True Solution of the Sword Dao
Chapter 177 - 171 Tracing I

Chapter 177: Chapter 171 Tracing I

A faint aura of momentum gently emanated from Yuan Yue’s body.

Lin Fei was certain he had not mistaken it, that was indeed the aura of momentum. Although it was faint, it definitely existed.

The faint traces of blue aura that seemed to waft around Yuan Yue at first made Lin Fei think he was seeing things, but after using the concept of momentum to check again, he confirmed it was not an illusion.

Yuan Yue walked to the center of the Sword Room and slowly drew his Longsword, its blade reflecting a faint silver light.

"This move is called Rainbow Light! It is one of the secret techniques of my family’s Green Rainbow Swordsmanship," said Yuan Yue, who seemed to transform the moment he spoke of swordsmanship. His temperament suddenly became cool and distant.

Without a sound, a greenish-blue arc suddenly flashed in front of Yuan Yue. Although the sword was made of metal, the Sword Moves executed were actually greenish-blue. The arc lit up like a rainbow in an instant, leaving Lin Fei, Zhou Ting, and Ye Qing, who were inside the room, with a lingering afterimage of the green rainbow on their retinas. It was as if the green rainbow still remained in front of Yuan Yue.

"Impressive, impressive. This move had no warning at all, definitely capable of catching one off-guard. But it must require very high physical fitness and explosive strength, right?" Lin Fei spoke up.

Only then did the other two snap out of their reverie. Looking at Yuan Yue standing in the center, envious and astonished glances appeared in their eyes. Indeed, for them, who were still ordinary people, witnessing sword techniques that one would only expect in top-tier movies was like entering a dream.

However, for Lin Fei, such a technique seemed rather ordinary since he was capable of executing swordsmanship far faster than Yuan Yue. But what was different, he suspected, was that Yuan Yue possessed some sort of technique in expending force, which allowed him to execute moves with a speed similar to his own despite a much inferior physical foundation. The two were fundamentally different. That was the key reason he had exclaimed ’impressive’ twice.

If he could also grasp this method of exerting force, it was very likely that he could become even swifter on the already fast base, becoming more swift and unpredictable. However, unfortunately for him, limited by his physical fitness, his speed had already reached its limit.

Hearing Lin Fei’s question, Yuan Yue nodded.

"Indeed, it requires a lot of explosive strength from the wrists and elbows. And it must be executed using our family’s special technique of force."

Lin Fei began to clap softly, followed by Zhou Ting and the other clapping as well.

"Once, Master Yuan Yonglong demonstrated his family’s Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship to me—majestic and unstoppable. But your Swordsmanship is different; it belongs to a clever and exquisite style. Both have their own merits," said Lin Fei.

"I’ve also heard of Master Yuan’s swordsmanship. Although I haven’t had the opportunity to learn from each other since coming to the Club, time is on our side. Working together, we’ll eventually have the chance," Yuan Yue replied, as he sheathed his Longsword and his expression softened.

Lin Fei nodded and then suddenly turned to face Zhou Ting and Ye Qing, who were listening to the conversation.

"Now that you’ve witnessed the true strength of Chief Instructor Yuan, you should have a good understanding of the environment and level we’re in. I have been observing your dedication and hard work these days." Of course, that was a lie...

"The Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship you practiced before and Chief Instructor Yuan’s Green Rainbow Swordsmanship are both considered secret Sword Methods of the Hua Nation’s hidden folk traditions. Which style of Swordsmanship do you wish to learn?"

Lin Fei intended to lay out a foundation for the two first, so that he could directly recruit them for his own use after observing and testing them later. Yuan Yue did not say much more; she understood Lin Fei’s intent was merely to establish a foundation for them, not to impart the family’s Secret Technique, and naturally, she had no objections, as this was not equivalent to taking disciples.

Ye Qing, whose eyes were already shining, knelt down on his knees immediately after hearing Lin Fei’s question, following the ancient ritual, and kowtowed three times to Yuan Yue.

"I wish to learn swordsmanship from Chief Instructor Yuan!" he said firmly.

A look of surprise briefly appeared on Yuan Yue’s face, as she evidently did not expect such a grand gesture from Ye Qing. Yet beyond the surprise, she was also slightly moved. It was rare to find someone who held such devout regard for the martial arts in today’s society.

"Since you are so determined, then show me your resolve. Resolve is not something to be spoken of, but to be shown through actions!"

Ye Qing nodded vigorously, his eyes full of determination, and slowly stood up, reassured by Yuan Yue’s implicit acceptance.

Zhou Ting, however, looked hesitant as she spoke,

"Can I choose not to learn either?"

Everyone else paused, taken aback.

Zhou Ting quickly waved her hands and explained, "Don’t get me wrong! It’s just that, the reason I came here in the first place was for him!" She pointed in Lin Fei’s direction.

Lin Fei was not surprised and asked with a smile, "Do you still remember what happened back then?"

The others looked a bit perplexed but stayed silent, simply watching.

A smile appeared on Zhou Ting’s face.

"As the instructor and senior in the Club, Instructor Lin Fei’s strength must also be extraordinary, so..." she paused.

"I want you to be my master!"

Now Lin Fei was also taken aback.

"You’re taking me as your mentor?"

"Of course." Zhou Ting smiled, "As the club’s Chief Instructor and senior, your strength must be incredible. Even Yuan Yue demonstrated a move, so you should too, right?"

Yuan Yue and Ye Qing by the side immediately showed curious expressions. Indeed, although Lin Fei had always held the title of Chief Instructor in the club, not a single person had ever seen him in action, and he didn’t even practice swords with everyone else. Instead, he had a separate secret Sword Room. No one knew how he practiced his swordsmanship. Some students even speculated that he, as the senior, didn’t actually know anything and was more of an armchair theorist like Wang Yuyan. He only gave pointers during the group practice sessions, although the pointers were all quite insightful.

Yuan Yue had also heard such comments, so he was quite curious about Lin Fei’s strength.

"Me? I’m not that strong," Lin Fei said with a wry smile, "I’m just slightly stronger than you guys." His normal identity was just a normal youngster who had been exposed to swordsmanship for less than two years. Naturally, he couldn’t display any extraordinary talent. At most, he was just a bit more adept, which was in line with the normal situation.

"I don’t believe you," Zhou Ting shook her head.

"Even if you don’t, there’s nothing I can do," Lin Fei spread his hands, "I’ve only been exposed to swordsmanship for two years. What kind of peerless martial arts do you think I could have practiced?"

Zhou Ting wanted to say something else, but she seemed to recall something and instantly stopped speaking.

"In any case, I’m going to take you as my mentor." She quit beating around the bush and spoke her mind directly.

"Suit yourself, but I should tell you beforehand, I can only guide you in the basics of cultivation," Lin Fei shook his head with a wry smile.

"Alright!" Zhou Ting didn’t hesitate. She firmly believed that the boy with the sword she saw that day at her apartment building was definitely not that simple. She even faintly heard gunshots that time, and in the end, the boy came out of the building unharmed all by himself, with no other noise from anyone else. A strength that doesn’t fear even guns can’t be simple!!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jiang Nan’s voice came from outside.

"Is Feifei brother inside?"

"Yes." Lin Fei walked over and opened the door. Jiang Nan, wearing a simple white hoodie and holding a black Sword Bag, stood cutely at the doorway.

"Are you done with your things, Nannan?"

"Mhm," Jiang Nan nodded in confirmation.

Lin Fei turned around.

"Well then, Chief Instructor Yuan, Zhou Ting, and Ye Qing, right? See you tomorrow."

Yuan Yue nodded his head.

"You and your cousin seem to have a good relationship."

"It’s alright," Lin Fei answered with a smile, then took his own Sword Bag from Jiang Nan and waved goodbye as he walked away. "We’ll be going."

Zhou Ting clenched her teeth, watching as Lin Fei and Jiang Nan left the entrance of the Sword Room.

"I’ll also head out. Goodbye, Chief Instructor Yuan." She quickly grabbed her bag and rushed out of the Sword Room. The sound of her hurried footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor.

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

On the bus ride back, Lin Fei luckily secured two seats side by side. He let Jiang Nan sit by the window.

He always enjoyed the feeling of squeezing onto a bus, feeling like he was still an ordinary person every time he took the bus home, with no fights, no special abilities, and no other dangers. It was just a peaceful daily life. The world wouldn’t change with him in it, and it would go on just the same without him.

The noon sun shone fiercely outside the bus window, a bit scorching, just like many other sweltering sunny days. The sun rose in the east and set in the west, with night falling and retreating. Lin Fei often thought, if every day could be so peaceful and easy, that would be great.

Always driven by the crises of his past life and the ambition that sprang from his newfound strength, Lin Fei never stopped moving forward. He continuously self-improved, planned, and took covert actions, which seemed to have become the main theme of his life. However, even a person eventually gets tired, and Lin Fei was no exception.

Moving forward without a break, Lin Fei would occasionally find his spirit weary. Often, just standing or sitting on the bus on the way back, watching the landscape flashing past outside the window, the familiar streets, shops, and buildings, and smelling the faint fragrance coming from Jiang Nan beside him, Lin Fei would sink into a state of serene softness. The distance and time from the Swordsmanship Club to his home seemed to be the process of transforming from the ambitious Yan Fei hiding behind the scenes back to the ordinary Lin Fei. Back home, he was still the Lin Fei living under his parents’ wings, the average high-schooler or, one might say, soon-to-be university student.

Regardless of how strong someone is, everyone has their own unique way of relaxing. A person’s nerves also have a fatigue limit. Even metals have metal fatigue limits. Those who cannot adjust themselves are ultimately just mediocre. Because, relaxing is actually about conserving energy to unleash it when it’s most needed.

Shaw Berners’s quote was once Lin Fei’s personal motto.

"Self-discipline is the instinct of the strongest."

The sunlight streamed in through the bus window at an angle, landing on the clothes and legs of Jiang Nan sitting beside him, reflecting bright material colors. Jiang Nan was wearing a white hoodie and dark blue stretch jeans, which clung tightly to her legs due to the elasticity, outlining the rounded and long curves of her thighs.

Lin Fei’s gaze unconsciously fell on Jiang Nan’s legs, and the light fragrance of a young girl filled his nostrils. Jiang Nan seemed to notice his attention, her legs closed tightly, her cheeks slightly red with a hint of nervousness.

"Nannan, you’re becoming more beautiful," Lin Fei suddenly said. (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.)