Small Courtyard Martial Practice

After bidding farewell to the Scripture Pavilion, Shen Yuan headed back to his own inner sect courtyard.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, he found the bluestone of the training ground smooth and spacious, surrounded by trees that blocked outside prying eyes.

After returning to the courtyard, Shen Yuan walked to the center of the training ground.

In his mind, he continuously replayed the diagrams and mnemonics of the seven remaining forms of the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords that he had just memorized in the Scripture Pavilion.

With no sword at hand, he used his hand as a sword, slowly practicing each move according to the techniques recorded in the incomplete scroll.

"Azure Clouds Emerge from the Mountains!"

His arm transformed into a sword stance as true qi flowed along it. Silver-white Meridian Opening Realm true qi swirled around his fingertips, carving cold arcs through the air.

The first form, the second form...

The seven incomplete sword forms were displayed one after another.

The incomplete scroll itself was missing many true qi circulation routes, and the transitions between moves were stiff. By the fifth form, his true qi suddenly met resistance, and his chest tightened with a suffocating pressure.

"Sure enough, forcibly practicing an incomplete version can easily cause true qi congestion."

Shen Yuan stopped, letting out a long breath of stale air.

Practicing directly according to the incomplete scroll would not work. If he forced himself onward, he would only damage his meridians. He had to rely on the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele to correct and complete it. But he only had 2 Martial Dao Points at the moment, far from enough to fully deduce the entire sword art.

"First, I'll deduce the seven forms already in hand and correct their incomplete portions."

Shen Yuan sat cross-legged atop the stone platform of the training ground, his consciousness sinking into the vast white Martial Arts Simulation Space.

[Importing fragments of the First Seven Forms of Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords. Deducing corrections for the flaws in the existing incomplete moves. Estimated cost: 2 Martial Dao Points. Current Martial Dao Points: 2.]

"Confirm expenditure. Begin deduction."

His two Martial Dao Points were instantly reduced to zero.

Within the martial simulation void, countless sword-wielding phantoms emerged. Again and again, they performed the remaining seven sword forms, constantly correcting broken true qi circulation paths, filling the gaps between connected moves, and removing erroneous mnemonics produced during the copying of the incomplete scroll.

Countless attempts were made, and countless phantoms scattered apart because their true qi flowed in reverse.

Only the time it took for an incense stick to burn passed in the outside world, yet dozens of days and nights of refinement and calculation had already elapsed within the Martial Arts Simulation Space.

[Deduction complete: Revised First Seven Forms of Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords. Sword-wielding flaws caused by the copied text have been repaired. The power of the moves has increased, true qi circulation is smooth, and the art is suited to the host's Meridian Opening Realm physique.]

Complete insights into the principles of the sword surged into Shen Yuan's soul like a rising tide.

Shen Yuan abruptly opened his eyes, a fierce sword intent flashing within them.

Although the final six forms remained lost, the existing seven had already been refined by the Heavenly Stele into a complete, usable, superior sword art.

He rose to his feet and once more used his hand in place of a sword, practicing the sword art anew.

This time, there was no longer any stiff interruption between the moves. His true qi flowed smoothly and naturally; his sword force was graceful yet fierce, and attack, defense, advance, and retreat flowed in one unbroken sequence. Silver-white true qi surged and withdrew with his palm wind, slicing through the air with faint, piercing whistles.

The seven sword forms cycled again and again, every move exquisitely profound.

I still need a real sword. Shen Yuan thought.

For now, he could only use his hand as a sword, unable to unleash the sword art's full power. Later, he could use sect contribution points to exchange for a suitable longsword at the Inner Sect Armory.

Over the following days, Shen Yuan began living a routine that ran between two points.

By day, he either repeatedly practiced the deduced First Seven Forms of Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords in the courtyard training ground, comprehending the principles of the sword, or went to the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion to continue studying all kinds of sword manuals, collecting more fragments of sword dao and slowly accumulating small amounts of Martial Dao Points through martial comprehension. At night, he meditated in the quiet room, circulating the Optimized Azure Cloud Inner Breath Art to continue replenishing the fundamental deficit left by burning his blood essence and stabilizing his Meridian Opening Realm Initial Stage cultivation.

Whenever he gained insight into sword dao, the Heavenly Stele would grant him anywhere from a fraction of a point to one Martial Dao Point. The accumulation was exceedingly slow.

[Comprehended sword dao. Martial Dao Points +0.7] [Compared multiple sword arts and drew inferences from one to another. Martial Dao Points +1]

Bit by bit, they slowly accumulated.

During this period, Wang Dong found an opportunity to secretly visit while delivering servant supplies to the inner sect.

"Shen Yuan!" Wang Dong slipped into the small courtyard and closed the gate behind him, his expression complicated. "I found out for certain. The date of the Inner Sect Tournament has been set. There are only twenty-five days left before it begins. The rules are this: all inner sect disciples may participate. The top ten can receive True Disciple Nominations, large quantities of spirit stones and medicinal pills, as well as candidacy to enter the Azure Cloud Secret Realm!"

"True Disciple Nomination, Azure Cloud Secret Realm candidacy." Shen Yuan softly repeated those two key phrases.

True disciples represented the Azure Cloud Sect's next generation of core trainees. Their resources and treatment far surpassed those of ordinary inner sect disciples. As for the Azure Cloud Secret Realm, it was an important place of opportunity for the sect, where ancient relics and rare heavenly treasures often emerged.

"But the danger is not small either." Wang Dong frowned tightly. "Xiao Wuji will definitely participate in the tournament. His cultivation has already broken through to the Profound Communion Realm!"

"Profound Communion Realm!" Shen Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

Beyond the Meridian Opening Realm lay the Profound Communion Realm. At the Profound Communion Realm, one could release true qi beyond the body, wield Profound Qi Protection, and unite flesh and true qi as one. It was an enormous gulf between realms. He was currently only at the Meridian Opening Realm Initial Stage, separated from the Profound Communion Realm by a full major realm.

"That's right." Wang Dong nodded heavily. "Xiao Wuji used the period of his closed-door reflection to enter seclusion and cultivate bitterly, successfully breaking through to the Profound Communion Realm. Among the inner sect, aside from a few veteran true disciples, he is considered one of the foremost experts. He will certainly use the Inner Sect Tournament to suppress you in public, perhaps even strike to kill on the arena. In arena matches, accidental injuries are often difficult to hold anyone accountable for."

The pressure in Shen Yuan's heart suddenly increased.

Meridian Opening Realm Initial Stage against the Profound Communion Realm—the disparity between their realms was immense. Even with the deduced First Seven Forms of Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords in hand, he remained at an extreme disadvantage.

"Also, Gu Changfeng, the senior brother of the Longwind Society, is likewise at the Profound Communion Realm, and his strength is unfathomable. Powerful enemies are gathered like clouds in this tournament." Wang Dong continued sharing his intelligence. "Quite a few inner sect disciples have already caught wind of it and are racing against time to prepare."

Shen Yuan fell silent for a moment, lightly rubbing his palm with his fingertips.

The gap in realm stood plainly before him, but he had no path of retreat.

The tournament arena was both a crisis and an opportunity. On one hand, he could face Xiao Wuji in an open and honorable showdown. On the other, real combat and slaughter on the arena would be the best chance to rapidly obtain Martial Dao Points. Only by gaining enough Martial Dao Points could he deduce and complete the six lost forms of the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords.

"I will definitely participate in the tournament." Shen Yuan's tone was resolute.

"But the gap in realm is too great. Meridian Opening against Profound Communion is far too difficult." Wang Dong's face was filled with worry. "A Profound Communion Realm cultivator can release true qi beyond his body. With true qi protection alone, from what little I understand, attacks from the Meridian Opening Realm will find it difficult to harm him."

"Realm is only one part of it." Shen Yuan's gaze was calm. "I have the deduced sword art, as well as the True Subduing Tiger Fist. I can try to fuse fist and sword together and carve out a path of cultivating both fist and sword."

Peerless Fist-and-Sword!

The True Subduing Tiger Fist was fierce and domineering, while the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords were graceful and sharp—one hard, one soft. If he could fuse the two martial arts, perhaps he could make up for the enormous weakness in realm.

"Fusing fist and sword?" Wang Dong froze for a moment. "That is incredibly difficult. The overwhelming majority of cultivators focus on one discipline. Cultivating both fist and sword makes it extremely hard to achieve mastery."

"Difficult does not mean impossible." A faint gleam flashed in Shen Yuan's eyes. "I have the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele. Within the Martial Arts Simulation Space, I can simulate the coordination of fist and sword countless times."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

An inner sect disciple stood outside and called out loudly, "Junior Brother Shen Yuan, the announcement for the Inner Sect Tournament has been posted. It will officially begin in twenty-five days. All inner sect disciples may register. Please prepare for battle early!"

After delivering the message, the man turned and left.

The horn of the tournament had officially sounded.

Shen Yuan looked toward the training ground, his resolve already set. Over the next twenty-five days, he would accumulate Martial Dao Points while madly simulating the fusion of fist and sword in the Martial Arts Simulation Space, preparing to fight for his life in the coming Inner Sect Tournament.