Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 16 Investigation
The two walked into the courtyard, where there were many rockeries and winding covered bridges, but the feeling of dilapidation was still strong.

The mottled stone walls were covered with moss, the pond water was turbid because no one took care of it, and a few remaining koi fish were swimming lazily on the water surface.

Li Jing'an looked around with a sharp gaze, while Chu Ning's mind flashed with the price of repayment for the second level of "Thunder Blade Technique".

[Repayment conditions: Chop the stone with your sword without breaking it.]

Chu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

This condition seems simple, but it is actually several times more difficult than the first level of repayment, which is to split a ten-foot-thick rock.

His swordsmanship is now extremely powerful. Wherever the blade goes, it can break rocks and shatter pillars. It has extremely strong destructive power.

This powerful attack allowed him to wipe out the Wang family's human slaughtering den on his own, but it also prevented him from paying the second price.

He had tried countless times, and each time, he tried his best to control his strength.

However, before the knife arrived, the knife intent had already been released, and the boulder shattered with a loud bang.

This put him in a vicious cycle of repayment.

"Controlling the force... is easier said than done."

Chu Ning slowly exhaled and looked across the courtyard.

There are many rockery here, which is a good opportunity to try to repay the price.

He no longer hesitated, and slowly walked towards one of the basalt rockery, put his hand on the hilt of the sword, and slowly drew the sword.

The rusty knife was unsheathed, and lightning surged.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, letting the energy sink into his dantian, ready to strike.

The knife flashed, and the knife energy cut through the air and cut down in an instant.

"boom!"

Debris flew everywhere.

The rockery was cut off with a knife, the fracture was as smooth as a mirror, and even a tiny arc remained on the cut surface.

failure!

He controlled the strength, but still could not reach the state of "splitting rocks without breaking them".

"Tsk..."

Li Jing'an stood not far away with his arms folded, looking at him with interest, with a teasing smile on his lips.

"Investigating the case, what are you doing?"

"Practice with sword." Chu Ning said lightly.

Li Jingan raised his eyebrows, his eyes meaningful: "Oh? Isn't this just a brutal chop?"

Chu Ning did not respond, but simply adjusted his stance and swung his knife again.

However, no matter how hard he tried, the stone still shattered with every stroke of the knife.

He had tried his best to suppress his strength, but the inherent toughness of the "Thunder Blade Technique" made the sword intent penetrate his body, making it impossible to truly achieve "softness without breaking".

Li Jingan laughed out loud when he saw this.

He put his hands behind his back and said with a half-smile, "Do you understand the true meaning of 'control'?"

Chu Ning looked at him sideways.

Li Jing'an walked forward, stretched out a finger, and lightly touched Chu Ning's scabbard.

“The knife is dead. You control the knife, but if you can’t control your understanding of the knife, you will never be able to truly control it.”

He picked up a piece of gravel and flicked it with his fingers.

"Snapped!"

The gravel fell on another rockery, as light as fallen leaves, without even stirring up a speck of dust.

"Your knife is still missing something."

Chu Ning frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and suddenly had an epiphany.

He closed his eyes and recalled all the movements he made to split the stone.

The knife is still the same knife.

But his mentality has changed.

He slowly opened his eyes, took light steps, and the rusty knife rotated slightly in his palm.

"Splitting the stone without breaking it..."

There was a faint flash of lightning.

Chu Ning drew his knife.

This time, the sword's momentum was no longer overbearing, but like a gentle breeze blowing through a willow, the blade cut through the air and slowly fell down.

"Om-"

When the blade touched the rockery, lightning patterns instantly spread across the entire stone like a spider web.

The rockery vibrated and hummed, with subtle sounds of disintegration coming from within, yet the surface remained completely intact. Chu Ning sheathed his knife and lightly tapped the stone surface with his fingertips.

"Click."

A very thin crack slowly spread from the inside of the rockery.

Li Jing'an's eyes narrowed, he slowly exhaled, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"good."

Chu Ning slowly tightened his grip on the knife handle, his mind clear.

This is not just about controlling strength, but about completely mastering the sword's momentum, sword intent, and sword energy.

[The second level of "Thunder Blade Technique", repayment successful!]

In an instant, an unprecedented enlightenment flooded into Chu Ning's mind.

His arms were no longer as heavy as before, and his knife-holding posture became more natural, as if every inch of his muscles had found the most suitable way to operate.

A faint thunderous tremor could be heard in the air, symbolizing the transformation of the sword's will.

Chu Ning closed his eyes, felt the surging energy in his body, and found that his cultivation level was showing signs of a breakthrough.

Not only that, his understanding of knives has reached a new level.

Once upon a time, he only knew how to swing the sword, but never thought about the coordination between the sword's momentum and his own body.

Now, he understood.

Strength is not simply "strong" or "weak", but it means using it when necessary and restraining it when necessary.

The wind blew the fallen leaves across the courtyard, bringing with it a subtle sense of solemnity.

Chu Ning lowered his eyes, stood with the knife in his hand, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

Li Jingan couldn't help but nod secretly when he saw Chu Ning understood so quickly.

"It seems that your understanding of swordsmanship is stronger than I thought."

Chu Ning slowly put away the knife, stroked the handle with his palm, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

"Next, let's continue investigating the case."

Li Jing'an nodded slightly, then turned around and strode forward.

Chu Ning followed closely behind.

The two walked out of the courtyard, and the cold wind swept through the streets, carrying with it the lingering smell of blood.

……

Chu Ning stood in front of Shen's Leather Shop with a deep look in his eyes.

He did not knock on the door, but stood in front of it for a moment and slowly exhaled.

Half a month ago, he came here to trade furs, but today, his identity is different.

Shen Yan, as the shopkeeper of Shen's Leather Shop, is just a shrewd fur merchant on the surface, but Chu Ning vaguely feels that his hands may have already reached into darker depths.

More importantly, half a month ago, the bloody smell emanating from the gilded sachet on Shen Yan's waist was exactly the same as the smell of the red blood sand.

This is no coincidence.

He raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door knocker.

A moment later, there was a slight sound of footsteps coming from inside the door.

The door slowly opened, and a clerk poked his head out and looked at Chu Ning: "Sir, our shop is closed. If you want to choose furs, please come back tomorrow."

Chu Ning said nothing, but calmly took out the Black Snake Guard badge from his waist and shook it slightly under the dim light.

The clerk was startled, his face tense, and he quickly whispered, "Please wait a moment."

The door closed, and after a few breaths, it opened again.

Chu Ning walked into the back hall of Shen's Leather Shop.

Shen Yan sat upright on a carved wooden chair, his expression normal, as if he was not surprised by Chu Ning's arrival.

"Constable Chu, I'm sorry to hear your visit so late at night. What brings you here?"

His gaze lingered on Chu Ning's constable uniform for a moment, and then he revealed a meaningful smile: "Half a month since we last met, and you've become a constable."

Chu Ning said calmly, "I'm here to ask a few questions. I hope Manager Shen can tell me the truth."

Shen Yan's smile remained unchanged. He picked up the teacup on the table and blew away the tea foam. "Oh? What's the matter?"

"Half a month ago, the gilded sachet on your waist." Chu Ning looked at Shen Yan with sharp eyes. "I smelled the scent in it today at the scene of the massacre of the grain merchant Zhao family."

The teacup in Shen Yan's hand paused slightly.

Although it was only a moment, Chu Ning still keenly captured this subtle change.

Shen Yan immediately put down his teacup, his smile deepening. "Constable Chu is indeed alert, but there are many things in this world that smell similar. How can you be sure..."

(End of this chapter)