Chapter 32: Minor Mastery of the Blade

Li Qi’s mind exploded.

In the blank void of his mental world, a strange, three-dimensional pattern—or perhaps a character—suddenly surfaced. It was neither quite a tiger nor quite a blade; though it could be called a character, it was closer to an image, yet it possessed a tangible, authentic existence. At this moment, the symbol radiated a faint light, dispelling the darkness of his mental realm.

As Li Qi sensed the manifestation of this symbol, an inexplicable wave of profound joy welled up within him. A primal instinct urged his will and consciousness to embrace the symbol, as if obtaining it would make him complete, making him whole. It was a deep, driving desire stemming from the very evolution of life itself.

And Li Qi did exactly that.

Yet, just as his will coalesced and was about to merge with it, a sense of predestined guidance emerged in his heart. A voice told him that this was not yet the perfect moment, and that the true opportunity would arrive within the coming days.

On one side was the immense desire of life; on the other, the guidance of fate. For the first time, Li Qi struggled and hesitated. After all, the temptation to complete oneself was simply too great. Every cell in his body and every shred of his consciousness urged him: faster, even faster!

"I am the master of myself, not the slave to my instincts!"

After a long struggle, Li Qi’s consciousness vibrated violently, and he forced himself back to reality.

"Soon! It’s coming soon! But to think the best timing is also within these few days..."

"What is going on? Could the Five Fortunes be linked to the timing of my breakthrough?"

Li Qi felt that his grasp and perception of fate were clearer than ever before. He sensed a connection here, one that heralded a certain outcome. Despite his choice, he still felt a lingering sense of loss in his heart.

However, although he had not chosen to break through, he had essentially completed half of the process, leaving only the final step. That last step was merely a matter of a single thought, something he could complete at any time.

Meanwhile, the interface displayed the changes that had occurred in this short span of time.

Log: Your Tiger-Slayer Eighteen Blades is missing five blades, elevated to LV4. Your compatibility with the blade technique has improved, and its actual effectiveness has increased. Activated trait: Tiger Form. Detected that Tiger Form is already activated; cannot be activated repeatedly. Determining... Skill LV4 must activate a trait, conflict detected. Determining... Forcibly extracting a trait from all possibilities of the Tiger-Slayer Eighteen Blades. Trait pool formed. Trait extracted: You have activated the trait: Tiger Might!

Log: Tiger Might: The majesty of the fierce tiger. It lies in the Qi—the Qi is strong! It lies in the momentum—the momentum is fierce! It lies in the power—the power is mighty!

Log: You have condensed your foundation; your spirit has been tempered. By conquering the great desire, your will has been refined. Divine Origin +0.12, Soul +0.21, Will +0.23, Wisdom +0.11.

For once, the improvement was not in the hundredths, but in the tenths. While Li Qi had not completed the final step of merging his will and consciousness with his fundamental mark, his mental world had indeed undergone a massive transformation. Naturally, this also involved the immense power of the interface; under normal circumstances, others would experience a long process of growth to reach that final point of mastery, but Li Qi had skipped the process and gained the result directly.

"The great desire! The great desire! It truly isn't so simple..."

Li Qi found himself drenched in sweat. Some of it was from his earlier blade practice, but the rest was from his struggle within the mental realm. Though the struggle had seemed brief, over ten minutes had actually passed in reality—it was no wonder his will had grown as a result.

As for the forced extraction of the trait, that had been unexpected, though upon reflection, it made logical sense. His interface’s forced proficiency gain had always carried similar effects. In fact, his ability to manifest the Tiger Form, besides his compatibility with the technique, was also due to the interface’s forced proficiency gains during his previous training, which had caused his physical form to evolve toward a state of perfect harmony.

For an ordinary person practicing blade techniques, it was impossible to max out the proficiency of every level before moving to the next. Unless one was a peerless genius, there would always be flaws, and only through enlightenment at the very end—reaching the state of divine insight—could one become flawless.

Afterward, Li Qi ate and slept. When he practiced his blades the next morning, he felt a distinct difference the moment he began his Level 4 technique.

Stability! A truly extraordinary stability!

While he had not yet entered the "Entry" state, the minor success in his blade technique was a qualitative change in itself. His feet pressed into the ground like the roots of a tree, and as his blade danced, it felt as though not even a drop of water could penetrate his defense.

His increased willpower also allowed him, after pushing his limits four times, to raise his endurance from seven additional strikes to twelve. Yet, even now, he had not touched the threshold of a fifth limit-break. This only made Li Qi look forward all the more to the miraculous changes and unique sensations that would come if he were to enter the "Entry" state. While many on the network spoke of their experiences, hearing them was entirely different from feeling them himself.

That day, until the afternoon, Li Changqing concluded his three-day lecture on the blade. Even with his level of cultivation, he could not hide his exhaustion. Time truly withered a man; in his youth, he could lecture for seven days and nights without feeling tired, but now, he simply couldn't.

That same afternoon, Li Tianxing returned. The two found a quiet spot for a long talk. Li Tianxing offered Li Qi a position as an honorary director—a role that, translated, meant high status and light responsibilities, where one simply collected dividends.

Li Qi didn't care much for money, but he did not refuse. If he had rejected it, Li Tianxing would inevitably overthink things, leading to unnecessary complications. He was not a pretentious person who wanted both reputation and virtue; he had accepted the clan's favor, and that was that. The path was his own choice, not something forced upon him, and acting hesitant or hypocritically aloof would be meaningless.

There was no question of "owing" here; as long as he did not betray the clan in the future, that was enough.

Soon, the news spread throughout the clan, and the restless hearts of the people immediately calmed down. It was clear that Li Qi had chosen to support Li Tianxing, which only served to make Li Tianxing’s position more secure. The alliance of the two most promising figures of the clan's future was enough to silence any improper thoughts among those within.

True, both were still young, but they would not remain young forever. While they had not yet reached the Dao, as long as they did not die, reaching it was almost a certainty. Many sighed at the inscrutable nature of fate, as no one had expected things to develop this way.

Many thought to themselves that their own decades of struggle were nothing compared to Li Qi’s sudden fame. But upon further reflection, it seemed entirely reasonable. If they could have mastered the "True Form" at sixteen, before reaching the "Entry" state, they would have earned all of this as well. The crux of the matter was that they could not.

If Li Qi had achieved this at twenty-five or twenty-six, it wouldn't have been so shocking. But he was only sixteen. The years between sixteen and twenty-four were the period of fastest growth for any individual. Eight years could define a person's life, and in those eight years, one could only imagine how far he would go.

If they didn't try to curry favor now, it would be too late once he had already achieved greatness. Thus, for a time, the entire Li Family Village was shrouded in a strange, expectant atmosphere.

Then, the fourth day finally arrived, and the clan's military trials officially began. The only difference from previous years was that everyone already knew who would take the top spot. A combatant who had already mastered the "Entry" state participating in this kind of match was merely going through the motions. The Li family couldn't possibly produce another monster like him; reality was not a game, and one could not simply spawn monsters out of thin air.

Producing one Li Qi was already miraculous enough; if another appeared, there would clearly be a major problem.