Chapter 196: Chapter 195: What a Big Surprise
"You... how could you be..."
Even when his neck was grabbed, Chen Chenchen showed no intention of giving up. He clasped Blue Flame’s arm tightly with both hands, his nails seeming to embed into the flesh.
But his voice sounded like that of a little boy about to cry.
"Because my hair is black? Because I’m older than the average Sword Concealer? Or is it..."
Blue Flame adjusted his glasses: "You don’t actually know that the Hidden Sword Technique has a second training method?"
"Wha...what..."
"Yin, tell everyone outside not to worry; the banquet is still ongoing."
Blue Flame called out to Silver Ancient Moon, then looked at the Silver Blood Association members as if casually dining and chatting: "Everyone, do you understand the Hidden Sword Technique?"
"Absolutely," Le Yu quickly said, "I know the Hidden Sword Technique’s nurturing, usage, and refinement like the back of my hand."
"Initially, Sword Concealers need the help of other Martial Artists. Other Martial Artists use explosive light to damage the Sword Concealer’s body until the Sword Concealer learns how to guide the light with Spiritual Power from being beaten. Then, they can use the light to harm themselves."
"They stuff the ’Substantive Flowing Light’, created by combining Spiritual Power and light, into their own bodies. This process is extremely painful, akin to a durian rampaging through the bloodstream. However, this process doesn’t last long because the Sword Concealer apprentice either dies from the pain or develops an ’organ’ that can contain the flowing light within ten days."
"This is the biggest hurdle of the Hidden Sword Technique, the ’Ten-Day Flowing Light’."
"Then, after one to three years of training, the Sword Concealer will fully have white hair, and possess the ability to output continuously for half an hour in the dark, officially able to take orders and operate."
Le Yu’s explanation was clear and thorough, compelling even Blue Flame and Silver Ancient Moon, not to mention Chen Chenchen, to give him a glance.
"Well said," Blue Flame smiled, "If not for Jing Young Master’s noble status, I’d think Jing Young Master had trained in the Hidden Sword Technique."
"I just had an Assassin friend once," Le Yu said indifferently, "So I’m also curious how Blue General managed to train in the Hidden Sword Technique without shortening lifespan or changing hair color?"
"Actually, it’s quite simple," Blue Flame said, "First, do you know what the ’organ’ that can contain flowing light essentially is?"
"It’s a human itself. The blood, flesh, bones of the Sword Concealer, everything carries the flowing light; there’s no so-called ’Sword Concealing Organ’. All along, the Sword Concealer is just a scabbard."
Seeing everyone seemed still puzzled, Blue Flame patiently explained: "Let me make it clearer. From the start, flowing light can exist within the human body. How could the human body become a different container after mere ten days of training?"
"You don’t even need the Hidden Sword Technique; anyone willing enough, who can integrate light and Spiritual Power into flowing light and stuff it into themselves, can become a Sword Concealer."
"The so-called Hidden Sword Technique is just a lie; the so-called Sword Concealing Organ is simply a deception."
Le Yu recalled Yin Audio’s understanding of the Hidden Sword Technique, combined with Jing Zhengwei’s experience of training in Forbidden Battle Technique, quickly grasping Blue Flame’s implied meaning:
"Hidden Sword Technique is actually just meant to... eliminate the Sword Concealer’s pain perception to flowing light?"
"Exactly," Blue Flame looked at Le Yu appreciatively, "That’s it!"
"People think Sword Concealers transform their bodies to better adapt to flowing light, but actually, Sword Concealers transform their spirits so they no longer suffer from it!"
"You could say, the ’Ten-Day Flowing Light’ embodies the essence of the Hidden Sword Technique; as long as one overcomes ’Ten-Day Flowing Light’, they are entirely immune to the pain of flowing light, and most pain doesn’t matter, as stronger pain than flowing light in this world is not abundant."
"But this truth cannot be announced to the public," Blue Flame spoke with rhythm like a teacher: "Firstly, if everyone knew that Warriors’ bodies could accommodate flowing light without special transformation, various powers would privately produce Hidden Sword Assassins."
"Secondly, the deception surrounding the Hidden Sword Technique and Sword Concealing Organ greatly enhances the pass rate of ’Ten-Day Flowing Light’. Those children absorbed by Assassin Organizations precisely due to trust in the technique, believing they would indeed develop an ’organ’ that houses flowing light, so they can endure ’Ten-Day Flowing Light’."
"If they knew there was no such organ, and ’Ten-Day Flowing Light’ merely numbs them to pain, they would undoubtedly lose hope and fail to persist."
"Humans are often like this; they would rather believe in a fanciful destiny saving them than face that they endured countless hardships."
"Because suffering is eternal, if relying solely on oneself every time, living becomes too painful."
The secret tales of the Hidden Sword Technique reverberated long in the factory.
Few people understand Hidden Sword Assassins, only knowing they’re shunned outcasts, cruel night specters, and crime reserves harshly struck by the Imperial Court.
When Blue Flame profoundly dissected the cruel nature of the Hidden Sword Technique, nearly everyone felt compassion, even the Silver Blood Association’s young masters.
They couldn’t help but look at Chen Chenchen, pressed onto the table by Blue Flame. Chen Chenchen seemed aware of their pity, tears in his eyes, roared angrily, his legs leaping up to lock Blue Flame’s arm, seemingly attempting a crucifix hold—
Bang!
Blue Flame slammed him hard, throwing his whole body onto the dining table, right hand still tightly clutching Chen Chenchen’s throat.
Even at this moment, he didn’t relax his guard at all.
"You haven’t mentioned the second method of training in the Hidden Sword Technique," Le Yu reminded.
"Knowing the principle makes it easy," Blue Flame said coolly, "Ordinary Sword Concealers, oblivious to the truth, let flowing light wreak havoc within them, resulting in their bodies being constantly damaged by flowing light every instant, significantly shortening their lifespan."
"The hair was actually an accident. Because luminescent light diffused onto the strands, the Sword Concealer discovered that hair could store a lot of luminescent light, hence the reputation of the white-haired assassin has been passed down for generations."
"The method of not changing hair color and not shortening lifespan became obvious."
"Store the luminescent light in a useless organ."
Le Yu said in astonishment, "But there is no useless organ..."
"There is." Qin Le Yin suddenly said.
Le Yu looked towards the area below Lan Yan’s belt, "Could it be..."
"That’s right."
Lan Yan lifted his shirt, revealing his pierced side waist, "It’s the kidney."
"The Medical Bureau discovered a long time ago that humans have two kidneys, and even if one is lost, it doesn’t affect life or lifespan. In terms of size and function, kidneys are the best choice."
"Ah, kidneys... Hmm, I think so too."
While others train in Hidden Sword Technique, you train in Kidney Sword Technique... Le Yu asked, "Then why doesn’t the Assassin Organization use the second method that doesn’t shorten lifespan?"
Lan Yan said, "There are many reasons, the most important of which is that those trained with the second method have no qualifications to become assassins, as they have poor endurance in the darkness."
"However, it’s more than enough to guard against an attack from a white-haired assassin. If you hadn’t used the Divine Weapon to create absolute darkness, I would have thrown out a Light Source Bullet already."
"There’s another point..."
"Do you remember the first step of the Hidden Sword Technique?" Lan Yan suddenly asked, "Apprentices need to be tormented by the light bursts from the Martial Artists until they learn to guide the rays through the beatings. Why is this step present?"
"Because aside from formally learning battle techniques, it is the fastest way for ordinary people to learn to guide rays with Spiritual Power. But the cost of learning brutally this way is that apprentices cannot precisely control the rays, only using luminescent light to harm themselves all over. They cannot store luminescent light in just one area."
Upon hearing this, Ting Chao Zhao couldn’t help but ask, "Then why not let them learn battle techniques, even if it’s just learning to guide the rays?"
Lan Yan: "Because by doing so, their pain tolerance will increase."
Everyone was astonished.
"The essence of the Hidden Sword Technique is to make the Sword Concealer apprentices forcibly twist their sense of pain in unbearable agony." Lan Yan sighed, "Anyone who has studied battle techniques will have a greatly increased pain tolerance, the pain from luminescent light won’t twist their Spirit."
"What’s more, knowing the second method means understanding the truth of the Hidden Sword Technique. This is very unfavorable for twisting the sense of pain."
"So do you see the paradox here?"
Lan Yan shrugged, "To use the second method of the Hidden Sword Technique, you have to first learn other techniques; but after learning other techniques, the pain tolerance increases; increased pain tolerance makes it very hard to practice the Hidden Sword Technique."
"So, there is a small detail in the second method of the Hidden Sword Technique."
Le Yu mumbled, "...Increase the pain?"
"That’s correct." Lan Yan smiled, "Just the pain from the luminescent light is not enough, the cultivator must increase the severity of body torment to have a chance to twist the sense of pain and complete the training of the Hidden Sword Technique."
The others remembered Lan Yan’s scarred side waist earlier, and while they felt admiration for him, they couldn’t help but also feel immense... fear.
There are plenty in the Silver Blood Association who are ruthless to others.
But to be so ruthless to oneself...
The Silver Blood Association would back down, and they would show a ’I’m laying low, go ahead’ posture.
Ting Chao Zhao immediately said, "Please forgive the Silver Blood Association’s rudeness, General Lan."
Everyone said in unison, "Please forgive the Silver Blood Association’s rudeness, General Lan."
"It’s okay, I already knew the Silver Blood Association would definitely not comply; otherwise, they wouldn’t be the dominant power in Dongyang District."
Lan Yan twisted his neck, and Chen Chenchen fell dead.
"I also expected you to send assassins."
"On the contrary, Young Master Jing..."
Lan Yan pulled out the almost impaling chopstick from his shoulder and thrust it heavily onto the table.
"You gave me quite a surprise," he chuckled, "The white-haired assassin didn’t hurt me, but you managed to."
Le Yu blinked his eyes.
Dear netizens, when helping beat a dog that fell into the water, that dog climbed ashore to hunt me down. What to do? Waiting online, urgent.