Fortunately, Dugu Qiubai's cultivation was formidable enough, and his sword was countless times faster than Li Qingfeng's.
Li Qingfeng had needed four minutes to perform the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle once, but Dugu Qiubai needed only twenty seconds.
Even though Dugu Qiubai used only one percent of his strength, sword light still crisscrossed the air. By the time he finished the sequence, the ground of the entire training field had been cut with countless sword marks, each about a foot deep.
"This is the true Ten Stances of Bloody Battle. The founding patriarch of the Mount Song Sect was a general who fought to establish the imperial dynasty, and all his swordsmanship was honed through slaughter on the battlefield. The same is true of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle. Only on the battlefield can one cultivate it to the Transformation Realm."
"Besides that, this is a pure hard-body sword art, so hard-body cultivation is indispensable as well."
After performing the upgraded Ten Stances of Bloody Battle once, Dugu Qiubai casually flicked the longsword from his hand into a scabbard held by a disciple at the edge of the training field. Finally, after casting a subtle glance in Wang Hao's direction, he vanished from the spot in a flash.
He had achieved his purpose. As for how much that youngster could learn, that would depend on his own fortune.
After all, the other party was not his disciple. He had only appeared this time out of appreciation, and going out of his way to develop a martial art that included both sword techniques and footwork was generous enough.
Was he supposed to guarantee the youngster learned it too?
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"
Li Qingfeng took a long time to recover his senses before hurriedly bowing in thanks. The martial arts hall disciples around him hastened to bow and thank Dugu Qiubai as well, their expressions even more fervent and excited.
They had originally thought the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle was merely an introductory sword art of the Mount Song Sword Sect, with mediocre power, and had little motivation to learn it. Who would have thought that it would possess such terrifying might once cultivated to the Transformation Realm?
The entire training field, which had nearly been shattered, was the best proof. The field had been paved with countless stone slabs a foot thick and could hardly have been sturdier.
Yet now it had nearly been reduced to ruins. With such power, even if they could not join the Mount Song Sword Sect, this sword art alone would be enough for them to make a name for themselves in the jianghu.
Some of the more quick-witted disciples were already planning when to head to the border and hone their swordsmanship in the war against the foreign tribes of the grasslands.
After all, that was the guidance the senior had left them. It could not be wrong!
Leaving aside the situation in the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, Wang Hao had hurriedly slipped away after Dugu Qiubai left. Only after reaching a secluded spot did he ask inwardly, "Xiao Mengmeng, that old fellow Dugu Qiubai didn't follow me, did he?"
Honestly, when Xiao Mengmeng had first told him that Dugu Qiubai had arrived, he had nearly wet himself in fright. Fortunately, the old man did not seem to be looking for trouble with him and had even indirectly taught him a powerful sword art.
"Don't worry, Uncle. That old man left the city straight after teaching the sword art."
Xiao Mengmeng smiled as she spoke, also thinking that Wang Hao had really struck it rich this time.
The Ten Stances of Bloody Battle was a hard-body sword art born on the battlefield, and it was already fairly suited to someone of Wang Hao's build. Now that it had been upgraded by a sword expert like Dugu Qiubai, not only had matching footwork been added, but the sword art's power had increased more than tenfold.
Most importantly, Dugu Qiubai had refined the sword art to an almost perfect state, and had very clearly created it specifically for Wang Hao's physique. There was no Foundation Establishment sword art better suited to Wang Hao than this one.
So Wang Hao really had struck it rich this time!
After all, not just anyone had the qualifications and fortuitous opportunity to have a sword expert like Dugu Qiubai create a sword art specifically for their Foundation Establishment.
"It's good that he's gone!"
Only after receiving Xiao Mengmeng's answer did Wang Hao heave a great sigh of relief. Then he muttered in puzzlement, "Could that big shot really have been taken for a fool by my performance that day?"
He had never expected to get anything out of that big shot. After all, his predecessor's identity was a real pitfall: he was that girl Dongfang Bai's mortal enemy, and their feud would not end until one of them was dead.
He would have thanked heaven and earth if the big shot Dugu Qiubai simply left him alone. Who would have thought that he would come over today and teach him a powerful Foundation Establishment sword art?
"It wasn't just because of your performance that day, Uncle. Actually, he saw you when you kindly helped that farmwoman, but since he had no killing intent, I didn't warn you. I didn't want to give anything away.
"And he was the one who threw that roast leg of lamb yesterday. Maybe he was moved by your kindness, Uncle! Add in the Great Rejuvenation Pill and your acting that day, and he took the opportunity to teach you a sword art on a whim."
"So I should thank that auntie and that little husky?"
Wang Hao understood, and gratitude for the auntie and the little husky welled up in his heart.
If those two had not given him a chance to show his kindness, how could he have gained such a great fortuitous opportunity today?
"Let's try out this Ten Stances of Bloody Battle first!"
Putting those thoughts aside for the moment, Wang Hao took out the Ziwei Soft Sword he carried on his back. Without unwrapping the strips of cloth around it, he held it in his hand and began performing the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle, one move at a time.
As Wang Hao performed the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle, his entire bearing underwent a tremendous change. He became more steely and masculine, like a general who had swept across battlefields. Clearly, he had grasped the essence of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle.
The twenty seconds of enlightenment just now had not merely allowed him to memorize every move of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle that Dugu Qiubai performed; he had also thoroughly comprehended it.
At least in terms of realm, he had reached the limit of this sword art. He was not much worse than Dugu Qiubai, who had revised and refined it.
Wang Hao took four minutes in total to complete the sequence. That was naturally far slower than Dugu Qiubai's twenty seconds, but it was no worse than Li Qingfeng's time.
"Huff, huff... My cultivation really is still too weak. Not only does it put a tremendous strain on my body, but the power is greatly reduced too. This is at most equivalent to the power of the Entering the Hall and Inner Chamber realm."
After taking a few rapid breaths, Wang Hao shook his head helplessly.
Although he had completely comprehended the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle in terms of realm, his physical cultivation was too low. It simply was not enough to bring out much of its power.
The power he had just displayed was at most equivalent to cultivating the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle to the Entering the Hall and Inner Chamber realm.
Of course, because of his physique, he could raise the power of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle by a level, reaching the power an ordinary person would attain by cultivating it to the realm of complete mastery. That was the current swordsmanship realm of Li Qingfeng, master of the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall.
After all, his exceptionally burly body gave him far too great an advantage in this respect.
In the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, martial arts realms were divided into four stages: Entering the Hall and Inner Chamber, complete mastery, reaching the pinnacle, and entering a realm of divine mastery.
The Transformation Realm Dugu Qiubai had mentioned referred to that final realm of divine mastery.
Those were only the realms of martial arts. Cultivation realms were divided as well, from lowest to highest: third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, super-first-rate, grandmaster, and great grandmaster.
A great grandmaster was equivalent to the third level of the Mortal Realm. Throughout history, there had probably only been people such as Damo, the founding patriarch of Shaolin Temple; Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect; and Dugu Qiubai, the Sword Demon.
Wang Hao's previous cultivation strength had been at the lowest, third-rate level. Now that he had mastered the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle, his combat strength could probably just barely reach second-rate.
"This sword is too light. I'd better get a suitable sword first!"
Glancing at the Ziwei Soft Sword in his hand, which weighed less than a jin even with its scabbard, Wang Hao thought for a moment, put it back on his back, and strode off in a particular direction.
As he searched for a suitable blacksmith's shop, Wang Hao pulled up the mission panel for the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer and looked it over.
Main mission one: Dao Ancestor of the Heavens - create a perfect cultivation system for this world, gain the recognition of all living beings in this world, and become its Dao Ancestor. Reward for completion: 30,000 Fortune Points. Penalty for failure: 30,000 Fortune Points deducted! Main mission two: World Advancement - nurture Dongfang Bai, the Protagonist of the Era, into the World Protagonist. Have her cultivation break through to the fourth level of the Mortal Realm, leading this world to break through its Fate Limit and advance in level. Reward for completion: 60,000 Fortune Points. Penalty for failure: 60,000 Fortune Points deducted! Punishment mission: Tear of True Love - make Dongfang Bai, the World Protagonist of this world, truly fall in love with the host and shed a Tear of True Love for the host! Reward for completion: 10,000 Fortune Points. Penalty for failure: 10,000 Fortune Points deducted!
Wang Hao already knew about the punishment mission, so he skimmed past it and focused on the first two main missions.
"Xiao Mengmeng, what does a perfect cultivation system mean?"
He could understand the other requirements of the first mission, but he did not understand this perfect cultivation system.
"A perfect cultivation system means you have to develop a Cultivation Method that can cultivate all six major attributes, Uncle. Put simply, you have to create a Cultivation Method that lets losers like you grow stronger and turn their lives around."
Xiao Mengmeng was as efficient as ever, answering as soon as Wang Hao finished speaking. The latter half of her answer, however, left him utterly speechless.
"..."
What do you mean, losers like me?
What part of me looks like a loser?
"Uncle, don't you have any damn idea what you're like?"
Inside the system space, Xiao Mengmeng seemed to sense Wang Hao's thoughts and gave him a thoroughly disdainful look.
"..."
Deeply hurt and speechless, Wang Hao decided not to continue the subject. He pointed at the second main mission on the panel and asked, "Let's talk about the World Advancement main mission! I've always wanted to ask: what's the difference between a Protagonist of the Era and a World Protagonist?"
The mission gave Miss Dongfang Bai two different titles, World Protagonist and Protagonist of the Era. The two clearly had different meanings.
"Just as the names suggest, a Protagonist of the Era represents only one era. For example, there were Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü in the past era of The Return of the Condor Heroes in this world, and Guo Jing and Huang Rong in the era of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and so on.
"In every era, the world shapes Protagonists of the Era, and there is no limit to their number. There can be one, ten, or even a hundred.
"A World Protagonist, on the other hand, represents the entire world and is unique. There can never be two World Protagonists in one world."
Now that they were discussing serious business, Xiao Mengmeng's tone turned serious as well. She explained the difference between Protagonists of the Era and World Protagonists in detail, as it was quite important.
Wang Hao nodded in understanding, then asked again, "Then why does it have to be that girl Dongfang Bai who's nurtured into the World Protagonist, with her cultivation breaking through to drive the world's advancement? Can't I do it? And what is that Fate Limit?"
"Uncle, once you become the World Protagonist, you'll be locked in this world and unable to leave. So by your very nature, you don't meet the basic condition for becoming the World Protagonist.
"The Fate Limit is a shackle that the stupid woman Heavenly Dao placed on all the worlds across the heavens using the power of fate, making the living beings of all those worlds follow the paths she laid out.
"So to completely liberate this world and make it advance, we have to break through that Fate Limit. When the time comes, that power of fate will instinctively descend in various forms of calamity and tribulation, and might even destroy this world.
"At the same time, Uncle, you absolutely, absolutely must remember to thoroughly defeat and trap that power of fate, then have the system devour and absorb it.
"Otherwise, it will definitely return to the body of that stupid woman Heavenly Dao, letting her know everything. Then you, I, and this world will have to face that stupid woman Heavenly Dao head-on. Hongjun and those saints might even be thrown into the mix. We'd be finished for sure!"
Toward the end, Xiao Mengmeng's tone suddenly grew emphatic. Clearly, this was extremely important, a matter of life and death for everyone.