With a gentle flourish of the light sword in my hand, feeling the astonishing elasticity and resilience, my confidence soared to an unprecedented height. This, I thought, was the true fencing swordplay. I had to admit, Uncle Wei’s craftsmanship was truly excellent, completely meeting my specifications.

Across from me, Feng stood with an equally grave expression, holding his broad saber across his chest, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.

I, too, assumed the standard fencing stance. My sword-wielding right hand stretched slightly forward, and with a subtle flick of the wrist, the slender rapier moved like a constantly writhing spirit snake—ethereal, agile, and unpredictable—seeming poised to launch a fatal strike at any moment. My feet moved in a 'one-character' step formation, my left hand hidden behind my back, my feet shifting irregularly, one forward and one back. This posture was optimally suited for an explosive burst of speed in drawing the sword, while also allowing for an immediate retreat, pulling out of the opponent's attack range. Modern fencing matches are often decided in the blink of an eye. It is arguably the most treacherous, yet also the most thrilling, competitive sport. Having been refined through the dedication of countless fencing athletes, the sport has developed complete competitive techniques, and its practical combat value is absolutely incalculable.

Feng kept his guard tight, staring intently at the quivering longsword in my hand like a hungry wolf. His body responded reflexively to my irregular forward and backward shifts in posture. Clearly, the battle-hardened Chen Feng subconsciously grasped the application of distance and footwork in fencing, yet lacking systematic training, he was opposing me with a Zhanmadao and awkward footwork, resulting in a rather incongruous display. Nevertheless, I was greatly astonished by the raw talent he exhibited. With only a little training, this fellow would certainly become a world-class fencing athlete. However, in this very moment, Feng appeared riddled with flaws before my eyes. I was confident I could pierce his body within the first offensive flurry.

Swish! Suddenly, without warning, I moved. This thrust was unbelievably fast, executed as a single attack divided into three distinct lines of engagement.

Clang! After barely blocking one line, Chen Feng's figure recoiled sharply. My remaining two strikes naturally went wide. Feng, attempting to counter-attack, had only just started to swing his Zhanmadao when I stepped forward, initiating my second attack—three bolts of lightning flashing instantly. The half-swung Zhanmadao could only offer a hasty parry. With a ding, the formidable force of the saber only managed to push the supple, elastic blade of the rapier aside slightly. But the strangely unpredictable longsword remained utterly unaffected, and almost simultaneously with being deflected, it impossibly pointed directly at Chen Feng’s throat. At that precise instant, I halted my attack.

"Ah!" Chen Feng's face turned deathly pale as he stared at the faintly trembling tip aimed at his throat. Chen Feng knew he had lost—utterly defeated—by the sixth move.

"No! This is impossible! How can there be a sword this fast in this world! I can't even see it move!" Chen Feng’s Zhanmadao crashed heavily onto the ground, and he collapsed to his knees in agony. "This isn't real, only the sixth move!" The veins on Chen Feng’s hand, braced against the floor, stood out sharply; clearly, he could not accept such an outcome.

I knew the best course of action now was to say nothing, to wait until he calmed down on his own. To be honest, I hadn't anticipated that using the refined fencing rapier would allow my thrusting speed to reach such a level, almost matching Tian Tian’s! It seemed this body possessed incredible flexibility and sensitivity, naturally suited for fencing. It was no wonder Feng fell for it. Objectively analyzed, Chen Feng's defeat was inevitable. Fencing could be described as taking speed-sword techniques to their absolute extreme. Modern tests have shown that through wrist oscillations, coupled with the astonishing resilience and elasticity of the épée, a fencer's thrusting speed now exceeds the human eye's reaction time. In other words, by the time you see a fencer’s sword moving, that blade has already struck your body. What you perceive is merely the residual image of the blade. This is the terrifying speed of fencing. In a sense, the thrust delivered by a fencer cannot be blocked or dodged. Experienced fencers rely on footwork and body movement to ensure they remain outside the opponent’s attack radius. Only where the opponent’s sword cannot reach is there true safety. Therefore, no opponent attempts to track the trajectory of a fencer’s thrust using their eyes, because that is fundamentally impossible. The only way to predict the opponent's line of attack is by reading their overall body movement and footwork to make a rough judgment, thereby achieving a block or evasion. The mistake Feng made was attempting to use conventional methods to track the trajectory of the sword blade I thrust, in order to block or evade. Unfortunately, modern competitions, through countless matches, have proven this to be utterly impossible. Being struck was a certainty.

I quietly watched Chen Feng, feeling a touch of regret. Was this strike too harsh? Or perhaps I shouldn't have defeated him so quickly, on only the sixth move. I could completely understand Feng's feelings. To have trained diligently for nearly twenty years, only to be unable to withstand six moves from another—and what made it even harder to accept was that the opponent was merely a sixteen-year-old boy. This outcome was definitely more painful for him than being killed. Furthermore, Chen Feng was a proud and arrogant man.

After a considerable pause, Chen Feng finally calmed down. "You promised to teach me the fencing swordplay!"

"Of course!" I certainly didn't want to provoke him further at this juncture.

"Teach me now!" Feng was impatient. I had to admit, his psychological resilience was extraordinary; he recovered his composure so quickly.

"Then I will start by explaining the principles and key aspects of fencing to you!" In truth, I had already formulated the teaching plan in my mind.

"En!" Chen Feng’s expression was solemn. His eyes widened, and his earnestness was almost overwhelming. He looked like a diligent student eager not to miss a single word I uttered. This secretly pleased me. Haha, I never thought I would have a day where I stood as a teacher, and my student was Feng, who used to command respect from me. I felt absolutely thrilled inside.

Indeed, it took only an hour for me to relay everything I knew about the principles of fencing, including the training methods.

Chen Feng grew more astonished the more he listened, his excitement mounting. Eventually, he could hardly wait and began practicing immediately with the large rapier I had gifted him. To be fair, Feng was undoubtedly a martial arts genius. After only a brief explanation, he grasped the core essentials and immediately put them into practice. After just half an hour of training, his form was already quite recognizable.

Watching Feng wielding the sword in the courtyard, his movements like the wind, flowing freely, I knew there was little more I could teach him.

"I never imagined such a simple thrust could possess such terrifying destructive power!" Chen Feng concluded his stance, standing straight, lightly caressing the blade with his left hand, visibly agitated. He knew that at this moment, he possessed a brand-new technique, a terrifying killing move of astonishing speed. How could he not be ecstatic?

"I believe that once mastered, I will have the confidence to defeat even a Red Moon Warrior whose strength far surpasses mine." At this moment, Chen Feng was overflowing with spirit, all trace of his earlier dejection and frustration gone. I had to admit, the man was easily satisfied.

"Alright! I have nothing left to teach you; the rest is simply continuous practice!" I said easily, though I felt a sense of comfort watching Chen Feng’s joy. Perhaps this was the only thing I could offer him in return.

"En! I will definitely practice diligently!" Chen Feng murmured. He wondered what kind of person this Huang Yi was, to have created such terrifying swordplay. Now, he was incredibly eager to witness the power that strange saber could unleash!

"Um, Brother Feng-Feng, you're being too greedy! You haven't even mastered fencing yet!" I retorted without ceremony.

"Ah! Haha!" Chen Feng awkwardly rubbed his head. "It's just that I couldn't help myself. Having witnessed fencing, I'm eager to see the other saber technique he created!" Feng's expression was one of longing. "Who exactly is this Huang Yi? I really want to meet him!"

"Well, perhaps if there’s an opportunity in the future, maybe that can happen!" Sweat. To meet Huang Yi! Unless he time-traveled to the modern era, there was no chance. I inwardly played a little trick on him. What I hadn't expected was that for a long stretch of time afterward, Chen Feng’s greatest desire was to see what Huang Yi looked like, and he frequently tried to probe subtly for Huang Yi’s whereabouts. Alas, I truly could not grant his wish.

"En! The actions of a master must surely be unpredictable!" Chen Feng replied with an expression of understanding and acceptance.

"Ha! Ha!" I chuckled dryly, rubbing my head, then my expression turned solemn as I gave an instruction. "I hope you don't teach this sword style to anyone else."

"Naturally!" Chen Feng responded with knowing understanding. "If such terrifying quick-sword techniques were to spread, the consequences would be unimaginable! If it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't easily deploy this style!" Chen Feng’s face was grim. "Unless it's the final moment of life or death, I will never use this swordplay!"

"That's for the best!" I breathed a sigh of relief, as I certainly didn't want too many people to know of this technique's existence.

"Next, what are your plans?" By this point, Chen Feng no longer viewed me as a child. I knew my objective had been achieved.

"I think I should wait until that saber is finished being forged, and then focus on cultivating the Attack-Kill Sword Style first," I stated my intention.

"En! I believe with your current strength, you will achieve your wish soon enough!" Chen Feng watched me with a grave look. "Man, if you ever plan to venture into the Red Moon Canyon, you must call for me!"

"I will!" I knew that at this moment, the distance between Chen Feng and myself had vanished—I meant the psychological age gap. Perhaps Chen Feng hadn't realized it, but without him noticing, he had begun treating me as an adult, which was exactly what I wanted.

"I must leave now! I still have many tasks assigned by the Patriarch to complete!" Chen Feng seemed hesitant after a moment of thought. "Man, I actually didn't intend to tell you how to cultivate the Attack-Kill Sword Style initially."

"Ah! Damn it, you were playing with me!" This finally infuriated me.

"However, after witnessing your skill just now, I believe you possess sufficient capability to cultivate the Attack-Kill Sword Style," Chen Feng mused. "Especially seeing the drawing of that saber you made—while I haven't experienced its power yet, I believe that saber technique will certainly be no inferior to fencing, and its extreme lies in the most destructive chopping blows. I think just that point alone grants you enough ability to protect yourself!"

Chen Feng continued, "The most suitable place to practice the Attack-Kill Sword Style is also very dangerous! Though perhaps not as bad as the Centipede Cave!" Feng stammered.

"Where exactly is it! Tell me quickly!" I was impatient. "Don't worry, if I don't have enough confidence, I absolutely won't go!"

"The Skeleton Cave!" Chen Feng stated with a grave expression. "Head northwest from our village, about two thousand li! Legend says it is the burial place of an ancient Undead Monarch! It is guarded by countless Skeleton Elites. These Skeleton Elites are incredibly strong; even I wouldn't have a chance if I fought even one of them alone!"

"Ah! Then how am I supposed to practice the Attack-Kill Sword Style!" Feng's words made me feel bewildered. If I can’t even beat them in a fight, how can I practice skills there?

"Don't interrupt, I'm not finished!" Feng said seriously. "These Skeleton Elites only appear on the second floor, so as long as you don't enter the second level, it's quite safe. The guardians on the first floor are Skeleton Generals; these undead creatures are much more suitable for practicing the Attack-Kill Sword Style!" Chen Feng sighed. "The Patriarch himself personally brought us there to practice the Attack-Kill Sword Style!"

"Since that place is suitable for skill practice, surely many people go there to kill monsters. Perhaps it's already stripped bare inside!" I voiced the doubt in my heart.

"You don't need to worry about that! The third floor of the Skeleton Cave is where the Undead Monarch is interred. There is a massive Undead Convergence Array there! As long as no one destroys that array, the undead magic inside will not dissipate. This means the Skeleton Generals inside are practically immortal. Even if you kill one, half a month later, its corpse will dissolve back into its original Undead Elemental Magic state, and until the next full moon arrives, these undead will materialize again—equivalent to rebirth! In a sense, the undead creatures within the Skeleton Cave can never be completely eradicated, unless the Undead Magic Convergence Array set up by the Undead Monarch is destroyed, causing these undead to lose the support of the undead elemental magic and perish entirely."

Damn! Isn't this just like the system refresh in Legend! I was greatly shocked. "Then in all these years, hasn't anyone managed to destroy that Undead Magic Convergence Array?"

"No. For countless years, many Ranger organizations have tried to fight their way into the third floor of the Skeleton Cave, but most met with devastating defeat on the second floor. As for what the third floor looks like, no one knows, because not a single person who entered ever came back alive. Consequently, the third floor of the Skeleton Cave has become one of the continent’s Ten Forbidden Zones, its danger level no less than that of the Red Moon Canyon!"

"The Skeleton Cave!" I secretly rejoiced. It was just like in Legend! I should have thought of it sooner. However, the distance was truly immense—a full two thousand li.

"I'll ask the Patriarch for leave another day and take you," Chen Feng instructed. "Absolutely do not try to sneak off alone!"

"Rest assured! I have my limits!" I patted my chest and guaranteed it.

Chen Feng departed, leaving me alone in the courtyard. I started calculating privately. Since I now had a place for leveling up, I had to act quickly; I couldn't afford to waste a single moment. As soon as the Hundred Battles Saber was ready, I would set off. I certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to wait for Feng to get leave. I knew Feng was a very busy man; by the time the Patriarch approved it, it would be far too late. Having made up my mind, I immediately began preparations.

Rations! Gold-breaking medicine, healing potions, and clothes...

It took me an entire afternoon to finally organize the items I needed to bring. After carefully checking them to ensure nothing was left behind, I rushed back to Uncle Wei's place before sunset. I retrieved my smaller Hundred Battles Treasure Saber. The remaining three sabers, I instructed Uncle Wei to give them to Feng if he came to collect them.

Upon returning home, I impatiently tested the Hundred Battles Saber once. The results were very satisfying. I must admit, the Hundred Battles Saber was the most suitable weapon for chopping and cleaving; its killing power was undeniable. It was only a pity that, being young, my strength was insufficient—a significant limiting factor. Otherwise, using the larger Hundred Battles Saber would have given me even greater destructive power.

The next morning, I led my horse out of the village. Luckily, the patrol was handled by Ni. Although he found it strange that I was heading out so early, I managed to fool him easily enough.

I spurred the horse onward tirelessly. Although I encountered dangerous creatures like wolf packs and Orcs along the way, in the face of the warhorse's astonishing speed, they never even had a chance to launch an attack.

Five days later, I arrived at the Northwest Town, the closest settlement to the Skeleton Cave. I hoped to gather some intelligence about the Skeleton Cave here.

"Young Master! Lodging or just a meal?" The sharp-eyed inn attendant immediately rushed forward when he saw me leading the horse to the entrance.

"Lodging!" I patted the warhorse and added, "Take good care of my horse!"

"Right away, Young Master, please come inside!" The attendant cried out loudly, "One private room, one trough of the finest hay!" He ushered me into the inn. Another middle-aged man, who looked like a stablehand, led the warhorse to the shed behind the inn.

"Bring me something to eat first!" I looked carefully around. The inn was doing brisk business; every table was full. It wasn't surprising, as it was nearly dark, the usual time for dinner. However, seeing that most patrons were carrying weapons, they were likely people from the martial world. I curiously observed the surroundings, unaware that my appearance was also attracting the attention of most people there.

"Good heavens! So small, yet daring to roam alone!" Several youths, around fifteen or sixteen, sitting at a corner table, stared at the little dumpling by the door in astonishment.

"This little fellow is even carrying a sword!" a fair-featured, red-haired girl whispered.

"That sword must be over a meter long! If he didn't carry it on his back, how could he manage? If it hung from his waist, it would drag on the ground!" a bald man analyzed.

"Strange, what kind of sword is that? The scabbard shape looks a bit like the Dragon Pattern, but it’s much thicker!" This time, a handsome, golden-haired youth was staring at the peculiar sword on Xiao Man’s right shoulder. "I've never seen one like it!"

"This little one is quite odd," the girl analyzed quietly.

"Sir, what would you like to eat?" The attendant recited from the menu posted on the wall: "We have Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Dragon Wing..."

I stared, dumbfounded, as the attendant rattled off a string of dishes like a tongue twister. "Dragon Claw, Dragon Wing?? Could this be dragon meat??" The attendant looked at me proudly.

"Um! Bring me one jin of cooked beef, and one jin of wine! Plus ten steamed buns!" I finally managed to stutter out my order.

"Ah! One jin of cooked beef?" The attendant stared back at me, equally stunned. His mouth gaped so wide I had no doubt he could fit his own fist inside. Had I said something wrong?

"Or perhaps, they don't have beef here," I muttered under my breath.

"Ah!" The attendant finally snapped back to reality. "Please sit! One plate of Dragon Wing, ten buns, one jin of red wine!" The attendant chanted his confirmation and turned away.

"Good heavens! So 'Dragon Wing' isn't dragon meat, but beef!" I finally understood.

Pfft! The red-haired girl and the bald man in the corner nearly spat out their drinks watching the attendant's flustered look.

"My goodness! I always thought the innkeeper was so creative, calling perfectly good beef 'Dragon Wing'!" The bald man couldn't help laughing. "Does this proprietor have a feud with dragons or something?"

"And that little dumpling is even more amazing!" The golden-haired youth struggled to suppress the flush rising on his face.

"En," I nodded slightly, scanning the room. It seemed not a single table was empty; this inn was too popular. Wait, there was one table with only three people eating, and it had an empty seat. Without hesitation, I walked briskly toward the empty spot by the window.