"A Swordmaster... I don't think I really count as a Swordmaster yet!" Kuina said as she reflected on her own progress. Breaking through to the level of a Swordmaster required grasping the Breath of All Things, achieving the ability to Cut Steel, and being able to unleash Flying Slashes.
Although Kuina could release sword qi, it was entirely the result of her Zhen Qi. She felt that without the assistance of Zhen Qi, she couldn't release that qi at all. Furthermore, she hadn't truly grasped the Breath of All Things yet, and without that realization, she could neither cut through steel nor release a natural Flying Slash.
Kuina felt deeply lost regarding her current situation. She didn't know what level she truly occupied, so after standing in a daze for a while, she stopped practicing her forms and ran toward the back mountain.
Seeing Kuina bolt off, Zoro immediately tried to keep up. However, unless his brain was locked onto her every movement, there was no way he would ever reach Qiu Xia's location. Before Kuina had cleared her meridians, the gap between them hadn't been that large, and Zoro could usually stay on her tail.
However, because Zoro had been trying to sneakily watch what she was up to, he had inadvertently lost her trail. Now that Kuina had opened her meridians, Zoro couldn't keep up even if he ran at full tilt.
It was precisely because of Zoro's directionally challenged nature that he hadn't managed to meet Qiu Xia in all these months, even though the Shimotsuki Dojo wasn't actually that far from the back mountain.
Upon arriving at the back mountain, Kuina explained her situation to Qiu Xia and asked him what her current state meant and what realm she belonged to.
"The reason you can release sword qi is that you've cleared your meridians, allowing your internal power to transform into Houtian True Qi," Qiu Xia explained. "However, the sword qi you're releasing now is merely pseudo sword qi; it isn't the genuine article.
Even by the standards of your world's swordsmanship, you haven't reached the rank of a Swordmaster. If you were to fight a real Swordmaster, you might be able to hold your own for a while using your Houtian True Qi and sword techniques, but you would ultimately lose."
"Therefore, your next step is to meditate more to grasp the Breath of All Things. At the same time, don't slack off on your Tuna breathing techniques. Accumulate your Zhen Qi and work hard to open all the meridians in your body."
"Given your current constitution, if you push yourself to the limit, you should be able to break through to become a Swordmaster. As for whether you'll reach the level of a Great Swordmaster after breaking through to the Xiantian realm, I can't say for sure, though I suspect the probability isn't high.
As for becoming a Sword Immortal, you would need to grasp Sword Intent and Sword Momentum, and your cultivation would need to reach the Grandmaster level. I don't have much experience with meditation or the Breath of All Things, so you'll still need your father's help. Keep at it, Kuina; your future path is still very long."
"I understand. Thank you, Qiu Xia!" After learning where she stood, Kuina was incredibly excited. She couldn't wait to head back and seek guidance from her father so she could immediately grasp the Breath of All Things and become a true Swordmaster.
Because of this, she was in a hurry to leave as well; she didn't stay on the mountain for long before heading back. On her way, she incidentally picked up the lost Zoro and dragged him home.
After Kuina left, Qiu Xia sat back in his rocking chair. "I wonder if Kuina can still become a Swordmaster after practicing the martial path. If she can, her future will be that of a female Great Swordmaster and a Sword Immortal. If not, then she'll likely just be a Sword Immortal. Regardless, with her talent, she will certainly go far."
"Of course, that's assuming the world's correction doesn't kill her on a whetstone. Come to think of it, should I teach Kuina the Iron Head Skill? Having her specifically train her head might be good... but then again, is it really appropriate for a girl to practice the Iron Head Skill?"
As she led Zoro back to the dojo, Kuina suddenly felt an unexplained chill. She couldn't help but look around. "Why do I have a bad feeling all of a sudden? Forget it, I need to find Father for guidance first. And you, Zoro! Stop running off! You can get lost on a straight path like this! You really are directionally challenged!"
"You're lying, Kuina! I'm not directionally challenged!" Zoro immediately shouted back in protest. He wasn't lost, absolutely not! He just had a poor sense of direction; he would never admit to being "directionally challenged."
Time flew by like a weaver's shuttle. In the blink of an eye, Qiu Xia had already been in this world for a year. In one more month, he would be able to return. During this year, aside from the very first month,
Qiu Xia had spent his time in Shimotsuki Village. To prevent his cultivation from being discovered by outsiders, he had set up multiple arrays on the back mountain to hide any disturbances caused by his training.
Because Qiu Xia's cultivation had already reached the late Zhenren stage, he had not yet reached the next rank despite practicing every waking moment for a year. After all, the higher the realm, the harder it was to advance.
However, higher realms also granted longer lifespans. As long as one worked hard, there was enough time to improve. For instance, Qiu Xia, having reached the stage of a Zhenren, now possessed a lifespan of a thousand years; his current age wasn't even a fraction of that.
While Qiu Xia's cultivation hadn't increased significantly over the year, Kuina was a different story. Her progress had been rapid. Under Qiu Xia's guidance, she sought out Koushirou to learn meditation. In less than half a month, she felt the Breath of All Things. She could then cut through stone and iron blocks without using Zhen Qi, and subsequently, she successfully performed a Flying Slash.
Perhaps due to the unique nature of this world, or perhaps because her comprehension was lacking, Kuina could perform Flying Slashes with basic moves but struggled to do so while using specific sword techniques.
She researched this for a long time until, ten months ago, she cleared all 108 meridians and successfully advanced to the Xiantian realm. With her physical body enhanced once again, she was finally able to release Flying Slashes through her sword techniques.
However, by that point, the Flying Slash had become less important compared to the sword qi converted from Xiantian True Qi. Before her breakthrough, the recovery and stamina of her Zhen Qi were issues. Even with over a hundred meridians open,
Kuina couldn't use sword techniques from morning until night using Houtian True Qi. But after breaking through to Xiantian, the Two Bridges of Heaven and Earth were opened, allowing her Zhen Qi to recover at a constant, surging rate. Kuina could now utilize Zhen Qi for extended periods.
Before her breakthrough, Kuina's sword qi reached a maximum of twenty or thirty meters, while her Flying Slashesimproving with her physique and masterycould reach one or two hundred meters. After reaching the Xiantian realm, her sword qi could reach a hundred meters. While still not as far-reaching as a Flying Slash, the power of her sword qi was far greater.
At the summit of the back mountain of Shimotsuki Village, two figures were locked in combat. The slender one brandished a sword, her footsteps light as she launched a continuous assault on the other.
Her swordplay was like a dancing butterfly, elegant and beautiful to behold. The other figure remained nearly motionless, standing in place and parrying attacks coming from every direction.
These two were, naturally, Kuina and our protagonist, Qiu Xia. After breaking through to Xiantian, Kuina had sought out Qiu Xia to help her master her new power through practical combat. Having nothing better to do, Qiu Xia had agreed.
After knocking Kuina back once again, Qiu Xia sheathed his precious sword. Seeing him stop, Kuina ceased her attack as well. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she said with a hint of disappointment, "It's been several days, and I still can't make you retreat even half a step."
Hearing her words, Qiu Xia replied testily, "The gap between our levels is massive. If I let you force me back, that would be the real joke." Kuina was currently in the Xiantian realm, which, according to the levels of the Zombie World, was equivalent to the Earth Master realm. As for Qiu Xia? He was a Zhenren, two major realms higher than an Earth Master.
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