Chapter 154: The Knife of the Overlord

“Qin Ya, don’t you think the police have been out too frequently during the past two nights?”

In the past, when he went to the orphanage, Lin Yao would often go home in the middle of the night. He had even participated in an overnight patrol. Therefore, although the situation was tense at night, the Skynet was used for night surveillance and not many police officers would be summoned.

This had not been the case in the past two days. While Qin Ya led him through many rounds of visits to the various universities in Ninghai City, Lin Yao discovered a lot more police officers outside, and they seemed to be in a hurry.

Qin Ya replied while working on her laptop. She didn’t even turn her head. “Of course I noticed that. I’ve even been interrogated because of that.”

“Why wasn’t I aware?”

“The interrogation happened some time ago. They gave us a warning and told us not to go out at night. You were busy on campus at the time. I pulled some strings to prove that I’m a silver warlord capable of protecting myself at night. I’m allowed to travel at night now.”

“Uh… Sorry to trouble you.”

When he looked at Qin Ya, Lin Yao always felt that he was good at nothing besides having talent and practicing martial arts.

He had been truly unaware of this and hadn’t expected to encounter such trouble at night. After experiencing this, Lin Yao was more convinced of Qin Ya’s abilities.

What he didn’t know was that Qin Ya had also crossed out one of the items on her to-do list.

‘He actually took the initiative to ask. This saved me a lot of trouble.’

Parading at night while dressed to the nines and doing good deeds without leaving a name? How could Qin Ya possibly do this? The cool-headed Qin Ya had been looking for an opportunity to say this to let Lin Yao know she had done a lot for him.

“Do you know why they suddenly stepped up on the patrols?”

“I’ve inquired a little, but it’s none of our business. Don’t think of doing anything. We are not in a position to do that either.”

“I don’t intend to do anything. I’m just feeling bored.”

These words made Qin Ya think of something. “I found a personal assistant for you. She’ll come over and accompany you in two days. If you are bored, you can look for her to pass the time. However, she’s still in school, so you have to be more accommodating.”

“Personal assistant? I don’t need one. Your help is enough for me.”

“I can’t remain here forever. There are still people in Shanghai who need me.”

These words made Lin Yao narrow his eyes and clench his fists. However, he didn’t say anything in the end. He could currently only make a request. He was not powerful enough, so he couldn’t demand anything.

However, after this incident, Lin Yao became even more diligent.

He couldn’t practice martial arts on the train, although they were traveling in a luxury carriage. Therefore, Lin Yao simply began to meditate on his seat.

He was not using the Tree of Heaven Punishment but the method ordinary people employed to calm their consciousness, and he used lines to outline the image of Leize God.

Unfortunately, he experienced difficulties during the experiment. Lin Yao, who wanted to make a name for himself, managed to calm down. However, he faced a great deal of difficulty when he closed his eyes and tried to outline the image of Leize Great God out of thin air. Furthermore, he had to outline it bit by bit without forgetting any of the details.

Two hours later, when the armored train came to a stop and Qin Ya alighted from it, Lin Yao had already failed close to 100 times. His repeated outlining failures made him feel somewhat dejected.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Where is this?”

“Tianhai City.”

“Tianhai? The city that was invaded by monsters?”

Lin Yao’s eyes widened when he heard Qin Ya’s words. He hadn’t expected that he would come to this place.

He hadn’t forgotten that he’d run out of the city two to three months ago in order to activate the system. The reason was that Tianhai City, which was only 500 miles away from Ninghai City, had been destroyed and 500,000 people had died. Frightened by the tragedy, Lin Yao had been spurred to become stronger.

“You have actually been paying attention. Not bad. Since you know about Tianhai City and what happened here, you should know what we’re going to do.”

“Of course, we’ll rebuild the city.”

Lin Yao needed to serve the people, but China was stable and rich in supplies. Therefore, Lin Yao was not needed most of the time.

Still, although his help was not needed in ordinary places, Lin Yao could help places where disasters had occurred.

Of course, Lin Yao would only be a coolie if he were to come here on his own. Qin Ya’s help was still very much needed over here.

By the time Lin Yao and the others arrived, the supplies Qin Ya had helped him buy had also been sent over. There were various kinds of food, nutrition products, medicine, clothes, and books.

With these supplies, Lin Yao and the others headed toward the disaster area, which was being rebuilt.

When he arrived, the damaged buildings had not been fully demolished, and the houses had only been rebuilt halfway. This surprised Lin Yao.

Due to the spirit energy and the 13th Military Boxing, everyone in this world was a martial artist, so building construction was typically very fast.

It had been two to three months since the occurrence of this disaster. Logically speaking, the area should have been rebuilt long ago.

As if sensing Lin Yao’s doubts, Qin Ya said, “This place was completely cleared only 10 days ago.”

“Wasn’t the crisis over two months ago?”

“That was a huge crisis. The patrollers left after saving this place, but they are very busy… Since you know that, you should know that most of them act in secret. It’s very difficult for people to remove the debris. If this place had not been completely cleared, the country could not have rebuilt it.

“Well, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s move faster. We only have one day and one night left.”

There was only one day left to rest before the arena competition. Lin Yao had to finish his work by today. At most, they could only work through the night. They had to return early the next morning to make it in time for the competition at noon.

However, after looking at the energy points in his Sea of Consciousness, Lin Yao felt that there was enough time.

He only felt ashamed that Qin Ya was the one sourcing information, purchasing supplies, and forking out money. He seemed to be incidental.

‘If I hadn’t borrowed the money to buy these supplies, I believe I would have made no contribution to this trip.’

Lin Yao, who handed out the supplies, was praised by people, especially some girls. They were affectionate to the extent of wanting to kiss Lin Yao, and this made Lin Yao feel more ashamed.

It took him several hours to distribute the supplies. Before Lin Yao could take a break, Qin Ya came over again.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to see someone.”

“Who?”

“You’ll know when you get there.”

Qin Ya drove Lin Yao to the city center, which seemed intact.

Tianhai City had been invaded but not annihilated. Besides the post-disaster areas of reconstruction, most of the other places were intact, and Qin Ya was taking Lin Yao to one of those places.

As the car traveled, the two soon arrived in front of a dojo.

[Knife-Drawing Hall]

“Where are we?”

“We are visiting the martial arts teacher that you asked for.” Upon finishing her words, as if she was afraid that Lin Yao would be unhappy, Qin Ya quickly added, “I know you practice swordsmanship, but your swordsmanship only includes one sword-drawing move. Drawing a knife is similar to drawing a sword. The best knife-drawing masters are found in the surrounding area. I’ve already made an appointment for you.”

“Thanks for the effort.”

He had someone to make all these arrangements for him, so he just had to focus on training. This kind of feeling… was really great.

“No need to be grateful. Helping the signee is my duty… After entering the place, show some respect. This is a powerhouse. He’s suffered some injuries, which is why he came here to teach. He has taught many famous disciples.”

“I know the basics of respecting a teacher.”

After the two of them entered the dojo and explained the purpose of their visit, they headed inside the dojo under the guidance of a disciple.

It was daytime, and many people were training there. Lin Yao also saw their training methods and could sense the positive aspects of the dojo.

Amongst the many training methods they used, some people drew knives against the open space, some practiced in pairs, and some cleaved at small balls. These were also the ways Lin Yao had adopted before.

However, unlike Lin Yao, who trained alone, there were corresponding sparring opponents here. There were special targets for drawing and throwing a knife, professionally-trained personnel, and specialized machines that threw balls. Training in the dojo was much more convenient than training alone.

“You can come to the dojo the next time you practice martial arts techniques.”

While observing the people training, Lin Yao followed Qin Ya along a path and soon saw that knife-drawing master in a small courtyard.

He was a thin, old man who was coughing constantly, and he didn’t seem to have a lot of energy.

However, Lin Yao felt a sharp aura after entering the room and seeing that person. In fact, he sensed that death might occur at any time upon looking at the old man.

‘Danger!’

Danger… This was Lin Yao’s first feeling when he saw the old man.

“Master Wu Chang, we’re here to pay our respects. We seek your guidance…”

“That’s enough. What respects? This is a transaction between equals. Which of you has attained real success in their combat skill and is seeking pointers?”

“Me.”

Upon taking a glance at Lin Yao, Master Wu Chang furrowed his brows.

“Do you practice with a sword?”

“Yes.”

“You are a swordsman… Forget it. Show me your best move.”

Nodding, Lin Yao pinned the crystal sword to his waist. After calming down for a while, he unlocked the holy seal, accelerated his thinking, activated the thunder vital energy seed, and entered the extreme state. He then flashed toward a target in the distance at lightning speed.

With a clang, the target was cleaved by Lin Yao with one blow.

After returning his sword to the sheath, Lin Yao stood in front of Master Wu Chang and waited for his pointers.

However, since he’d arrived, Lin Yao had found Master Wu Chang’s expression somewhat strange.

After a long silence, Master Wu Chang said, “Are you sure you are practicing with a sword?”

“Of course.”

“Cut the crap.”

Lin Yao and Qin Ya hadn’t expected this abrupt use of vulgarities.

“Cough, cough…”

Upon seeing the two of them looking puzzled, Master Wu Chang wanted to say something but ended up coughing repeatedly. After a long time, his condition improved.

“I saw what happened earlier. You have undergone brain development, and your mental strength is strong enough to unlock the most basic Fathom. During the blow just now, you gathered all your strength, and you are qualified to obtain the profound meaning of Slay Steel.”

“Why haven’t I made a breakthrough then? May I seek your advice on what I am lacking, Master?”

“It will be strange if you break through. You are not practicing your swordsmanship at all.”

“This is impossible.”

“Impossible? Can you use your earlier move with a knife?”

“Of course, it works.”

“Does it work without any weapons?”

“Uh… Yes.”

Lin Yao thought of his collision with the skinny young man yesterday. At the time, he had used his body as a weapon, and the string of questions posed by Master Wu Chang also made Lin Yao understand why he had not realized the profound meaning of the Sword-Drawing Technique.

While he was guessing, Master Wu Chang was already speaking again. “Your strength is fairly good. It’s very good. The previous blow was sophisticated and wonderful, but the key to your moves lies in your body and has nothing to do with the sword. In terms of mental strength, your body also feels stronger than the sword. Of course, it’s impossible to comprehend the profound meaning of the sword.

“If you want to practice the profound meaning of the sword, you must be devoted to the sword. When you’re sincere about putting the sword first, you’ll realize its profound meaning.”

These words made Lin Yao understand that his sword had always been soulless. He had never set his mind on the sword either. He understood the sword as a useful weapon, not his own method.

While Lin Yao was reflecting on this, Master Wu Chang spoke again. His words stunned Lin Yao once more.

“The sword is a gentleman, and the knife is an overlord. Based on your combat skill, which gathers everything to kill the enemy with one strike, your character is very domineering. This is the best fit for the knife.

“Since you’re not devoted to the sword, why don’t you learn about the knife from me?”