What the Hell Kind of Eleven-Year-Old Was This?

On the training ground, many Wudang disciples sensed that something was off just from Gu Shao'an's strike with sword and sheath together, and their expressions suddenly turned grave.

Putting themselves in Song Qingshu's place, some Wudang disciples realized that if it were them facing Gu Shao'an's thunderbolt-fast move, they would not even know how to respond.

Having realized this, everyone looked at Gu Shao'an with eyes filled with surprise.

There was no trace left of their earlier contempt.

Compared to the surrounding Wudang disciples, Song Yuanqiao, Zhang Songxi, and Mo Shenggu were not much better.

The astonishment on their faces was practically visible to the naked eye.

With their discernment, how could they fail to see that what Gu Shao'an had displayed was more than merely exquisite swordsmanship? It was control over the flow of power, the conversion of force, and the timing of every move, all brought to the finest degree.

His sword momentum moved as naturally as an arm or finger, without the slightest obstruction. Hardness and softness shifted at his will, smooth and flawless.

It was unknown how many times more powerful than the palm techniques he had used against Zhang Yuting before.

Yet if one spoke of surprise, no one present could compare to Abbess Miejue.

As she watched Gu Shao'an's sword moves, smooth and natural like drifting willow catkins, she clearly paused for an instant.

Deep within those placid eyes, a stormy wave of shock surged unseen.

But an instant later, delight rapidly spread through Miejue's eyes.

"In just over two months, he had actually cultivated Willow Leaf Swordplay to the level of smooth perfection. Shao'an's talent is even greater than I imagined."

While Miejue and the others were astonished, Song Qingshu's pupils abruptly contracted.

The arrogant, disdainful expression froze on his face as an overwhelmingly dangerous aura rushed at him!

How could he have expected an eleven-year-old child's sword momentum to be so fierce?

In his haste, how could he still care about keeping up appearances?

His left arm dropped, driving his left leg backward. He twisted his body with force from his right shoulder, and the sword at his waist drew with a clear dragon's cry.

"Clear Sound of Secluded Charm!"

The sword light was cold and clear, like the sound of a secluded spring flowing through a mountain ravine.

Song Qingshu's longsword swept sharply upward, its blade precisely bracing against the end of the scabbard crashing through the air.

Clang—

A dull metallic crash, harsh enough to make one's teeth ache, exploded across the field.

Song Qingshu felt a force even stronger than his own surge down the blade. His sword-wielding right arm instantly went numb and sore, and even his blood and qi stalled.

He staggered back three steps before barely managing to disperse the force.

The instant he stabilized himself, Song Qingshu's eyes widened, and he cursed furiously in his heart.

What the hell kind of eleven-year-old was this? Was this strength something an eleven-year-old child should have?

Seeing Song Qingshu's horrified reaction, Gu Shao'an laughed inwardly.

Before a martial artist achieved Return to Innate, their inner force had yet to transform into true qi and could not leave the body.

Even when inner force was circulated alongside martial arts, it merely made the moves faster and the force behind them stronger.

Although Gu Shao'an still had not used the twenty years of cultivation sealed within his body, he had cultivated the second level of the Emei Nine Yang Skill to perfection. His inner force had condensed into threads and become pure to the extreme.

It was not inferior in the slightest to Song Qingshu's, despite Song Qingshu having cultivated for several more years.

As for raw strength, the Drawing Sword Like a Rainbow trait and the Bodhi Exquisite Pill's strengthening of his sinews and bones had made Gu Shao'an's physique far stronger than that of an ordinary person.

In sheer strength alone, he was no weaker than Eldest Senior Sister Zhao Jingxuan.

How could Song Qingshu possibly compare?

With one side waning and the other waxing, Song Qingshu's so-called advantage was nothing more than a joke in Gu Shao'an's eyes.

Before Song Qingshu could steady himself and regulate his breathing, Gu Shao'an's second move had already arrived.

His figure appeared like a ghost along Song Qingshu's retreating path, as though he had foreseen it. It was still the unsheathed sword, yet the technique had changed!

The sword momentum shifted from fierce to lingering. No longer did it strike with crushing force; instead, it became countless fluttering willow catkins, forming layer upon layer of shadows.

It appeared soft and powerless, yet it sealed off every avenue for Song Qingshu to evade!

Shadows of the scabbard seemed to be everywhere, endlessly winding toward the vital points all over Song Qingshu's body!

Song Qingshu was both startled and enraged. Fury flared in his heart as he shouted.

He immediately used "Muddy Jing, Clear Wei!" from Wudang's Clear Breeze Swordplay.

The blade swept through the air, the longsword rapidly whirling as its light divided, attempting to forcibly scatter the surrounding layers of "willow waves" and clear out a patch of space.

However, Gu Shao'an's sword momentum clung like a festering disease in the bone. The dense afterimages of his scabbard seemed to stick to Song Qingshu's sword light.

Sword blade and scabbard collided, every clash producing a rapid series of dull puff, puff sounds.

Song Qingshu only felt the clinging force in his opponent's sword was incomparably strong. His "Muddy Jing, Clear Wei!" had failed to completely sweep away the entanglement as expected. Instead, it felt as though he had sunk into a mire.

What frightened him even more was that the force carried by every collision was somewhat difficult for him to withstand.

Song Qingshu forcibly steadied his mind and suppressed the panic that had somehow quietly arisen within him. His sword momentum suddenly changed, turning offense into defense!

His sword momentum became upright, balanced, and harmonious. Sword light guarded his body like clear water. He no longer paid heed to the entwining "willow catkins," seeking only seamless perfection and the isolation of all intrusion.

This was Wudang's Two Forms Swordplay.

A barely perceptible mocking curve crossed Gu Shao'an's lips.

On the journey to Wudang, Miejue had also told Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo about many of Wudang's martial arts.

Among them were the Clear Breeze Swordplay Song Qingshu had just used and the Two Forms Swordplay he was using now.

Like the Emei Sect, Wudang's Clear Breeze Swordplay was likewise a martial art every Wudang disciple used to build their foundation.

According to Miejue, once Clear Breeze Swordplay reached the level of Ascend the Hall, its sword moves would sweep through the air like a clear breeze brushing one's face, drifting gently forward.

Yet although Song Qingshu's sword moves were practiced, they contained not the slightest hint of a clear breeze.

Clearly, he had yet to enter the level of Ascend the Hall in this martial art.

He had not even mastered the martial art used to build his foundation, much less his other sword arts.

Broad but shallow. How laughable.

If there was one aspect in which Song Qingshu could surpass Gu Shao'an, it was his understanding of martial arts.

But unfortunately, Song Qingshu's own command of martial arts could only be called average.

The foremost among Wudang's third-generation disciples was truly disappointing.

As the thought passed through his mind, Gu Shao'an moved again. As his inner force circulated according to Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon, his body shot into the sky as though he intended to charge straight into the clouds. Song Qingshu's gaze tightened, his nerves stretched to the limit as he immediately focused and prepared for a thunderous strike from above!

Yet Gu Shao'an's figure, having leaped into the air, suddenly turned. Without warning, it shifted from rising to falling.

Like a hunting hawk spotting prey at its flank, his trajectory carved a sharp angle through the air. Carrying an even fiercer downward momentum, the sheathed sword became a bolt of lightning, stabbing diagonally toward Song Qingshu's right shoulder, where his defense was slightly slower to return.

"Was that Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon at the level of Ascend the Hall?"

Seeing Gu Shao'an's sudden shift in movement, a sharp gleam flashed through Miejue's eyes.

She had thought that Willow Leaf Swordplay at the level of smooth perfection was already rare enough. Who would have thought that Gu Shao'an had now taken Three Manifestations of the Divine Dragon a step further, entering the level of Ascend the Hall?

"Good, good! With such talent, why should my Emei worry about its future?"