Xuejun Saber

Assistant Qiu glanced at Lu Fang and the others. Seeing that they were mostly fine, she walked out alongside Chen Chuan. Lu Fang and the others watched in silence as Chen Chuan's figure receded into the distance. After a moment, a club member walked over and said, "Vice President, this..." Lu Fang turned back and asked, "Is everyone all right?" "Nothing serious," the member replied. "He held back. Just minor injuries—they'll be fine once we apply some ointment." Lu Fang sighed. "We were given an opportunity, but we failed to seize it. It wouldn't do any good to keep pestering him. Perhaps he's right—even without Xuanxiang Jin, maybe he can still reach higher levels." Someone was still unconvinced and muttered, "How could that be possible? Even our senior couldn't do it back then. What makes him think he can?" Lu Fang waved his hand. "Let's not dwell on that. Since we can't persuade him to change his mind, all we can do is wait." "Wait for what?" Lu Fang said, "If he takes the safe and steady path without harboring too many grand ambitions, then that's just the way it is—a bit of a pity for his talent, though. But if he really takes that step, we might be able to find a way to help him from the shadows when the time comes." The students remained silent. Lu Fang looked around at everyone and said, "All right, it's getting late. Let's leave here first. Jing Hao, help take the injured students to the infirmary. Bi Yang, go collect some club funds to buy good medicine for the injured students today. Also, everyone leave in batches." After he made the arrangements, the students supported one another as they left. Even though they departed in separate groups, they still drew frequent glances from onlookers. Fortunately, injuries were common among fighters, so no one suspected anything amiss at first—at most, people found it a bit strange that so many upperclassmen happened to be injured today. When Chen Chuan followed Assistant Qiu back to the main hall, Feng Xiaoqi had already finished his exam and stepped down, leaving only Cheng Zitong and Old Ma'am Ni chatting. Assistant Qiu stepped ahead to Teacher Ni's side and whispered several words into her ear. The old woman listened calmly for a moment, then looked Chen Chuan up and down. "Mm, Xiao Cheng, so this is your student? A very spirited young man." Cheng Zitong said, "Chen Chuan, this is Teacher Ni. She counts as a senior elder to me, your teacher. Come pay your respects." Chen Chuan stepped forward, bowed with hands clasped toward Ni Xiaolin, and said, "Greetings, Teacher Ni." Teacher Ni was quite pleased. She looked at Chen Chuan a few more times and asked, "Young man, what kind of weapon do you favor?" Cheng Zitong perked up, turning to gesture at Chen Chuan to answer quickly. Chen Chuan thought briefly and said, "A long saber." Old Ma'am Ni gave an instruction to Assistant Qiu. A moment later, Assistant Qiu emerged holding a long saber in a black scabbard. Teacher Ni said, "You, young fellow, are quite pleasing to this old woman's eyes, so today I'll give you a saber." Assistant Qiu stepped before Chen Chuan, held the saber vertically, and presented it to him. Chen Chuan did not take it immediately. Cheng Zitong chimed in at once, "It's a gift from the old lady, a meeting present for a junior. Accept it." Chen Chuan nodded in thanks to Assistant Qiu, took hold of the scabbard with both hands, and accepted it. He felt a slight weight settle into his hands—the saber was somewhat heavier than expected. He bowed to Old Ma'am Ni and said, "Thank you, Teacher Ni." Old Ma'am Ni said with a beam, "Young man, aren't you going to take a look?" Chen Chuan slowly drew the saber. A gleaming, snow-bright brilliance shone forth, and as the entire blade cleared the scabbard, a sudden chill seemed to materialize in the room out of thin air. Cheng Zitong praised, "A fine saber." Old Ma'am Ni said, "Young man, take a look and see if this 'Xuejun Saber' feels comfortable in your hands." Chen Chuan felt the saber's design somewhat resembled the Ming-dynasty long sabers he had seen in his previous life. Fine silver wire was wrapped around the hilt, and its length appeared to be over 1.6 meters by sight. With a twist of his wrist, he lightly twirled the blade into a flourish. Earlier, he had felt that this saber weighed around ten jin. Ordinary sabers weighed only two or three jin; even students of Wuyi Academy would rarely use one exceeding five jin. Yet this one was nearly double that weight. However, with his "Second Self," holding it took no effort at all. In truth, it wasn't that Wuyi students couldn't wield overweight blades; rather, holding an excessively heavy weapon compromised one's center of gravity. This one, however, felt just right. "It handles very well," he said. Teacher Ni said, "While you were fighting in the back earlier, Xiao Qiu took note of your build, proportions, and approximate strength. If you favor long sabers, then this one suits you just right for now. But you young people grow fast, so who knows about the future? Just make do with it for now." Chen Chuan held the saber upright, cupped a fist toward her, and said solemnly, "Thank you, Teacher Ni." Teacher Ni smiled warmly. "As for this old woman, my family ran a weapons shop in the early days. Although the craft is no longer practiced, my eye is still sharp enough, and plenty of weapons were left behind at home. I'm too old to use them anyway, so I figured I might as well gift them to young folks like you." Chen Chuan expressed his gratitude once more. At that moment, Assistant Qiu glanced at the time and said softly to her, "Master, it is time for your medicine." Old Ma'am Ni gave a slight nod. Grasping her cane, she propped herself up and said to Chen Chuan, "Young man, keep it well. It will come in handy." Cheng Zitong hurriedly stood up as well. As Old Ma'am Ni leaned on her cane and made her way inside, she muttered under her breath, "A person is a person, a saber is a saber; they still ought to be kept separate." After watching her leave, Cheng Zitong said to Chen Chuan, "Let's go as well." "All right, Teacher," Chen Chuan replied. Once the two walked outside and got into the car, Cheng Zitong said while fastening his seatbelt, "That old lady is formidable. When she told me what was going on, I was a bit annoyed. But now that you've passed the exam and she even gifted you a saber, not only do I have no temper left, but I also have to thank her instead." Seeing that Chen Chuan stayed quiet, he asked, "What are you thinking about?" Chen Chuan said, "Teacher, when we were at Teacher Ni's place just now, it felt as though we were still in the old era." Talking with Old Ma'am Ni gave him the feeling that both the surrounding atmosphere and the people belonged to a bygone era. Only upon stepping outside and seeing the heavy, solid architecture around them did he feel grounded in the present again. Cheng Zitong paused for a second, then looked ahead and remarked with feeling, "When people grow old, they reminisce about the past and immerse themselves in it. There are circles everywhere in this world—circles outside the academy and inside it, circles between teachers, circles among students, and even circles within one's own heart. But you must never let yourself be trapped by them. You have to find a way to step out; otherwise, you become too narrow-minded and won't see the world in its entirety." Chen Chuan nodded. "You're right, Teacher." Cheng Zitong started the car and drove toward the dormitories, saying, "Since Old Ma'am Ni gave you this saber, you'll need to learn saber techniques; otherwise, it won't be of any use. I'll teach you a set of basic saber techniques later." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, Teacher. But without a weapons license, I won't be able to carry it outside." Cheng Zitong said, "That's why you need to find a way to earn your weapons license as soon as possible. That license is far more important than you think. While special circumstances can still get you an authorization slip, either way, you should learn saber techniques first so you have the skills ready once you obtain the license. "By the way, over the next couple of days, you can start taking on some commissioned assignments. Get yourself prepared; I'll find someone to show you the ropes and help you clear the three assignments required for registration first." Chen Chuan said, "Understood, Teacher. I'll be ready." In an office at the very top of the academy's administrative building, the white-haired elder was practicing calligraphy. Sheets of paper hung on the wall, and with three fingers pinching the end of a two-meter-long brush, he wrote with unhurried ease. The young student walked in, waited a moment, and then spoke up: "Teacher, those students lost. Should we...?" With a sweep of the white-haired elder's arm, a sharp, hooked brushstroke boldly took form. Stepping back a few paces, he surveyed it with satisfaction and said, "There is no need for further meddling. The blade has been wiped clean; naturally, someone will come along to sharpen it." "Yes, Teacher." Over at the North Peak manor villa, the group of recommended students had also learned the outcome from the training hall. Someone asked in surprise, "Zhouyuan Jin? Does the academy even have such a jin technique?" Senior Jiang gave an instruction to the attendant behind him. The attendant left briskly and returned shortly after, respectfully presenting a somewhat aged manual of Zhouyuan Jin. He took it, leaned back in his chair, and perused it for a long while. At first, he thought there might be some secret hidden within this jin technique, but no matter how he looked, it was merely a fanciful, unrealistic art. Tossing it aside, he judged, "Rubbish." Another recommended student picked it up to take a look, soon revealing a look of disdain, and gloated, "He chose this? What on earth was he thinking?" Senior Jiang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Even though he refused Xuanxiang Jin, he managed to defeat so many upperclassmen after being enrolled for only a month. It seems we still need to keep an eye on him."