Swallow Loop

The towering skyscraper loomed like a mountain. Many disciples had already begun scrambling up the building. Xia Luoning, starting after the rest, overtook the crowd with a few leaps and seized the lead at the very front. Trailing at the rear, Ye Huan watched for several breaths before murmuring, "Depleted vitality and floating breath—she is already a spent force." Before his voice faded, he moved, drifting forward like a gentle breeze. With only a few bounds, he caught up to the other disciples. Shoulders held level and straight, he kicked off several shoulders in succession, floating through the air with effortless grace. Each time his foot touched someone, that person merely hitched slightly, as if lightly patted, completely unaffected. Some sprinted hard, trying to reach out and grab him, but the distance between them widened in an instant, rendering any strike impossible. The disparity in speed was simply too great. Darting like a swallow, Ye Huan wove freely through the crowd. In utter silence, he skimmed past everyone and forged toward the very front. Perched atop the tall building, the martial artist's gaze had been fixed on Xia Luoning, but he suddenly glanced back, his eyes landing on Ye Huan. "Borrowing the momentum of others, ascending as though bounding up battlements, each step faster than the last." "What a fine 'Ascending Cloud Pavilion'—he has truly mastered it to perfection," the martial artist murmured to himself. Midway through, Ye Huan had already overtaken most of the disciples when a figure suddenly whirled around and charged straight at him. "Haha! You stole my things earlier, and now you want first place too?" Zhang Beisheng! Exhilaration painted on his face, knuckles cracking with a sharp pop, Zhang Beisheng roared with laughter. "Even if I have to throw away my reward, I'm going to pin you down right here so you get dead last with me!" With that, he whipped around into a sweeping kick, whipping up a fierce wind as it crashed violently down toward Ye Huan. This move was an exclusive secret technique of the Zhang family: kicks chained endlessly into kicks. If one did not counter, one would only fall into an increasingly passive position. Ye Huan stepped back. Spotting an opening, he skimmed low across the ground like a shadow, slipping right behind Zhang Beisheng. Zhang Beisheng unleashed a barrage of kicks, spinning like a whirlwind for several rotations. Yet Ye Huan clung to his back like his very own shadow, revolving several rounds in tandem with him. Near and far, cries of astonishment broke out. "Huh? Where'd he go?" Zhang Beisheng halted and assumed a defensive stance, barking at the onlookers. The crowd pointed in unison behind him. Zhang Beisheng knew something was wrong. He moved to spin around and strike, but it was already too late. *Smack.* Ye Huan raised a hand and patted him deftly on the nape of his neck, before drifting away without lingering. This palm strike was not Iron Hand Force. It was delivered merely as a warning to let the boy understand his limits, know when to yield, and stop badgering him. "Tsk, tsk. The second form, Rippling Cloud Shadow, practiced to the realm of pure, unadorned simplicity," the martial artist muttered under his breath from atop the building. —In a battle to the death, this would have already decided who lived and who died. This kid's Three Skims of the Flying Swallow harbored the intent of an assassin—every move aimed straight for a life! How long had he even been in the sect? He had already captured the true spirit of his footwork. A natural-born prodigy! Meanwhile, Ye Huan rode the wind, gliding forward without pause. By now, many disciples had reached the foot of the skyscraper. Many leaped upward, deploying their lightness techniques. Those unfamiliar with lightness skills simply relied on the brute strength of their hands and feet, scrambling up the walls with all their might. Ye Huan clasped his hands behind his back and kicked off the wall, shooting straight upward. —The very first form of Three Skims of the Flying Swallow: "Ascending Cloud Pavilion." Dusk was fast approaching. The setting sun spilled crimson hues across everyone. Ye Huan appeared completely relaxed and at ease, even taking the leisure to admire the sea of trees in the distance, entirely unlike the tense, strained faces of the other disciples. Yet his speed only grew faster. Within seven or eight breaths, he had surpassed the crowd and was nearly on Xia Luoning's heels. Xia Luoning glanced back, gritted her teeth, and snapped, "Junior Brother, looks like you and I will have to settle who's superior after all!" Drawing closer, Ye Huan replied as casually as if making small talk, "Youngest Junior Sister, why be so stubborn? I'll be going on ahead; let's chat later." With a sudden bound, his speed surged again, shooting up to level with Xia Luoning in a single breath. At that moment, the two moved side by side. Xia Luoning needed only one glance to realize the truth. —This kid's mastery of lightness skills was higher than hers! In another breath, he would overtake her and seize first place. "Stop right there!" Xia Luoning shouted, raising her fists in a combat stance and closing in to strike. She could not let him go; she had to keep him here! This was her last chance! Ye Huan smiled and met her with a strike of Iron Hand Force. *Clang!* Fist and palm collided. —Yet this Iron Hand Force was a sham. All his skill points had been funneled into Three Skims of the Flying Swallow. But facing an opponent with the palms of Iron Hand Force had one distinct advantage— Everyone assumed he was deploying external hardening kung fu to counter with an iron palm, yet this palm was anything but. By the time anyone realized, they would come to an obvious conclusion: —He was using a feint to deceive Xia Luoning! No one would ever suspect that he could no longer exert the full might of Iron Hand Force. Still, after meeting her punch, Ye Huan's body jolted upward, soaring seven or eight meters. Then he abruptly wheeled around, accelerating into a dive straight toward Xia Luoning. Again, "Iron Hand Force." *Clang!* Fist and palm clashed once more. Ye Huan rode the force of that clash to soar more than a dozen meters into the air, building momentum before plummeting like a shooting star. "So that's it—you're borrowing my strength!" Xia Luoning shouted. Seeing him leap upward using her force earlier, she had worried he would beat her to the roof; seeing him dive back down now, she finally realized it had been a feint. His mind was devious, full of twists and tricks. She could not give him another chance! Xia Luoning hooked her left hand into a claw and flattened her right fingers into a palm. With Tiger-Crane Double Form assembled, she circulated her technique and struck with everything she had. Yet Ye Huan, drawing upon the momentum of his descent, brought his hands together like twin hammers. A thunderous roar burst from his tongue: "Twin Dragon Hammers!" Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xia Luoning's hands blurred into afterimages, tearing through the air with shrill howls. She was meeting him with all her might! And yet she struck only empty air. His falling body came to a miraculous pause midair! —Just like a marionette whose strings had suddenly been yanked taut, frozen in place, it gave an abrupt sensation of stillness. Yet that single pause precisely avoided her all-out blow. The timing was sublime to the absolute finest hair. Atop the skyscraper, the martial artist's eyes widened, as if witnessing something utterly fascinating. "He didn't strike at all... It was a bluff..." he murmured. After that momentary halt, Ye Huan lingered for only a split second before gliding toward Xia Luoning's flank like a falling leaf. If the entire sequence were played back in slow motion, one would see Ye Huan freeze midair to dodge Xia Luoning's fists and palms, carving an arc through the air as he "slid" to her side. Then came a scene that left everyone dumbfounded. —As Ye Huan brushed past Xia Luoning, he reached out and gently pinched the nape of her neck, his entire body tracing an exquisite, full circle in midair. He drew a circle in the air! His hand rested on Xia Luoning's neck as he swept a complete loop around her. —Had this been to kill, Xia Luoning would have died several times over at his hands. "Youngest Junior Sister, well fought." A smile touched Ye Huan's face as he pulled his hand back from her neck and leaped toward the top of the skyscraper. Xia Luoning stood perched on a windowsill, looking utterly dazed. "It's Swallow Loop! It can actually be used like that?! How can it reach such a level?!" Zhang Beisheng cried out, bewildered. Meanwhile, Ye Huan had already touched down atop the skyscraper and walked over to the martial artist. "Disciple Ye Huan reporting in," Ye Huan said with hands clasped in salute. "Luoning is aggressive and gets into brawls day in and day out. Just now... why didn't you strike her with a palm to teach her a lesson?" the martial artist asked. "It was merely a spar. As her senior brother, I wouldn't go so far as to bully my fellow disciples," Ye Huan answered with a breezy smile. *All my cultivation went into skill points to grind lightness skills in that virtual world.* *I couldn't strike.* *Not even a single palm.* Seeing him respond like this, the martial artist looked thoroughly gratified instead. "A while back, you kids fought every day, and quite a few were badly injured." "—If everyone understood restraint and propriety like you, we would have much less to worry about." "In your battle today with Xia Luoning, you determined a winner without harming fellowship among sect members. You can serve as a model for all disciples." "First place in today's exploration belongs to you, Ye Huan." The words fell. The setting sun, the skyscraper, and the disciples of the Taiyin Sect dissolved into blurred light and shadow, dispersing around Ye Huan. He found himself still standing on the rooftop of the Bureau of Investigation. Hardly any time seemed to have passed. The sky was dark. Lights shone throughout the Bureau's office building. Investigators were leaving work in twos and threes, crossing the plaza. Xia Li— Xia Luoning was still standing by the entrance of the Bureau of Investigation, listening to her phone. Everything remained as before. Yet he was different now. In his mind, new information surfaced quietly: "Successfully completed the wilderness exploration and achieved first place in the sect's minor tournament." "Congratulations, your identity challenge was successful." "Achievement settlement as follows:" "Fully mastered the lightness technique 'Three Skims of the Flying Swallow,' earned the sect's high regard, and received personal instruction from an elder in the Taiyin Sect's Shidu-rank technique, 'Tiger-Crane Double Form.'" "After three months of bitter training, you have attained entry-level proficiency in this technique." In the dark, the icons for "Iron Cloth Shirt" and "Hunyuan Stance" upon the Disaster-Averting Survival Skill Tree remained lit. —Nothing experienced within the virtual identity challenge would alter Ye Huan's true state in reality. Only the acquired "achievement settlements" could be brought back from the challenge. Therefore, these two techniques remained completely intact. The difference was— The icon for Three Skims of the Flying Swallow had also been illuminated. Furthermore, a speck of light circled the skill tree continuously, unable to alight upon it. Ye Huan examined it closely. Within that speck of light was a tiny figure practicing unceasingly, left hand in a tiger claw and right hand in a crane form. —It was Tiger-Crane Double Form!