True Solution of the Sword Dao

Tassels were constantly being produced, and then swiftly shattered. Lin Fei’s longsword was almost too fast to track, its trajectory nearly invisible, along with his arm, leaving only a blur of illusory afterimages as he tirelessly parried the incoming blade edges.

"It’s over," Inokawa Toshizo instantly swept his katana across, silver light transforming into a silvery streak landing on Lin Fei’s longsword.

Clang!!

A figure was suddenly sent flying, crashing harshly against the wall behind, completely collapsing it. The building behind also revealed countless cracks.

"Cough..." A mouthful of fresh blood was coughed up from Lin Fei’s mouth.

He still hadn’t removed his disguise, but even with the C-level strength he was currently exhibiting, he was still no match for his opponent. Thus, even if he used his full form, it would likely be very difficult to defeat his adversary. For a moment, the idea of retreat started to take root in his mind.

Inokawa Toshizo slowly walked out of the billowing dust cloud.

"Since I became a disciple under the illustrious Watanabe-sensei of the Thoughtless God Technique, you are the first expert who has been able to keep up with my speed. What a pity—a genius envied by the heavens."

Lin Fei was embedded in the wall, silent.

He hadn’t lost yet!

Since beginning his Cultivation of the Tracing Shadow techniques, this was the first time someone had completely bested him in speed. This was due to a mismatch between his physical capabilities and his Cultivation Level. If his physical strength could be stronger, perhaps he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. Maybe he wouldn’t have been forced to this last resort.

His long hair wildly grew, and from beneath the black ribbon that tied it, the tips surged in length and suddenly broke free from their bindings, cascading down. The potential energy throughout his body rapidly retracted, revealing his original face, strikingly beautiful and very similar to Yan Jiu.

Inokawa Toshizo stood in place, calmly watching Lin Fei’s transformation.

"The final slash," he declared, lifting his katana horizontally, the blade faintly emanating a subtle glow.

*****************

Roar!!!

The giant bear totem materialized into a roaring bear, ferociously lunging forward. Luo Yixiong stood at a distance, his face pale, clearly at a great expenditure of energy.

Surrounding the bald old man were countless small black sphere-shaped bugs floating in the air, each one of them repelling the bear’s lunges.

"Give up, my bugs are not so easily breached," the old man boasted.

Feng Man had a fiery red bird perched on his shoulder, its head crowned with splendid colorful feathers, though its body’s red radiance seemed somewhat dim.

"Xiao Hong, go once more!" Feng Man gritted his teeth and softly instructed the little bird on his shoulder.

The red bird took flight, tracing a fiery red path through the air. As it approached the bald old man, it rapidly grew in size, ultimately transforming into a massive eaglelike bird, fiercely diving towards the old man encased in the black spherical bugs.

Xu Zhikang was crouched on the ground, his hands and body entwined in countless green vines. The vines and leaves were rapidly flowing, continuously burrowing into the ground. If anyone could see beneath the surface, they would discover a furious battle of countless green plant vines entangled with numerous black bugs, each side fiercely contesting.

"We can’t hold out in this war of attrition! He’s C-level. Where’s Yan Fei?" a sweating Xu Zhikang exclaimed.

"You should be more concerned about yourselves. As for the other person, my companion is taking care of them," the old man said with a smile. "My companion is much stronger than me."

*****************

Have you forgotten?

A voice suddenly resounded in Lin Fei’s mind.

Have you forgotten?

He slowly opened his eyes, only to see darkness.

After a moment of darkness, a silver blade light rapidly enlarged before his eyes.

Lin Fei’s ring instantly disappeared from his hand.

Clang!!

Crack!

The ring suddenly emitted a sound of being overburdened.

Lin Fei’s face changed. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

With a sway, the body of the ring shattered into countless fragments, spreading outward like shattered glass, creating a rain of shards.

Inokawa Toshizo quickly retreated, avoiding the scattering fragments. Microscopic gleams of light lit up on his blade again.

"You won’t be so lucky next time."

The deep blue in Lin Fei’s eyes became even more intense.

His body’s aura vibrated continuously.

He suddenly understood why he felt no progress.

Why he seemed increasingly stagnant.

Why even the Sword Dao True Solution was beginning to dim.

A Swordsman, by nature, is uncompromising, incredibly sharp, but he had too many attachments, too many concerns, and had long lost the edge and sharpness of his early days, merely relying on accumulation. That was only a quantitative change, but no qualitative progress.

His aura was merely a byproduct of the Sword Dao True Solution, yet he treated it as his main source of strength. His Cultivation Level in swordsmanship had also stagnated, without improvement. He had hoped for breakthroughs with external help but had lost confidence in himself.

Everyone’s energy is limited. If one’s desires are too vast, their focus too scattered, then their achievements are destined to stop at mediocrity, or even just at an ordinary level. In this world, countless people walk the same path; no one is more naturally gifted than another. Most start at the same point, but if one’s energies are too divided, then the progress they make is minimal.

Lin Fei had forgotten that the voice in his heart was merely his own inner voice.

What was the reason he wanted to become stronger at the beginning?

He desired too much, but that was just an excuse, an explanation not just for others but for himself even more.

****************

Boom! A massive storm suddenly burst open, with strong winds blowing countless objects outward.

On the street, there was not a single pedestrian around, and it seemed as if everyone else intentionally avoided the area where the barrier was located. The situation was eerily abnormal.

Lu Xiuya stood atop a huge black scorpion, holding her guandao at a slant, her expression calm.

Across from her, Watanabe Yotsuha appeared somewhat disheveled. Her katana even had two notches missing. Looking at Lu Xiuya standing atop the scorpion, Watanabe Yotsuha bit her lower lip.

"Xiuya, you truly live up to your reputation. I’ll give you this one," Watanabe Yotsuha said.

"Call your men back," Lu Xiuya said flatly.

***************

Lin Fei relaxed his fists and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

He had already died once. What exactly was there to fear?

The more one had, the more afraid one became of losing it. He feared losing what he had now.

Whether it was status and identity, power and wealth, or the people around him. He thought of Gao Ge, the man who started with nothing. He also thought of Yan Shi, another person who wanted too much.

One was about to head into death, the other had already fallen.

He gazed at Inokawa Toshizo not far in front of him.

Countless streams of potential energy were swiftly absorbed back into his body. The final layer of the Tracing Shadow Sword Techniques finally began to loosen. It wasn’t the aftereffects he had initially anticipated, as aftereffects wouldn’t last that long.

Lin Fei’s body slowly descended from the wall, without any potential energy swirling around him, yet she felt completely different from before. An unusually pure sensation surfaced in Inokawa Toshizo’s mind.

Under the sunlight, Lin Fei’s long hair fluttered in the air, only the hilt of his sword remaining in his hand. But he didn’t care.

"The game is over," he said softly. Fragments of countless rings slowly rose, revolving in the air.

Inokawa Toshizo also lost his previous composure, feeling a subtle sense of danger. He could sense that Lin Fei’s aura was exceptionally pure.

Hiss!

Suddenly, a stream of silver-white chill flew toward Inokawa Toshizo at lightning speed.

A man with exceedingly long sideburns appeared in the space between them.

"Bing Luo!" Inokawa Toshizo’s eyes sharpened. He swiftly retreated, trying to take cover inside a hotel but immediately hit a semi-transparent layer of ice.

The long-sideburned man radiated an immense potential energy that not only surpassed the C-level peak but reached B-level.

He glanced at Lin Fei.

"Potential energy broken?" he frowned.

As soon as the man appeared, Lin Fei hung his head down, and when he lifted it back up, his disguised appearance was restored, although it was too late to retract his long hair, so he let it spread out.

Hearing the man’s words, he stayed silent, calmly standing in his spot. This was within his expectations.

"No matter what special abilities you have, once your potential energy is broken, it’s all over," Bing Luo said lightly.

"Is that so?" Lin Fei smiled. The first page of Sword Dao True Solution unfolded in his mind, emitting a dazzling silver light.

******************

In a remote base in the Capital City.

Inside an empty storage freezer, a faint crackling sound quietly emanated.

"Beep..." An ear-piercing alarm suddenly rang out.

A researcher dressed in a white lab coat hurried in, opened the freezer, retrieved a rack of electronic test tubes, and then carefully removed one test tube from the position where the red light was blinking.

The transparent orb inside was completely shattered into countless pieces and was slowly fading away.

"Pity, another seed energy is lost," lamented the researcher.

Behind them in the lab, three or four more researchers rapidly arrived.

"Quick, report to Professor Xu—seed number q4213’s potential energy has shattered," the researcher holding the test tube turned and shouted loudly.

******************

Inside a large courtyard in Capital City, in a spacious room, a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit, getting ready to leave, held his phone to his ear.

"Professor Xu, are you sure you checked the number correctly?" a hoarse voice came from the other end.

"General Wu Shihai, I’ve verified the number several times—there’s no mistake. I’m sure Tian Ce Mansion has also received word by now. I too regret the nation’s loss of a genius," said the professor.

Wu Shihai was silent for a while before finally saying with regret, "I’ll confirm it, if it’s true, then disqualify him."

"Also, the previous research results are out," Professor Xu continued, "The same number, his potential energy is very mixed, not pure at all. Even if it were intact, it’s unlikely to achieve much; it’s fate. So, General, there’s no need to grieve too much."

"Not pure enough?" Wu Shihai turned around, looking out the window below, where a gentle middle-aged woman was leading a child, who was continually waving his little hand in their direction.

He slowly hung up the phone, but then another call came in immediately.

"General Wu, that young fellow Yan Fei’s potential energy was broken. A pity indeed. It was done by a C-level expert under Watanabe Yotsuha’s command, a man named Inokawa," a lazy female voice came through the phone.

"The mission is over, let him return to his jurisdiction. Someone from Tian Ce Mansion will voluntarily take over the slot," Wu Shihai sighed. "Also, tell him to lay low, although I guess this failure will depress him for a while."

"Alright. Also, Lu Xiuya’s mission is completed, but she killed more than ten men from the Thunder God Corps."

"Let her face the consequences herself; her conflict with Thunder God shouldn’t involve our organization," Wu Shihai said rubbing his temples helplessly. "At the same time, downgrade Yan Fei’s profile to ordinary. Although his potential was broken and his strength has plummeted, he is still adequate for the position of a city branch head. Perhaps he might live out his life that way, just like most branch heads..." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)