Chapter 156: Pine Mountain Sword, Clear Moon Sword

Three months into the final year of senior high school, most of the new curriculum had effectively been covered. Better schools would have finished the new textbooks as early as the penultimate year and dived straight into university entrance examination revision. Nanyun High was considered late to the match, but after these three months, all senior students were finally and inevitably thrust into full-scale examination preparation mode.

Mock examinations: the pre-arranged nightmare.

***

Perhaps out of consideration for the students' emotional well-being, there were no evening self-study sessions or supplementary classes scheduled for today. The senior students were permitted to leave early—which, of course, simply meant they were dismissed at the normal hour for the other grades.

——The sea of learning is boundless, and rowing the boat of diligence is a bitter toil; a senior high school student works like a donkey or a dog, pushing the millstone and pulling the cart, surrounded by hardship everywhere.

Even Lin Chuxiao, a girl somewhat lacking in common sense, came up to Sui Yi immediately after dismissal, her face twisted in a bitter mask of grievance as she tried to play the pitiful card.

Her acting skills were truly abysmal. Clearly asking for a favor, she looked more like a streetwalker soliciting clients in some shady alley.

Sui Yi silently watched the other girl's squirming, twisting figure for a moment before speaking softly, "Out with it. What's your objective?"

Lin Chuxiao whimpered, "Notes."

Sui Yi replied, "I don't take notes."

Lin Chuxiao gasped, "How is that possible! Your grades are so good!"

Sui Yi pondered, "Mm... and that has to do with taking notes?"

Lin Chuxiao attempted a final struggle, "Uh, you take notes, and you take them well, so you can review properly, and then do well on exams~~"

Sui Yi countered, "Don't we have textbooks... just reading those is enough."

Though once she read something, she rarely ever forgot it.

Lin Chuxiao fell silent. After a long pause, she burst out, "Damn it!"

Yu Hang and the others nearby silently covered their faces. Clearly, their own grades weren't terrible either, so why did they suddenly feel like they had been instantly reduced to the status of academic dregs?

In the end, under the indirect pretext that "your master has a very good relationship with my grandfather," Miss Lin managed to grind Sui Yi down until she surrendered three practice workbooks.

Then she skipped away happily.

Sui Yi estimated that with the girl's carefree and buoyant state of mind, she would still be failing her classes tomorrow and the day after.

And once the test results came out, she'd probably need an IV drip to recover.

***

Most of the senior students from Second High hurried home with troubled expressions, heavy hearts, and the impending doom of devouring textbooks for review.

Naturally, Sui Yi was not among them.

She rode her bicycle to the martial arts hall. Over the past period, she had frequented this place and grown somewhat familiar with the people here, though interactions remained minimal since she always went straight to Elder Shi.

In Elder Shi's domain, she could wield a sword to her heart's content.

At this moment, she stood face-to-face with the old man.

Still within that sweet osmanthus grove, Elder Shi looked at Sui Yi, who stood holding a sword in her right hand. Her posture was graceful and refined, like a bright moon in a clear breeze, radiating a serene and untainted detachment.

"Most of the swordsmanship I understand and know how to perform, I have already taught you... Though the time has been short, the path of the sword, much like the martial path itself, has always relied on the master to guide the door while cultivation remains an individual matter. There is nothing more I can teach you; you must simply cultivate more on your own in the future."

Pausing, he relaxed his arms and smiled. "Yet as your master, I've rarely seen you properly execute a full set of sword forms. In days to come, people might accuse me of dereliction of duty. Come now, do you still remember the Pine Mountain sword set and the Clear Moon sword set from before?"

Sui Yi smiled. "Not forgotten." With that, she drew the dark steel sword from its scabbard. For some reason, clearly this was the first sword she had ever formally used, yet whenever her hand touched the hilt, she always found herself thinking of that sealed blade, Yaoque, which had never been unsheathed for her to wield.

Yaoque was different from ordinary swords. The dark steel sword in her hand, for instance, was upright and unyielding in the truest sense; its appearance was proper and calm, without any flashiness or aggressive sharpness—a standard sword in every respect.

Compared to the other weapons resting on the rack, it was still somewhat inferior.

Yet, the dark steel sword was the very first one Sui Yi had picked up, and ever since she lifted it, she had never changed it.

At this moment, as the dark steel sword cleared its scabbard, a stream of light flowed along the blade...

The moment Sui Yi drew her weapon, Elder Shi caught his breath, inwardly lamenting that he had chosen his disciple well.

A true swordsman draws the sword with absolute intent—spirit, energy, and will fused into one before the blade can truly emerge!

*Snap!*

With a flick of Sui Yi's hand, the scabbard bounced away, landing securely on a parallel, slender tree fork. Just as a few yellowing leaves drifted down from the branch...

Sui Yi's wrist turned, and the blade turned with it. In the very first second, sword Qi materialized. The air hummed with a resonant vibration, like the shrill cry of a cold-weather cicada...

In the second second, she stood immovable as a mountain, and blossoming sword flowers bloomed!

*Swish, swish, swish.* Cluster after cluster of sword flowers drifted from Sui Yi's hand. After thrusting nine distinct sword flowers, Sui Yi moved!

Her figure was like a solitary wild goose! Like a pine tree deep in the mountains!

***

*Swish!* The sword grew profound, magnificent, and majestic!

With a single sweeping stroke of the blade, even the air produced a distinct sound...

Seeing only this much, Elder Shi's expression turned intensely solemn, shadowed by profound astonishment!

This Sui Yi...

The sword arrived, her body rose, clouds descended the mountain, the mountain held its pines, and above the pines soared a solitary goose!

The sword was indeed the Sword of the Solitary Goose, breathtaking in its brilliance.

Elder Shi watched unblinkingly. Soon, Sui Yi's form drifted upward. Stepping into empty air, she leaped gracefully onto the osmanthus tree, standing more than two meters high. The branches were slender and incapable of bearing heavy weight, yet she seemed utterly weightless. Treading lightly upon the very topmost tip of the osmanthus tree, she vaulted into the air, suspended in emptiness as she danced with her sword.

The first strike: the sword light curved like a crescent moon!

The second strike: the crescent swept across cold stars!

The third strike: the cold stars dotted the intoxicated moon!

Strike after dazzling strike, a bewildering feast for the eyes!

After a fleeting breath, the dancer descended, her foot tapping lightly upon the fork of the tree. The scabbard resting there bounced upward, caught by the tip of her blade, and spiraled down alongside both wielder and weapon to land together on the earth.

Yet the very instant her feet touched the ground—

*Clang!*

Elder Shi's sword flashed from its scabbard!

The Pine Mountain Sword!

A man of Elder Shi's stature was naturally suited to the upright and unyielding Pine Mountain swordsmanship.

Even his sword was named the Pine Mountain Sword.

The strike came without warning. Instead of piercing Sui Yi, the tip of his blade lunged directly toward the scabbard that was just settling beside her.

With a swift sideways turn and a flick of her wrist, Sui Yi deflected the blow upwards!

*Clang!*

The tip of her blade struck the tip of the Pine Mountain Sword precisely!

The sword is the union of strength and technique.

It is also the contest of strength and technique!

Internal energy surged instantly into the tip of the sword, and then—

*Swish!*

The sword styles shifted violently!

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged three blows. The Clear Moon swordsmanship and the Pine Mountain swordsmanship clashed amidst the dusky, falling leaves that suddenly flickered with a burst of vibrant green within the osmanthus grove. Sui Yi and the old master instantly locked in battle.

They were not fighting for dominance with the sword, but for possession of the scabbard!

One style was unyielding and righteous, the other pure and ethereal. As their internal energies grew increasingly potent...

Seven blows, fifteen blows!

*Clang!*

The sixteenth blow!

Sui Yi spun on her heel, her figure suddenly flashing like lightning. Her sword hummed with a fierce, chilling resonance, cold as an icy moon!

It was upon him in an instant!

Elder Shi's eyes flashed, his hand trembling for a fraction of a second as he nearly lost his grip on his vibrating blade.

He twisted his wrist to parry and thrust diagonally, only to discover...

The scabbard had been hooked by the tip of Sui Yi's sword.

Then, *swish!*

The dark steel sword slid effortlessly back into its scabbard.

Sui Yi stood in her place, brought her fists together in a slight bow, and offered a half-courtesy. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Shi. This junior has benefited immensely."

Elder Shi's expression was exceedingly strange, his eyes shifting with unreadable emotions. After a long moment, he let out a helpless breath. "You, oh you... you're simply too proper. You don't look like a young person at all—and naturally, your sword doesn't look like one either..."

Though in terms of mastery over the sword path and depth of internal energy, he remained somewhat superior, Sui Yi's swordsmanship was terrifying.

Her technique far surpassed anything he could have imagined.

And the aura and temperament she exuded the moment she grasped her sword were utterly intimidating, as if a genuine grandmaster of the sword had materialized before his very eyes.

Of course, this aura seemed masked by her usual eccentric calm...

He had only managed to perceive a glimpse of it through his daily observations and today's test...

To think she had been learning the sword for barely a month, yet possessed such terrifying skill.

What a mysterious young girl.

"Very well, I have taught you all that I can. You needn't come here anymore in the future..."

Pausing, Elder Shi smiled. "Of course, I certainly won't be refunding your tuition for the semester!"

As a man of Elder Shi's standing, he naturally cared nothing for such a trifling sum of money.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken up just as Sui Yi placed the dark steel sword back onto the weapon rack: "The dark steel sword is ordinary; it is unworthy of you. I have some fine swords in my collection; come with me and pick one out. Consider it a parting gift from me."

Though they were not formally master and disciple in the truest sense, Elder Shi held a genuine, quiet fondness for Sui Yi akin to that of a teacher for a beloved pupil.

Hearing this, Sui Yi settled the dark steel sword back into its proper position, gave a gentle smile, and replied, "The sword that suits me best is already in my possession. Other swords are entirely unnecessary."

Elder Shi looked surprised.

Yet he did not press the matter further.

Sui Yi nodded to him in farewell, then turned and walked away.

As she left, her gaze swept past the doorway where a group of people had been hiding to watch, all of them standing there dumbfounded like wooden chickens.

Ah-A was among them, ultimately left to watch Sui Yi depart with a deeply complex expression.

In a single month, she had thoroughly mastered swordsmanship that they struggled endlessly to comprehend.

This talent was simply terrifying.

***

Returning home, Sui Yi picked up Yaoque. As her hand closed around the hilt, she realized that for over a month, the feeling this sword gave her had only grown more mysterious.

Because it actually entered her dreams night after night.

This was deeply strange.

"Perhaps we are bound by fate in some unseen way, but it seems you are still unwilling to acknowledge me."

Sui Yi let out a heavy sigh and set the sword back down.

***

The examination hall assigned to Sui Yi was not Second High, but First High.

Nanyun was neither large nor small, housing a total of three regular senior high schools, commonly referred to as First High, Second High, and Third High. The rest were vocational schools, numbering only two. Regular high schools and vocational schools were usually clearly demarcated in daily life, but the college entrance examinations were open to all high schools. Every senior student had the right to participate in the gaokao, and the mock exams followed the same rule. Thus, just within Nanyun, five high schools participated in this examination. (The exact administrative distinctions escape me, but since they were all students, there is no need to make such fine distinctions here.)

Naturally, the vocational schools were not utilized as examination venues. Instead, students from all five schools were concentrated across the three regular high schools, while the students in the lower two grades were granted a temporary holiday. Naturally, the available testing spaces were more than adequate.

Therefore, this day was a day of special privilege for all senior high school students in Nanyun.

——They were the only ones in the entire town who had to come to school for exams!

Moreover, those mischievous kids in the lower grades had deliberately banded together before the holiday to visit the seniors and offer collective thanks—"Senior brothers and sisters, thank you! Do your best on the exam tomorrow, and we wish that we may all have a day just like this year after year..."

Damn it all!

The burning resentment of the senior students rippled across the entirety of Nanyun.

***

First High. Sui Yi had visited once before, so it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. She rode her bicycle over early in the morning after breakfast, though the moment she reached the school gates, she paused in bewilderment.

Uh, why were there so many parents?

Scores of parents crowded the school gates, holding back their sons and daughters—who were already taller than them—to whisper final words of exhortation. The tense, high-strung atmosphere rivaled that of the actual college entrance examinations.

Naturally, most of them were middle-aged mothers.