Chapter 37: Chapter Thirty-Seven: Three Prohibitions

The rustling of turning pages was crisp and pleasant.

But Li Feiyu found this sound deeply annoying.

He ignored Han Li, who was buried in his reading, and returned to the edge of the pond, pulled out the long knife stuck in the soil, and began practicing on his own.

Han Li glanced at him sideways; seeing how full of energy he was, he paid him no more mind and returned his focus to the book in his hands.

“Ten lines at a glance” must refer to Han Li’s astonishing reading speed—a thick book was swiftly scanned through; he kept his head down, didn’t even look up, grabbed another book at random, and kept flipping pages without pause.

His eyes were half-lidded; during reading, he occasionally showed a thoughtful expression, his gaze locked onto the text, unwilling to leave it for a moment, his head swaying gently with the movement of his eyes, exuding the classic air of a scholar lost in study.

Time flew by, and one by one, the “Blinking Sword Manuals” were swiftly perused by Han Li.

When Han Li finished the eleventh manual, he suddenly stopped his astonishing reading, and placed the just-read manual back into his pack.

He closed his eyes and rested for a moment.

Once his spirit had slightly recovered, he sat cross-legged on the spot and activated the Evergreen Technique, replaying the contents of the dozen or so manuals he had just read in his mind.

Soon, Han Li’s expression became richly varied—sometimes elated, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes grim with disappointment.

After an unknown length of time, Han Li finally opened his eyes—and was startled by what he saw.

Li Feiyu’s head had somehow come right up to his eyelids, so close their noses nearly touched.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you practicing your swordplay?”

“Han younger brother, what time is it? You’re asking such a foolish question,” Li Feiyu pulled back, sneering.

Only then did Han Li notice the surrounding light had grown dim.

He looked up at the sky—the color had turned a hazy gray; it was already evening.

“Cough! Time really flies—I didn’t even notice so much had passed.”

Han Li stood up and stretched his limbs.

“How was it? Find anything interesting in the books?” Li Feiyu watched him eagerly, hoping for a final verdict.

“Hmm, not bad. Quite suitable for me.”

“What do you mean ‘not bad’? Give me something concrete.” Li Feiyu sounded dissatisfied.

“To be precise, these manuals are a hodgepodge—no coherent system, just patched together from random sources,” Han Li said slowly.

“Then what’s this ‘Blinking Sword Technique’? Does it really exist? Why such a strange name?” Li Feiyu pressed on, still unsatisfied.

“The Blinking Sword Technique does indeed exist, but it’s only a small part of this hodgepodge—just a tiny fraction of these books,” Han Li said patiently.

“As for why it’s called that, there’s a reason.”

“What reason? Can’t you just spit it all out at once? Don’t keep dribbling it out one sentence at a time like our village’s old tutor,” Li Feiyu glared at Han Li, exasperated by his sluggish pace.

Han Li had no choice but to slightly quicken his pace.

“According to the texts, this sword technique exploits various lights and human visual illusions to defeat enemies—often killing them in the blink of an eye, hence the name ‘Blinking Sword Technique.’”

“So there really is such a bizarre sword technique? The world really does have strange people!” Li Feiyu grew intensely interested—but his enthusiasm vanished at Han Li’s next words.

“This technique has three prohibitions: those who have achieved even minor mastery of true qi cannot practice it; those lacking great perseverance cannot practice it; those without innate talent cannot practice it.”

Upon hearing the first condition, Li Feiyu immediately abandoned any interest—he already had considerable internal true qi; he wouldn’t abandon his hard-won cultivation to learn a technique whose power was still unknown.

With Li Feiyu now completely losing interest in the manuals, he no longer wished to stay.

He rose to leave, and before departing, warned Han Li: “Copy these manuals as soon as possible. Next time we meet, I’ll take the originals back. Though others don’t value these manuals, if so many disappear for too long, someone will notice.”

Soon after Li Feiyu left, Han Li also departed the place.

The entire mountain range was draped in a thin mist, appearing dull; on either side of the narrow path grew dense stands of coniferous trees; a mountain breeze swept through, producing a “whooshing” sound, and the branches on both sides writhed wildly, appearing eerie.

Han Li hurried along this eerie mountain path, heading toward Divine Hand Valley.

Because he had started too late, the sky had turned completely dark by the time he reached the halfway point.

Had he not possessed the Evergreen Technique, which enhanced his vision at night, he would never have traveled through such darkness—this path was treacherous, full of sharp turns and perilous spots; one misstep could cost him his life.

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