Perfected

The next day.

Early morning.

Zhou Zhiruo stood in a corner of the courtyard, her wooden sword held horizontally. Nearly three catties of stones were already tied to the sword, and beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead. Her gaze occasionally drifted towards Gu Shao'an in the courtyard.

At this moment, Gu Shao'an moved like a swimming dragon, his sword like flying flowers.

His body didn't pause. With a natural start, the movements of Willow Leaf Swordplay unfolded like mercury pouring onto the ground.

His body was like a swimming dragon, not fierce and swift, but relaxed and shifting, possessing an indescribable graceful rhythm.

His sword was like flying flowers, or like willow catkins, specks of silver light dancing and flashing in the faint morning light. The trajectory was light and elusive, as if guided by an invisible wind, the willow catkins swaying with the breeze.

Gu Shao'an had long since mastered every move of Willow Leaf Swordplay. Practicing it now, his movements were so fluid they didn't show the slightest hesitation.

However, what was even more striking was the underlying charm. It wasn't a deliberate imitation, but a natural grace that flowed with every movement, like a gentle dance in the wind.

The sword tip thrust out, like a willow branch lightly touching the spring water.

The sword body circled back, just like catkins swirling in the wind.

The footwork turned, resembling willow branches swaying in the wind, supple and boneless.

Logically, after obtaining profound martial arts like Sunset Swordplay, Gu Shao'an shouldn't have been spending his energy on basic martial arts like Willow Leaf Swordplay.

But Gu Shao'an knew deeply that the application of martial arts resided in the heart.

The power of martial arts varied from person to person; the power displayed in the hands of different individuals was vastly different.

Moreover, when facing an opponent, flexibility was key. Martial arts were rigid, but people were alive.

There were no entirely useless martial arts in the world; it all depended on how one used them.

As far as Gu Shao'an was concerned, although the sword moves of Sunset Swordplay were more domineering and fierce, with sword energy like a long rainbow at sunset, its power was greater.

But when it came to the subtle control of the sword and his own inner force at this moment, and the natural sensing and utilization of the surrounding qi, it was far inferior to Willow Leaf Swordplay.

When facing a suitable opponent, Willow Leaf Swordplay was also more effective than Sunset Swordplay.

In martial arts combat, unless the difference in inner force cultivation was too vast, battles would be like games of chess, where the more skilled party would win.

Sweat soaked his temples, but Gu Shao'an was completely unaware, his mind fully immersed in the three-foot Qingfeng in his hand and the flowing aura around him.

Once, twice... the sword moves repeated endlessly, tirelessly.

It was unclear if it was the seventh or eighth repetition when a move, "Wind Sweeping a Thousand Strands," was slowly unleashed. The long sword was drawn diagonally, about to land but not yet landing—

Buzz!

An indescribable sense of wonder, like a warm, gentle current, suddenly spread from his sword-holding fingertips to his entire body.

Everything around him seemed to slow down in an instant.

Or rather, his perception had become incredibly clear.

In this profound and mysterious feeling, Gu Shao'an felt as if he had suddenly grasped something about Willow Leaf Swordplay.

Thereafter, the subtle trajectory of the sword tip cutting through the air created an unprecedented harmonious resonance with the faint morning breeze in the courtyard.

When seemingly adjusting his moves, it was merely slight adjustments in his wrist or footwork. Yet, Gu Shao'an's sword moves at this moment were completely devoid of any "deliberate" trace.

All the transitions and turns of the sword momentum were like willow catkins meeting the wind, gracefully conforming and flowing naturally.

Where the sword moves pointed, the inner force followed.

The swinging blade, at this moment, seemed to have become the willow catkins themselves, moving with the wind, swaying without a trace.

[Congratulations to player. Willow Leaf Swordplay has successfully entered the Perfected realm. Achievement Points +500.]

Just then, a notification message popped up before Gu Shao'an.

Glancing at the notification that appeared before him, Gu Shao'an slowly raised the Qingfeng in his hand, his gaze falling on the still simple and unadorned sword. His mind, however, was immersed in the realm he had just broken through.

That feeling was too clear. The sword was no longer a cold piece of iron, and the inner force was no longer just simple energy flowing through the meridians.

The two seemed to have merged into one, like a natural extension of his thoughts.

With a slight movement of his mind, the sword tip seemed to instinctively point towards what he was thinking. The inner force surged and flowed with the sword moves, circulating smoothly without any obstruction.

It was as if it was meant to be this way.

"So, the 'Perfected' level isn't just about practicing Willow Leaf Swordplay to perfection."

Gu Shao'an murmured to himself, a knowing light flashing in his eyes.

He casually performed another move, "Wind Sweeping a Thousand Strands." His movements appeared slow, lacking any imposing aura, as gentle as a spring breeze caressing the face.

However, as the long sword cut through the air, a gentle yet dense pulling force naturally generated around the sword body.

A few fallen leaves on the ground were not directly cut by sharp sword energy.

Instead, they were drawn by this seemingly weak force, silently tracing several smooth circles along the trajectory of the sword moves.

Finally, they gently gathered at Gu Shao'an's feet.

"Indeed, the foundation is the bedrock of a skyscraper."

Although Willow Leaf Swordplay was simple, it contained the most fundamental principles of swordsmanship: "smoothness, gentleness, agility, and resilience."

To refine the most basic sword principles to "Perfected," achieving a state where the sword and heart are one, intent and strength are unified, form follows intention, and the internal and external are seamlessly integrated.

This was akin to forging a solid, flawless bedrock for Gu Shao'an's martial arts foundation in swordsmanship!

Should he later cultivate other martial arts that involved principles of "smoothness, gentleness, agility, and resilience," Gu Shao'an would be able to quickly grasp their true meaning through analogy.

It even offered benefits for the subsequent cultivation of Sunset Swordplay.

And if he wished to create new martial arts in the future, it would also be of immense help.

It was like learning calligraphy.

When first learning, mastering the fundamental strokes like horizontal, vertical, dots, hooks, and sweeps to perfection, laying down a strong foundation.

Only then, no matter how wild or free the cursive script one might later write, could the brushwork flow like dragons and snakes, with inherent strength, and the composition be unrestrained yet still adhere to principles.

"This hard training wasn't in vain!"

After more than a month of effort, even Gu Shao'an now felt a sense of accomplishment, as if every drop of sweat had finally yielded fruit.

Immediately, Gu Shao'an's gaze fell upon his Achievement Points.

[875]

Since descending the mountain, through continuous diligent training, combined with what he had gained yesterday and today, Gu Shao'an's Achievement Points were finally nearing one thousand again.

In a few more days, he would be able to gather enough Achievement Points to participate in the lottery again.

Just then, Miejue's door suddenly opened.

Gazing at the two bathed in the morning sun, Miejue couldn't help but show a gratified smile.

Upon seeing Miejue, Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo immediately sheathed their swords and bowed.

"Shifu!"

Miejue nodded gently, walked slowly into the courtyard, and then beckoned to the two.

After her gaze swept over Zhou Zhiruo first, Miejue then set her sights on Gu Shao'an. She lightly raised her right hand, and as her wide sleeve fell, it revealed Miejue's right hand and a wooden box she held in it.