A moment later, March 7th changed into the exquisite swordsman's outfit and, with a mix of curiosity and unease, returned to the back garden.
She gently tugged at the hem of her dress, her cheeks slightly flushed, and looked at the three people present:
"How about it, masters? Is this outfit suitable?"
"Mmm!" Yunli put her hands on her hips, raised her chin slightly, and her eyes were full of pride and admiration. "As expected of the clothes I carefully selected, they are most suitable for beautiful swordswomen like you and me!"
"Enough with the small talk, let's begin the lesson."
Yanqing coughed a few times and looked at Ye Yan: " Miss March 7th, just consider this man a hired Cloud Knights instructor. Let's spar with him for the first lesson."
"Huh? So the masters weren't joking after all... They really want me to hit Teacher Ye Yan?!"
Upon hearing this March 7th's eyes widened, her gaze shifting back and forth between Yanqing's serious face and Ye Yan's leisurely sipping of milk tea. Her mouth agape, she looked utterly incredulous.
"Besides... isn't it a bit too radical to start with practical training in the first lesson?" She looked at Ye Yan, who merely raised his eyelids in response.
"I heard you've practiced archery and have disciples who are trained in martial arts, so the first lesson will naturally be to check if your foundation is solid," Yanqing said.
Yunli chimed in, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Step forward, March 7th! Attack in the most natural way you can imagine—with your sword! Don't be afraid, Ye Yan can handle it!"
"Only by understanding your body language habits can we know where to begin and what to teach you."
The two masters were resolute in their attitude and fervent in their tone. On March 7th, he felt an invisible pressure coming down on him. He could not refuse their kindness and was powerless to continue arguing.
Putting everything else aside, having Teacher Ye Yan come to teach is definitely much better than having ordinary Cloud Knights instructors; at least they won't hurt the other person by using too much force.
But looking at his overly relaxed demeanor, a strange feeling that was hard to explain lingered in March 7th's heart.
"Ah... haha... okay..." March 7th chuckled dryly twice, slowly drawing the long sword from his waist.
The sword felt slightly cool, and its weight in her hand gave her a strange yet exciting feeling.
" Miss March 7th, please."
Ye Yan casually placed the empty cup in the center of a stone bench next to him. He stood tall and elegant with his hands naturally behind his back, his golden eyes calmly looking at March 7th with an indifferent expression.
On March 7th, he gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Her gaze was fixed on Ye Yan, whose calm and unguarded demeanor only made her more nervous.
"Watch out, Teacher Ye Yan!" March 7th called out softly, both to warn the other party and to embolden himself.
As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed off with her toes, mimicking the elegant swordplay she had seen in her Remembrance, leaned forward, and rushed forward in one stride.
With a gentle breeze, the longsword in her hand pierced straight towards Ye Yan —this was the most convincing attack method March 7th had ever used.
However, just as the sword tip was about to touch the other's clothes, Ye Yan's foot seemed to casually shift half a step to the side.
Ye Yan's movements were so small as to be almost imperceptible, yet so fast that March 7th's eyes couldn't keep up at all!
She only felt a blur before her eyes, and her target disappeared. Her all-out thrust of the sword missed its mark, and her body staggered forward involuntarily due to inertia.
March 7th quickly steadied himself, turned around swiftly, and instinctively flipped his wrist, changing his thrust into a slash. The blade drew a bright silver arc and swept towards Ye Yan's side.
This time, Ye Yan didn't move an inch. His body swayed back slightly like a willow branch in a gentle breeze.
The cold blade whistled past him, barely grazing the fabric of his shirt, the gust of wind ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead, yet it failed to sever a single strand.
Ye Yan even had a moment to glance at the milk tea cup sitting securely on the stone bench, and nodded in satisfaction after confirming it was unharmed.
After missing her target twice in a row, who seemed to be strolling around leisurely, March 7th's competitive spirit was successfully aroused. She bit her lower lip and her eyes became focused.
"Again!" she shouted, no longer pursuing a simple thrust or slash, but instead incorporating her footwork nimbly into the movement.
March 7th quickly ran around Ye Yan, her steps slightly disordered, but her speed was by no means slow, searching for what she thought was a weakness.
Seizing the opportunity when Ye Yan turned to the side, March 7th suddenly stopped and turned around, gripping her sword with both hands, and slashed diagonally down at Ye Yan's right shoulder!
The sword flashed fiercely, carrying the girl's complete determination as it cleaved down.
Faced with this seemingly swift attack, Ye Yan finally made a slightly bigger move. He gracefully turned his body to the side, as if simply to admire the green vegetation in the garden, and raised two fingers.
bite!
A crisp, metallic clang rang out; more like the precise collision of some kind of force than the clash of metal.
On March 7th, she felt an extremely gentle yet overwhelming force emanating from the sword. This force not only completely neutralized the power of her downward strike but also subtly deflected the sword's trajectory.
The next second, she was involuntarily spun half a circle by the force, and her originally fierce diagonal slash turned into a futile circle, with the tip of her sword weakly touching the ground.
Ye Yan withdrew his fingers the instant they touched the sword, as if he were merely brushing aside a falling leaf.
He remained standing in the same spot, not even the hem of his clothes trembling slightly, and commented calmly:
"Well done, Miss March 7th."
"Unfortunately... his center of gravity was unstable, he exerted too much force, and his intention to change tactics was too obvious." These few words precisely pinpointed the core problem with March 7th's series of actions just now.
"Phew... I didn't expect the first lesson to be this intense..."
On March 7th, leaning on his sword and bending over, fine beads of sweat were already seeping from his forehead.
In just three moves... no, it wasn't even a complete exchange; it was just her one-sided attack that Ye Yan easily neutralized.
Moreover, the brief but extremely exhausting 'combat exercise' just now felt more tiring to March 7th than running several laps around the Central Starskiff Haven hub.
" Miss March 7th is agile and flexible; she is truly an excellent candidate for practicing the Luofu Sword Technique," Yanqing commented.
"However, your forehand is not refined, your backhand is weak, and your sword movements are too sloppy... This is a common problem for beginners. It's alright, everything will get better as long as you practice the Zhuming sword technique."
"It's decided. Next lesson, Miss March 7th will begin with practice—"
"... Footwork begins."
"... Begin to exert your strength."
Yanqing and Yunli spoke almost in unison, but what they said was completely opposite!
As soon as they finished speaking, the two realized something was wrong and immediately turned their heads. Their eyes met in mid-air, sparking an invisible flame.
"Do you even know anything about swordsmanship?" Yunli asked first.
"I'd like to ask you the same thing! Dual swords emphasize flexibility in responding to the enemy and supporting each other from both sides. What could be more important than footwork?" Yanqing retorted.
"The strength of a battle formation doesn't always depend on its strengths; it also depends on its weaknesses. The weakness of dual swords lies precisely in the generation of power. What use is agile footwork if your arms are weak? This isn't dancing."
"Any swordsman who has mastered their craft must 'play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.' First, develop your strengths, then work on improving your weaknesses; this is the correct way to learn."
"Hmph, young master truly lives up to his reputation as a utopian theorist!"
"Daydreaming?" Upon hearing this, Yanqing was displeased. "You claim to be able to understand what a sword is, so what? A daydreaming socialite?"
"Hey, hey, how come the two masters are arguing on the very first lesson! Please stop arguing, I'll have to learn footwork and power generation sooner or later, it doesn't matter which one I learn first!"
On March 7th, she tried to persuade them. However, her words of advice were like a pebble thrown into a torrent, instantly drowned out.
"It's different!!! March 7th, you can't go wrong by listening to me!" Yunli and Yanqing said in unison again.
"Forehead..."
March 7th fell silent, caught in a dilemma. What else could she say?