This was no idle exercise to kill time. In the split second before flicking out a finger, Lin Hui would activate the Light Body Effect, only to deactivate it the moment after.
This was his practice and his test. 'Since the Light Body ability consumes so much stamina, why not just break it down into many small, instantaneous skills?'
'Just use it for an instant when I need it. As long as it works at the critical moment, that's enough.'
This was Lin Hui's idea, and it was exactly what he did. Over the past few days, he had already achieved some tangible results.
According to his detailed tests, if he kept the Light Body Effect active continuously, he could maintain it for about two hours before his stamina gave out. And that was on the condition that he wasn't fighting at full strength with his sword.
If he were to fight at full power, the stamina consumption would be even greater; the duration would likely be cut by more than half.
However, with his improved method, by pushing his control to the limit, Lin Hui could divide the Light Body Effect into countless small fragments, each lasting 0.5 to 1 second. This was the maximum time required for a single move.
As long as he rested for three seconds after using a fragment, his stamina would quickly recover, allowing him to repeat the cycle.
In theory, with proper timing, he could use the Light Body Effect indefinitely. This meant he could continuously and intermittently maintain Sword Speed and Body Technique on par with his Senior Brother.
But real combat wouldn't allow him to attack and then rest, so its practical application still required actual testing.
Ultimately, Lin Hui figured that a fight couldn't possibly last too long. Even if he were evenly matched, it would be over in ten-odd minutes at most.
For a duration of ten-odd minutes, the Light Body Effect could definitely support him from start to finish.
「Early the next morning.」
As expected, the Senior Brother didn't show up. The four of them split into teams at the tea shed rest stop and headed off toward their respective patrol streets.
As arranged, Lin Hui was on a team with Chen Chong.
The sky was still dark in the early morning as the fog began to dissipate. The vegetable farmers from the surrounding countryside hadn't arrived yet, and the streets were deserted.
Chen Chong took the lead, walking ahead and yawning. The wind carried the faint scent of perfume from him, a clear sign he'd been out carousing somewhere the previous night.
He had nothing to say to Lin Hui, merely scanning the shops they passed on either side.
"Senior Brother Chen, how about we split up and act separately?" Lin Hui suggested, stepping forward with a pleasant expression. "That way you won't have to put up with me, and I won't feel awkward around you. It's better for both of us."
"Heh... Fine. I've been wanting to walk around alone anyway. You're just getting in the way," Chen Chong said sarcastically, glancing at him.
"Then let's part ways here," Lin Hui said, pointing to a fork in the road ahead.
"Fine."
The two said no more. They walked a short distance further and naturally went their separate ways at the fork.
After they separated, Lin Hui continued to study the mechanics of the Light Body ability.
He bought a meat-filled flatbread from a breakfast stall on the street, thinking as he walked and ate.
'Before activating Light Body, I don't feel anything unusual in my body, and tests show no change in my weight. But after I activate it, my weight drops by almost half. This isn't just a feeling or an illusion; it's a real, tangible reduction in weight.'
'At the same time, my Body Technique speed, my striking speed, and even my dynamic visual tracking are all accelerated. According to my tests, the overall acceleration is about sixty percent. But because all these aspects stack, the complete burst effect becomes a massive boost of more than double.'
When the amplified Body Technique speed and Sword Speed were stacked and unleashed in a burst, the result wasn't a simple additive effect.
'So, how exactly does this sudden weight reduction work?'
Lin Hui pondered.
He activated Light Body again, carefully feeling the sensation.
The feeling was incredibly strange, as if the flesh, blood, and bones that made up his body had all become hollow, as if they had been temporarily replaced with much lighter materials.
'It's not a removal of substance, but more like the application of a force field. It's like an additional force is helping to lift some of my body weight.'
He carefully focused on the subtle differences.
Just as he was deep in thought, a sudden scream echoed from a nearby street.
He frowned, quickly turned, and hurried in the direction of the sound. In less than a minute, he arrived at the location.
It was a small, relatively remote house, gray-black in color, its outer walls covered in soot stains. A simple bamboo fence enclosed a small yard around it.
The bamboo gate to the yard was open, and the door to the small house was ajar. Inside, a figure whose back looked somewhat familiar to Lin Hui was pinning down a fair-skinned, buxom woman, tearing at her clothes.
The woman struggled violently, but her strength was no match for the man on top of her. All she could do was cry and scream.
"Senior Brother Chen." Lin Hui didn't consider himself a good person. If he hadn't seen this, he might have just let it be. But now that he had... he ultimately couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Aren't you taking this a bit too far?"
Hearing his voice, Chen Chong turned and glanced at him.
"Didn't you say we should split up, Junior Brother Lin? What's this? You've got your eye on this girl too? How about you wait until I'm finished, and I'll let you have a turn?"
A strange smile played on his lips, but his eyes held a clear threat.
Lin Hui was speechless.
He came from a good background, born into a major clan. With a father who was good at making money and served a noble patron, people had called him "Young Master" when he was a child.
So, in the past, he had only heard about how hard life was for those at the very bottom, never experiencing it himself. But now...
No wonder so many families couldn't survive and would voluntarily apply to eat Wanfu Meat. Looking at Chen Chong's brazen expression, he suddenly understood.
"Senior Brother Chen," Lin Hui said, slowly approaching. "Can you do me a favor? Don't cause trouble while you're on patrol with me."
"A favor?"
Chen Chong paused, slowly stood up, and turned to face Lin Hui.
"Lin Hui, I've been fucking sick of you for a long time!"
His hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword.
"That business with Chen Zhishen, didn't I give you face then? The moment I fucking saw you, I backed off! And you? Have you given me any face? Who the fuck do you think you are?! The Shayue Saint Child?! Does everyone have to give you face again and again?!"
His good time had been interrupted, and all the blood rushed from his lower body to his head. He instantly exploded.
"Senior Brother Chen." Lin Hui gripped his sword hilt. "Have you ever thought about it? You've never had any trouble when patrolling with others, but the moment you're with me, you cause a scene. How am I supposed to explain myself when I'm held accountable for this?"
"I don't give a damn how you explain yourself! You, Lin, I'll count to three. If you don't get the hell out of here, don't blame me for what happens next!" Chen Chong hissed, partially drawing his sword.
"Senior Brother, we're all just out here trying to do our jobs. Can't we just get along peacefully?" Lin Hui sighed. "Why must you force things to get this ugly?"
"Are you going to get lost or not!?" Chen Chong roared, yanking his sword free and charging forward.
"A piece of trash who hasn't even mastered the Nine-Section Swift Sword dares to meddle in other people's business! Today, I'll fucking show you what it means to court death!"
"Senior Brother, you're too impulsive," Lin Hui said, his voice calm.
"Fuck your mother!" Chen Chong completely lost it.
SHING! His blade became a gray line, slashing abruptly toward Lin Hui's waist.
The burst of speed was incredibly fast; it was clearly the Nine-Section Swift Sword, a style that prioritized explosive power.
CLANG.
Lin Hui drew his sword and parried, precisely intercepting the other's blade.
The two exchanged blows at high speed. Although Lin Hui's movements were slightly slower, he surprisingly managed to keep up with Chen Chong's pace.
Despite only having the speed of a Second-Grade Body Tempering practitioner, the timing of Lin Hui's strikes, his application of force, and his transitions between techniques were worlds apart from their previous duel. It was as if he were a completely different person.
On top of that, his Body Technique and Sword Speed were now considerably faster than before. For a moment, he actually held off Chen Chong, preventing him from gaining any advantage.
This shocked Chen Chong, who hadn't expected the fight to go this way at all.
He felt that when he and Lin Hui used the exact same Sword Technique, the effects were completely different.
"Senior Brother, give up. You're not performing at your best right now; you're no match for me. Wine and women have corrupted your body, preventing you from using even fifty percent of your true strength," Lin Hui said with a sigh as he fought, trying to persuade him.
'Is it true?'
'Have wine and women really corroded my body and hollowed me out?'
Hearing this, Chen Chong unconsciously began to believe him. How else could he explain it? He was a veteran disciple of the front courtyard who had been cultivating for years, yet he couldn't even defeat a newly promoted disciple.
Just then, a flash of silver light suddenly crossed Chen Chong's vision. A moment ago, the gleam of the sword was clearly in front of him, but now it had instantly appeared on his right, in a backhand position.
The change was so fast he had no time to react.
PFFT.
With a soft sound, the blade sank steadily into Chen Chong's waist, leaving a deep gash.
"Senior Brother, look, your vision is blurring again. You've become so weak you can't even clearly see the afterimage of my sword. If this continues, you might not even be able to defeat a student from the back courtyard," Lin Hui sighed.
Chen Chong fell backward, landing hard on his butt. He was covered in a cold sweat, too terrified by that last strike to speak.
'My vision... is it really that blurry?'
'Just now, the gleam of the sword was in front of me, and then it blurred and was suddenly at my side...'
A chill rose in Chen Chong's heart. He knew full well that Lin Hui was just a newly promoted junior brother, an ordinary student who had spent over a year practicing even the Seven-Section Quick Sword.
It was impossible for him to have the speed to change position like that in an instant. Such speed was something that even their Senior Brother could only hope to achieve at his absolute limit.
There was no way an ordinary disciple like Lin Hui could pull it off.
Ruling out the other options, the only possibility left was... that his own vision had really blurred...
'Have wine and women... really taken such a terrible toll?'
The injury was a minor issue for Chen Chong. He knew Lin Hui was someone who followed the rules and wouldn't actually do anything serious to him, just as he himself hadn't dared to do anything to Chen Zhishen before.
What truly sent a chill down his spine was the terrible state of his blurring vision and declining Sword Speed.
'Have I really... gotten this weak?'
Chen Chong's fiery lust was instantly doused, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head.
"I... I...!" His lips trembled, but he couldn't form any words.
"Senior Brother, I just couldn't bear to see you continue to be so weak. Don't keep making the same mistake. Wine and women are a poison that rots you from the inside..." Lin Hui advised with sincere earnestness.
At this point, Chen Chong was almost certain he had become incredibly weak. Too scared to even reply, he broke out in a sweat, scrambled to his feet, and staggered away, clutching his side as he ran.
He had to find a doctor immediately!
Lin Hui was left with the half-dressed woman. Without looking at her, he simply waved a hand, signaling for her to close the door, then turned and slowly walked away.
As for whether Chen Chong would be convinced he was weak, Lin Hui felt it was highly likely.
After all, he had cut a bit deep with that last strike. The amount of blood he was losing now would definitely be enough to make Chen Chong feel very weak.
And as for the "blurry vision," that was, of course, caused by him momentarily activating the Light Body Effect.
That, combined with his usual honest demeanor, was enough to successfully deceive Chen Chong's simple, debauched mind.
After leaving the courtyard, Lin Hui didn't continue his patrol. Instead, he returned to the rest stop to quietly wait for the others.
He needed to get on the same page with the others about this incident first.
While he waited, he also carefully replayed the brief exchange in his mind.
From start to finish, he had been in complete control of Chen Chong's rhythm.
When he was at First Grade, activating the Light Body Effect allowed him to achieve a burst speed comparable to his Senior Brother and the others. Now, at Second Grade, he personally felt that with the effect active, his burst speed had already surpassed their limits.
In other words, his only weakness right now was his Swordsmanship.
He wasn't familiar enough with the Nine-Section Swift Sword, and he had yet to be taught the Qingfeng Sword.
These two styles of Swordsmanship were designed to become more powerful the faster they were executed, a complementary type of Swordsmanship that could fully leverage speed.
Lin Hui had considered it. The Light Body Effect was, as far as he could tell, a unique Secret Technique enhancement that no one else possessed. Crucially, he couldn't explain its origin, so it was inconvenient to reveal it for now.
When using it, he had to be careful not to let anyone figure it out. Later, once his Swordsmanship became formidable, he could claim to have created a Secret Technique of his own and use the ability openly.