Swordsmanship's Impact

Zhang Xuezhou had not visited the secret place of Shanglin Garden for a long time.

Having experienced various Sacred Land and secret places, the environment of these places no longer attracted him, and his level of cultivation could hardly rely on such 'ground' factors for improvement.

Only through the infusion and erosion of Spiritual Qi like that of the Sinkhole No. 2 could Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation level show a relatively significant improvement, and it even had a very strong effect on breaking through to the next realm.

No other secret location in the Three Realms can match the effect of the Sinkhole No. 2.

Having seen so much prosperity, one loses interest in the ordinary.

Zhang Xuezhou only considered the influence of the secret site of Shanglin Garden when constructing Maoling; otherwise, he had no time to consider it.

The places he overlooked are still the places that many cultivators Struggle for and cherish.

Whenever Wei Qing was transferred to Chang'an City, he would usually stay in the secret area of Shanglin Garden after finishing his official business.

"Wei Qing's sword strike was like a mountain collapsing; a towering mountain appeared before me and collapsed. If Wei Qing hadn't sheathed his sword, I would have been killed by that strike!"

"Your Majesty deserves to die!"

"Enough with the pleasantries. You don't need to apologize if I didn't get struck by lightning, and it wouldn't do you any good if I did. There's no need for such pleasantries!"

"Your subject understands!"

Wei Qing's sword-drawing technique was triggered in the secret area of Shanglin Garden, and the sword strike created an unusual phenomenon that suppressed the new emperor for nearly three seconds.

What may seem like a mere three seconds can be extremely deadly for swordsmen in combat, enough to kill someone multiple times over.

"Wei Qing said he didn't understand how that sword strike was executed either," the new emperor said regretfully. "We've discussed it for several days and even invited several sword masters to help us, but we still can't figure it out!"

The new emperor clearly wanted to replicate Wei Qing's sword-drawing technique.

Pursuing the ultimate swordsmanship in the Sole Self Realm is a very normal behavior, and the sword-guiding technique meets the requirements of the swordsmanship category, and may even lead to the True Self Realm.

"It's strange, really. After Wei Qing used that sword strike, he couldn't replicate it no matter how he used his swordsmanship afterward," the new emperor said.

"That's incredibly impressive!"

Zhang Xuezhou praised it repeatedly.

His words were not flattery at all.

Changkong Yinghao and others were able to successfully follow him and activate the sword-drawing technique by drawing upon the "human momentum" and possessing Badun's analysis and understanding of "fast and slow." Wei Qing, on the other hand, was able to draw upon the "earth momentum."

In the art of drawing swords, drawing upon the "human momentum" is the simplest, while drawing upon the "earth momentum" is significantly more difficult. As for drawing upon the "heaven momentum," it is no longer within the scope of swordsmanship in the common sense.

Wei Qing's success in the sword-drawing technique was extremely rare, unleashing power far exceeding his own capabilities.

"Zhongqing, have you been feeling tense lately, even experiencing a splitting pain, or feeling weak?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"No pain, no weakness," Wei Qing shook his head repeatedly, "But my body is indeed a bit tense. It's probably because I've been dreaming about killing enemies lately, and I haven't been able to calm my mind!"

"Did you feel no pain or weakness after wielding that sword against His Majesty?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

"I offended His Majesty's divine might at the time, and my body did indeed go limp after wielding that sword; I was completely powerless!"

Wei Qing apologized again, looking somewhat awkward. Zhang Xuezhou finally understood why everyone's discussion had gone on and on without reaching a conclusion.

Given Wei Qing's hierarchical mindset, no matter how many times it's discussed, it won't work.

The other party attributed their situation to offending the new emperor's identity, thus ignoring the side effects of the sword-drawing technique.

Wei Qing's body is still tense and cannot relax. Under these circumstances, it is impossible for him to repeat the sword-drawing technique again. No matter how many times he demonstrates it, it will be in vain.

The same situation applies when Zhang Xuezhou uses his control over his power; if he hasn't reached the recovery period, he can't repeat the process.

Ultimately, since they possessed abilities beyond their physical capabilities despite insufficient foundation, they could only wait for their bodies to recover.

Zhang Xuezhou had no problems using his control over 'fast and slow', simply because his body was resilient, his recovery ability was extremely strong, and he might also have the influence of the giant tree, which made his performance less noticeable.

Normally, it's only natural for people to use abilities that aren't their own, resulting in Badun straining his leg or for characters like Changkong Yinghao to be out of breath.

"You mean Wei Qing's body hasn't fully recovered after using the sword-drawing technique, making it difficult for him to use it again?"

Zhang Xuezhou gestured and explained, and only then did the new emperor belatedly realize that Wei Qing might have a health problem, but given Wei Qing's stubborn nature, he would never show it.

"Guards! Summon the imperial physician!"

The new emperor gave a shout to the crown prince, and a guard immediately acknowledged with a "Yes, sir!" and quickly ran off.

"Why are you trying to cure my illness just because I was drinking?" Wei Qing asked in astonishment. "I'm not sick, I'm perfectly healthy!"

"Summon the imperial physician to examine him; he'll know immediately," the new emperor said. "If there's no illness, there's no need for treatment!"

"Why!"

Wei Qing responded and then shook his head at Zhang Xuezhou, clearly annoyed by the embarrassment Zhang Xuezhou had caused.

"Don't neglect a minor ailment," Zhang Xuezhou cautioned. "This sword-drawing technique can unleash power beyond one's normal capacity, and it will also impact the body. If it accumulates too much or the power it draws exceeds the body's tolerance, it will cause the body to collapse!"

"Lord Dongfang, you're exaggerating!"

Wei Qing muttered something.

It is no small problem for officials to fall ill; being squeezed out of the power structure or marginalized is common. Military generals are even more affected by this, as historically, very few military generals with missing limbs have been able to control military power.

Wei Qing was genuinely worried that he might be diagnosed with some kind of disease, and he even felt a bit more uneasy and anxious.

"If you're not sick, use a couple of moves and show off your swordsmanship from Shanglin Garden," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.

"That won't do, I used it by chance, I can't repeat it," Wei Qing said, waving his hands repeatedly.

"That means you're physically ill," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You could take a Qi and Blood Pill to recover and adjust yourself. Maybe that will eliminate the aftereffects of using the Sword Drawing Technique before, allowing you to unleash your sword technique again!"

"I have no future troubles!"

Wei Qing muttered a rebuttal, but when the eight imperial physicians rushed over, and the new emperor urged him a few more times, he had no choice but to sullenly step on the edge of the hall and leap down.

"Wei Qing is just too reserved," the new emperor complained. "I don't need those few pills. If Wei Qing could take a Creation Pill as soon as he has a few symptoms, like you do, I would feel much more at ease!"

"Well!"

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated before he could casually agree, feeling the flames of conflict threatening to spread towards him. He could only try to keep the topic on Wei Qing and the sword-drawing technique.

"Zhongqing's swordsmanship needs to be adapted to the situation. This not only requires a healthy and normal body, but he may only be able to repeat the sword-drawing technique at Shanglin Garden at the moment," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Is this the only place we can repeat this at Shanglin Garden right now?"

The new emperor gasped in surprise.

If swordsmanship can only be repeated in Shanglin Garden, then this kind of swordsmanship is of little significance.

Only when Zhang Xuezhou mentioned adapting to local conditions, becoming accustomed to normal swordplay in Shanglin Garden, and then being able to use the sword-drawing technique in other similar areas, and even spreading it to different areas, did he nod.

Of course, drawing the sword to kill was not the real purpose.

The new emperor's true purpose was to find the essence of swordsmanship, thereby paving the way to the True Self Realm.

This was not only his need, but also the need of the Great Han Dynasty.

If the Great Han Dynasty had a large number of top cultivators, that would be the powerful dynasty he envisioned, and he would no longer fear challenges from all sides.

The two exchanged only a few words on the roof of the main hall before the imperial physician who was treating Wei Qing below had already secured Wei Qing to a frame and removed his outer garments.

The slender silver needle pierced his body, but Wei Qing did not cry out in pain. It was only when the physicians unanimously agreed that he was ill and needed to rest that Wei Qing's face changed color.