Sword Technique Prototype

Mu En stepped out of Sea God Pavilion. The night wind rushed toward him, stirring his graying hair.

He stood at the entrance, gazing at the moon overhead, and let out a long sigh.

That sigh contained far too many complicated feelings.

He recalled how, back then, Zhang Lexuan had been a little girl of around ten. Her family had been wiped out, leaving her alone and helpless.

He had brought her back to Shrek Academy, taught her how to cultivate, and given her a home.

It was also then that he had made her swear that oath.

"No matter what Bei Bei chooses, I will be his child bride."

At the time, he had thought it was a good thing.

Bei Bei was his great-grandson, and Zhang Lexuan was a child he valued. If the two children could be together, it would strengthen family ties and benefit Shrek as well.

He had never considered whether a ten-year-old child truly understood what an "oath" meant.

Nor had he imagined that this oath would become Zhang Lexuan's shackles, binding her for more than a decade.

Mu En closed his eyes as regret surged through his heart like a tide.

He had personally ruined this child's life.

So this time, he returned the choice to her.

Willing, or unwilling.

No matter what she chose, the matter between him and Bei Bei would be completely over.

This was partly Mu En's selfishness. He wanted to keep Lin Yaoyang at Shrek Academy.

But he also wanted to set Zhang Lexuan free.

Night.

A secluded little forest.

Moonlight spilled through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground.

The night wind passed through the woods with a rustling sound, as though someone were whispering softly.

Lin Yaoyang, Wang Dong, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao were there.

There had been no classes that afternoon. Jiang Nannan wanted to spend time with Lin Yaoyang, but she was too embarrassed to ask Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao to leave, so she suggested that they cultivate together.

The four found a quiet grove, sparred with one another for a while, then each found a place to cultivate.

Lin Yaoyang stopped meditating after the sun had set.

He went to an open space in the middle of the woods. With a flick of his right hand, the Corona Sword appeared in his palm.

Its blade was reddish gold, glowing warmly beneath the moonlight like a fragment of solidified sunset.

Lin Yaoyang took a deep breath and began to practice his swordsmanship.

The basic sword forms personally passed down by the Snow Empress.

There were no soul skills, no chill—only the purest stance of the Emperor Sword.

The Snow Empress had taught them to him since childhood. They had been carved into his bones, the ultimate edge.

One move after another.

Thrust, chop, lift, slash, pick, wipe, sweep.

Every movement was crisp and precise, without the slightest excess.

The Corona Sword seemed alive in his hand, its reddish-golden sword light tracing elegant arcs beneath the moonlight.

Wherever the sword wind passed, fallen leaves on the ground were swept up and sent whirling through the air.

At some point, Wang Dong opened her eyes. Watching Lin Yaoyang practice his swordsmanship, a flicker of surprise flashed through her eyes.

She noticed that Lin Yaoyang's swordsmanship... was very unusual.

His swordsmanship carried an icy, razor-sharp aura, as though it had been tempered within a glacier that had stood for ten thousand years. It formed a strange contrast with his blazing Martial Soul.

After finishing a set of sword forms, Lin Yaoyang sheathed his sword and stood still.

He remained there with his eyes closed, as though he were sensing something.

Then he moved again.

It was still the same set of sword forms, but during one particular move, his wrist turned ever so slightly. The Corona Sword's trajectory deviated from its original path. It was an incredibly subtle change, so small that it was almost imperceptible.

Yet that tiny alteration brought about an indescribable change in the sword's momentum.

A faint thread of golden-red flame condensed at the sword tip, forming a slender sword-shaped outline.

It was the product of Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light merging together. Following the essence and trajectory of the Emperor Sword, it flew from the blade.

However, after traveling only a few feet, it gently dispersed into sparks.

It had form, but no spirit.

It had a prototype, but no power.

It could not yet be considered a true sword technique.

Lin Yaoyang watched the fading sparks in silence for a moment.

"Brother Lin, was that..." Wang Dong's surprised voice came from beside him. "A Self-Created Soul Skill?"

Xiao Xiao also came closer, blinking her large eyes as she looked at Lin Yaoyang curiously.

Jiang Nannan rose from the bluestone and walked to his side, concern and anticipation both present in her gaze.

Lin Yaoyang shook his head.

"Not yet, at least. Right now, it only has a framework. It still needs constant refinement."

He sighed and put away the Corona Sword.

Jiang Nannan looked at him and comforted him gently. "Yaoyang, don't be too anxious. If Senior Snow Empress were here, she definitely would..."

"I know, Nannan."

Lin Yaoyang nodded slightly and answered softly.

There was no discouragement in his eyes, only clarity.

"No matter how great one's talent is, experience isn't something that can be firmly grasped overnight."

He was not merely being polite.

The Snow Empress's Emperor Sword had been honed bit by bit over hundreds of thousands of years.

Every strike was steeped in her understanding of ice, sharpness, and the path of the ultimate.

For a twelve-year-old boy like him to hope to touch the threshold of that realm within a few months was simply too greedy.

Still, he was already considering something else.

The Golden Tree.

The core of Shrek Academy, the towering ancient tree at the center of Sea God Island.

If he cultivated inside the Golden Tree... would it help him comprehend sword techniques?

Mu En would probably agree, right?

The corners of Lin Yaoyang's mouth lifted slightly.

No rush. When Shrek Academy starts making promises, I'll take the opportunity to make my request.

Seeing the change in his expression, Jiang Nannan could not help smiling.

"Then it seems I worried for nothing," she said, her tone becoming more relaxed.

She glanced at the sky. The moon had already risen overhead.

"It's getting late. Let's head back and rest."

Lin Yaoyang nodded.

The four left the little forest and arrived on the school path outside.

Moonlight spilled over the bluestone road, giving it a silvery-white sheen.

In the distance, Sea God Lake resembled a massive piece of black jade in the night, quiet and deep.

They followed the road toward the dormitory area.

After walking for a while, they saw someone standing beneath the shadows of the trees ahead.

It was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties, with breathtaking beauty.

Her waterfall-like black hair hung softly to her waist, making her skin seem even fairer.

Her black eyes were bright and clear. Her gentle, dignified demeanor and delicate features created a softness that was wholly unaggressive, yet impossible to forget.

She stood there beneath the moonlight, like someone who had stepped out of a painting.

Jiang Nannan stopped walking, slightly taken aback.

"Hello, Senior Sister," Jiang Nannan politely said. "May I ask, are you...?"

Zhang Lexuan's gaze passed over Jiang Nannan and settled on the orange-red-haired youth behind her.

"I'm looking for Lin Yaoyang."

Jiang Nannan: "???"

Wang Dong: "???"

Xiao Xiao: "???"

The three of them simultaneously turned resentful looks toward Lin Yaoyang.

Why was there another one?

A hint of unease appeared in Jiang Nannan's eyes.

Not only was this senior sister beautiful, she was also more mature and more poised than any of them.

In Jiang Nannan's eyes, a little boy like Lin Yaoyang definitely would not be able to resist the temptation of such a mature older sister!

Xiao Xiao's eyes were filled with curiosity.

Just how many people did the class monitor know? Why did everyone seem to come looking for him?

Wang Dong's expression... was the most complicated.

She looked at Zhang Lexuan's absurdly exquisite face, then at Lin Yaoyang. That sour feeling in her heart rose again.

Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, and now another senior sister.

Just how many romantic entanglements had this guy gotten himself into?

Then she noticed that Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were looking at her with a hint of something unusual in their eyes.