Instant Kill in One Strike

Ye Chen sheathed his sword, paused, and looked up at Ye Ling before him.

He sighed inwardly. Although he had once been the number one genius of the Ye family, these past few years of hard practice in the martial arts arena had slowly made him realize that while he might be slightly superior in terms of cultivation talent, when it came to the comprehension and application of martial techniques, he and Ye Ling were actually about the same.

“She won't lose.”

Ye Chen knew this very well.

Since she had stepped in to help, he would remember this favor. He would repay it tenfold when the opportunity arose in the future.

He cupped his hands to Ye Ling in a salute, then turned around, gripped his sword again, and resumed practicing on his own.

In the center of the martial arts arena, disciples gathered in several layers. Several instructors also stopped what they were doing and stood aside to watch the excitement.

Ye Ling and Ye Long stood facing each other, separated by a dozen paces.

Dressed in red, Ye Long stood a head taller. He looked down at the slender girl opposite him, a smile he thought was gentle playing on his lips.

He spoke slowly, his tone carrying an air of condescension. “Cousin Ye Ling, you are still young, and cultivation is not easy. As your older cousin, I will give you a chance. Concede now, and I will absolutely not hurt you. You don't have much of a relationship with Ye Chen anyway, so there's no need to wade into these muddy waters for him.”

He felt certain that Ye Ling would take the easy way out.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Ling raised her hand, and with a sharp clang, her longsword left its scabbard.

A cold light flashed. Standing with her sword in hand, she said indifferently, “Cut the nonsense. Come.”

She had originally wanted to exchange a few more moves to test the martial techniques she had just trained to Great Perfection. But seeing his attitude, she decided to forget it. It was better to finish this quickly and collect her sword technique.

Ye Long's face darkened. “Since you insist on doing this the hard way...”

He swung his fists, launching the Wild Bull Fist with a roar. As a fist technique at the Mastery level, the wind from his punches howled, carrying a decent amount of momentum.

Ye Ling took one look.

“Too many openings.”

She had trained this fist technique to Great Perfection; she could spot the flaws in his every move even with her eyes closed.

With a casual thrust of her sword, the tip pierced precisely into an opening.

With a loud bang, Ye Long flew backward and crashed to the ground.

Ye Ling sheathed her sword, her tone flat. “Apologies, I didn't hold back my strength well enough. I didn't expect you to be so fragile.”

Shame and rage washed over Ye Long. Unable to catch his breath, his vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

The surrounding crowd instantly erupted into a clamor.

“One move?”

“Ye Long went down just like that?”

“Since when is Ye Ling this strong?”

“Didn't she just break through to the Houtian Fifth Layer not long ago?”

“What do you know? She practices every single day. How can she be compared to Ye Long, who slacks off all the time?”

Ignoring the chatter, Ye Ling walked straight to the instructor, showing a rare trace of eagerness. “Instructor, what about that sword technique?”

The other instructors watching from the side found it amusing. “This girl has nothing but swords in her eyes.”

The swordplay instructor laughed heartily and pulled a thin booklet from his robe. Written on the cover were four characters: Shaoshang Sword Technique.

He handed the booklet over and said seriously, “Ye Ling, this sword manual is yours. I obtained it by chance during my travels in my younger years. It is Yellow-grade mid-tier, but it is much stronger than other techniques of the same grade. Practice it well, and don't let it go to waste.”

Ye Ling received it with both hands and nodded seriously. “Thank you, Instructor. This disciple will definitely practice hard and will not disappoint you.”

Now that she had the sword manual, she didn't want to stay in the martial arts arena for another second. Her hands were itching; she couldn't wait to open it and take a look right now.

She bowed slightly to the instructor. “Instructor, this disciple wishes to return and comprehend the sword technique first. I shall take my leave for today.”

The instructor waved his hand with a smile. “Go on, go on. I knew you only had eyes for swords, you silly girl.”

Ye Ling nodded, turned, and left. Her pace was much faster than usual.

Returning to her residence, Ye Ling quickly walked into her courtyard. The servant saw her expression, knew she was about to practice her swordplay, and tactfully stepped aside.

She sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard, placed the sword manual on her knees, and opened the first page.

Shaoshang Sword Technique.

First, she flipped through it roughly, scanning the general flow of the moves, the key points of force generation, and the secrets of energy circulation. Then, she started from the beginning, reading carefully page by page.

This sword technique followed a fierce and domineering path. The moves were grand and sweeping, with heavy force behind each slash and chop, as if they could split mountains and rocks. Its thrusts were precise and fierce, specifically targeting the opponent's vital points. The further one progressed in the form, the more powerful it became, unleashing wave after wave of attacks that left the opponent with no room to breathe.

There were also a few lines of small writing appended to the manual, which were notes written by the instructor in his early years.

Ye Ling silently committed this passage to memory. She closed the sword manual, stood up, and walked to the center of the courtyard with her sword.

Closing her eyes, she visualized the moves she had just read about in her mind. Then, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to practice.

The first run-through was somewhat stiff. A few transitions were not smooth, and her force generation felt a bit awkward, causing her to get stuck mid-flow. She stopped, flipped through the manual to see how those specific parts were written, and then resumed.

The second run-through was much smoother. At least she could perform the entire technique from start to finish without getting stuck.

By the third run-through, she was already starting to get a feel for it. Although the sword momentum was not yet fierce enough, the connection between the moves had become much more fluid.

The fourth time, the fifth time, the sixth time...

She practiced over and over, completely unable to stop.

“This feeling is amazing.”

“It's like playing a video game where the experience bar is constantly rising right before your eyes.”

“If I had felt like this in my past life, is there anything I couldn't have accomplished?”

She muttered to herself as she practiced.

Unknowingly, she practiced from noon until dusk. The sun had already sunk low, casting Ye Ling's long shadow across the courtyard. She was drenched in sweat, but her energy was only growing.

“Ling'er,” her mother Wu Wanmei's voice came from the courtyard entrance.

Ye Ling sheathed her sword and turned to look. Wu Wanmei was standing at the entrance, holding a tray with food on it.

“You silly child, have you been practicing all day again? You didn't even eat lunch, did you?” Wu Wanmei walked in, set the tray on the stone table in the courtyard, and reached out to touch Ye Ling's forehead. “You're covered in sweat. Hurry and wipe it off, then eat first.”

Ye Ling took the cloth handed to her by her mother, wiped the sweat from her face, and sat down on the stone bench.

“How many times have I told you? Practice all you want, but you can't skip meals.” Wu Wanmei sat down beside her, nagging as she watched her eat. “Your father was also obsessed with cultivation when he was young, but even he wasn't like you, practicing for a whole day and forgetting to eat.”

Ye Ling buried her face in her bowl and offered a muffled response. “Mother, you don't understand. Practicing the sword is much more satisfying than eating.”

Wu Wanmei, seeing her like this, knew it was useless to argue and sighed. “Fine, fine, just eat. Rest early after you're done, and don't practice too late.”

“Mhm.”

Wu Wanmei stood up, cast another look back at her, smiled helplessly, and turned to leave.

After eating, Ye Ling did not rush to continue practicing. She sat down in the courtyard and reviewed today's progress in her mind.

Shaoshang Sword Technique, from the basics to Initial Mastery, had taken her only a single day. At this rate, she would reach Mastery in about ten days, and she would definitely achieve Great Perfection within two months.

She was still thinking about the other two Yellow-grade mid-tier martial techniques. According to the clan's rules, after a disciple broke through to the Houtian Sixth Layer, they could go to the Martial Arts Pavilion to select two more. She was already at the Houtian Sixth Layer, but she simply hadn't found the time to go and claim them.

“I'll visit the Martial Arts Pavilion tomorrow. I'll pick two suitable ones and practice them together.”

She calculated the remaining time. There were still six months left until the family tournament, which was more than enough time for her to train the Shaoshang Sword Technique and the other two martial techniques to Great Perfection. Her cultivation could also break through another layer or two.

“In half a year, no matter who I face, I will have the confidence.”

Thinking of this, she felt much more at ease.

The sky had completely darkened. The lanterns in the courtyard were lit, their dim yellow light spilling onto the ground, stretching her shadow.

Ye Ling stood up and gripped her sword once more.

“Just a little longer.”

“Just a little bit more.”