"Please instruct me, Senior Huang!"
Lu Chen performed a sword salute. His body flashed, and he suddenly arrived before Huang Yaoshi, his Wooden Sword launching a chain of thrusts at him.
Facing Huang Yaoshi, one of the foremost martial artists in the Condor Heroes World, Lu Chen did not dare slacken in the slightest. From the start, he used the most exquisite killing move of Falling Blossom Swordplay. His successive thrusts came like a violent storm, each sword faster than the last.
Under the infusion of true qi that was slight in quantity yet exceptionally pure and condensed, the Wooden Sword, though plainly made of wood, emitted sharp whistling sounds as though a real sword were slicing through the air.
One hand behind his back, Huang Yaoshi stood at ease. With casual sword strokes utterly devoid of worldly flair, he used only the flat of his blade to bat aside and intercept Lu Chen's attacks, effortlessly neutralizing his rapid succession of strikes.
Lu Chen had expected this and was not discouraged. His feet moved in quick succession as he circled Huang Yaoshi at high speed. His elbows flicked and trembled, his wrists quivered lightly, and his Wooden Sword hissed through the air. It thrust, slashed, tapped, and lifted, attacking Huang Yaoshi in an unbroken stream. Sometimes three moves were feints and one was real; sometimes five were feints and one was real. Feint and substance could transform at any moment, making his attacks impossible to predict.
Using Falling Blossom Swordplay against Huang Yaoshi was no different from showing off one's skills before an expert.
Huang Yaoshi's feet remained rooted in place without the slightest movement. He did not even turn or shift sideways. Wielding his sword with one hand and moving it as he pleased, he easily dissolved Lu Chen's sword moves from every direction.
Even when Lu Chen circled behind him, Huang Yaoshi seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without looking back, he casually broke Lu Chen's sword move with a backhand stroke.
Even so, Huang Yaoshi was quite pleased inwardly.
Lu Chen had studied Falling Blossom Swordplay for merely three days, yet he could already wield it freely in actual combat. Unlike an ordinary beginner, he was not stiffly following the established sequence from the first move to the last, but changed his moves as the moment and circumstances demanded.
He was even unbound by the fixed forms. Halfway through one move, upon noticing that the situation was wrong, he could instantly connect it to the latter half of another move better suited to the circumstances.
Such instinctive adaptability in real combat could be said to have attained some degree of the Subtlety of Application.
One must know that in the path of martial arts, the subtlety of application lies in the heart.
Any martial art, move, or inner cultivation method could be taught, but how to apply them was nearly impossible to teach.
With the same martial art, some people could use it effortlessly and as they pleased, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Even Grand Ancestor Long Fist, widely known throughout both the Martial Arts World and among common folk, could display astonishing might in their hands.
Others could only perform each move rigidly and faithfully, perhaps not even grasping the proper timing for its use. The power displayed by the two was worlds apart.
And that was the difference between genius and mediocrity.
A genius could imbue martial arts with spirit, letting their imagination soar without restraint. Mediocre people could only copy what they had been shown, neither daring nor capable of making the slightest departure.
Lu Chen was undoubtedly a once-in-an-age genius when it came to swordsmanship.
Huang Yaoshi could not help thinking that if Lu Chen had been born several decades earlier, lived in the same era as him, and received the guidance of a famous master from childhood, then at the Mount Hua Sword Conference, who would have claimed the title of "Number One Under Heaven" might still have been unknown.
After several dozen exchanges, Lu Chen moved back to face him. Huang Yaoshi, who had been defending all along, suddenly changed his sword momentum and launched a fierce counterattack.
For a moment, Lu Chen saw nothing but hazy sword shadows, half-real and half-false, impossible to distinguish. Chilling sword wind rushed toward him, making his entire body turn cold, his brow ache, and every hair stand on end.
Against such a fierce offensive, Lu Chen could not even parry, much less break it apart. He desperately evaded with his footwork while straining to block several strikes. Then his hand suddenly felt light—the Wooden Sword had already been knocked flying by Huang Yaoshi's sword, while a wooden blade pointed at his throat.
"Senior, your skill is extraordinary. This junior is truly impressed!"
Lu Chen spoke from the heart.
Defeating such a junior so easily was not enough to make Huang Yaoshi proud, no matter how impressed Lu Chen might be. He gave a slight nod and said calmly,
"Your swordsmanship is too crude, and your foundation too shallow. You still need to train diligently. Also, that move of yours, White Rainbow Piercing the Sun, is certainly powerful, but it has no small flaw. It is a straightforward thrust. Before a true expert, even if they cannot break your sword move, they can at least evade it without difficulty.
"You must not rely on that one sword and become arrogant or conceited. You should consider how to create opportunities with ordinary sword moves, then unleash that Ultimate Sword in the flash of an instant, leaving your enemy nowhere to evade."
Lu Chen nodded gratefully.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"
"Mm."
Huang Yaoshi gave a faint grunt, tossed the Wooden Sword back to Huang Rong, then returned to the stone table beneath the tree to drink tea.
Lu Chen stood quietly for a while, pondering the swordsmanship Huang Yaoshi had displayed during their exchange, especially during his counterattack.
Before long, he nodded as if enlightenment had dawned on him, then assumed his stance and began practicing again.
This time, new variations quickly emerged in his swordsmanship. It became even more spirited than before. As his sword shadows flashed, it was like a sudden gale sweeping through a peach grove, filling the sky with fluttering blossoms that dazzled the eye.
Huang Yaoshi's eye twitched slightly. He had never expected Lu Chen to gain insight so quickly, raising his mastery of Falling Blossom Swordplay to another level.
Amid his inward amazement, he could not help occasionally speaking up to offer a word or two of guidance.
Huang Yaoshi's understanding of martial arts far surpassed Huang Rong's. Even his casual pointers contained profound essences of swordsmanship.
Whenever Lu Chen received guidance, he would always stop to ponder it for a moment. When he resumed practicing, his swordsmanship would improve visibly once more.
Such terrifying comprehension made Huang Yaoshi find him more and more pleasing to the eye. But when he inadvertently caught sight of Huang Rong propping her fragrant cheek in her hand, smiling proudly as she watched Lu Chen, Teacher Huang became displeased again.
This boy possessed astonishing talent, an unwavering will, mastery of both literary and martial arts, and a decent appearance besides. He was clearly a great menace!
The more Teacher Huang looked, the more displeased she became. Her awkward temperament flared up again. She shot Lu Chen another glare, snorted coldly, and rose to return indoors, leaving Lu Chen utterly baffled.
He looked toward Huang Rong with a puzzled, questioning expression.
Huang Rong, who knew her old father's temperament well, merely stuck out her tongue and made a face at Huang Yaoshi's retreating back. Then, as though nothing had happened, she gave Lu Chen a broad smile, signaling that he need not dwell on it and should continue practicing his sword.
Although Teacher Huang's awkward temperament flared up from time to time, over the next few days she still watched Lu Chen practice his sword without fail.
For the next few days, Huang Rong also obediently attended to her old father. She used all her skill to prepare Huang Yaoshi's favorite dishes and drank several cups of Shaoxing yellow wine with him every day.
With his daughter being so obedient and filial, Huang Yaoshi was naturally greatly comforted. Thus, whenever she made even a small request, Teacher Huang would once again personally instruct Lu Chen.
During their sparring sessions, she would also verbally guide Lu Chen in the Subtlety of Application.
For ordinary people, this subtlety in applying martial arts could not be taught even hand by hand. But for a genius like Lu Chen, a casual remark was enough to enlighten him, elevating his practical application in battle yet again.
Thus, over the next several days, Lu Chen's swordsmanship advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching a new level every day.
When Huang Yaoshi suppressed his inner power to Lu Chen's level, Lu Chen could even exchange forty or fifty moves with him before losing. Such rapid progress deeply shocked Huang Yaoshi, who already believed that Lu Chen had studied swordsmanship for barely over a month.
Before they knew it, the eighth night had arrived.
That day, Lu Chen practiced hard until midnight. Having just washed up and returned to his room to lie down, before he had even fallen asleep, he heard the door bolt shift softly, followed by a faint creak from the door.
Lu Chen sat up and looked over. The door suddenly opened a crack, and Huang Rong, dressed in fitted martial attire and carrying a bundle, slipped in through the gap.
"Rong'er?" Lu Chen asked in astonishment. "What are you—?"
"Shh!" Huang Rong made a silencing gesture. She hurried to Lu Chen's bedside, grabbed the clothes hanging on the rack at the head of his bed, and tossed them to him.
"Quick, get dressed. We're leaving!"
"Leaving?" Lu Chen was speechless. "Senior Huang is still here..."
"It's fine. I know Father's martial arts best. At this hour every night, he enters his deepest meditation. For two quarters of an hour, unless someone comes within ten paces of him, he will have no reaction at all to anything outside."
Huang Rong's little face was flushed, her eyes sparkling with both excitement and pride.
"These past few days, I've been using a strategy of letting him lower his guard, making him think I'd obediently accepted my fate and would return to Peach Blossom Island with him. The first few nights, Father hadn't entered deep meditation and had been secretly watching me. But seeing how obedient I was, he completely relaxed his guard starting the night before last and entered meditation without concern."
"I waited another two nights before acting today. We'll definitely slip away successfully."
Lu Chen hesitated. "But I promised Senior Huang..."
"But I never truly promised him. Besides, the task he gave you is downright deadly and clearly unfair to you. Even if I had agreed, I could still go back on my word. Anyway, I'm not some honorable gentleman. I'm only Father's precious daughter."
Huang Rong spoke as though it were only natural, then fixed her bright eyes on him.
"I'm your first teacher. So tell me, are you listening to my father or to me?"
There was no choice to make.
"Of course I'll listen to you."
Lu Chen no longer hesitated. He swiftly put on his clothes and shoes, placed his bamboo hat on his head, picked up the real sword Huang Rong had bought for him, and lifted the bundle containing his spare clothes. He was ready to run.
"Let's go! You've already learned Movement Technique. We can reach the Cao'e River within two quarters of an hour, then use the water to conceal our tracks. Once we do that, no matter how formidable Father is, he won't be able to catch us in a short time!"
Huang Rong giggled and left the room with Lu Chen.
Before you continue