Train of Thought

Back in the day, under the command of the founding father Li Kaiyuan, there was a great general who walked the path of seeking the Way through slaughter.

During the early stages of pacifying the nation, he was decisive and ruthless, his iron sword invincible; one man with one blade, he was like an Asura descended upon the world.

Yet later, once the nation was settled, he transitioned from a military post to a civil one, never again drawing his sword to charge into battle, and his demeanor grew increasingly gentle.

Only those who understood the sword path knew that this was the demon maturing into a Buddha. Sure enough, on the Central European battlefield, this man settled Berlin with three strikes, nearly slaying the leader known as the Buddha-Demon.

However, it was precisely because of this battle that the Central European theater was pacified.

This is the terrifying power of seeking the Way through slaughter!

Of course, this is a successful example. As for those who failed and died along the way, while their numbers are certainly thousands of times greater than the successful ones, everyone naturally only keeps their eyes on the winners. As for the failures, how could they ever be remembered?!

"A seed of a slaughter-fiend? Director Shi, could you be referring to..."

A teacher spoke, vaguely guessing the implication.

There are two types of people who walk the path of seeking the Way through slaughter: one is forged through a hundred battles, tempering a killing intent; the other is born with a killing intent already within them, merely obscured by the trivialities of daily life. Once awakened, they become lawless madmen.

When not in action, they might remain gentle and mild, but once they strike, they are vicious and cruel, possessing a shocking lethality.

In a sense, the latter also possesses a special talent, though aside from being born with the disposition, most are still forged through actual combat.

Historically, the masters who successfully traversed the path of seeking the Way through slaughter included both types.

If one had to be precise, the latter only has an advantage in the beginning; once a killing intent is forged through a hundred battles, there is no longer much difference between the two.

And if one were to truly analyze it, having such a talent is not necessarily a good thing. Ordinary people, as long as they do not actively seek to forge a killing intent, will not walk the path of seeking the Way through slaughter.

But those with this talent will inevitably end up on this road.

The pleasure brought by that self-transcendence between life and death is something no one can refuse!

Compared to that kind of pleasure, daily life is simply too bland and tasteless.

It is only after "breaking after being too rigid" that one can truly understand the meaning of "plainness is the truth."

"Correct, the Sword Ghost!"

"When holding the sword, he is vicious and cruel, even more evil than a demon, which is why he belongs to the Ghost Path. Once one enters the Ghost Path, there is no turning back; a hundred battles without dying tempers the killing intent, a thousand battles without dying transforms one into an Asura."

"The longing in his heart will drive him to constantly fight and win, to challenge those who are stronger!"

"If this were a time of war, such a person would either die young or sweep the world with his sword. Unfortunately, this is an era of peace, and such talent can only be buried."

"In an era of peace, at most one can compete in tournaments. Without seeing blood, without killing, and without the ability to temper one's killing intent, it is destined to be impossible to achieve the Asura Path."

"In fact, before attaining the Way, his innate nature for slaughter will be worn away by the mundane and the plain, rather than being nourished."

Director Shi said with a smile.

"However, who is to say that losing one's horse is not a blessing in disguise!"

"Being able to live a long life and savor the beauty of existence is not necessarily inferior to sweeping the world with a sword."

"There is also happiness in the ordinary."

Director Shi's words could be considered a reading of fate.

The life trajectory of an ordinary person is not complex; for most, one can see their hundredth year by looking at their tenth.

Hearing this, the teachers fell silent.

A golden carp trapped in a lake may never have the day to transform into a dragon, but at least it will not die a violent death; while in the vast ocean, though there are heaven-defying opportunities, one can be swallowed by the waves at any moment.

Whether it is a blessing or a curse is hard to say clearly.

Because of this conversation, many teachers turned their gazes toward Zhao Cheng, not only remembering him but also forming a deep impression.

The land of Yanhuang is vast and boundless, with two hundred billion people today; what kind of talent does it not have?!

The Sword Ghost is actually not rare.

But that is within the scope of the entire Yanhuang; if placed in a small Xiangnan, and an even smaller Qingyuan Middle School, it becomes a rare thing indeed.

"Indeed, there is also happiness in the ordinary."

After a long while, Zhao Yue murmured in a low voice, seemingly talking to herself; only the fluctuations in her eyes revealed that her heart was not at peace.

On the sidelines, the youth held his sword, his white clothes like snow.

This scene seemed to have been seen somewhere before, but upon closer inspection, it felt as if the memory had already blurred.

As for Zhao Cheng, he was completely unaware of this conversation. Not to mention him, even the students standing closer to the teachers had not heard these words.

The battle in the arena had already reached the second match. As for the first, it had ended in twenty-some moves, as quick as a rabbit rising and a falcon falling.

In matters of sword dueling, if the level is high, it is possible for two experts to exchange hundreds of moves without a winner.

As for the "pecking" of low-level novices, even if their strength is comparable, the outcome is decided very quickly.

Twenty-some moves is an average value; if the gap in strength is slightly larger, the outcome can be decided in under ten moves.

"The sword is the master of slaughter"—this is by no means an exaggeration.

Even if it is just sparring and not a life-or-death struggle, their sword paths were quite conservative, but a sword is, after all, not a shield.

And Zhao Cheng, although he felt their sword paths were not "ruthless" enough, still watched with great interest.

Although they were all practicing the same set of sword techniques, the same sword yielded a hundred different styles, with each person possessing their own unique understanding, even if their sword technique levels were far lower than Zhao Cheng's.

However, a higher sword technique level did not mean that Zhao Cheng could figure out every intricate variation just by pondering it alone.

A "weak" sword path did not mean it lacked any merit; its underlying logic, for instance, was worth considering.

In a sense, sword techniques were somewhat like the esports of his past life: low-level matches were decided by hand speed, while high-level matches were decided by strategy.

In the past, when Zhao Cheng sparred with his classmates, it was all about speed and strength; whoever was faster and stronger won.

Yet, the classmates in this kendo class all possessed their own "logic." You might not see it in a single move or stance, but watching an entire match made the power of that logic clear.

With the same speed, strength, and sword technique level, the difference between having a strategy and not having one might not show in three or five moves, but once they went beyond ten, the one without a strategy would fall behind, and defeat would soon follow.

This was the gap in combat awareness.

Zhao Cheng belonged to the "wild" school, honing his "logic" through actual combat, but that did not mean he could not have both.

Clearly, combat awareness was something that could also be cultivated systematically.

The instructor had not taught this content before, firstly because it was relatively advanced, requiring at least level 4 sword technique, reaching the proficient stage.

One had to learn to walk before one could learn to run.

Secondly, practical combat instruction was clearly not suitable for a large class format; it could only be taught in small groups to ensure everyone received proper attention.

The sword trials proceeded quickly. Often, from the moment two people chose their opponents, put on their protective gear, competed to decide the winner, and then stepped off to swap, the total time was only about a minute.

The fast ones took less than a minute, and the slow ones took a little over a minute, rarely exceeding two.

If nothing else, this scene and this atmosphere were excellent.