The Sixth Variation

Linghu Chong's instruction proved quite useful. He broke down and explained every variation. Though Ji Boying lacked the cultivation and physical ability to use some of the techniques for now, it had still opened his eyes. If he wanted to defeat him with Welcoming Pine, he would have to rely on superior inner strength and force his way through.

Ji Boying eagerly continued practicing his swordplay. Although he only needed to swing his sword simply to gain experience, he could hardly flail it around carelessly while practicing in front of Linghu Chong.

Fortunately, Linghu Chong's many years of experience had directly granted him ten experience points. Normally, when practicing swordplay and running through a move once, although the motions differed, each one counted as a sword swing. Ji Boying's proficiency rose quickly.

After Linghu Chong finished explaining, he had Ji Boying practice it several more times to consolidate what he had learned.

Then he stood with Yue Lingshan and watched Ji Boying practice.

Ji Boying stood beneath the old pine tree, wielding his Wooden Sword with precise, orderly movements that were perfectly coordinated.

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

Mount Hua Swordplay Incomplete Welcoming Pine: Proficient (1/100)

It had leveled up.

Ji Boying felt his movements become smoother. Of the several variations Senior Disciple Brother had just explained, he could now execute one that required no inner strength. He could also use the two that needed inner strength to support them. The remaining two variations required deeper cultivation to control the Precious Sword, and he could not manage them yet.

Wait!

Ji Boying stood blankly beneath the old pine, staring at the panel in puzzlement. Why does Welcoming Pine only need one hundred proficiency points to reach the Proficient level too?

On second thought, he understood. This was an incomplete move, after all.

The fact that it now required one-third of the proficiency needed for the Mount Hua Internal Cultivation Method was already remarkable. An incomplete move was not entirely isolated; this proficiency also included many of the fundamentals of Mount Hua Swordplay. Once he learned the complete Mount Hua Swordplay in the future, this proficiency could offset part of the experience needed to upgrade the overall swordplay.

"Junior Disciple Brother, what's wrong?"

Seeing Ji Boying freeze in place, Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan no longer had time to marvel at his rapidly improving swordplay and hurriedly asked after him.

"Did you advance too quickly in your swordplay and pull something?"

Linghu Chong spoke from experience.

Ji Boying quickly came back to himself. If this had not been his first encounter with such a situation, he would not have been so surprised. He was becoming increasingly clear on the purpose of his panel. If it happened again in the future, he would be mentally prepared and would not make such a fuss.

"Rest assured, Senior Disciple Brother. I'm fine. It's just that I think I can use some of the variations now."

Yue Lingshan found it hard to believe. Her playful nature suddenly emerged, and she smiled sweetly. "Junior Disciple Brother, don't brag. Let's see you prove it."

As she spoke, her delicate hand drew her longsword and thrust it toward Ji Boying.

"Junior Disciple Sister, don't be reckless!"

Linghu Chong feared that Yue Lingshan might lose control and hurt him. He called out to stop her, but it was already too late.

Ji Boying stood tall, Wooden Sword in hand, utterly fearless.

Yue Lingshan's sword came at him, but she still held back and was not as fast as when she had attacked Linghu Chong earlier.

The Wooden Sword met the steel blade. The force was not as great as Ji Boying had expected; it seemed Yue Lingshan had not used inner strength and merely wanted to exchange a few moves.

Ji Boying shifted aside and swept his Wooden Sword sideways, deflecting Yue Lingshan's unremarkable attack. It was precisely the first variation of Welcoming Pine.

Yue Lingshan's beautiful eyes lit up. "Junior Disciple Brother, you really have mastered it."

With that, she twisted her longsword, using the very second move she had employed against Linghu Chong earlier. Ji Boying circulated the Mount Hua Internal Cultivation Method. His Proficient-level internal cultivation was equivalent to what an ordinary person would need two or three years to achieve, more than enough to deal with Yue Lingshan.

He drew back, and the Wooden Sword gave a vigorous shake under the reinforcement of his inner strength, knocking Yue Lingshan's sword away again. Yue Lingshan attacked once more, and Ji Boying changed again. He had already mastered the three variations, and one could truly see a hint of the old pine's essence in them.

After the three variations were complete, Linghu Chong watched from the side with both admiration and envy. He had always thought himself talented among his fellow disciples, but today he learned that there was always someone greater.

He was about to step forward, but Yue Lingshan did not stop. She used the fourth move from their earlier spar, attacking the flaw in Welcoming Pine. Ji Boying immediately sensed danger. There was nowhere to dodge, and he knew only this one sword move. He needed the fourth variation Linghu Chong had taught him to break it, but his inner strength was not deep enough.

Losing would not matter, but Ji Boying still wanted to try receiving the attack. Yue Lingshan was also holding back and had not used inner strength, so her sword did not come too fiercely.

Ji Boying mobilized all the inner strength in his body. In that instant, he discarded every variation and sought only the essence of Welcoming Pine itself.

In the blink of an eye, Ji Boying resembled an old pine welcoming guests, bowing openheartedly as he received the longsword into his embrace. Just as Yue Lingshan circulated her inner strength to halt her sword, and Linghu Chong drew his sword with a cry of alarm, Ji Boying's Wooden Sword became like a branch extended by the welcoming old pine, openly and squarely sealing Yue Lingshan's sword.

Linghu Chong stared in astonishment, his mouth hanging open.

Yue Lingshan was also stunned. Even as Ji Boying held her longsword down, she did not withdraw it. She had not expected Ji Boying to neither dodge nor be able to block it. After all, she had not truly exerted herself and had nearly injured him. But she had even less expected him to break it with a use of the move she had never seen before.

"Th-this... what variation was that? How have I never seen it before?"

Linghu Chong explained to Junior Disciple Sister with envy written all over his face.

"This move of Junior Disciple Brother's is exactly the sixth use I tried to develop after practicing the fifth variation: returning to simplicity and pursuing the original intent of the sword move. I never grasped the key to it, yet Junior Disciple Brother mastered it like this on his very first day of martial practice. It truly feels as though I wasted more than ten years of training. A peerless genius! A peerless genius!"

At that moment, Ji Boying instead put away his usual bright smile, which carried a faint trace of proud confidence, and wore only a humble expression.

"You praise me too highly, Senior Disciple Brother. It is all thanks to your excellent teaching."

"What about me? What about me?" Yue Lingshan skipped forward brightly. "If I hadn't fed you moves, you wouldn't have been able to use it."

Having set aside her shock, Yue Lingshan returned to her usual pretty, lively self.

Ji Boying smiled helplessly. "Yes, yes, it was all thanks to Junior Disciple Sister."

"Disciple Sister is enough. Why add 'Junior'?"

Yue Lingshan pouted her rosy lips, making Ji Boying want to laugh. She truly was a little too innocent and lively.

"Senior Disciple Brother, I've practiced Welcoming Pine well enough. The rest is just slow, painstaking work. Can you teach me another move?"

"Fine. Call me Senior Disciple Sister properly, and Senior Disciple Sister will teach you."

Yue Lingshan smiled mischievously and cut in.

"Junior Disciple Sister, stop fooling around," Linghu Chong said helplessly.

Ignoring Yue Lingshan's little tantrum, he turned back and found himself unable to decide for a moment.

Their master was a rigid, methodical man, and Linghu Chong feared making him angry most of all. Ji Boying's swordplay was progressing too quickly, and Linghu Chong worried their master would accuse them of aiming too high. Yet Junior Disciple Brother's talent truly was too great.

"Junior Disciple Brother, let me first report today's situation to Master and Mistress and let them decide. No one on Mount Hua has ever trained as quickly as you."

"Then I'll trouble you, Senior Disciple Brother."