The path of the Sword Sect requires fighting, requires struggling, requires exchanging one's life.
Huangfu Yi won, so Zhang San's life was exchanged for a plaque, a stick, a copy of "Beichen God Iron Sword Refining Qi and Casting Sword Skill"… and a horse.
But truth be told, Zhang San did have chances to win, at least three times.
After all, his three sword thrusts were truly well-practiced. If he had disregarded everything and exchanged life-for-life with those thrusts, even Huangfu Yi couldn't confidently say he could take it; in that moment, the one who might have died under the sword could have been him.
Reasonably speaking, with Huangfu Yi just having finished a battle with Six Gates, covered in fresh blood, skin split open, he didn't look like he could endure much longer. Delay for a while, and he might exhaust his Qi and bleed to death, easily being cut apart. Why not battle with life then?
