The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

After receiving several new uniforms, Wu You left the Investigation Bureau.

He drove around Lanhe city several times, from the south to the north, from the east to the west, specifically targeting those remote corners.

Not a single zombie species was seen.

No, where did all these zombies hide?

Wu You parked his car on the side of the road and looked at the Phantom Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, which was 220 points away from being perfected, and the Star Pivot Seven Luminaries Sword Technique, which required 5000 points of proficiency to even begin.

There's really no other way.

He glanced at his watch; there was still some time before dinner.

After thinking about it, I turned the car around and headed towards Fengxiang Martial Arts School.

-

In the quiet room where he practiced swordsmanship, Wu You drew out his four-colored crystal longsword.

Phantom Clouds, starting move.

The sword light flowed like water, spreading out in the quiet room.

Nine Shadow Steps were taken, leaving behind layers upon layers of afterimages.

After two rounds, he sheathed his sword and stood up.

My proficiency level increased by two points.

It's okay, but not enough.

At this rate, it would take him over a hundred days to catch up on the remaining 220 points, which is too slow.

He held the sword horizontally in front of him, closed his eyes, and mentally reviewed the starting stance of the Seven Luminaries Sword Technique.

Tian Shu Po Jun Sword.

Then he moved.

Step forward with your right foot, lower your waist slightly, and point the sword tip diagonally at the ground—this is the starting position.

Then, twisting his waist and hips, he swung the sword upwards from below, drawing an arc in the air, and then thrusting it straight forward.

The sword stopped in mid-air, and Wu You frowned.

wrong.

The force applied in this sword strike was incorrect. The Heavenly Pivot Breaking Army technique is characterized by its upright and imposing momentum, emphasizing a single, direct thrust that pierces through a thousand armies.

But his sword strike just now was too weak in the first half and too stiff in the second half. The power was interrupted when the waist and hips shifted, and it didn't reach the tip of the sword at all. The sword's momentum also lacked that grand and majestic feeling.

He tried again.

Still not right.

Hands, eyes, body, and steps—every part is struggling, as if the limbs and body are not a single entity. Even though you know in your mind how to move, when you actually start moving, everything feels awkward.

Then the third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

Wu You stopped, his forehead already beaded with sweat.

This is even with the swordsmanship proficiency trait.

Without this characteristic, he probably wouldn't even be able to get into the starting stance. The difficulty of cultivating the Seven Luminaries Sword of the Star Pivot is much higher than he expected. It's no wonder that you need 5,000 proficiency points to even get started. This sword technique has extremely strict requirements for body movement, footwork, and power generation. You can't do it if you're even a little bit off.

He recalled the annotations to the Seven Luminaries Sword of the Star Pivot—it must be cultivated on a night with starlight.

It's still daytime now. Although there are lights in the quiet room, it's completely different from starlight. If I force myself to practice, I probably won't achieve anything. I'll wait until night.

After putting away his sword, Wu You prepared to go back for a meal and then go out for a stroll.

He really wanted to make up for the missing 220 points of proficiency as soon as possible.

-

Pushing open the door to the quiet room, Wu You walked towards the outside of the martial arts school.

The corridor was not brightly lit, and several swordplay posters hung on the walls on both sides, their glass frames reflecting the light.

He walked at a leisurely pace, his mind still replaying the movements of Tian Shu Po Jun from just now.

As I turned the corner of the corridor, a figure emerged from the other side.

He was in his early twenties, dressed in a loose black martial arts uniform with a black belt around his waist bearing three golden diagonal bars—a professional-level third dan. He carried a training sword with a worn-out cord on the hilt, indicating that it was frequently used.

Wu You vaguely remembered this person; he had bumped into him in the corridor last time.

When Zhao Hui saw Wu You, his eyes visibly lit up.

He had asked his cousin before if there were any people at their school who were very good at swordsmanship.

But my cousin's reaction was strange. She stammered and hesitated, asking him why he was asking this, but in the end, she couldn't give a clear answer.

But unexpectedly, I was so lucky this time that I ran into it again by chance.

Of course, whether it was truly a coincidence or not, only Zhao Hui himself knows.

Zhao Hui gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

Although the master was an important guest, he really wanted to spar with a master swordsman.

In the past, it was fine; he could go to various martial arts schools to spar with swordsmen. But this year, for some reason, all the powerful masters from other martial arts schools—including their own Fengxiang Martial Arts School—have disappeared; they haven't been seen at all.

When asked, the answer was that he was away on a business trip.

As for the rest, there were very few professional-level players; they were all just low-level players who didn't meet his requirements for sparring.

He's been holding it in for far too long.

That's why we're in this situation today.

"Um... um..." Zhao Hui stood in front of Wu You, unsure of what to do with his hands. "You... I..."

For a moment, he didn't even know how to address the other person. Should he call him "senior"? The other person looked younger than him. Should he call him "adult"? That also felt a bit strange.

Wu You looked at the man who had come close to her and was stammering, unable to speak, and two question marks appeared on her mind.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?" he asked first.

"Greetings, esteemed master!" Zhao Hui took a deep breath, speaking rapidly yet haltingly, "My name is Zhao Hui, and my swordsmanship is at the professional level, third dan. I wonder if... if I might have the honor of... sparring with you?"

He paused, as if encouraging himself.

"I...I know this is presumptuous, but I can tell you're definitely a master swordsman." He looked at Wu You, his eyes full of expectation. "Do you think...I have a chance?"

Several more question marks appeared above Wu You's head.

What's wrong with this guy?

But looking at the longing in the man's eyes and at the worn-out training sword in his hand, Wu You hesitated for a moment.

"How did you figure that out?" he asked.

Zhao Hui's eyes lit up—there's hope!

"It was my intuition!" he blurted out, then felt a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.

intuition?

Wu You smiled, but still shook his head: "I have something to do today, maybe next time."

This wasn't an excuse; he genuinely had other things to do today.

After finishing his meal, he planned to explore areas he hadn't visited much before, hoping to earn more experience points.

Two hundred and twenty proficiency points isn't much; you can easily accumulate them by working hard with those corpse types.

Zhao Hui's expression instantly fell, but he still pressed on, unwilling to give up, "When will the expert come next time?"

"uncertain."

Wu You was telling the truth. He had to carry out cleanup missions, and it was common for him to not come to Fengxiang Martial Arts School for several days at a time.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hui became even more dejected, and his shoulders slumped.

"If I'm coming, I usually arrive around 5 PM," Wu You added.

Zhao Hui seemed to be reignited, and his eyes lit up again.

Wu You nodded to him: "I have something to do, I'll be going now."

He turned and walked towards the door.

"Sigh, wait for the expert!"

Zhao Hui's voice came from behind.

Wu You stopped in his tracks.

Zhao Hui caught up, holding up his phone with a QR code displayed on the screen: "Hey expert, can we add each other as friends on Feixun?"

Wu You simply took out his phone and scanned it.

Then the business card that popped up made his expression turn a little strange.

Business card: I love practicing swordsmanship.

The image is a close-up of a sword, the lights are very bright, and the blade reflects light.

Why does this profile picture and nickname look so familiar?

Wu You paused for a moment, a memory resurfacing in his mind—the business card Hua Linlin had given him, her cousin's.

He looked up at the man in front of him.

Is this Hua Linlin's cousin? Is he from Fengxiang Martial Arts School?

Zhao Hui was completely oblivious to Wu You's expression. When he saw the friend request pop up, he immediately clicked "accept." When he saw a new chat box appear on the screen, he was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to his ears.

I've finally connected with a master swordsman! Now I can discuss swordsmanship with them!

He didn't even notice that the other person's profile picture seemed familiar.

"Thank you, expert! You go ahead with your work!" Zhao Hui waved to Wu You with a smug look on his face, holding his sword.

Wu You didn't say much. It was indeed a coincidence, even a bit too coincidental.

He glanced at Zhao Hui, who was smugly holding a sword in one hand and a phone in the other, then turned and left.