Variable II

In the blink of an eye, time flew by.

Lin Hui followed his routine, training hard in the Seven Section Fast Sword every day at Qingfeng Temple. His proficiency rose rapidly, and his physical fitness and reaction speed gradually improved alongside his grueling practice.

Although he had promised his parents he wouldn't push himself too hard, the sense of security he had only just regained wavered after he had truly seen the fog zone and the monstrous shadows that flashed within it.

He briefly simulated the shadow he saw in the fog zone lunging at him, wondering if he could react in time.

The result of this simulation immediately gave him even more motivation to train harder.

As time passed, aside from his own diligent practice helping him master the sword moves of the Seven Section Fast Sword, the evolution of the first move, Denggao Wangyuan, by the Blood Seal was also nearing its end.

In the early morning, at the practice field in the backyard of Qingfeng Temple.

Student disciples held wooden sticks, each finding an empty spot to repeatedly practice their sword moves.

Some could clearly be seen with slightly crooked postures, but most were relatively proficient, repeating this sword technique that looked more like a health-preserving exercise.

Lin Hui found a spot next to a wooden post, his wooden stick moving as if tracing circles as he repeatedly practiced the first move, Denggao Wangyuan.

He felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation; seeing that the evolution time for the Blood Seal was almost up, he had been guessing how the Blood Seal would manifest the effects of this evolution.

Now, it seemed to be a method that induced the body to spontaneously generate changes, eventually leading to a qualitative transformation.

Swish.

The wooden stick in his hand accelerated, moving faster and faster. Although he was only repeating the first move, there were few among all the students who could reach this speed while remaining perfectly precise.

However, the sky was still dim, just barely light, and many were so immersed in their own practice that they didn't notice the details over here.

Soon, about three minutes later.

Clap.

The wooden stick in Lin Hui's hand stopped. He slowly withdrew his stance, stood upright, and quietly regulated his breathing.

Just then, the Blood Seal on the back of his hand flashed violently, shifting from a circle back into its previous diamond shape.

Waves of indescribable insights and sword training experience surged into Lin Hui's mind.

His body trembled, and he fell into a state of special enlightenment.

A massive amount of memory regarding the pros and cons of the first move, Denggao Wangyuan, along with methods for refinement, optimization, and even experimental research, poured frantically into his mind.

It was as if he had spent many years trying and failing, gradually perfecting and optimizing this sword move to a flawless level.

Dozens of breaths later.

Lin Hui slowly raised his hand again. The wooden stick traced a perfect arc forward with incredible lightness, then hooked downward, and finally flicked diagonally upward. His footwork shifted in tandem, natural and harmonious.

"It's done!" Lin Hui felt an inexplicable sense of certainty in his heart.

The move he had just performed was still Denggao Wangyuan, but it had reached a level of absolute perfection, so it could be called Denggao Wangshan.

Furthermore, with the mastery of this perfect sword move, he gained significant insight into the subsequent fast sword moves.

"Fast sword, fast sword... so that's how it's meant to be fast. The Seven Section Fast Sword is essentially a method of storing power through muscles. The first six moves are like springs being tightened, and only on the final move does it enter a state of readiness. This entire set of sword techniques doesn't actually contain a lethal strike. Clearly, the lethal strike is reserved for a different set of sword techniques."

Lin Hui reflected internally. Having practiced for two months, he looked back at the moves the other students were practicing, and they all looked crooked, distorted, and riddled with errors.

"A-Hui, why are you hiding here practicing by yourself?" Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted from behind him.

It was Chen Zhishen.

He yawned, carrying his wooden stick as he walked over slowly.

"Why didn't you call me to practice?"

His progress was actually about the same as Lin Hui's, which was the case for most student disciples regarding the Seven Section Fast Sword.

This sword technique was a training method, not a combat style. The power-generating mechanics hidden within were extremely complex, requiring the tempering of over fifty power points in the body.

If even one of these fifty power points was wrong, the effect would be greatly diminished. But once this sword technique was fully mastered and all power points were aligned, the tempering of the body would officially begin.

For an average student starting from scratch, it took at least three years to fully master all the power points and truly learn this sword technique.

And that was just a rough mastery; when practicing alone, if they could get through it once without a single error in the power points out of ten attempts, they would be thanking the heavens.

This was also the reason why many students eventually couldn't keep up and quietly left. After all, mastery was one thing, but being able to perform it perfectly every single time was another.

Lin Hui calculated his own time; with his hard work and the Blood Seal's evolution, he would only need about a year to fully master it—and a perfect mastery at that.

Moreover, he discovered a powerful point while practicing just now.

That was, after he finished evolving Denggao Wangshan, every time he practiced this move, it would be perfect without a single error. That incredibly smooth feeling—no thinking, no hesitation—everything just happened naturally.

He knew exactly what this meant.

"What were you doing last night? Why do you look so listless?" Coming back to his senses, Lin Hui looked at Chen Zhishen.

"Don't ask. I had dreams all night. My dreams were full of..." Chen Zhishen's cheeks flushed, and he didn't finish his sentence.

"How is your sword technique coming along?" Lin Hui was speechless and changed the subject.

He knew the other man had been getting very close to a new female student recently; the two had been helping each other out over the past few days and were slowly becoming familiar.

"It's alright. I feel like it won't be long before I fully master all the sword moves. As for the power points, I've already got a lead. I managed to get four of them right a few days ago!" When mentioning sword practice, Chen Zhishen's attitude became serious.

"Not bad at all," Lin Hui nodded.

"What do you mean 'not bad'? Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren are the real deal. One mastered it completely in a week, the other took only four days... I really don't know how these geniuses' brains are wired." Chen Zhishen sighed.

Lin Hui remained silent.

He had watched these two new geniuses practice their swordsmanship; they were newcomers who had joined in the first half of the month.

As a result, they had mastered all the sword moves of the Seven Section Fast Sword in a very short time, and the accuracy of their force-application points had reached over eighty percent. It was simply terrifying.

Compared to that, his Blood Seal was as slow as a snail...

Sighing again, Lin Hui stopped overthinking it. At the very least, the greatest advantage of the Blood Seal was that once it was correct, it stayed correct. During his recent tests, that terrifying accuracy was more mechanical than a machine.

Even if he started slow, he would catch up faster in the later stages!

He comforted himself with this thought.

The two chatted for a few moments before returning to practice their swordsmanship together.

Aside from breaks for water and bathroom trips, the two didn't stop for a single moment.

By noon, the logistics helpers brought up various meals in large buckets.

There was thick, dark red mixed-grain rice, large chunks of braised pork ribs, and a soup made of various green wild vegetables and sliced brown mushrooms.

They ate in a side cafeteria specifically designated for this purpose, where rows of wooden stools looked very much like the university cafeteria from Lin Hui's past life.

At this time, men and women were walking inside one after another.

Many students from well-off families gathered around the senior brother Chen Sui and the second senior brother Zhao Jiang'an, forming small cliques.

The senior sister Mu Qiao Zhi didn't come here often and was only seen occasionally.

Besides them, there were a few other small groups huddled together with the newly arrived geniuses, Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren.

The rest of the people sat in twos and threes, waiting to eat.

The food was served by designated personnel who walked around with large ladles and wooden buckets, filling one scoop per person.

Lin Hui had always sat with Chen Zhishen, but this time, just as he sat down and prepared to call out to him, he saw the guy happily sitting opposite a girl with shoulder-length hair. The two had flushed faces and were looking down, whispering about something.

"It's only been a few days... they haven't even mastered their swordsmanship, yet they have the heart for romance?" Lin Hui was speechless.

That said, Chen Zhishen hadn't been affected much; he had been practicing his swordsmanship on time and in full measure these past few days, without missing a beat.

Without his friend to chat with, Lin Hui ate much faster than usual. Having mastered the first move, Denggao Wangshan, perfectly, he could practice all eight force-application points of the first move without a single error.

This put him in a great mood and opened up his appetite. After finishing a large bowl of rice and gnawing through seven or eight pork ribs, he spent money to add another serving of meat to keep eating.

He was about seventy or eighty percent through his second serving when a sudden commotion and shouting broke out not far away.

It was accompanied by the pained groans of students.

Lin Hui frowned and quickly looked up.

In a corner of the cafeteria, near the food buckets, two groups of people were already in a heated confrontation.

A girl from one of the groups was clutching her buttocks, her face flushed red as she glared at a tall, grinning boy opposite her.

The boy was laughing while making a kneading gesture with his hand.

Both sides were cursing and shoving each other.

To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, Lin Hui quickly stood up, abandoned his meal, and retreated to a distance.

Chen Zhishen also scurried over with his new acquaintance.

"Huang Shan just got her butt pinched!"

"Who's so bold? Huang Shan has high talent; surely the teachers are keeping an eye on her?" the girl beside him asked in a low voice.

"It's that guy Chen Chong. Many of the better-looking girls in the temple have been harassed by him. As for high talent—no matter how high it is, what use is it against the background of the Chen Family? Even if he's just a distant relative of a branch, he's still part of the Chen Family," Chen Zhishen frowned.

After explaining, he quickly introduced the girl to Lin Hui.

The girl's name was Lu Baihua. She came from a family of herb farmers and had a delicate, pleasant appearance. Although she was a bit thin, her personality was very much to Chen Zhishen's liking.

"Huang Shan might be at a disadvantage, but the boys beside her aren't from ordinary backgrounds. If they dare to confront Chen Chong directly, they must have some confidence. Let's stay far away and not get involved," Chen Zhishen warned.

"If Chen Chong is this arrogant, won't the teachers in the temple do anything?" Lu Baihua couldn't help but ask.

"How could they? Qingfeng Temple can't afford to offend the Chen Family. There's nothing they can do," Chen Zhishen shook his head.

"But this time it's Huang Shan. If it were some other girl without talent or background... what would happen to her?" Lu Baihua worried.

Chen Zhishen fell silent for a moment.

"They can only hide. Before, I heard a senior brother say that two years ago, two female students were harassed by Chen Chong and returned home. Later, one managed to hide, but the other... someone saw her near Chen Chong's house, completely insane and no longer looking human..."

The atmosphere tightened instantly.

Lin Hui clearly saw Lu Baihua's eyes widen and her face turn pale.

It was clear she was worried about herself.

"It's okay, don't worry. Just dress a bit uglier and dirtier on a daily basis, and Chen Chong won't set his eyes on you," Chen Zhishen comforted her.

Lin Hui didn't speak; he just sighed, turned around, and walked away.

Returning to the communal dormitory and lying down on his bunk, he silently focused his attention on the second move of the Seven Section Fast Sword—Hundred Turns and Thousand Returns.

"Hundred Turns and Thousand Returns—the second move of the Seven Section Fast Sword, one of the basic sword techniques, containing eight points of force exertion. Once mastered, it can accelerate the cultivation of the sixth move. Evolvable branch: 1."

"1—Hundred Turns and Thousand Hearts."

"Evolve into Hundred Turns and Thousand Hearts?"

"Required resources: one wooden sword, sixty days of reserved energy."

"Required time: sixty days."

Choosing yes, Lin Hui recalled the panic and worry of Chen Zhishen and Lu Baihua today, and recalled the arrogant, long, horse-like face of Chen Chong...

It seems that sometimes, just running fast isn't enough...

When encountering someone like Chen Chong, even if Huang Shan ran away, she still had parents and family; there was simply no way out.