Ye Xuan scratched his head as he looked at the thoroughly dejected Ji Fenghe.
He had not even used his full strength just now, yet Ji Fenghe had already found it too much to bear.
Ye Xuan wanted to comfort Ji Fenghe, but he did not know what to say.
"Junior brother, should you rise to wealth and glory, don't forget me!"
After a long silence, Ji Fenghe looked up at the sky and said solemnly.
Ji Fenghe had come to terms with it. The more heaven-defying and monstrous his junior brother was, the farther he would go along the path of cultivation.
Ye Xuan was not a heartless, ungrateful person. If he became a towering figure one day, Ji Fenghe could bask in his reflected glory too, couldn't he?
After composing himself, Ji Fenghe dragged Ye Xuan up the mountain again. He could not teach Ye Xuan himself, so he could only let their master do it.
Wood Spirit Peak, the main hall.
Zheng Huaiyuan tugged at his beard, staring blankly at Ji Fenghe.
"You're saying that Ye Xuan watched you demonstrate the Azure Feather Swordsmanship just three times, and he had already grasped the basics and become proficient, even knocking your sword out of your hand in three moves?"
Zheng Huaiyuan could hardly help being shocked. He had never heard of such a genius before. Even Wu Yuehua had merely learned swordsmanship a little faster; she had not been capable of immediately challenging someone above her level.
Zheng Huaiyuan glanced at Ye Xuan, wondering whether this disciple of his was the reincarnation of some mighty cultivator or had been possessed by one. Otherwise, there was no explaining why he was such a monster.
"That's exactly what happened."
Ji Fenghe felt utterly miserable at Zheng Huaiyuan's disbelieving gaze. He was, after all, a top outer sect disciple, not some ignorant, unskilled fool. How could someone below his realm casually trounce him?
"If you don't believe me, Master, why not have junior brother demonstrate it?"
Zheng Huaiyuan nodded, then had Ye Xuan demonstrate the Azure Feather Swordsmanship he had just learned.
This time, Ye Xuan gave it his utmost attention, aiming to show his talent before his master so that his rapid advances in cultivation later would have an explanation.
Soon, Ye Xuan finished his demonstration.
Zheng Huaiyuan stared wide-eyed. He could indeed tell that Ye Xuan had grasped the basics of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship and even become proficient. Even if he demonstrated it himself, he could not possibly do any better than Ye Xuan.
"Ye Xuan, watch closely. This is the second level of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship, consisting of eleven forms. Pay close attention. I'll demonstrate it only once."
Zheng Huaiyuan took out a Spirit Artifact longsword and looked solemnly at Ye Xuan.
Any outer sect disciple could exchange Spirit Stones for the first level of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship in the Scripture Pavilion.
The second level, however, required reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm before it could be exchanged for, unless one had found a good master who would teach it.
Ye Xuan had previously been nothing more than an ordinary chore disciple, and Zheng Huaiyuan had taken him as a disciple as soon as he entered the outer sect. Naturally, he would not have the second level of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship.
Generally, only those in the Foundation Establishment Realm could practice the second level of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship. Practicing it in the Qi Refining Realm was extremely difficult.
This way, Zheng Huaiyuan could truly test Ye Xuan's talent.
Although Zheng Huaiyuan was an Alchemist, his swordsmanship was also quite good. Countless flashes of sword light lit up the main hall, dazzling Ji Fenghe.
Soon, Zheng Huaiyuan finished his demonstration.
Ji Fenghe looked at Ye Xuan. He had never learned the second level of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship either. After watching Zheng Huaiyuan's demonstration, Ji Fenghe felt he had grasped most of it. Although he lacked the corresponding inner cultivation formula, he could still imitate its forms.
"I wonder how much junior brother will be able to demonstrate."
Ji Fenghe was very curious about Ye Xuan's upcoming performance.
With his innate Sword Heart, Ye Xuan had already committed the second level of the Azure Feather Swordsmanship to memory and deduced most of the circulation pathways of its inner cultivation formula. However, that would be far too shocking, so Ye Xuan did not intend to demonstrate it.
Gently raising his sword, Ye Xuan cleared his mind of distractions. His eyes held only the sword in his hand.
" Hiss."
Zheng Huaiyuan and Ji Fenghe both sucked in a breath of cold air, staring at Ye Xuan in stupefaction.
Not the slightest difference!
Ye Xuan's swordsmanship did not differ in the slightest from Zheng Huaiyuan's earlier demonstration. Not only the forms, but even the wisps of Sword Intent were exactly the same.
"Sure enough, junior brother really is a monster."
Ji Fenghe gave a bitter laugh. A sword's forms were easy to learn, but Sword Intent was difficult to attain.
After watching Zheng Huaiyuan demonstrate the swordsmanship once, Ji Fenghe could only learn its forms, and he would need prolonged practice to reach Zheng Huaiyuan's level. Yet Ye Xuan had learned both form and intent after a single viewing, and had even demonstrated them.
This left Ji Fenghe wholeheartedly convinced of his defeat.
"Good, good, good!"
When Ye Xuan finished his demonstration, Zheng Huaiyuan clapped his hands and laughed heartily. He could now be certain what a monstrous genius he had taken as his disciple. Even Wu Yuehua was not as monstrous as Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan and Ji Fenghe might not know, but as an outer sect elder, Zheng Huaiyuan naturally knew that during the recent purge of demonic sect spies, Wu Yuehua, who had only just broken through to Golden Core, had slain two veteran Golden Core cultivators in succession. Even the sect master had praised her lavishly.
And Ye Xuan's talent was even greater than Wu Yuehua's. Didn't that mean this disciple of his could cultivate a Sword Heart in the foreseeable future, had hopes of reaching Nascent Soul, and might even break through to Spirit Transformation?
If Ye Xuan broke through to Spirit Transformation, could he not ride on his coattails too?
Zheng Huaiyuan knew his own talent was limited. Nascent Soul was already the end of his cultivation path, but if Ye Xuan could lend him a hand later, Spirit Transformation would be within sight.
"Master? Master?"
Looking at Zheng Huaiyuan's foolish grin, Ye Xuan called out twice in puzzlement.
Zheng Huaiyuan immediately came back to his senses and looked at Ye Xuan.
The more he looked at him now, the more he liked him. This disciple was his hope on the cultivation path ahead.
"Excellent. Ye Xuan, your talent is astonishing. You have hope of condensing a Sword Heart in the future. From today onward, I will teach you personally."
Zheng Huaiyuan spoke solemnly. For Ye Xuan's sake, he was willing to abandon refining the Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill in the Pill Cauldron.
"And you, Fenghe. You're to stay in the main hall and cultivate during this time too!"
Ji Fenghe was thoroughly dismayed by Zheng Huaiyuan's words. Restless by nature, he could not settle down to cultivate. There was still nearly half a year until the sect selection, and making him cultivate all that time was like asking for his life.
Yet no matter how Ji Fenghe protested, Zheng Huaiyuan would not relent. He knew Ji Fenghe was also very talented, just a little too fond of playing around. Now that he was nurturing Ye Xuan, it was the perfect opportunity to have Ji Fenghe rein himself in as well.
Thanks to signing in, Ye Xuan's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, but his understanding of cultivation methods was rather lacking. Now that Zheng Huaiyuan was explaining them in person, he naturally would not let this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity slip by.
Because of the monstrous talent Ye Xuan had displayed earlier, even when he asked questions that would only arise in the Foundation Establishment Realm, Zheng Huaiyuan merely attributed it to his extraordinary talent and answered every question in turn.
A month passed like this, and Ye Xuan had no choice but to stop cultivating.
Throughout that month, he had continued signing in and received a great many rewards. Although cultivation accounted for only a portion of them, the accumulated amount was still staggering.
Now, Ye Xuan faced an awkward problem.
He was about to break through to Golden Core!