Chapter 44

Luo Fan buried himself in deep thought from morning till noon, and from noon till dusk. Despite his efforts throughout the day, he found no clue at all.

At this point, Ouyang Feng had already grown impatient and rushed forward, shouting, "Kid, have you figured it out yet?"

Luo Fan hurriedly replied, "Wait, let me think a bit more."

"No way!" Ouyang Feng barked, "Do you expect me to let you think for a lifetime if you can't figure it out?"

Luo Fan asked, "Then what do you suggest?"

"How should I know?" Ouyang Feng was immediately stumped. His mind was muddled, and he scratched his head, unsure of what to do.

Hong Qigong, holding a chicken leg, suggested while eating, "Why don't you set a deadline? I think tomorrow morning would be good."

Ouyang Feng quickly agreed, "Alright, it's settled for tomorrow morning. If you still haven't figured out how to break my Toad Technique by then, I win!"

"That... it's settled then." Seeing Ouyang Feng's firm attitude, Luo Fan had no choice but to agree reluctantly. The others gradually fell asleep, but Luo Fan couldn't sleep. His mind raced with countless methods to break the technique, but none of them worked. He tossed and turned, thinking all night, and before he knew it, dawn had arrived.

"Am I really going to give up all my efforts?" After two days of intense thinking to break the techniques of two martial arts masters, Luo Fan was both physically and mentally exhausted. His eyelids were heavy, and his thoughts were becoming increasingly muddled.

"How can I break it? How can I break it?" As the sky grew brighter, Luo Fan was still at a loss. He was mentally and physically drained, and his thoughts felt like they were stuck in a quagmire, unable to pull free.

His spirit could no longer hold on. His thoughts were becoming hazy, and as the golden sun rose above the horizon, Luo Fan grew increasingly drowsy, his eyes slowly closing.

Time quickly passed until morning. Ouyang Feng, who had been waiting anxiously, was already awake. Watching the sun rise, he calculated the time and thought it was about right. Turning his head, he saw that Luo Fan had fallen asleep and laughed loudly, "This time, I definitely win!"

In his drowsy state, Luo Fan was still thinking about how to break the Toad Technique. Suddenly, he noticed a toad in front of him, its croaking annoying him. Luo Fan immediately drew his sword and slashed at the toad, but to his surprise, the toad was very agile and jumped away, escaping into the distance.

Seeing that he couldn't even hit a toad with his sword, Luo Fan became even more frustrated and chased after it. He ran around for a long time but couldn't even touch the toad, which was getting further and further away.

Luo Fan thought to himself, "After all these years of martial arts practice, I can't even hit a toad?" He became so angry that he threw his sword at the toad. The toad suddenly croaked and dodged the sword, then pounced at Luo Fan. Without his sword, Luo Fan quickly formed a finger sword to counter.

Ouyang Feng, seeing that the time had come, walked up to Luo Fan and pushed him to wake him up. Suddenly, Luo Fan sprang up and stabbed at Ouyang Feng with his finger sword. Ouyang Feng quickly pulled back and dodged, and Luo Fan's finger sword grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his tattered clothes.

"Stinking toad! I'll see how long you can hide!" Luo Fan shouted, stabbing at Ouyang Feng again with his finger sword. However, Luo Fan was now awake and opened his eyes, only to realize that it wasn't a toad but Ouyang Feng.

"Kid, do you want to fight me?" Ouyang Feng glared and shouted, dodging Luo Fan's finger sword.

"Huh?!" Luo Fan looked around and realized he had been sleeping. He quickly waved his hands, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!"

Seeing that Luo Fan was awake, Ouyang Feng asked, "Kid, have you figured it out? If you haven't, then I win!"

"Figured it out?" Luo Fan was startled. Had he just fallen asleep?

"Finished! What should I do?" The dream he had just had flashed through his mind. Luo Fan suddenly felt a jolt of electricity, and after a long pause, he burst into laughter, "I've got it! I've got it!"

Everyone was startled by Luo Fan's sudden outburst. Luo Fan drew his sword and confidently said to Ouyang Feng, "Watch carefully!" He then threw his sword forward and formed a finger sword to strike.

Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng were both stunned when they saw Luo Fan throw his sword. For a swordsman, his sword was like his life, and discarding it was akin to courting death!

But then, both of them were shaken. Hong Qigong leaped up and shouted, "Old Toad, Ouyang Feng! It seems we are getting old! Indeed, the younger generation is surpassing us, and we can't deny it!" He then rushed forward and hugged Ouyang Feng tightly.

Ouyang Feng also burst into laughter, "I never thought my lifelong technique would be broken by this kid! I, Ouyang Feng, am convinced!"

Xiaolongnü, who was present, understood the principle, but Lu Wushuang, with her lower martial arts skills, did not. It wasn't until Luo Fan explained that she understood: If the opponent used the Toad Technique to build momentum, Luo Fan would throw his sword at them. If the opponent dodged, the momentum of the Toad Technique would be broken, and they would expose a weakness. Then, Luo Fan could use the Nine Swords of Dugu without any hesitation. If the opponent countered, they would first have to deflect the thrown sword and then attack Luo Fan. The initial momentum would be lost, and they would attack Luo Fan, who was ready to use the Nine Swords of Dugu. With the opponent's weakness exposed and Luo Fan not yet attacking, the result would inevitably be a loss. Thus, Ouyang Feng's Toad Technique was broken.

This was a move that involved putting oneself in a desperate situation to achieve victory. If not for the inspiration from his dream, Luo Fan would never have thought of such a brilliant move. He couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and feel relieved.

Finally, it was solved! Before Luo Fan could celebrate, he felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he staggered. He said to Xiaolongnü, "Xiaolong, help me... a bit." Xiaolongnü rushed forward, and Luo Fan fell into her arms. She thought something was wrong, but then she noticed that Luo Fan was snoring softly, having fallen asleep.

Luo Fan had spent several days breaking the ultimate techniques of two martial arts masters, a task of immense difficulty. Even with the vast experience recorded in the Nine Swords of Dugu, Luo Fan's achievement was remarkable. He was utterly exhausted, and once the problem was solved, his consciousness gave way, and he fell into a deep sleep.

As he fell asleep, a system notification softly sounded, "Ding, congratulations, the Nine Swords of Dugu have reached the Great Perfection stage."

...

When he woke up the next day, Luo Fan found two strands of white hair on his forehead. He grabbed them and was relieved to see that only those two strands had turned white. However, at his age, when one should be in the prime of life, the appearance of white hair indicated the extent of his mental and physical strain.

Ouyang Feng and Hong Qigong had already left. Luo Fan learned from the two women that they had become friends, and Ouyang Feng's sanity had been restored, though he had lost his memory, remembering only basic facts and events after his madness.

Luo Fan sighed, thinking that this might be the best outcome. His two strands of white hair seemed worth it!

It was time to leave. Luo Fan said to Xiaolongnü, "Xiaolong, let's return to the Ancient Tomb."

"Okay."

The wedding should be held in the presence of their elders. Although Luo Fan no longer cared much about such formalities, Xiaolongnü might. As a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect, it was natural for her to want to return to the tomb.

A few days earlier, in a luxurious room in the imperial palace, the room was filled with exquisite embroidery, finely detailed and radiant. The needlework was meticulous, the threads as fine as hair, the landscapes depicted with depth, the buildings with intricate detail, the figures with lively expressions, and the flowers and birds with vivid charm.

A woman in a red palace dress, heavily made up, lay on the bed, her delicate fingers holding an unfinished embroidery of flowers and birds, carefully stitching with her other hand.

If Luo Fan were there, he would recognize her immediately!

"Commander, the investigation is complete!" A man in military attire knelt before the woman in red, presenting a sealed letter.

The woman in red took the letter, gently opened it, and pulled out the message, spreading it before her.

"Hmm~" She read the content, nodded slightly, and thought, "Our court and the martial arts world have always been separate. Since he is from the Central Plains, I will let him off this time!"

But then, a thought suddenly crossed her mind, "What separate? Now that my skills are at their peak, I will use him to establish my authority! I can't let some scoundrels think our court has no one!"

With that thought, she took out a token and threw it to the ground, saying in a soft but firm voice, "Gather three thousand elite soldiers, a thousand imperial guards, and a thousand archers, and keep them on standby! Also, spread the news!"

"Yes!"

...

Although Xiaolongnü had taken Lu Wushuang as a disciple, Lu Wushuang used a saber, the Silver Arc Saber. She was not young and had practiced the saber for many years. It was better not to change her weapon unless necessary, so the task of teaching her saber techniques fell to Luo Fan.

Saber techniques are easier to learn than other weapons. With the principles of the Nine Yin, Nine Yang, and the Nine Swords of Dugu, it was not difficult for Luo Fan to create a custom saber technique for Lu Wushuang. By the time they descended from Mount Hua, Luo Fan had already decided what technique to teach her.

At the foot of Mount Hua, Luo Fan said to Lu Wushuang, "Wushuang, do you know the essence of saber techniques?"

"The essence of saber techniques?" Lu Wushuang shook her head in confusion.

Luo Fan said calmly, "For a curved saber or a long saber, the essence is three words: 'Fast, Accurate, and Fierce.' Give me the saber."

Lu Wushuang nodded and handed the Silver Arc Saber to Luo Fan. Luo Fan took the saber and walked to a large rock, saying, "The saber technique I will teach you is called the Crescent Moon Saber. It has only one form with seven strikes. Watch carefully."

...

...

A night in a small building listening to the spring rain, the Demon Saber technique reappears in the martial arts world, of course, it's a counterfeit version.

...

...

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