Shortcomings

Duàn Yì was moved by Bái Xī Wén's counsel. After some thought, he asked, "Brother Bái, what do you truly think of my current Martial Arts? Could it be that my Swordsmanship Cultivation is still inferior to those seven great swordsmen defeated by Lin Bohui?"

The Tower of Hidden Martial Arts was a true blessing, allowing him to overcome the initial hurdles of the early stages of Martial Arts in such a short time. Coupled with his excellent Innate Talent and extraordinary aptitude, despite his extremely short time practicing martial arts, he had already reached a certain level.

In terms of true strength, even if Ruan Dong had given his all that day, he wouldn't have lasted ten Stances under his Songshan Swordplay. With the recent attainment of King Yue's Divine Arrow aiding his Movement Techniques, the gap would be even greater.

Those seven great swordsmen were indeed formidable, each with their own strengths. But he believed his Swordsmanship Cultivation was not shallow, and with the superior Internal Energy technique, Ice True Qi, he might still be able to contend with them.

"I've met Huang Jing, one of those seven, once. His Swordsmanship might not be much stronger than yours now, and his Internal Energy might be far superior to yours, but the power of his True Qi is nowhere near as formidable as Ice True Qi.

So, you and Huang Jing are quite evenly matched, or even, in my opinion, you have a slight edge over him.

But Martial Arts are Martial Arts; how much one can utilize in a real battle varies from person to person.

Take Huang Jing, for example. He has participated in dozens of battles, big and small, accumulating rich combat experience. He can unleash eighty to ninety percent of his full strength.

But you? You've practiced for a short time and have only been diligently training. While your proficiency is considerable due to your talent and the superior Martial Arts you've learned, if you were in a life-or-death duel, being able to unleash sixty to seventy percent of your strength would already be quite good.

The fact that you took so many Stances to defeat Ruan Dong that day is proof of this."

Bái Xī Wén didn't know much about that battle. He only knew that Duàn Yì had defended first before attacking, enduring dozens of Stances before defeating Ruan Dong. He didn't realize that Duàn Yì had initially used basic sword techniques to test his strength before employing Songshan Swordplay to secure victory.

After hearing this, Duàn Yì recounted the details of his fight with Ruan Dong that day, which finally drew Bái Xī Wén's surprised attention.

Martial artists' talent could generally be divided into two types. One was the talent for practicing techniques; these individuals cultivated incredibly fast and often became masters in a very short time, earning the envy of others.

The other type of talent was the talent for fighting. With the same level of strength, they could often perform far beyond ordinary people, even defeating stronger opponents with weaker cultivation. Of course, this type of talent could also be compensated for by acquired experience.

Bái Xī Wén had initially thought Duàn Yì was of the first type of talent, but he hadn't expected him to possess both. Not only was his cultivation speed fast, but he also showed more talent than ordinary people in sparring and life-or-death combat.

However, after some thought, he shook his head.

"Perhaps your talent can compensate for your lack of experience, but there's still one thing you lack now, and it's a crucial factor in duels: Killing Intent, Killing Aura, Killing Will.

Without these, in a real fight, you still wouldn't be Huang Jing's opponent.

The so-called Killing Aura and Killing Will are not about shallow ferocity or arrogance. They are qualities that come from truly killing people, from having blood on your hands.

Do you know of the notorious assassin organization in Hebei Province, the Golden Silver Den? They boast that the Golden Silver Den will ensure your death before dawn, and no one can keep you alive until the fifth watch.

The assassins trained by the Golden Silver Den may not have exceptionally high Martial Arts, but they all possess contained Killing Intent and hidden Killing Aura. When they strike, it's earth-shattering.

They can often kill opponents with stronger Martial Arts than themselves, which is truly terrifying. This is the bonus that Killing Will, Killing Intent, and Killing Aura provide to Martial Arts.

If you truly want to elevate your Martial Arts to another level within these few days and become someone who can genuinely contend with Huang Jing, you need to kill people and accumulate Killing Aura.

But even then, you still won't be Lin Bohui's opponent. I advise you to give up."

Hearing this, Duàn Yì's eyes flashed with enlightenment. He gripped the Cold Jade in his hand and chuckled, "So that's how it is. I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Brother Bái. Perhaps I will head down the mountain today to complete this deficiency."

Despite his smiling face, Bái Xī Wén could sense the deep-seated savagery within Duàn Yì, especially in his eyes, which were as cold as ice. He was startled, his expression changing, and he said coldly, "You intend to go down the mountain and kill people? To accumulate Killing Aura and elevate your Swordsmanship to the next level?

I teach you Martial Arts not for you to commit evil deeds and slaughter the innocent. Discard this notion immediately, or I would rather cripple your Martial Arts."

Having spent time together, Bái Xī Wén thought he understood Duàn Yì, but he realized he still couldn't see through him. He was like a winding, meandering river, its end unseen at a glance.

Bái Xī Wén's words were firm and resolute, completely disregarding Duàn Yì's relationship with Yuè Jiāo Nú.

From this, it could be seen that his character was quite good, at least possessing some chivalrous spirit.

Once a person possesses martial power that surpasses ordinary people, allowing them to take whatever they please, their mindset is bound to change, even leading to psychological imbalance and causing great chaos.

But this world is different. Not to mention the renowned sects and orthodoxies in various places, even the Great Xia's official Six Gates, Dragon Guarding Manor, and other organizations would make people easily dare not act rashly. Duàn Yì certainly wouldn't dare to act impulsively.

Otherwise, why wouldn't he have simply killed Ruan Xiang, the root of the trouble, instead of getting entangled in a duel with Lin Bohui?

"Killing people doesn't necessarily mean slaughtering the innocent. Brother Bái, are you unaware that there is a profession in this world that allows one to kill openly?"

Duàn Yì's hairs stood on end as Bái Xī Wén's angry gaze fixed upon him, like a weak rabbit intimidated by a fierce tiger, not daring to move in the slightest.

His muscles, Blood Essence, and True Qi were also sealed by a powerful and sharp Qi Aura. This demonstrated the terrifying strength of the opponent's Martial Arts.

This was different from what Duàn Yì had felt when he first met Bái Xī Wén. Because Duàn Yì had improved so much since then, the Momentum he could perceive was stronger and more terrifying.

Fortunately, he still had his mouth to speak, and he spoke calmly and collectedly, completely unaffected by Bái Xī Wén's actions.

"Are you referring to... an executioner?"

Bái Xī Wén reacted quickly, his mind grasping the implication. The imposing Qi Aura he had unleashed slowly dissipated, and he relaxed, looking at Duàn Yì with a complex gaze, unsure of what to say. This person's reaction was indeed swift.

Indeed, the innocent should not be killed, and cannot be killed.

But those death row inmates in prison, as long as they were not wrongful convictions, were all guilty of heinous crimes.

Killing them was not only permissible but even meritorious. This was indeed a feasible method.

However, it still involved killing people, not chickens or pigs, but living human beings. For a young man, it was truly too cruel.

When he was the same age as Duàn Yì, he was still on the mountain practicing martial arts with his master, living a carefree and happy life, far removed from such matters.

Seeing that Bái Xī Wén had finally retracted his imposing aura and was speechless, Duàn Yì's lips curved into a smile.

He slowly walked to the chair where Liu Zhiwei had been sitting and sat down. He placed the Cold Jade in his hand on the table, drew the Ten Refinements Sword, and gazed at its edge. Through the hazy sword light, he could vaguely see his own reflection and a pair of eyes shining like stars.

"Brother Bai, killing is something I'll have to do sooner or later. From the first day I started practicing martial arts, this path was set for me. I can't avoid it, I can't escape it, unless I'm willing to live an ordinary life.

But you know, I don't want a life as bland as water. I want money, power, and women. That means I have to fight, strive, and kill.

Of course, those are secondary.

Because what I truly desire is to witness all sorts of incredible skills and techniques within Great Xia, to see their power, and how wondrous and profound they are. It truly excites me.

I think you, who practice the Invincible Treasure Codex, can understand me."

Duàn Yì's words were sincere, laying bare his heart's desires.

Money, power, women—apart from monks and Taoists who practice asceticism and hermits who have seen through the ways of the world, who wouldn't be tempted?

Duàn Yì was just an ordinary person, so it was normal for him to have such thoughts.

As for the latter part of his statement, it stemmed from his martial arts practice and the ideas gradually forming since obtaining the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts.

Thinking of the thousands upon thousands of martial arts manuals in the library, many with missing characters, Duàn Yì longed to experience them all, even to collect them in the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts to fill the empty spaces.

This could be considered one of his ideals. Whether it could be realized was another matter, but it was a goal nonetheless.

Furthermore, martial artists are passionate about martial arts. Who among them with ambition doesn't want to fight all their rivals and have a glorious battle?

This part of his speech truly touched Bái Xī Wén. He too, like Duàn Yì, had once wanted to experience the endless wonders of Great Xia's martial arts. However, unlike Duàn Yì's pursuit of interest, his was for fame, for being the greatest under heaven.

That's right, besides money, power, and women, there was another thing martial artists dreamed of: fame.

Why did Lin Bohui defeat seven well-known swordsmen in Wei Prefecture consecutively? Wasn't it for fame?

With fame came money, power, and women, all flocking to him.

This point could also be compared to modern celebrities and various internet influencers. Fame and popularity were often linked to benefits, a truth that held across ancient and modern times.

"Have you really thought it through? This battle will be incredibly difficult. Even if you kill someone and accumulate Killing Intent, with your martial arts, facing Lin Bohui, who can defeat Huang Jing with eight stances, your winning chance is still less than twenty percent."

Bái Xī Wén understood Duàn Yì's true intentions, but that didn't mean he could win the duel. Strength was one thing, ambition was another.

There were plenty of people who constantly claimed they wanted to be the best in the world, but ninety-nine percent of them achieved nothing significant and remained unknown.

"Of course. However, Brother Bai, you're mistaken. The winning chance isn't twenty percent, but fifty percent, if my predictions are correct.

Perhaps I can do a bit more, and then the winning chance will be over seventy percent."

Duàn Yì replied firmly once more, sheathing his Ten Refinements Sword with a clang, his eyes full of confidence.

Perhaps his guess was wrong, perhaps Lin Bohui had other trump cards, but as long as there was a sliver of a chance to win, he still believed he could.

If he didn't believe in himself, who else could he believe in?

Besides, a duel wasn't won solely by having superior martial arts.