Clang clang clang clang!

On the training ground, the wooden swords clashed continuously. Lin Qiye stood with one hand behind his back, gripping the sword in his right hand, stepping forward steadily.

Across from him, Baili Pangpang was in a panic, retreating hastily and swinging his wooden sword chaotically, barely able to defend himself.

With a flick of his wrist, Lin Qiye effortlessly disarmed Baili Pangpang and then took a big step forward, holding the wooden sword at Baili Pangpang’s neck.

“You’re too strong, I can’t beat you!” Baili Pangpang dropped his wooden sword and sat down, panting and frustrated.

“It’s not that I’m strong, it’s that you’re too weak,” Lin Qiye spoke the truth.

Cao Yuan, who couldn’t touch the swords, sat silently on the side, watching the two of them fight while nodding in agreement at Lin Qiye’s words.

Baili Pangpang: …

“Baili Tuming, your basics are too weak. Go practice with the beginners over there,” Instructor Han Li walked up to Baili Pangpang and said.

Baili Pangpang joined the beginners with a dejected look on his face.

“Lin Qiye…” Instructor Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly. “Although your basics are solid and your swordsmanship is proficient, I always feel like something is missing.”

“Something is missing?”

“Your sword is just a form, but it lacks spirit,” Instructor Han Li carefully chose his words. “Your sword is too rigid. It’s fine for dealing with ordinary people, but if you encounter a real master, it will be very difficult.”

“Let’s spar.”

Instructor Han Li took a wooden sword from the nearby rack and stood casually in front of Lin Qiye.

Lin Qiye nodded and assumed a serious fighting stance, then suddenly swung his wooden sword!

Clang clang clang!

Instructor Han Li’s seemingly relaxed stance instantly became elusive, and his wooden sword moved like a ghost, effortlessly blocking Lin Qiye’s attacks.

After deflecting three strikes in a row, Instructor Han Li’s eyes narrowed. His wooden sword moved like a snake, lightly striking Lin Qiye’s wrist.

With a light sound, Lin Qiye’s wooden sword slipped from his hand and fell to the side.

Lin Qiye was stunned.

This sparring was completely different from the last time. When Instructor Han Li sparred with him before, it was to teach the new recruits a fixed sword technique, and he deliberately slowed down the speed so that everyone could see clearly. Moreover, the sword technique Lin Qiye learned from Chen Muye allowed him to easily block the attacks.

But this time, the sparring was completely different.

Instructor Han Li continuously struck four times, with no discernible pattern to follow. Moreover, the wooden sword in his hand seemed to have a life of its own, agile and terrifying.

In contrast, Lin Qiye’s swordsmanship was particularly rigid.

“Do you feel it?” Instructor Han Li picked up the wooden sword for him and asked.

“Yeah,” Lin Qiye frowned and pondered, “but how can I practice to overcome this rigidity?”

Instructor Han Li fell silent for a moment. “Actually, although this problem is serious, it is not insurmountable. It just takes a lot of time. Many martial arts masters in the mortal world are like this. With diligent practice for twenty or thirty years, you can still achieve a high level.”

At the mention of twenty or thirty years, Lin Qiye’s expression turned grim.

“But I think the fundamental reason is not here,” Instructor Han Li continued.

“What is it?”

“Have you ever thought that you are not actually suited to using a sword? Or, not suited to using this kind of sword,” Instructor Han Li looked into his eyes.

Lin Qiye was taken aback.

“Truth be told, your talent in swordsmanship is not high. For those with truly exceptional talent, even if it’s their first time holding a sword, even if their swings are clumsy, they will have an indescribable charm…

Unfortunately, I didn’t see that in you.”

Instructor Han Li continued, “Of course, I’m not saying you don’t have this talent. Among all the people in the world, there are not many who truly have exceptional talent. With diligent practice, your swordsmanship will still achieve something. But if you want to reach a higher level, it will be very difficult.

I’ve been talking for so long just to remind you that perhaps you can find a path that is more suitable for you.”

“A path that is more suitable for me…” Lin Qiye murmured to himself.

Instructor Han Li patted his shoulder. “Think about it. I’ll go check on the others.”

After the instructor left, Lin Qiye stood alone, holding the sword, seemingly contemplating something…

…

After the first day of purgatory, the following days were much better. Not only did the cafeteria food improve, but the sadistic punishments also disappeared.

Even so, the instructors’ varied physical training every day still made the new recruits feel like they were in agony.

After finishing a day of training, Lin Qiye slowly climbed onto his bed. As soon as he closed his eyes, his thoughts became chaotic.

The four strikes from Instructor Han Li and his own stiff blocking movements kept appearing in his mind…

Perhaps he was right. He really wasn’t suited to using a sword. But if he had to spend more than twenty years practicing with a sword, he couldn’t accept it.

If he gave up using a sword, then… where was his path?

In a daze, Lin Qiye fell asleep.In his dream, he once again recalled the terror of being dominated by Chen Muye.

In the underground training ground, Chen Muye, wielding twin blades, attacked like a fierce wind, pressing Lin Qiye so hard he could barely catch his breath. He could only manage to block a few strikes before bracing himself against the pain of the wooden swords hitting his body.

But this time, he chose not to run away.

His eyes widened as he used his Psychic Power to carefully track Chen Muye’s blades, observing where each started and where it fell…

Gradually, the underground training ground began to fade away, Chen Muye’s face grew more blurred, and only the twin wooden swords in his hands, each move and style, were deeply imprinted in his heart.

Suddenly, Lin Qiye’s eyes snapped open!

He sat up in bed, his eyes as bright as the moonlight outside the window. After hesitating for a moment, he dressed quietly and slipped out the door.

With the enhancement of the Starry Night Dancer, Lin Qiye made no sound as he walked, like a ghost in the deep night, silently drifting through most of the Training Camp to the empty training ground.

He stepped onto the stage, reached for the twin wooden swords on the rack, and slowly closed his eyes. Chen Muye’s sword techniques automatically surfaced in his mind…

He moved.

Under the night sky, in the moonlight,

He held the twin swords, like a butterfly dancing at midnight, agile and full of hidden grace.

He opened his eyes, and they shone like stars!

…

“Achoo!!”

At the Peace Office, Chen Muye suddenly sneezed.

Wu Xiangnan, who was watching TV on the couch, tilted his head, “Caught a cold?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Sneezing over and over and it doesn’t seem like it?”

“I think, maybe someone is thinking of me,” Chen Muye said seriously.

Wu Xiangnan rolled his eyes,

“Nonsense.”