Chapter 245: Time Flies (Part 1)

In the center of Nightmare City, on top of Demon King's Castle.

Under the moonlight, mist drifted silently, shadows lingered behind the towers. There was no sound of wind or footsteps, as if everything was still beneath the cold moonlight.

This is the no-man's land in the center of the battlefield...

Only the slashing left the dead.

Deep within the swirling mist, a fine white line emerged. Swimming lightly like a fish, it formed a slowly expanding fan of light. When that fan touched the tilted black line, it split open like a bubble struck by a needle, splitting into hundreds of barely visible arcs. The arcs of light surrounded it like a school of fish, and the black line trembled slightly, stretching into a column. Contradictory colors collided in the mist, a sharp sound suddenly echoed, and the mist exploded. Countless slashes erupted simultaneously, shattering the tower into rubble.

The harsh black blade slashed down vertically, while the light white blade struck horizontally. The two blades collided in mid-air, leaving a cross-shaped cut that lingered for a long time.

Then, footsteps finally sounded, and the blocked wind roared. The two swords clashed and separated, and the sword-wielding Zanshin stood on the rooftop, their faces illuminated by the distant explosions of lightning and fire. For the first 30 rounds of the duel, both sides were at their peak strength.

On par.

No one was hurt, enemy or ourselves.

Then, the 31st round began. Qingye attacked first. Unlike Chu Hengkong's counter-attack style, she attacked with a violent and violent swordsmanship. She opened with a sweeping slash, followed by an upward thrust towards the lower body, a third thrust towards the midsection, and finally a backhand strike towards the vital point.

It was clear that the trajectory of each blade was clearly visible. In the eyes of the experienced Ye Xing, the girl's swordsmanship was too immature. He struck first, stabbing Qing Ye's wrist just before the big upper slash arrived. With just one strike, he could sever the wrist, then snatch the knife and slash it towards Qing Ye's throat.

clang!

The future she gazed upon was cut short by the blazing blade. The blade, meant to pierce the flaw, collided head-on with Miansheng mid-stride. The simulation had been flawless, the sword's path had been predicted, yet the girl's swordsmanship was unbelievably fast. The moment she struck, the slash surpassed all expectations. It was truly swift, a slash as swift as light!

Miansheng shone brightly as they clashed. Qingye's opening move crushed Yexing's dagger. Seizing the momentum, she stepped forward, locking the blade's momentum with her aura. Shurikens, drawn by thin threads, flew from the mist. Yexing ducked to avoid the hidden weapon, then simultaneously stomped on Miansheng's blade. Seizing the momentum, he leaped, slashing with his blade, his spinning blade grazing Qingye's pupils.

Seeing this, Qing Ye slashed at the ground with all her might, her sword slicing a crescent-like arc. She vanished the instant she drew her sword, reappearing at the tip of the crescent as it swept across the battlefield. From above, she spun around and slashed again, the perfectly aligned blow piercing Ye Xing's back.

Wuxiang goes against the flow of mind and cuts the wind.

Ye Xing pulled back mid-strike, blocking Qing Ye's spinning slash with the hilt of his sword. Qing Ye cautiously leaped to prevent the enemy from attempting to snatch the sword with one hand. She did a backhand flip to create distance, then tapped the ground to launch another charge. Without pause, without observation, the next strike arrived with equal swiftness. Swing. Swing. Swing. When the enemy's swordsmanship surpassed hers, she gave them no time to think. She seized every opportunity to exploit her strengths, compensating for her shortcomings with speed.

Ye Xing used stillness to counter movement, striking only when necessary. His strikes were like pitch-black trees, standing unmoved amidst the raging wind and rain. Qing Ye's blade was indeed swift; without even using the Thousand Nights' Instant Stars, he had reached a level far exceeding his previous capabilities. Simply ascending to the third level of Seismic Points would not completely transform the sword art; the secret must lie in the "art" developed by Qing Ye.

The Zanxin Path Sephiroth 3, "Secret Soul," is a variation of the Path of Unity Sephiroth 3, Xu Lie Xin. While the Sin Bone encapsulates shadow within the skeleton, the Secret Soul weaves elements into a "jutsu" and seals it within the heart. This is also a form of extreme self-mutilation. In this way, Zanxin practitioners fuse themselves with the elements to create their own unique Zanxinjutsu.

The most common mystical soul arts often center around the three elements of water, fire, and dust, offering a single yet powerful effect. A few exceptionally talented individuals choose to blend multiple elements, creating complex, almost magical arts. The fortunate few, inheriting the bloodline of their elders and born beyond the First Abyss, may possess arts centered around wind and thunder, rainbows, or even the void. However, Qingye's situation falls into none of these categories. Though she comes from a prominent family, she hasn't inherited the grace of her elders, and her mastery of the other elements isn't particularly refined.

Ye Xing could assert that her secret soul technique employed only pure "light." Using partial elementalization to achieve extreme speed seemed to be the most common build among low-ranking Canxins. However, the core of the technique was more complex, a style he was more familiar with...

Ye Xing retreated, sheathing his blade. Two reverse blades flew out, slashing in a V-shape to either side of Qing Ye. Qing Ye responded with a flat, horizontal slash. The stronger force allowed the reverse blades to penetrate the glowing blade arc, but the direction of the slash was strangely "offset," passing Qing Ye like light reflected in the air.

Qingye pierced through the opposing blades, lunging at Yexing with his sword. Yexing suddenly roared, his aura shaking the air like a cannonball. He kicked at his ankle to break his balance, then unsheathed his sword and thrust his fist forward, striking Qingye's wrist from below. Miansheng flew off the impact, and Yexing dropped his knees to swivel his sword, its flash transforming into a sharp horn in Qingye's eyes.

There was no way to avoid it, no way to dodge it. A single flaw in the blow could mean the difference between life and death. The pitch-black dagger magnified infinitely in his pupils... and then vanished!

She vanished from the despair, reappearing behind Ye Xing, treading on the fading arc of blade light! It was Qing Ye's initial strike, a faint glint of light about to dissipate. Qing Ye leaped up, grasping Mian Sheng and slashing down with all his might. Ye Xing leaned sideways, raising his blade and thrusting it upwards. The black and white blades collided once more, their repulsive auras suddenly overflowing, forming cones of light and shadow.

"It's more than just elementalization." Ye Xing pressed the blade down with force. "You affected time when you slashed... Your secret soul is a technique that uses light to interfere with time."

"As expected of Mr. Ye Xing, you figured it out so quickly." Qing Ye laughed, "This is the same technique as yours. It's been passed down from your generation and that of our head, the Time Transmigration Technique!"

Talent is innate.

Qualifications are determined at birth.

The upper limit between people seems to have been set at the very beginning.

However, over the long term, there is a power that everyone can "inherit."

It is the insights of the elders, the discoveries gained through actual combat, the truth that can only be known at a higher level, and the will engraved in the hearts of children through education and passed down from generation to generation.

The famous Guangshi clan's world-famous Guangyin Tu Zhuanshu is such a spiritual inheritance, the "world view" described by Wu Zun.

Unchanging light records the past, changing shadows generate the future, and the vast expanse of life collectively observes the present. Therefore, if you want to influence time, you must start with light, influence the passage of light with your life, and define the trajectory of light with your swordsmanship.

With this guiding principle as their starting point, the Zanshin practitioners of the Kotoki family sought the art of influencing time through the sword. Each individual's approach differed, and each reached a different conclusion. This series of unpredictable Zanshin techniques became known as a collective term by the people of Shura Island.

The art of going against the flow of the mind without any thoughts and turning time around in vain.

Completely opposite to Ye Xing's time-turning technique that stops time, the essence of Qing Ye's time-turning technique is to speed up time.

I wish I could become faster, grow faster, fight faster. My youth couldn't reach the experience accumulated over the years, so I'd use speed to overcome it. However, in terms of physical ability alone, a Zanxin couldn't compare to a martial artist or a lustful demon. Simply strengthening myself couldn't achieve the desired extreme speed.

Therefore, use "technology" to bypass it.

Just like Waklo's near-unstoppable overflow, since he couldn't achieve extreme speed, he simply became faster than his enemy. Using the sword's light to partially accelerate the enemy's attack, he could use the time difference to deflect a guaranteed strike. By stepping into the sword's light, accelerated dozens of times, he could achieve teleportation, a feat impossible in real time.

This is Guang Shiqingye's "Time Transfer Technique", which uses slashing to accelerate the flow of photons and realize a superphoton acceleration belt that accelerates time!

--amazing.

Ye Xing exclaimed in his heart.

Even during his time, few would dare challenge such absurd techniques. The more powerful the technique, the greater the risk. Simply constructing such a technique within the heart could lead to organ failure due to the temporal distortion. She must have mitigated some of the danger with the historical mist within her bones, but even so, she would pay a price for using this technique.

The acceleration of time within the sword's light meant that those who stepped into it would also experience a corresponding increase in the passage of time. Her features had already subtly changed, her once youthful features gradually maturing through battle. That, in reality, was a doubled onset of aging. She gained the glory of the battlefield, but at the cost of her youth's rapid decline.

There is nothing to blame.

The young man walked alone towards a dead end, and even though he knew the price, his original intention would never waver.

Then it can no longer be called stupidity, but it is worthy of applause for its awakening.

Ye Xing raised his short knife and charged towards the sword path he had seen through. At this moment, he had no regrets. Qing Ye's slash would slit his throat in a second.

"Very good. Guang Shi Qing Ye. Beautiful technique."

Keep going. Don't look back.

Return to your hometown with your achievements——

"Thank you, Mr. Ye Xing." Qing Ye said seriously, "I will continue to improve."

"—until I become someone as amazing as you!"

Then, sincere words hit Ye Xing's ears.

Before thought comes, emotion has already driven the body into action.

The pitch-black dagger stopped Mian Sheng, and the gaze beneath the silver mask was as terrifying as a demon. The merciless black and white moved with anger, creating a still battlefield!

(End of this chapter)