Blinking Swordsmanship
"Blinking Swordsmanship?" Han Li repeated the name of the sword technique to himself.
"Yeah. Tell me, what does swordsmanship have to do with blinking? Isn't that a funny name?"
"Have you practiced this sword technique?" Han Li asked with concern.
"Of course not. Who would practice a martial art that doesn't even use True Qi? Isn't that just an empty show? Never mind me-no one has practiced it since it was created."
"I heard that the elder who created it saved the Seven Mysteries Sect from several crises, and before he died, he left instructions that it had to be included in the Seven Ultimates Hall. Otherwise, Blinking Swordsmanship could never have been listed among the Seven Ultimates Hall's ultimate arts."
Li Feiyu had a big mouth, utterly unlike his cold exterior. Before Han Li could even ask, he had already dug up the sword technique's entire history. Of course, he only showed a glimpse of his big-mouthed nature in front of Han Li. Outside, in front of the other disciples, he became the cool idol "Senior Brother Li" again.
After listening to Li Feiyu's account, Han Li's fifth sense faintly told him that this was what he had been looking for all along.
"Senior Brother Li, can you make a copy of this sword technique for me and bring it out of the Seven Ultimates Hall?"
"Hehe! No problem. If it were any other martial art, I'd have trouble copying it for you, because someone is assigned to look over and inspect them every day. But Blinking Swordsmanship sits in a corner where nobody pays it any attention. Copying it would be too much trouble, though, so I might as well sneak the original sword manual out for you. Once you've memorized or copied it yourself, I'll secretly put it back. No one will notice, I guarantee it." Li Feiyu casually offered an even bolder suggestion.
Seeing how confident he seemed, Han Li agreed to his plan.
He had been a little worried about the man's bad habit of being forgetful. If he accidentally skipped a few parts while copying the sword technique, wouldn't Han Li be the one to suffer for it?
Being able to get the original sword manual was naturally even better.
"All right, it's getting late. I should go back and practice, or the Seven Ultimates Hall's chief steward will catch me sneaking out again." Li Feiyu dried himself, put on his upper garment, and prepared to leave.
Han Li said nothing more, only warning him to be careful when stealing the sword manual and not get caught over it.
Li Feiyu turned away without a care, gave him a casual wave with the back of his hand, and slowly climbed out through a nearby cave.
Han Li watched his retreating figure gradually disappear into the cave entrance. The smile on his face slowly faded with it, and a few traces of gloom appeared.
Not long after Li Feiyu left, Han Li returned to Divine Hand Valley.
As soon as he returned to Divine Hand Valley, Han Li spotted the tall, mysterious man in the distance.
He stood motionless outside Doctor Mo's house, close beside the door, his cloak over him. He seemed not to care in the least about the blazing summer sun beating down on him.
Han Li came to the door of his own room and stopped, gazing at the man who never spoke.
Ever since Doctor Mo had threatened him, Han Li had been very interested in this man who never showed his true face. The man seemed to have been born mute; since coming to the valley, he had never once opened his mouth to speak.
Stranger still, the man's stamina was truly astonishing. He would often stand motionless like this for an entire day, and Han Li had never seen him grow tired. Han Li had long since given him the title of "monster" in his mind.
He had also tried to communicate with the man, but the man was like a block of wood and gave no response. No matter how floridly Han Li spoke, he simply ignored him.
Han Li was utterly impressed by Doctor Mo for managing to train a living man of flesh and blood to be like a puppet, without a single weakness.
He obeyed orders without question, had astonishing stamina, never spoke, and showed not the slightest emotion. Although Han Li still did not know how good his martial arts were, he definitely would not be too weak. That was Han Li's final assessment of the man.
Han Li knew that this man might well become another of Doctor Mo's trump cards, but there was nothing he could do. He could find no flaw in the man.
The only thing that puzzled Han Li somewhat was that, when he occasionally looked at the man's back, he always had a very familiar feeling, as though he had seen the same figure somewhere before. But whenever he thought back, he could never remember which acquaintance's back it resembled.
After watching for a while, Han Li sighed, closed the door, and returned to his room. He knew that without Doctor Mo's orders, the man would not go and rest.
Feeling somewhat unsettled, he sprang straight onto his bed in a single bound and let himself fall back. Lying there, he put both hands behind his head and closed his eyes.
He carefully replayed the few moves he had learned from Li Feiyu that day in his mind, then silently simulated them in his head, dividing the details of each move into several parts before repeatedly examining them bit by bit and studying them with care.
This was the new ability Han Li had gained after reaching the fifth layer of the Eternal Spring Art: never forgetting anything he saw.
With this advantage, he could commit any martial art to memory in its entirety, then replay it countless times in his mind, refining and elevating it. This was also why Li Feiyu thought he was a genius.
Two months earlier, Han Li had relied on the potency of the two sacred medicines to forcefully break through the fourth layer of the Eternal Spring Art and reach the fifth.
The effects of the Yellow Dragon Pill and the Golden Marrow Pill were so great that they far exceeded Han Li's expectations. He had still underestimated the immense power of those formulas. The pills he had prepared truly were priceless treasures.
However, he had also used up just under half of the two marrow-cleansing spirit medicines. What remained should barely be enough for him to reach the sixth layer of the Eternal Spring Art. He was rather looking forward to seeing what surprise the sixth layer would bring him.
Less than half a year remained before the deadline of Doctor Mo's ultimatum. Although he had learned some moves from Li Feiyu, without matching internal True Qi, they were only superficial skills of flowery fists and embroidered kicks.
They might still work against someone versed in martial arts, but using them against Doctor Mo would truly be like throwing a meat bun to a dog: it would go out and never come back.
At this thought, Han Li felt somewhat worried and vexed. His Eternal Spring Art was good in every way, except that it could not be used in actual combat or killing.
Now he could only pin his hopes on Blinking Swordsmanship, hoping it would bring him a pleasant surprise.