True Solution of the Sword Dao
Chapter 418 - 385: Shadow 2 (As before, seeking Monthly Tickets. Actually, as long as the ranking isn’t too terrible, that’s fine....)

Chapter 418: Chapter 385: Shadow 2 (As before, seeking Monthly Tickets. Actually, as long as the ranking isn’t too terrible, that’s fine....)

A chorus of amazed exclamations erupted.

"Our Swordsmanship Club is divided into three main streams of swordsmanship, one of which I am a disciple of—the Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship. Now, I will demonstrate one of the secret techniques of our style."

Down below, Qi Yinglong’s eyes widened. He had never imagined that things would develop to this extent. He had never thought...

Behind him, Fang Hai’s expression was frozen in place as well.

Most of the surrounding students were the same, their gazes fixated on Lin Yuanshan on stage. Even those with poor vision could see that ring of white light.

Not far from them, Ning Xiaoyao, a girl with her mouth slightly open, also wore a stunned expression.

On stage

Lin Yuanshan casually raised his longsword.

Whoosh...

A whirl of white qi suddenly started revolving around the blade. It wrapped around the entirety of the sword like a white line, all the way to the tip, as if a white snake was coiling around the longsword and spiraling forward.

The white qi slowly condensed into a fine dragon shape. A small dragon head started to emerge at the tip of the blade.

Roar!!

With a roar from the dragon head, a buzzing echo spread throughout the entire venue.

A slight smile appeared on Lin Yuanshan’s lips.

"Dragon-Intent... Bursting Strike!" He flicked his longsword.

The white dragon shape shot out ferociously, roaring as it flew forward for more than ten meters before slowly dissipating into a faint white vapor.

Clang!!

Lin Yuanshan’s longsword returned to its sheath.

"This is Dragon-Intent Swordsmanship!" He turned and walked away.

The venue fell silent.

Qi Yinglong had a dumbfounded look on his face.

It was as if he could feel a brand new door slowly opening before him. The things inside seemed like legends.

Fang Hai, standing nearby, wore a similarly stunned expression.

Suddenly, a fierce desire arose in his heart.

If only I could... if only I could... it would be the start of my own glory...

He thought of his father, his mother, and the helpless looks they gave him as he wasted his days away. Fang Hai’s heart suddenly filled with an indescribable sourness...

I want that too...!!!

He shouted in his heart.

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

Capital City, Yan Capital University, approaching noon

In a corner on the left side of the sports field.

Under a tree that the sunlight couldn’t reach, a spot had been taken by a class that was having PE.

About forty university students were scattered under the shade of the tree, where a male teacher was directing two male students to move a pile of longswords. These swords were all in the ancient Hua Nation style, bronzed throughout, and with red tassels tied below their hilts.

The PE teacher was a robust-looking man, with a white towel draped over his shoulder, wearing a gray sports outfit, giving off a very capable and fit impression, although he had somewhat dark skin.

Under the shade, two girls stood chatting. The one on the left had sparse and delicate eyebrows, but her eyes were large, and her mouth naturally formed two little dimples when she smiled. She appeared generous and beautiful, exuding an air of casualness yet extreme gentleness—a mix of temperaments.

This type of girl, when encountering any squabble with those nearby, would always smile while revealing her dimples, just gazing at the other person until they felt embarrassed and gave in. It was the strength of gentle assertiveness and generosity.

"Is that the teacher, Wu Jianyong, who specializes in Tai Chi Sword? Aren’t you enrolled in Tai Chi Fist, Nianwei?" another girl asked.

"It doesn’t matter. As long as you learn either Tai Chi Fist or Tai Chi Sword, you can pass the requirement. But I really can’t understand why things like Tai Chi Fist or Tai Chi Sword even became compulsory PE courses in college. It’s so troublesome," said Cheng Nianwei, with long hair loosely tied behind her head, revealing her fair and elegant neck. She seemed to exude a fresh vitality.

Like a sporty girl ready to start a race.

Cheng Nianwei kept hopping and jumping as if warming up her body. Her ponytail bounced with her movements.

"The gathering place should be here. The teacher has even moved the swords here," she said.

However, when her gaze swept to the innermost part of the shade, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. There stood a handsome male student.

She remembered the student’s name was Lin Fei, always mysterious, and the moment class was over, his figure was nowhere to be found. He had little interaction with his classmates, and even his dormitory roommates seemed distant from him. Girls who approached him because of his looks were met with his lukewarm rejections.

Cheng Nianwei remembered that at the start of school, she had only dined with him and his dorm mates once at the Lion King Restaurant, but even then, he had left early due to some matter.

But that wasn’t what caused her frown. It was about a new girl who had transferred in.

This new girl, named Zhao Yuqing, seemed very familiar with Lin Fei, seeking him out directly upon arriving and shamelessly sticking by his side regardless of his indifference, almost inseparable.

Now was no different, the two of them sitting together under the shade, just sitting on the grass. Zhao Yuqing was talking about something, while Lin Fei simply squinted his eyes in silence.

The physical education teacher also began to call for everyone to gather at this time.

Once assembled, each person was given a bronze sword. The red tassel swayed gently with the breeze, giving off the impression of a field of red scarves...

The boys were somewhat excited, waving their swords around. Some of the girls also laughed and played with the longswords.

Teacher Wu Jianyong waited until the students’ curiosity had waned before he began to demonstrate the Tai Chi Sword movements with a smile.

Cheng Nianwei held the bronze sword in her hand, feeling a stir of interest. She casually struck a few poses and seemed to get the hang of it.

"Vivi, how do I look? Do I have the air of a heroic woman?" a girl beside her posed and said with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. So cool!" Cheng Nianwei pretended to be smitten and said, "I’m falling for you, Nana."

The two of them couldn’t help but laugh.

Lin Fei casually weighed the so-called longsword in his hand and could tell the quality was exceptionally poor. A glance was enough to notice that the hilt and the blade were loosely connected; a little force would be enough to disassemble the entire sword after just a few uses. The hilt couldn’t secure the blade at all. It was only good for performing the slow Tai Chi Sword movements.

He watched silently as Teacher Wu Jianyong went through the full set of Tai Chi Sword movements. Almost instantly at the end, Lin Fei had completely mastered this set of overly simple Tai Chi Sword.

He vaguely sensed that this Tai Chi Sword still retained a hint of martial artistry, but the majority of the moves were simplified to an extreme. There was no lethality or practical combat effectiveness. A decent set of swordsmanship had been altered beyond recognition.

Watching the other students start to follow suit and perform the Tai Chi Sword...

Lin Fei was about to casually go through the Tai Chi Sword movements so that the teacher could check and let him rest afterward.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

"Sword Master, the selection for the Five Stars has been aborted. Lu Xiuya has appeared..."

Lin Fei’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Lu Xiuya? She has finally shown herself?"

The voice clad in gold continued, "The upper echelons of Hua Nation are in great disarray right now. Lu Xiuya wants to seize power, but the other five leading Psychics, who have already emerged, are not willing to step down. The conflict between them is significant. Plus, with the Tower of the Dark Night invading Hua Nation’s Dark World, there’s trouble both inside and out. It’s quite troublesome." The use of ’quite troublesome’ made it clear that the situation had become quite dire.

"But what does that have to do with us? Get to the point." Lin Fei said flatly.

"There’s news from above. You’ve been appointed as the president of the Southwest Province branch."

Lu Xiuya’s face flashed through Lin Fei’s mind at lightning speed. This woman...

"Was it Lu Xiuya’s doing?"

"Most likely," the voice clad in gold said. "Moreover, she has appointed a representative for each province as provincial president against many objections. Although it may not be officially recognized, she is in the clear nominally."

"Very well," Lin Fei’s lips curled slightly into a smile. "Have everyone fully take over the Fengyang Branch. If there’s resistance, kill them."

"Yes."

The voice clad in gold acknowledged and then cut off the connection.

While Lu Xiuya’s appointment was to have the local forces resist the Tower of the Dark Night’s invasion, it also reminded Lin Fei that this was an excellent opportunity to naturally expand his power.

Lin Fei returned to his senses, just in time to see Zhao Yuqing playing with a longsword, her vibrant demeanor full of curiosity.

He suddenly felt a pang in his heart.

At some point, he had started to view human life as inconsequential. To kill was for him, perhaps, as simple as stepping on an ant.

Unbeknownst to him, his hands had already been stained with countless lives.

He remembered that long ago, he was just an ordinary teenage boy, with a psychological age in his twenties, but still very immature in reality.

But later, after he began to revive the Sword Canon experts like Yuan Yicheng, clad in gold, Ye Yuhua... Just three of them, but periodically, they would automatically connect to the depths of his heart. He had to accept all their thoughts and mental fluctuations.

That was the price of reviving the strong.

Every week he had to endure such confusion that muddled his thoughts.

Lin Fei felt more and more numb, and increasingly less human...

He had long surpassed the first level of Qi Cultivation but had yet to choose to revive any expert. That was why.

"Even so, what of it?" he murmured to himself. "Southwest Province..." He slowly stretched out his hand and gently clenched it as if grasping the entire Southwest Province in his fist.

"This was my choice, after all..."

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

Southwest Province, Fengyang City

Shueisha Provincial Headquarters Office

An elderly man with white hair sat in a leather chair, holding a person’s file in his hands, his brows deeply furrowed.

"Yan Fei..." he muttered softly.

Suddenly standing up, the old man turned and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window behind him. He gazed at the bright blue sky in the distance.

A shadow began to rise slowly in his heart. He seemed to see Yan Fei’s nearly perfect face emerging in the sky.

His hand reached out slowly towards the sky that covered the entire Southwest Province... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)