Kendo Class

Once refined to the point of absolute purity, one reaches the stage of Mastery. At this level, swordsmanship is no longer a simple matter of following the book; it begins to incorporate one's own understanding.

One is no longer constrained by fixed sword paths, allowing for free and unrestrained expression.

When one thoroughly understands a sword style and reinterprets it through their own perspective, completely making it their own, they have reached the Grandmaster level.

As for the level of a Sword Sage, in ancient times, it was called "Unfathomable."

"Un" means infinite, and "fathomable" refers to measurement. At this stage, one completely shatters the original limits of swordsmanship, turning decay into magic and pushing their art into a vast, new horizon.

Simply put, if a sword style has a maximum of ten levels, Beginner is Lv1-Lv3, Proficient is Lv4-Lv6, Mastery is Lv7-Lv9, and Grandmaster is Lv10. As for the Sword Sage, that is Lv11 to Lv???.

The exact level one can reach depends on the practitioner's talent and their opportunities.

For the average person, the Mastery level is the limit of hard work. While diligence can make up for a lack of talent, the Sword Sage level is no longer something that can be reached through mere effort.

Below the Sword Sage level, one can rely on the accumulation of time to transcend the limits of their innate talent—for instance, by practicing only one sword style for a lifetime. But the Sword Sage level is a qualitative transformation; it requires either extraordinary talent or extraordinary opportunities. Diligence alone cannot bridge that gap.

At this moment, with the instructor confirming that Zhao Cheng's swordsmanship had reached the Proficient level, it naturally caused a small sensation.

It wasn't that they hadn't seen Zhao Cheng's progress over these past few months, but they hadn't expected it to be this significant.

Everything is subject to comparison. Half a year ago, he was still quiet and unremarkable, but now he had suddenly pulled ahead of them by an entire level. Since they were classmates, a hint of bitterness was inevitable.

This emotion was like a classroom setting: if a student had always been a top performer, everyone would be used to it. But if a slacker suddenly and quietly became the top of the class, everyone's emotions would naturally flare up.

"Are you interested in joining the Qingyuan Middle School Kendo Class?!"

The instructor asked with a smile.

He heard the discussions of the students around him, but he only smiled knowingly. This was a good thing; only with competition could there be progress.

His public "praise" was not without the intention of stimulating these students.

If he could stimulate another "Zhao Cheng" to emerge, that would undoubtedly be a great thing.

In fact, in this class, the one he had originally favored most was undoubtedly the big guy, Zhou Yu. Unfortunately, Zhou Yu was too laid back; he had the talent, but lacked the necessary effort.

It wasn't that he was unwilling, but that he lacked a certain resolve, which was why his swordsmanship had always struggled to reach the threshold of true entry.

For a teacher like him, being able to guide an outstanding student was undoubtedly a matter of pride.

If he didn't have the heart to educate, he wouldn't be teaching students. If he really wanted to make money, a Swordsman would never lack ways to do so; many things were far more lucrative than teaching.

As the instructor spoke, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The Qingyuan Middle School Kendo Class belonged to a special sequence and was not a regular class.

Joining the Kendo Class did not mean Zhao Cheng would leave his current class, but rather that he would receive extra sword instruction and additional resource subsidies after school.

In the entire Xiangnan City, Qingyuan Middle School was the only school that possessed such a Kendo Class.

The threshold for joining the Kendo Class was naturally high; the minimum standard was Proficient-level swordsmanship. Even that was only one condition; more importantly, it required a recommendation from an instructor.

In short, while every member of the Kendo Class was at least at the Proficient level, not every student at the Proficient level was a member of the Kendo Class.

The reason for this seemingly unfair rule was primarily limited resources—not material resources, but the instructors themselves.

The so-called Kendo Class might sound like a single group, but in reality, it consisted of a few students under the guidance of one instructor.

It was similar to the mentor-student model for master's and doctoral degrees.

The instructor's recommendation was essentially the mentor choosing their own students.

In such a situation, those who were more passionate about teaching would naturally take on more students, while the more laid-back ones would take fewer.

Although Qingyuan Middle School had a short history and a small catchment area, meaning there weren't many top-tier seedlings, over the past four years, there had been a few students who reached the Proficient level. Not all of them were taken in by an instructor.

Kendo is a discipline that looks at talent, but even more so at character. Talent determines the speed of cultivation, but character determines how far one can ultimately go.

There were plenty of cases with excellent talent but poor character. Such students had limited potential; they might progress rapidly for a time, but they would eventually hit a wall.

Zhao Cheng receiving this invitation meant the instructor had seen that his resolve was set. At his age, this was extremely rare, making him a prime seedling in the eyes of many teachers.

One doesn't fear poor talent, only poor character or a twisted mind. Taking on such a student would be a curse, not a blessing.

After a brief silence, a wave of noise erupted. The scene was like a student who was still struggling with their studies watching an unremarkable classmate suddenly graduate early—and not only that, but hearing that this classmate had also been recommended for postgraduate studies.

As for themselves, not only was graduation a distant dream, but postgraduate recommendation was pure fantasy.

Hearing this, Zhao Cheng felt a ripple in his heart. Fortunately, having lived a second life, he was not a typical high school student. Furthermore, through half a year of practicing internal energy and cultivating his spirit, he had developed a sense of composure. Thus, he did not panic or feel embarrassed, but responded calmly, "I am very interested!"

As soon as Zhao Cheng's voice fell, someone shouted, "Teacher Wu, I'd like to recommend myself! Since you're taking one student, you might as well take two. Why not take me as well?"

Wu Nian didn't get angry; he just smiled and replied, "If you can practice your swordsmanship to the Proficient level within three months, I'll take you."

"Student Zhou Yu, do you have the confidence?!"

After asking, Wu Nian didn't wait for Zhou Yu to answer, continuing, "A real man can't say he can't do it, especially in front of so many female classmates."

Hearing this, even though Zhou Yu wasn't thin-skinned, he was still just a young man. His ears turned red immediately, and he stubbornly insisted, "I can do it, I definitely can!"

"Teacher Wu, just wait to drink the tea I serve you as my mentor."

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

With this interruption, the atmosphere eased.

"Alright, everyone take a break and move around freely. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Wu Nian clapped his hands and said seriously.

A major Kendo class lasted for a full hour and forty minutes. From changing clothes and sitting in meditation to the present, less than an hour had passed.