True Solution of the Sword Dao

The shadowy figure shuddered, as if the sound of something shattering echoed around him. A sprinkle of silver powder scattered beside him, quickly dispersing as a gentle breeze whisked it away.

"Someone interfered with my spellcasting over there," he said in a deep voice, and though his face was unseen, one could imagine his expression was far from pleasant.

He glowered at the spot where Lin Fei had vanished.

"Who would have thought we would encounter such an anomaly on our own turf?"

Another shadow spoke in a similarly low tone.

"All four of my Shadow Mages have lost contact. Such a strong force of interference, heh, I didn’t expect that guy would be willing to invest so much."

Griffin across from him let out a faint smile.

"Then, this round will be considered nullified," he proposed.

The representative of the shadows across from him snorted coldly but said nothing.

"Let’s continue with the next item," said Griffin, seemingly unconcerned about the sudden incident, as he went on with the negotiations.

Both parties showed no concern for Lin Fei’s departure and peculiarly continued their discussion.

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

Lin Fei’s astral form stood on the rooftop. Jingjing looked up at the three remaining shadows in the sky, silently.

A pile of dark fabric lay scattered around his feet. Among them was a crystal ball, filled with cracks and about the size of a basketball, with a finger-wide hole in the center. Numerous fractures spread out from this hole.

The three shadows spun swiftly in the air, circling above Lin Fei’s head. Ring after ring of transparent ripples radiated from their forms.

A low and strange chanting resonated in the sky. Simultaneously, a massive silver array slowly emerged from the void, with dense silver lines and runes covering the space above Lin Fei. The trio was encircled by the array, and a formidable presence slowly emanated from it.

Lin Fei could sense that these three shadows were not solid, but rather something in between corporeal and incorporeal, filled with an eerie life force. They were likely not human.

"This kind of chanting... Are you people from the magic side?" he whispered.

The opposition remained silent.

Suddenly, a giant black hand shot out from behind Lin Fei. The hand seemed to reach out directly from the void, appearing as an isolated limb with sinewy muscles. A red diamond-shaped gem was embedded on its back, with myriad vein-like red lines radiating from the gem, hardly resembling a human hand.

Lin Fei immediately turned and swung his sword without warning.

The blade flashed, cutting directly into the black hand.

Bang!

The hand exploded into countless wisps of black smoke, leaving only a red gem to fall down, clinking as it hit the rooftop and rolled away.

"Hell’s Gate!" The three shadows above suddenly bellowed in French.

Lin Fei’s Longsword instantly transformed into numerous phantoms. He swung back at what was behind him.

A giant gate that had just begun to emerge from the void was sliced by the blade’s shadow, breaking into streams of air and dissipating. The streams turned into fierce winds, causing Lin You and the others on the rooftop to tumble over several times.

"Is this how a fight looks on the magic side?" Lin Fei mumbled, his eyes gradually showing impatience. "If there are no new tricks, then... let it end." He reached up to the sky with one hand.

The clouds overhead began to swirl and stack upon one another, the sky growing ever darker and more profound. The clear, starry sky from a moment ago turned into a blanket of dark clouds.

The mass of black clouds slowly rotated, centering around Lin Fei, resembling a vast vortex.

A bolt of lightning suddenly lit up.

Boom!

The sound of thunder rolled across the sky.

A vast shadow of the clouds slowly engulfed Washington City.

"A... A-rank..." One of the shadows quivered, and the trio’s array abruptly shattered into nothingness, with silver energy exploding into numerous bright specks, slowly falling like rain.

Lin Fei’s eyes gradually shone with a golden luster. He leaned forward slightly, gripping his sword.

Hisst!

He instantly disintegrated into countless blue specks. However, a silver streak suddenly slashed out, only to fade into nothingness after traveling less than two meters.

The three shadows in the sky screamed simultaneously as their bodies exploded as if struck by invisible attacks at the same time. From each one, a deep blue phantom shrieked as it flew out and dissipated, their cloaks falling to pieces and scattering with the wild wind. The sky was left without a trace of their presence.

The black clouds in the sky also started to slowly fade, the vortex gradually dissipating to reveal the normal night sky once again.

Apart from a red diamond-shaped gem, the rooftop bore no sign of any other clutter.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Three people in military apparel, two men and one woman, remained rigid in place, motionless. But in their eyes, all signs of life and luster had vanished, as if they had died at an unknown moment.

Everything returned to calm once more.

In the building and surrounding floors, some people who were closing their windows to prevent rain now found the clouds dispersing. Some poked their heads out, looking puzzledly toward the sky, finding not a single cloud.

The surrounding chatter suddenly grew animated.

Below, on the streets, some vehicles couldn’t help but stop and pull over to the curb, and the people getting out of the cars also looked up towards the sky. It was obvious they too were frightened by the recent transformation. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

On the rooftop, among Lin You and the others, Merrill gradually came to her senses. She propped herself up, looked around with difficulty, and instantly felt somewhat dazed. After scanning the area, she slightly opened her lips, completely at a loss for what to say.

There were bloodstains scattered all over the ground, as if they had been blown around by a wild wind. But right where Lin You stood, there was not a single trace of blood. The ground around her was also spotless as if someone had intentionally cleaned it just for her.

Most importantly, the three individuals who had appeared before were now stiff in place, pale in complexion, without a hint of color in their blood.

Merrill seemed to sense something, stood up, and carefully walked over, lightly pushing a female officer holding a straw.

Snap!

The red-haired female officer fell to the ground. She was already dead and stiff.

Merrill was stunned for a moment, then suddenly brought her hand to her forehead and groaned softly, a strong headache hammering away at her brain in waves. This was the price for overusing her supernatural abilities. She knew she couldn’t use her powers again for a short period, and her potential energy was definitely greatly reduced.

She supported her body as she went from one companion to the next, starting with Chris. Merrill carefully took out a small paper packet from his pocket. Opening the white packet, there were a dozen white pills inside, but Merrill’s expression was extremely cautious as if these pills were some ferocious beast.

First, she picked out three pills but hesitated, then put two back, only pinching out one pill. The packet was carefully wrapped up again and tucked back into her pocket.

Breaking one pill into three pieces, she then took out one small portion and fed it to Chris.

"This is emergency medicine, but it’s also a drug, better to take in smaller quantities..." she murmured.

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

Hua Nation, Capital City, Morning at 9:12 AM

Yan Capital University study room

Lin Fei slowly opened his eyes.

He was originally lying on the desk, pretending to be asleep. Now, he was just sitting up straight.

Although he had been pretending to sleep, his main focus had actually been on Lin You’s projection the entire time.

A moment ago, in exchange for the dissipation of his projection, he had unleashed the last sword strike, reaching the threshold of a Level A ability for an instant, causing changes in the weather in Washington. At the same time, he also took care of Lin You’s spilled Holy Spirit’s Blood.

Lin Fei shook his head, his brain slightly strained from the recent projection.

Surveying his surroundings.

The study room only had a few people in it. Aside from himself, there were two others, a girl sitting by the window engrossed in her studies and a boy in the very front row on the left, reading a novel with relish.

Lin Fei sat in the exact center of the room, precisely at the heart of the classroom.

In front of him were several books on optics, with the topmost white-covered book bearing the English title "Quantum Optics."

Lin Fei had already completed the regular academic content, and these books were mostly borrowed from the library for his own study.

Casually setting the books aside, Lin Fei rubbed his temples. The recent outburst still had a certain impact on his physical self. Forcibly transferring a bit of Level A strength took a toll on his mental energy.

Outside the classroom, a series of soft footsteps gradually approached.

The door was quietly pushed open, and Zhao Yuqing walked in, yawning, with two cups of hot cocoa in her hands. Through the transparent plastic cups, the dark brown cocoa swayed slightly, and a faint sweet aroma spread throughout the room instantly.

Zhao Yuqing quickly approached Lin Fei and sat down, then set one cup in front of Lin Fei and held the other herself.

She pierced the cup with a straw.

Snap!

Lin Fei leaned back in his chair, looking up.

"How did you know I’m here?"

Zhao Yuqing looked innocent.

"Didn’t you tell me?"

"Did I?" Lin Fei held his forehead. "I don’t remember."

"Then your memory must be deteriorating," Zhao Yuqing declared decisively.

"What time did you get up?" Lin Fei said with some resignation. "Five or six o’clock?"

How could he not know that Zhao Yuqing had been waiting on his dorm floor very early on? That was the real reason behind the girl’s tired appearance.

Now that Lin You’s problem was temporarily resolved, Lin Fei started to relax as well. Of course, he couldn’t hide such things from him.

"You knew all along..." Zhao Yuqing said sheepishly. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and sipped her hot cocoa.

Lin Fei took out his phone and casually checked it.

There was a message from Shuang’er, saying she would arrive soon.

But another message was from Golden Clothing, about the Swordsmanship Club’s request to set up a branch office.

She was planning to establish a branch in Capital City, that is, Yan Capital University, with Lin Fei himself taking charge. It would suppress any force that dares to resist the expansion of the Swordsmanship Club. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)