Chapter 64: Arrival at the Destination [Extra Chapter for 20,000 Recommendation Votes]

The crisis caused by the swift sparrow flock had finally subsided, and night had fallen at last. The entire magic crystal airship was ablaze with light. Most of the passengers were leisurely strolling on the deck or enjoying themselves on the first floor at this hour.

Inside the bar, discussions about Li Yanxing’s recent display of skill were in full swing. Even those who hadn’t previously known his identity were now familiar with the name.

Amidst the commotion outside, Lin Huang had not once left his room. In the living room, he was earnestly practicing the blade technique Li Yanxing had just demonstrated. In truth, he had been attempting to mimic that single move for more than an hour, but up to now, he had yet to obtain a single skill shard.

It wasn’t that Li Yanxing’s blade technique was of a higher level than the Desolate Blade Canon; rather, Li Yanxing had only executed one stroke from start to finish, and Lin Huang had only seen that one. Unlike with the Desolate Blade Canon, when the scar-faced man had performed the upper chapter three times every day, giving Lin Huang a solid reference point, not to mention the aid of the Calming Tea, which allowed him to truly grasp the essence of the technique.

His previous experience obtaining shards of the Desolate Blade Canon had taught Lin Huang a valuable lesson: acquiring shards was not so much about how closely the movements were imitated, but rather about capturing the spirit and essence of the technique. As long as he could simulate the true spirit of the blade technique, the probability of obtaining a skill shard was high.

Over the past hour, Lin Huang had swung his battle blade more than a thousand times, yet he still failed to capture the essence. Even so, he was not discouraged. Again and again, he recalled Li Yanxing’s swing, practicing tirelessly in pursuit of that elusive spirit.

Time passed, the night deepened, yet the liveliness aboard the ship showed no signs of waning. The number of people on the deck had lessened, but the entertainment on the first floor was even more vibrant.

The bar was nothing like the cold, empty place Lin Huang had encountered earlier. The speakers now pumped out frenzied music, the place was packed to bursting, everyone dancing wildly. Some men, after a while, would become excited, drag a woman off, and hurry into one of the small rooms at the back of the bar. From many of those rooms came the shrill cries of women and the gasping of men, though the pounding music drowned out most of the noise.

If Lin Huang had been present, his previous confusion over the bar’s name would have been resolved.

Past midnight, the revelry aboard the ship showed no sign of abating. Lin Huang, however, had already locked himself in his room, practicing his blade for more than five hours straight, yet not a single skill shard had appeared.

His clothes were completely drenched with sweat, and he felt the exhaustion in his body at last, prompting him to stop.

“It’s past midnight. Better get some sleep and continue practicing in the morning.” Glancing at the time, Lin Huang stored his blade away in his storage space.

After all, this was a rare—perhaps even higher—grade blade technique. If he could collect all the shards, it would mean gaining a powerful new blade combat skill. Lin Huang thought that even if this rare technique consisted of only the one move he had seen, it would still be a significant gain.

He took a shower in the bathroom, and by the time he was done it was nearly 12:40. Throwing himself onto the bed, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, just after seven, Lin Huang headed down to the first-floor restaurant for breakfast before returning to his hotel room to resume practicing his blade technique.

From Base 7C87 to Base 7C82, the magic crystal airship, traveling at normal speed, would take over twenty-eight hours to reach its destination. Factoring in brief stops at several bases along the way, it would be almost twenty-nine hours in total. Lin Huang had boarded the previous morning at nine, so he estimated he’d arrive around one in the afternoon, giving him more than six hours to continue practicing.

The center of the living room in his accommodation was completely cleared; all tables, chairs, sofas, and other furniture had been pushed against the walls. Barefoot, he stood in the middle of the room, repeating the same swinging motion over and over, as if tireless.

“No, that’s not it. Again! Still not right, again…”

From just before eight in the morning until after eleven, Lin Huang lost track of how many times he had swung his blade. Each time, he compared his movement in his mind to Li Yanxing’s, striving to identify what subtle spirit he was missing.

Suddenly, one of his swings coincided perfectly with the image of Li Yanxing’s stroke in his mind. In astonishment, Lin Huang heard Xiao Hei’s notification chime.

“Ding!”

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Skill Card Fragment: 'Thunderclap Blade' x1.]

Seeing the notification, Lin Huang paused, unable to resist asking aloud, “Xiao Hei, if I piece together the ‘Thunderclap Blade’ skill card from its fragments, will I only get that one move, or the complete set of techniques?”

[Once all fragments are collected, you will receive the complete set of techniques!]

Xiao Hei’s reply was somewhat unexpected.

“Are you sure? If that’s the case, why was I unable to obtain more fragments of the ‘Desolate Blade Canon’ after assembling the upper chapter’s skill card? By your logic, I should have been able to use the upper chapter’s moves to derive fragments for the lower chapter, shouldn’t I?” Lin Huang voiced his doubt.

[That is because the upper and lower chapters of the ‘Desolate Blade Canon’ differ in rarity. You were only practicing the upper chapter, so you couldn’t derive the higher rarity lower chapter. If the upper and lower chapters were of equal rarity, you could derive one from the other using the moves you know. Conversely, if you practice the higher rarity lower chapter, you can derive the upper chapter. In simple terms, one can derive from high rarity to equal or lower rarity, but not from low to high.]

Xiao Hei’s explanation was thorough, and Lin Huang finally understood this rule. Upon hearing it, a secret joy stirred in his heart.

This rule meant that for most combat skills, he only needed to remember a portion. With persistent practice and by capturing the spirit, he would eventually be able to piece together the full skill card—so long as the skill wasn’t divided into sections of different rarities like the ‘Desolate Blade Canon.’

With this confirmed, Lin Huang practiced his blade with even greater enthusiasm.

However, after another hour, he failed to recapture the feeling from before, nor did he gain another skill shard. He was not anxious, though, and when he checked the time, it was already past noon with less than an hour before disembarkation.

He put away his blade, moved all the furniture back into place, and took a shower in the bathroom, changing into fresh clothes afterward.

After tidying up the room and making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Lin Huang left, descended the floating staircase, and made his way to the ship’s railing. He saw that the airship was already descending.

In a few minutes, the vessel landed at Base 7C82. At the gangway, Lin Huang scanned his ticket, the exit doors opened automatically, and he strode off the ship…

~~~~~~

[Here’s an extra chapter for reaching 20,000 recommendation votes~ Keep smashing those votes, everyone! Before the official release, I’ll add a chapter for every 10,000 votes. As for the rules after release, I’ll announce them then. If you’re enjoying this novel, don’t forget to add it to your collection so you won’t lose track of it later.]