"That's how it is when you've just advanced… After all, I've only been learning Swordsmanship for a few days," Lin Hui said helplessly.
"Alright, alright. He's the son of a friend of mine and got in through my connections. The Government Office added an extra spot for him out of respect for me. It doesn't take up one of the Temple's slots," Daoist Mingde explained, clapping his hands. "I have a general idea of your strength now. Chen Sui, go give Yiren a few pointers. Let everyone see the gap."
"Yes." Eldest Brother Chen Sui nodded, raised his sword, and walked forward. He came to a stop before Qiu Yiren and cupped his fist.
"Junior Sister, be careful."
"Please instruct me, Eldest Brother." Qiu Yiren nodded, raising her sword and focusing her full attention on him.
But…
A crisp SWISH.
She hadn't even seen how he disappeared before the wooden sword in her hand was struck by a powerful force and sent flying.
The wooden sword was still whistling as it spun through the air when a large hand shot out, caught the hilt, and brought it to an abrupt halt.
"Thank you for the match," Chen Sui said, his gaze calm as he looked at the stunned Qiu Yiren.
One move.
In a single move, he had defeated the so-called genius.
"See that?" Daoist Mingde added from the side. "At a level like Chen Sui's, one has already reached the pinnacle of the Outer Family. Body Tempering is at its limit. The main difference between him and other masters at this peak lies only in their comprehension of Techniques and their grasp of timing and momentum."
"Daoist Master, among the other martial arts schools, gangs, and sects, how many Outer Family experts are there at Eldest Brother's level?" Huang Shan asked curiously, having recovered some of her stamina.
"The Government Office once established an evaluation system with nine grades for the Outer Family. It's based purely on one's level of Body Tempering and doesn't represent actual combat strength, as it can't account for things like Technique comprehension. You can use it as a rough reference," Mingde explained. "Chen Sui, Zhao Jiang'an, and Mu Qiaozhi are all at the Ninth Grade of the Outer Family in terms of Body Tempering strength. Their bodies have reached the peak. As for you four, Chen Chong is around the Fourth Grade. Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren are at the Third Grade. Lin Hui just had his breakthrough a few days ago; judging by his Body Technique speed, he's likely only at the First Grade."
"How are these grades determined?" Huang Shan asked.
"It's simple. If you look closely, when we use the Nine-Section Swift Sword in combat, we involuntarily leave faint afterimages with our swings. Each grade corresponds to one afterimage that flashes by. It's quite distinct. For other Martial Arts, the methods of judgment vary. But no matter what, if you four ever encounter a speed-type expert who can leave nine afterimages in an instant, don't be a fool. Just turn and run."
He paused, then continued, "Of course, not all Martial Arts are graded based on speed and afterimages. For specific assessments, just listen to your Eldest Brother. He'll tell you what to do based on the opponent's threat level."
The disciples all turned to look at Chen Sui, who simply shrugged and nodded.
After eating together in the afternoon, everyone returned to their own quarters to rest.
Early the next morning, just as the fog began to dissipate, Daoist Mingde led the five disciples from the Daoist Temple and headed toward the Xinyu Town Government Office.
Two hours later, led by Chen Sui, the five of them changed their clothes and began their official patrol duties.
Just as Daoist Mingde had said, their patrol was mainly focused on petty cases and small-time thieves.
Lin Hui patrolled with the group for an hour, taking three breaks in between. He took action once, catching a petty thief who was stealing a coin purse, but there was nothing else to report.
They encountered no further problems for the rest of the day and returned safely to their lodgings to rest.
Their lodging was a small building arranged by the Government Office, where their meals were provided for.
And so, the group completed their first day of patrol.
Then came the second day, and the third…
*
*
*
The streets of Xinyu Town.
Passersby bustled to and fro. Cargo carts constantly turned off the main road into the backyards of various shops, while farmers carrying vegetables and rice set up stalls on the roadside, hawking their wares.
Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren walked together, dressed in gray and white Formal Clothing. Tied to their waists were their patrol tokens from the Government Office, also white.
Both wore tall leather boots and white face masks that concealed their features. At their waists hung their respective weapons: a real steel Longsword.
The two were now strolling along the side of the street, avoiding the mud splattered by passing carts as they patrolled with an air of boredom.
"This assignment is nice and all, but to be honest, it's a little too boring." Qiu Yiren let out a sleepy yawn.
She was someone who paid great attention to her image, but the patrol had been so tedious for so long that she couldn't help but break character and relax a little.
"I agree. At first, I really thought there would be monsters in the Fog Area, but as it turns out…" Lin Hui said in agreement.
'These past few days, I've been diligently practicing the Nine-Section Swift Sword. I'm no longer practicing the full set of Swordsmanship like I was before, but am instead going through it one Technique at a time.'
'This method of practice has caused my proficiency to skyrocket. Without activating my Special Effects, my speed has already reached the Third or Fourth Grade level of a Body Tempering Disciple, on par with Huang Shan and the others—incredibly fast. If I activate my Light Body Special Effect, I estimate that I could, for a short time, unleash a Body Technique Sword Speed that surpasses even that of my Eldest Brother.'
'But with only high speed and poor Swordsmanship, I know I still probably couldn't defeat my Eldest Brother in a real fight. The speed advantage, however, would allow me to quickly disengage from battle, neither winning nor losing. That was the key reason I had chosen Qingfeng Temple.'
"I wonder how Eldest Brother is doing. He took Huang Shan and Chen Chong with him," Qiu Yiren sighed. 'She wanted to go check on their situation, but her teammate here isn't even familiar with the Nine-Section Swift Sword, which made her the main force by default. And the main force can't just run off to slack off. Otherwise, if she left, Lin Hui would be in real trouble.'
The pair continued their slow walk, passing one shop after another. This was the central district of Xinyu Town, and the street was lined with tightly packed shops, all open for business.