Chapter 72
With Chen Huai'an's aesthetic sense and the ink in his belly, this was the best he could do.
Old Li's swordsmanship was indeed graceful, showcasing a deep foundation. The movements flowed seamlessly without a hint of hesitation, and it even seemed like it could be used in combat. Yet, there was an underlying feeling that it leaned more towards performance.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly why, but Chen felt that some of the movements were superfluous; perhaps they could be omitted or replaced with something better. However, he wasn't a master himself and didn't dare to offer any critiques.
"How was that? Enough swordplay for you?" Old Li stroked his beard, sheathing his sword, his face beaming with pride, ready to receive a lengthy 3,000-word compliment from Chen Huai'an.
"Very good, very sword-like!" Chen gave a thumbs-up.
Old Li frowned. "What? You think my swordplay is lacking?"
"No, not at all." Chen Huai'an realized Old Li had misunderstood but didn't know how to explain. He could only scratch his head and say, "Old Li, I've had some insights lately. Could you take a look at my practice?"
"Sure, but if I find any flaws, I won't hold back."
"Alright then, let me borrow your sword."
Chen Huai'an took the sword from Old Li, focused his mind, slightly closed his eyes, steadied his stance, and assumed the posture of the first chapter of the Qinglian Sword Manual, "Crane Standing."
As he made his move, Old Li's initially critical gaze widened in astonishment.
In just a day, this kid seemed transformed. Not only had his legs healed, but the day before he had still looked like a novice, yet today his movements flowed with a natural grace, and most importantly, he had grasped the essence—'Shen' (神, spirit or essence).
Modern martial arts often faced ridicule for being flashy, and that flashiness was merely an imitation of martial forms, lacking the crucial 'Shen'.
Only when form and spirit coexist can one claim to have mastered martial arts.
And 'Shen' is far more important than form.
Why did ancient soldiers practice thrusting movements tirelessly?
It was to seek breakthroughs and understanding through countless repetitions.
How to exert force for a more powerful thrust, what angles allow for easier penetration of armor, how to escape obstacles... All of these become instinctive reactions in the moment of thoughtlessness, and that is when 'Shen' is formed.
From this foundation, one continues to break through.
In the heat of battle, one continues to gain insights.
A rookie can become a centurion simply by mastering the 'Shen' of a single thrust. A general, on the other hand, is a warrior who has mastered many 'Shen' techniques.
Lost in thought, Chen Huai'an had already completed the first twelve chapters of the sword manual. Initially, the movements were fixed, but gradually they flowed into graceful sword techniques—thrusts and slashes, coming and going effortlessly, without a trace of hesitation.
In a daze, Old Li seemed to see a white-clad swordsman dancing gracefully, one hand holding a sword, the other a wine jug, wild and free, like a dragon in flight.
"This... how is this possible?"
Old Li was dumbfounded.
This kid was no novice at all!
He was a master!
No, even the masters he had seen couldn't embody 'Shen' in so many movements! Many masters only managed to express 'Shen' in two or three moves and were already renowned.
But who was this kid?
Suddenly, the graceful figure in his vision came to a halt.
Chen Huai'an stood tall, eyes closed, sheathing his sword, left hand resting on the scabbard, right hand on the hilt.
A breeze blew by.
It stirred a sharp aura.
"Like a meteor, a white feather tucked at the waist, the sword flower of autumn lotus emerges from the sheath."
As the words fell, the sword was drawn.
Clang—!
Old Li couldn't even see Chen Huai'an's sword.
All he caught was a flash of brilliant light under the sun.
That light shattered into pieces, resembling a blooming autumn lotus.
With a hissing sound of the sword, the petals of the autumn lotus crumbled and fell.
And Chen Huai'an had already sheathed his sword with a resounding 'clang'.
Old Li stared blankly at Chen Huai'an, something caught in his throat, unable to utter a sound, his mind buzzing.
Was this a sword move a young man could produce?
That autumn lotus was a sword flower, right?
How much strength, how much speed did that require?
And how many years of practice had gone into that sword move?
"Not quite right..." Chen Huai'an sighed, shaking his head as he looked at the old poplar tree in front of him.
His original goal was to chop off a branch of the tree. Although Old Li's sword wasn't sharpened, he thought even a child could manage it if they aimed properly, right?
Yet the branch still swayed in the wind.
"Forget it, I should be satisfied with just a semblance of what I learned in the game." Chen Huai'an had figured out the principle behind it.
He had worn that game helmet, and through neural mapping technology, he had retained some of the sword moves in his mind.
That was why he could perform so smoothly today.
Chen Huai'an glanced at the time; it was almost nine o'clock. He didn't feel it, but apparently, he had been practicing for quite a while.
"Old Li, it's getting late. I need to head to the market, so I'm off now~"
He handed the sword back to the still-dazed Old Li, helped him adjust his fingers to secure the scabbard, and turned to leave.
Chen Huai'an had walked for a while when Old Li finally snapped back to reality.
He didn't say a word, just approached the old poplar tree with a serious expression.
His eyes didn't focus on the branches but searched the trunk carefully, feeling with his hands.
Soon, he found a deep sword mark on the thick trunk, as fine as a hair. If he hadn't touched it, he might not have noticed it with the naked eye.
Old Li took a deep breath, his facial muscles twitching, disbelief filling his eyes.
He circled to the other side of the poplar.
In a corresponding position, he found another hair-thin mark.
"Sword energy... it really is sword energy?!"
Old Li trembled as he took out his phone and dialed a number.
A rough, smoky voice came through the line:
"Hey, Old Li, long time no see. Have you forgotten your old friend?"
"Old Peng, I need to tell you something. Brace yourself." Old Li ignored the teasing in the other person's words. "I just met a young man who can wield sword energy!"
"What!?"
The voice on the other end shot up an octave.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." Old Li was tracing the sword mark on the poplar, his voice trembling slightly. "Right in front of me, I swear, he just 'whoosh'—with one sword, he pierced right through the trunk!"
"Old Li, stay put. Don't move. I'm coming over from the Demon-Slaying Bureau right now!"
Meanwhile...
In a small alley beneath a hotel.
Lin Lingling limped out, maintaining a calm expression, but the occasional twitch of her face betrayed the pain she was enduring.
"That monster was no ordinary foe. Just the aura it exuded was enough to pin me down, and it didn't even need to touch me to send me flying..."
Lin Lingling had never encountered such a powerful monster.
At least among the ones she had heard of, none compared.
"Ugh—! Damn it, I must have broken at least three ribs! I can't handle this on my own; I need to report to the Demon-Slaying Bureau..."
She hailed a taxi by the roadside, dragging her aching body into the car.
...
---
Chapter 77: Is Chen Huai'an a Ticking Time Bomb?
"Amitabha, infinite longevity and blessings, Amen... Fish benefactor, I know you are already a demon in disguise. To prevent you from causing chaos in the world, today I shall act on behalf of heaven!"
Chen Huai'an bowed three times to the still-living ten-pound big fish on the cutting board, then took out a thunderfire talisman tied to a drying rack.
This was to prevent the thunderfire talisman from exploding and injuring his arm when activated.
"Excuse me!"
As the words fell, Chen Huai'an pressed down on the drying rack, his eyes sparkling, silently reciting "Urgent as the law commands"!
Snap—!
The big fish flopped on the cutting board, its eyes wide open.
Nothing happened.
Chen Huai'an fell silent, gazing at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, his eyes filled with desolation: "I knew it; cultivating immortality is just a fleeting dream. Becoming a tumor superhuman is the only way out."
At the dining table, Ba Ji stared blankly at Chen Huai'an's bizarre behavior, filled with confusion.
[What is this big shot doing? Using a thunder talisman to kill a fish?]
[No wonder he's a big shot; he must be loaded!]
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