Perfected

The next day.

Early morning.

Zhou Zhiruo stood in a corner of the courtyard, her wooden sword held horizontally. Nearly three pounds of stones were already tied to the sword, and beads of sweat had begun to form on her brow. Her gaze occasionally shifted to Gu Shaoan in the yard.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan moved like a swimming dragon, his sword like a flying flower.

His body didn't pause, his movements natural as he began, the stances of the Willow Catkin Sword Technique unfolding like mercury pouring onto the ground.

His body moved like a swimming dragon, not with brute force or speed, but with a stretching, flowing motion, possessing an indescribable, unhurried rhythm.

His sword was like a flying flower, or like willow catkins. Flecks of silver light leaped and flickered in the faint morning light. The trajectory was light and elusive, as if the catkins were being pulled by an invisible wind, swaying with the breeze.

Gu Shaoan had long since mastered every move of the Willow Catkin Sword Technique. Now, as he practiced, his movements were so fluid that not a single trace of stiffness remained.

What was even more captivating was the underlying essence within his practice. It wasn't a deliberate imitation, but a natural expression of graceful movement with the wind in every gesture.

The sword tip thrust out, like willow threads gently touching the spring water.

The sword body circled back, resembling catkins swirling in the wind.

The footwork turned, like willow branches swaying in the breeze, supple and boneless.

Logically speaking, after obtaining profound martial arts like the Sunset Swordplay, Gu Shaoan shouldn't have been focusing his energy on basic martial arts like the Willow Catkin Sword Technique.

But Gu Shaoan knew deeply that the application of martial arts resided in the mind.

The power of martial arts varied from person to person; the power displayed in the hands of different individuals was vastly different.

Furthermore, when facing an enemy, flexibility was key. Martial arts were static, but people were dynamic.

There was no martial art in the world that was entirely useless; it all depended on how one used it.

As far as Gu Shaoan was concerned, although the sword moves of the Sunset Swordplay were more domineering and fierce, with sword energy streaking across the sky like a setting sun, its power was greater.

However, when it came to the subtle control of his sword and his own Internal Energy at this moment, and the natural sensing and utilization of the surrounding Qi, it was far inferior to the Willow Catkin Sword Technique.

When encountering a suitable opponent, the Willow Catkin Sword Technique could be even more effective than the Sunset Swordplay.

In martial artist combat, unless the difference in Internal Energy cultivation was too vast, the more skilled fighter would win, much like a game of chess.

Sweat soaked his temples, but Gu Shaoan was completely unaware, his mind fully immersed in the three-foot green sword in his hand and the flowing Qi around him.

Once, twice. The sword moves repeated endlessly, without any sign of fatigue.

He wasn't sure if it was the seventh or eighth repetition when he slowly executed the move "Wind Brushes a Thousand Threads," drawing his long sword diagonally, just about to land—

Hum!

An indescribable sense of mystery, like a warm, gentle current, suddenly spread from his sword-holding fingertips throughout his entire body.

Everything around him seemed to slow down in an instant.

Or rather, his perception had become incredibly sharp.

In this profound and mysterious feeling, Gu Shaoan felt as if he had suddenly gained a clear understanding of a certain aspect of the Willow Catkin Sword Technique.

After that, the subtle trajectory of the sword edge cutting through the air produced an unprecedented harmonious resonance with the faint morning breeze in the courtyard.

When executing moves, it seemed to be just slight adjustments in the wrist or footwork, yet Gu Shaoan's sword moves at this moment were completely devoid of any trace of "deliberate effort."

All the transitions of his sword stances, from beginning to end, were like willow catkins encountering the wind, gracefully yielding and flowing naturally.

Where the sword move pointed, the Internal Energy followed.

The swinging blade, at this moment, seemed to have become the willow catkin itself, moving with the wind, swaying without a trace.

[Congratulations Player! Willow Catkin Sword Technique has successfully entered the Perfected realm. Achievement Points +500.]

Just then, a notification message popped up before Gu Shaoan's eyes.

Glancing at the prompt that appeared before him, Gu Shaoan slowly raised the green sword in his hand, his gaze falling on its still plain and unadorned surface, while his mind was immersed in the realm he had just broken through.

That feeling was so clear. The sword was no longer a cold piece of iron, and Internal Energy was no longer just simple energy flowing through the meridians.

The two seemed to have merged into one, like a natural extension of his will.

With a slight movement of his mind, the sword tip seemed to instinctively point towards what he was thinking. Internal Energy flowed in and out with the sword's movement, circulating smoothly without any obstruction.

It felt as if it was meant to be this way.

"So, the 'Perfected' level isn't just about mastering the Willow Catkin Sword Technique."

Gu Shaoan murmured to himself, a look of insight flashing in his eyes.

He casually initiated another move, "Wind Brushes a Thousand Threads." The movement appeared slow, with no imposing aura, as gentle as a spring breeze caressing the face.

However, as the long sword cut through the air, a soft, supple, and dense pulling force naturally formed around the sword body.

A few fallen leaves on the ground were not directly shattered by sharp sword energy.

Instead, they were drawn by this seemingly weak force, silently circling a few times following the trajectory of the sword move.

Finally, they gently gathered at Gu Shaoan's feet.

"Indeed, the foundation is the bedrock upon which a skyscraper is built."

Though the Willow Catkin Sword Technique was simple, it contained the most fundamental principles of swordsmanship: "yielding, softness, agility, and resilience."

To practice the most basic sword principles to the point of "Perfected," achieving unity between sword and mind, intent and strength, form following will, and inner and outer harmony.

This was equivalent to forging a solid, flawless bedrock for Gu Shaoan's martial arts foundation in swordsmanship!

In the future, if his cultivation of other martial arts involved principles of "smoothness, gentleness, agility, and resilience," Gu Shaoan would be able to quickly grasp them and comprehend their true meaning.

It would even be helpful for the subsequent cultivation of Sunset Swordplay.

If he wanted to create new martial arts in the future, it would also be of great help.

This was like calligraphy.

Practicing the basic horizontal and vertical strokes, dots, hooks, and sweeps of the initial learning stage to perfection, laying a solid foundation.

Only then, no matter how wild and free the cursive script or the grand style of calligraphy he wrote in the future, could his strokes be like dragons and snakes with inherent strength, his composition unrestrained yet maintaining proper structure.

"This arduous training wasn't in vain!"

After more than a month of effort, even Gu Shaoan now felt a sense of accomplishment, as if every drop of sweat had finally yielded fruit.

Immediately after, Gu Shaoan's gaze fell upon his Achievement Points.

[875]

Since descending the mountain, through continuous diligent training, combined with what he gained yesterday and today, Gu Shaoan's Achievement Points were finally approaching one thousand again.

In a few more days, he would be able to gather enough Achievement Points to draw again.

Just then, Miejue's door suddenly opened.

Looking at the two bathed in the morning light, Miejue couldn't help but show a gratified smile.

Upon seeing Miejue, Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo immediately sheathed their swords and bowed.

"Master!"

Miejue nodded gently, walked slowly into the courtyard, and then beckoned to the two.

After her gaze swept over Zhou Zhiruo, Miejue then focused her attention on Gu Shaoan. She lightly raised her right hand, and as her wide sleeve fell, it revealed her right hand and a wooden box she was holding.