Willow Leaf Swordplay

After One Incense Stick Time, as the Qi Foundation within his body circulated through him several more times, Gu Shao'an slowly opened his eyes.

Feeling the current of Qi within him move according to his thoughts, Gu Shao'an could not help but feel a sense of novelty.

Unfortunately, although Gu Shao'an could sense this current of Qi within his body, he found it difficult to control it flexibly.

It was as though invisible barriers surrounded it, forcing the Qi within him to circulate slowly along the route Miejue had taught him.

Gu Shao'an knew this was because his meridians had yet to be opened.

While keeping part of his attention fixed on the Qi Foundation within his body, Gu Shao'an rose and immediately bowed respectfully to Miejue.

"Thank you, Master."

Seeing Gu Shao'an bow so respectfully before her, Miejue nodded inwardly in satisfaction.

Miejue was a traditional and rigid person, placing great importance on righteousness, evil, and rules alike.

Naturally, someone like her was more fond of juniors who understood etiquette and respected it.

"To perceive the Qi Foundation on your very first cultivation attempt is not bad."

Upon learning that Gu Shao'an had already perceived the Qi Foundation, Zhao Jingxuan and the others nearby could not help casting him surprised looks.

Clearly, they too had been startled by Gu Shao'an's talent for cultivation.

After thinking for a moment, Miejue suddenly had an idea.

Gu Shao'an's Bone Structure had already been tested, but for him to comprehend the Qi Foundation after cultivating only once, Miejue believed his comprehension could not be poor either.

What remained unknown was just how exceptional it truly was.

After a brief consideration, Miejue turned to Zhou Zhiruo beside her. "Zhiruo."

"This disciple is here."

"You have studied Willow Leaf Swordplay for a month already. How has your practice been?"

"Reporting to Master, this disciple is dull-witted. I have only barely reached the beginner level."

Miejue nodded. "Willow Leaf Swordplay is one of Emei's foundational sword arts. Demonstrate it for Shao'an."

Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, and Bei Jinyi, who stood nearby, were slightly surprised upon hearing this.

When they had first entered Emei, they had all begun by cultivating breathing techniques so as not to distract themselves.

Only after they had condensed their first thread of inner force had Miejue begun teaching them martial skills.

Yet when it came to Gu Shao'an, she was teaching him martial skills directly.

She truly favored him greatly.

Facing Miejue's order, Zhou Zhiruo nodded, stepped forward a few paces, and raised the bamboo sword in her hand.

Zhou Zhiruo was still young, only eleven years old. Naturally, she could not use a real blade, and a light bamboo sword suited her far better.

Though Zhou Zhiruo was young, her talent was exceptional.

With the bamboo sword in hand, her robes fluttered as her Sword Moves followed in succession.

Move after move was performed from the bamboo sword in Zhou Zhiruo's hands.

Perhaps because she was not yet proficient enough, Zhou Zhiruo continuously murmured the accompanying mental cultivation tips as she performed the swordplay.

Gu Shao'an watched intently from the side.

Perhaps because he had transmigrated, Gu Shao'an's memory had become exceptionally sharp, nearly reaching the point where he could remember anything at a glance.

Whether it was the Sword Moves or the mental cultivation tips Zhou Zhiruo recited, Gu Shao'an committed them all firmly to memory.

As Zhou Zhiruo finished demonstrating all forty-nine moves of Willow Leaf Swordplay,

Zhou Zhiruo sheathed her sword and stood obediently to one side, while Miejue looked at Gu Shao'an.

"How much do you remember?"

"I remembered it all," Gu Shao'an answered truthfully.

"Oh?" Miejue raised an eyebrow slightly.

Then she flicked her sleeve.

Zhou Zhiruo suddenly felt an immense force at the end of the bamboo sword in her hand. Caught completely off guard, the wooden sword flew from her grasp and was swept beside Miejue, landing less than three inches from Gu Shao'an's right foot.

That move alone showed just how exquisitely Miejue controlled her inner force and power.

"Try it."

"This disciple obeys."

As soon as he spoke, Gu Shao'an reached out and gripped the hilt. Pulling the bamboo sword from the ground, he walked more than ten steps forward.

After briefly recalling the moves in his mind, Gu Shao'an took a step forward, and the long sword moved with him.

Although his movements carried an obvious clumsiness as he swung it, the forms were indeed the Willow Leaf Swordplay Zhou Zhiruo had just demonstrated.

Moreover, as he practiced the Sword Moves, Gu Shao'an recited the mental cultivation formula Zhou Zhiruo had spoken earlier.

Once he had performed all forty-nine Sword Moves and recited the accompanying mental cultivation formula, Zhao Jingxuan could not help saying, "He remembered all forty-nine Sword Moves and the entire formula? What an incredible memory."

Zhou Zhiruo could not help chiming in, "Yes! Shijie Bei had to teach Zhiruo seven times before Zhiruo could barely remember all forty-nine Sword Moves and the formula. Yet Junior Brother remembered everything after seeing it just once. He is amazing."

Not only Zhou Zhiruo and the others, but even Miejue herself was surprised by Gu Shao'an's memory.

Just then, Gu Shao'an, who had completed the forty-nine Sword Moves once, stopped.

Seeing this, Miejue prepared to offer him some encouragement.

Yet before Miejue could speak, to her astonishment, the wooden sword Gu Shao'an had just lowered rose once more.

He began practicing Willow Leaf Swordplay again.

Only this time, his movements were slower than before.

It was as though what he held was no longer a light bamboo sword, but a far heavier blade.

"Hmm?"

Seeing this, Zhao Jingxuan and the others revealed puzzled expressions as well.

But since Miejue said nothing, they could only stand quietly at the side.

At the same time, as Gu Shao'an practiced the swordplay, he entered a peculiar state.

The sensation was especially marvelous.

It was like standing in an empty valley in the dead of night, his mind utterly tranquil and clear, yet also like lighting a cigarette afterward, with thoughts in his mind becoming incomparably active.

In this state, as the bamboo sword in Gu Shao'an's hand moved, the feeling his Sword Moves gave off began to change.

The moves gradually shifted from their previous heaviness to become lighter and more agile.

After he completed the second round of Willow Leaf Swordplay, the third round of Sword Moves gained an additional layer of intricacy.

By the fourth round, although Gu Shao'an's Sword Moves still could not be considered fast, they had acquired a peculiar feeling.

Those subtle changes caused Zhao Jingxuan, Ding Minjun, Bei Jinyi, and even Miejue to change expressions.

"Is this... Willow Leaf Swordplay at the Glimpse the Path stage?"

The martial arts of the world were divided into five levels according to the power a practitioner could unleash and their degree of mastery: beginner, Glimpse the Path, Ascend the Hall, Achieve Mastery, and seamless perfection.

Gu Shao'an's inner force had only just condensed, and his meridians remained unopened. Even if he gave it his all, the sword he swung would look like a crawling snail in Miejue and the others' eyes, unbearably slow.

Outsiders watched the spectacle, while experts saw the craft.

Though his Sword Moves were slow, Gu Shao'an's moves now resembled fluttering willow catkins, nimble and graceful.

They clearly possessed the charm that came only after Willow Leaf Swordplay had reached the Glimpse the Path stage.

Feeling that charm within Gu Shao'an's swordplay, Zhao Jingxuan could not suppress the astonishment on her face.

Even Miejue stared fixedly at Gu Shao'an as he wielded his sword, surprise gradually filling her eyes.