Chapter 32: The So-Called Way of the Sword...

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[The Eighty-Second Famous Sword—Spring Rain—is said to have been crafted by the master smith Ou Muzi in his early years, during the Dark Era two thousand years ago.]

[The sword is three feet and three inches long and weighs twenty-three jin. Forged primarily from star iron, it was made by smelting a hundred jin of refined cold iron.]

[Only three of its owners can be traced with certainty. The first was Feng Chengzi, who traveled through the Northern Wilderness—now known as the Hundred Thousand Mountains—with the sword at his side.]

[The second was Zhou Wu, a renowned founding general of the Wei Dynasty. For twenty years…]

After finishing the Register of Famous Swords, Chen Yi’s gaze fell upon the longsword resting nearby.

Its scabbard was made of black-grained wood, dull and unadorned from end to end, without a single carving.

The sword itself had no guard. Its straight, unembellished design was enough to win the affection of any swordsman.

Chen Yi picked up the Spring Rain Sword, ran his small hand along the blade, then gripped the hilt and applied a little force.

Clang!

As the sword rang, a flash of light swept across Chen Yi’s eyes.

“A sword that has no fondness for defense…”

“Then offense shall serve as its defense. That works too.”

After admiring it for a while, Chen Yi sheathed the Spring Rain Sword.

The little jade sword around his wrist suddenly buzzed and trembled, seemingly expressing its displeasure at his newfound favorite.

Chen Yi was rendered speechless. He took hold of the tiny jade sword and smiled as he consoled it. “You’re different from it. You’re my hidden trump card.”

“What is a hidden trump card?”

“Only after Spring Rain is defeated will you emerge to help me fend off my enemies. That’s what a hidden trump card is.”

“The stronger the existence, the later it appears, right?”

“Don’t believe me? Heh…”

Believe it or not.

Chen Yi rose and walked to the window. As he gazed into the night outside, the image of Chen Yuan delivering the sword came to mind.

He faintly sensed that the older brother he had seen today was somehow different from the one who had accompanied him before their journey to the Zhou residence.

Yet after carefully thinking it over, he could not say exactly what had changed.

After pondering for a long while, Chen Yi could only attribute it to the fact that the two had not seen each other for too long, and that little Chen Yuan had grown considerably.

Without realizing it, he recalled their conversation that night, and a trace of a smile appeared on his face.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are…”

Resist demons and monsters together?

There ought to come a day like that… right?

…

In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-June.

The scorching weather had turned the entire Kyoto Prefecture into a blazing furnace.

Not only the outer-city counties of Changle and Yongnian, but even the Imperial City itself had to activate its protective formations to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Rumor had it that droughts had already appeared in many places.

In the span of a single month, the brutal heat and drought had split the earth apart, leaving the farmlands barren and the harvests completely ruined.

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Even when Chen Yi occasionally entered the forbidden palace within the Imperial City, he could hear a trace of sorrow in the whispers of those around him.

It seemed that the sovereign and the ministers of the court were all troubled by the matter.

Of course, these were concerns for the adults. They could not affect him, much less the children of the Martial Prosperity Academy.

“There are only two months left until the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Ning Xue was still dressed entirely in white. Her long hair was gathered behind her head, with only two strands left hanging before her brow. Her star-bright eyes swept over the children in the Hall of Pure Rectitude.

Unlike usual, she was holding a sword today.

It was a longsword the same length as the Spring Rain Sword beside Chen Yi, though far more ornate and beautiful.

Its exquisite jade-white scabbard was carved with openwork designs through which the silvery blade could be glimpsed.

The hilt was milky white, and a sword tassel hung from its pommel.

“As I mentioned before, our Grand Void lineage focuses primarily on the Grand Void Way and the Way of the Sword.”

“Because of the sect’s prohibition, I cannot say much about the Grand Void Way. But I can speak of the sword.”

“Today, I shall begin with the Way of the Sword, so that you may gain some understanding of how to choose a weapon in the future.”

“As for what is known as the Way of the Sword…”

Before she could finish speaking, the longsword in Ning Xue’s hand had already left its scabbard.

As she explained the fundamentals of entering the Way of the Sword, she danced with the blade, now light and agile, now heavy and imposing.

As her speed shifted from slow to fast and back again, her sword-dancing form seemed to carry a certain artistic conception…

Elegance laced with sharpness?

And also pride and icy aloofness.

At least, that was how Ning Xue’s swordsmanship appeared to Chen Yi.

With his current attainment in the Way of the Sword, he could see that this immortal-like teacher, Ning, had also reached the stage of minor achievement.

Every movement was an extension of her will. With each gesture, sword qi lay concealed, unreleased, drawing everyone’s gaze through pure artistic conception.

Yet out of a habit formed over many years, Chen Yi instinctively began deducing the sword techniques Teacher Ning was demonstrating.

First, he identified several flaws within them and refined them along the way.

Then he began dismantling each sword move, searching for the corresponding techniques that could counter it.

One set, two sets, three sets…

Chen Yi raised his brows inwardly. As expected of a successor of the Grand Void Dao Sect’s sword tradition.

There were not many flaws in that sword art—only thirteen.

Accordingly, he had thought of only six sword arts capable of countering those moves.

“This is the Hidden Sword Form of the Grand Void Sword Way. It emphasizes concealment without release…”

After briefly introducing the technique, Ning Xue demonstrated three more sets of sword arts in succession, each with a different emphasis.

The other children, however, were mostly watching for the spectacle.

“Teacher Ning, you’re amazing.”

“Yes, that last sword dance was so beautiful.”

“It’s a pity that the item I chose at my one-year ceremony was a jade saber. My physique is better suited to using a saber…”

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Only the children who had chosen the jade sword at their one-year ceremony watched with especially fervent eyes, as though they wished they were the ones wielding the blade.

Chen Yi, of course, was not among them.

At least, he did not think much of the few sword arts Ning Xue had demonstrated.

Compared with the countless sword arts granted to him earlier by the status panel, those techniques could hardly be called formidable.

Once one had reached minor achievement in the Way of the Sword, sword techniques themselves were no longer all that important.

Chen Yi leaned more toward what the panel called “skillful in battle and versatile in application.” When facing an enemy, he did not confine himself to any particular sword art.

Instead, he pursued simplicity, directness, and effectiveness—striking at an enemy’s weakness to achieve a single-blow kill.

This was also related to the inheritances he had received and the arts of the Nightmare Realm that he had experienced.

Most of the demons and monsters he had fought had attacked without any pattern, let alone with rigid, formal moves.

In most cases, they used every means at their disposal: hands, feet, elbows, even biting and their tails.

Anything capable of inflicting harm became a weapon in their hands.

Thus, while fighting them, Chen Yi had gradually grown accustomed to this style of combat.

Whether you rely on overwhelming strength or use some elaborate, flashy technique, I will kill you with a single sword!

“Chen Yi.”

At that moment, Ning Xue’s cool voice rang out, interrupting his distraction.

He asked in confusion, “Teacher Ning?”

“Practice with me.”

Ning Xue waved her hand. Her aura stirred, and dozens of gentle currents of wind moved the other children in the hall to the surrounding edges.

Chen Yi fell silent.

He looked at where he stood and was left speechless.

She had not even given him a chance to refuse, directly leaving him alone in the center of the hall.

“Brother Yi, impressive!” Du Yanqing gave him a thumbs-up.

Du Yan called out after him, “Brother Yi, don’t be afraid. Teacher Ning won’t hit you too hard.”

“Brother Yi, be careful.”

Lin Xueru offered a reminder, then propped her chin in both hands as she watched the two figures in the center of the hall, her anticipation gradually growing.

She knew that Chen Yi possessed attainments in the Way of the Sword. That night…

As for the other princes, heirs, and the rest, they all looked as though they were waiting for a good show.

Especially after Chen Yi had appeared at the Martial Prosperity Academy one day with a longsword strapped to his back, Wei Letian and Gongye Shou had wanted more than once to see his swordsmanship.

Now they finally had the chance.

Seeing the situation, Chen Yi rose helplessly. Carrying the Spring Rain Sword, whose length reached his chest, he walked to stand opposite Ning Xue.

“Teacher Ning, how would you like us to spar?”

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