Mount Hua Swordplay Mastery

Finally, it was here.

Ji Boying could only obtain one Energy Point per month, which meant he had only one chance each month to simplify a skill.

Last month's point had already been used on the Mount Hua Breathing Technique. This month's point had been used on "Welcoming Pine."

If he diligently practiced "Welcoming Pine," sword techniques were not isolated from one another. Once "Welcoming Pine" reached its highest realm, he could directly work out the next move. With his exceptional talent, his speed of learning swordsmanship from Linghu Chong would definitely not be slow.

After all, he had become Old Yue's disciple through his outstanding natural aptitude, not by cheating.

Now things were perfect. The incomplete moves had automatically merged together, so he no longer needed to spend Energy Points.

Naturally, Ji Boying silently chose to merge them all!

Rely on talent? No! I'm done pretending. I'll come clean—I'm cheating outright!

Mount Hua Swordplay merged successfully! Simplified!

Mount Hua Swordplay: Beginner (78/100)

The insights and proficiency he had just gained from practicing "Welcoming Pine" had also been converted into overall proficiency in Mount Hua Swordplay.

Satisfied, Ji Boying closed the panel.

He saw that Linghu Chong had stopped moving as well.

Before Linghu Chong could speak, Ji Boying walked over with a smile. "Senior Disciple Brother, I've already learned it."

Linghu Chong nodded. "Oh, you've learned it. Wait... you've learned it?!"

Only then did Linghu Chong realize what Ji Boying meant.

He rushed forward and gripped Ji Boying's damp shoulders with both hands, shouting, "Junior Disciple Brother, what did you learn?"

"Senior Disciple Brother, I've learned all of Mount Hua Swordplay."

"How is that possible?!"

Linghu Chong raised his voice in disbelief, so high that it cracked.

Ji Boying gently broke free of Linghu Chong's hands and laughed heartily. "I'll perform it once. Senior Disciple Brother, please give me some pointers."

Ji Boying stepped away a few paces, raised his Wooden Sword, and began from the start.

White Clouds Emerging from Peaks, Auspicious Phoenix Arrival, Heavenly Sash Hanging Upside Down, White Rainbow Piercing the Sun...

One move followed another, his movements fluid and his postures precise. He had clearly mastered them all.

Linghu Chong stared wide-eyed at Ji Boying's flowing movements, his pupils trembling. There was not the slightest mistake. This level of proficiency would have taken an ordinary disciple several years to achieve.

Ji Boying quickly finished the entire set of swordplay. He completed the closing stance, formed a sword-finger gesture, and stood with his sword sheathed.

Turning toward Linghu Chong, he flashed a hearty grin. His bright white teeth shone, and the sweat covering his face glimmered under the blazing sun, dazzling Linghu Chong for a moment.

"Senior Disciple Brother, what do you think?"

Linghu Chong could no longer offer an evaluation, nor did he want to ask how Ji Boying had managed it.

This was what a genius was, wasn't it?

Linghu Chong sighed. "Junior Disciple Brother, you really have learned it. That's incredible..."

After collecting himself, he continued, "You've already learned this swordplay. Do you want to learn something else? If you do, we'll have to ask Master for permission. I doubt even Master expected you to master all of Mount Hua's introductory swordplay so quickly. He'll definitely be delighted when he finds out."

But Ji Boying shook his head. "Senior Disciple Brother, one cannot digest too much at once. I've only just mastered this swordplay. I should practice it properly and become fully proficient before learning anything new."

Linghu Chong felt complicated yet deeply gratified. "This swordplay is the foundation of all the sword techniques in our Mount Hua Sect. Though its variations may be countless, they never stray from the root. Mastering it will also greatly benefit your study of other sword techniques. It is naturally excellent that Junior Disciple Brother can settle down and train diligently."

Yet there were some things Linghu Chong could not bring himself to say.

Ji Boying had finished in one day a complete set of swordplay that Lu Dayou had failed to finish learning in five years, yet he spoke of not being able to digest too much at once. He had already learned plenty. Though he had only just learned it, the fluidity of his sword moves already surpassed more than half of Mount Hua's disciples. If he truly set aside this swordplay and asked Master, perhaps he could really begin training in the Rising Sun Sword or the Nourishing Self Sword...

But perhaps, to a genius, this set of Mount Hua Swordplay really was not much, and his current level of proficiency was not particularly high...

"Junior Disciple Brother, then practice on your own. There's nothing more I can teach you about Mount Hua Swordplay. In a few days, you can spar with some of the other brothers. As your senior, I cannot let you take all the glory. I'm going to train too."

Linghu Chong looked at Ji Boying, drenched in sweat and smiling, and felt inspired as well.

Ji Boying smiled. "Thank you for your instruction, Senior Disciple Brother. Please go ahead. I'll practice a while longer."

Linghu Chong sighed. "Junior Disciple Brother, you possess such talent and still work so hard. It truly puts your senior brother to shame. But do not rush things. It is the height of summer, and the weather is scorching. Be careful not to suffer heatstroke."

"Rest assured, Senior Disciple Brother. I know my limits. Thank you for your concern."

Linghu Chong did not try to persuade him further. He turned and left to find a place to practice.

Watching Linghu Chong depart, Ji Boying looked up at the scorching sun and smiled before resuming his training without a care.

As his sword swung, "Proficiency +1" flashed continuously.

The sweat on Ji Boying's body dried, became wet again, then dried once more, leaving a frosty white layer of salt stains across his clothes.

In only two days, everyone on Mount Hua knew that the new Junior Disciple Brother was a Martial Arts Fanatic and a sword fanatic!

Every day, he rose at the crow of the rooster. Once he began practicing swordsmanship, he seemed to know no fatigue. The scorching heat did not affect him in the slightest. He feared neither hardship nor exhaustion. He practiced whenever he had time, swung his sword even while walking, and was absentminded at meals, waving his chopsticks about.

How could they know that even when Ji Boying casually swung his sword while walking, the effect was no worse than practicing swordsmanship? The pleasure of watching his proficiency rise without end had completely immersed him.

Ji Boying's obsessive training even alarmed Yue Buqun, who had always been strict. He hurriedly examined Ji Boying and found him full of vitality. His martial arts were progressing rapidly, yet he showed not the slightest sign of fatigue. Yue Buqun could only marvel at his genius, feeling greatly comforted in his old age. He repeatedly sighed to his junior sister that they had obtained a qilin child, and Mount Hua's revival was in sight.

Even when Ji Boying waved his chopsticks wildly at the dinner table, where Yue Buqun had always required silence while eating, Old Yue indulged him. This left the other disciples both envious and jealous.

Ji Boying's hard work broke Ning Zhongze's heart. She took away his filthy clothes covered in salt stains to wash them, then personally cut and made him several new sets of clothing.

Under such diligent cultivation, Ji Boying finally felt as though enlightenment had suddenly flooded his mind after only two short days, reaching another new level.

Mount Hua Swordplay: Mastery (1/600)

The moves of Mount Hua Swordplay came to Ji Boying's hand at will. When he performed them, each sword move flowed seamlessly into the next.

At this level of swordsmanship, only his Master Yue Buqun, Mistress Ning Zhongze, and Senior Disciple Brother Linghu Chong could reliably suppress him. As for the other senior brothers, he would have to fight them to know, though he reckoned they were inferior to him.

Name: Ji Boying

Skills: Mount Hua Breathing Technique: Proficient (80/300), Mount Hua Swordplay: Mastery (1/600)

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

Energy Points: 0. The system automatically restores 1 Energy Point each month. It is automatically cleared and refreshed at midnight on the first day of every month.