Officially Taking a Disciple and Teaching the Seven Kill Swordplay

Cultivation knew no passage of time. Before he knew it, another nine months had passed. Including the month spent hunting Soul Rings and the month spent teaching Ning Rongrong, Tianlin had been at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for nearly a full year.

Over those nine months, Tianlin had devoted most of his energy to swordsmanship training. His soul power had not improved much, rising only three levels to level eighteen.

Of course, that was only by his own standards. His birthday had passed during this time, so he was now seven years old. A seven-year-old at level eighteen would cause a sensation anywhere else.

Even Tang San, the original protagonist, was probably only around level fifteen at most right now.

But Tianlin, who possessed an acute sense of danger, was never satisfied.

Of course, he had not been wasting his time either. At the very least, his mastery of introductory swordsmanship had completely satisfied Chen Xin. Three months earlier, Chen Xin had officially accepted Tianlin as an Indoor Disciple.

From then on, Tianlin had begun calling him Master. The people of Douluo Continent did not seem to distinguish very clearly between "teacher" and "master," but to Tianlin, a master was entirely different. A master for a day was a father for life. To Tianlin now, Chen Xin was family, as dear to him as a father.

In the Martial Arts Arena, Tianlin was still practicing the Mount Shu Basic Swordplay. By now, his sword moved wherever his heart willed, and his sword paths had become even more elusive and difficult to trace.

"Alright, Xiao Tian, come here!" Chen Xin called Tianlin to a halt and had him come to his side. "Three months ago, your basic swordsmanship had already reached the point of consummate mastery. Yet I still made you continue training hard for another three months. Do you know why?"

"I don't, but I know you did it for my own good. I can feel that my attainments in basic swordsmanship now far surpass what they were three months ago," Tianlin replied.

"That's right. It is because your basic swordsmanship has now reached the third realm."

"The third realm?" Tianlin did not understand what Chen Xin meant.

"This is my view on learning swordsmanship—no, it should be said that it is my view on learning anything. There are Five Realms: Learn, Familiarize, Master, Spirit, Transform. That is, learn, become proficient, master, transcend, and achieve perfection." Chen Xin explained, "Nowadays, many people are impatient and restless, becoming complacent while still in the first realm. Since you have entered my school, you must never be like that. In the future, before I allow you to delve into deeper levels of the sword dao, any swordsmanship I teach you must first reach the third realm."

"I understand, Master," Tianlin immediately answered.

He did not yet know that it was precisely because he would uphold Chen Xin's teachings from this day onward that he would eventually reach the pinnacle of the sword dao and gain the favor of a great figure.

"Good. Then today, I will begin teaching you my lifelong ultimate art: the Seven Kill Swordplay!"

What Tianlin had been waiting for had finally arrived. The Seven Kill Swordplay was Sword Dao Chen Xin's renowned ultimate technique, as famous as the Clear Sky Sect's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's inherited secret art, Dragon Transformation.

The difference was that the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was a hammer technique that stacked its power and required a long period of charging, but its final hammer strike possessed earth-shattering might.

The Seven Kill Swordplay, on the other hand, might not equal the final hammer strike of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer in the power of any single sword strike, but it was a sword art meant for swift battles and decisive victories. Every strike was tremendously powerful, eliminating the cumbersome charging process.

It could be said that each had its own strengths and weaknesses compared to the other.

Chen Xin began explaining the sword moves of the Seven Kill Swordplay. It had seven forms: Killing Intent Spreads, Heaven and Earth Ruthless, Blood Soaked Mountains and Rivers, Sky Collapse and Earth Crack, Myriad Tribulations Irreversible, Kill All Living Beings, and Three Realms Extinction.

Every move was an extremely powerful killing technique. The reason the Sword Douluo was called the strongest attack-type Titled Douluo was inseparably linked to this swordplay.

Chen Xin had Tianlin begin with the first move, Killing Intent Spreads. Unless he trained it to the third realm of mastery, he would absolutely not be allowed to cultivate the next form. Though this was merely the opening form of the Seven Kill Swordplay and had the simplest sword path, consisting only of cleaving attacks, it was extremely crucial. This move could accumulate killing intent, allowing the subsequent forms to be unleashed more effectively.

Naturally, Tianlin understood that if the foundation was unstable, the whole structure would collapse. He would not rush things.

After finishing his morning swordsmanship training, Tianlin returned to his courtyard and found Ning Rongrong sitting alone on the swing he had made for her, idly swinging her little feet.

The moment she saw Tianlin, she happily ran over to greet him. "Brother Sword, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you forever."

The current Ning Rongrong was already very different from before. Though she still had some willful habits, they were harmless. As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, what was wrong with being a little willful? She had the right to be.

But the most important change in Ning Rongrong now was that she had learned to respect others. Even when she encountered outer disciples of low status, she no longer put on that haughty expression. Those who had once feared her Little Devil Girl reputation gradually began to accept her.

More and more people were willing to become her friends, rather than obeying her only because of her status as the young miss.

She was also very diligent in cultivation. With Tianlin's Barrier Amplification, she had now reached the peak of level fourteen. Her cultivation speed was enough to rival some Battle Soul Masters with Innate Full Soul Power.

One had to know that support-system Soul Masters generally cultivated more slowly than Battle Soul Masters to begin with.

Tianlin had also taught her a movement technique, Flying Flower Butterfly Dance. It could greatly improve her safety on the battlefield. Once she thoroughly mastered it, Tianlin could teach her the more advanced Drunken Immortal Gazing at the Moon Step. By then, she could practically be called an agility-type support-system Soul Master.

"Rongrong, how is your Heart Separation Control cultivation going?" The one thing Ning Rongrong had made little progress in was actually the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's direct-line ultimate art. It concerned her future support abilities, so Tianlin could not help but care about it.

At the mention of this, Ning Rongrong immediately wilted. Embarrassed, she said, "I'm still at Three Aperture Heart Control. You can't blame me. I've already been working very hard, but Heart Separation Control is just too difficult to cultivate, and it's so boring."

Tianlin rubbed Ning Rongrong's head and smiled. "It's alright. The cultivation method for Heart Separation Control really is very dull. You're still so young; it's normal that you can't stick with it. At worst, in the future, you can just support me alone. I can protect you without anyone else!"

"Mm!" What Ning Rongrong liked most about Tianlin was precisely this. As long as she did not make a mistake of principle, he could tolerate any complaint or willfulness from her.

"Young Master Tianlin, Young Miss, the Sect Master wishes to see you. He asks that you go to the Seven Treasure Great Hall at once!" At that moment, a maid came over to inform them.

"Understood. You may leave first." After the maid withdrew, Tianlin looked at Ning Rongrong and said, "Uncle Ning is looking for us at this time, so it must be something important. Let's hurry over."

"Fine. Dad is so annoying. I was planning to go out and play with you," Ning Rongrong complained.

Tianlin smiled and gently scraped her adorable little nose. It seemed Ning Fengzhi's place in Ning Rongrong's heart had dropped again. With her two grandfathers and Brother Sword above him, he could rank no higher than fourth.

He truly felt sorry for Ning Fengzhi, that doting father. All that fatherly love had ultimately been misplaced!