Yuan Hongxin waved his hand, signaling for them to continue without minding him.
When he turned around, his back to the crowd,
The expression on his face quickly collapsed, and he strode toward the Martial Arts Training Ground.
In the Martial Arts Training Ground,
Song Dongn was practicing the Yuan Body Twenty Sword Technique against a wooden dummy.
From slow to fast, he quickly executed a complete set.
But he didn’t stop there; instead, he rapidly perford a second set, then a third.
However, as he was about to finish the fourth complete set of sword Technique, Song Dongn’s sword moves started to change.
In the normally tightly choreographed sequence of moves, a slight fluctuation appeared—several moves were executed out of order, while so changed.
A bit deviated from the standard moves, but they seamlessly integrated with the other sword techniques.
With these subtle modifications, the entire Swordsmanship suddenly beca silky smooth.
It seed as if this was how the Swordsmanship was always ant to be used, and the rigid techniques rely provided a basic frawork. It was the ingenious use of combinations that brought out the true power of the Swordsmanship.
"So... it’s like this?"
Song Dongn stared blankly at the paired swords in his hand, letting the sweat on his face drip onto the ground.
"But why did Master insist I only practice according to the sword moves? Why never teach anything else?"
Song Dongn was puzzled.
rely a few simple changes and variations significantly enhanced his well-practiced Swordsmanship, giving it true lethality and greatly progressing his skill.
Yet the Master had never taught him this; instead, he had always been instructed to rigidly practice the prescribed sword moves.
"If I were as I am now, perhaps I could defeat Diao Deyi!"
Song Dongn felt a surge of excitent, as if he had discovered a new continent.
Just by adding such simple variation, the Yuan Body Swordsmanship had seen such imnse growth.
What about the other Martial Arts, then?
Injecting the sa simple changes and variations should also reveal more possibilities.
No sooner had the thought occurred to him than Song Dongn moved to implent it.
But before he could even position himself to begin, a crisp clapping sound suddenly ca from behind him.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Who?
Song Dongn turned around and imdiately paused his movents, bowing respectfully.
"Master!"
The person who appeared was none other than Yuan Hongxin.
At this mont, Yuan Hongxin looked at him with the fond expression of an amiable elder watching his own child, his face showing approval.
"Dongn, you have grown."
"Master, did you notice?" Song Dongn asked with a delighted expression: "I incorporated sothing I just realized into this Swordsmanship, and it felt so much more powerful instantly. Let show you again, could you take a look for ?"
Yuan Hongxin nodded with a smile.
"Alright."
Song Dongn began to perform his swordplay, breaking down the Sword Technique to use it in segnts, connecting it with so techniques. Though still slightly unpolished, he was gaining more insight and becoming more adept; the moves themselves turned more powerful swiftly.
With every motion, he created gusts of wind, fully imrsed in a delicate sentint of enlightennt.
"Brilliant!"
Suddenly, an exclamation broke his trance, startling him awake from that dreamlike, intoxicating state.
In an instant, Song Dongn felt a profound sense of regret, as if he had missed out on sothing extrely important.
With both hands holding the paired swords, he maintained his sword-fighting stance.
He wanted to continue, but for the mont he couldn’t recall what move to follow with.
He didn’t even know how he had arrived at this variation of the technique; he had completely deviated from the original realm of Yuan Body Sword Technique, as if he had stepped into a more powerful form of swordsmanship, as if he only needed to continue pondering, and he would be able to comprehend an even higher level of swordsmanship derived from the Yuan Body Sword Technique.
But now, it was gone.
His inspiration, his understanding of the Sword Dao, his accumulated insights – everything ca to an abrupt halt with that cheer.
For a mont, Song Dongn felt an indescribably complex emotion, a kind of indefinable lancholy.
He forced himself to brandish the sword, to forcefully execute the Yuan Body Sword Technique; his body started to be enveloped in bone powder, but it wasn’t the usual tricolor powder, but... four colors!
In addition to the usual purple, blue, and red, there was now an additional layer of dark green powder.
Almost the instant that the four-color powder appeared around Song Dongn, Yuan Hongxin’s face changed drastically, and he shouted sternly.
"Enough!"
"Master, Master?"
Song Dongn hurriedly stopped, and the powder swirling around him scattered to the ground.
And that master, who was always gentle, now had a face dark as water, looking sowhat terrifying.
"Master, what’s wrong? Was there sothing wrong with my execution of the sword technique? I, I’ve integrated so of the latest insights, I felt... I felt it would be a little better..."
Song Dongn’s voice trailed off because he noticed that his master’s gaze was fierce, as if ready to devour soone.
"Dongn, co with ! I have sothing to tell you."
With that, Yuan Hongxin turned and walked inside.
"...Yes."
Song Dongn was sowhat puzzled, but he still followed.
Although his master was a bit strange today.
Having followed his master for so long, his master would never harm him.
Certainly, there must have been sothing wrong with the sword technique I just perford, and master wants to guide .
Song Dongn was reassured.
Following Yuan Hongxin, Song Dongn realized that the place his master was heading to was the alchemy room.
"Master."
The guard at the door, Qi Xiangxuan, imdiately greeted with respect.
Yuan Hongxin nodded slightly.
"Did you find anything about the matter I asked you to investigate yesterday?"
"There are so clues..."
Qi Xiangxuan was about to continue speaking when Yuan Hongxin suddenly interrupted her.
"No rush, go wait in the study, I will deal with the matters here first. Then I’ll co over there and you can report the details to ."
"Yes."
Qi Xiangxuan looked at Song Dongn, seeming to ponder sothing, but quickly suppressed her thoughts and silently nodded, then left.
After Qi Xiangxuan left, Song Dongn followed Yuan Hongxin into the alchemy room.
Inside the alchemy room, the heat was stifling, making Song Dongn sowhat uncomfortable.
Though he had been part of the Yuan Body Martial Arts School for many years, the number of tis he had been to the alchemy room was few and far between.
This place was like a forbidden area of the martial arts school, one of the places where his master would frequently stay. Usually, there would be soone guarding the entrance, and it was forbidden for any disciple to enter casually.
Has master, who hasn’t for a long ti, asked to co to the alchemy room because he has developed so new dicine pill that will help break through my current level, to defeat that detestable Diao Deyi, and make master proud?
As Song Dongn considered this, Yuan Hongxin, facing away from him, spoke up.
"Dongn, what do you think is the most important material in the process of alchemy?"
Song Dongn, not quite understanding these things, hesitated to answer.
"Precious dicinal materials?"
"Wrong!"
Yuan Hongxin suddenly turned around, gazing at him, eyes directly eting his.
"It’s ’people’."
User Comments
0 comments from readers