Learning Swordplay at Mount Hua

"Junior Disciple Brother, you won't need to go to Sky Lute Gorge today. Start learning swordplay from me instead. I teach all the junior brothers who joined after me."

Linghu Chong cheerfully stopped Ji Boying, who had been about to seek out Yue Buqun.

Ji Boying flashed a sunny smile. "Then I'll be troubling Senior Disciple Brother."

"We're family. No need to be so polite."

Linghu Chong waved a hand. Seeing how bright and clean-cut this newly admitted junior brother's smile was, he found himself quite fond of him.

"A day's plan begins in the morning. We—"

"Senior Disciple Brother, wait for me..."

A sweet, lively voice rang out, and a graceful figure emerged from the mountain path.

Yue Lingshan ran over excitedly. "Senior Disciple Brother, I want to teach too."

Ji Boying had joined the sect last, and at only sixteen, he was even a little younger than Yue Lingshan. At last, Yue Lingshan had been elevated to senior sister. Among Mount Hua's male and female disciples, nearly all of them had originally been older than her.

"Senior Disciple Sister." Ji Boying clasped his fists in greeting.

Before Yue Lingshan could speak, she was already smiling. Her pretty face was rosy and full of youthful vigor, while her bright, watery eyes had curved like crescent moons in the sky.

"No need for formalities, no need."

Linghu Chong smiled helplessly and indulgently. "You're always fooling around. Now your wish has finally come true—you finally have someone younger than you."

Yue Lingshan smiled and lifted her pretty face, circling Ji Boying with an interested look.

"Junior Disciple Brother, how did you manage it?"

Ji Boying knew what Yue Lingshan meant. Mount Hua was currently in decline, but Yue Buqun did not accept disciples easily. He always observed them for several years, and the younger they were, the more readily he would take them in. Seventeen years ago, Linghu Chong had been adopted by Yue Buqun and his wife, but it had taken another two years before he was formally accepted into the sect. That had been the ideal age of ten to begin martial training.

But Ji Boying was already sixteen and had never practiced martial arts before. Yue Buqun had not tested him at all, yet the moment he brought him back to the mountain, he immediately accepted him as a disciple.

Linghu Chong also looked over curiously.

Ji Boying grinned and said with feigned pride, "Of course, it's because I'm a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy! Master was delighted to find such talent."

Linghu Chong was skeptical, but more inclined to believe it. Yue Lingshan, however, was unconvinced. Her cherry lips pouted, her delicate nose wrinkled, and she looked at Ji Boying as though he were boasting.

Yet Ji Boying remained smug and accepted her gaze calmly.

"Then I'd like to see just how gifted this martial arts prodigy who moved Master so deeply truly is. Come, Junior Disciple Brother. Let's learn swordplay first."

Ji Boying had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Holding a Wooden Sword beneath an old pine at the edge of the peak, with the half-risen morning sun before them and the mountain breeze around them, even the lush, steep Mount Hua could not entirely delay the summer heat of the morning.

Facing Ji Boying, Linghu Chong held a Precious Sword and assumed a stance.

"Let's first learn this move, Welcoming Pine. When sparring within the sect in the future, or when Master and Mistress instruct you in martial arts, you should begin with this move to show respect."

Welcoming Pine was also Linghu Chong's favorite move in Mount Hua Swordplay. He had practiced it to perfection and could produce five or six variations. Seeing Senior Disciple Brother standing there, Ji Boying felt that he truly resembled the old pine beside them, and he could not help clapping in praise.

"Excellent swordplay!"

"Senior Disciple Brother, take this!"

Yue Lingshan drew her sword and attacked. Her figure was light and graceful, her swordplay exquisite; one look showed she had received the teachings of a renowned master. She attacked five times in succession, yet Linghu Chong blocked them all before she finally withdrew her sword and stepped aside.

"Come, Junior Disciple Brother. I'll break down this move for you in detail."

At that moment, however, a light screen that no one else could see had already appeared before Ji Boying's eyes.

Name: Ji Boying

Skills: Mount Hua Breathing Technique: Proficient (60/300), Mount Hua Swordplay*Incomplete (Not Initiated)...

Talent: Skill Simplification. Spend Simplification Energy Points to simplify skills.

Energy Points: 1. The system automatically restores 1 Energy Point every month. Points are automatically cleared and refreshed at midnight on the first day of each month.

"Detected incomplete move of Mount Hua Swordplay, 'Welcoming Pine.' Simplify?"

"Simplify!"

"Simplifying incomplete move of Mount Hua Swordplay, 'Welcoming Pine'... Simplification successful... Incomplete move of Mount Hua Swordplay, 'Welcoming Pine' → Swing Sword."

(Subsequent incomplete moves can be directly combined into a complete skill.)

Ji Boying had just raised the Wooden Sword in his hand when he casually swung it once.

"Proficiency +1"

Mount Hua Swordplay*Incomplete: Initiated (1/100)

He had initiated the Welcoming Pine sword move!

Feeling the memories and muscle habits settle into him, Ji Boying followed the motion and assumed a stance.

Linghu Chong had been about to explain each movement to Ji Boying one by one when he saw him begin moving with the Wooden Sword. He merely smiled and paid it no mind. Every junior brother he had taught had been this interested in swordplay at first, impatiently imitating it in a clumsy, awkward manner, but rarely grasping its true essence.

"How is that possible?"

Yue Lingshan's little mouth fell open in shock. Even her nimble tongue was visible, like a startled little bird.

Linghu Chong was stunned as well.

What had he just seen? Junior Disciple Brother had casually performed two or three movements, and it was clearly the form of Welcoming Pine! Though it still lacked some of its spirit, the movements had unmistakably reached the beginner level.

Ordinary disciples might not reach that stage even after ten days or so of practice.

He himself had considerable talent in swordplay, but Mount Hua emphasized using qi to control the sword. Back then, after practicing for an hour and only just reaching the beginner level, he had stopped. That was with Master's personal guidance.

Yet Junior Disciple Brother had merely watched his demonstration once and already entered the beginner level. What kind of heaven-blessed genius was this?

"Junior Disciple Brother truly is a martial arts prodigy!"

Ji Boying sheathed his sword and stood still, still wearing a modest yet slightly proud smile.

This time, though, the system deserved more of the credit. Of course, he really was a heaven-blessed genius as well—otherwise Yue Buqun would not have been so delighted after examining his innate physique.

"Not at all, not at all. Senior Disciple Brother praises me too highly. When I watched Senior Disciple Brother spar with Senior Disciple Sister just now, you turned the simple Welcoming Pine into five different variations. I've only just managed to assume the stance. I can only use it rigidly against an opponent and don't know a single variation."

Listening to Ji Boying's humility, Linghu Chong was happy for him, but he could not help feeling bitter and discouraged. "Junior Disciple Brother, you reached the beginner level after one glance and you're still not satisfied? This is my favorite move. It took me a full fourteen years from initiation until now to develop those five or six variations..."

However, Linghu Chong was a carefree man. He quickly cast aside that small setback and instead rejoiced over his junior brother's talent and Mount Hua's acquisition of such excellent material.

"Come, come, Junior Disciple Brother. Let me explain the variations to you again. With talent like yours, perhaps after hearing it once, you'll understand every variation completely."

Linghu Chong eagerly pulled Ji Boying over to explain. Yue Lingshan, left standing off to the side, merely remained there prettily without disturbing Ji Boying's sword practice.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Linghu Chong could not help praising him again.

"You've already mastered all of my variations. It's only that your inner power is still lacking, so you can't perform some of them yet. Mount Hua prioritizes qi. No matter how talented you are, you must endure the loneliness of sitting in meditation and practicing qi. Master will be even happier then."

"Don't worry, Senior Disciple Brother."

Mount Hua Swordplay*Incomplete*Welcoming Pine: Initiated (60/100)