An Approach Through Swordsmanship
The sacrificial ceremony begins at noon when the yang energy is at its peak, with sword fighting continuing uninterrupted. As the sun begins to set in the west, the bright moon begins to hang in the sky.
Huo Qubing's opponents had changed three times, from Lei Bei to Dong Zhongshu, and finally to a sword duel with the new emperor.
Although the new emperor in the True Self Realm could crush Huo Qubing, controlling the sword fight also made the new emperor suffer greatly.
Should I go?
Wei Shao'er walked back and forth beside Zhang Xuezhou, carrying a short sword. When Zhang Xuezhou glanced at him sideways, Wei Shao'er couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"You surnamed Dong, you're looking down on me. I'm at least a minor expert," Wei Shao'er said.
"You're so reckless! I'm afraid you'll kill Little Huo with one blow!"
If Wei Shao'er weren't her guardian, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't have allowed Wei Shao'er to come.
Wei Shao'er's swordsmanship focuses on surprise attacks and lacks wide-ranging, powerful strikes, making her unsuitable for prolonged sword combat. Coupled with her concern for Huo Qubing, Zhang Xuezhou was genuinely afraid that Wei Shao'er might be accidentally stabbed to death by Huo Qubing.
The sacrificial ceremony brought about extremely severe mental stimulation, causing Huo Qubing to fall into mental confusion. His swordsmanship was initially extremely chaotic. After several rounds of training, his swordsmanship did not become more majestic because of his opponent's grand and dignified swordsmanship. Instead, it became extremely strange.
Zhang Xuezhou felt that Huo Qubing's swordsmanship was somewhat similar to the guns that Song Bu'er had once designed; they appeared to be shooting forward, but in reality, the bullets were fired from behind.
Huo Qubing's swordsmanship was full of feints, and his "pointing east while striking west" routine was repeated over and over again. Zhang Xuezhou felt that Huo Qubing's swordsmanship style was becoming increasingly distorted.
He couldn't help but glance at the Empress Dowager, wondering if she possessed the ability to draw upon the Sole Self Realm of Divine Ability.
No matter what kind of swordsmanship it is, as long as it can be transformed into a central Divine Ability, one can break free from Huo Qubing's path of Only Me.
"Not enough!"
The Empress Dowager understood what Zhang Xuezhou meant and shook her head slightly.
"The rituals and elixirs only helped Xiao Huo overcome the shortcomings of his initial entry into the Divine Ability Realm, but they are not enough for him to accumulate the strength to continue advancing!"
"Then let's continue the rotation!"
"Was your previous spiritual practice similar?"
The Empress Dowager looked at Zhang Xuezhou.
Most monks are able to receive a good education and access to resources because of their family background, which allows them to be presented to others as geniuses.
But true geniuses are never made through resources. They either break through the encirclement at a young age like the new emperor, or they seize the opportunity to soar to great heights like Zhang Xuezhou and Wei Qing.
Huo Qubing was undoubtedly a genius. Even though he had countless resources, the fact that he managed to stand out despite his young age is solid proof of that.
The Empress Dowager was a genius in the eyes of others, but Zhang Xuezhou and others were geniuses in the eyes of the Empress Dowager.
The methods of geniuses are bound to be radical, and the Empress Dowager couldn't help but wonder if Zhang Xuezhou was like that.
"I don't have those conditions; it wasn't like this before," Zhang Xuezhou, shaking his head.
"Then the risk of having Xiao Huo do it is a bit high," the Empress Dowager said.
"But I've met most of the requirements right now, and it will be the same in the future," Zhang Xuezhou said.
Do you want to break through and step into your True Self?
I will surely become my True Self!
The Empress Dowager asked a few questions, but then did not inquire further.
Huo Qubing's current experience is what Zhang Xuezhou might do in the future.
It was difficult for Huo Qubing to break through to the Sole Self Realm, but compared to breaking through to the True Self Realm, that was insignificant.
The last three realms of the Realm Technique are increasingly difficult, and very few cultivators manage to reach the True Self Realm after a long period of time. Even those with exceptional talent dare not claim that they will definitely reach the peak of their cultivation. Zhang Xuezhou spoke with certainty, clearly indicating that he was quite confident.
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, feeling relieved that Emperor Jing wasn't there; otherwise, he, who had never been able to reach the True Self Realm Emperor Jing in his entire life, would surely be heartbroken.
The world of geniuses is incomprehensible, and even the Empress Dowager couldn't understand it.
She was still hoping to help Huo Qubing enter the Sole Self Realm, and then obtain the Path of Fusion that Zhang Xuezhou had mentioned, thereby allowing the Yang Corporeal Soul Body to acquire the cultivation of its original form.
This might allow the Empress Dowager to remain conscious and alive, rather than end up like Dou Ying and Guan Fu, who were treated like idiots.
"Your Majesty, Dong Zhongshu, and Lei Bei's swordsmanship has been interwoven and suppressing, making it difficult for Xiao Huo's swordsmanship to erupt. Xiao Huo has been accumulating for a long time and needs to release it to find an opportunity," the Empress Dowager said. "If Cheng Bushi and Anguo were here, that would be great!"
"Just getting beaten up?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.
"That doesn't necessarily mean being beaten. You need to have the ability to parry Xiao Huo's swordsmanship so that Xiao Huo can regain his senses from the chaos," the Empress Dowager said.
"This is not difficult!"
Zhang Xuezhou reached out and grabbed an iron sword that was displayed nearby.
"You also know swordsmanship?" the Empress Dowager asked in surprise.
"Swordsmanship is nothing more than chopping, thrusting, pointing; flicking, striking, intercepting, wiping, piercing, picking, lifting, twisting, sweeping, and other moves. You'll learn how to use them after just a look," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"But haven't you been practicing Technique Method all along?"
"While practicing Technique Method, I also maintain a long-term commitment to physical fitness!"
While the Empress Dowager was still wondering what was going on, Zhang Xuezhou had already rushed out with his sword.
Zhang Xuezhou doesn't know swordsmanship, but with his control over his abilities, he can instantly become a swordsmanship master. As long as his control isn't broken, his swordsmanship will be even more unpredictable than Huo Qubing's. Furthermore, his physical training has brought him an extremely good power boost, allowing Zhang Xuezhou to face martial artists without fear.
"I'll go and have a go at Little Huo!"
He shouted, and the new emperor, who had suppressed Huo Qubing, did not hesitate at all, and he and Zhang Xuezhou switched positions with one advancing and the other retreating.
"Little Huo learned the Vertical Sword Technique from Wei Qing, but he learned it haphazardly and completely messed it up!"
After taking more than ten steps back, the new emperor exhaled a breath of stale air before making his comments.
"Xiao Huo's Vertical Sword Technique is flexible and adaptable. If he can combine it with the mother-and-child swords, he will definitely be a nightmare for his opponents," Lei Bei seriously.
"I think Xiao Huo is suited to using both long and short swords, and his double strike technique is also very promising," Dong Zhongshu commented.
The new emperor followed a grand and orthodox approach to swordsmanship, believing that Huo Qubing's swordsmanship had gone astray. Lei Bei and Dong Zhongshu, however, had a different opinion, and their suggestions extended towards the Divine Ability aspects of swordsmanship.
Huo Qubing only learned the Vertical Sword Technique, which has now been transformed into a minor Divine Ability Vertical Sword Technique, and there is still a small probability that it will be transformed into a secondary Divine Ability, thereby guiding him to break through the realm of "Only Me".
"Swordsmanship should not be bound by form; every swordsmanship has its own potential," the Empress Dowager instructed the new emperor.
"Alas, I just wanted my son's swordsmanship to be more normal. Look at him now, he's deliberately using his groin to attack Dongfang Shuo. Where is the Vertical Sword Technique in him now?" the new emperor lamented.
"Little Huo is a bit too short; he's not capable of fighting in the top three positions," the Empress Dowager said. "In truth, it was because he started training too early that he went astray in his swordsmanship!"
"It'll be different when he grows taller!"
Dong Zhongshu persuaded the new emperor to make peace, and only then did he put aside his slight regret.
Do you think the sick child can transform the Vertical Sword Technique into a Central Divine Ability?
The new emperor asked the crowd, and seeing their silence, he immediately knew the answer.
"Let's see how Dongfang Shuo spars... Xiao Huo seems to have regained his senses; his swordsmanship style has changed!"
"It's very strange; his swordsmanship is exactly the same as Dongfang Shuo's!"
"What kind of martial artist learns swordsmanship from a sorcerer?"
The Empress Dowager murmured, then her expression turned slightly surprised.
Unlike the new emperor and others who went on stage to spar, Zhang Xuezhou's swordsmanship was equally bizarre.
Like a master strategist who holds the odds, Zhang Xuezhou's longsword appeared and disappeared at will, each strike colliding with the tip of Huo Qubing's sword.
After exchanging more than ten sword strikes, Huo Qubing seemed to regain his senses and switched into Zhang Xuezhou's swordsmanship, achieving a near-identical swordsmanship.