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Lauren advanced, neither fast nor slow, her sword pointed at the chest of Wind. To her, Wind's entire body was full of openings.
Wind closed his eyes; with movement came the wind. He lunged forward, using his body to slice at Lauren, but his chest remained exposed. Lauren manifested a physical form to the side, and as Wind twisted his body to avoid her thrust, he managed to evade her strike. However, he slashed at Lauren's body, creating a large wound from which blood sprayed forth. But it vanished instantly; the side manifestation of Lauren retracted just as she thrust out a sword, piercing Wind's right armpit and emerging from his back.
Both engaged in a direct confrontation, each sustaining injuries. Clearly, Wind had used the information carried by the wind to dodge Lauren's frontal attack while simultaneously injuring her. Meanwhile, Lauren's physical manifestation had taken damage but had also exploited an opening to wound Wind. Li Qing exclaimed, "These two are in a mutual destruction scenario." Wind's understanding of the sensations brought by the wind and the interplay of stillness and motion had reached an incredibly detailed level. Likewise, Lauren's precision in exploiting openings was unparalleled.
Wandering Path remarked, "These two can actually be considered breakthrough-type experts within the alliance."
"What does breakthrough-type expert mean?" someone asked.
"After cultivating Six Elements, practitioners can achieve similar accomplishments primarily through breakthroughs. This is why Ding Family Lineage is considered mediocre; there are many practitioners, yet they remain ordinary because they lack breakthroughs. Li Qing, you are one such example; over the past three years, you have progressed from merely flying kicks to Zen martial arts—this is a form of breakthrough. Look at Ding Ze; his transformation has also been significant. Cui Ming, you have made the most progress; for others, breakthroughs are very challenging, but for you, it has been much easier. Isn't this a characteristic of Strategy? Practitioners have always faced this situation; it's just that the alliance has downplayed the distinction between breakthrough practitioners and ordinary ones. The first test for alliance lovers is a strength assessment to determine whether one is mediocre or a breakthrough."
Mi Xiaonan, sitting at the edge, felt a chill in her heart.
Wandering Path continued, "Those who can break through generally fall into several categories: steadfastness, simplicity, and perseverance. Like Li Qing, striving towards an unknown direction. Or like Ding Ze—having certain fortuitous encounters combined with innate intelligence; although lacking in perseverance and diligence, success still comes to them. Cui Ming, you are quite peculiar; you seem to know what you want and what you should pursue and work towards that direction with fewer detours than others. After all, training pays off. Outsiders can hardly provide guidance."
Cui Ming smiled and said, "My fate lies within the cards; I simply strive to adapt to circumstances and take control."
Wandering Path nodded: "It seems that Strategy values insight above all." Cui Ming's expression was somewhat ethereal, yet Wandering Path understood it well. From an artist's perspective, Li Qing belonged to the diligent type—having good innate talent combined with hard work and persistence that finally yielded results. Ding Ze was more of a natural type with numerous advantages; despite being somewhat lazy, he still achieved success due to good luck and guidance from renowned mentors along with exceptional talent. Cui Ming represented impressionism; its quality depends on inspiration and insight as well as an understanding of art and independent thought. It's hard to say whose achievements would be greater; Cui Ming’s impressionism resonates with relatively few people compared to Li Qing’s and Ding Ze’s works which are more popular among the masses—Ding Ze being more spiritually inclined while Li Qing possesses better foundational skills. As for Cui Ming? His fundamentals aren't as strong as Li Qing's nor is his talent comparable to Ding Ze's. Yet he has his own artistic principles and understanding that others cannot imitate.
Then there was Mi Xiaonan—Wandering Path truly did not want to comment further. Three years ago during assessments, Mi Xiaonan was someone he held in high regard due to considerable potential. She had her own views on Ninjutsu, Chakra, and Force—one could say she possessed Ding Ze’s talent along with Cui Ming’s artistic understanding but lacked Li Qing’s diligence and perseverance. Despite Ding Ze’s laziness over these years battling nicotine addiction and managing to persist was still a form of effort. Cui Ming spent three years in the desert almost entirely training and meditating—diligence goes without saying.
Ninety-nine percent sweat plus one percent inspiration; without that one percent inspiration, success wouldn't come about. This statement presupposes that you've put in ninety-nine percent effort—even those like Ding Ze who rely on fortuitous encounters must still exert ninety-nine percent effort. Mi Xiaonan lacked no inspiration; her theoretical knowledge was solid and she stood out among the younger generation of York Clan—if only she had more diligence.
As everyone pondered their thoughts, victory or defeat emerged from the clash. What began as a bloody battle between two swords turned suddenly when Li Qing realized that all their exchanges were merely groundwork for a decisive blow—understanding each other while exhausting one another before finally determining the outcome.
Lauren evaded Wind's slicing attack as her fine sword pierced his chest but while she dodged Wind's blade she could not escape the wind itself. Wind's strike was supersonic; the blade had already passed before its sound arrived. The wind followed closely behind—a thin gust sharper than hair sliced through Lauren cleanly in half while simultaneously her fine sword completely penetrated Wind's chest.
"You lost," Wind stated as Lauren vanished. He grasped the hilt of her fine sword with one hand and pulled it out from his chest—a mere breath away from his heart. If Lauren had turned her sword just slightly she could have pierced his heart—but she never got that chance.
Cui Ming asked, "In reality, can someone who has been cut in half move the sword two centimeters towards their heart?"
Wandering replied, "It's possible in reality, but not with Force. Once the upper and lower body are separated, the Force would immediately collapse and become uncontrollable. On the other hand, even if the heart is pierced, a person still has a chance for a final strike because their Force remains intact; they still have consciousness and can control their Force."
Lauren, having been sent before Feng due to his own request, said, "If you had this ability six years ago, you wouldn't have needed to ambush; you could have killed your master directly." This implied that if Feng had such power six years ago, then his master was not killed by him.
Feng Dao responded, "I did not kill my master. I've explained this a thousand times. Why would I want to kill my master? The Demon Blade? I didn't use it. I came and went freely; my master indulged my personality. Although I was somewhat reckless, he always believed I was kind-hearted. Back then, my Wind Sword Technique was merely form without spirit. Why would I kill someone who could potentially guide me?"
"Except for you, no one could use the wind as thinly as that. The master's body wasn't cut open by a blade but sliced apart by an extremely thin wind."
Feng asked, "Is it thinner and faster than the wind that I used to kill you today?"
"No... it's coarser. However, you've been improving." Lauren turned and walked towards the Teleportation Array. "Congratulations, you've won. Now I can only hope you're not a Murderer."
Feng firmly replied, "I am not."
"Then find the Murderer; otherwise, I will always believe you are the Murderer, even if I cannot take revenge because of our oath." With that, Lauren disappeared.
Feng exhaled deeply and walked towards the Teleportation Array, vanishing from the arena as it returned to silence.
...
That night, Mi Xiaonan returned to his room under the pretense of reviewing a TV drama. However, he did not turn on the sound; he merely stared blankly at the screen. Many people like him had not made breakthroughs, but Mi Xiaonan knew that his lack of progress was due to wasting too much time and missing opportunities when he felt most inspired. Although he had told Cui Ming that he would start getting stronger, he had already lost that spark.
He didn't want others to notice anything unusual or share his thoughts with Cui Ming and the others; he preferred to sit alone in the darkness.
Unknowingly, sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, Mi Xiaonan fell asleep...
It was a dream but felt more real than a dream because it was so vivid. Mi Xiaonan found himself in complete darkness where he could only see nearby surroundings—a void. Accompanied by footsteps, a monster appeared before him. Its face had only a pair of glowing white eyes; it had no feet but instead a shadowy black form. Its body resembled that of a human but with long arms like those of a gibbon.
The monster spoke, "Are you feeling very lost?"
Mi Xiaonan involuntarily replied, "Yes."
"Are you happy for them while also feeling jealous of them?"
"Yes."
"Do you even think that it would be better if no one had made a breakthrough?"
"Yes," Mi Xiaonan answered, tears streaming down her face.
"Even with the best of friends, when they have something you don't, you will feel jealousy. This is human nature; it is not ugly, and you need not feel ashamed of it," the monster said. "Jealousy is a kind of power, a power that can make you stronger. Power has no right or wrong."
"But they are my best friends. I feel guilty for having such thoughts."
"You are not wrong. There is no need to feel guilty or to apologize. You are you; be yourself. You must first be responsible for yourself."
"Who are you?" Mi Xiaonan asked.
"I am your inner self. You face me calmly, speak the truth, and do not feel fear, simply because I am your inner self." The monster extended its hand. "Come with me."
"Where to?"
"To seek power."
"Mi Xiaonan." Cui Ming's voice suddenly called out.
The monster calmly said, "Do not tell anyone about my existence. If you need me, we will meet again. I am your inner self." With that, it slowly faded away, disappearing into the space around them.
Mi Xiaonan woke up with a start, opening the door and casually asking, "What's wrong?"
Cui Ming had a strange expression as he looked at Mi Xiaonan and said, "Nothing, my senior brother's pig is hungry again. I didn't want to bother the staff in the middle of the night. Do you have any ingredients?"
"Yes, there should be some in the fridge."
Cui Ming entered the room, glanced at the television, and slowly surveyed the space. Mi Xiaonan pulled out a few packs of bacon and some broccoli. "Is this enough?"
"That's enough." Cui Ming took the ingredients and walked to the door, asking, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just moved by the drama."
"Oh." Cui Ming closed the door and returned to Li Qing's room. He placed the ingredients on the table and fell into deep thought.
Li Qing said, "Junior brother, don't slack off; you lost."
Cui Ming didn't respond but looked up at the clock on the wall; it was just past early morning...
"What's wrong?"
"Something feels off," Cui Ming frowned, pondering for a moment. "But I can't quite put my finger on it." (To be continued.)
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