f can never equal -m

In fact, before reaching this particular VERIFY_CHECK, we had already successfully passed through

    VERIFY_CHECK(secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, -1) > 0); /* f > -modulus */

ensuring that f is not -m.

src/modinv32_impl.h

@@ -643,13 +643,12 @@ static void secp256k1_modinv32_var(secp256k1_modinv32_signed30 *x, const secp256
 
  /* g == 0 */
  VERIFY_CHECK(secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&g, len, &SECP256K1_SIGNED30_ONE, 0) == 0);
- /* |f| == 1, or (x == 0 and d == 0 and |f|=modulus) */
+ /* |f| == 1, or (x == 0 and d == 0 and f=modulus) */
  VERIFY_CHECK(secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&f, len, &SECP256K1_SIGNED30_ONE, -1) == 0 ||
  secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&f, len, &SECP256K1_SIGNED30_ONE, 1) == 0 ||
  (secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(x, 9, &SECP256K1_SIGNED30_ONE, 0) == 0 &&
  secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&d, 9, &SECP256K1_SIGNED30_ONE, 0) == 0 &&
- (secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, 1) == 0 ||
- secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, -1) == 0)));
+ secp256k1_modinv32_mul_cmp_30(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, 1) == 0));
 
  /* Optionally negate d, normalize to [0,modulus), and return it. */
  secp256k1_modinv32_normalize_30(&d, f.v[len - 1], modinfo);

src/modinv64_impl.h

@@ -698,13 +698,12 @@ static void secp256k1_modinv64_var(secp256k1_modinv64_signed62 *x, const secp256
 
  /* g == 0 */
  VERIFY_CHECK(secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&g, len, &SECP256K1_SIGNED62_ONE, 0) == 0);
- /* |f| == 1, or (x == 0 and d == 0 and |f|=modulus) */
+ /* |f| == 1, or (x == 0 and d == 0 and f=modulus) */
  VERIFY_CHECK(secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&f, len, &SECP256K1_SIGNED62_ONE, -1) == 0 ||
  secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&f, len, &SECP256K1_SIGNED62_ONE, 1) == 0 ||
  (secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(x, 5, &SECP256K1_SIGNED62_ONE, 0) == 0 &&
  secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&d, 5, &SECP256K1_SIGNED62_ONE, 0) == 0 &&
- (secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, 1) == 0 ||
- secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, -1) == 0)));
+ secp256k1_modinv64_mul_cmp_62(&f, len, &modinfo->modulus, 1) == 0));
 
  /* Optionally negate d, normalize to [0,modulus), and return it. */
  secp256k1_modinv64_normalize_62(&d, f.v[len - 1], modinfo);