Sword of Slaughter, Heart of Mercy

"What a ruthless way to crush a flower!"

"Everyone, remember this: once you step onto the arena with a sword in hand, there are no men, women, young, or old—there are only opponents. And when facing an opponent, you must naturally show no mercy."

The voice of Director Shi rang out, instantly shattering the hushed murmurs from the sidelines.

Most of those watching were students. While they had heard and read such principles many times, seeing someone use such vicious swordplay against a cute girl right before their eyes still stirred their emotions.

Because they all shared similar thoughts, a subtle emotional resonance began to form among the crowd.

Shi Tianyi, however, sensed this immediately and spoke up to break that resonance.

It wasn't that he worried about the others holding a grudge against Zhao Cheng or ostracizing him later.

He had made the philosophy of the Qingyuan Sword Class very clear: the Great Dao is sought only through the sword. Whether it be opinions or ostracization, these were merely the fires that forge a divine blade.

As a swordsman, one must naturally possess the spirit to hack through thorns and brambles and sever all obstacles.

He feared that if the crowd formed an emotional resonance, their swords would become weak.

In the way of the sword, there is no such principle as refusing to strike women or children.

Not killing women or children is a matter of morality, not the way of the sword.

The way of the sword is purely about killing. While it is not about wanton slaughter, when facing an enemy, one must be prepared to finish them off completely.

Mercy is never meant for the enemy.

At over sixty years old, Shi Tianyi had seen it all, and he knew the power of emotional resonance all too well.

People are prone to follow the herd. A positive emotional resonance can make the cowardly brave, the timid fearless, and even cause one to forget life and death.

But a negative emotional resonance can drag people into the abyss.

"Student Zhao Cheng, let me ask you: if Student Guo Nuan hadn't retreated or blocked just now, what would you have done?!"

Shi Tianyi asked suddenly.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng replied without hesitation: "I gambled that she would retreat or block. Life and death are decided beneath the blade; how could there be any success without taking risks?!"

"If you want to win, you must be prepared to lose."

"Very good!"

Shi Tianyi clapped.

"It seems you have already grasped a portion of the essence of the sword."

"However, let me tell you, your sword is still not ruthless enough. If I were you, I would have struck directly at her eyes just now."

"There is still mercy in your sword."

Shi Tianyi said sternly.

"Director, this..."

Wu Nian wanted to speak, but a single glance from Shi Tianyi hit him like a thunderbolt, leaving him unable to utter another word.

Zhao Cheng fell into deep thought at these words.

Outside the arena, all the students fell into a heavy silence.

While Shi Tianyi's words held some truth, was this really something a director should be saying to a student?!

Besides, the other party involved was still standing right there—couldn't he have found a quiet, private place to say that?!

The students felt their worldviews being violently shaken.

Before this, everyone had thought Director Shi was kind-hearted, like a laughing Buddha, but now, they felt he was more like a demon who had attained Buddhahood without losing his demonic nature.

The students were still caught in a philosophical debate within their own minds, unable to accept Shi Tianyi's words for the moment.

As for the instructors, given their age and their own mastery of the sword, there was little they hadn't seen.

They managed to glean something from Shi Tianyi's words, realizing that he held Zhao Cheng in extremely high regard—an unprecedented occurrence.

They knew that even for them, seeking a few words of guidance from Shi Tianyi was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Thus, they watched the arena with great interest, eager to see how the situation would unfold.

After nearly a full minute, Zhao Cheng spoke calmly: "Director, you are mistaken."

"There is no mercy in my sword. The sword is a weapon of violence, meant for slaughter. No matter how much you dress it up, you cannot change the essence of the blade. From the moment I realized this, there has been no mercy in my sword. I swing it only to kill."

"It is my heart that holds mercy, not my sword!"

"I have read many books, and I have only seen those who master their swords with their humanity find a good end; I have never seen anyone who becomes a slave to their sword find a good end."

Zhao Cheng did not show the slightest bit of intimidation.

"Hahaha!"

Shi Tianyi laughed.

"What a fine sentiment: 'It is my heart that holds mercy.'"

"I hope you never forget the words you spoke today."

"Very well, continue the sparring!"

On the other side, the girl who had previously sparred with Zhao Cheng felt a wave of grievance wash over her when she heard Shi Tianyi mention the eye-stabbing, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

However, after hearing Zhao Cheng's words, she held back the tears and did not let them fall.

She took a deep look at Zhao Cheng, said nothing, and then walked off the field.

As soon as she stepped out, several girls immediately gathered around her, offering the usual comforts.

Following this battle, Zhao Cheng's ranking rose to 23rd.

At the same time, one thing was certain: today was destined to be a day remembered by all the students in the kendo class, one they would likely not forget even decades later.

Third battle: Zhao Cheng challenged the 18th place and won in seven strikes.

Fourth battle: Zhao Cheng challenged the 13th place and won in five strikes.

Fifth battle: Zhao Cheng challenged the 8th place and won in ten strikes.

Sixth battle: Zhao Cheng challenged the 3rd place and won narrowly in twenty-seven strikes.

By this point, the students watching from the sidelines had shifted from solemnity to astonishment.

Although they were young, few came from backgrounds that lacked the resources to cultivate such swordsmanship at their age, so they were all quite knowledgeable.

To say they had seen it all would not be much of an exaggeration.

Yet today, one after another, they witnessed scenes they truly had never seen before.

They felt as if they were witnessing history.

A new student who had just joined the kendo class was single-handedly sweeping through the entire class with a single sword.

Such a thing was, to some extent, absurd.

After all, he was not suppressing others with a higher level of swordsmanship, but with a genuine, unreasonable level of combat ability.

Despite having the same, or even lower, swordsmanship level, he was still managing to defeat his opponents.

Such things could only be found in the pages of novels.

"To think that a joke is about to become reality."

"However, no matter how strong the combat ability is, it is difficult to bridge the gap in basic physical attributes."

Shi Tianyi chuckled softly.

When he first spoke, he had said that a newcomer could keep challenging until they reached first place.

But no one had believed that was actually possible.

Because if someone truly possessed such swordsmanship, they would have joined the kendo class long ago; it was impossible for them to have only been discovered now.

As for Zhao Cheng, his swordsmanship was merely proficient; it was his absurd combat ability that had created this incredible scene.

It could be said that everyone was moved.

All the students were pondering whether they could do the same if they were in Zhao Cheng's position, and the answer was naturally no, even though their own swordsmanship levels were not inferior to his.

They couldn't help but think of a classic question: just how big is the gap between people?

Answer: Just a little bit!