Chapter 37: Chapter 35: Hesitation is Defeat
Qi Hong, who had intended to intimidate Zhong Ming, was instead the one left stunned.
However, Qi Hong was a seasoned veteran. He quickly calmed his emotions. Unwilling to be bested, the aura around him grew even more terrifying, and he fixed his gaze on Zhong Ming, focusing his entire attention.
"To have such Swordsmanship at your age is impressive. You’re very good. But that alone isn’t enough to beat me..."
"SHING!"
As he spoke, his arm blurred, and he drew his sword in a sudden flash.
"SHING!"
The moment Qi Hong drew, Zhong Ming’s pupils constricted, and he drew his own sword in response.
"SWOOSH..."
Two brilliant flashes of Sword Light erupted almost simultaneously. In the end, however, Qi Hong’s sword was faster, stopping just before Zhong Ming’s forehead and slicing off a lock of his hair.
With the blade hovering before Zhong Ming’s forehead, Qi Hong’s sharp reprimand cut through the air.
"Hesitation? Waiting? What do you think you’re doing?!"
"The Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique is about one thing, and one thing only: speed. Extreme speed! Remember, you only get one move."
"To hesitate is to accept defeat. It is to die."
"You must treat every single draw as a life-and-death duel!"
"..." Zhong Ming said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."
[You have executed the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique and gained some insight into the Sword-Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
31]
"Huuu..."
Taking a deep breath, Zhong Ming quickly calmed his Mental Realm.
The next moment, he crouched down, once again assuming a sword-drawing stance.
This time, Zhong Ming paid Qi Hong no mind. He no longer treated this as a mere contest.
With the mindset of killing his opponent with everything he had, he stared intently, searching for an opening.
But though Qi Hong’s stance was relaxed, he revealed no openings whatsoever.
Still, Qi Hong was quite satisfied with the look in Zhong Ming’s eyes.
"That look in your eyes... *cough cough*... you little fellow, you’re certainly interesting..."
’Found it!’
"SHING!"
As Qi Hong spoke, Zhong Ming sensed something and drew his sword in an instant.
"SHING!"
But as Zhong Ming drew his blade, Qi Hong moved in near-perfect sync, drawing his own.
But compared to the swift, fierce Sword Momentum of Zhong Ming’s attack, Qi Hong’s blade was like a striking viper. Though he drew second, he struck first, his sword stopping just over Zhong Ming’s heart.
"Too slow."
[You have executed the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique and gained some insight into the Sword-Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
23]
"Again."
Neither discouraged nor disappointed, Zhong Ming simply recomposed himself, his gaze heavy, and once again assumed the drawing stance. In the next instant, he drew with explosive speed!
"SHING!"
This time, Qi Hong’s sword didn’t stop him preemptively.
Instead, his viper-like blade struck the middle of Zhong Ming’s sword. The impact sent Zhong Ming’s attack slightly off course, flashing harmlessly past Qi Hong’s side.
Since Qi Hong was matching Zhong Ming’s realm and strength, his own longsword was also deflected by the collision.
But in the end, his deflected blade came to rest against Zhong Ming’s throat.
"It seems you didn’t consider your enemy’s counterattack..."
"Considering it doesn’t mean you should hesitate!"
"Your arc is too wide! Our Sword-Drawing Technique must always take the shortest path!"
"Rigid. Far too rigid..."
Amidst Qi Hong’s constant critiques, the Iaido duels between him and Zhong Ming continued.
Once, twice, three times, four times... ten times, thirty times...
Each time, Zhong Ming was defeated.
However, the string of defeats did not leave Zhong Ming discouraged or disappointed.
On the contrary, countless sparks of inspiration flashed through his mind.
One could only say that Sword Cultivators were truly specialists in combat. Pouring all his Heart Power into dueling Qi Hong, combined with Qi Hong’s undisguised demonstration of the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique’s mysteries, caused Zhong Ming’s experience with the technique to skyrocket.
[You have executed the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique and gained some insight into the Sword-Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
11]
[You have executed the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique and gained some insight into the Sword-Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
9]
[You have executed the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique and gained some insight into the Sword-Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
15]
[You have executed the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique and gained some insight into the Sword-Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
7]
[...]
The Cultivation Technique progress ticked upward, and his understanding of the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique deepened bit by bit. The sensation was so engrossing that Zhong Ming was becoming almost addicted to it.
While Zhong Ming was engrossed, the ever-victorious Qi Hong showed no change on his face. In his heart, however, he felt a growing sense of... alarm.
’His rate of improvement is too fast.’
Qi Hong had taken it for granted that Zhong Ming was no match for him.
Admittedly, he knew that anyone rated as A Class, like Zhong Ming, couldn’t be weak, and their Talent certainly wouldn’t be poor.
In the future, it was highly probable that Zhong Ming would far surpass him.
But the future was the future, and now was now.
’I’ve trained with the sword for eight years and served in the Demon Suppression Bureau for six. I’ve fought hundreds of life-and-death battles against Demonic Fiends. All that hardship, all that combat experience... how could you possibly surpass me in a mere eight days, no matter how great your Talent?!’
This was Qi Hong’s initial mindset.
But in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, his mindset had already shifted.
Zhong Ming was still not his match, but what alarmed him was how quickly he was improving.
With almost every draw, Zhong Ming gained new insights, and his Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique grew more refined.
This seemingly endless rate of progress made Qi Hong feel as if he were looking at some kind of monster.
’With this rate of improvement, are you even human? No, not even a monster is as terrifying as this junior brother of mine!’
’Are my eight years of bitter cultivation, my thousands of battles, and my dozens of near-death experiences really going to be surpassed by him in such a short time?’
At this moment, Qi Hong’s mentality had completely changed. His gaze toward Zhong Ming was now filled with a complex mix of emotion, jealousy, excitement, and exhilaration.
He had been right about one thing: an A-Class Disciple like Zhong Ming truly represented the future of Longxi Peak. If Zhong Ming were to achieve an outstanding result in the Seven Peaks competition, even injured disciples like Qi Hong would share in the glory.
Beyond that, Qi Hong was genuinely attached to Longxi Peak.
He didn’t want to see Longxi Peak decline.
And this was what allowed him to suppress his jealousy and put even more effort into his teaching.
"Follow me."
After a while, Qi Hong’s teaching method changed.
They were no longer just conducting rigid Iaido duels. Instead, they began walking through the bamboo forest surrounding the Sword Testing Platform, maintaining a distance of one meter from each other.
Of course, this was no simple stroll, and Qi Hong offered no verbal instruction.
As they walked, the two remained constantly on guard, ever wary of the other drawing their sword.
Because the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique was a form of Swordsmanship that decided life and death in a single, lightning-fast strike, the extreme tension pushed Zhong Ming’s vigilance to its absolute limit, his mind focused to a razor’s edge.
This unique Mental Realm allowed Zhong Ming to cast aside all other thoughts, leaving only the sword in his mind.
Only the self, only the sword, only the kill... This state allowed Zhong Ming to become one with the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique. Even without drawing his blade, his mastery of this Swordsmanship continued to grow.
[You have gained insight into the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
3]
[You have gained insight into the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
2]
[You have gained insight into the Longxi Sword Drawing Technique. Cultivation Technique progress
5]
[You...]
"SHING!"
"SWOOSH!"
While walking, or whenever his opponent’s line of sight was blocked by bamboo, Zhong Ming would suddenly draw his sword.
Of course, Qi Hong didn’t hold back either.
And so it went—sometimes Zhong Ming would draw, sometimes Qi Hong, and sometimes both would strike at once.
It took Zhong Ming and Qi Hong, walking side by side, the entire time it takes to drink a cup of tea to traverse the bamboo path, which was less than a hundred meters long.
During this process, Zhong Ming drew his sword thirty-three times, and Qi Hong drew his forty-nine times.
When they finally emerged from the bamboo forest, with a long "Huuu...
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