Early the next morning, Li Nanzhu rose quite early.
Fortunately, getting up early was no hardship for her, but she hadn't expected her two senior brothers to be up even earlier. Had they been cultivating all night?
"Good morning, Little Junior Sister!" Duan Xianxing had been excited since yesterday, and upon seeing Li Nanzhu now, he rushed forward impatiently. In contrast, Zhu Yinxi appeared much more composed; he clearly wasn't a novice when it came to guiding newcomers in swordplay.
"Have you read the Five Elements Sword Scripture from yesterday?"
"Yes, I studied it after returning yesterday, but there are still some parts I don't quite understand. I'll need to ask for guidance from both of you today."
Though practicing the sword first required learning how to hold it, this was no difficult task for a cultivator. Thus, Li Nanzhu was determined to thoroughly grasp the content first.
Hearing this, Duan Xianxing opened his mouth to speak, but Zhu Yinxi raised a hand to stop him.
"Little Junior Sister, why don't you demonstrate the entire set of sword moves first? That way, Seventh Junior Brother and I can see if your demonstrated form matches the questions you're asking."
Li Nanzhu thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. However, since she didn't have a suitable sword on hand, she simply pulled out the Wanxiang Brush to use as a substitute.
"Little Junior Sister, catch!" Duan Xianxing suddenly threw something toward her. "I spent all day yesterday making this!"
Li Nanzhu focused and saw it was a wooden sword polished to an exceptionally smooth finish. The grain of the wood was clear, and the hilt was carefully wrapped with anti-slip cloth strips, showing the creator's dedication.
With the sword in hand, Li Nanzhu didn't dally. She followed the descriptions in the manual and began to practice. However, as it was her first time touching the path of the sword, her movements were inevitably stiff. Furthermore, because it was her first time holding a sword, some of her movements were practically the opposite of what they should have been, causing Duan Xianxing to frown.
He didn't speak to interrupt her, though. After she finished the demonstration, he simply gestured for her to step aside and walked to the center of the field with his own sword.
"Little Junior Sister, watch closely."
Duan Xianxing stood with his sword, his entire aura shifting abruptly.
The previously playful and boisterous youth was now serene. He held the sword horizontally before him, the tip slightly lowered, yet it faintly exuded a sense of piercing sharpness. He didn't rush to strike but first adjusted his breathing. Spiritual energy circulated slowly through his body, resonating with the sword in his hand.
The modern world Li Nanzhu had come from was long past the age of cold weapons; she had almost never seen such things, let alone such natural and fluid sword intent.
The sword seemed to come alive in his hand. His opening move brought a clear, resonant hum. His movements were as fluid as moving clouds and flowing water; at times, the blade was like metal and stone piercing the air, and at other times, it was as long and continuous as a stream. As he transitioned between stances, he faintly drew in the surrounding spiritual energy, gathering points of starlight at the tip of his blade.
Simple-looking moves hid profound mysteries in his hands. When he finished the final stance, a faint trail of spiritual energy remained in the air, only slowly dissipating after a long moment.
This was the true, complete Five Elements Sword Scripture. Compared to him, her earlier demonstration felt like she was just performing a clumsy ritual dance.
"Little Junior Sister, what do you think?" While Li Nanzhu was still stunned by the sword moves, Duan Xianxing's aura shifted back, and he returned to being the Seventh Senior Brother she knew.
"That was incredible," Li Nanzhu said seriously. Her seventh senior brother truly was exceptionally talented in the way of the sword. She took the opportunity to ask the questions that had arisen while she watched him.
Duan Xianxing answered her very seriously, sometimes using his finger as a sword to gesture in the air. When they encountered particularly obscure points, Zhu Yinxi would supplement the explanation at the right moment, even pointing out several subtle errors in Li Nanzhu's grip.
"Alright, let's start with basic training." Duan Xianxing smiled at Li Nanzhu. "Today, we start with the 'pick' technique. There are nine styles in total to learn."
Li Nanzhu nodded solemnly. After that demonstration, any trace of resistance she felt toward swordplay had vanished.
In truth, even without the demonstration, her nature of being true to her word meant that once she promised to learn the sword, she would never do so half-heartedly. Now, however, a genuine longing for the Dao of the sword had sprouted in her heart.
The two brothers hadn't expected that a single demonstration would make Li Nanzhu so serious. They had agreed on one hour a day, but Li Nanzhu pushed herself to practice for two full hours.
The sun was high in the sky when Li Nanzhu finally put down the wooden sword, which was now soaked with sweat.
At this moment, she suddenly understood why people throughout history dreamed of being martial heroes. Although her arms were achingly sore, the flow of power she felt with every swing and the resonance of rhythm with every completed stance only made her more excited.
This method of combat based on the sword allowed her to feel the exhilarating thrill of colliding power far more than the moves of a dharma cultivator did.
"Take a rest." Zhu Yinxi handed her a cloth, his eyes full of gratification. He truly appreciated his little junior sister's tenacity.
When Li Nanzhu reached out to take it, she realized her fingertips were trembling uncontrollably.
"Second Senior Brother, Seventh Senior Brother, what do you think of me practicing both the path of the sword and the path of talismans through dual cultivation?"
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. She didn't want to just learn the path of talismans anymore. After touching the sword, she had felt a true inner clarity, as if she were born to walk with a blade. She didn't want to give up either path.
Zhu Yinxi chuckled. "Actually, disciples of our Five Elements Dao Sect have always been able to choose multiple paths. For example, I specialize in the path of music, but I also practice the sword, so I'm already a practitioner of dual cultivation. It's just that I can't compare to a specialized sword cultivator in that regard. The other junior brothers and sisters are the same." He paused. "Except for First Senior Sister and Seventh Junior Brother. So, Little Junior Sister, feel free to do as you wish."
"Can you blame me? It's not like I don't want to learn more!" Duan Xianxing's face fell instantly as he wailed, "My constitution and my thunder spiritual root were born for the sword. I can't learn anything else at all! Every time I try to learn something new, I either get incredibly sleepy or my head starts splitting. If I had even a bit of talent for anything else, I wouldn't be so dirt poor!" He dramatically clutched his chest, looking heartbroken.
Li Nanzhu was very surprised. She had never imagined that her other senior brothers and sisters were all practicing dual cultivation. In the cultivation world, those who could cultivate two paths simultaneously were considered geniuses among geniuses. She had thought her senior brothers were just familiar with basic sword moves, but it turned out they were all dual cultivation geniuses.
"In reality, the ability of our Five Elements Dao Sect disciples to practice dual cultivation is based on our cultivation technique. Every cultivator develops different spiritual energy characteristics depending on their path. A sword cultivator's spiritual energy is sharp, while a pill cultivator's is gentle. Because of this, only sword cultivators can fly on swords; spiritual energy with other characteristics simply cannot control a flying sword. Our Five Elements Dao Sect's basic cultivation method allows us to convert the characteristics of our spiritual energy while keeping its attribute unchanged."
Li Nanzhu nodded thoughtfully. Converting characteristics? She pondered this internally. When she raised her hand again, three types of spiritual energy naturally appeared in her palm. Strangely, the spiritual energy that usually flowed in a dispersed manner for her talisman cultivation began to merge and became incredibly sharp!
"This..." Zhu Yinxi's pupils contracted, and the jade flute in his hand nearly fell to the ground. Duan Xianxing looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Little Junior Sister, you... you..."
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