Chapter 27: What Is A Genius?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
One needed a sheathed sword in order to practice the Sword-Drawing Technique. It was not difficult to find a sheathed sword. Lin Yao found a long sword of moderate length in the weapon shop not far from the Abnormal Ability Department.
Of course, since Lin Yao had not obtained a martial artist qualification certificate, he could not choose a lethal weapon. The long sword he chose was made of special ironwood that was as hard as steel and had a translucent color. It weighed as much as an iron sword. Its only difference from the steel sword was that it lacked a cutting edge. However, this sword was sufficient for cla.s.s battles.
He paid for the sword with the state subsidies.
By the time he learned the techniques and purchased the long sword, it was already time for people to go to work. Lin Yao, who was wandering nearby, happened to see Chief Shi flying to work and he immediately stepped forward.
Lin Yao could not reach the flying Chief Shi. However, although he was not in her line of sight, the special perception of a martial artist made her notice Lin Yao, who was looking at her. She stopped when she realized it was Lin Yao.
“What’s wrong, Student Lin? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Chief Shi, there is indeed something that I want to ask of you. My parents work in a state-owned enterprise. I want to use a munic.i.p.al gold resource quota chance in exchange for easier jobs for my parents.”
Chief Shi gave Lin Yao a meaningful glance.
“You are a good boy, but you don’t have to do that.” After saying that, without waiting for Lin Yao’s response, she added, “When your potential is reported to the city’s higher management, they will immediately start to allocate jobs to your parents, so you can have peace of mind while improving your strength. The city will protect your family.
“The most important thing for you right now is to improve your capabilities. The stronger you are, the easier life will be for your parents and the safer they will be.”
Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Chief Shi’s rea.s.surance and promise.
“I thank the city for the support. I will try my best to improve my abilities.”
Lin Yao thanked Chief Shi once again before heading home.
By now, the sun was out. Lin Yao, who wanted to become a martial artist before the end of the Spirit Energy Festival, did not dare to slack off.
After sprinting home, he put the sword away and went downstairs with the nutrition drinks to exercise.
After he exercised for a while, Lin Yao’s parents went to work and his siblings came back from their exercise. Xiaodie could currently only exercise once, while Lin Ye could exercise twice. Even with the time they spent running, their training duration was still too short.
After training, the two of them simply squatted aside, watching Lin Yao as he trained and handing water to him.
Since the morning sun was not very intense, Lin Yao stopped after completing nine rounds of training. The training effect was far from satisfactory. Even though he had drunk the nutrition drinks, there was only a 0.75 increase. However, this was actually impossible to achieve for ordinary people. Before Lin Yao had obtained his talents, he’d needed seven days to achieve the same improvement.
After the morning practice, Lin Yao’s realm had reached a Human Body Limit of 93.79%.
Then, it was time to rest. In the past, Lin Yao would rest, but this time, he replenished his energy under the sun while sinking into his Sea of Consciousness. He tried to understand the Clear Mirror Swordsmanship that was transmitted by the Heavenly Mirror.
It was a gold combat skill, so there were many moves to this swordsmanship. However, Lin Yao knew that one should not bite off more than one could chew. He was short on time, so his goal now was to practice the first move, which was the Clear Mirror Sword-Drawing Technique.
The sword-drawing or saber-drawing technique was not a unique ability of Clear Mirror Swordsmanship. Many moves were based on this technique.
Lin Yao read through the knowledge in his mind. He realized that the core idea of the Sword-Drawing Technique was killing with one hit, drawing the sword instantaneously at a high speed, and launching a surprise attack on the enemy. Since the sword was hidden in the sheath, even if it was a frontal attack, the enemy could not tell when the sword was drawn. This way, the enemy would find it difficult to resist the sword-drawing attack.
In short, the Sword-Drawing Technique was a sneak attack tactic.
This swordsmanship was also very suitable for sneak attacks. When one held a sharp blade and approached the opponent before launching an attack, the opponent would be alerted even before the attacker came near them.
Therefore, if one wanted to launch a sneak attack, one should secretly approach the opponent without being discovered. When the opponent let down their guard, one could draw the sword to slash the opponent.
Conversely, the Sword-Drawing Technique could also be used to defend against a sudden attack. In such situations, one’s sword was usually sheathed. Therefore, when one was suddenly attacked by a sword, one would naturally use the Sword-Drawing Technique to defend oneself.
In j.a.pan, the technique of drawing one’s sword was also known as Iaidō. The j.a.panese had even perfected the art of the sneak attack. It was said that j.a.pan’s technique of drawing swords began with a kneeling posture. One would launch a sudden attack while attending banquets.
Even in this case, one would not stand straight while practicing the Sword-Drawing Technique. Instead, one would a.s.sume a lunging position.
‘As a sneak attack tactic, the crux of the Sword-Drawing Technique is to kill with one blow. To do that, one must draw the sword quickly, ruthlessly, and accurately!’
Lin Yao was in a lunging position. He attached the sheathed sword to his waist and held the scabbard in one hand and the hilt in the other hand. Then, he suddenly drew the sword from the sheath.
There was a loud clang and a sc.r.a.ping sound when the sword scratched against the scabbard. Lin Yao drew his long sword with his hand. The very polished ironwood was able to reflect light. This was why when the long sword was drawn from the scabbard, it reflected a beam of cold light under the sunlight.
‘It’s so beautiful. It’s so cool…’
Lin Yao suddenly drew his sword from its sheath. The long sword was illuminated by the sun and reflected a beam of cold light. His two siblings, who watched from the side, clapped and smiled.
Combat skills looked much cooler than purely practicing martial arts.
However, Lin Yao was not very satisfied with his performance. This might be the first time he tried this technique. However, he had been training for years. This was why his movements were not slow while he was drawing the sword. Still, there was room for improvement if he wanted to be quick, ruthless, and accurate enough to kill with one hit.
‘Given my current sword-drawing speed, people in the same realm as me can definitely block my move.
‘However, there is no hurry. I will continue practicing. If I want to master the Sword-Drawing Technique, I will need to practice thousands of times to make small progress and a million times to achieve real success.’
Lin Yao comforted himself. However, something disheartening happened. Lin Ye and Lin Xiaodie, who had been watching Lin Yao while he practiced the combat skill, recognized the Sword-Drawing Technique. Martial arts were very popular in this world, so some techniques were easily recognizable, even by children.
After recognizing the technique, they browsed through the Internet with their cell phones out of boredom and searched for related information on the Sword-Drawing Technique.
The search returned many results. They found it odd that all the information was related to one person.
“Why is the Sword-Drawing Technique related to this person?”
“Let’s take a look at what’s written… Well, Che Zhengyi, the captain of the National University’s martial arts team, was born with an apt.i.tude for the sword and is very skilled in using a sword. He once drank a cup of enlightenment tea, and before the taste of the tea dissipated, he mastered the king level combat skill Heaven Slash Sword-Drawing Technique. He also defied the ranks and killed a warlord at the gold level with this combat skill…”
Bang.
Lin Xiaodie, who was reading from her cell phone, suddenly heard a sound and looked up. Her eldest brother, who had been in the midst of training, had thrown away the long sword and its scabbard in his hand for no reason.
“Brother, what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m alright. I’ve been practicing for too long and my hands are weak.”
After speaking, Lin Yao casually picked up his long sword.
However, Lin Yao, who looked calm on the outside, was actually having a mental breakdown.