Enforcer Manual
Chapter 418: Traditional Duels Are About Stopping at the Right Point_1

Chapter 418: Chapter 418: Traditional Duels Are About Stopping at the Right Point_1

Watching Fengling’s earnest gaze, Song Lan dismissed the idea of pretending to be defeated as if he were an actor.

But it was also impossible for him to go all out and have a vigorous duel with Fengling here. Although she didn’t possess as many high-tech gadgets as Wild Bone, dismantling the hotel with ease was well within her capabilities, and he didn’t want Big Radish Head and the others to suddenly get buried in the rubble while they were upstairs enjoying hotpot and singing songs.

"Let’s give it a try then, with your Sword Drawing Art."

Song Lan said as he took a step toward Fengling from the doorway of the room. It was right here that Big Radish Head and the others had just launched their attack on her, "I’ll walk towards you now, and if you can cut me, you win."

Fengling’s eyes faltered. How similar was this test to the one she had proposed to Big Radish Head and his companions?

Opponents of the same level would never assess victory or defeat in this manner. Song Lan dared to propose this condition because he was absolutely confident that he wouldn’t be cut by her Sword Drawing Art.

However, such a confined space was undoubtedly her home field. To put it more accurately, everything within several tens of meters from here to the outside of the hotel was within her "shooting range." To ensure a fair duel, she had actually planned to suggest that they go to the back mountain to distance themselves and then have a vigorous and spirited fight.

Thinking of this, Fengling’s mouth curled into an excited smile, her hand already poised on the hilt of her sword.

"I should say this upfront: the range I can cut is much wider than you imagine."

"I know," Song Lan said while taking his second step.

Fengling didn’t issue any more reminders. She leaned slightly forward, her five senses becoming exceptionally sharp at this moment. Time seemed to slow down as she saw Song Lan taking his third step and almost instantly predicted his next few seconds of movement.

This time, her intention was no longer to fling the person in front of her away or to smash the wall ahead, but to return to what she knew best: the art of drawing her sword.

The next moment, Fengling’s eyes focused sharply.

She envisioned the trajectory of the unsheathing blade in her eyes, her strike blocking all the space in front of her. It was then, she realized time seemed to skip a beat. Before she understood the principle, her body instinctively reacted, tilting to change the momentum of her sword draw, positioning her blade against Song Lan, who had somehow bypassed the distance and appeared behind her.

But immediately after, her movement froze.

She was still in motion, but the sword was no longer in her hand and had, unbeknownst to her, been placed back on the bed.

Only then did Fengling realize she hadn’t completed the sword draw; before she could unsheathe it, the sword had fallen into his hands.

Rather than a grand battle, their duel lasted only a few seconds, even shorter than the time it took for Big Radish Head and the others to attack her.

"With this, you should understand, right?"

A moment later, Song Lan broke the silence in the room.

Even though this was the outcome he had expected, he had to admit that Fengling’s Sword Drawing Art was incredibly fast, almost unbelievably so. It was just unfortunate that his ability happened to counter hers.

In fact, the duel wasn’t fair from the beginning.

Regardless of the process, the final result was unaffected. He cleared his throat and said, "In a traditional duel, it’s about stopping at a touch. Technically speaking, the moment I passed by you was the moment I won."

Fortunately, Fengling was someone who valued martial ethics, and she didn’t force the fight into close combat, which was not Song Lan’s forte, after failing to draw her sword.

She conceded with a bow to Song Lan and said respectfully, "I have learned a lot."

As the saying goes, laymen watch the excitement, experts watch the technique. She had learned much from their brief exchange. She became aware of the limitations of her own Sword Drawing Art and thought of ways to further her skills.

Although her Sword Drawing Art was refined from countless practices, it was constrained by the technique itself. Her father had mentioned that a true master could predict an opponent’s motions through the subtlest changes, but no one in her clan could match her speed, preventing her from realizing the limitations of her own skills.

"I have a new direction to move forward."

"What do you plan to do?"

This time, it was Song Lan’s turn to be surprised. Just a sparring match that stopped at a touch had led to Fengling’s enlightenment?

Could this girl have maxed out her comprehension ability?

"I am still limited by skills and weapons. If I cannot break these shackles, no matter how many times we duel, the outcome will be the same. Therefore, I plan to cast aside techniques and weapons to pursue further cultivation."

In the family archives, there are records of ancestors who created the Sword Drawing Art.

According to those records, she has not yet truly reached the pinnacle. Legend has it that in that chaotic and turbulent era, the strongest swordsmen could even cut without a sword, using only their thoughts.

If she could do that, she would have turned defeat into victory in their recent duel.

However, within the family, some have suggested that the idea of cutting with thoughts was the result of recorders at the time being carried away by their imagination, adding their personal fantasies. She had originally thought so, too, but her experiences in District 17 made her realize that anything is possible.

She could not let the views of others stop her from advancing.

...

In the following two days, the three of them continued to attack Fengling with a never-ending array of methods, and Song Lan felt that Fengling seemed to be showing signs of obsession.

This specifically manifested in her coming up to him every now and then, asking questions like "I just tapped your shoulder with my mind, did you feel it?"

Fengling’s explanation was that the family archives did not mention how to learn to cut with thoughts, so she could only comprehend it on her own.

The path of cultivation is always full of hardships, and Song Lan just wanted to lie on the couch and rest.

Three days later, Lu Xiang brought the latest news.

The company’s investigation team had taken action.

Since their arrival in District 17, she had been closely observing these people’s actions, to guard against the possibility that they were United Government agents disguised as ordinary employees. However, a series of investigations eventually overturned her suspicions.

These people were really just ordinary employees forced into their roles, including the one-star rescuer leading the team, who had also been bullied in her rescuer class. Just as she was delighted thinking that her hard work had finally caught the company’s attention, the company in turn sent her to investigate the Void.

The investigation team consisted of four people, all of whom were on the company’s periphery.

They knew that this mission was likely doomed, so they did not head to the town immediately upon arriving in District 17. Instead, they stayed in a hotel, and only under the company’s pressure did they reluctantly accept their fate.

For the company, it was all too easy to coerce an employee using family and other social relationships, and they also promised the employees that if they should sacrifice themselves, their families would receive a substantial funeral expense.

They tried as much as possible to warm their hearts, making them feel like their deaths would be meaningful.

"They’ve booked a car and should arrive at your place this afternoon."

Lu Xiang said over the phone, having closely monitored the four individuals, she too felt a bit uneasy.

The night before, after receiving their ultimatum, these four people had tried to cheer each other up. However, returning to their hotel rooms, each one had cried themselves to sleep under the sheets.

"This time, the company is playing the card of sorrow."

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