Sudden Change

Looking at the prompt before him, Gu Shao'an felt a surge of joy.

A martial artist's strength had never been determined solely by the level of their inner power or the strength of the martial arts they used.

It also depended on their own use of inner power, their level of mastery over their martial arts, their weapons, combat experience, combat awareness, and more.

Even if two people had the same inner power cultivation and the same level of martial arts mastery, there would still be differences in strength when they fought.

What determined that difference was combat awareness.

A lack of awareness meant that, even if one knew the same moves when facing an enemy, one would not know which move was most appropriate to use at which moment.

Nor would one know when a move would be most effective upon landing on the enemy.

This was why Miejue had still said that Gu Shao'an lacked combat experience, even after several of his martial arts had already reached the level of "Glimpse the Path."

"I didn't expect to unlock and gain an initial grasp of combat awareness so early."

Gu Shao'an naturally understood the importance of combat awareness to a martial artist.

However, he had joined Emei too recently. During the past month or so on the mountain, he had devoted himself almost entirely to cultivating his inner power and martial skills, scarcely sparring with Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Jingxuan, and the other shijie.

His combat experience was practically nonexistent, much less enough to unlock combat awareness through accumulated experience.

At this moment, the benefits of having a dutiful and capable master became clear.

If Miejue had not seized the three bandit leaders tonight for an on-the-spot lesson and personal demonstration, even Gu Shao'an would have needed quite some time to unlock combat awareness.

Now that he had gained an initial grasp of combat awareness, it did not directly improve Gu Shao'an's inner power or martial skills, but it greatly increased his strength when facing enemies.

A few breaths later, Gu Shao'an calmed himself and looked up at Miejue, who was still holding down the three bandit leaders in the distance. "Master, this disciple is ready."

"Good."

Hearing Gu Shao'an's words, Miejue's eyes lit up, and she spread her arms.

Once her arms rose above her ears, they came crashing down, her palms striking the tops of the First Leader's and Second Leader's heads respectively.

Terrifying force entered through their Tianling acupoints, instantly sending both bandit leaders sprawling to the ground as blood spilled from their mouths.

Blood quickly flowed from their seven orifices, and their lives were extinguished.

Seeing his two brothers killed, the one-eyed Third Leader's eyes nearly split open with rage.

But the next second, Miejue, having just killed the two bandit leaders, flicked her wide sleeve. The one-eyed Third Leader immediately flew toward Gu Shao'an as if struck by a speeding carriage, sailing two zhang before crashing sideways onto the ground.

Understanding Miejue's intent, Gu Shao'an drew in a breath. As his inner power circulated, he tapped the ground with his toes and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

For half an hour, Miejue had treated the three brothers like puppets, wounding them without killing them. The one-eyed Third Leader had already been seething with fury.

Now that his two brothers had been killed and Miejue had thrown him toward a mere child, how could the one-eyed Third Leader fail to understand her intentions?

She clearly wanted him to serve as a practice target for this child.

"Old nun, if I can't kill you, I'll kill your disciple!"

His ferocity erupted. The one-eyed Third Leader swiftly rose to his feet, raising the broadsword in his hand with a savage expression.

Yet as the one-eyed Third Leader raised his broadsword, Gu Shao'an's eyes became as cold and still as an ancient well.

The instant the one-eyed Third Leader's shoulder dipped slightly, Gu Shao'an moved. He leaped into the air, all five fingers clamped tightly around his sword hilt.

Clang—

A clear sword cry rang out.

Gu Shao'an moved like a swimming dragon, cold light flashing from his longsword.

But this strike no longer pursued the perfection or sharpness of technique as Gu Shao'an's previous attacks had.

Instead, it struck at the instant the other's broadsword had just risen above his head, before its force had gathered and before its momentum had formed.

The sword shadow flashed like lightning, becoming a cunning streak of cold light that stabbed with unerring precision three inches above the wrist holding the blade.

It was precisely the critical point where he needed to exert force in his saber technique.

The timing, target, and force of that thrust were all perfect to the slightest degree.

Struck by this sword, the one-eyed Third Leader was startled. His arm instinctively recoiled, his wrist pressed down, and his blade changed direction in a panic, turning from a straight chop into a diagonal slash.

Facing the diagonally slashing blade, Gu Shao'an neither dodged nor retreated. He raised his sword lightly and turned his wrist. The blade curved smoothly like an arc, not meeting the saber head-on, but sliding diagonally along the thickest ridge of its spine.

A soft yet enduring force of adhesion spread out like the afterglow of the setting sun, instantly coiling around the blade.

"Hm?" The one-eyed Third Leader felt as though his saber had sunk into mud, its momentum suddenly slowing.

Alarms blared in his heart. Just as he was about to roar and wrench his blade free for an upward slash, Gu Shao'an seemed to have anticipated it already. The sword tip trembled and pulled with exquisite precision.

That adhesive force actually guided the heavy blade into a strange little arc, like the lingering trace of a setting sun falling beyond the horizon.

The one-eyed Third Leader fought with all his might against the pull, but his burly body was involuntarily dragged toward Gu Shao'an's left, throwing off his balance.

It was precisely at the instant his center of gravity shifted.

Sword light flashed. Like a surging river, a streak of flowing light forged from molten sunset gold burst forth.

No longer adhesive, it stabbed with absolute precision toward the tendons beside the Jianyu acupoint on his right shoulder, which he could no longer defend in time due to the turn of his body.

A stab at an acupoint. Not fatal, but enough to cripple the hand he used to wield his blade.

The one-eyed Third Leader's single eye bulged wide with terror. It was already too late to block the sword. The only thing he could do was twist his body and forcefully evade Gu Shao'an's thrust.

But while the one-eyed Third Leader reacted quickly, Gu Shao'an reacted even faster.

As his inner power circulated, Gu Shao'an's steps were like treading upon sand. His sword followed the man's twisting motion, smoothly slashing upward at an angle.

The sword tip plunged with incomparable precision into the exposed opening beneath his ribs.

Instead, it felt as though the one-eyed Third Leader had willingly sought death, throwing his body onto Gu Shao'an's sword tip.

"H-how is this possible?"

The blade entered his body, and agonizing pain swept through him. The one-eyed Third Leader stared wide-eyed in utter disbelief at the child before him, who was only as tall as his chest.

Pfft.

Slice.

Before he could think further, the blade was pulled free, drawing a spray of blood before flashing across his neck with lightning speed.

Ding, congratulations to the player for killing a bandit leader. Achievement Points +50

"Good!"

At the same time, Miejue, who had witnessed Gu Shao'an's entire sequence of movements, could not help crying out loudly.

Her voice even carried a rare hint of excitement.

From Gu Shao'an's use of Sunset Swordplay just now alone, he had truly begun to display some structure and adaptability.

He was no longer as rigid in his moves as when he had first faced those Mountain Bandits.

And this was only the result of Miejue teaching him once.

How could Miejue not be thrilled and delighted that her personal disciple was so outstanding?

After killing the one-eyed Third Leader, Gu Shao'an slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Amid his joy, he bowed deeply toward Miejue from afar. "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Miejue nodded with a smile. Then, her gaze swept over Ding Minjun, and her expression stiffened for a moment before she said, "Minjun."

Upon hearing Miejue's voice, Ding Minjun immediately flashed over to a nearby fire source and pulled a bamboo tube from her robes.

After lighting the fuse trailing from the bamboo tube, she held it high overhead.

The next instant, a burst of sparks shot from the bamboo tube into the sky, blossoming into a brilliant firework.

Whoosh~ Bang~

However, just as that firework faded from the sky and darkness had only just returned, another dazzling firework exploded overhead.

Seeing this, Miejue's expression changed.