Chapter Thirty-Six: Revising the Sword Manual
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As Fazhao’s figure gradually receded into the distance, the youth casually remarked, “The news here seems rather unreliable.”
Fazhao answered with a smile and nodded in agreement, then pointed toward the sword manual on the stone table.
A violent gust suddenly rose, lifting one corner of the manual. The pages of its cover fluttered in the wind, making a soft rustling sound.
Lin Fei watched until Fazhao’s back disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn around, his gaze settling on the four bold, dripping-black characters written across the cover:
One Sword Beneath Heaven and Earth.
The four words seemed almost to leap from the page. Their vigorous strokes carried such force that they appeared ready to burst through the paper.
Lin Fei naturally knew that this sword art was not merely the strongest technique of the Sword Sect—it was the most powerful swordsmanship in the entire world.
Because it was the very sword art he had created with his own hands all those years ago.
Back then, he had passed it on to Jun Jian, who had carried on the inheritance. After a thousand years, it had endured to the present day.
Yanchou returned to the cliffside plateau. After washing and changing into a long white robe, he sat beneath the moonlight, completely absorbed in the ancient scroll in his hands.
The night deepened. Silence enveloped the surroundings, broken only now and then by the sound of turning pages.
Lin Fei suddenly found himself unable to sleep. It was not because the rustling disturbed him, but because he felt restless inside. He picked up the sword manual once more and began to read.
He had long since forgotten all the techniques, retaining only their names.
Lin Fei read at astonishing speed—one could say he took in ten lines at a glance. Before long, he had finished the entire manual.
At his side, Yanchou praised him sincerely. “Junior Brother, you truly are remarkable. It took me three full days to read this manual when I first studied it.”
Lin Fei smiled. “What do you think of it, Senior Brother?”
Yanchou answered solemnly, “I have read many manuals on the sword path. This one is neither the most destructive nor the most bizarre, yet it is the most open and upright manual I have ever seen, and the one that comes closest to the true essence of swordsmanship. There are merely a few places that feel somewhat incongruous.”
Lin Fei spoke at once. “Page six, page twenty-one, and page thirty-three.”
Yanchou pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said softly, “You have not mentioned the final page.”
Lin Fei suddenly burst into laughter—a hearty, unrestrained laugh that came from the depths of his soul. It echoed along the cliffside, as though it meant to fill the entire night sky.
Watching this, Yanchou could not help feeling a little unsettled. Had Junior Brother lost his composure while studying the sword manual?
“After several thousand years, no matter how carefully it is preserved, there will inevitably be occasions when it must be copied anew. Over time, discrepancies are bound to appear.”
Lin Fei seemed to have anticipated this long ago, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“But what of it? We can correct it ourselves.”
Yanchou stared at him in surprise. “You intend to revise the sword manual?”
Lin Fei replied calmly, “Why not?”
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Yanchou shook his head and said with great solemnity, “An undertaking of such importance should be reported to our master. Otherwise, it would be far too rash.”
Lin Fei raised his head toward the night sky and called out clearly, “I intend to revise the sword manual. Do you agree?”
The surroundings remained utterly silent. No answer came.
A serious expression appeared on Lin Fei’s face. “You see? He has not objected.”
Yanchou watched this scene, his eyes flickering several times. For a moment, he did not know how to respond.
…
Over the following days, Lin Fei abandoned his usual idleness. He took out brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone from the wooden hut, then immediately swept his brush across the first page and wrote the four large words, One Sword Beneath Heaven and Earth. After that, he began writing and illustrating the manual.
At first, Yanchou merely watched from the sidelines. Before long, however, he was infected by Lin Fei’s concentration and found himself joining the discussion.
“This move is tremendously powerful, but it is too profound. It would be overly demanding for beginners. It should be simplified.”
“That makes sense.” Lin Fei nodded in agreement.
“I do not think this form needs to be so complicated. It is neither practical nor elegant.”
“That can be done.”
“Perhaps we should simplify the entire manual?”
“That works too.”
Most of the time, it was Yanchou who offered suggestions, while Lin Fei silently wielded the brush. As the ink in the inkstone gradually diminished and the thickness of the pages steadily increased, the young man’s complexion grew paler and paler—but his eyes shone with extraordinary brightness.
And so, an entirely new sword manual was born.
Lin Fei set down his brush. Yanchou then stitched the pages together and bound them into a volume. He read through the new manual, becoming more satisfied with every page. When he turned around, however, he discovered that Lin Fei had not even looked at it. He had already returned to the bamboo chair beyond the cliffside plateau and sat down.
Yanchou asked, “Junior Brother, are you not going to look it over again?”
Lin Fei closed his eyes. A trace of weariness touched his face as he said, “Rest assured. I have already verified it. There are no problems.”
Looking at his pallid complexion, Yanchou seemed to understand something. With concern in his voice, he said, “I never imagined your talent in the sword path would be so astonishing. If I had known, I would not have offered so many suggestions.”
Lin Fei shook his head and said softly, “It is nothing. My cultivation level is simply too low at the moment. Deducing these sword techniques in my mind is still somewhat difficult.”
Yanchou looked puzzled. “Why push yourself so hard? Since that is the case, why not take it slowly?”
Lin Fei remained silent, for he did not know how to answer.
The world within his heart was entirely different from what Yanchou imagined.
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The most obvious difference was that, in the past, no matter what formidable enemy he encountered, he could always end the battle with a single sword strike.
Now, however, he had no choice but to set foot once more upon the road he had traveled before—to learn swordsmanship, cultivate sword techniques, raise his level of cultivation, and once again endure life-and-death battles.
None of this was truly difficult for him, but the process itself was undeniably tedious.
Lin Fei slowly spoke. “If a person once flew across countless mountains and rivers on a sword, yet one day could only continue on foot, then during that repetitive and monotonous journey, it would be only natural for him to unconsciously wish to quicken his pace—to go a little faster.”
After hearing this, Yanchou seemed to understand Lu Chen’s state of mind. He shook his head and said, “That mindset is not a good one. Stability of mind is of the utmost importance. I believe that no matter what we do, if we move a little more slowly and steadily, then even if we arrive at our destination somewhat later, we will never fail.”
Lin Fei was stunned for a moment. Then he let his head fall heavily against the bamboo chair and murmured, “So this is your path.”
…
The lives of cultivators always passed more slowly and stretched farther than the years of ordinary people.
Time slipped by. In the blink of an eye, another year hurried past.
During that year, the Skyreach Continent underwent great upheaval, and many major events occurred.
In the Ancient Desolation, the ancient seals began to loosen, releasing countless fiendish demons. Earthquakes and floods followed one another, and the situation became perilous for a time.
Fortunately, the most powerful cultivators from the great sacred grounds arrived in time. With overwhelming strength, they suppressed the disaster and eventually restored peace to the continent.
Soon afterward, the Red Emperor, lord of Martial Emperor City, successfully broke through after entering secluded cultivation. When he stood atop the city gate and threw a single punch, the clouds in the sky seemed drawn downward by his power, while the waters of the Yellow River were violently severed in midflow. Phenomena filled the heavens and earth one after another, leaving all who witnessed them shaken.
Meanwhile, the Academy opened the Hidden Dragon Ranking, held once every century. One of the Academy’s Sages ranked the young cultivators of the world on the Divine Roll.
It was worth noting that more than half of the top twenty were core disciples from the seven great sacred grounds.
Lu Shuili of the Sword Sect had spent only a few years cultivating, yet had already risen to tenth place.
As for the top three, their identities had been deliberately concealed and remained unknown.
This was hardly surprising. Once someone appeared on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, they were placing themselves beneath the gaze of everyone in the world. Along with glory and prestige came endless pressure—and the danger of assassination.
Mysterious assassination organizations such as the Dark Crow frequently accepted missions of this kind. Throughout history, there had been no shortage of geniuses ranked among the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Ranking who were successfully assassinated.
For the sake of their safety, the Academy’s Sage had no choice but to take such precautions.
As soon as these events unfolded, they attracted widespread attention throughout the continent’s cultivation world. Even Chang’an, the capital of the Great Tang, was thrown into considerable turmoil.
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