"You're right. Techniques are killing arts!"
Hong Lei nodded, still smiling as he explained, "Cultivation arts can be divided into cultivation and techniques. Cultivation is the art of training within, like the Five Animals Fist. It can continually strengthen us, helping us push past our limits and reach higher levels of martial arts."
"Techniques, on the other hand, are methods of attack. They let us bring our own strength to its fullest potential. Some powerful techniques can even unleash strength beyond our level of cultivation, allowing us to easily defeat martial artists of the same rank—or even those a rank above us."
Everyone listened intently, not daring to miss a single word.
"Cultivation arts are the general term for internal cultivation and techniques. Internal cultivation helps us nourish and temper our blood and qi, while techniques consume blood and qi to unleash greater strength. That's why internal cultivation remains the foundation. Without enough blood and qi, even the most powerful technique will be difficult to use to its full potential!"
Hong Lei looked around at the others and continued, "In other words, abundant blood and qi doesn't just make your techniques more powerful. It also lets you fight for a long time without tiring. But if your blood and qi run dry, then even if you know the moves, they'll have no killing power."
Everyone nodded. They clearly agreed.
Simply put, as long as they had abundant blood and qi, techniques would be the icing on the cake, allowing them to unleash greater power and easily defeat their enemies.
Otherwise, if their blood and qi were seriously depleted or completely exhausted, then even the most ingenious techniques would be like a clever housewife trying to cook without rice. They wouldn't be of much use.
"If techniques are guns, then blood and qi are bullets. A gun without bullets is nothing more than a fire poker—you can only use it to bash people!"
Lu Yuan thought to himself that abundant blood and qi, combined with techniques, were like a gun with an infinite supply of bullets: its power was boundless.
"Do you know why, when people travel the martial world, most of them carry blades?"
Hong Lei swept his gaze over the group and asked another question.
"Because blades are more powerful?"
"Because blade techniques are easier to learn?"
Everyone offered tentative answers.
"The blade is the boldest of the hundred weapons. It prizes courage and decisiveness, sweeping and forceful movements. Not only is it easier to pick up, its killing power is also greater!"
Hong Lei nodded slightly, then continued, "The Wind-Breaking Blade Technique I'm going to teach you is also a Yellow Grade cultivation art, just like the Five Animals Fist. And as long as you can learn its basics, your offensive ability will improve dramatically."
"Generally speaking, blade techniques can be divided into overpowering blades and fast blades. Overpowering blades rely on sheer force and ferocity, using strength to overcome finesse. They're usually performed with heavy, thick-backed blades. Fast blades, as the name suggests, are all about speed!"
"As the saying goes, 'Under heaven, nothing is unbreakable—except that which is broken by speed.' Fast blades use speed to overcome slowness, pushing it to the limit. They even strive to strike before the opponent can react and kill with a single blow. They're best performed with a light, easy-to-wield long blade."
Hong Lei explained everything carefully, and the others listened just as carefully.
"The Wind-Breaking Blade Technique has three moves: Wind-Slaying, Wind-Intercepting, and Wind-Chasing. Each move has five forms..."
"This is Wind-Slaying. Hold the blade upright and chop downward. It's both fast and powerful. As you strike, channel your blood and qi into your wrist, then..."
"This is Wind-Intercepting. Sweep the blade horizontally from left to right. There's no way to dodge it..."
"This is Wind-Chasing. Flick the blade upward from below to catch your opponent off guard..."
"Pay attention here, and this part is especially important..."
Hong Lei broke down every move in detail, including how to channel blood and qi to generate force as they swung their blades, along with a host of other techniques and points to keep in mind.
At the end, he demonstrated the moves with his blade, getting faster and faster.
"So fast... way too fast!"
"I can't. I'm having trouble seeing the moves, and there's no way I can remember them!"
Their vision spun. They could barely keep up, let alone practice along with him. Even memorizing the moves was difficult.
"Blade techniques aren't mastered in a day. We still have plenty of time, so take it slowly. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me or Fang Chang!"
Seeing everyone's dazed expressions, Hong Lei smiled.
Without hesitation, the group began studying the moves and trying them out with their blades.
Most of them, though, were just waving their blades around randomly. Their movements didn't resemble the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique at all.
Two of them even lost their grip and nearly injured someone nearby.
Chen Pi, Wu Yu, Gu Ming, and the others gathered around Hong Lei, taking turns asking him questions.
Three people also went over to Fang Chang, Chen Yong among them.
Before long, just about everyone had managed to make their practice look somewhat convincing.
They were still a long way from truly mastering the basics, but at least their movements bore a passing resemblance to the real thing.
Lu Yuan first went over Hong Lei's explanation and demonstration carefully in his mind. Then he raised the long blade in his hand and followed along, practicing each move in turn.
His movements were extremely slow, but he managed to keep them flowing.
After he completed the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique from start to finish, the Ancient Scroll in his mind changed as well.
[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Not Yet Mastered (1/100)]
The appearance of a proficiency score meant that Lu Yuan had already learned the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.
All he had to do now was keep grinding away at his proficiency.
Practicing the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique consumed blood and qi, but it wasn't like the Five Animals Fist, which left him physically and mentally exhausted after only one or two sessions.
Given how abundant the blood and qi in his body were now, he could probably practice seven or eight times in a day without much trouble.
After casually wiping away his sweat, Lu Yuan continued practicing.
[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Not Yet Mastered (2/100)] [Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Not Yet Mastered (5/100)]
As expected, the Practice Makes Perfect destiny trait worked on the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique as well.
Each time Lu Yuan practiced, he gained even more proficiency.
Time passed. After practicing the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique only six times, he was already close to mastering the basics.
His progress was simply astonishing.
Once he rested for a while, he'd probably need to practice just one more time to master the basics of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.
"Brother Hong, you've already mastered the basics of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, haven't you?"
As everyone sat around the bonfire resting, someone asked Hong Lei curiously.
"Like the Five Animals Fist, the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique isn't hard to learn at first. As long as you can perform the moves in sequence and get a basic grasp of how to coordinate them with the flow of your blood and qi, you can be considered to have mastered the basics."
Hong Lei smiled, then added, "But it's not easy to reach the Minor Mastery stage. You have to perform the moves smoothly, and your blood and qi have to flow together with them effortlessly."
"Still, I should be able to reach Minor Mastery within three months at most!"
At his words, everyone looked at Hong Lei with envy. Was this what it meant to be a genius?
"Brother Fang, what about you?"
Someone else turned to Fang Chang.
"I should be able to reach Minor Mastery in two months."
Fang Chang smiled faintly.
"Fang Chang really is more talented than I am. Two months should be no problem for him."
Hong Lei's expression didn't change. He kept smiling as he spoke.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned oddly tense.
"Brother Hong, has Master Song already brought the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to Great Mastery or even Perfection?"
After a brief silence, Chen Pi suddenly asked with a smile.
Before you continue