Asking Sword Douluo to Teach Swordsmanship-Jade Flute Swordsmanship?

Chen Xin paused, then summarized, "Assault, enhancement, control—each of your three Soul Skills serves its own purpose, forming a complete system. Judging solely from your Soul Skill configuration, you no longer have any obvious weaknesses."

"But?" Xiao Lin caught the implication in his words.

"But your defensive ability is far too weak," Chen Xin said bluntly.

"Your three Soul Skills are all long-range offensive and control methods. Once an enemy gets close, you'll be at a huge disadvantage. The reason you were able to kill that Man Faced Demon Spider so easily just now was because your attacks happened to counter it. Your sound blades are invisible and intangible, so its shell couldn't defend against them. Your sonic attacks disrupted its nerves, preventing it from mounting an effective counterattack."

"But what if it were a different kind of Soul Beast?" Chen Xin continued.

"If it were a Soul Beast with extremely strong defenses, such as an Iron Armor Dragon or Diamond Mammoth, your sound blades might not even break its skin. If it were an incredibly fast Soul Beast, such as a Shadow Leopard or Lightning Falcon, it might tear you apart at close range before you even had the chance to play your flute."

Xiao Lin fell silent.

He knew Chen Xin was right.

Though his attacks were strange and powerful, he was essentially still a long-range mage.

Once a melee fighter got close, he would be in grave danger. This was currently his greatest weakness, and the problem he needed to solve most urgently.

"Then what do you think I should do, Brother?" Xiao Lin asked humbly.

"Two methods." Chen Xin raised two fingers. "First, add defensive Soul Rings to your martial soul to protect yourself. However, that may not suit your Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute."

"And the second?"

"The second," Chen Xin said slowly as he looked at him, "is to learn a close-combat skill. You don't need to master it completely. As long as it gives you some ability to protect yourself when an enemy gets close, that will be enough."

Xiao Lin sank into thought.

The first method was too slow. In fact, his second martial soul, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, could also be fitted with defensive Soul Rings. It could indeed become his strongest defensive tool, but that would require him to invest a great deal of time into cultivating it, adding Soul Rings, and becoming familiar with it. In the short term, that plan was unrealistic.

The second method, however, was feasible. He only needed to learn a close-combat skill well enough to save his life at a critical moment. Besides, with close-combat ability, his fighting style would become more flexible and varied, no longer limited to long-range output.

The question was, what should he learn?

Fist techniques? Palm techniques? Leg techniques? Or weapons?

Xiao Lin's gaze lingered for a moment on the ancient longsword at Chen Xin's waist before slowly rising to settle on Chen Xin's lean face.

A thought surfaced in his mind.

Sword.

The sword was the sovereign of all weapons. It could attack and defend alike. Swordsmanship was also agile and ever-changing, and it did not conflict with his current sound-based attacks.

If he could learn good swordsmanship, his combat strength would rise by an entire level.

More importantly—wasn't there a ready-made grandmaster of the sword right in front of him?

Sword Douluo Chen Xin, whose title was "Sword," was one of the finest swordsmen of the age.

His attainments in the sword were among the very best across the entire Douluo Continent. If he could receive Chen Xin's guidance, it would be ten thousand times better than blindly fumbling on his own!

Xiao Lin took a deep breath, then solemnly bowed to Chen Xin.

"Brother Sword, I want to make up for my shortcomings."

He raised his head, looked steadily at Chen Xin, and said word by word:

"Please teach me—I want to learn the sword!"

"Learn the sword?"

Chen Xin froze.

He had originally meant for Xiao Lin to learn some basic self-defense techniques, such as blocking, evasion, and short-blade combat. As long as Xiao Lin could stall for time when an enemy closed in, create distance, and resume playing the flute, that would have been enough.

But he had never expected Xiao Lin to ask to learn swordsmanship the moment he opened his mouth—and to learn it from him, no less.

"Xiao Lin, have you thought this through?" Chen Xin's expression turned serious.

"The sword is not so easy to learn. The way of the sword is a path of slaughter, emphasizing an indomitable momentum, the conviction that none can stand against you. You are a sound-based Soul Master, walking the path of wielding Soul Power through music. Your temperament leans toward gentleness and stillness. The way of the sword is practically the complete opposite of your current path."

He paused, then continued, "And learning the sword is extremely difficult. If I teach you, I will not go easy on you just because you are my brother. You will not suffer any less hardship, nor will you miss a single injury you ought to endure. Are you certain you can bear it?"

Xiao Lin did not hesitate. He nodded heavily. "I'm certain."

"Because the best defense is offense."

His eyes were firm and bright. His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable force.

"If my attacks are strong enough—so strong that every enemy must defend with all their strength before they can even approach me—then they will have no chance to attack me. If my attacks are fast enough—so fast that I kill them before they can make a move—then I won't need defense either."

"So, I want to learn the sword." He raised his head and stared directly into Chen Xin's eyes.

"Not so I can barely cling to life when someone gets close, but so that anyone who tries to approach me will pay a painful price."

"And besides—" His tone shifted, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Who says a flute can't be a sword?"

Chen Xin's pupils contracted slightly.

A flute could also be a sword?

He suddenly understood what Xiao Lin meant.

The Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute was indeed an instrument, but it was also an object.

Since it was an object, why couldn't it be used as a sword? Music could serve as a long-range attack, while the flute itself could also be wielded as a close-combat weapon!

"A flute can also be a sword—well said!" Chen Xin could not help praising him. Appreciation gleamed in his eyes. "I thought you were merely a musical genius. I never expected you to possess such insight into martial arts as well. Since that is the case, I will teach you swordsmanship!"

He paused, then added, "But let me warn you, I am very strict."

Xiao Lin grinned. "Bring it on. I can take it."

Gu Rong watched from the side and could not help shaking his head. He muttered, "Two lunatics."

Over the following days, Xiao Lin finally learned what "Sword Douluo's strictness" truly meant.

Every day before dawn, Chen Xin dragged him out of bed to begin a new day of training.

First came basic physical training: weighted running, enduring the crushing force of waterfall currents, and a series of high-intensity exercises. By the end of it all, Xiao Lin was usually so exhausted that he could barely lift a finger.

But that was only the appetizer.

After physical training came the real main course: the basics of swordsmanship.

"The foundation of swordsmanship can be summed up in four words—cleave, chop, thrust, and sweep."

Holding a wooden sword, Chen Xin stood before Xiao Lin. His tone was calm, yet it carried an authority that could not be questioned. "But these four simplest movements are enough for some people to practice their entire lives without ever truly mastering them."

"Today, your task is to practice the movement 'cleave' one thousand times. You may eat when you finish."

Xiao Lin looked at the wooden sword in his hand, took a deep breath, and began the tedious, repetitive practice.

One swing.

Two swings.

Ten swings.

A hundred swings.

At first, he found it rather easy. But by the time he reached his thousandth swing, his arm had begun to ache.

By the fifteen-hundredth swing, his shoulder felt as heavy as lead. By the two-thousandth, the sword hilt had rubbed blisters into his palm. Every swing sent piercing pain through him.

But he did not stop.

He gritted his teeth and swung again and again, pouring all his strength into the blade every time, striving to make each strike standard, powerful, and precise.

Finally, as the sun set, he completed his two-thousandth swing.

His arms had gone completely numb. The blisters on his palms had burst, and blood ran down the hilt. Yet he still forced himself to walk over to Chen Xin and said in a trembling voice, "Brother, two thousand swings, completed."

Chen Xin looked at his mangled palms. A trace of heartache flashed through his eyes, too subtle to notice, but his expression remained unchanged. "Tomorrow, three thousand swings."

Xiao Lin: "...Alright."

P.S. Brothers, some people have complained about why the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute absorbs insect Soul Beasts, saying insect Soul Beasts are unworthy.

What I mainly had in mind was that many insects in nature are masters of sound, so I wanted the fit to make some sense... For example, the Ambush from Ten Sides Soul Skill came from the Man Faced Demon Spider's web...

But you also have a point. I've already planned the later Soul Rings, and they will all come from powerful beasts... noble ones.

And he will not cling to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect either. The protagonist is meant to be a wanderer, so he will not stay in one place for long.