Chapter 32 – Gaining Insight from Sword Techniques
Heavenly Metal Peak’s current peak master was Meng Linhai, as the former peak master, Tu Kui, was still serving his punishment for failing to instill the right values in his disciples.
Meng Linhai was also leading today’s lesson. By the time Li Guanqi arrived, the Martial Arena was already packed with disciples.
Meng Linhai began, “Today, in addition to the seventeen foundational sword techniques, I will also teach you all another basic sword technique—one with a more offensive focus. When paired with a sprint technique, it can achieve greater effects. Li Guanqi, could you please introduce the seventeen foundational sword techniques?”
With that, he gestured for Li Guanqi to come forward and handed him a pig iron sword.
Below the stage, hundreds of newly joined disciples looked at Li Guanqi with admiration. He shrugged and entered a fighting stance. The sword whistled through the air as he demonstrated the sword technique, and he ran across different sections of the stage.
As he waved the sword, Li Guanqi explained, “The seventeen foundational sword techniques are thrust, pierce, slash, point, uppercut slash, horizontal spin, vertical spin, raise...”
Crack!
A sharp snapping sound rang out. The force traveled through the blade from hilt to tip, and the pig iron sword shattered into three sections. A standard sword had been unable to withstand Li Guanqi’s demonstration of foundational sword techniques.
Meng Linhai stared in shock. He had not expected Li Guanqi to have such terrifying strength.
Li Guanqi and Meng Linhai looked at each other. In the end, Li Guanqi said, “Uh… Elder Meng, should we switch to a different sword?”
“Yes, we should. Pig iron swords are too brittle to withstand your strength. Use mine instead.”
Li Guanqi took the magical sword and his entire aura changed subtly. Meng Linhai was the only one present who could perceive the changes in him.
Clang!
“Raise! Sweep, wrap, cut, flick, twist, lift, horizontal slash, vertical slash, and feint!”
He erupted into a flurry of motion. Though these were merely foundational techniques, they seemed anything but simple when demonstrated by him.
Meng Linhai’s eyes gleamed with pride. “I didn’t expect you to be this familiar with sword techniques.”
Li Guanqi gave a small smile and descended the stage.
Meng Linhai said, “The seventeen movements demonstrated by Li Guanqi were all the most basic sword techniques. The more complex sword movements are all built on top of these foundational techniques, either by combining or modifying them.”
Then, Meng Linhai took a long look at Li Guanqi. He sincerely felt that Li Guanqi was a natural-born sword cultivator. “I don’t know if you all noticed it, but all the techniques he demonstrated ultimately converged at a single point in the air!”
Wow!
After Meng Linhai’s reminder, the disciples were hit with the realization. Even Ye Feng’s eyes lit up with understanding. He muttered, “So that’s why I felt like his movements flowed as smoothly as water. It was utterly graceful!”
The disciples of the other peaks finally understood why his movements seemed so natural.
Then, Meng Linhai raised his sword and announced, “Today’s technique is called the Vajra Sword. Watch carefully!”
Whoosh!
Meng Linhai’s silhouette flickered as vital force surged within him. The sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of whooshing noises. The sword moved and changed directions as quickly as lightning.
Li Guanqi observed his every movement carefully through his heart’s eye.
In his opinion, Meng Linhai’s movements were simple. They were built upon four fundamental techniques: flick, raise, point, and pierce. It was an offensive routine, and the only way to defend against it was to adapt the same offensive techniques to defense.
The defense against the Vajra Sword was to combine the point, raise, and flick movements to block incoming strikes.
Once Meng Linhai retracted his sword and returned to his standing position, Li Guanqi fell into deep thought. Meng Linhai’s demonstration had opened a metaphorical door in his mind.
It was exactly as Sword Spirit had said—techniques existed in the mind. The same technique could serve different purposes depending on how it was applied.
Countless ideas flooded into his mind, and the seventeen sword techniques unfolded into countless possibilities. As the voices around him blurred into the background, Li Guanqi sank into a contemplative state, sitting cross-legged on the spot.
Meng Linhai sensed Li Guanqi’s contemplative state and quickly released an intimidating pressure across the hall to silence the crowd.
Inside his mind, Li Guanqi felt unprecedented clarity. He found himself in a misty white world surrounded by countless copies of himself, each clone demonstrating a different sword technique.
One clone executed a simple point technique, but by just touching his opponent’s weapon, the opponent was sent flying.
Wait…
Li Guanqi felt as if a mental block had been released. The rigid rules of sword techniques no longer bound him; he had transcended beyond them.
Sometime later, he slowly opened his eyes.
He looked up at the anxious Meng Linhai and said, “I’m sorry for interrupting your class, Elder.”
Meng Linhai laughed and said, “Interrupt? If everyone in my class could gain insights like you, I would happily teach every day. So, did you realize something?”
Li Guanqi smiled. “Just a little.”
Meng Linhai advised him to leave the class and find a quiet place to reflect further. Li Guanqi accepted the suggestion—he needed time to consolidate what he had learned.
Upon returning to his cultivation room, he immediately entered a meditative state.
***
The next morning, when he woke up, he heard Sword Spirit’s voice.
“Not bad. You’ve barely set foot on the Sword Path, yet you’ve already broken past the rigid constraints of sword techniques. Excellent.”
Li Guanqi did not expect Sword Spirit to praise him. He asked curiously, “If you knew about this, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
With some amusement in her voice, Sword Spirit said, “Some concepts aren’t easy to explain. No matter how many times someone tells you, understanding still depends on personal realization. Even if I had told you to transcend beyond the boundaries of sword techniques, you wouldn’t have grasped what it truly meant.”
Li Guanqi nodded in agreement. He wouldn’t have truly understood the concept without the initial insight he gained in class.
He stretched his back and recalled that his master had asked him to check out the Mission Pavilion. After tidying his room, he set off for Heavenly Pillar Peak’s Mission Pavilion.
He had nearly exhausted all the spirit stones he earned, so he needed to find ways to acquire more spirit stones. Otherwise, his cultivation speed would decrease.
Upon arriving, he found a crowd of disciples gathered at the entrance, chattering noisily.
Through the gaps in the crowd, he caught sight of something that made his expression darken.
There was a person kneeling on the ground, and he recognized them.
But instead of rushing forward to help, he chose to stand aside and assess the situation first.
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