After drinking the nourishing soup at noon, Qin Yi looked at Qin Xu with eager anticipation.
Qin Xu smiled and said, "Yesterday, you finally spent two years bringing the Basic Sword Technique to instinctual mastery. You must be impatient, right?"
Thinking of this, Qin Xu felt a deep sense of admiration again.
He had personally witnessed Qin Yi, in just two short years, mastering the Basic Sword Technique to instinctual level.
Ordinary people would need at least ten years.
This child's innate talent was truly exceptional.
Qin Xu wasn't the first time he had marveled at this in his heart.
He continued, "Your foundation is now solid. You can begin learning new sword techniques."
With such a solid foundation, Qin Yi would master the following techniques much faster.
The time "lost" on laying the foundation could easily be made up.
As the saying goes, sharpening the knife before chopping the firewood.
"Yi, today I will teach you the Hundred Battles Sword Technique, the simplest and most essential sword technique for any learner after the Basic Sword Technique."
Qin Yi stood before Qin Xu, eyes full of excitement, carefully listening to his master's instruction.
Hundred Battles Sword Technique?
This is the new sword technique he was going to learn?
The name alone sounded so imposing.
Simple and essential? For every sword learner?
They clearly didn't understand quality.
There's no such thing as a bad technique, only poor practitioners.
Once I master it, I'll bring the Hundred Battles Sword Technique to glory.
"Watch carefully, Yi."
Seeing Qin Yi a bit distracted with excitement, Qin Xu reminded him once more before beginning the demonstration.
The demonstration involved performing each move while explaining key points, techniques, and precautions.
After being reminded, Qin Yi immediately cleared his chaotic thoughts, focusing entirely on the Hundred Battles Sword Technique.
At a glance, Qin Yi was captivated.
Such a fierce sword technique.
So commanding.
The killing intent was heavy.
What excited Qin Yi the most was that the technique included footwork.
That's right—the Basic Sword Technique didn't have specific footwork. Movements like jumping, stepping, or crouching were merely to complement the sword, not a structured system.
But the Hundred Battles Sword Technique clearly had its own complete footwork system.
Of course. How could a proper sword technique lack accompanying footwork?
Unsurprisingly, the Basic Sword Technique was the exception.
Qin Xu demonstrated the technique, took a deep breath, and turned to ask, "Yi, what do you think? Did you get it?"
Qin Yi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Master, I've remembered it. I might not have everything, please correct me if needed."
He then drew his two-foot-long bronze sword and perfectly replicated Qin Xu's demonstration.
Every movement, every explanation—flawless.
Truly a genius—one lesson and he mastered it. Qin Xu felt reassured.
"Good. Now adjust slightly to suit your style, then begin practicing. Once you can complete the Hundred Battles Sword Technique in a single breath, we'll move on to the next technique."
One breath, thirty-six strikes?
That's manageable—not one strike per instant.
The instinctual standard for the Basic Sword Technique was "one strike per instant."
An "instant" is basically the blink of an eye.
A "breath" is the duration of one inhalation and exhalation.
How many "instants" are in a breath?
It varies by person, but a consensus was established over two thousand years ago:
One breath equals a hundred instants.
One hundred instants, thirty-six strikes.
About three instants per strike.
That seems easy. As long as you have hands, it's doable.
But when Qin Yi actually started practicing, he realized the challenge.
The standards of "one strike per instant" and "thirty-six strikes per breath" were completely different.
"One strike per instant" allows rest between strikes, measuring only the time of one strike.
"Thirty-six strikes per breath" requires continuous execution—no breaks allowed.
Adding footwork meant the technique was no longer static. Movement made it easy to lose balance. The longer the practice, the more likely the center of gravity would waver.
If the center of gravity faltered, the technique failed. That round didn't count.
Moreover, the Hundred Battles Sword Technique demanded a high mental state: "unyielding, invincible," which was exhausting to maintain.
After several true attempts, Qin Yi understood.
The Basic Sword Technique without mental state requirements was far easier than the Hundred Battles Sword Technique.
But there was good news: since the Basic Sword Technique had been fully mastered at LV4, starting the Hundred Battles Sword Technique began at LV1. Practicing a few rounds naturally advanced it to LV2.
The leveling speed was impressive.
As the master said, a solid foundation makes learning new techniques much easier.
However, mastering them deeply still required effort.
This was reflected in the game panel: after reaching LV2, the leveling of the Hundred Battles Sword Technique slowed significantly.
Practicing dozens of times in one afternoon didn't reach LV3.
By dinner, Qin Yi changed and prepared to leave. Qin Xu called him back.
"Tomorrow is the day the training camp recruits. Do you want a day off?"
Suanzi was already eight years old. It was his turn for the camp.
"Thanks for your concern, Master. I'll deliver my brother first, then come."
"Good, go ahead."
When Qin Yi returned home, Suanzi was lifting a stone lock in the yard.
Seeing Qin Yi, he put it down and greeted him cheerfully.
"Yi, you're back."
Qin Yi noticed how much Suanzi seemed to have grown since Dashan left.
For two years, Suanzi had stopped playing recklessly and started training consciously. Judging by his size now, he was even stronger than Qin Yi.
Qin Yi felt a surge of emotion seeing Suanzi.
"Big brother, the camp starts tomorrow. Why are you still training today? Don't overwork yourself; that would be counterproductive."
Suanzi scratched his head. "I'm a bit nervous, can't stay still. Lifting this stone lock kills time and expends some energy."
Hearing he was nervous, Qin Yi tried to reassure him lightly. "Don't be intimidated by Father. The camp isn't as scary as he says. Look at Dashan—he's fine. After learning to read, he even sent letters back. You saw it, right?"
Suanzi shook his head quickly. "No, Yi, you misunderstand. I'm not afraid. I'm excited. I can't wait to enter the camp and start training!"
Ah—so it was a misunderstanding.
Qin Yi smiled, shaking his head. "Good. That mindset is best. Keep it up, Big Brother. I believe you'll become a great martial artist."
Suanzi smiled foolishly, scratching his head. "I think so too."
Having a talented younger brother as an example gave Suanzi confidence.
Even if he lacked Yi's innate talent, being his full brother meant he couldn't be that far behind. Yi will be a martial artist.
In Qinjia Village, that was the consensus.
If my brother can do it, then as his elder brother, I can too.
Suanzi believed it, and trained with all his effort.