yě bù gǎn yǒu sī háo de qīng xīn dà yì ， zhǐ néng níng shén duì dí 。
欧阳琴心玉容一寒，面对这头恐怖的怪物，她也不敢有丝毫的轻心大意，只能凝神对敌。
Ouyang Qinxin's expression turned cold as she faced this terrifying monster, not daring to be careless. She focused her energy on combat.
zhāng tài bái sōng le kǒu qì ， rú cǐ yī lái ， tā jiù kě yǐ shí shī zì jǐ de gè gè jī pò zhī jì 。
张太白松了口气，如此一来，他就可以实施自己的各个击破之计。
Zhang Taibai heaved a sigh of relief; now he could implement his strategy of breaking them one by one.
lín xuān zì rán bú huì ràng tā rú yì 。 tái qǐ tóu 。 zhǐ jiàn nà qī bā bǐng fēi jiàn yī jiù wéi zhe gǔ dùn kuáng gōng bù zhǐ 。 zhǐ bù guò cǐ bǎo nǎi shì hóng huāng shí qī 。 yóu yuán yīng qī xiū shì qīn zì liàn zhì 。 jiān rèn yǐ jí 。 duì fāng xiǎng yào gōng pò tā dì fáng yù 。 yě bú shì yī jiàn róng yì zhī shì 。
林轩自然不会让他如意。抬起头。只见那七八柄飞剑依旧围着古盾狂攻不止。只不过此宝乃是洪荒时期。由元婴期修士亲自炼制。坚韧以极。对方想要攻破牠地防御。也不是一件容易之事。
Of course, Lin Xuan would not let him have his way. He looked up and saw that the seven or eight flying swords continued their relentless assault on the ancient shield. However, this treasure was crafted during the Primordial Era by an Incorporeal Realm cultivator, making it extremely resilient. It wouldn’t be easy for them to break through its defenses.
dàn zhè yàng xià qù 。 míng xiǎn duì zì jǐ bù lì 。
但这样下去。明显对自己不利。
But such a strategy clearly wasn't in his favor.
lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì 。 jiāng wò zài zuǒ shǒu zhōng dì shè líng jìng jì qǐ 。 rán hòu yī dào fǎ jué dǎ chū 。 cǐ jìng xī shōu yǐ hòu 。 dùn shí biàn dà le bù shǎo 。 zhí jìng yuē yǒu chǐ xǔ 。
林轩叹了口气。将握在左手中地摄灵镜祭起。然后一道法诀打出。此镜吸收以后。顿时变大了不少。直径约有尺许。
Lin Xuan sighed and raised the soul-drawing mirror in his left hand. He then cast a spell, causing the mirror to expand significantly, about a foot in diameter.
shù gè wū hēi guāng tuán yóu jìng miàn fú xiàn 。 rán hòu niǔ qū rú dòng 。 huà wèi bā zhǎng dà xiǎo dì hēi sè guài niǎo 。
数个乌黑光团由镜面浮现。然后扭曲蠕动。化为巴掌大小地黑色怪鸟。
Several black light orbs appeared from the mirror’s surface, twisting and writhing into palm-sized black birds.
lín xuān yì diǎn zhǐ 。 guài niǎo zài tā tóu dǐng pán xuán le yī quān 。 rán hòu biàn hū xiào zhe chōng xiàng le duì miàn 。
林轩一点指。怪鸟在他头顶盘旋了一圈。然后便呼啸着冲向了对面。
Lin Xuan pointed a finger. The strange bird circled above him before zooming towards his opponent.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， nà gǔ dùn shǎn le jǐ shǎn ， jìng rán bèi lín xuān zhāo le huí lái ， tài bái jiàn xiān bù yóu de yī dāi ， dàn duì fāng jì rán zì jǐ zhǎo sǐ ， tā kě bù huì shǒu xià liú qíng ， jiù yào cuī dòng jiàn guāng zhǎn xià ， suī rán yě kàn jiàn le nà gǔ guài hēi niǎo ， dàn què wán quán bù fàng zài xīn shàng ， diāo chóng xiǎo jì ， rú hé dǎng dé zhù zì jǐ fǎ bǎo de yī jī 。
与此同时，那古盾闪了几闪，竟然被林轩招了回来，太白剑仙不由得一呆，但对方既然自己找死，他可不会手下留情，就要催动剑光斩下，虽然也看见了那古怪黑鸟，但却完全不放在心上，雕虫小技，如何挡得住自己法宝的一击。
Meanwhile, the ancient shield flickered several times, actually being drawn back by Lin Xuan. The White-Plum Sword Immortal was taken aback but, since it had sought its own demise, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut down this troublesome youth.
tài bái jiàn xiān zì dān chéng yǐ hòu ， hǎn féng dí shǒu ， zì dà yī xiē ， dào yě shì qíng lǐ zhī zhōng de shì 。
太白剑仙自丹成以后，罕逢敌手，自大一些，倒也是情理之中的事。
However, when he activated his power, he felt a connection between himself and the flying sword become tenuous. He was alarmed.
kě xī tā tài xiǎo kàn lín xuān le 。
可惜他太小看林轩了。
At the same time, the essence qi within the flying swords began to flow out rapidly like a flood.
suī rán yǔ tóng jiē xiū shì xiāng bǐ ， cǐ zi xiǎn de nián qīng le yī xiē ， dàn zhēng dòu de jīng yàn què fēng fù yǐ jí ， ruò méi yǒu shí zú bǎ wò ， zì rán bú huì jiāng zì jǐ chǔ yú wēi xiǎn de jìng dì 。
虽然与同阶修士相比，此子显得年轻了一些，但争斗的经验却丰富以极，若没有十足把握，自然不会将自己处于危险的境地。
Zhang Taibai’s face paled as his life-bound treasure had been injured, affecting him too. Despite being shameless, he was also ruthless. Biting his lip, he clenched both hands.
liǎng rén de zuǐ jiǎo biān ， jī hū tóng shí lù chū le jī fěng zhī sè ， rán hòu nà cuǐ càn de jiàn guāng jiù yǔ wū hēi guài niǎo zhuàng zài le yì qǐ 。
两人的嘴角边，几乎同时露出了讥讽之色，然后那璀璨的剑光就与乌黑怪鸟撞在了一起。
Instantly, the flying sword trembled and shot out an astonishing beam of light, shattering the surrounding black glow. Zhang Taibai reached out to retrieve it, which flew back to his head.
wēng míng zhī shēng dà zuò ， cǐ niǎo jǐn jǐn dǐ dǎng le piàn kè jiù bèi jiǎo chéng diǎn diǎn xīng guāng le 。
嗡鸣之声大作，此鸟仅仅抵挡了片刻就被绞成点点星光了。
Lin Xuan let out a long roar; this soul-drawing mirror was indeed a valuable ancient treasure. Since its power could counteract the opponent’s, he would take advantage of their misfortune.
tài bái jiàn xiān de yǎn zhōng ， shǎn guò yī sī lěng liè de guāng máng ， nà jiàn guāng yī dùn zhī hòu ， jiù yào jì xù cì xiàng lín xuān ， kě zhè shí hòu ， yì biàn tū qǐ 。
太白剑仙的眼中，闪过一丝冷冽的光芒，那剑光一顿之后，就要继续刺向林轩，可这时候，异变突起。
He extended both hands and continuously infused them with spells.
nà xiē wū hēi de guāng máng kuì ér bù sàn ， xiàng zhe fēi jiàn piāo le guò lái ， bìng qiě yǒu rú dú chóng yì bān ， fù zhuó zài le jiàn rèn shàng miàn 。
那些乌黑的光芒溃而不散，向着飞剑飘了过来，并且有如毒虫一般，附着在了剑刃上面。
With a clear chime, the mirror expanded further, releasing dozens of light orbs that transformed into identical black birds like before.
“ zhè suàn shén me ？”
“这算什么？”
Zhang Taibai narrowed his eyes, his expression turning icy. However, he was not overly fearful; this youth underestimated him too much. He had taken a minor loss earlier, just failing to understand the ancient treasure’s nature. Now knowing it could absorb opponents’ spirit artifacts, he had methods to counteract it.
zhāng tài bái xīn zhōng zì rán shì chà yì fēi cháng ， bù guò zhè shí hòu què yě méi yǒu shí jiān duō xiǎng ， jiàn rèn yī dǒu ， jiù yào jì xù cuī dòng ， xiān jiāng zhè nán chán de xiǎo zi miè diào zài shuō 。
张太白心中自然是诧异非常，不过这时候却也没有时间多想，剑刃一抖，就要继续催动，先将这难缠的小子灭掉再说。
With a wave of his sleeves, he expelled a puff of essence qi, causing multiple flying swords to buzz and emit beams of light.
rán ér yī cuī fǎ lì ， què gǎn jué zì jǐ shén shí yǔ fēi jiàn jiān de lián xì ， biàn dé ruò yǒu ruò wú qǐ lái ， bù yóu xīn zhōng dà hài 。
然而一催法力，却感觉自己神识与飞剑间的联系，变得若有若无起来，不由心中大骇。
"Go!"
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， fēi jiàn zhōng de líng qì ， yě rú jué dī zhī shuǐ ， fēi sù xiàng wài liú shì 。
与此同时，飞剑中的灵气，也如决堤之水，飞速向外流逝。
The flying swords remained in place, but the sword beams rushed towards the birds like swift birds.
tài bái jiàn xiān liǎn sè yī bái ， běn mìng fǎ bǎo shòu chuàng ， duì tā zì rán yě yǒu yǐng xiǎng ， dàn cǐ rén suī rán wú chǐ ， xìng zi què yě hěn lì ， yǎo le yǎo yá ， shuāng shǒu yī qiā 。
太白剑仙脸色一白，本命法宝受创，对他自然也有影响，但此人虽然无耻，性子却也狠厉，咬了咬牙，双手一掐。
While the ancient treasure’s power was indeed troublesome, absorbing essence qi required contact with the opponent's artifact or body. As the sword beams were intangible, the ancient treasure’s ability had no effect on them.
dùn shí fēi jiàn yī chàn zhī xià ， bào shè chū jīng rén yǐ jí de jiàn máng ， zhèn suì le bāo guǒ qí shàng de wū guāng ， tā shēn shǒu yī zhāo ， fēi huí dào le tóu dǐng zhī shàng 。
顿时飞剑一颤之下，爆射出惊人以极的剑芒，震碎了包裹其上的乌光，他伸手一招，飞回到了头顶之上。
Upon contact, although the essence qi within the sword beams quickly diminished and dimmed, their potency still cut the birds in half.
lín xuān yī shēng cháng xiào ， zhè shè líng jìng guǒ rán shì fēi cháng hǎo yòng de gǔ bǎo ， jì rán tā de shén tōng néng gòu kè zhì duì fāng ， dāng rán yào tòng dǎ luò shuǐ gǒu 。
林轩一声长啸，这摄灵镜果然是非常好用的古宝，既然牠的神通能够克制对方，当然要痛打落水狗。
Neither side gained an advantage; both became nothingness.
shuāng shǒu shēn chū ， bù tíng huī dòng ， jiāng yī dào yòu yī dào de fǎ jué zhù rù qí zhōng 。
双手伸出，不停挥动，将一道又一道的法诀注入其中。
Lin Xuan sighed. The soul-drawing mirror certainly wasn’t limited to this power. However, this ancient treasure was mysterious, and he had only partially understood its secrets.
zài yī zhèn qīng míng shēng zhōng ， shè líng jìng yòu biàn dà le bù shǎo ， shù shí gè guāng tuán cóng lǐ miàn pēn yǒng ér chū ， huà wèi yǔ gāng cái yī mú yī yàng de wū hēi guài niǎo 。
在一阵清鸣声中，摄灵镜又变大了不少，数十个光团从里面喷涌而出，化为与刚才一模一样的乌黑怪鸟。
To truly unleash all of its powers, he would need to advance to the Incorporeal Realm.
tài bái jiàn xiān yǎn jīng yī mī ， biǎo qíng biàn dé yīn hán wú bǐ ， rán ér bìng méi yǒu duō shǎo jù pà zhī yì ， zhè shào nián yě tài xiǎo kàn zì jǐ ， gāng cái chī le yī bù dà bù xiǎo de àn kuī ， jǐn jǐn shì bù liǎo jiě nà gǔ bǎo de xí xìng ， jì rán zhī dào tā yǒu xī shōu duì fāng líng qì fǎ lì de shén tōng ， zì rán yě yǒu bàn fǎ yìng fù 。
太白剑仙眼睛一眯，表情变得阴寒无比，然而并没有多少惧怕之意，这少年也太小看自己，刚才吃了一不大不小的暗亏，仅仅是不了解那古宝的习性，既然知道牠有吸收对方灵器法力的神通，自然也有办法应付。
Since the artifact no longer worked, Lin Xuan stopped his futile efforts and retracted the magical mirror. He then took out a bright green jade flute.
xiù páo yī fú ， yī kǒu líng qì pēn chū ， shēn qián de zhòng duō fēi jiàn zài cì wēng míng qǐ lái ， bìng qiě yī dào yī dào de jiàn guāng shǎn xiàn 。
袖袍一拂，一口灵气喷出，身前的众多飞剑再次嗡鸣起来，并且一道一道的剑光闪现。
Instantly, Zhang Taibai’s expression turned ugly with disbelief. Even as an Incorporeal Realm cultivator, he had the chance to meet such beings, but in his memory, neither the two senior mentors from Bieyun Mountain nor the other old monsters from Leiyun Manor and Yixian Gorge possessed such a variety of treasures.
“ qù ！”
“去！”
Each item Lin Xuan displayed was extraordinary, passed down through the Primordial Era. Each was extremely rare, capable of stirring up bloodshed.
fēi jiàn yī jiù dài zài yuán dì ， dàn jiàn guāng què hū xiào zhe xiàng fēi niǎo yíng le guò qù 。
飞剑依旧待在原地，但剑光却呼啸着像飞鸟迎了过去。
Could Spirit Medicine Mountain be so rich?
nà gǔ bǎo de shén tōng què shí lìng rén tóu téng ， dàn xiǎng yào xī shōu líng lì ， yě yào jiē chù dào duì shǒu de fǎ qì huò zhě shì běn tǐ ， ér jiàn guāng nǎi shì wú zhì wú xíng zhī wù ， zhè gǔ bǎo de shén tōng zì rán yě jiù méi yǒu yǒng wǔ zhī dì le 。
那古宝的神通确实令人头疼，但想要吸收灵力，也要接触到对手的法器或者是本体，而剑光乃是无质无形之物，这古宝的神通自然也就没有勇武之地了。
Zhang Taibai, always self-important, now felt a mix of envy and jealousy.
liǎng xiāng jiē chù ， suī rán jiàn guāng zhōng de líng lì yě xùn sù liú shī ， biàn dé àn dàn qǐ lái ， dàn qí suǒ yùn hán de wēi néng ， hái shì jiāng fēi niǎo zhǎn wèi le liǎng bàn 。
两相接触，虽然剑光中的灵力也迅速流失，变得黯淡起来，但其所蕴含的威能，还是将飞鸟斩为了两半。
Lin Xuan’s expression remained serious; he showed no signs of relief. Despite their prolonged battle, Zhang Taibai had only used his life-bound flying sword. While borrowing from many sources was better than specializing in one art, this cultivator's artifacts were truly formidable. After so much time, they still stood evenly matched.
The guy's tricks were endless, but Lin Xuan’s eyes revealed a hint of strange amusement. After appearing, he roared furiously, seemingly not too well-controlled by the White-Plum Sword Immortal.
Could it be...
Lin Xuan had his suspicions, but before he could act on them, Zhang Taibai reached into his robes and pulled out an oddly-shaped spirit herb.
About half a foot long, similar to ginseng, yet completely black with a pungent odor emanating from it.
Zhang Taibai’s eyes flashed with reluctance, but quickly hardened. He opened his mouth and spat out a sword beam, slicing himself open and causing blood to spurt out before enveloping the spirit herb.
After absorbing the essence of the blood, the spirit herb glowed even more vividly in black, appearing extremely strange. Then Zhang Taibai threw it away.
The giant python greedily devoured the venomous snake, swallowing it whole. Its eyes, as big as copper bells, gleamed with excitement.
"Go!"
Zhang Taibai pointed a finger. The ferocity in the python’s eyes vanished, showing a docile demeanor towards its master. However, when the serpent head turned to Ouyang Qinxin, it revealed fangs and spat out a cloud of venom while vanishing from sight with a twist.
Ouyang Qinxin's expression turned cold as she faced this terrifying monster, not daring to be careless. She focused her energy on combat.
Zhang Taibai heaved a sigh of relief; now he could implement his strategy of breaking them one by one.
Of course, Lin Xuan would not let him have his way. He looked up and saw that the seven or eight flying swords continued their relentless assault on the ancient shield. However, this treasure was crafted during the Primordial Era by an Incorporeal Realm cultivator, making it extremely resilient. It wouldn’t be easy for them to break through its defenses.
But such a strategy clearly wasn't in his favor.
Lin Xuan sighed and raised the soul-drawing mirror in his left hand. He then cast a spell, causing the mirror to expand significantly, about a foot in diameter.
Several black light orbs appeared from the mirror’s surface, twisting and writhing into palm-sized black birds.
"Go!"
Lin Xuan pointed a finger. The strange bird circled above him before zooming towards his opponent.
Meanwhile, the ancient shield flickered several times, actually being drawn back by Lin Xuan. The White-Plum Sword Immortal was taken aback but, since it had sought its own demise, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut down this troublesome youth.
However, when he activated his power, he felt a connection between himself and the flying sword become tenuous. He was alarmed.
At the same time, the essence qi within the flying swords began to flow out rapidly like a flood.
Zhang Taibai’s face paled as his life-bound treasure had been injured, affecting him too. Despite being shameless, he was also ruthless. Biting his lip, he clenched both hands.
Instantly, the flying sword trembled and shot out an astonishing beam of light, shattering the surrounding black glow. Zhang Taibai reached out to retrieve it, which flew back to his head.
Lin Xuan let out a long roar; this soul-drawing mirror was indeed a valuable ancient treasure. Since its power could counteract the opponent’s, he would take advantage of their misfortune.
He extended both hands and continuously infused them with spells.
With a clear chime, the mirror expanded further, releasing dozens of light orbs that transformed into identical black birds like before.
Zhang Taibai narrowed his eyes, his expression turning icy. However, he was not overly fearful; this youth underestimated him too much. He had taken a minor loss earlier, just failing to understand the ancient treasure’s nature. Now knowing it could absorb opponents’ spirit artifacts, he had methods to counteract it.
With a wave of his sleeves, he expelled a puff of essence qi, causing multiple flying swords to buzz and emit beams of light.
"Go!"
The flying swords remained in place, but the sword beams rushed towards the birds like swift birds.
While the ancient treasure’s power was indeed troublesome, absorbing essence qi required contact with the opponent's artifact or body. As the sword beams were intangible, the ancient treasure’s ability had no effect on them.
Upon contact, although the essence qi within the sword beams quickly diminished and dimmed, their potency still cut the birds in half.
Neither side gained an advantage; both became nothingness.
Lin Xuan sighed. The soul-drawing mirror certainly wasn’t limited to this power. However, this ancient treasure was mysterious, and he had only partially understood its secrets.
To truly unleash all of its powers, he would need to advance to the Incorporeal Realm.
Since the artifact no longer worked, Lin Xuan stopped his futile efforts and retracted the magical mirror. He then took out a bright green jade flute.
Instantly, Zhang Taibai’s expression turned ugly with disbelief. Even as an Incorporeal Realm cultivator, he had the chance to meet such beings, but in his memory, neither the two senior mentors from Bieyun Mountain nor the other old monsters from Leiyun Manor and Yixian Gorge possessed such a variety of treasures.
Each item Lin Xuan displayed was extraordinary, passed down through the Primordial Era. Each was extremely rare, capable of stirring up bloodshed.
Could Spirit Medicine Mountain be so rich?
Zhang Taibai, always self-important, now felt a mix of envy and jealousy.
Lin Xuan’s expression remained serious; he showed no signs of relief. Despite their prolonged battle, Zhang Taibai had only used his life-bound flying sword. While borrowing from many sources was better than specializing in one art, this cultivator's artifacts were truly formidable. After so much time, they still stood evenly matched.