Chapter Seventy-Three: A Hundred Miles

“Madman!”
Shi Qi shouted, rushing toward the fallen old madman.

When Shi Qi reached him, the old man lay motionless on the ground, his clothes charred black from the thunderball’s explosion.

“Madman!”
Shi Qi called out again, puzzled at the old man’s behavior. Normally, no matter how crazed he was, he would merely dash about the island, muttering nonsense. Why had he charged at him today, even injuring him?

Just as Shi Qi was lost in thought, the old man suddenly opened his eyes. In the next instant, he transformed into a flash of white light and soared toward the mountaintop.

Shi Qi was stunned, but had no time to think. He summoned the Windriding Art and chased after the white light to the peak.

Moments later, Shi Qi reached the summit. Focusing his gaze, he saw the old madman standing at the cliff’s edge, hands folded behind his back, gazing out over the distant sea.

“Madman, what madness has seized you now?”
Shi Qi flew over, landing behind him and calling out.

The old man slowly turned his head, looking at Shi Qi.

Gazing into the old man’s eyes, Shi Qi sensed something had changed—a newfound clarity, a lucidity that had replaced the former vacant dullness.

The old man stared at Shi Qi for a while before speaking slowly, “Boy, what is your name?”

What? The madman was speaking coherently? Had he regained his senses, perhaps because of that thunderball?

“Old… Senior, my name is Shi Qi,” Shi Qi replied respectfully.

“Shi Qi… Shi Qi…” the old man murmured, sighing deeply. “Ah, all is fate!”

These words left Shi Qi bewildered. He ventured, “Senior, what fate do you mean? May I ask your honored name?”

The old man did not answer, turning once more to face the sea.

After a pause, he finally spoke, “The Thousandfold Shield you carry—where did you acquire it?”

Shi Qi thought, So he does recognize the Thousandfold Shield. No wonder he acted so strangely when he first saw it.

Shi Qi answered, “I found it while traveling, in the den of a millennia-old White Tiger Beast near Yongzhou.”

The old man nodded and continued, “And the Divine Thunder?”

Shi Qi was puzzled. Divine Thunder? What Divine Thunder?

The old man turned and looked at Shi Qi’s right hand.

Catching the gesture, Shi Qi raised his right hand before his face. He said, “Divine Thunder? Does Senior mean this thunderball formed by the power of the Void?”

The old man nodded, murmuring, “It seems you know nothing.”

Shi Qi sighed, “Indeed, I know nothing of any Divine Thunder. I don’t even know how I acquired it. It was after a dream—I awoke to find a layer of Void power within me.”

The old man frowned. “What dream?”

Shi Qi recounted the dream to him, hoping the old man might know the man and woman from his vision.

But to his surprise, the old man burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahahaha! Fate, it’s all fate!”

Shi Qi asked again, “What fate is it after all? Do you know the people from my dream?”

The old man laughed, “Thousandfold Shield, Divine Thunder, myself, all are fate.”

Shi Qi scratched his head. “Senior, your words are truly baffling.”

The old man stroked his gray beard and said, “Shi Qi, tell me, have you heard of the Hundred Li Sword?”

Shi Qi shook his head—he truly had not.

The old man sighed. “So many years have passed; it seems the world has forgotten the name of Hundred Li.”

Shi Qi looked up. “Senior, is the Hundred Li Sword a famed blade?”

The old man smiled. “The Hundred Li Sword—able to cross a hundred li in an instant, renowned as the world’s fastest sword!”

Shi Qi frowned. Not to belittle himself, but if such a legendary sword existed, surely its fame would have spread throughout the Twelve Provinces. Yet he had never heard the name, which made him doubtful.

Noticing Shi Qi’s expression, the old man was not offended but continued smiling. “Shi Qi, give me your hand.”

Without hesitation, Shi Qi extended his right hand.

The old man flicked his own hand, and Shi Qi felt a sharp pain in his palm; fresh blood immediately welled up.

“Wha—”

Before Shi Qi could speak, the old man turned into a swirl of white light, spinning rapidly before him.

A surprised Shi Qi then heard the old man’s voice from within the light:

“My name is Bai Li. I am the consciousness born of the Hundred Li Sword. Since I gained awareness, I have drifted on this desolate island in confusion, until I met you and was awakened by your Divine Thunder…”

“What?!”

Shi Qi was stunned. The madman who had accompanied him for over two months was actually a sword?

This revelation shattered his worldview. He stared, speechless.

The old man continued, “I once followed my master for many years. Under his influence, I gradually developed consciousness. Yet while divine weapons can have spirit, they must not possess true awareness. If they do, Heaven’s Law brings retribution.”

“Your Divine Thunder awakened my mind and brought back many memories, but the moment my consciousness awakened, I was doomed to fade—Heaven’s Law permits no self-aware divine weapon.”

“Thousandfold Shield, Divine Thunder… Shi Qi, your every step echoes my master’s. Today, thanks to your thunder, I have regained myself—no longer that muddled old madman.”

“But my consciousness will soon be extinguished by Heaven’s Law. In other words, I am about to die. You and I are bound by fate; you are my destiny, and I am yours. Today, I shall return the essence of my Hundred Li Sword to you—may you one day restore its fame throughout the Twelve Provinces! Let the world know the Hundred Li Sword, fastest under heaven, has returned!”

“My last request: when you reach the peak of Nascent Soul, could you seek my master’s whereabouts? He once dominated the Twelve Provinces—his name was Lin…”

Before he could finish, the old man’s voice vanished.

A blinding white light swelled before Shi Qi, so intense he could not keep his eyes open.

“Swish!”

A piercing sound cut through. The white light vanished entirely.

Shi Qi came to himself and looked down. The wound on his right hand had healed, and now, resting atop it, was a white flying sword.

The center of the white sword bore a bronze dragon motif; its tip and edge were forged from the finest steel, gleaming coldly.

The dragon was beardless, ancient and natural, seamlessly crafted.

“Hundred… Li… Sword…”

Shi Qi murmured, the old madman’s words echoing in his mind, leaving him no chance to respond.

Divine weapons possess spirit—a worthy blade chooses its master, and in battle, reveals its greatest power.

Yet not everyone can wield such a blade.

Weapons must not have awareness. When they do, Heaven’s Law decrees their end. This is why the old madman’s consciousness existed only for the brief span of a single incense stick’s burning.

Before this, the old madman’s consciousness had been vague and incomplete, allowing him to evade Heaven’s retribution.

Shi Qi gazed at the divine weapon in his hand, sighing. “I wonder what tumultuous tale lies between the Hundred Li Sword and its master.”

“Rest assured, Shi Qi will not disgrace your fame. The name of the Hundred Li Sword will resound once more through the Twelve Provinces!”

“Alas, you never spoke your master’s full name—only Lin. There seem to be no swordmasters named Lin in the Twelve Provinces. No matter; I’ll seek him in time. If I can spread your fame, and if he yet lives, he will surely know.”

Shi Qi channeled his true qi into the Hundred Li Sword. It hummed in response, readily accepting his qi without resistance.

Shi Qi was delighted to realize he and the Hundred Li Sword had already reached the second level of attunement—Unity of Man and Sword!

He had refined the Thousandfold Shield for so long, reaching the second stage only on the eve of a great battle, yet now, with the Hundred Li Sword just acquired, he’d already attained it. He could even use the sword’s unique skill—Lightning Flash.

Clearly, this was the “essence return” the old man had mentioned: when a divine weapon willingly submits, the bond deepens swiftly, far beyond the pace of ordinary refinement.

Shi Qi tossed the Hundred Li Sword into the air, leapt, and landed atop its blade.

Though he had not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage and could not truly ride the sword, he could at least fly upon it. Once his cultivation deepened, he would ride the sword into battle—combining sword and spell for unmatched versatility.

Leaping onto the Hundred Li Sword, Shi Qi swooped around the island in an instant.

“So fast!”

He was amazed. Ever since he realized he could not outpace Bai Qiu’s natal flying sword, he had longed for one of his own, but never had the chance.

Now, with the Hundred Li Sword, he felt invincible. In just a few heartbeats, he had circled the entire island.

“Let me try Lightning Flash!”

At a single thought, before he could even react, his body shot forward like a blur!

“What the—!”

Shi Qi’s body turned to a shadow, slicing through the clouds and vanishing from sight.

The Hundred Li Sword—able to cross a hundred li in an instant—truly deserved its title as the world’s fastest blade. But… was it really this fast?

The phrase “Lightning Flash” originated in Buddhist texts, describing something vanishing as swiftly as lightning or a spark struck from flint.

Shi Qi truly vanished in a blink.

The sound had not even caught up before he was gone. Yet the cost was high—the sword would fall dormant afterward. Moreover, Lightning Flash could not be used recklessly. It required a set distance, and once triggered, the Hundred Li Sword could not be controlled. If there was a mountain ahead, or if the blade was pointed at the ground…

Shi Qi’s eyes could not keep up with the speed. Scenes flashed through his mind, and when he lost track, dizziness followed. The moment Lightning Flash activated, the force of the wind stripped away his protective qi. By the time it ended, Shi Qi found himself utterly naked, his body covered in countless wounds—the speed had been so fierce that, after shredding his protective energy, the wind had lacerated his flesh. He had exerted all his strength to protect himself, yet the deepest cut was nearly two inches deep…

His intestines were nearly spilling out…