"Alright, let's begin now!"
Qin Xu stood up. With a casual gesture, a one-foot-long branch flew into his right hand.
Forming a sword gesture with his left hand, faint cyan light radiated from both hands. As he gently brushed over the branch, the remaining twigs and withered leaves were instantly shaved away.
Slowly, a miniature three-chi long sword took shape in his hands.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it forward, and it floated quietly in the air before him.
With another gesture of his right hand, a slightly thicker one-foot branch snapped from a nearby tree and flew into his hand.
Using the sword gesture again, Qin Xu lightly swept his left hand across it.
A wooden scabbard appeared in his hand.
Qin Xu caught the floating sword with his left hand and smoothly inserted it into the scabbard in his right.
The motion flowed like drifting clouds and running water.
Everything fit perfectly, as if the sword and scabbard had always been a single whole.
"Here. This will be the wooden sword you use for practice."
Qin Yi's eyes widened as he watched Qin Xu's miraculous craftsmanship.
His face was full of admiration.
Carefully, he received the wooden sword with both hands. He examined it closely, reluctant to put it down.
"Datou, watch carefully. I'll demonstrate a move from the Basic Sword Technique."
Qin Xu's expression suddenly changed.
His left hand grasped the air lightly.
A clear sword hum sounded from inside the house.
In the blink of an eye, the sword flew into Qin Xu's left hand.
It looked as though he had always been holding a treasured sword—its scabbard, hilt, and blade all forged from bronze.
"Cleave Sword."
Qin Xu spread his feet slightly, shoulder-width apart.
His body stood naturally upright.
His left hand held the front of the scabbard, letting it hang loosely at his side.
His right hand gently gripped the sword hilt.
As he drew the sword and cleaved downward, his knees bent slightly and his body leaned forward.
When the sword stopped, his body seemed almost crouched on the ground.
His center of gravity had dropped extremely low.
Then Qin Xu slowly stood up again.
The bronze sword naturally returned to its scabbard.
"Datou, did you see it clearly?"
At that moment, the game panel appeared with a new message.
"After observing Qin Xu demonstrate the 'Cleave Sword' move of the Basic Sword Technique, the combat skill Basic Sword Technique LV0 has slightly improved."
Qin Yi thought about it for a moment and nodded.
"I saw it clearly."
Qin Xu looked at him with anticipation.
"Come. Try it once."
Qin Yi imitated Qin Xu's movements from just now.
Every motion was copied perfectly.
Even his gaze, expression, and breathing were identical.
Elder Huang's eyes widened in shock.
After seeing it, Qin Xu burst into loud laughter.
He cast a proud glance at Elder Huang.
Did he think Qin Xu hadn't noticed the perfunctory tone in his earlier words?
At that time, Qin Xu had already imagined the expression Elder Huang would have when he witnessed Datou's talent.
Stunned.
Disbelieving.
Amazed beyond words.
And sure enough—this was exactly the expression he was making.
"Hahaha…"
"Elder Huang, pour Datou another bowl of Yangyuan Soup."
While Qin Yi held the bowl and sipped the nourishing soup slowly, Qin Xu began to instruct him.
"Datou, your imitation was extremely accurate. There wasn't a single flaw in your movements."
"But… didn't it feel awkward?"
"That was my body performing that strike."
"You can't simply copy it."
"The more perfectly you imitate it, the more harm it will cause to your body—and the worse it will be for your sword cultivation."
"You must learn to make small adjustments based on your own body, refining the movement until it becomes the version most suitable for you."
Elder Huang was stunned.
Datou had just begun learning the sword, yet Qin Xu was already teaching him to modify sword techniques according to his own body.
Normally, sword practitioners only began doing this after reaching a certain level of mastery.
Could Datou even understand such teaching?
And even if he understood, could he actually do it without sufficient foundation?
Was teaching like this really alright?
However, remembering how he had repeatedly misjudged matters regarding Datou's education before—and how the Young Master's personalized teaching had always proven correct—
Elder Huang wisely chose to remain silent this time.
After hearing Qin Xu's explanation, Qin Yi showed a thoughtful expression.
Then he slowly nodded.
A look of sudden realization appeared on his face.
"So that's it! I was wondering why it felt strange. Thank you for the guidance, Young Master. I know what to do now."
He finished the Yangyuan Soup in one gulp and eagerly returned to his position.
Then he began practicing again.
The first attempt—Qin Yi shook his head slightly.
The second attempt—he nodded faintly.
The third attempt—a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Elder Huang froze again.
This… this… this strike—
It was perfectly natural and smooth.
Yes.
This was exactly the adjusted Cleave Sword, the version most suitable for Datou.
But it had only taken three attempts.
What kind of comprehension was this?!
A monster.
A true monster.
At this moment, Elder Huang no longer had the slightest doubt.
If someone with Datou's level of insight still couldn't cultivate the Path of Yuanwu, then no one in the world could.
Thinking of the many legends about the Yuanwu Sage, Elder Huang's eyes filled with anticipation.
Qin Xu watched Datou complete the adjustment in only three tries.
His eyes shone with pride.
Just as he expected.
Datou had done it.
His teaching method had been correct.
If one waited until reaching a high level before making adjustments, how much wasted effort would that create?
Changing habits was never easy.
Sometimes it even left permanent flaws.
Worse still, practicing sword techniques with incorrect movements for long periods could cause irreversible damage to the body.
But Datou had avoided all of that from the very beginning.
Of course, such a method only worked for someone like Datou—someone with extraordinary talent and insight.
If ordinary people trained like this, they might ruin their swordsmanship before even entering the basics.
"Good. Now practice the Cleave Sword one thousand times according to that standard movement."
Qin Yi blinked, thinking he had heard wrong.
But soon he realized he hadn't misheard.
The Young Master had indeed said one thousand times.
Shouldn't he be learning another sword move next?
Why was he repeating the same strike a thousand times?
Qin Yi's eyes were clear and bright, almost as if they could speak.
Qin Xu only needed to glance at them to understand his thoughts.
"Datou, you heard correctly."
"Perform the Cleave Sword one thousand times according to the standard movement."
"If the movement is not correct, it doesn't count."
Although Qin Yi didn't fully understand, he nodded and began practicing seriously with the corrected movement.
"One!"
"Two!"
…
"Thirty-three!"
To maintain the correct form, every strike consumed a great deal of energy and stamina.
At the beginning, while his strength was still full, it wasn't obvious.
But after more than thirty repetitions, Qin Yi began to feel exhausted.
Yet the Young Master's requirement was one thousand times.
One thousand.
Could he even survive that?
Would he collapse from exhaustion?
"Thirty-four!"
No—his mind had wandered just now.
The movement wasn't standard.
Start counting again.
"Thirty-four!"
"Thirty-five!"
…
"Seventy-two!"
So tired.
His arms felt sore, his legs burned, and his waist was almost too stiff to straighten.
What was most despairing was that he had only reached seventy-two.
There were still so many more until one thousand.
But opportunities like this were incredibly rare.
He couldn't give up.
This must be the Young Master's test.
If he gave up and failed the test, the Young Master might stop teaching him.
Then he would lose the greatest opportunity of his life—
Perhaps even the chance to ever become a martial artist.
In this world ruled by martial artists, if one couldn't become a martial artist…
What meaning was there in living?
"Seventy-three!"
Qin Yi clenched his teeth and continued.
(End of Chapter)