True Solution of the Sword Dao-Chapter 37 - 33
Chapter 37: Chapter 33
Chapter 37 -33
After the greetings were exchanged, Lin Fei also stood behind Lu Jun and the old master, beginning to watch the impending martial contest.
“On the left side of the competition is Kang Ziliang, a reputed Actual Combat Sword Technique practitioner within the province,” the old master introduced loudly to everyone present.
Lin Fei followed his gaze and caught sight of the middle-aged man with a worried look on his face, who performed a fist and palm salute in their direction, the bright longsword held upright in his hand.
The old master continued, pointing to the man in the suit on the right, “This is my disciple, Xu Yanshan, who has studied the Crane-eating Fist under me for many years and possesses considerable real combat experience.”
The man in the suit, Xu Yanshan, likewise gave a fist and palm salute in their direction.
It was from this introduction that Lin Fei was able to infer the background of this old master Fei. In his previous life, due to his interest in combat sports, he had naturally come to understand some of the major martial arts schools within the valley. Among them was the Crane-eating Fist. Legend has it that it was developed by Fang Qiniang, an inheritor of Shaolin from the Qing Dynasty, through her battle with a crane. However, Lin Fei did not know whether this old master Fei’s lineage came from the traditions across the strait or was native to Hua Nation.
After the introduction, the two contestants exchanged salutations and then focused, waiting in anticipation.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Lin Fei began to observe the two competitors closely, concentrating intently. He knew his abilities; if it were a fight to the death, employing all means necessary, he might be able to unleash significant destructive power using the techniques of Basic Sword Technique, but such force was unsustainable. And before his rebirth, although he had some understanding of various martial arts schools, he had never managed to obtain their core secrets.
This was a natural outcome. After all, such secrets were closely guarded within each school. How could they be easily disclosed to others?
Hence, in the past, Lin Fei practiced mixed martial arts, piecing together moves from fragments of Sanda, along with techniques integrated from popular versions of Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Aikido, and the like.
To put it bluntly, he was merely an independent practitioner, a rootless wanderer, never having undergone systematic training and study.
In his former life, being Professional Level simply indicated one’s capability in actual combat, which involved many important factors such as strength and condition. It didn’t mean that the overall skill level was necessarily high. Perhaps someone was just physically strong and had a robust defense. As long as one won a certain number of matches in the ring, one could be referred to as Professional Level. Lin Fei had been in such a situation before his death, without a mentor’s guidance, he had always been studying and practicing on his own, naturally far from matching those formally trained professionals.
Even now, having learned Basic Sword Technique and Qi Cultivation, Lin Fei was still more of an explosive fighter. Without the Bear Claw in hand, his combat ability would drop by over fifty percent. Against Sun Chengbin, if he had been without the Bear Claw, Lin Fei would probably have been kicked to death within a few rounds. This illustrates how significant the advantage of having a good weapon can be.
At this moment, having the opportunity to openly observe a genuine show of national martial arts was undoubtedly a great opportunity for Lin Fei. After all, he currently relied on the unpredictable techniques of Basic Sword Technique, which could catch others off guard. But the true foundation was still far from sufficient. In one-on-one fights, he might have a chance to catch others by surprise, but such tactics would cease to be as effective once reaching a certain level of skill.
“Let’s begin,” said the old master as soon as he finished speaking.
On the right, Xu Yanshan suddenly stepped forward, his hands forming a pecking shape as he aimed a fierce jab toward his opponent’s sword-wielding wrist. The distance of over three meters was crossed in nearly two strides, barely a second passing as he traversed it. His entire being was like a crane swooping down to strike at its prey.
Kang Ziliang twisted his wrist, and his longsword burst forth a flurry of silvery light, easily deflecting Xu Yanshan’s attack. Flesh and blood naturally cannot recklessly clash with metal, so Xu Yanshan twisted his steps, promptly sidestepping the sword light, circling around Kang Ziliang, his right hand reaching out toward his adversary.
Unexpectedly, Kang Ziliang was extremely quick, his longsword slicing straightforwardly in a diagonal cut toward Xu Yanshan’s approaching hand, forcing the latter to retreat.
The two separated again, Kang Ziliang not pursuing further. He nodded at Xu Yanshan.
“I yield,” he said.
Xu Yanshan, with a wry smile, lifted his right arm, showing a slit in the sleeve at the cuff. If that sword strike had been a little higher, perhaps his arm’s tendons would have been severed.
“Thank you for the guidance, Master Kang,” Xu Yanshan said, returning the salute and stepping down from the competition area with a wry smile on his face.
Old master Fei wasn’t angry; his disciple’s defeat was clearly something he had anticipated.
“Although our Crane-eating Fist emphasizes using the hands before the feet, Xu Yanshan, you shouldn’t have circled around at the end. Wouldn’t a direct kick have been better? Additionally, our boxing technique values broken step footwork, not the large strides you took. These are all basics. It seems you’ve been neglecting your training more and more these past few years,” the old master scolded.
Xu Yanshan hung his head in shame, not daring to retort.
The old master sighed and turned to Lin Fei, “Since young friend Lin Fei has also come seeking a sword, you might as well come along with Master Kang Ziliang.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Jun and Lin Fei immediately understood that Kang Ziliang was also here for a sword.
Kang Ziliang, on the other hand, could only give a wry smile, “Master Fei, it seems I’ve troubled you this time.”
The old master waved his hand, “It’s nothing, this sword bet represents the honor of the entire Sword Dao community of Nanlin Province. It’s only right for me, Fei, to contribute my part! Of course, you’re going to pay for it.” Having said that, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter himself.
The middle-aged woman beside him laughed as well.
“Old master, if this were the ancient times, what you’re doing could have led to the serious crime of having your entire family executed.”
“That was in ancient times! And I’m not exactly hoarding weapons. Everyone here knows the score, I am known as a collector after all.” The old master retorted, puffing his beard and glaring.
The woman shook her head helplessly, “Alright, Xiner is coming back soon; I’ll go cook. You carry on talking.”
The old master waved his hand, showing impatience, “Off you go, off you go! Always talking about such inauspicious things, it’s annoying to hear.” The old man put on a miserly act.
The woman smiled and excused herself from Lu Jun, Lin Fei, Kang Ziliang, and the others, leaving early. Soon after, the silent Xu Yanshan and the man who had been impatient earlier also took their leave.
Suddenly, only Lin Fei’s party, Kang Ziliang’s party, and Master Fei Fei remained.
Lu Jun whispered to Lin Fei, “Kang Ziliang is a swordsmanship expert of our province, and this time, Northern swordsmanship master Hong Wen has come down to the south, directly challenging Master Kang Ziliang to a sword bet.”
Lin Fei frowned, “Although I’m not very well-versed in swordsmanship, I do know that changing weapons before a battle is a taboo. Why would he…?”
Lu Jun shook his head with a bitter smile.
After some thought, Lin Fei also understood Kang Ziliang’s intent. It was clear he had lost some confidence and wanted to change for an extremely sharp weapon, seeking an advantage in armament.
During the previous bout, he had carefully watched and noticed that Kang Ziliang’s style was about countering after an opponent’s attack. Strictly speaking, it was defensive counterattacking. Although the way he held the sword and the technique of transitioning turns gave Lin Fei a lot of inspiration, a clear taboo from his mental repository of Basic Sword Technique was: A swordsman must never lose their edge!
Now, Kang Ziliang had already lost that fundamental edge. It seemed his chances of winning the fight were slim.
After sheathing his longsword, the group followed the old master through the back door into a large villa, and came to a weapon room the size of a separate living room.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
Rows of various weapons were neatly laid out en masse on the walls and tables.
Apart from longswords, there were hammers, spears, knives, staffs, and so on. All eighteen types of classical weaponry could be seen here.
Lin Fei even felt as if he had been instantly transported back to the era of cold weapons.
“How about it? Pick one. Every weapon here is regularly maintained by someone. There isn’t a single inferior quality item,” Master Fei Fei said with a smile, as he took a white longsword from the rack beside him and handed it to Lin Fei.
“This one, for instance, came into my possession in ’94. It’s been re-mounted since; you can have a look.”
Lin Fei carefully took it. The longsword was straight and white, with a fish scale pattern on the sheath’s surface and the handle was wrapped with white silk thread. As he gently unsheathed it, the blade subtly revealed itself, clear and shiny, coated with a layer of oily liquid.
“Why is it so dull?” Lin Fei asked curiously. He noted that although the edge was fine and thin, it was far from sharp.
“If it wasn’t dull, it would be a controlled knife and that’s illegal. After you’ve made your choice, you’ll need specialized tools to sharpen it,” said Kang Ziliang, who had come up behind him with a smile. “Young friend Lin Fei, this must be your first time handling a sword-type weapon, right?” His gaze lingered on Lin Fei’s sword-holding hand.
