The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 39: Abnormal Conditions

The voice of the other spy was unfamiliar to Han Li; he was certain he had never met this person before. Judging by the voice, the person was relatively young, probably in his twenties.

Unfortunately, for the sake of caution, Han Li didn’t dare to sneak a glance, fearing that the two individuals, with their refined skills, might sense his gaze and discover an outsider nearby, which would be a great loss.

After this incident, the rest of the journey was very peaceful.

Han Li finally returned to his residence long after dinner time.

As usual, Doctor Mo showed no interest in Han Li’s mysterious return. Apart from delivering the prepared medicines, he completely let Han Li do as he pleased.

If it weren’t for the fact that the medicines Doctor Mo sent were concocted from the precious herbs Han Li had collected during his last trip down the mountain, Han Li would have thought that Doctor Mo had given up on him and was preparing some sinister scheme.

Now, Han Li had completely lost interest in the so-called precious medicines Doctor Mo sent, but to avoid arousing suspicion, he still forced himself to take them.

He wasn’t afraid that the medicines might be laced with poison; harming him now would only harm Doctor Mo himself.

As for the Wild Wolf Gang spies he encountered on the way, Han Li had already thought of a good way to deal with them on his way back.

Although he didn’t have deep feelings for the Seven Mysteries Sect, he was still half an Inner Sect Disciple. It would be too shameful to turn a blind eye to something that could harm the sect right under his nose.

Moreover, he had already found the best person to handle this matter for him—Li Feiyu, Senior Brother Li.

From Han Li’s observations, perhaps due to taking the Marrow Extraction Pill, Li Feiyu’s desire for fame and fortune was much stronger than that of ordinary people. He had considerable ambitions and had always dreamed of entering the upper echelons of the Seven Mysteries Sect, becoming a more prominent figure.

Han Li had guessed that Li Feiyu probably wanted to make himself even more dazzling and spectacular in the final stretch of time.

Now, by personally delivering such a great merit to him, Han Li was sure Li Feiyu would be overjoyed. This could also be considered repaying the great favor of obtaining the sword manual.

Thinking of the "Blinking Sword Manual," Han Li felt waves of excitement in his heart.

Regarding the "Blinking Sword Manual," he hadn’t lied to his friend. The manual was indeed unsuitable for his friend to practice, but Han Li hadn’t revealed many of the details.

For him, keeping some small secrets from everyone was an unbreakable rule for survival.

Even if someone seemed extremely close to him, it was no exception.

However, the things recorded in these secret manuals were truly different from ordinary martial arts.

In Han Li’s view, it was more appropriate to call it a sword technique rather than a sword style. It was a comprehensive assassination technique that took into account factors such as timing, terrain, and human conditions—a rare, purely lethal skill that ensured death with a single strike.

These books described various techniques for killing an enemy with a single sword strike in different environments and at different times, utilizing the secret sword skills one had painstakingly practiced.This sword technique teaches its practitioners to utilize every blade of grass and tree in their surroundings, as well as the varying angles of light intensity, to create visual illusions for their opponents. In an instant, they can seize the enemy's weakness, discern their flaws, and deliver a fatal blow in a split second.

This is a highly skill-intensive secret technique. Without a shred of innate talent, it is impossible to fully comprehend and master this sword art.

Therefore, those who practice this secret technique must possess extraordinary senses, with vision and hearing far surpassing that of ordinary people, to have any hope of achieving success.

If these were the only conditions, some disciples might still be tempted by its power and choose to study it.

However, what makes it even more demanding is the additional stringent requirement that practitioners must not possess refined internal energy. Otherwise, it would conflict with the techniques of exerting force and make the practice extremely difficult.

Even if one were fortunate enough to succeed, in actual combat, the excessive abundance of True Qi within the body would cause the sword moves to unconsciously deform, leaving significant openings for the opponent and potentially leading to fatal consequences.

Such a condition essentially eliminates the majority of people's attempts to practice it. After all, in the Jianghu, there is a common saying: "Practicing martial arts without cultivating internal energy is ultimately futile."

For them, not cultivating internal skills is a major taboo. To abandon their True Qi cultivation for the sake of this obscure sword technique would make them a laughingstock in the Jianghu.

Thus, only a handful of individuals remain with the intention to continue practicing.

But even for these people, no matter how talented they are or how well they manage their True Qi, there is still one final obstacle that completely discourages them from persisting.

That is the sheer complexity and intricacy of this sword technique's moves and the overly detailed application conditions.

Just looking at the thick stack of secret manuals in the package would be enough to intimidate most people.

Essentially, each sword manual represents a single sword move, and each move is further broken down into hundreds of sub-moves. Each sub-move must be executed with different techniques depending on the environment and timing.

The sheer volume of such sword techniques is not only daunting to practice but also overwhelming to even read, let alone memorize and comprehend through personal practice.

These extreme practice conditions have undoubtedly hindered countless disciples who were eager to learn this sword technique, leading them to silently curse the Elder who created this skill in their hearts.

As time passed, the Seven Mysteries Sect gradually lost interest in this sword technique, believing that it was impossible for anyone to master it. They speculated that this martial art was likely fabricated by the Elder on his deathbed, as no one could possibly set such absurd practice conditions. It seemed to be a deliberate attempt to torment the disciples who were unaware of its true nature. Consequently, these secret manuals were left to gather dust on the shelves, never to be touched again.

(End of Chapter)