Starting Sword Training

After returning to Heaven Dou City, the family of three rested for three days before resuming their usual cultivation. Hua Jieyu also began formally teaching Lin Feng swordsmanship.

Hua Jieyu said, "Feng'er, for the past half year, you had to prepare for your First Spirit Ring by studying the introductory section of the Nine Yin Manual while cultivating the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter to improve your physique, so I did not teach you swordsmanship. Starting today, Mother will formally teach you how to use a sword. Before that, tell me—what do you think of the 'sword,' whether as a Martial Soul or as a weapon?"

Lin Feng considered for a moment before answering seriously:

"First, on the Douluo Continent, Martial Souls have been revered above all since ancient times. People generally believe that a person's strength depends on the quality of their Martial Soul and the level of their Soul Power. For example, a Rank 30 cannot defeat a Rank 40, and an ordinary Martial Soul cannot defeat a high-grade Martial Soul. Even Sword Martial Souls differ in quality, though Sword Martial Souls are fortunate in that there are no useless ones. From the perspective of Martial Souls alone, Sword Martial Souls fit the continent's common understanding—they are good Martial Souls. Everyone recognizes Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as the foremost swordsman on the Douluo Continent, and his Seven Kill Sword is a top-tier Martial Soul. But I believe Mother's Seven Star Sword and my Heavenly Sword will both surpass his in the future. Still, I do not think that is all that important.

"Second, Soul Masters fight through soul skills. That is the continent's accepted path of cultivation, but I have a different view. Soul skills come from soul beasts. Although they become a Soul Master's skills after turning into spirit rings, they are still external power. Without Martial Soul Possession, they are nothing. That is why great sects all possess inherited Self-Created Soul Skills. Those who have reached the highest levels of cultivation have actually realized this and are gradually trying to improve upon it. The Clear Sky Sect's Haotian Nine Absolutes and Sword Douluo's Seven Kill Sword Technique both prove this. Only skills trained into one's muscle memory can truly be called one's own.

"Third, returning to the sword itself: as one of the primary weapons of ordinary people who fail to awaken Soul Power, among all the various weapons, I believe the sword is the emperor of weapons. A sword has sharpened double edges and can thrust or slash. Its techniques are nimble and ever-changing, but it demands extremely high skill from its wielder and requires long, rigorous training before it can be used freely. As the saying goes, 'A hundred days to train the saber, a thousand days to train the spear, ten thousand days to train the sword.' By comparison, saber techniques emphasize chopping and slashing, making them easier to learn; the spear is the king of weapons, with a long reach and greater power on the battlefield; the sword emphasizes technique and demands the greatest aptitude, while its might is also the hardest to display. But I like swords. Although swordsmanship is a killing art, the pursuit of the sword is not mere slaughter, but the perfection of technique, clarity of mind, grasping the right moment, and comprehending the 'Dao.'

"So what I mean is, it does not matter whether a Martial Soul is strong or weak, and it is not important how many skills one has. Practicing the sword is cultivating the heart. I like swords. Of course, the Heavenly Sword's power is my advantage, and I will not abandon that advantage either."

Hua Jieyu was very satisfied after hearing Lin Feng's thoughts. "Very good, Feng'er. Mother is pleased that you have your own views. You are right—practicing the sword is cultivating the heart. Every sword practitioner will walk their own 'Dao.' No one can teach you that; you can only comprehend it yourself through future cultivation. Mother will not pass my own sword Dao on to you either, because it would not be something you realized yourself. Mother's plan for your sword training has three stages. Today, we begin with the first: practicing the fundamentals. The foundation of swordsmanship comes from six basic sword techniques: thrusting, chopping, lifting, deflecting, sweeping, and wrist flowers. Namely:

"Thrusting: the most direct and fastest attack in swordsmanship. Force must reach the tip of the sword, and the trajectory must be straight, like a venomous snake leaving its hole. When practicing, focus on 'piercing in a single line'—the sword, arm, shoulder, waist, and leg must form one straight line, sending your power forward without reservation.

"Chopping: powerful and heavy, striking with the sword's edge. You must move the sword with your body, sink your shoulders, drop your elbows, and unleash short, fierce bursts of force.

"Lifting: an upward attack from below, capable of both offense and defense. It tests the turn of the wrist and the coordination of the waist and body.

"Deflecting: mainly used for defense, using the blade to block or guide away the opponent's attack. It requires accurate judgment and skillful application of force. It is the foundation of redirecting force.

"Sweeping: swinging the blade horizontally to cut the opponent. The blade's trajectory must be level, and control must be precise.

"Wrist flowers: under the control of the wrist, the sword traces circular or figure-eight paths around the body. This is not for show. It trains extreme wrist flexibility, control over the sword, and the basics of dissipating force through circular motion."

As Hua Jieyu explained the six basic movements, she demonstrated the standard posture for each one to Lin Feng. Holding an ordinary longsword Hua Jieyu had prepared beforehand, Lin Feng practiced at her side.

Hua Jieyu continued, "Feng'er, from now on, after cultivating your Spiritual Power every morning, you will begin practicing the Basic Sword Techniques. Complete each movement three thousand times before moving to the next. After finishing all six movements, practice basic footwork. Mother knows that you have cultivated the lightness technique from the Nine Yin Manual, which can improve your speed and agility. But basic stances such as the bow stance, horse stance, and empty stance are the roots of swordsmanship. As the saying goes, 'Unsteady steps make for a chaotic sword; slow steps make for a slow sword.' Mastering basic footwork will not only help your sword training, but will also greatly improve your lightness technique. At night, I will have your father prepare a Medicinal Bath to nourish your muscles and meridians. Otherwise, with this kind of training, your body will be ruined in two days."

And so, Lin Feng entered a life of cultivating his spirit in the morning, practicing the sword during the day, and training at night. It was truly bitter, and truly exhausting. Sometimes he wondered, Hadn't I transmigrated here to enjoy myself? My family is rich, and my parents are powerful, so why do I still have to suffer? But such thoughts vanished in an instant. The more Lin Feng cultivated, the more he found enjoyment and purpose in it. He liked swords—he had liked them in his previous life as well—but back then, he had never had the environment or opportunity. Now that he had finally begun learning the sword in this life, he did so with excitement and the feeling that a wish had been fulfilled. The harder he trained, the deeper his feelings for the sword became. Slowly, it seemed as though the sword had become part of his body, an extension of his arm.

At first, it took Lin Feng nearly an hour to complete one movement three thousand times, and that was only because he worked hard to make every movement standard. Otherwise, an hour would have been far from enough, because in Hua Jieyu's eyes, improper movements did not count. Later, as Lin Feng's movements became increasingly skilled and his mistakes fewer, his efficiency rose as well. Hua Jieyu raised the target from three thousand to five thousand, then to eight thousand.

Every day, Lin Feng practiced the sword until his arms swelled as thick as his thighs, then practiced basic footwork until his thighs swelled like pillars. At night, Lin Lan used Soul Power to soothe the swelling before Lin Feng soaked in a Medicinal Bath to recover. The daily soreness was, in a way, pain mixed with happiness. After training like this for a year, Hua Jieyu was satisfied with Lin Feng's mastery of the basic movements, so he began formally learning Hua Jieyu's swordsmanship.

Only after beginning to learn swordsmanship from his mother did Lin Feng understand why she was so powerful in battle. Hua Jieyu's swordsmanship focused entirely on attack rather than defense—killing the opponent was the best defense. It also focused on attacking vital points, attacking where the opponent had no choice but to defend. During this time, Lin Feng also learned most of the knowledge concerning "vital points," studying in categories how to attack the weak points of different Martial Souls and soul beasts.

Beyond the sword techniques themselves, sword intent was the core of the Seven Star Sword Technique. The techniques themselves were easy to learn, especially for Lin Feng, who had practiced the basic movements for a year. Swordsmanship was simply a combination of those six movements and body techniques. Once the basic movements had become instinct, learning any sword technique could be said to come naturally. But sword intent could not be trained through practice alone; it required countless battles to develop.

While learning Hua Jieyu's swordsmanship, Lin Feng once asked whether her swordsmanship shared the same underlying principle as the Soul Breaking Spear of the Breaking Clan. Hua Jieyu approved of the Breaking Clan's cultivation method, but not of the Breaking Clan itself. In Hua Jieyu's own words, advancing without retreating and attacking without defending was a powerful path of cultivation, but it suited only geniuses, not ordinary people. The spear itself was a powerful weapon, with immense offensive and defensive capabilities. For ordinary people, balancing offense and defense was the proper path of cultivation. Attacking without defending was like those cultivators who sought to cultivate an undefeated battle intent—it was suitable only for true geniuses. Yet the entire Breaking Clan cultivated this way. Their attack power might seem strong, but had anyone ever heard of a true peerless master emerging from their clan?