"Little Junior Brother, what technique are you here to choose?"
Senior Sister looked at the boy and asked with a gentle smile.
The little Junior Brother had just been promoted to an outer sect disciple and wasn't familiar with cultivating techniques. She could help him avoid a few wrong turns.
"I'd like to choose a sword technique."
Chen Changming caught the meaning behind Senior Sister's words and couldn't help scratching his head with a smile.
"Did you cultivate a blade technique before?"
Senior Sister glanced at the long saber on the boy's back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she smiled.
"I used to cultivate the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade, an ordinary blade technique from the martial world..." Chen Changming explained, then cupped his fists. "Please guide me, Senior Sister. Help me choose a sword technique that suits me."
"All right."
Senior Sister readily agreed and led Chen Changming over to the sword techniques.
"Little Junior Brother, our Lingxiao Sect is famous for its sword techniques, so our disciples have a lot of options to choose from. Compared with inner sect disciples, we outer sect disciples are only a little worse off when it comes to sword techniques."
Pointing at the sword techniques on the shelves, Senior Sister explained at length, "Our outer sect disciples can learn twenty sword techniques in all. Those with average aptitude choose the Breeze Sword Technique, those with decent aptitude choose the Golden Light Sword Technique, and those with superior aptitude can choose the Lingxiao Sword Technique. The Lingxiao Sword Technique is also the best choice for inner sect disciples."
The Lingxiao Sword Technique?
Chen Changming felt uneasy. It seemed this was the most powerful sword technique in the Lingxiao Sect. But his aptitude was poor, and his comprehension was lacking too. He probably wouldn't be able to learn such a powerful sword technique.
No wonder the boy wanted to back out.
After all, he'd needed a long time to grasp even the shallow techniques he'd learned before. Now that he was faced with a profound sword technique, it would probably take him even longer to understand it.
"Senior Sister, then I'll choose the Breeze Sword Technique."
Chen Changming made his choice with a good deal of self-awareness.
Senior Sister shook her head, her expression suddenly turning serious. "Little Junior Brother, why not choose the Lingxiao Sword Technique?"
Chen Changming gave a bitter smile. "Senior Sister, the Lingxiao Sword Technique is too difficult. I'm afraid I won't be able to learn it..."
Senior Sister's eyes flickered as she looked the boy over like a piece of gold. She said slowly, "You managed to kill the seriously wounded Leng Shankui. That's not something an ordinary outer sect disciple could do. Since you've done well with blade techniques, I'm sure you can make your own mark with sword techniques too..."
She said this because she knew Leng Shankui extremely well.
He was no weak cultivator, and he had a protective magic treasure. Even severely wounded, he would never have been someone a second-level Qi Refining outer sect disciple could kill.
What was more, this outer sect disciple had once been a servant disciple with a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root.
She'd made inquiries. Chen Changming had never learned any offensive techniques, and after becoming an outer sect disciple, he'd only exchanged for the Dragon-Roaming Step movement technique.
As for the Spirit Finger Flick, she'd simply disregarded it.
That technique could be used to get rid of insects, but it was useless against cultivators. It was merely an auxiliary technique for growing Spirit Rice.
She knew this little Junior Brother was no ordinary person. Perhaps he was hiding some secret, but she wasn't curious. Who in the cultivation world didn't have a few secrets?
Seeing how much Senior Sister believed in him, Chen Changming grew anxious.
"Senior Sister, you think too highly of me. I'm afraid it'll take me a long time to understand the Lingxiao Sword Technique, and who knows how much longer it'll take before I can actually use it..."
Smack!
Senior Sister, growing excited too, slapped the boy on the shoulder and laughed. "It's fine. I'll help you! The Lingxiao Sword Technique is my main cultivation. I'll explain it to you and demonstrate how to practice it. That way, even if you're a bit slow, you'll still learn most of it. Haha!"
"Uh, all right."
Chen Changming's body shook, and he nearly collapsed under Senior Sister's slap. In the end, he could only agree helplessly.
Indeed, if Senior Sister personally guided him, explaining and demonstrating the Lingxiao Sword Technique, it would be much less of a struggle to learn.
The Lingxiao Sword Technique was extremely high-level, but it wasn't expensive. It only cost 200 contribution points.
Most disciples knew that if their aptitude wasn't good enough, spending two years on the Lingxiao Sword Technique was worse than spending one year on the Breeze Sword Technique.
Someone had once made a laughingstock of himself in the Lingxiao Sect.
He'd arrogantly spent two years learning the Lingxiao Sword Technique, only to lose to a disciple who'd studied the Breeze Sword Technique for one year.
It had been a joke at the time.
It had also served as a warning. Even if someone got the Lingxiao Sword Technique, the Scripture Library's guardian would usually refuse them without mercy.
"You're choosing the Lingxiao Sword Technique?"
The black-robed old woman was startled when she saw the sword technique booklet Chen Changming held out to her. She knew what kind of aptitude he had. Did someone with such a useless Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root really think he could learn the Lingxiao Sect's signature sword technique?
What a pipe dream!
At that moment, Senior Sister suddenly appeared behind Chen Changming, smiling as she said, "Elder Duanmu, don't worry. I'll guide Little Junior Brother Chen as he learns the Lingxiao Sword Technique."
"Mm..."
Elder Duanmu blinked and swallowed the words she'd been about to say.
Since Elder Luo's granddaughter had spoken, she couldn't very well refuse her. She could only agree.
But she still had a question in her heart.
What kind of dog luck had this boy with a Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root stumbled into to get the number-one outer sect disciple to personally teach him sword techniques?
I'm getting old. I can't understand young people anymore...
After smoothly obtaining the Lingxiao Sword Technique, Chen Changming was led by Senior Sister to a secluded, deserted mountaintop.
"Little Junior Brother, the Lingxiao Sword Technique has thirty-six forms in all. We'll take it slowly..."
Senior Sister opened the sword technique booklet, her expression earnest, and began patiently explaining the technique's spiritual energy circulation, how to strike, and how to coordinate the body's force with the sword movements.
Chen Changming was like a young attendant, standing obediently beside her with his hands hanging at his sides. At first, he couldn't understand anything, but he swallowed his pride and asked question after question. Gradually, he began to understand more.
"Little Junior Brother, do you understand?"
After half a day, Senior Sister looked up and asked the boy with a smile.
Understand?
Chen Changming felt bitter. There were still many parts he didn't understand.
He scratched his head and told the truth. "Senior Sister, I think there are still some things I don't understand..."
"It's fine. Go back and keep pondering it today. We'll continue learning tomorrow."
Senior Sister was very patient.
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister."
Chen Changming left with the sword technique booklet in his arms, looking ashamed.
After that, he went to the mountaintop every day, spending half a day learning the Lingxiao Sword Technique from Senior Sister. She remained patient and never grew irritated, tirelessly explaining it to him.
The more patient Senior Sister became, the more uneasy Chen Changming felt.
Seven or eight days passed. The more he studied the Lingxiao Sword Technique, the more things he found that he didn't understand. This frightened Chen Changming. If he really couldn't learn it, he'd be wasting far too much of Senior Sister's time.