: The boat stops against the current, the sound of the flute reaches the ears!

After receiving the order, Wang Tiezhu did not delay and went straight to the courtyard where the new guards lived.

He first found Su Yang's private room and knocked on the door.

Inside the house, Su Yang, who was chopping wood to improve his skill level, opened his eyes, tidied everything up, and got up to open the door.

"Brother Wang?"

Su Yang was somewhat surprised to see that it was Wang Tiezhu.

"Su Yang, get to the point." Wang Tiezhu lowered his voice and said succinctly, "Instructor Yang has ordered that we assemble at the drill ground at dawn tomorrow to escort a shipment of goods to Liu Family Village. I will lead the team, and you are on the list. Prepare in advance, check your weapons and rations, and don't be late."

Su Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Okay."

"Yes, prepare early and rest early."

Wang Tiezhu didn't say much, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to inform the other selected newcomers.

"Escort mission... out of the city for training!!"

Su Yang closed the door, but his eyes instantly became sharp and bright.

This is an excellent opportunity to test what you have learned and hone your practical skills.

He instinctively gripped the hilt of the ring-pommel straight sword, his blood and qi surging within him due to the effects of the medicine.

"Time is of the essence. Tonight... I must perfect the 'Breaking Edge Blade Technique'!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned around, walked back to the corner of the house, picked up a wooden knife and a wooden stick, and began to chop firewood!

[Breaking Edge Blade Technique Proficiency +1!]

[Breaking Edge Blade Technique Proficiency +1!]

[...]

As Su Yang continued to gently chop with his wooden knife, his mind's interface flashed incessantly.

Time slips away silently with each swing of the knife.

Zi hour, Chou hour, Yin hour...

When the night outside the window was at its darkest, it was exactly three-quarters past the hour of Yin.

"Snap!"

A soft yet exceptionally clear crisp sound.

With a simple, elegant arc, Su Yang's wooden knife sliced ​​through the last piece of hardwood, as thick as a bowl and with twisted grain, splitting it in two. The cut was smooth as a mirror, as if meticulously shaving with a sharp blade.

Just as the firewood split open!

[The Breaking Edge Blade Technique is now complete!]

In Su Yang's mind, the panel flashed, and it was as if an invisible gate inside his body suddenly burst open!

A scorching and violent torrent, beyond description, erupted from the deepest part of his body!

This is not qi and blood, but rather the tempering and nourishment of the physical body when the sword technique is perfected!

"Crackling... crackling..."

His bones emitted a dense, soft crackling sound like popping beans, his tendons stretched and strengthened, his muscles bulged and then returned to their inner state, becoming more dense and resilient, and a powerful sense of strength swept over his entire body.

This feeling was like having practiced the Breaking Edge Blade Technique for twenty or thirty years. The strength of his bones and muscles, the technique of exerting force, and even the sharp will to cut through everything that he had honed over the years were all poured into his body!

This is not a simple increase in strength, but a qualitative change and sublimation of the body in all aspects!

He gently clenched his fist, his knuckles squeezing out the air, making a soft "pop" sound.

He casually swung the wooden sword, the sound of it cutting through the air sharp as tearing silk, yet his arm felt as light as if it were nothing.

"Perfect! After a night of 'painstaking practice,' the Breaking Edge Blade Technique is finally perfected!"

At this moment, Su Yang felt his strength increase by at least 50%!

What's even more terrifying is that his control over power, his understanding of the knife, and his perception and use of his own muscles, bones, and fascia have all reached a completely new level.

He walked to the bedside, picked up the hundred-chained straight sword with a ring pommel, and gently pulled it out half a foot.

The gleaming blade reflected his calm yet sharp, razor-sharp gaze.

Holding the knife now feels completely different.

The knife is no longer an external object, but an extension of the arm, the sharpness of will.

"tomorrow……"

Su Yang sheathed his sword, his eyes dimming, revealing a deep, calm composure: "I'll use this journey to test just how sharp this newly sharpened 'sword' truly is!"

..............

The next day.

At five o'clock in the morning, as the sky began to lighten, the archery range was located west of the Huang Mansion in Jingling City.

Wang Tiezhu, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a long sword at his waist, stood in front of five horse-drawn carts fully loaded with goods.

Beside him were seven guards dressed in the same attire, each with a solemn expression.

Su Yang stood among them, carrying a ring-pommel straight sword on his back.

"Everyone's here." Wang Tiezhu glanced at everyone, his gaze lingering briefly on Su Yang, before he said in a deep voice, "This trip is to transport goods to Liujia Village, a two-day round trip. The rules for the journey are clear: no one may leave the group without permission, and you must obey my orders in any situation."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

In the flickering firelight, Su Yang saw Chen Le standing on the other side of the line, glancing at him sideways. Her eyes held a mixture of jealousy, resentment, and a suppressed unwillingness. Their gazes met, and Chen Le gave a cold snort before turning her face away.

Su Yang was surprised to find that Chen Le had also participated in the escort mission.

"Set off!"

Wang Tiezhu mounted his horse and waved to signal.

The convoy slowly drove out of the side gate of the Huang Mansion and headed towards the Jingling City Gate along the bluestone road.

As dawn broke and the morning mist had not yet dissipated, early-rising vendors began setting up their stalls on the streets.

The wheels rolled over the stone slabs, making a rhythmic "clattering" sound.

Su Yang walked beside the second carriage, maintaining even breathing. His eyes seemed to casually scan the surroundings, but in reality, he took in the shops, alleyways, and pedestrians on both sides of the street—this was a natural alertness that arose after he perfected his swordsmanship last night.

"Su Yang".

A deep voice came from beside him. It was Zhao Daqi, the old guard who was traveling with him. He was in his early forties, had a scar on his face, and was a well-known veteran in the manor.

"Brother Zhao." Su Yang nodded slightly.

"Is this your first time leaving the city?" Zhao Daqi asked.

"Yes."

"Keep your eyes open." Zhao Daqi lowered his voice even further: "The area outside the city is not the same as inside. Although Du Fuwei's troops have not yet reached Jingling, there are refugees, defeated soldiers, bandits... In this world, there are all kinds of people."

Su Yang's heart skipped a beat: "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Daqi said no more, but simply placed his hand on the hilt of the knife.

When the convoy arrived at the city gate, the guards checked the Huang family's pass and cargo manifest before allowing them to pass.

The city gate slowly opened, revealing the view outside the city.

Unlike the cobblestone streets inside the city, the official road outside was a rammed earth road, flanked by rolling fields, with distant green mountains like dark eyebrows. The air carried the scent of earth and grass, and a faint, almost imperceptible… smell of blood?

Su Yang frowned slightly.

His five senses became exceptionally sharp after he perfected his swordsmanship and fist techniques. The smell of blood was faint, but it was definitely there.

"Last month, bandits robbed the road here, but they were wiped out by the government troops."

Zhao Daqi seemed to sense his confusion: "The body wasn't buried very deep; wild dogs dug it up."

Su Yang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

...........

In the afternoon, the convoy traveled along the official road, with the wide Jingling Canal on the right, its waters shimmering and reflecting the sunlight.

Just as everyone was getting tired, a faint sound of a flute drifted over on the water breeze.

The sound of the flute was ethereal and clear. At first, it seemed to be far away, as if it were on the horizon, but upon closer listening, it seemed to be near one's ear.

The tone wasn't high, yet it seemed to penetrate all the noise and fall directly into people's hearts.

There is no sorrow or joy in the sound of the flute, only a sense of loneliness and desolation overlooking the mortal world, and an indescribable, tranquil power that cleanses the soul.

Everyone subconsciously slowed down, and even the mules and horses pulling the carts seemed to quiet down a bit.

"What's that sound...?"

Chen Le muttered something to himself and looked around.

Wang Tiezhu frowned slightly, gripped the hilt of his knife, and looked warily toward the canal.

He couldn't understand musical scales, but his martial arts instincts told him that the sound of the flute was unusual.

Su Yang looked in the direction of the sound.

In the middle of the canal, about twenty feet away, a small boat was slowly drifting by. There was no one on board, as if it were going with the current, or as if it had its own trajectory.

At the bow of the boat stood a graceful figure in white.

A light veil covered her face, concealing her mouth and nose, revealing only her smooth forehead and a pair of clear, autumn-water-like eyes. Her figure was slender and upright, carrying an ancient sword on her back. Her white robes seemed to radiate a faint light in the breeze and shimmering water, truly giving her the air of a fairy descending to earth.

She held a jade flute horizontally in her hand, gently touching it to her lips.

That ethereal sound of the flute came from here.

Although separated by distance and misty vapor, the serene and transcendent feeling of being detached from the world was so clear that it seemed directly perceptible. She appeared completely immersed in her flute playing and the world around her, oblivious to the people and carriages on the shore.

Su Yang felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

The sound of a flute drifted over.

Even though they were dozens of feet apart, and the sound of water in the wind was constant, the sound of the flute was so clear that it seemed to be right next to their ears, drilling directly into their ears.

What alarmed him even more was that his steady and powerful qi and blood, which he was so proud of having cultivated through perfect Tiger Form Fist, involuntarily faltered slightly the moment he heard the sound of the flute, as if it had been gently brushed by something invisible.

"This woman... is definitely not simple!"

A clear understanding struck Su Yang's mind.

He couldn't see through the woman, but the two strange phenomena before him—the boat stopping against the current and the sound of the flute reaching his ears—were enough to explain everything.

This is something that no ordinary person, or even a "normal expert" as he understands them, could do.

The sharpness brought by the perfected Breaking Edge Blade Technique seemed to be thrown into a deep pool before this silent display, unable to stir up the slightest ripple.

The last note of the flute faded away.

The small boat, without any human intervention, drifted downstream and quickly disappeared into the shimmering waves, leaving only a tiny white dot in the distance.

The river returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

The convoy was completely silent.

After several breaths, Zhao Daqi finally spoke up, somewhat naively, "Was...was that a fairy just now?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Wang Tiezhu interrupted him with a low shout, his expression more serious than ever before: "Shut up! Let's get going!"

"The boat stops against the current, the sound of the flute reaches the ears..."

"One day, I will reach that level too!"

Su Yang walked at the back of the line, secretly looking forward to what was to come.

He didn't know exactly how skilled the woman was in martial arts, but now he had a direction to follow.