Chapter 37: Three Restrictions for Cultivation
The crisp sound of pages flipping was pleasant to Han Li’s ears.
However, Li Feiyu hated that sound.
He ignored Han Li, who was concentrating on reading, and walked towards the mountain spring. He pulled out a long saber from the mud and started practicing.
Han Li glanced over at him. Seeing his friend’s overwhelming energy, Han Li stopped paying attention to Li Feiyu’s movements and shifted his concentration back to the book in his hands.
Han Li could read at a shocking speed of ten lines per glance. He quickly finished the thick book and grabbed another book without even lifting his head to look.
He kept his eyes partly closed while reading, showing a pensive expression from time to time. His eyes were glued to the book’s pages and unwilling to detach themselves for just a single moment. The way that his head followed his gaze and moved back and forth gave him the appearance of an elegant intellectual.
As time flew by, Han Li rapidly browsed through the Blinking Sword Art’s many manuals.
When he finished reading the eleventh manual, he suddenly stopped and threw the book back in his bag.
He closed his eyes to rest for a little bit.
Once he felt better, he sat down cross-legged and started cultivating the Eternal Spring Arts, striving to comprehend all the information he had just read.
Han Li’s facial expression shifted back and forth from excited and lively to serious and dispirited.
Not knowing how much time had passed, Han Li finally opened his eyes and was shocked by what he saw in front of him.
He didn’t realize that Li Feiyu had sneaked up so close to his face while his eyes had been closed. Li Feiyu was in such close proximity that their noses had almost touched.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be practicing with your saber?”
“Junior Disciple Han, can’t see you what time it is right now? You’re asking a stupid question.” Li Feiyu pulled back his body and twitched his lips.
Han Li realized just then that the sunlight had dimmed.
He lifted his head and looked up. The sky was currently a blueish-grey colour, which meant that it was already evening.
“Cough! Time has really flown by while I was cultivating. I didn’t notice that it was this late already.”
Han Li stood up and moved around a little bit.
“So? Did you find anything interesting in the book?” Li Feiyu looked at Han Li passionately, hoping that Han Li could tell him about the Blinking Sword Art.
“Hmm, it’s not bad. I think this technique will suit me.”
“Huh?! What do you mean ‘not bad’?” Tell me the actual truth,” said Li Feiyu in a slightly dissatisfied tone.
“Specifically, these rare books are a combination of different techniques. In other words, there is no full set in here. They have all been pieced together from different martial arts styles,” Han Li slowly explained.
“Then what is the meaning of the name ‘Blinking Sword Art? Is it even an actual sword art? Why is the name so strange?” Li Feiyu was still unsatisfied by Han Li’s response, so he kept asking questions.
“Blinking Sword Art actually exists, but the manuals that pertain to it are only a small portion within the big mash up,” Han Li said with patience.
“As for the name of the Blinking Sword Art, there is a special reason for it.”
“What reason? Why can’t you say it all at once? Stop talking sentence by sentence, you are just like the old people in town.” Li Feiyu glared at Han Li; he couldn’t stand Han Li’s slow explanation.
At Li Feiyu’s urging, Han Li couldn’t do anything else but speed up his clarification.
“According to the books, this sword art manipulates light to affect the opponent’s eyesight, thereby giving the user a chance to land a decisive blow. It often makes your opponents lose their lives the moment they blink, hence the name ‘Blinking Sword Art’.”
“There is actually such a strange sword art? There are quite a few eccentric martial artists in this world!” Li Feiyu showed a lot of interest after listening, but quieted right after Han Li’s next sentence.
“This sword art has three restrictions. It cannot be practiced by those have cultivated True Qi, those who lack perseverance, or lastly, those without talent.”
When Li Feiyu heard the first requirement, he immediately gave up on cultivating the sword art. His True Qi was already at trained to a formidable stage. There was no way that he would be willing to disable his own internal strength to practice this new skill, which he knew next to nothing about.
Since he had completely lost interest in the rare books, Li Feiyu didn’t want to stay there any longer.
He stood up and was getting ready to leave, but before he left, he warned Han Li to copy the rare books as soon as possible so he could bring back all the original copies when they next met. Even though these rare books weren’t valued very much by other people, but if they disappear for a long time, it would still attract attention.
Not long after Li Feiyu left, Han Li left the place as well.
The whole landscape of the mountainous region was covered by layers of fog, causing it to be slightly dark. A forest of thistles grew on both sides of the narrow mountain paths. When a gust of mountain wind blew through the forest, a “hua lala” sound would be emitted. The leaves on the branches on both side of the path would flutter about frenziedly, akin to bared fangs and dancing claws.
On the somewhat seemingly sinister mountain road, Han Li rushed toward God Hand Valley.
Because he left mountain when the sun was beginning to dim, the sky was completely dark by the time he walked halfway to the valley.
If it hadn’t been for his Eternal Spring Arts, which sharpened his night vision, Han Li wouldn’t have been able to rush down the mountain in this dark environment. After all, this small road was not well tread. The road was filled with dangerously placed twists and turns. If one were not careful, an accident was likely to occur, thereby claiming his or her fragile life.