A Blade Dispels the Wind

"Take a look at this Basalt Grey. Although it's ninety percent new, the previous owner took excellent care of it. If it weren't for them promoting to a high-tier Battle General, they never would have parted with this tactical watch. Weihua's Series 3 global tactical watch can withstand the attack force of a Beast General and receive base station signals throughout the entire Dimension Realm."

"This one is ugly too!" Xiao Dan's eyes sparkled as she shook her head, giving Xu Feng's hand a firm squeeze.

Xu Feng understood immediately. "Just tell me the price. I don't think this color looks good either."

"Uh, well. Fifty-six thousand. That's truly the lowest price; any lower and you'd start thinking it was a fake. The original price was two hundred and fifty thousand. It has a communicator, maps, GPS, global satellite-free geomagnetic spatial positioning, and all sorts of other functions. In short, at fifty-six thousand, you aren't losing out or getting scammed."

Xu Feng could tell the shopkeeper was pulling out all the stops to make the sale. The item was good, but the price was truly steep. This was second-hand, not brand new.

Xu Feng took a deep breath. "Forty thousand. It's clearly only eighty percent new. If you can do forty thousand, I'll consider it. Even though the color is mediocre, the others are even uglier. I'm giving this as a gift; if I have to pay to get it refurbished at this price, I'll be taking a huge loss."

"Forty thousand? Why don't you look at something else?" The shopkeeper's expression turned cold instantly.

"We've got a history, after all," Xu Feng said, thick-skinned.

The shopkeeper glared at him. "I have no history with you. With you asking for such a massive discount, what am I supposed to say? Forty thousand? Why not just ask for twenty thousand?"

"Then give me a counter-offer! That's how shopping works; you have to haggle," Xu Feng chuckled.

"Fifty-two thousand."

"Forty-five thousand."

"I really can't go any lower!"

"Forty-eight thousand. If it's more than that, I'll pass."

"Fifty thousand. That's the absolute bottom line."

When it came to haggling, Xu Feng was always serious.

After several rounds of back-and-forth, he successfully secured the ninety-percent-new second-hand tactical watch for forty-nine thousand. He even managed to snag two extra watch straps in different colors for free.

He had seen Lu Fei's wrist; she was only wearing a standard Series 6 communicator. The secret to buying gifts was not to buy what was expensive, but what was right. Expensive luxury goods were certainly classy, but impractical items were quickly relegated to the back of a shelf. However, a tactical watch was essential equipment for every high-tier martial artist. It was used every single day. Therefore, as a gift, the user would think of Xu Feng's intentions every time they checked the time.

In the evening, when Lu Fei saw the watch, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face. However, the expression was fleeting. She frowned at Xu Feng, her face filled with disdain. "Do you think you're some kind of rich person? You're carrying two million in debt, and you still have money to buy luxury items like this?"

"In my eyes, this thing isn't worth this price, but as long as it's a gift for you, it's worth it," Xu Feng said with a smile.

After saying this, Xu Feng stood proudly in place, silently acting cool. This line must have struck a chord in her heart. My twenty-plus years of studying the 'bible of romance' as a single man didn't go to waste.

However, a single sentence from Xiao Dan shattered Xu Feng's composure. "Dad, you just said it was too expensive and that you regretted buying it the moment you did."

Lu Fei scoffed immediately. She glanced at Xiao Dan, pinched her cheek, and then looked back at Xu Feng. "Putting on a brave face to look like a big shot."

Yet, despite her words, she proceeded to put the watch on her wrist.

"Wow! It looks so good! Teacher Lu, you have such an elegant aura!"

Xiao Dan grabbed Lu Fei's hands with stars in her eyes, exclaiming in wonder.

Lu Fei rubbed her head with an expressionless face. "You sure have a sweet tongue."

Immediately after.

She then looked toward Xu Feng. "Still, thanks, but don't go to such expense next time. Since we're friends, there's no need to be so polite."

Xu Feng nodded earnestly, though he hadn't listened to a word of it.

I'll definitely do it again next time.

"I have to go on a mission recently; it'll probably take a few days."

Lu Fei hesitated for a moment, speaking in a distracted tone.

"You'd better keep a low profile lately. When I'm not around, there won't be anyone to cover for you two."

"Then I wish you a smooth journey." Xu Feng simply smiled.

"I'm off."

Lu Fei waved her hand, kissed Xiao Dan, and turned to leave.

Stepping out of the house.

She glanced down at her wrist, a faint, elusive smile curling the corners of her lips.

Inside the house.

Xiao Dan couldn't help but look at Xu Feng, worried. "Teacher doesn't seem to like it, does she?"

"Heh heh," Xu Feng said confidently. "Don't worry, she's already unable to escape the palm of my hand. Heh heh heh heh~~"

Xiao Dan: ".Dad, why don't you go register at the psychiatric department?"

"Feeling itchy for a beating, are you?" Xu Feng immediately dropped his smile and glared at the little one.

"Ah! I was wrong!" Xiao Dan sprinted to the table, picked up her homework, and began writing with a look of feigned diligence.

Xu Feng couldn't help but chuckle.

This girl's mouth had been getting out of hand lately; she really was asking for a spanking.

Over the next three days.

Xu Feng settled his heart down in all seriousness.

He re-entered a state of cultivation.

Every day, aside from work, his entire body and mind were immersed in the comprehension of Wind Blade Triple Strike and the study of the Shadow Sweep movement technique.

These two secret manuals were truly difficult to learn.

Yet, the improvements he gained after even the slightest progress left Xu Feng pleasantly surprised.

In the wild.

Deep in the woods.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a spray of flying wood chips.

"Crack-crunch—"

The trunk of a large tree, thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around, instantly shattered.

It then slowly snapped and collapsed to the ground.

Xu Feng slowly sheathed his blade, feeling his arm go numb from the vibration.

"A pity. Trying to sever the trunk in one strike is still a bit of a stretch.

It's not that I lack the strength, but rather that my arm can't withstand such a massive output of force.

Of course, there are also technical reasons.

If I could make a breakthrough in Wind Blade, then by relying on the vibrational power of the wind force, I should be able to sever this tree with ease."

With a thought, the panel appeared.

Wind Blade Triple Strike [First Four Layers] · Novice (49/50)

He glanced at the panel and took a deep breath.

Sure enough, he was only a hair's breadth away.

After resting for a while, Xu Feng resumed practicing his blade technique.

Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

At one particular moment, the Battle Blade in Xu Feng's hand suddenly seemed to go silent.

Hiss!

He slashed out, and there was no sharp whistling sound of air being torn in the air.

There was only a faint, strange sound, like the hiss of a snake.

If one did not listen carefully, it was impossible to hear.

Xu Feng's face lit up with joy as he looked at the panel.

Wind Blade Triple Strike [First Four Levels] · Proficient (1/400)

Immediately, his gaze sharpened, and he turned to look at another ancient tree in the forest, one even thicker than the previous one.

Swish!

As Xu Feng's figure flashed, he abruptly raised his hand and slashed his blade toward the trunk!

Hiss!

A cold light suddenly flared.

"Bang!"

The blade edge swept across the trunk in an instant, meeting slight resistance before violently piercing through!

Creak—

The remaining palm-thick bark of the sturdy trunk snapped instantly.

Then, the entire tree slowly toppled toward the ground.

Boom—

As dust rose throughout the forest, Xu Feng's figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he retreated twenty meters away.

Xu Feng smiled with satisfaction, "This power is finally worthy of a C-grade price tag."

Ever since he began practicing Wind Blade, although his strength had been slow to see any major improvement, he had made significant progress in his body coordination and force-application techniques.

Furthermore, the practice of the Shadow Sweep movement technique had made his movements even more agile.

Reflecting on Lurence's strength from back then, Xu Feng could roughly guess that the other party's mastery of C-grade combat secret arts was likely at this same level.

"This is only the first level of Wind Blade Triple Strike, and the easiest one at that; I've only just touched the threshold of wind force. If I can fully step into the second level, I will be able to grasp the 'power of one strike' mentioned in the manual. Only then can I completely eliminate the sound of the wind when drawing my blade, while simultaneously applying this wind force to every strike. I am still far from that realm; I must not grow arrogant."

Xu Feng muttered to himself, then sheathed his blade and turned to walk back.