NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32 The So-Called Sword Dao...
[Famous Sword Eighty-Two — Spring Rain Sword, it is said to be the work of the master forger Ou Muzi in his early years, crafted two thousand years ago during the dark era.]
[Sword length three feet three inches, weight twenty-three catties, mainly made of Star Iron, forged from one hundred catties of refined cold iron essence.]
[There are only three traceable masters of it, one of whom is Feng Chengzi, who wielded it wandering the Northern Wilderness (now the Ten Thousand Mountains).]
[The second was Zhou Wu, the founding general of the Wei Dynasty, over the span of twenty years...]
Chen Yi finished browsing the Famous Sword Book, his gaze landing on the longsword beside him.
The sword scabbard was made of black patterned wood, dull and lusterless, without any carvings.
And the whole sword lacked a guard, with a straight appearance, enough to win the fondness of any swordsman.
Chen Yi picked up the Spring Rain Sword, his small hand caressing the blade, and then gripped the sword hilt and exerted a slight force.
Hum!
Accompanied by the sound of the sword's hum, a glint of light flashed before Chen Yi's eyes.
"A sword that doesn't like to defend..."
"To attack as defense, that works too."
After admiring it for a while, Chen Yi sheathed the Spring Rain Sword.
He then saw the Little Jade Sword on his wrist buzz slightly, as if discontented with his newfound interest in another.
Chen Yi fell silent, holding the delicate Jade Sword, comforting with a smile: "You are different from it, you are my ace in the hole."
"What is an ace in the hole?"
"Only when the Spring Rain Sword is defeated, will I rely on your power to help me fend off enemies, that's an ace in the hole."
"The stronger the existence, the later it strikes, right?"
"Don't believe? Heh..."
Believe it or not.
Chen Yi stood up and went to the window, watching the night outside, the image of Chen Yuan gifting the sword drifting through his mind.
He vaguely felt that today's big brother was a bit different than before going to the Zhou Residence.
But on closer thought, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed.
He could only attribute it to the two not having seen each other for too long, that Little Chen Yuan had progressed.
Then Chen Yi recalled the conversation they had had that night, a hint of a smile spreading across his face.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..."
Would the two brothers unite to fend off demons?
There should come such a day... perhaps.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was mid-June.
The scorching weather made the entire Kyoto Prefecture hot like a furnace.
Not only did the outer city's Changle and Yongnian counties need it, but even inside the Imperial City, they had to activate the Array to maintain a comfortable temperature.
It was said that many places had already experienced drought.
In just the span of a month, the scorching drought cracked the earth, resulting in crop failure in the fields.
Even when Chen Yi occasionally entered and exited the Imperial Palace, he could hear a hint of worry in the whispers of others.
It seemed that the supreme ruler within the court and the ministers were also troubled by this matter.
Of course, these were concerns for the adults to worry about; they did not affect him, nor did they affect Xingwu Academy.
"Only two months left until the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Ning Xue still dressed in white, her long hair gathered behind her head, leaving only two strands of hair on her forehead, her eyes like stars reflecting the children of Qingzheng Hall.
Different from usual, she held a sword in her hand today.
It was a longsword that was the same length as the Spring Rain Sword by Chen Yi's hand but even more gorgeous and beautiful.
The exquisite and white jade scabbard had carvings and hollows revealing the silver-white blade.
The sword hilt was milky white, with a tassel hanging from the end.
Such a sword added a few touches of heroic spirit to Ning Xue's cold demeanor, resembling the fairies depicted in storybooks.
"I have mentioned before, our Grand Void Sect mainly revolves around The Path of the Grand Void and Sword Dao."
"The Path of the Grand Void is a sect taboo which I cannot elaborate on, but Sword Dao, I can."
"Today, I will start with Sword Dao, to give you an understanding for the choosing of your future weapons."
"The so-called Sword Dao..."
Before she finished speaking, Ning Xue drew her longsword from the scabbard.
She spoke of the fundamental knowledge of Sword Dao while dancing with the longsword.
Sometimes light and agile, sometimes heavy and solid.
In the flux of speed and rhythm, her sword dance seemed to possess an artistic conception.
With every movement, the sword Qi was hidden without release, emphasizing intent over form.
Elegance laced with sharpness, perhaps also a touch of solitude and coldness?
At least, in Chen Yi's eyes, this was the essence of the Sword Dao that Ning Xue displayed.
With his current swordsmanship expertise, he could tell that Mr. Ning had already reached the Small Success Realm.
However, due to long-established habits, Chen Yi subconsciously began to extrapolate the swordsmanship demonstrated by Mr. Ning.
First, he pinpointed several openings and flaws, incidentally refining and perfecting them.
Subsequently, he commenced disassembling each sword move, seeking out corresponding counter-sword techniques.
One set, two sets, three sets...
Chen Yi silently raised his eyebrows, worthy indeed of the swordsmanship heir of the Grand Void Sect.
There were not many flaws in that set of sword techniques, only thirteen.
Accordingly, he could only come up with six sets of sword techniques capable of countering these moves.
"This is the Hidden Sword Style from my Grand Void Swordsmanship, which emphasizes concealing the blade within..."
After a brief explanation of this set of sword techniques, Ning Xue went on to demonstrate three more sets, each with different emphases.
However, most of the other children were just watching the excitement.
Only those who had chosen the Jade Sword during the grabbing test looked on with eager eyes, wishing they were the ones wielding the sword.
"Mr. Ning, you're amazing."
"Yeah, that last set of sword dance was really beautiful."
"What a pity my grabbing test object was the Jade Blade, my physique suits knives better..."
Chen Yi was indifferent to the excitement of the noble youth around him.
To be honest, he did not think highly of the sword techniques performed by Ning Xue.
Compared to the ten thousand sets of swordsmanship rewarded to him by the panel earlier, these sets were only mediocre.
After his swordsmanship level rose to Small Success, techniques became less important to him.
He preferred what the panel described as "proficient in combat and utilization."
He did not stick to any particular set of sword techniques when facing enemies.
Instead, he sought simplicity, directness, and efficacy, exploiting the enemy's weaknesses to achieve a one-strike kill.
This was also related to the swordsmanship inheritance he received and the experiences within the "Nightmare Realm Technique."
Those demons he battled with seldom attacked with tactics, let alone with formality.
Mostly, they would use everything at their disposal—hands, feet, elbows, and even their tails and biting.
Anything that could inflict damage was turned into a lethal weapon, fierce and ruthless.
Thus, Chen Yi gradually grew accustomed to such a combat style when clashing with them.
Whether it was overpowering strength or fancy tricks, my sword will slay them in one strike!
"Chen Yi."
At this moment, the cool voice of Ning Xue reached him, snapping Chen Yi out of his reverie.
He looked at her with confusion and asked, "Mr. Ning?"
"Sparring. With me."
Ning Xue waved her hand, and the air around her stirred, shifting dozens of breezes to move the other children aside.
Chen Yi: "..."
He looked around at his position and couldn't help but be speechless.
Not even giving him a chance to refuse, she directly left him alone in the center of the arena?
But the noble heirs around were getting excited.
"Brother Yi, impressive!" Du Yanqing gave a thumbs up.
Du Yan followed, shouting, "Brother Yi, don't be afraid, Mr. Ning is gentle with her moves."
"Be careful, Brother Yi."
Lin Xueru offered a word of caution, and then she leaned in with hands supporting her cheeks, watching the two in the center with budding anticipation.
She knew about Chen Yi's cultivation in swordsmanship; that night...
As for the others such as the princes and princely heirs, they were all looking forward to the show.
Especially after Chen Yi came to Xingwu Academy carrying a longsword one day, Wei Letian, Gongye Shou, and others had more than once wished to mock him.
Everyone else was enhancing their True Yuan cultivation, why the exception for you, using a sword as a decoration?
Now, at last, they had their chance!
Seeing this, Chen Yi helplessly stood up, picking up the Spring Rain Sword, and positioned himself opposite Ning Xue.
"Mr. Ning, how would you like to practice?"