Technique, Practicing the Blade

"That's right, techniques are nothing but arts of killing!"

Hong Lei nodded, a smile still playing on his lips as he said, "Martial arts can be divided into 'Gong' and 'Fa'. Gong is the art of internal cultivation, such as the Five Animals Fist, which allows us to continuously strengthen ourselves, break through our limits, and step into higher realms of martial arts."

"Fa, on the other hand, refers to offensive techniques. They allow us to push our own strength to the limit. Some powerful techniques can even enable us to unleash power far exceeding our current cultivation level, allowing us to easily defeat martial artists of the same rank or even higher."

The crowd listened in silence, not daring to miss a single word.

"Martial arts is the collective term for internal cultivation and techniques. Internal cultivation helps us nourish and temper our blood-qi, while techniques require the expenditure of blood-qi to unleash greater power. Therefore, internal cultivation remains the foundation; without sufficient blood-qi, even the most formidable technique will be difficult to wield to its true potential!"

Hong Lei looked at the crowd and continued, "In other words, if your blood-qi is robust, it not only enhances the power of your techniques but also allows for prolonged combat. But if your blood-qi is exhausted, you are left with nothing but empty forms and no lethality."

The crowd nodded one after another, clearly in agreement.

Simply put, as long as the blood-qi is sufficiently robust, techniques act as the icing on the cake, allowing them to unleash greater power and easily defeat their enemies.

Otherwise, if blood-qi is severely depleted or completely exhausted, no matter how exquisite the technique, it is like a clever housewife trying to cook without rice—it serves little purpose.

"If a technique is a gun, then blood-qi is the bullet. A gun without bullets is at best a fire poker, only good for smashing things!"

Lu Yuan thought to himself, So, abundant blood-qi combined with techniques is equivalent to a gun with infinite ammunition—infinitely powerful.

"Do you know why, among those who walk the pugilistic world, the most common weapon carried is the saber?"

Hong Lei swept his gaze over the crowd and asked.

"Because the saber is more powerful?"

"Because saber techniques are easier to cultivate?"

The crowd began to answer tentatively.

"The saber is the 'courage of a hundred weapons,' emphasizing bravery, decisiveness, and wide, sweeping movements. It is not only easier to pick up but also relatively more lethal!"

Hong Lei nodded slightly, then continued, "The Wind-Breaking Blade Technique I am about to teach you is not only a Yellow-grade art like the Five Animals Fist, but once you master the basics, it will significantly boost your offensive capabilities."

"Generally speaking, saber techniques are divided into 'Tyrant Sabers' and 'Fast Sabers.' The Tyrant Saber emphasizes heavy, powerful strikes, wild and domineering, breaking finesse with raw strength; it is usually paired with a thick-backed, heavy blade. The Fast Saber, as the name suggests, emphasizes speed!"

"As the saying goes, 'All martial arts under heaven can be broken, except for speed.' The Fast Saber focuses on using speed to overcome slowness, pushing velocity to the limit, seeking to strike after the opponent but land first, achieving a one-hit kill. It is best performed with a lightweight long blade."

Hong Lei explained in great detail, and the crowd listened just as carefully.

"The Wind-Breaking Blade Technique consists of three moves: Wind-Slaying, Wind-Intercepting, and Wind-Chasing, each with five forms..."

"This is Wind-Slaying: hold the blade vertically and slash from top to bottom. It is not only fast but also powerful. When exerting force, channel your blood-qi into your wrists, then..."

"This is Wind-Intercepting: slash horizontally from left to right, leaving the opponent with nowhere to hide..."

"This is Wind-Chasing: flick upward from below, winning through the unexpected..."

"Pay attention here, and this part is crucial..."

Hong Lei dismantled every move, including how to channel blood-qi when swinging the blade, along with various techniques and precautions, explaining everything in detail.

Finally, he demonstrated with his blade, his speed increasing with every pass.

"So fast... too fast!"

"No, I can't see clearly, and I can't remember any of it!"

The crowd felt dazzled; let alone following along, even memorizing the moves was difficult.

"Saber technique is not a one-day achievement. We have plenty of time ahead, so you can ponder it slowly. If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask me or Fang Chang directly!"

Seeing the bewildered crowd, Hong Lei said with a smile.

The group did not hesitate and immediately began to ponder and attempt to swing their blades.

However, most were just flailing about, with no resemblance to the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique at all.

Two of them couldn't even hold their blades properly and nearly injured those around them.

Chen Pi, Wu Yu, and Gu Ming had no choice but to crowd around Hong Lei, asking questions one after another.

Three people also walked over to Fang Chang, among them Chen Yong.

Before long, everyone had finally managed to practice the basics to a decent standard.

Although they were still a long way from true mastery, at least it looked somewhat like the real thing.

Lu Yuan first carefully recalled Hong Lei's explanation and demonstration in his mind, then raised his long blade and practiced the moves one by one.

Although his speed was very slow, he could barely maintain a fluid motion.

As he completed a full practice of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, the ancient scroll in his mind shifted.

[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Not yet mastered (1/100)]

The appearance of proficiency meant that Lu Yuan had officially learned the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.

Next, he just needed to keep grinding for proficiency.

Cultivating this Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, while consuming blood-qi, would not drain his physical stamina and energy like the Five Animals Fist did after one or two sessions.

Given the current robustness of his blood-qi, he estimated that even if he practiced it seven or eight times a day, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

After casually wiping away his sweat, Lu Yuan continued his practice.

[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Not Yet Initiated (2/100)]

[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Not Yet Initiated (5/100)]

There were no surprises; the Practice Makes Perfect destiny trait remained effective for the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.

Each time Lu Yuan practiced, the proficiency he gained increased as well.

As time passed, having practiced the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique only six times, his progress was already nearing the initiation threshold.

Such a speed of cultivation could simply be called terrifying.

After he rested for a while, he would likely only need to practice one more time to reach the initiation stage of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.

"Brother Hong, you must have already reached the initiation stage of this Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, right?"

While everyone was sitting around the campfire to rest, someone asked Hong Lei with curiosity.

"The Wind-Breaking Blade Technique is the same as the Five Animals Fist; reaching initiation is actually not difficult. As long as you can connect the moves and initially grasp the technique of coordinating your qi and blood with the strikes, you are basically considered initiated."

Hong Lei smiled, then added, "However, it is not easy to reach the minor accomplishment stage. Not only do you need to execute the moves fluidly, but the integration of your qi and blood with the strikes must also be handled with ease."

"Still, within three months at most, I should be able to reach minor accomplishment!"

Once these words were spoken, everyone could not help but look at Hong Lei with eyes full of envy. Is this what a genius is?

"Brother Fang, what about you?"

Someone else asked Fang Chang.

"Two months should be enough to reach minor accomplishment!"

Fang Chang smiled faintly and said.

"Junior Brother Fang Chang's talent is indeed above mine; two months is certainly no problem."

Hong Lei's expression did not change, and he continued to speak with a smile on his face.

For a moment, the atmosphere became inexplicably strange.

"Brother Hong, has Master Song already cultivated this Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to major accomplishment or even perfection?"

After a brief silence, Chen Pi suddenly asked with a smile.