Xu Wuyi got up and stretched his body, stiff from holding a fixed position for a long time, before walking out of the basement.
Night had fallen. Most of the Qiao Family residence was dark, with only the study still lit.
When Xu Wuyi knocked and entered, Qiao Tongyu was standing before the window, gazing out at the night. The teacup in his hand had already grown cold.
"Uncle Qiao," Xu Wuyi called out.
Qiao Tongyu turned around. His face was unsmiling, bearing a rare, solemn expression.
"Did you win the eighth match?"
"Mhm."
"Sit." Qiao Tongyu gestured to the chair across from his desk and sat back down behind it himself. "There’s something I need to tell you."
Xu Wuyi sat down. Seeing Qiao Tongyu’s expression, he had a vague premonition.
"Is this about the source of the Illusion?" he asked.
Qiao Tongyu first nodded, then shook his head. "It’s more than that. The source of the Illusion... General Wu didn’t go into detail before because it involves a Grandmaster’s injuries, and... the Federation’s contact with another advanced Star Realm."
He paused, as if weighing his words.
"You know of the ’Sword Emperor,’ Shen Jin, right?"
Xu Wuyi nodded. He was one of the Federation’s seven Peak Grandmasters, Hong Nianyi’s teacher, and renowned for his Sword Dao. His combat strength was ranked among the top tier of all Grandmasters.
"Three months ago, Grandmaster Shen... encountered Ye Yixin of the Sword Sect from the True Dragon Star Realm in a... unique environment." Qiao Tongyu’s voice grew heavy.
"In that battle, Grandmaster Shen was defeated by a single move. It wasn’t a loss of Cultivation, but a loss on the level of the ’Dao.’ Ye Yixin’s Sword Intention was so pure that it directly invaded Grandmaster Shen’s sea of consciousness. It’s like a cancer on the bone, incredibly difficult to remove."
Xu Wuyi’s gaze hardened.
In a Grandmaster Level battle, a ’Sword Intention invading the sea of consciousness’ was a rare occurrence. At that level, each person’s Dao was already consolidated, making it difficult for an external path to infiltrate.
If the power gap were truly that great, the opponent could have easily destroyed his physical body; there would have been no need for such a tactic.
This could only mean that the Sword Intention of that Grandmaster from the True Dragon Star Realm possessed a highly unusual property.
"After Grandmaster Shen returned, the military mobilized all its resources and tried every possible method, but none could root out that Sword Intention," Qiao Tongyu continued.
"Not only is the Sword Intention continuously eroding Grandmaster Shen’s Spirit, but it’s also constantly ’learning’ and ’evolving’ to adapt to the Federation’s Martial Arts System."
"If this is left unchecked, Grandmaster Shen’s Heart Image will be completely corroded within six months at most. The best-case scenario is that his Cultivation is crippled. The worst... his Heart and Spirit will collapse."
The study fell silent for a moment.
Xu Wuyi digested this information before speaking slowly, "So, the Illusion is a simulation of that Sword Intention?"
"Correct," Qiao Tongyu confirmed. "The military’s technical team simulated the Sword Intention’s Traits and integrated them into the virtual combat system to create that Illusion."
"To purge the Sword Intention from Grandmaster Shen, someone must defeat Ye Yixin’s Sword Intention head-on at the Same Ability Level. But this isn’t like the virtual system with its infinite attempts. There will only be two or three chances at most—perhaps even only one."
"Because every attempt to clear it actually strengthens the Sword Intention and further harms Grandmaster Shen. He can’t withstand many such attempts."
Xu Wuyi understood.
Now he understood why Wu Dingbo had set the "ten consecutive wins" requirement. It wasn’t a training objective, but a "proof of concept" for curing Shen Jin.
"So, my current win rate is tied to whether Grandmaster Shen’s injury can be purged?" he asked.
"Yes." Qiao Tongyu looked Xu Wuyi straight in the eye. "And time is short. Grandmaster Shen’s condition... is already critical. According to the latest medical report, he can only hold on for three more days at most."
"If no one can purge the Sword Intention within three days, Grandmaster Shen will have no choice but to risk removing it himself, to forcibly strip it away. But the risk is enormous—the success rate is less than thirty percent. If he fails, both his body and his Dao will be annihilated."
’Three days.’
Xu Wuyi’s finger tapped lightly on the chair’s armrest.
"So far, the Federation has had over a hundred Martial Artists attempt this. Only three have ever succeeded," Qiao Tongyu reported.
"You are one of them, and the only one with a win rate over fifty percent. More importantly, you’ve won eight matches in a row, proving your strategy is repeatable."
"So the military has decided not to wait for the full ten matches?" Xu Wuyi read between the lines.
Qiao Tongyu nodded. "General Wu is already on his way to Xingjing to report to the military’s high command. If all goes as planned, you’ll receive a formal notice by tomorrow at the latest. You’ll be ordered to the Xingjing Military General Hospital to attempt to purge the Sword Intention from Grandmaster Shen."
Xu Wuyi was silent for a few seconds.
"What happens if I fail?" he asked, a very practical question.
"A backlash from the Sword Intention," Qiao Tongyu said, his voice grim. "You won’t be seriously affected, but Grandmaster Shen..."
Xu Wuyi closed his eyes.
In his sea of consciousness, the great, dark-golden marsh breathed steadily as the Golden Crow Illusion drifted within it.
His win rate wasn’t low, but it wasn’t high enough for him to be complacent.
Besides, this wasn’t training or a friendly spar. This was a true healing attempt, one that would decide the life or death of a Peak Grandmaster.
’Pressure?’
’There was.’
’But more than that, there was the heavy weight of responsibility.’
Shen Jin was one of the pillars of the Federation, a figure revered by countless Martial Artists, and he was Hong Nianyi’s teacher. Whether for the good of the public or for personal reasons, Xu Wuyi would give it his all.
"I accept." He opened his eyes, his gaze serene.
Qiao Tongyu looked at the young man before him, his heart filled with a swirl of complex emotions.
There was relief, worry, and a profound sense of emotion.
But after a pause, Xu Wuyi added, "I also want to see for myself just how strong the real Ye Yixin’s Sword Intention is."
Qiao Tongyu smiled, a genuine smile this time.
"Good. Get a good rest tonight. Replenish your energy and wait for the military’s decision tomorrow."
...
「Meanwhile, in Xingjing.」
In a top-secret conference room on the third basement level of the Military High Command headquarters.
Seven people sat around an oval conference table. The General Stars on each of their epaulets signified the highest echelons of power within the Federation Military.
In the head seat sat Feng Zhuohua, the military’s deputy minister. Those familiar with him knew he was one of the Federation’s few Spiritual Power Grandmasters and had been in charge of the military’s intelligence system for over a decade.
Wu Dingbo sat to Feng Zhuohua’s left, his expression solemn. The other five were all heads of various critical military departments, and even the lowest-ranking among them was a veteran Quasi-Grandmaster.
A holographic projection in the center of the room was playing highlights from Xu Wuyi’s last eight battles.
The scenes shifted rapidly, showing match times decreasing from an initial forty-six seconds down to the most recent thirty-one. The footage clearly displayed the Illusion’s process of struggling, taking damage, and ultimately being defeated within the Gravity Swamp.
"That was Xu Wuyi’s performance in his last eight matches," Wu Dingbo said once the footage finished playing.
"The data has been sent to all of you. An 87% win rate, an average time of thirty-nine seconds, a 71% effective counter-attack rate, and a self-injury rate of less than 5%."
"Based on the trend, his tactical system has matured. Its effectiveness in countering Ye Yixin’s Sword Intention is both significant and consistent."
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