White light engulfed his entire body.
Leng Wu felt his consciousness being pulled into some otherworldly dimension. Then, in the next instant, a massive flood of information crashed into his mind like a tsunami.
Sword techniques, movement arts, breathing methods...
The essence of martial arts he'd never seen before carved themselves into his memory as if they'd always been there. Among them all, one technique shone with particular clarity.
Flash Strike (一閃).
An absolute sword technique that ended everything with a single cut.
"Ugh..."
As the information download finished, Leng Wu staggered to his feet. Amazingly, his body—which had felt like it was falling apart just moments ago—now felt light as a feather. No, it wasn't just light.
Is this... really my body?
Every muscle fiber seemed to pulse with life. His meridians, though still weak, flowed completely differently than before. But most of all, the sword in his hand...
"Huh?"
Without realizing when, he'd picked up a wooden practice sword that had been lying in the corner. It was just a common training weapon, yet it felt as comfortable as a lifelong companion.
"Hey! Leng Wu!"
A sudden shout made Leng Wu look up. Wang Tian had returned.
"What was that light just now? What the hell did you do?"
Wang Tian's eyes were filled with suspicion and wariness. His two lackeys wore similar expressions.
"Um, that was..."
"Shut up! I don't know what you're hiding, but you've been keeping secrets, haven't you?"
Wang Tian drew his sword again. This time, it wasn't a game. Real killing intent radiated from him.
"Hand over whatever manual or technique you found. If you don't..."
In that moment, Leng Wu's body moved on its own.
Right foot half a step back, waist slightly twisted, wooden sword positioned at his side. The basic stance of iaijutsu. But this perfection transcended anything that could be called basic.
"What... what is that stance?"
One of Wang Tian's lackeys muttered in shock. Anyone with even basic knowledge of swordsmanship could recognize it—the terrifying nature of that posture.
But Wang Tian was different.
"How dare you... point a sword at me?!"
Enraged, Wang Tian charged forward. Thunder Flash Sword Third Form: Lightning Pierce. A lightning-fast thrust aimed straight at Leng Wu's heart.
And in that moment...
The world slowed down in Leng Wu's vision. Wang Tian's sword approached with agonizing slowness. His heartbeat thundered like war drums.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
And then...
"Flash Strike."
RING—!
A clear sword cry rang out. Leng Wu's wooden sword traced a silver-white arc through the air.
No, calling it an arc was wrong—it was far too fast for that.
A flash of light.
Literally a streak of brilliance that split space itself.
WHOOSH—
The sound of air being cut.
CLICK.
The wooden sword sliding back into position at his side.
Three sounds occurred almost simultaneously. And then...
Silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
"GAHK!"
Wang Tian coughed up blood and collapsed to his knees. A perfectly straight wound appeared across his chest—a cut so clean and precise it was hard to believe it came from a wooden sword.
"B-Boss!"
His lackeys screamed.
Wang Tian, the top student of the advanced class, had been felled in a single strike. By a wooden sword wielded by the academy's worst failure.
Did that even make sense?
But then...
[Flash Strike Used][Cooldown Time: 5 minutes 00 seconds][WARNING: All martial arts and internal energy sealed during cooldown]
"...What?"
The moment Leng Wu read the system window, he understood. He'd gained something incredible, but at the same time, he'd have to pay an incredible price.
And that price came immediately.
"Urgh!"
Suddenly, all strength drained from his body. No, it didn't just drain—it felt like a black hole had opened inside him, sucking away every ounce of power.
The wooden sword slipped from his hand. He didn't even have the strength to pick it up again.
Standing became difficult; he sank to his knees.
"Hah... hah..."
Even breathing was a struggle. This wasn't just fatigue—his internal energy, physical strength, stamina, everything had been sealed.
And Wang Tian's lackeys weren't about to miss this opportunity.
"What... what's wrong with him all of a sudden?"
"Is it because of that technique he just used?"
The two exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing.
This is our chance!
"Die!"
Both rushed at him simultaneously.
Leng Wu barely managed to lift his head to check the system window.
[Cooldown: 4 minutes 47 seconds remaining]
Four minutes... forty-seven seconds...
It was a despairing number.
In his current state, he doubted he could last even one second, yet he had to survive nearly five full minutes.
"AHHH!"
He barely managed to roll away from the first attack. But that was all he had left. There was no strength remaining to dodge a second strike.
THWACK!
A heavy impact slammed into his stomach. His body tumbled across the floor.
"Hahaha! What, is that all you've got?"
"You took down our boss, so we thought you were hot stuff!"
Their mockery echoed around him. But Leng Wu's mind was already focused elsewhere.
[Cooldown: 4 minutes 31 seconds remaining]
Time crawled by agonizingly slowly. At this rate...
I have to survive.
Instinct screamed at him. He had to stay alive no matter what. Just five minutes—only five minutes.
Leng Wu mustered every ounce of remaining strength to get up. No, more accurately, he crawled toward the obstacles scattered around the training hall.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
The sound of pursuit echoed behind him. But Leng Wu didn't stop.
[Cooldown: 4 minutes 15 seconds remaining]
He hid behind a wooden pillar, buying himself a moment's respite.
"Hiding won't help you!"
CRASH!
The wooden pillar shattered. Leng Wu rolled again, heading for the next obstacle.
Training dummies, weapon racks, water barrels...
He used every piece of cover he could find. Running, hiding, running again.
[Cooldown: 3 minutes 22 seconds remaining]
Still... three whole minutes left?
Time felt like torture.
What would normally pass in an instant now felt like three hours.
"You slippery little rat!"
His pursuers' attacks grew more vicious in their frustration.
Leng Wu's body accumulated wounds as he desperately held on.
[Cooldown: 2 minutes 08 seconds remaining]
[Cooldown: 1 minute 33 seconds remaining]
[Cooldown: 0 minutes 45 seconds remaining]
Time passed with cruel slowness. But it did pass. The numbers were definitely decreasing.
And finally...
[Cooldown: 0 minutes 10 seconds remaining]
[9... 8... 7...]
The countdown began. Leng Wu squeezed out his last reserves of strength and burst into the center of the training hall.
"Finally came out!"
His pursuers flanked him from both sides.
This time, there was nowhere to run.
[3... 2... 1...]
And then...
[Cooldown Complete][All abilities restored]
Power exploded back into his body like a dam bursting.
Leng Wu reached out and grasped the wooden sword he'd dropped. Then he turned around.
Terror filled his pursuers' eyes.
"EEEEK!"
They immediately changed direction and began fleeing.
Five minutes ago, they'd witnessed Wang Tian fall to a single strike. Of course they ran.
Leng Wu didn't pursue them. No, there was no need to. He'd already proven what needed proving.
That he was no longer the same person he used to be.