Sword Rain World

Sword Rain World

Rushing Thunder Sixteen Swords.

Baili Qingfeng looked through it for a while but failed to see anything particularly profound about it.

Fast, precise, ruthless?

No!

Fast and precise were enough.

Ruthless?

There was no need for that.

One sword, one hit, one death. It was that simple. Ordinary swordsmanship did not need so many flashy flourishes.

If he truly wanted flourishes, he could wait until he had cultivated his sword qi to span thirty thousand miles.

For now...

His sword was invincible through sheer speed!

At the same time, he discovered that the Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms Body Refining Method, Thunder Breath, Thunder Sovereign Spirit Refinement Visualization Method, and the Rushing Thunder Sixteen Swords he had found earlier all came from the same address.

Following that address, Baili Qingfeng discovered that it led to a forum.

The forum allowed free registration, and anyone could sign up. However, there was a requirement under lineage and master, which had to be reviewed.

Baili Qingfeng took a look and directly wrote Jiang's Martial Hall under lineage and master. Then, while browsing the forum as a guest, he checked the information.

It was a forum established by martial artists, and most of them were young martial artists.

Anyone who was not young might not even know how to use the internet.

The forum had only been open for three months. To promote it, they had uploaded many Body Refining Methods, breathing techniques, and even Spirit Refining Methods. There were even more fist arts and sword arts.

While Baili Qingfeng browsed, his identity review happened to be approved. He discovered that the forum contained over a thousand Body Refining Methods, breathing techniques, Spirit Refining Methods, fist arts, sword arts, Gun Kata techniques, and Mecha Arts in total.

Moreover, these Body Refining Methods and breathing techniques did not only come from the Xia Kingdom. They also included schools from other nations, such as the Aurora Empire, Golden Eagle Empire, and Kalan Kingdom, though their numbers were not as great as those from the Xia Kingdom.

"Ding."

After Baili Qingfeng had read for a while, a text message arrived.

"From Sumen City? We're in the same state. Add me as a friend, yeah? We can discuss martial arts when we have time."

Baili Qingfeng accepted the friend request from the person calling himself Jianghu Kid and sent a message at the same time. "Do you know who established this forum?"

"I actually do. You know the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, which is extremely famous in our martial arts circle, right?"

Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?

He knew Heaven on Earth, but this Heavenly Secrets Pavilion...

He was just a passerby who bought soy sauce, not some professional martial artist in their circle. Who cared who the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was?

"I know."

"Our Sword Rain World forum was created by Bai Yuxiao, the sixth son of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's Building Master. He founded this forum to smash the old rules and stale conventions of martial arts sects and martial arts families, so that everyone could learn martial arts and everyone could have cultivation methods to practice. What a lofty goal. Tsk, tsk, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion truly deserves to be the place that gathers martial arts tomes from all under heaven. Look at this—there are over a thousand different breathing methods, Body Refining Methods, and Spirit Refining Methods. It's a pity Bai Yuxiao was later beaten by his father until his legs broke and is still in the hospital. Otherwise, there would be more than just a thousand-odd methods on the forum."

Jianghu Kid said.

The regret in his words could practically be smelled through the screen.

"Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

Baili Qingfeng nodded.

The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's collection of these techniques was truly comprehensive. The Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms and Thunder Breath he knew were all there apart from a few crucial secrets. They had even found the Thunder Sovereign Visualization Method lost by the Baili Lineage. Although it lacked the Ancient Thunder Beast visualization diagram, the Thunder Beast images he had found online were clearly more effective. In just over a month, he had already cultivated to Fifth Stage Manifestation.

It was just that the sixth stage, Derivation, would likely require a few more months.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

During that week, Baili Qingfeng spent most of his time practicing martial arts.

He did not know how many times others practiced the Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms in a day, but he practiced it at least fifty times a day, and sometimes as many as sixty.

There was no helping it. His recovery ability was too strong. Unless he practiced fifty or sixty times, he simply had no idea what his limits were. Sometimes, if he practiced too slowly, his stamina would have fully recovered before it was even exhausted. How was he supposed to force out his limits then?

He was helpless. He was despairing.

Fortunately, dozens of rounds of grueling practice each day yielded good results. He could clearly feel his body digesting the medicinal power of the Nourishing Essence Bath, and the blood in his body had become forty percent thicker than before.

The change in his blood was merely an outward sign. Deeper still was the change in the strength of his entire body. Setting everything else aside, with the Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms alone, he could now complete four rounds in thirteen minutes. He was only three minutes away from the Level 3 Warrior standard of four rounds in ten minutes.

As the week passed, Baili Qingfeng's school term began.

Baili Qingfeng aspired to become an excellent student, outstanding in both character and studies, with moral, intellectual, and physical development all in hand.

In terms of morality, he possessed sound views on life and values. Though there were still parts of this world's worldview that he had not completely accepted, he could still be considered a vigorous successor of the nation.

Intellectually, he had ranked among the top ten in his department last semester, and his scores proved everything. This year, he was even considering applying for several scholarships.

As for physical ability...

He was about to become a Level 3 Warrior. His powerful physique and vigorous vitality would be enough to make ordinary students tremble.

But although he was already so outstanding, it was still not enough.

His ultimate goal was to be named one of the Divine Continent's Ten Outstanding Youth in character, usher this world into the age of atomic energy in intellect, and bring nuclear peace to the world. Physically...

That would have to come step by step. First, he would earn a War-level Certificate.

After bidding Baili Hong farewell, Baili Qingfeng took a bus to the riverside ferry and boarded a boat for Xia City on the opposite bank.

Xia'er University was located at the foot of Qingyuan Mountain in Xia City's newly developed district. It faced Wuhe City across the river, less than ten kilometers away in a straight line and only fifteen or sixteen kilometers from the Old City District where Baili Qingfeng lived. He did not need to set off early from thousands of miles away like the other students.

Recently, Xia City had been building the New City District into the largest University City in the south, centered around Xia'er University, Blue Sea Conservatory of Music, and Lan Shadow Art Institute. At the same time, it was advancing the integration of Xia City, Wuhe City, and Canon. If this development plan could truly be completed, a super-sized urban cluster would rise south of Xia, and the integrated Xia City's population would leap to the ten-million level.

"Qingfeng."

After Baili Qingfeng crossed the river by boat and headed toward the school, he suddenly heard someone call his name from the road. "Over here."

Following the voice, Baili Qingfeng saw a man around his age with bronze-colored skin waving at him.

Gule.

After being rejected by the girl he pursued upon graduating from High School, who claimed she did not like fair-skinned little boys, he had roused himself and spent two months baking under the sun until he turned dark. Unfortunately, when he went after that girl again, she was already paired off with another tall and handsome male classmate.

The facts proved that being dark or fair was not the point. The key was being handsome.

"You really cut it close. School starts tomorrow. Huh, after not seeing you for an entire summer, you look quite a bit taller. You look more spirited too."

Gule looked Baili Qingfeng over.

"I'll put my things away first."

Baili Qingfeng said.

"Let's go together. The other two are already here. Especially Momier—would you believe that kid got engaged over the summer? The girl he hooked up with is a freshman this year!"

Baili Qingfeng smiled.

He got along fairly well with the others in his dormitory, but...

Only fairly well.

Their mindsets were different, so naturally they could not truly open their hearts to one another.

Since they were already second-year students and knew the roads well, Baili Qingfeng and Gule took a small path, passed through an alley, and walked another dozen meters to reach the main street, cutting nearly a hundred meters off the route.

"Huh, a Musical Instrument Store opened here?"

Baili Qingfeng looked toward one side.

The shop was inside the alley rather than facing the street, so the rent was cheap. The Musical Instrument Store was not small, with three to four hundred square meters between the first and second floors.

"Qingfeng, I remember you saying you knew musical instruments? There are plenty of artsy young women at our school. If you can play one or two instruments, your chances of getting out of singlehood will rise geometrically."

"Just a little, just a little."

Baili Qingfeng said, "Let's go back and put my things away first."

"You only have that tiny suitcase..."

"A suitcase is luggage too. Carrying things in my hands makes me feel especially uneasy."

Gule shrugged at that. "Suit yourself."

"Woo... woo..."

At that moment, a melodious flute melody drifted down from the upper floor of the Musical Instrument Store.

Upon hearing it, Baili Qingfeng froze and stopped walking.

He could tell that the performer...

Was highly skilled.

This was absolutely not a mere amateur hobbyist.

But just as Baili Qingfeng listened quietly and enjoyed the music, the flute melody stopped.

Baili Qingfeng looked toward the second floor where the sound had come from and vaguely caught sight of a sky-blue skirt.

Baili Qingfeng paused. As though he had sensed something in the unseen, he blurted out as if guided by ghosts and gods, "Let's take a look."

As he spoke, he entered the Musical Instrument Store.

A woman around twenty-three or twenty-four came forward to greet him. She wore an elegant, old-fashioned robe somewhat similar in style to a cheongsam, yet even more flowing than one.

"What instrument would you like to buy, sir?"

"Are the ancient instruments upstairs?"

"Yes."

"I'll take a look."

"Certainly, sir. This way, please."

"Tap, tap..."

Baili Qingfeng handed his suitcase to Gule and went upstairs.

There were three people upstairs.

A graceful woman dressed like a young married lady was helping two young girls select flutes: one vertical bamboo flute and one qin flute.

Of the two girls, one wore a long white dress with a cropped denim jacket over it, looking youthful and bright.

The other wore a pale blue chiffon dress, a belt of the same color tied around her slender waist in a small butterfly knot, outlining her perfect, long figure. Her black hair fell casually over her shoulders, with a decorative hair ribbon tied into it. At that moment, she held a vertical bamboo flute and seemed to have just finished tuning it. Every smile and frown carried an ancient, intellectual softness that washed over him like a secluded orchid blooming quietly in an empty valley.