The crisp, pleasant rustling of turning pages was something Li Feiyu found rather irritating. He paid no attention to Han Li, who was intently reading, and instead returned to the edge of the pond, drawing out his long sword planted in the soil, and practiced with it by himself. Han Li glanced at him briefly, noting his lively energy, and then resumed his focus on the book in his hands. "One glance at ten lines"—that phrase probably described precisely Han Li's astonishing reading speed. With a thick volume in hand, he swiftly finished it, then lowered his head, glanced neither left nor right, and picked up another book at random, turning its pages without pause. His eyes were slightly narrowed, occasionally revealing thoughtful expressions as he read, his gaze firmly fixed on the text, never straying, while his head swayed gently in rhythm with his eyes, displaying a classic scholar's composed, nodding demeanor. Time flew by swiftly, and Han Li quickly went through one after another of the "Eyes-Flash Sword Manuals." When he had finished reading the eleventh scroll, he suddenly paused his astonishing reading pace, setting the just-completed scroll back into the bundle. He closed his eyes and rested. After his spirit had slightly recovered, he sat cross-legged in place and began practicing the Changchun Technique, mentally replaying the contents of the over a dozen scrolls he had just read. Not long afterward, Han Li's face took on a variety of expressions—sometimes filled with excitement, sometimes furrowed with deep thought, and at other times grim with frustration. It wasn't clear how long this had gone on, but eventually Han Li opened his eyes only to be startled by what he saw. Li Feiyu's head had somehow been brought close to his own, pressed so tightly that their noses nearly touched. "What are you doing? You weren't just practicing your sword technique a moment ago?" "Han brother, what time is it now?" "You're still asking such a silly question," Li Feiyu pulled back slightly, giving a dismissive sigh. Han Li realized then that the light around him had grown dim. He looked up at the sky, now gray and overcast, and saw that it was already evening. "Hmph! Time really flies—I didn't even realize how long we've been here." Han Li stood up and stretched his arms and legs. "Any interesting findings from the scrolls?" Li Feiyu watched him with eager eyes, hoping to hear the final verdict. "Yes, quite good—very suitable for me." "Quite good? Say something more concrete!" Li Feiyu expressed his slight dissatisfaction. "To be precise, these scrolls are a hodgepodge—no coherent system, just assembled from various sources here and there?" Han Li said slowly. "Then what exactly is the 'Flash-Blade Technique'? Does it really exist? And why does it have such an odd name?" "Li Feiyu was still not satisfied and pressed on with further questions. "The Eye-Blinking Sword Technique truly exists, though it is just one part of a broader collection—only a small portion of the content in these books is devoted to it," Han Li said with great patience. "As for why it's named the Eye-Blinking Sword Technique, there's actually a solid reason." "What reason? You can't just give us one sentence at a time—always breaking off and starting anew—it's exactly like talking to the old scholar from our town!" Li Feiyu glared at Han Li, clearly unimpressed by his slow, deliberate pace. Han Li, finally at his wits' end, slightly accelerated his narration. "According to the books, this sword technique exploits various light effects and human visual illusions to defeat opponents, often causing them to lose their lives within the span of a single blink. That's why it's called the Eye-Blinking Sword Technique." "Really? There's such an unusual sword technique? The world must be full of remarkable people!" Li Feiyu was deeply interested at first, but soon set aside his enthusiasm upon hearing the next sentence from Han Li. "This sword style has three limitations: those with only a modest mastery of true qi cannot practice it; those lacking strong determination cannot practice it; and those without natural talent cannot practice it." Upon hearing the first condition, Li Feiyu immediately abandoned his intention to study it—his internal true qi had already reached a solid level, and he could hardly abandon his existing proficiency to learn a technique whose effectiveness he had yet to fully assess. As Li Feiyu lost all interest in these scrolls, he grew unwilling to remain at the location. He rose to prepare for departure, and before leaving, he reminded Han Li to quickly copy all the scrolls, promising to return the original copies upon their next meeting. After all, though these scrolls were not highly valued by others, if they disappeared for too long, they would inevitably draw attention. Not long after Li Feiyu's departure, Han Li also left the place. The entire mountain range was veiled in a thin mist, appearing somewhat dim. Along the narrow mountain path, dense stands of coniferous forests stretched on both sides. As a breeze swept through the trees, they rustled with a soft "shush-shush" sound, their branches swaying and twisting in an eerie, lifelike manner. Han Li hurried along this strangely supernatural path, heading swiftly toward Shen Shou Valley. Since he had departed too late, the sky had completely darkened by the time he reached the halfway point. Had it not been for his mastery of the Changchun Technique, which sharpened his vision in the evening, he would have found it nearly impossible to make progress under such dim conditions. After all, the path was not easy—full of winding turns and narrow passages—and a single misstep could easily lead to disaster, even death.