True Solution of the Sword Dao

Some of the trainees immediately looked towards Xu Ruoruo, who stood at the very front.

The longsword moved softly and gently, sometimes slowly, sometimes smoothly, as natural and harmonious as flowing water. At times, when the movements were quick, one could even hear the faint hissing sounds. It seemed she was not practicing swordsmanship, but dancing. The reflections from the silver sword tip left a trail of visual afterimages, forming what seemed to be a slender silver dragon coiling around her, occasionally emitting a light hum.

Lin Fei was actually not wrong; these fundamentals were indeed key to Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship, but the true standard was far from Xu Ruoruo’s current state. It required more stable and refined force. Of course, there weren’t such high demands for ordinary people.

Walking slowly along the edge of the formation, Lin Fei noticed a girl on the far left taking her moves particularly seriously. In such training, most people who had signed up had already left the training as enthusiasm and novelty waned, leaving only those who were relatively persistent. Having seen the instructor’s demonstration, they all wanted to learn well, but among them, some were only learning for the sake of looking good or to appear cool. Thus, among those present, really only two were there with the intention of learning swordsmanship.

Lin Fei had been observing these individuals since they first joined the club. One of them was this girl called Zhou Ting, and the other was a weak-looking young man of about eighteen or nineteen, wearing thick glasses and always having an intense look in his eyes. Both exhibited proficient movements when practicing the sword, evidently having spent extra time practicing after learning. Thus, Lin Fei naturally started focusing on these two.

Lin Fei still had some recollection of Zhou Ting, the girl he met while carrying out a mission for Shueisha, but he had no recollection of the other one.

"According to the Swordsmanship Club’s plan, it seems these promising seeds can be nurtured in advance." Lin Fei thought as he set his sights on Zhou Ting and the bespectacled young man named Ye Qing.

The group training continued until noon, ending around 11:30 am. The trainees returned their longswords with sore backs, leaving the Swordsmanship Club together, discussing how pointless they found today’s lessons and wondering how long it would take to reach the instructor’s level. Most were rather disheartened.

Only two were different from the rest. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Zhou Ting and Ye Qing both had ordinary, even unattractive, appearances.

Especially Ye Qing, with his thick glasses, frail figure, and an unclean face dotted with pimples, he kept others at arm’s length.

After returning the standard-issue white longsword, neither Ye Qing nor Zhou Ting paired up with others; perhaps they were both aware that they had different objectives from the rest from the very beginning. Fundamentally, they were not on the same path.

So, both of them politely declined when others greeted them, instead lingering at the back,

In the equipment room, various sword racks of different sizes and longswords filled the entire room.

Most trainees had already returned their longswords. Only a few were left.

"Zhou Ting, shall we head back together?" A chubby girl with glasses asked as she put on her shoes.

Zhou Ting shook her head, "No, you go ahead. I still have something to do."

"Oh." The girl nodded, accustomed to such a response. Almost every week Zhou Ting came, she would give the same answer.

Ye Qing, on the other hand, was not approached by anyone. His reclusive nature meant he was used to this. He simply adjusted his glasses and watched the last student leave the equipment room.

Click.

The door automatically swung closed.

"Let’s go," Ye Qing stood up and said softly.

Zhou Ting nodded. Every time it was like this, they would wait for all other students to leave before continuing their practice in the sword room. So, they had developed a tacit understanding.

The Fifth Sword Room, a public sword room available for use by students. The large sword room was directly facing a mirrored wall, which reflected all actions within the room, so students could correct their movements at any time.

Inside, a middle-aged woman with slightly gray at the temples was meticulously caring for a black longsword, gently wiping it with a silk cloth. This woman, named Yuan Yue, carried a very rare surname, and like Yuan Yonglong, she was another civilian swordsmanship expert introduced to the club by the old master. She was the second expert to join the Swordsmanship Club after Yuan Yonglong.

Yuan Yue had an ordinary appearance, but as she wiped the sword, she exuded a gentle and charming uniqueness. Her swordsmanship, passed down within her family, was different from the Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship, which typically focused on grandeur; hers was lightweight and agile, fitting the standards of traditional swordsmanship.

When Yuan Yue saw the two come in, she simply nodded lightly and then continued caring for her longsword.

Although Zhou Ting and Ye Qing did not quite understand why Yuan Yue insisted on maintaining her longsword herself, especially since the club had staff assigned to this task, they didn’t feel it right to ask given her attitude.

The two settled in separate areas at the back of the sword room, picked up longswords from the rack, and began practising on their own, pondering and reflecting on parts they did not understand during the day.

**********

Lin Fei stood in front of the maintenance room looking at Jiang Nan, who was busily oiling, checking, and putting away each longsword in a fluster among the group of maintenance staff.

"You still haven’t gotten the hang of it after all this time," he said.

Jiang Nan smiled sweetly, showing off two small dimples. "Much better already. I’m a lot more skilled now compared to when I first started and knew nothing."

The young girl beside her chimed in, "She was all thumbs at the beginning, but now she’s improved a lot."

"Oh, Xu Jie!" Jiang Nan said with annoyance, pushing away the girl beside her.

"I’ll come to get you in twenty minutes," Lin Fei said with a smile.

Jiang Nan nodded, "Alright, I still have a lot to do here. There’s a bit more work today."

After leaving the maintenance room, Lin Fei strolled slowly along the corridor.

The Swordsmanship Club now had a total of two civilian experts, one being Yuan Yonglong and the other Yuan Yue, both introduced by Fee. Recently, due to Chen Wu’s disappearance and Xu Ruoruo’s near-death experience, Yuan Yonglong was in poor spirits and took a leave to rest. Fortunately, his disciple, Lin Yuanshan, was diligent, and even wanted to take on his master’s teaching responsibilities if he weren’t so stretched thin. After her ordeal and returning from the hospital, Xu Ruoruo started practicing swordsmanship as recovery, nearly every day, working on instructional demos whenever she had time.

Besides not being profitable, the Swordsmanship Club was, after all, operating normally.

Lin Fei gently touched the area over his chest, where in the pocket of his shirt, he had placed three newly acquired True Force gems, their continuous stream of True Force merging into his own and quickly assimilating, flowing into his True Force Core. Despite no substantial improvement in his Cultivation Level, Lin Fei could still feel the pattern of the Second Layer of the Sword Dao True Solution Qi Cultivation growing increasingly distinct.

As he passed by each Sword Room, occasionally some doors were open and inside, instructors could be seen practicing slowly, including Xu Ruoruo. Lin Fei paused briefly in front of her door but moved on directly.

However, upon passing the Fifth Sword Room, Lin Fei unexpectedly saw Zhou Ting and Ye Qing both focused on practicing inside.

Feeling a slight stir in his heart, Lin Fei gently pushed the half-closed door open.

Yuan Yue, who was sitting in the front, also saw Lin Fei come in, quickly sheathed her longsword, and came over. Like Yuan Yonglong, she knew that the real person in charge of the Swordsmanship Club was the young man before her.

"Chief Instructor Yuan," Lin Fei said, nodding politely.

Even though Chief Instructors like Yuan Yue and Yuan Yonglong only occasionally came out to give pointers to students, they were still referred to by their rank.

"Lin Fei, why haven’t you left today?" Yuan Yue asked gently. She had a son in high school and two elderly to support at home. Her previous salary as a physical education teacher was far from enough to cover the expenses. Being able to come here and earn a salary several times higher than before while continuing what she loved most, sword training, was an opportunity provided by Lin Fei. Therefore, even though he was just an ordinary young man, she was grateful to him.

"Nothing much, Nannan isn’t finished yet," Lin Fei said with a smile. He looked to the two people practicing inside the room. "Do they always practice like this?"

Yuan Yue nodded, "They’re always like this when they come. They have blisters on their hands; they’re very hard-working." It seemed she admired the two as well, but her expression darkened immediately after. "But in this world, no matter how good you are at swordsmanship, what’s the use? It still can’t stand up to a gun."

Lin Fei stood by, smiling quietly.

"Maybe in this world, there are secrets that we can’t see?"

Yuan Yue shook her head, "Perhaps, but such things are too far away from us." It was apparent she must have experienced something to have such insight.

"Aunt Yuan, your son is about my age, right? I heard he doesn’t want to carry on your swordsmanship?" Lin Fei asked gently.

Yuan Yue said helplessly, "It’s better if he doesn’t. After all, it’s no longer the era of Martial Artists."

"I heard your Longsword is called Autumn Water, handed down from a brilliant Swordsman, Mo Yanqiu from the Shu Region at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. I wonder if I could have the honor of seeing your swordsmanship, not just those ordinary Sword Moves you showed when you joined the Club?" Lin Fei gently raised his right hand, and the two employees in the Sword Room immediately knew to leave discreetly.

Ye Qing and Zhou Ting, who were further away and focused, didn’t hear the conversation. Seeing the employees leaving the Sword Room, they too prepared to put their swords away and leave. But they were stopped by a gesture from Lin Fei.

Click.

The door to the Sword Room was quietly closed by Lin Fei.

Yuan Yue was taken aback, silently watching Lin Fei for a moment.

Suddenly, she smiled, and in an instant, an icy sharp aura burst forth from her. The gentle woman a moment ago completely vanished, replaced by the profound aura of a supreme Swordsman, like an upright spear of ice.

"Since you want to see it, then I’ll demonstrate one move," Yuan Yue said flatly.

Her eyes suddenly emitted a faint green glow. A subtle aura quietly radiated from her.

Lin Fei’s expression abruptly became serious, his smile disappearing, his easygoing demeanor evaporating. His own eyes flashed with a hint of blue, as clear and brilliant as Crystal. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and Monthly Tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)