True Solution of the Sword Dao

An hour and a half later, Lin Fei got off the plane and headed straight to the school. After replenishing the Divine Artifact’s power for his duplicate, he went directly to the hotel room where Shuang’er had been staying. Shuang’er was still in Tianjing, and to say she was helping him with tasks would be an understatement; it seemed she was addicted to playing there. She had not come back yet, only making sure to call back at fixed intervals.

Walking into the empty suite and locking the door behind him, Lin Fei immediately entered the Sword Canon.

It was still a sunny day with white clouds, and on the grass, Lin Fei stood in the middle and said in a deep voice, "Sword Canon, I wish to conduct the first phase trial combat."

Immediately, a silver giant tome appeared in front of him, its pages filled with densely packed sword techniques and sword moves.

Lin Fei casually chose a Sword Art—Ten Directions Sword.

On the opposite side of the grass, a small, dwarfish old man suddenly appeared. The old man wore a golden robe, sported a three-inch beard on his chin, and the hilt of the black longsword on his back towered over half his height.

"Kid, have you heard of my name, Qiu Yuan of the Ten Directions Sword....."

Hisss!!

Blood instantly splattered.

The dwarf old man grabbed his throat in disbelief as blood continuously oozed out between his fingers. His eyes bulged, wishing to speak, but he could only make hoarse noises as his windpipe had been severed.

Less than ten seconds later, the old man fell to the ground dead, his blood completely soaking a small patch of the grass.

Lin Fei slowly sheathed the Black Demon Sword. Now, in a battle against a powerhouse no higher than C-level, as long as it didn’t greatly counter speed-type swordsmanship, victory or defeat was practically decided in an instant.

But what he was concerned about was something else.

"Victor: Sword Master. Choices: One, select a sword technique learned by the vanquished. Two, revive the vanquished (due to the activation of the second phase, immediate revival of the vanquished will grant a bonus to Space Evolution Degree)."

Lin Fei currently had no time to care about things like Space Evolution Degree, he just wanted to verify something crucial.

"Choice one," Lin Fei replied without hesitation.

"Available sword techniques—High-Level Sword Art: Ten Directions Sword. Intermediate-Level Sword Technique: Autumn Leaf Sword. Low-Level Sword Techniques: Arhat Sword Technique, Qishan Sword Method, Bright Spring Sword, Rising Sun Sword."

"One High-Level Sword Art, two Intermediate-Level Sword Techniques, and four Low-Level Swordsmanship can be selected."

Lin Fei immediately chose the Low-Level Sword Techniques. A massive stream of information poured directly into his brain.

Enduring the pain from the influx of information, after about a dozen seconds, Lin Fei slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Arhat Sword Technique, Qishan Sword Method, Bright Spring Sword, Rising Sun Sword. Out of these, the old man had only practiced the Rising Sun Sword to the sixth layer, out of a total of seven. He had yet to master the final layer. As for the Bright Spring Sword, which has a total of five layers, he had only reached the second layer. He had achieved perfection in the Qishan Sword Method and Arhat Sword Technique," he mused.

"I’ll choose the Rising Sun Sword then. The last layer is just about to break through." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Lin Fei drew the Black Demon Sword and skillfully performed a sword move, holding the longsword erect before his eyes. Holding the sword with one hand, his other hand formed a sword-finger gesture and rapidly slid it along the blade. True Force surged into the sword instantly. The blade made a sharp cut forward, leaving a lingering trail. This was the starting gesture of the Rising Sun Sword.

First Form: Deer Trots and Crane Stoops, Second Form: Wind Rolls the Raging Clouds, Third Form: Morning Sun Shines Universally, Fourth Form: Glittering Waves... A total of Seventy-Two Sword Forms, Lin Fei practiced them all in full combat seamlessly. The silver edge of the Black Demon Sword flitted in and out of visibility with his movements, resembling flashing silver scales.

But the Rising Sun Sword was not just the seventy-two forms; there was also the final ultimate move that merged all the moves of the Rising Sun Sword, which was the last layer among the total of seven. Connecting this move would allow one to advance to the final seventh layer.

According to the old man’s cultivation level, he was on the cusp of breaking through this move. And as it was only a Low-Level Sword Technique, both the True Force and the moves were relatively simple.

Lin Fei carefully followed the description and instructions of the Rising Sun Sword in the Sword Canon, speeding the flow of True Force inside his body along the path prescribed by the Rising Sun Sword, and simultaneously performed the starting gesture for the final move with the sword in his hand.

"The final form, Sword Qi Rising Sun!" Lin Fei leapt up violently, the whole person soaring into the air, the silver edge of the sword fiercely dragging a silver streak towards the distant lawn. This special effect of the final move could simulate the effect of Sword Qi, and for Sword Cultivators in the True Force Realm, it was quite a powerful move, since it could come close to pressuring Sword Cultivators in the True Qi Realm, naturally not a weak strike.

Regrettably, the sword streak had hardly flown a few meters before it burst apart on its own, dissipating into the air.

Lin Fei landed and closed the Black Demon Sword.

"As I suspected," he murmured.

"The power of the Rising Sun Sword is substantial, but its contents are roughly equivalent to that of the ultimate move of the Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship from my world. The two are on the same level in terms of realm, but I could easily master Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship while I can’t even successfully perform the nearly complete move of the Rising Sun Sword."

Then came Bright Spring Sword. The old man had only practiced it to the Second Layer, just establishing the foundation. Whether simple or hard, Lin Fei tested all of them and couldn’t master a single move.

"So it is with the Bright Spring Sword too," Lin Fei thought, feeling he already had the answer.

"If it’s said that cultural differences contribute to the incapability to advance in High-Level Sword Arts, then even Low-Level Sword Techniques, which are merely applications of skill, cannot be improved upon either, it’s evident that the issue lies with the Sword Canon."

"Perhaps learning the sword techniques from the Sword Canon in a different way would be better," Lin Fei mused, "What if I learned the sword techniques directly through sparring with an opponent?"

"Or by having revived masters directly teach me the sword techniques. Right, when Yuan Yicheng taught me the Heavenly Net Bright Moon Sword, I had already mastered the First Form. Since the Heavenly Net Bright Moon Sword wasn’t a technique transmitted directly into my memory through space, then..."

"Jinyi."

A glamorous figure suddenly appeared beside Lin Fei.

And the corpse of the old man from before had long since completely disappeared.

"My lord," Jinyi said, bowing her head respectfully. After being revived, she seemed to have lost the decisiveness and flamboyance she had shown in battle. She was more restrained now, knowing to act appropriately according to the time and place.

"Apart from the Jinyi Sword Art, what other sword techniques do you know? Something simpler?"

"Would the Basic Sword Technique do?" asked Jinyi.

"Basic Sword Technique? A low-level sword technique?" Lin Fei was taken aback.

"No, even lower than that. It’s meant for beginners to lay the foundation. However, if practiced well, it can also be quite powerful."

"That will do," Lin Fei nodded. On this point, the Sword Canon truly offered no choice.

At that moment, Jinyi had changed into a set of white casual wear, with bare feet under her fitted white trousers. She exuded a sense of straightforward elegance like that of a modern urban woman, yet the white longsword in her hands added a touch of composure and sharpness.

"This set of sword techniques was my enlightenment sword art, called the Shangyang Sword. By your standards here, it’s a standard product, known by almost every Sword Cultivator to some extent, and exceptionally easy to learn. But to truly master it is not easy," Jinyi said slowly, drawing her sword, and with a swish she lightly traced a sword flower. A flash of silver light suddenly illuminated the tip of the blade.

"Teach me," Lin Fei commanded in a deep voice.

"As you wish."

Next, Jinyi began to break down each form, coordinating the movements with the mnemonic techniques, step by step, explaining them carefully to Lin Fei.

With Lin Fei’s current level of comprehension, even without the understanding from the Sword Canon, the swordsmanship insights from Yan Shi were sufficient for him to easily grasp the Shangyang Sword. From the First Form to the last one, totaling thirty-six moves, there wasn’t a single hesitation, and he smoothly mastered it completely. Besides low proficiency and lacking his own interpretation and style, all other key points were fully understood.

"My lord’s talent is indeed extremely high," Jinyi said with admiration in her eyes, echoing Yuan Yicheng’s same assessment. "Back when I was hailed as the number one genius of Yueping Country, it took me a full five days to completely master this set of sword techniques."

"Is that so?" Lin Fei already had a clear answer in his mind.

"I never expected that there would be such a difference between direct memory transfer and learning through one’s own abilities," he suddenly had an epiphany.

"My lord, with your current level, as long as you practice for another month or so, you will gradually form your own style, which means you will have reached a significant level of mastery," Jinyi said with a smile.

"Style? "

The word struck Lin Fei’s mind like lightning.

He finally understood why the Star Shattering Sword Art he acquired couldn’t be improved, and also why the Rising Sun Sword he acquired earlier couldn’t be improved either.

"I see," Lin Fei looked down at the longsword in his hand. "Others’ sword techniques are infused with their habits and styles. The same set of sword techniques, even if used by different people, will have variations. If I attempt to use others’ cultivation level of swordsmanship with my own habits, it naturally conflicts with my own predispositions, resulting in only being able to reach the original effects at best. Take the old man’s Rising Sun Sword for example, his practice of the sword had a light and agile flavor, and every time a jump was required, he would leap particularly high. Clearly, that was the old man’s residual style and habit. Many other details along with those habits and inclinations were also transmitted into my instinctive memory with the sword technique from the Sword Canon. That’s why there can be no further progress, because it is impossible to connect the past and present actions, not to mention the flow of True Force. In contrast, the Shangyang Sword that Jinyi taught me was explained by her, and I learned through my own understanding, with subtle modifications happening in the process."

"So, in fact, all the sword techniques here can be learned, as long as there’s a change in approach. Regardless of whatever hidden dangers the Sword Canon holds, these sword techniques and arts are simply knowledge, and must undoubtedly be harmless." Lin Fei finally awakened to the truth.

"With that in mind," Lin Fei silently called out for Ye Yuhua in his heart.

Next to Jinyi, countless silver dots instantly gathered to form the still chilly Ye Yuhua. At this moment, she even faintly exuded a sense of oppression similar to when she wielded a Planet-Level sword.

"My lord," Ye Yuhua said coldly. "May I ask what your orders are?"

"Teach me the Star Shattering Sword Art. From the beginning," Lin Fei said with a smile.

"Certainly," Ye Yuhua replied calmly.

Half an hour later...

Lin Fei suddenly appeared in the suite. His right hand gently caressed the hilt of the Black Demon Sword, his gaze tender.

Suddenly, the sword came out of its sheath, and Lin Fei brandished it high above, with the image of a gigantic planet faintly emerging behind him. The gently rotating pale blue giant planet exuded an immensely heavy sense of oppression that instantly spread throughout the entire room.

"So that’s how it is, that’s how it is... Hahaha!!!" Lin Fei burst into enlightenment laughter. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)