Thrusting Sword

Chapter 5: Thrusting Sword

"Then what level are you, Second Grandfather?"

"Me?"

Baili Changkong raised his head slightly and gazed up at the heavens. In his eyes, weathered by the years, lay an indescribable melancholy. "Back then, I fought shoulder to shoulder with General Melbourne and killed several War-level experts..."

"Killed War-level experts! Several of them!?"

Baili Qingfeng, Baili Ruoxue, and Baili Ruoshui were all shaken to the core.

War-level experts could be called Kingdom Experts, admired by countless people throughout the country. Yet their Second Grandfather, Baili Changkong, had actually been able to kill several War-level experts back then!?

"Until later, when I took a sword through the chest..."

Baili Changkong's expression darkened, as though he did not wish to mention the subject again. "I'm old now. These old bones of mine can no longer compare to others..."

Baili Qingfeng, Baili Ruoxue, and the others immediately understood.

Their Second Grandfather must have been a War-level figure back then, perhaps even at the peak of the War-level...

Peak War-level!?

A Level 6 Warrior!?

Incredible, incredible!

At once, Baili Qingfeng swiftly put away his contempt for the Baili Lineage.

Although the Baili Family's Body Refining Method, Qi Refining Method, and Spirit Refining Method could all be found online, his grandfather had relied on those three techniques to cultivate to such a realm...

He was absolutely a major figure.

"I never expected Grandfather to have such a glorious past. Our Baili Family once produced a supreme expert like Grandfather as well. That's truly amazing! Grandfather, don't worry. I'll definitely train hard in martial arts and carry forward the martial prestige of our Baili Family!"

A faint flush rose on Baili Ruoxue's lovely face as she spoke with a look of solemn purpose.

"Good. I'm pleased that you have such aspirations."

Baili Changkong looked at the high-spirited Baili Ruoxue and nodded approvingly.

"Grandfather, since you've killed War-level experts before, how much subsidy do you receive each month?"

Baili Ruoxue's eyes shifted as she asked again.

"Cough, cough... Well... Grandfather is old now, after all, and the state won't come disturb him. So I don't hold any honorary title... Besides, I have no desire to compete with the young anymore. These old bones of mine have half my body buried in the yellow earth already. There's no point in taking a War-level expert certificate..."

"There's a subsidy of one or two thousand yuan a month..."

Baili Ruoxue murmured.

"Hmph! Do you think your grandfather is the sort of person who, after no longer being able to serve the country, would still waste the taxpayers' money? Finished eating? Then go walk it off. Training continues this afternoon!"

Baili Changkong snorted in displeasure.

"Okay."

Baili Ruoxue answered with a touch of awe.

As for Baili Qingfeng, the confidence he had only just built up...

Collapsed.

"A War-level expert certificate..."

In other words...

He didn't have a War-level expert certificate?

And as for fighting alongside General Melbourne and killing several War-level experts...

Heh heh...

His assets combined with Bill's exceeded ten billion too. Had he ever gone around boasting about it?

That afternoon, martial training continued.

Baili Changkong maintained the air of a lofty master as he spoke at length. "Our Baili Family's Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms is a superior Body Refining Method. The first twelve forms are for Foundation Establishment, the middle twelve are for raising qi, and the last twelve are for combat."

"Ten minutes is the standard. If you can complete one round, it means your physical condition is no weaker than that of a Level 1 Warrior—the standard of a sturdy adult. Two rounds put you at the strength of a Level 2 Warrior, while four rounds let you stand shoulder to shoulder with a Level 3 Warrior."

"Of course, having the physical condition of a Level One, Two, or Three Warrior is one thing; whether you count as a Level One, Two, or Three Warrior is another. After all, the key to becoming a Level 1 Warrior is to gather all the strength in your body into one stream, transforming it into force that surges like a dragon... Ruoxue, demonstrate it for Qingfeng."

"Got it."

Eager to show off in front of Baili Qingfeng, Baili Ruoxue immediately assumed one of the Qi-Raising Stances from the Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms. "Qingfeng Little Brother, watch closely."

With a shake of her body, she first exerted strength through her toes. Her foot twisted, and her force surged upward into her waist, echoing with her spine before swiftly condensing into one and pouring into her arm. Then, as she thrust out her sword, it whistled forth.

Whoosh!

The sword edge gave a faint cry, as though it had pierced through the air.

This thrust was standard, crisp, and fierce.

If even this unsharpened Sharp Sword struck a tree, it would likely punch straight through a trunk as thick as an adult's thigh.

"Not bad. Your Thrusting Sword has improved. Once you can complete the Rushing Thunder Thirty-Six Forms in under ten minutes, your skill will truly have taken root."

Baili Changkong praised her, then turned to Baili Qingfeng. "Did you see it clearly?"

"I did."

Though Baili Qingfeng did not possess a photographic memory, he was not far from it.

"Oh? Ruoshui, give him a sword."

Baili Changkong called out.

Baili Ruoshui promptly brought an unsharpened steel sword out from indoors and handed it to Baili Qingfeng.

Though this sword had no edge, it was forged entirely from Special Ten Steel. It was 129 centimeters long and weighed 2.4 kilograms. When Baili Qingfeng raised it level, he actually found himself unable to keep the blade steady.

"Swordsmanship includes thrusting, drawing, lifting, parrying, striking, pointing, snapping, pressing, sweeping, chopping, picking, and slicing. In a frontal fight, its power is inferior to that of a saber."

"But the sword possesses traits far beyond those of other weapons: agility, and the power to pierce. In ancient times, sabers were of little use against heavy armor, but swords could still penetrate. No matter how sturdy the armor, it could not stop a sword's thrust."

"Therefore, when learning the sword, the first thing you must practice is the Thrusting Sword. Give me a few dozen thrusts and let me see!"

Baili Changkong said.

Baili Qingfeng immediately thrust out his sword according to his own understanding.

"Raise it... Higher... Keep your hand steady... Where are you stabbing... Keep your gaze level with the sword edge..."

Baili Qingfeng thrust sword after sword, while Baili Changkong continuously barked corrections from the side.

Baili Ruoxue watched with great interest. After all, she had gone through these same steps when she first learned the sword.

Holding a 2.4-kilogram sword and repeatedly thrusting straight ahead was no easy task. Baili Ruoxue watched Baili Qingfeng thrust again and again with the air of someone waiting to see a joke.

Time flowed on.

Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour...

Before long, Baili Ruoxue could no longer laugh.

Half an hour.

Baili Qingfeng maintained a pace of one thrust every three to four seconds, thrusting continuously for an hour.

At twenty thrusts per minute, half an hour meant a full six hundred thrusts.

For a beginner like him...

No, even for her, it was an unbelievable feat.

Without resting, her record for consecutive Thrusting Sword strikes was only two hundred and ninety-two. And she had struck much faster than Baili Qingfeng back then, yet now...

Baili Qingfeng had directly doubled her record!?

Baili Ruoxue was not the only one left dumbfounded. Baili Changkong also felt as though he had found a treasure.

Although he felt that, for a beginner, holding a 2.4-kilogram steel sword level and thrusting for half an hour was already close to Baili Qingfeng's limit, he still wanted to see it—to see where this kid's limit truly lay.

So, he did not call for him to stop...

Baili Qingfeng, meanwhile, had no idea how long a beginner was supposed to keep thrusting on his first attempt. In any case, he felt fine. He was a little tired, but with his recovery ability, he could keep going for another hour or two without a problem.

As he kept thrusting, he also replayed Baili Changkong's guidance and Baili Ruoxue's fluid, seamless movements when she had performed the Thrusting Sword.

Under those corrections, his sword stance became increasingly proper and increasingly standard.

More than that, as he recalled Baili Ruoxue's movements during her thrust, Baili Qingfeng also sensed his own body.

His Thunder Sovereign Spirit Refinement Visualization Method had easily reached the second level. He could use the Spirit Refining Method to observe himself internally, sensing the most minute changes within his body.

Relying on that awareness, he continuously adjusted the way he exerted strength, making each thrust easier, smoother, and more seamless.

Gradually, gradually...

When even Baili Qingfeng himself no longer knew which hundredth thrust he had reached, his waist twisted. A surge of force suddenly rose from the soles of his feet, poured into his spine, then gathered along it and rushed into his arm.

Following the motion of his thrust, it condensed into a single stream, doubling the speed of this strike.

Whoosh!

The sound of air being pierced rang out abruptly.