Morning Sun Peak, Ten Thousand Sword Hall.
Chen Xian stepped inside.
As the main hall of the Sword Sect, the Sword Hall was also the largest of the six halls.
The screen wall by the entrance was etched with several famous sword marks. As one drew near, one could even faintly hear the delicate ring of swords—the insights into the Sword Path left behind by masters.
Once past the screen wall, one could see swords of all shapes and sizes offered up in front of the hall.
Long swords and short swords, slender swords and heavy swords—every kind was there.
Unlike the Pill Hall, which was redolent with medicinal herbs, this place was steeped in a sharp, murderous air.
A disciple soon came over to greet him.
Chen Xian explained why he had come.
Since he held the status of grand-uncle master, the process of receiving the cultivation manual went surprisingly smoothly.
The disciple on duty didn't even check his Contribution Points. He nimbly took a crystalline green jade slip from a redwood rack.
"Grand-uncle master, this is the basic volume of the Sword Control Technique. This art is the foundation of our sect. Any disciple of the Sword Sect who has reached the Seventh Layer Dao Disciple may study it for free."
The disciple presented it with both hands, then remembered to offer a reminder. "However, the Sword Control Technique is easy to learn but hard to master. Please... take it easy, sir."
Chen Xian took the jade slip and tucked it into his robes with an air of supreme composure, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. It's just a minor technique."
After leaving the Technique Hall, Chen Xian headed straight for the Disciple Practice Arena.
The Practice Arena sat on a cliffside platform near Morning Sun Peak. It stretched a full thousand zhang in every direction, and its floors, paved with dark iron and enormous stones, were covered in densely packed array markings.
Though it was morning, quite a few disciples were already practicing their techniques.
Some practiced swordsmanship, their Sword Qi crisscrossing as it sent bursts of air tearing through the arena.
Some worked through their fists and kicks, moving like leopards on the prowl, their tiger-like strength stirring the wind.
Others sat cross-legged, holding vermilion brushes and drawing in midair. Countless talismans floated around them, now bursting into flame, now frosting over.
Chen Xian glanced around and picked the most secluded, least crowded corner.
He had his pride, after all. If he tried learning to fly a sword and ended up sprawled on the ground like a dog, with all these juniors watching, where would he put his old face?
"Vmmmm—"
He entered the center of the array, pressed his palm against the imprint on a stone pillar, and activated the small Protection Array built into the Practice Arena.
A pale blue curtain of light rose, sealing off a ten-zhang stretch of space.
"Now I can begin."
Chen Xian took the Xuanyun Flying Sword he'd bought earlier for two Contribution Points from his Jade Ring.
It was the most basic standard-issue flying sword in the sect. The blade was about three fingers wide and had an all-over blued-steel sheen.
A little crystal iron ore had been mixed into it, so in the sunlight, icy glimmers seemed to flow across its surface, giving it a chill air.
"Today, this old man is taking to the skies!"
Chen Xian rubbed the cool blade, then sat cross-legged and pressed the Sword Control Technique jade slip firmly to his forehead, letting his Dao Consciousness sink into it.
[Those who control swords use Dao Consciousness as a medium to commune with the blade. Qi supports the Yongquan points, strength reaches the spine of the sword, and spirit and sword become one. Nothing can stand in their way...]
Thousands of words of cultivation incantation poured into his mind bit by bit. He hadn't even tried to memorize them, yet they seemed to have imprinted themselves in his brain.
The System Panel in his sea of consciousness suddenly flickered:
[Technique: Sword Control Technique (Not Yet Initiated)]
"Heh, so that's how it works. The trait system can record the techniques I learn now. What a shame—it'd be even better if I could see my progress."
Chen Xian rubbed his hands together, set the Xuanyun Flying Sword on the ground in front of him, and immediately formed a sword seal with his fingers, circulating the Dao Power in his body according to the incantation.
"Rise!"
He gave a low shout.
The Xuanyun Flying Sword on the ground gave a couple of rattling shudders, then wobbled unsteadily into the air.
A foot, two feet...
"It's flying!!"
Chen Xian was as excited as a child who'd just gotten a new toy.
Seizing his chance, he lifted the hem of his robe and carefully set his right foot on the blade.
"Plop!"
Before he could steady himself, the flying sword sank sharply like an overloaded boat and slammed into the ground.
Chen Xian lost his balance and landed hard on his backside on the unyielding floor.
"Ow... my tailbone!"
Grimacing with pain, Chen Xian rubbed his behind and scrambled to his feet, refusing to believe it. "Again!"
The second time, the flying sword rose a foot off the ground.
Chen Xian was wiser now. He lowered his Dao Power and stepped onto it with both feet together.
This time, he stayed steady.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop, stop, stop!"
But the flying sword swayed violently from side to side like it was drunk, and Chen Xian writhed on top of it like a water snake.
Before he could regain his balance, the sword suddenly lurched forward. Inertia sent him pitching backward, and he crashed to the ground, limbs splayed.
For a full half hour, Chen Xian repeated the same cycle of taking off, wobbling, and falling.
If the Protection Array hadn't been there to stop him, he might have flown right out of the Practice Arena and over the cliff.
"Seriously, is the Sword Control Technique really this hard?"
Chen Xian sat on the ground, dusty and panting, staring at the pale blue flying sword in dismay.
After all that practice, he was nowhere near roaming the skies. He'd be lucky if he could stay aloft for three minutes.
He glanced at the System Panel and found the words "Not Yet Initiated" painfully conspicuous.
Just then, a deep voice called from outside the array.
"Grand-uncle master? Are you in there?"
Chen Xian jumped, quickly dusted off his behind, and sat up straight. "Ahem, who's there? It's me. Come in."
The curtain of light parted, and a hulking man nearly one meter ninety tall walked in.
The man looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. He had thick brows, large eyes, and dark skin. His solid muscles stretched the red Inner Sect disciple's sword robe tight.
"Inner Sect disciple Gu Tie pays his respects to grand-uncle master."
The man scratched his head sheepishly and said with a grin, "This disciple was practicing nearby and heard quite a commotion from inside your array, so I thought I'd come take a look. Are you... practicing the Sword Control Technique?"
Chen Xian's old face reddened, but he feigned composure. "Ahem, so it's Gu Tie. This old man just wanted to test how the flying sword felt underfoot. But the sword... might be a little shy around strangers."
Gu Tie looked at the flying sword on the ground, then at Chen Xian, who was covered in dust and grime. He understood perfectly well, but didn't call him out.
He stepped forward and said earnestly, "Grand-uncle master, I'm a technique instructor here at the Practice Arena, and I know a thing or two about the basic techniques. How about... I practice with you?"
Chen Xian had wanted to refuse out of pride, but a dull ache throbbed through his backside. He sighed. "All right, tell this old man how it works."
Gu Tie picked up the Xuanyun Flying Sword.
In his hands, it seemed to come alive.
He pointed with two fingers, and the flying sword shot out like a spirit snake from its cave, tracing an extraordinarily smooth arc through the air.
Then it stopped steadily beside Gu Tie's feet. He stepped onto it. Though the man looked to weigh at least two hundred jin, the sword sank only slightly beneath him before holding firm as a boulder, suspended in the air.
"Grand-uncle master, flying on a sword isn't about pressing down on it. It's about supporting it."
As he demonstrated from atop the flying sword, Gu Tie explained in detail. "'Qi supports the Yongquan points' in the incantation means that your Dao Power should support the sword like a fountain."
Gu Tie explained at an unhurried pace, in meticulous detail, even making clear how to circulate Dao Power at each step.
Chen Xian listened intently and tried again. Sure enough, he was much steadier. He could now manage a low glide of more than ten meters.
"I've got it! I really can fly!"
After landing, Chen Xian's opinion of the honest, sturdy man improved considerably. "Gu Tie, you're a better teacher than those elders."
"Since you're an instructor here at the Practice Arena, you must know quite a few techniques, right?" he asked casually.
Gu Tie smiled a little bashfully. "To answer you, grand-uncle master, this disciple is dull-witted and only knows a few crude techniques."
"I've mastered more than a dozen basic techniques, including the Sword Control Technique, Flowing Cloud Steps, and Iron Bone Technique. That's how the steward took notice of me and gave me this instructor's job."
"More than a dozen basic techniques, all mastered?"
Chen Xian's pupils trembled.
The cultivation world prized breakthroughs. No matter how well one practiced basic techniques, it was all for naught without a breakthrough to the next major realm.
Most people were in a hurry to advance their cultivation, and few bothered to learn so many basic techniques, let alone master every one of them.
Chen Xian marveled, "Your talent... no, your perseverance is truly rare."
"Hehe, this disciple has no talent to speak of. I've been in the sect for five years, but I've only reached the second layer as a Sword Master. I'm near the bottom of the Inner Sect."
Gu Tie smiled brightly. "Cultivation's hard to advance, so I thought I'd learn more techniques to make up the difference. After all, Heaven Rewards Diligence."
"You're a steady one. With a mindset like that, you'll surely achieve great things."
Chen Xian nodded and patted Gu Tie's sturdy arm.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind. Anyone who'd mastered so many techniques had to have something interesting in his traits.
"Check traits!"