Star Gate

Madame Hong directed a quick glance at her husband; Hong Yitang nodded imperceptibly at her. Her pupils shook violently with understanding! So Li Hao was behind the deaths of Yu Xiao and the others. Unbelievable!

She was all too familiar with the Earthturner Sword—it wouldn’t have broken unless unfathomable power coursed through it. Had Li Hao already reached that state?

Meanwhile, the young man was very hungry and stuffed his face. He prepared to speak when Hong Qing suddenly said, “Were you ambushed by someone again? Why are you covered in blood? And your ear... how...”

“No, I was just training.”

Hong Qing regarded him wordlessly. How do you get yourself in this state just through training?

“Martial uncle, I’ve come to you because I have some questions to ask.”

He wouldn’t have visited without a purpose in mind!

A smiling Hong Yitang understood. “Tell me, what can be stumping Li Hao?”

The young man thought for a bit. “Does the ultimate peak of speed mean even stronger explosive force?”

“No.”

Li Hao blinked. No?

“It’s not just speed that results in explosive force!” Hong Yitang chuckled. “You’re a learned person, so you understand that explosiveness is correlated with acceleration. This process accumulates energy and aura, which makes explosiveness strong!

“To put it simply, you need to continuously explode with force and accelerate to increase your impact. If your speed continuously increases in the process instead of remaining fixed, then you’ll explode with greater strength!”

“Ah, that’s true!” Li Hao nodded with abrupt understanding. “So the power you erupt with is what you’ve accumulated in the process. It’s still your own, but just a process that quickly stacks it together like the Nine Forged Force, right?”

“You know it yourself, so is there a need to ask me?” Hong Yitang didn’t understand what Li Hao wanted to do, but he didn’t mind chatting with the young man.

“So it’s still a process of accumulating aura...” Li Hao murmured to himself. “Just that this process is sectioned into parts and culminates in one kind of aura, correct?”

“You can say that.” Hong Yitang mulled over his response. “The ancients mentioned accumulating aura, but your question is one of dynamic accumulation. It’s an easier and faster way. The ancients also had a method of static accumulation. They would hold their breaths and erupt at a key moment...”

Li Hao blinked with sudden realization again. He also knew those ancient tomes. This would help him understand the bird style more.

“But this aura is snapped into two when I turn or counterattack,” the young man raised another point of difficulty. “I can only maintain it if I chase someone, but that means I’m stronger than them. In that case, I can’t accumulate the aura. What do I do then?”

“You shouldn’t ask me that,” Hong Yitang chuckled. “You should ask your teacher, and not Yuan Shuo, but your physics teacher. Have you learned about parabolas? Who told you that the peak of a parabola is the fastest speed and greatest explosive force?

“Must you operate in a straight line when you exercise? Are parabolas unacceptable? Or any sort of curve?”

Li Hao blinked and looked at Hong Yitang. Dang, am I getting a physics class from you?

Hong Yitang took a sip of tea and ignored the odd looks from his wife and daughter. He looked at the young man and thought for a moment. “Whether in chase or escape, none of that needs to take place in a straight line. Eagles do not dive at their prey in a singular line, their prey runs. An eagle continuously adjusts direction in the process.”

Li Hao nodded thoughtfully and picked up more food. Some of his earlier questions were being answered.

“Then how does the extremity of speed transform to aura and mind intent?”

Mind intent? It was Hong Yitang’s turn to cast a startled look. Does this fellow want to comprehend another type of aura?

“Jadelight is very fast among the Seven Swords, as fast as light itself!” the man responded. “It’s difficult for me to explain how you should understand it, so I can mention Jadelight as a reference.

“She has a brief accumulation period before she draws her sword, which makes it the best timing to kill her. She demonstrates a momentary pause, but explodes with incredible strength once her sword is unsheathed!

“To put it simply, she draws her weapon slowly, yet deploys it very quickly! Her sword lands even faster, which is an immense test of her arm, wrist, and reasonable channeling of internal force. She often deployed her sword like this, year after year until she finally comprehended her Jadelight sword aura.

“Something like a sword aura sometimes depends on potential, but is other times contingent on effort. If brandishing the sword ten thousand times is not enough, then do so one hundred thousand. If not, then one million until the act of drawing your sword is the aura!”

Drawing the sword is the aura? Li Hao pondered over those words. Sword techniques floated into his mind and he drew his mental sword. Fast, faster, fast to the extreme, a spontaneous eruption...

An explosion as scintillating as fireworks!

Yes, fireworks...

Rising into the air, acceleration, and explosion! A spontaneous eruption of light!

“Does the Jadelight Sword technique explode like a firework?” Li Hao looked at Hong Yitang.

Most people wouldn’t be able to follow the jump in logic, but Hong Yitang didn’t mind. He thought for a bit and nodded. “A bit! It didn’t occur to me until you spoke of it. Fireworks need an accumulation from fire if they’re to rise into the air. Gunpowder ignites and creates propulsion, which in turn facilitates a resplendent sight. It’s a process of accumulation!”

“I understand!” answered the young man.

“That’s good.”

Their conversation baffled Hong Qing and Madame Hong. What were these two talking about? It was fireworks one moment, parabolas the other. They jumped from topic to topic—the point of their conversation was impossible to determine.

In reality, what the two discussed was very simple. The extremity of speed, a fast eruption, and the formation of aura... That was what they’d been exploring all along. Li Hao knew that Hong Yitang would understand and the man did. If he’d brought this up to anyone else, they’d say he was spewing nonsense!

Li Hao took a deep breath. He’d reached an initial understanding, but this aura needed some time and practice. It wouldn’t be shaped in an instant.

“Martial uncle, I’d like to see the Earthturner Sword technique,” he changed the topic.

“I don’t practice the sword anymore,” Hong Yitang smiled. “But I can teach you if you’re interested.”

“No, not teach!” Li Hao shook his head. “There’s no hurry for this. I need to digest today’s reflections first, but I’m serious, martial uncle. I’d like to find some time to spar with you. It’s all good, whether it’s with full strength or a fight to the death. If you can pull your blows, then please do so. But if not, that’s alright too. I wish to witness the Earthturner Sword!”

Both Hong Qing and Madame Hong frowned. They were even irritated. Was this a challenge? A challenge between martial masters? Li Hao’s teacher had issued a challenge back in the day, but that had been when Hong Yitang was still a martial master.

“I decline.” Hong Yitang smiled.

“......” Li Hao was quite dejected and felt like climbing a wall. He really wanted to witness that move for himself. Truly! It didn’t matter that he might be injured or even die for it. It really didn’t matter.

There were only a few ultimate ends for martial masters—death in the hands of an even stronger powerhouse, old age and sickness, or reigning invincible throughout the land! All martial masters thought of potential death when they took action, so Li Hao really could accept death from sparring. That just meant that his skill was less than his opponent’s.

“I am a supernatural now, not a martial master!” Hong Yitang laughed to see the young man’s crestfallen expression. “The rules of martial masters are ineffective for me. Even if they still applied, I am no match for you as an initial Solar. What would be the point of such a fight?”

Li Hao breathed out gently and dropped the subject. “Does martial uncle have any half step Dominator disciples? Ones who have comprehended the Earthturner Sword?”

“No.” Hong Yitang shook his head. “My most capable disciple is my daughter, who is a late Sunderer.”

Hong Qing rolled her eyes and looked at her stepmother. Nah, I can’t be bothered to say that your most capable disciple isn’t me, but your now wife!

“I’ve joined the Silver Moon Guards,” Li Hao suddenly said. “Director Hou is letting me create a personal team of one hundred with impressive benefits! Dominators will have an annual base salary of twelve mysterious power stones and can sense aura from the ancients once every three months. Late Sunderers can do that twice a year...”

Hong Yitang blinked.

“There’s plenty of mysterious power to go around,” Li Hao continued. “Joining the Guards means becoming part of the Night Watcher system, but with fewer restraints. With the Guards, you’d only need to listen to me. As for the ranking officer Golden Spear, I can be the liaison. My people don’t need to come in contact with him...

“In other words, I make the call. You are justice if I say you are!”

Hong Yitang did a double take at the young man.

“I don’t think that the Sword Sect has much use for its Black Armors,” Li Hao chuckled. “I don’t have any and the new troop will need them. I can convince the Guards to purchase them with treasure! When it comes to the Guards, Senior Golden Spear seems like a martial master of noble character and integrity. Someone like him... can be deceived legitimately! Director Hou is not in residence these past couple of days, so the senior can make the decision. He’ll absolutely buy the Black Armors!”

Hong Yitang’s jaw sagged.

“I can take just part of you guys, it doesn’t have to be everyone,” Li Hao pointed out. “If part of the sect joins the Guards, you’ll answer to the army and won’t just be the Sword Sect anymore!”

Hou Xiaochen laughed with great resignation and some doubt. “Aren’t you afraid of Hou Xiaochen?”

Wouldn’t this be ruining Hou Xiaochen’s plans?

Li Hao shook his head. “The director just wants less trouble and may not really desire the Sword Sect’s strength! Perhaps he values only Earthturner Sword and doesn’t think much of the rest!

“It would be a declaration from Earthturner Sword if the Sword Sect and Black Armors join the Guards. Your attitude would be made even clearer if your daughter was one of the members. Director Hou will understand that a powerful swordsman would rather break than bend, that this is the best outcome!”

“I am no strong swordsman,” Hong Yitang chuckled. “I’m not as strong as you.”

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