Chapter Twenty: Seeking Guidance

After the youth with the purple-gold crown left, Chu Feng shook his head with a helpless sigh, a self-mocking smile on his lips. “Is even the path of the useless something to be envied?” he mused. But he soon set the matter aside, once again immersing himself in the comprehension of every move and technique; he had no time for other concerns.

The “Foundations of Swordsmanship” included a complete and coherent set of ninety-nine moves known as the Gale Sword Technique. Chu Feng practiced each form with utmost attention, committing them to memory with all his heart.

It took him a full three hours, but at last he had memorized every move of that sword art without missing a single detail. Elated, he wished to continue his studies, but hunger had made his head spin. With a rueful laugh, he muttered, “As expected, this opportunity is without limits only in theory. I didn’t bring anything to eat—what an oversight. No matter, I’ll borrow a book and study it later.”

The Library permitted students to borrow books, but only one at a time. Chu Feng put aside “Foundations of Swordsmanship,” selected another tome titled “Pine Wind Sword Technique,” and after registering at the front hall, left the Library with heavy, weary steps.

It was nearly dusk; the grounds outside the Library were deserted. Chu Feng realized he’d missed lunch. Going a whole day without food, it was hardly surprising that he felt faint with hunger.

Exhausted and ravenous, burdened with seven hundred jin of weight, even walking was an effort for him. He had not gone far when he spied the youth with the purple-gold crown.

Chu Feng paused in surprise, then remembered—the youth had said he would make trouble for him. He couldn’t help but murmur, “So persistent, are you?”

The youth was approaching from a distance, accompanied by three others. Upon seeing Chu Feng, all four wore sneers of disdain.

They stepped forward, blocking his path. The crowned youth sneered coldly, “I didn’t expect you’d actually dare come out.”

“People have to eat, don’t they?” Chu Feng replied casually. Though he had guessed their intentions, he still asked, “What do you want?”

The crowned youth said nothing, but the boy beside him laughed, “We’ve long heard of Brother Chu’s illustrious name. Today, hearing that you’ve mastered the basics of swordsmanship, we’ve come to seek your guidance. We hope you won’t refuse us.”

The words were polite, but the emphasis on “basic” and “seek guidance” dripped with mockery.

Chu Feng smiled faintly and clasped his fists. “Very well, very well.”

As he spoke, he began to remove his outer garment. At first, the four did not understand, but when Chu Feng took off his jacket, they realized he was wearing soft armor and wrist guards beneath.

Their expressions grew grave at once. Seeing how calm he was, unease crept into their hearts.

Chu Feng removed his thin wrist guards and tossed them casually to the ground. They landed with a heavy thud—clear evidence of their weight. The four’s faces froze.

Next, Chu Feng stripped off his soft armor. It weighed at least three hundred jin, and when it hit the ground, the sound was deafening. Had the flagstones not been so thick and sturdy, they might well have cracked.

After this, the four looked even more unsettled, their breathing quickening.

But Chu Feng was not finished. He rolled up his trouser legs, removed two greaves, and tossed them to the ground as well.

Another resounding thud—this time, all four flinched, their faces dark with dread. They looked at Chu Feng as though he were a monster.

By their estimation, this equipment must weigh over five hundred jin. They could perhaps manage to bear two hundred jin with their ability to spirit-transform, which was already astonishing for fourteen-year-olds. But five hundred jin was simply beyond imagination.

And this boy had spent the entire day in the Library wearing it all. The thought alone made the four of them break out in a cold sweat.

Before a single move was exchanged, all desire to fight had left them, replaced by terror.

Chu Feng had not removed his weights merely to intimidate; even with his endurance, his speed was greatly reduced, and now, exhausted as he was, fighting under a seven-hundred jin load was hopeless.

Having tidied his clothing, Chu Feng saw the four still standing there like wooden posts. “Well, gentlemen, are you not here to seek my guidance?” he prompted.

His words seemed to jolt them back to their senses; their faces were a marvelous study of fear and embarrassment.

“What’s wrong? Are you looking down on me?” Chu Feng said, his tone frosty.

The four shivered involuntarily; every word Chu Feng spoke seemed to touch a nerve.

The crowned youth realized he’d kicked an iron plate and regretted his actions deeply. Why had he provoked such a formidable figure? He was asking for trouble.

Normally, pride would not allow him to lower his head, but today he had no choice. With a bitter smile, he said, “Brother Chu, I failed to recognize your greatness and have offended you. Please forgive me.”

The other three quickly echoed his plea for mercy.

Chu Feng was not one to press his advantage, especially as there was no real enmity between them; since they begged for forgiveness, there was no need to make enemies. “Let it be,” he said. “This is just a case of not knowing each other without a bout.”

The four were momentarily stunned, surprised at how easily Chu Feng let them off—had it been them, they would never have shown such mercy.

Their gazes met, and they felt a pang of shame.

“But there is one thing I would ask your help with,” Chu Feng said.

The four tensed again, wondering if Chu Feng was about to exact some cunning revenge.

Chu Feng smiled and pointed to the armor on the ground. “If I delay any longer, I’ll miss supper. Would you help me carry these things to Training Room Nineteen?”

Relief flooded their faces, and they nodded eagerly. “Of course, Brother Chu, consider it done.”

“Good, thank you. Farewell!” With that, Chu Feng dashed away toward the dining hall like a gust of wind.

After he left, the four wiped cold sweat from their brows and examined the armor, wrist guards, and greaves. They were stunned.

“Heavens, it’s actually seven hundred jin,” the crowned youth said, his voice trembling.

They exchanged wry smiles. This was no small task. The training hall was still some distance away, and two hundred jin was nearly their limit, even with spirit-transformation. They would have to exert themselves to the utmost.

“Boss, he’s a monster!” one of the boys said.

“Isn’t he just! Still, we gave our word; let’s keep it for once.” The crowned youth glanced again in Chu Feng’s direction, awe flickering in his eyes, then began to spirit-transform and lifted the two wrist guards.

Of the other three, two hoisted the soft armor, one took the greaves.

“Good thing there are enough of us,” the crowned youth said wryly, and they set off, weighed down, toward the training field…

“Whew, just in time for dinner,” Chu Feng said, relieved to find the dining hall still open after his sprint.

He went in and naturally ate a hearty meal, astonishing those around him.

“You could have fed five people with what you just ate,” said a middle-aged man in gray—the dining hall manager, Cai Cheng.

“Ah, if I don’t eat, I’ll go hungry tonight. Uncle, are you afraid I’ll eat you out of house and home?” Chu Feng joked.

Laughing, Cai Cheng scolded him, “You rascal, as if I’d let you starve on my watch. Now, what do you want for supper? I’ll have them pack it up for you.”

Cai Cheng was genuinely fond of Chu Feng and didn’t mind indulging him.

Chu Feng’s eyes lit up. “I don’t need anything special, just some steamed buns to fill my stomach.”

Cai Cheng immediately ordered a bundle of buns for Chu Feng and told him he could take a package every day from now on.

“Uncle, you’re my savior, thank you!” Chu Feng said sincerely; this was a true blessing. He bade Cai Cheng farewell and left the dining hall.

After a short rest, Chu Feng returned to the training room, donned his five-hundred-jin soft armor, and began sword practice. This time, he trained with the sword in hand.

He found that his understanding of “Foundations of Swordsmanship” was nearly complete, and he had memorized the Gale Sword Technique well. Yet, now that he tried to perform the entire set smoothly, he felt awkward and sluggish.

He practiced the sequence over and over, his movements growing more skilled, but wearing five hundred jin of armor and wielding a two-hundred-jin sword, his actions were inevitably slow.

Even after several more repetitions, he had not yet achieved true mastery.

“I see now—it’s easy to learn each move, but to master the entire set requires constant practice,” Chu Feng murmured, understanding much more.

Though sword practice was only a secondary aim of his training, he believed that if he was to do something, he should do it to perfection.

Over the next three days, Chu Feng immersed himself in the practice, performing the Gale Sword Technique more than a thousand times.

He now bore a seven-hundred-jin load with greater ease, and his proficiency in the sword art grew ever deeper.

Three more days passed, and Chu Feng had fully integrated all ninety-nine moves of the sword technique, his speed with the blade increasing markedly.

One evening as he was practicing, Xiao Yue appeared.

After watching him, Xiao Yue said, “Take off all your weights and try the Gale Sword Technique with a fifty-jin longsword.”

For days, Chu Feng had worn his soft armor even to sleep, but as soon as he removed it, he felt light as a feather.

He picked up a longsword and began to perform the Gale Sword Technique.

Unencumbered, the sword whistled through the air—no longer merely fast, but leaving afterimages with every stroke, the blade itself almost impossible to see.

When he finished, Chu Feng felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

Xiao Yue spoke coolly, “In five months, there’ll be a small competition between the teams. Though called small, it’s the grand contest of the twenty camps. Don’t disgrace me.”

Having said this, Xiao Yue walked off without waiting for Chu Feng’s response.

Chu Feng stood there, stunned—was the instructor really asking him to represent Team Nine?

He could not spirit-transform, and though his strength now surpassed the others, in five months they might catch up through constant training.

He was deeply moved; the instructor believed in him so much.

“I won’t let you down!” Chu Feng shouted at Xiao Yue’s departing back.

A faint smile finally appeared on Xiao Yue’s face, but he did not turn around; he merely raised his hand in farewell.