Born with a Sword Bone

Most martial arts in the world had their own unique internal cultivation methods.

Only by combining inner strength with sword moves could a sword technique unleash its formidable power.

Previously, Gu Shao'an's Willow Leaf Swordplay had already reached the realm of "Ascend the Hall" in terms of its forms.

He had already grasped the essence of Willow Leaf Swordplay.

What it lacked was merely the support of inner strength.

Now that inner strength had been added to the mix, Gu Shao'an's sword moves were not only graceful and agile, but also several degrees more tricky and enduring.

As Gu Shao'an practiced Willow Leaf Swordplay again and again, the wooden sword in his hand swung faster and faster.

By the fifth repetition, Gu Shao'an once again sank into a peculiar state.

At the same time, Miejue, who was cultivating in her room, seemed to sense something. She first opened her eyes and glanced toward a point outside, then struck her side with a single palm.

Riding the rebounding force of her inner energy, she rose lightly like a paper kite and drifted out of the room. Then, with a light tap of her toes, she crossed more than ten zhang in a few breaths and appeared beside the bamboo grove, her gaze fixed upon the figure dancing with a sword beneath the moon.

As her gaze sharpened, Miejue's previously calm expression shifted slightly.

Just then, several figures rushed out from different Bamboo Huts in succession. They were Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi.

Upon noticing Miejue standing by the bamboo grove, the three changed direction and hurried toward her.

Before they could bow or speak, Miejue swept her sleeve. Her low voice sounded directly beside their ears.

"Quiet. Do not disturb Shao'an's cultivation."

Hearing this, they all turned to look at Gu Shao'an, who was practicing his swordsmanship nearby.

After watching for a few moments, Zhao Jingxuan, the strongest of the three, narrowed her eyes and could not help crying out, "Something is wrong. Why are Junior Brother's sword moves so fast?"

At Zhao Jingxuan's words, Ding Minjun and Bei Jinyi looked closely.

They saw the wooden sword in Gu Shao'an's hand leave faint afterimages in the air. His speed in drawing the sword was hardly inferior even to theirs.

One had to know that Bei Jinyi and Ding Minjun had cultivated for years. Only through the nourishment of inner strength and long years of grueling training had they attained their current sword speed.

Yet Gu Shao'an had only just entered the sect. He had not even undergone systematic training, but his sword speed had already reached a level comparable to theirs.

For a moment, Ding Minjun and Bei Jinyi both stared wide-eyed, as though they had seen a ghost.

For a martial artist, wielding a sword was by no means as simple as taking up a manual and practicing its contents.

Within the Emei Sect, all disciples learning the sword first had to train in stillness.

They had to stand with a sword in hand, their arm and sword forming a straight line, and hold a sword stance, Immovable as a Mountain.

They had to maintain that posture for half an hour at a time, once in the morning and once at dusk.

Once they could accomplish this, they would begin strapping sandbags to their arms, gradually increasing the weight.

Generally speaking, the fastest could succeed in three months, while the slowest might take half a year.

Those who passed would have initially developed their arm strength. When their sword emerged, cold light would flash.

As Miejue's direct disciples, Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi had to lead by example in all things for Emei's fourth-generation disciples.

Therefore, even now, whenever they had time, Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi still spent half an hour each day practicing stillness training.

That was how they had attained their current sword speed.

Yet Gu Shao'an had only entered the sect a few days ago, and his sword speed was already nearly on par with the three of them. How could they not be astonished?

Recovering from her shock, Zhao Jingxuan first looked at Gu Shao'an.

Only after confirming that Gu Shao'an had not been affected by her sudden outcry did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Then she turned to Miejue and asked, "Master, Junior Brother clearly has not undergone sword training yet. Why is he...?"

Though she did not finish the question, they all understood what Zhao Jingxuan meant.

Miejue pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "If I am not mistaken, Shao'an may have been Born with a Sword Bone."

"A sword bone?"

The three women looked baffled at Miejue's words.

Miejue explained, "This is something I once heard from other seniors. According to that senior, some people in this world are born with unusually special arms and bones."

"With the same sword technique and sword moves, such people could always unleash greater power and faster strikes than others, as if they had been born for the sword."

"Thirty years ago, there was a famous swordsman in the martial world surnamed Jing, nicknamed the Life-Seizing Single Sword. It was said that he possessed a sword bone. His left hand had been innately stronger than his right, which was why his swordsmanship was swift as a startled swan and difficult for ordinary people to match."

After hearing Miejue's explanation, the others finally understood.

Bei Jinyi said softly, "No wonder Junior Brother's sword speed is already so fast despite having just begun learning swordsmanship. So he is exceptionally gifted."

Zhao Jingxuan smiled. "Congratulations, Master. With a disciple as gifted as Junior Brother in Emei, Emei will surely rise another level in the future."

Miejue nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased by Zhao Jingxuan's words.

Afterward, they stood quietly beside the bamboo grove and watched Gu Shao'an cultivate.

Miejue also wanted to see how much Gu Shao'an's swordsmanship had improved after these past few days.

Under their watchful gazes, Gu Shao'an's use of Willow Leaf Swordplay was just as nimble and dense as it had been days ago.

But unlike before, his agile sword moves now carried an additional hint of unpredictability.

In the distance, Gu Shao'an stood sideways in an empty stance, the tip of his sword slanting toward the ground. The blade trembled faintly. As one foot stepped forward, his wrist coiled lightly like a living snake, and the wooden sword in his hand traced a small circle, like willow floss carried by the wind and twining around branches.

It was the third move of Willow Leaf Swordplay, Willow Silk's Gentle Caress.

But in the next instant, Gu Shao'an shifted back half a step and flicked his wrist. The wooden sword raised layer after layer of afterimages as it stabbed swiftly forward, like willow floss filling the sky and rushing into an enemy's face, obscuring their vision.

Yet it was not the fourth move, Catkins Rising at Duckweed's Edge, but rather the fourteenth move, Floss Shadow Thousandfold.

Every move and stance was as elusive as an antelope hanging its horns, leaving no trace to follow.

His sword moves were truly like drifting willow floss—seemingly scattered and unstructured, like boneless willow branches swaying in the wind, yet concealing killing moves within.

They had completely shed the rigid, formulaic manner they possessed at the "Ascend the Hall" stage.

Moreover, the Willow Leaf Swordplay Gu Shao'an now used was no longer practiced strictly one sword move at a time as it had been in the beginning.

As they watched the Willow Leaf Swordplay Gu Shao'an was using, their expressions changed again and again.

Ding Minjun said almost one word at a time, "Achieve Mastery."

There were countless sword techniques. Those new to learning sword moves inevitably followed the manual mechanically. Even after gaining an initial grasp of a sword technique, they could not avoid being constrained by the habits formed during practice.

Whenever they used sword moves, they would instinctively follow the sequence laid out in the sword technique.

Only when one's understanding of a sword technique deepened further and reached the stage of "Achieve Mastery" could one break free of this framework, making one's sword moves more flexible and varied, and far harder for others to defend against.

Thinking of how long Gu Shao'an had been exposed to Willow Leaf Swordplay, then looking at the ever-changing sword moves in his hand, Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi felt as if towering waves were crashing within their hearts. They could not calm themselves for a long while.

Not to mention Zhao Jingxuan and the others—even Miejue could not help being moved as she watched Gu Shao'an, who had already cultivated Willow Leaf Swordplay to the level of "Achieve Mastery."

As she watched the youth wielding his sword beneath the moon, Miejue seemed to see not merely her disciple, but the opportunity and hope for Emei's future rise.