Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 187: Chapter 185: Passing on the Sword

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He felt that his swordsmanship was stronger than Xiao Ruoling’s.

Xiao Ruoling had just started practicing her sword technique and wasn’t proficient yet.

He had been practicing his sword technique for several years.

This was a rare opportunity.

To defeat Xiao Ruoling once, and also to let Chu Zhiyuan see his swordsmanship and give him some pointers.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped back, making room.

Xiao Ruoyu lightly shook his sword and laughed, "My sword technique is the Jinghai Sword Technique, watch out."

Xiao Ruoling snorted, "You’re the one who needs to watch out, here comes the sword!"

Her movements were flexible and powerful, agile and light, with the elegance of a leopard, and every move contained captivating beauty.

Chu Zhiyuan watched with secret admiration.

This was the pinnacle of beauty, not just in appearance, but an all-encompassing beauty; not just still beauty, but even more so in motion, each smile and frown could tug at one’s heartstrings.

She waved her sword, creating a blur of shadows, enveloping Xiao Ruoyu.

Xiao Ruoyu remained calm, deploying the Jinghai Sword Technique, intending to subdue the myriad sword shadows, but was unable to discern reality from illusion.

Originally, he intended to directly push back Xiao Ruoling like Chu Zhiyuan, but found it impossible, unable to see her sword.

After two empty thrusts, he assumed a defensive stance.

"Bang!" With a muffled sound, he clutched his chest and retreated.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

This Flower Moon Shadow Sword was indeed exquisite.

Xiao Ruoling’s insight was formidable, able to suppress Xiao Ruoyu, who had practiced for a long time, after just half a day of practice.

Of course, most of Xiao Ruoyu’s time was spent on inner strength training, as the most formidable aspect of the Jinghai Unlimited Scripture was the Hand Skills.

In the future, reaching the Innate Realm or the Grandmaster Realm would be the best time to unleash the power of the Jinghai Unlimited Scripture; the Postnatal Realm fell short.

Having practiced his swordsmanship for so long and still being defeated was something he couldn’t accept.

Xiao Ruoyu clutched his chest and groaned, "It was a fluke, let’s go again!"

"Let’s go again!" Xiao Ruoling laughed.

Her confidence was building.

Initially, being defeated by Chu Zhiyuan in one move had hit her hard.

She knew that most of Chu Zhiyuan’s energy was focused on breaking realms, and his swordsmanship was extremely formidable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have won in martial contests twice.

But was her swordsmanship really that bad? Defeated in one move?

Once she succeeded in breaking the Jinghai Sword Technique, she immediately regained her confidence, feeling that her swordsmanship was indeed exquisite.

Seeing Xiao Ruoling’s expression, Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but smile.

Xiao Ruoyu joining in the sword practice was good for Xiao Ruoling, helping her build confidence.

Otherwise, being continually beaten by him would be unbearable.

"Bang!" Xiao Ruoyu again clutched his chest and retreated.

"Let’s go again!" Xiao Ruoyu shouted, unwilling to accept defeat.

Xiao Ruoling laughed, "Little Tiger, if you can’t manage, it’s okay, no need to be too fixated on winning or losing."

"No, let’s go again!" Xiao Ruoyu insisted.

He was already flushed with excitement, determined to win at least one move.

He couldn’t believe that, after training for so long, his swordsmanship could not match Xiao Ruoling’s half-day of practice, determined to win at least once.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "What your eyes see may not always be true, they can deceive you. You need to learn to use your heart, let your heart and eyes align, to feel the true and false of the sword."

Xiao Ruoyu found it too profound.

Chu Zhiyuan continued, "True and false have differences, it’s about whether you can perceive and sense them, find the pattern, and capture the sword of truth and falsehood."

"What are the differences?" Xiao Ruoyu couldn’t help but ask.

While performing the Jinghai Sword Technique, his sword shadows cloaked his body, as if a curtain had been drawn to conceal him.

Almost impenetrable.

Yet he still couldn’t guard against Xiao Ruoling’s sword.

He found it baffling, incredible.

"Bang!" His chest was struck again, he clutched his chest, stepped back two steps, and helplessly glared at Xiao Ruoling.

Xiao Ruoling, calm and composed, laughed, "You were almost able to stop me."

"Big Sister, don’t get cocky!" Xiao Ruoyu was unconvinced, "You should worry about defending against Brother-in-Law’s sword instead."

"He’s a Grandmaster, of course, I can’t defend against him."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "I’ve always used Innate Perfection’s skill, without deploying Gang Qi, slowing my speed and strength to match yours."

"Then watch the sword!" Xiao Ruoling waved her sword, and myriad sword shadows enveloped him.

She felt a new insight into swordsmanship at that moment, greatly amplifying its power, with the true and false sword shadows becoming denser, making it impossible to defend.

Chu Zhiyuan lightly thrust his sword forward.

The wooden sword pierced through the myriad sword shadows, striking her long sword.

"Bang!" Her side went numb, helplessly stepping back two steps and shaking her arm.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "The traces are still too heavy, you haven’t achieved a seamless fusion of illusion and reality."

"Then how can I achieve it?"

"The Flower Moon Shadow Sword, you think of the moon shadows among the flowers, right?... The moon shadows are the flower shadows, one virtual, one real. This is just the first layer, too shallow, not reaching the essence."

"The essence...?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Moon, flower, and shadow, you only thought of flower and shadow, but forgot the moon. What is the moon? The moon is in the sky, illuminating the earth!"

"The moon..." Xiao Ruoling stood pondering.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded secretly.

Xiao Ruoling’s comprehension was indeed stronger.

Xiao Ruoyu had good aptitude, but Xiao Ruoling was superior.

Xiao Ruoyu also furrowed his brows, reflecting on his swordsmanship.

Why had he been defeated so badly? Had he been practicing wrong all along?

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Jinghai Sword Technique, so-called Jinghai, requires a broad and steadfast demeanor. Under the raging sea’s waves, how can it be calmed?"

"How to calm it?"

"If it were you?"

"Of course, to suppress it."

"You’ve completely gone astray, the path is entirely wrong. Who taught you the swordsmanship?"

"I practiced according to the Sword Manual."

"No wonder." Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "To make the sea calm is not to suppress strongly, but to remove the wind. Without wind, the sea becomes calm on its own."

"Remove the wind?"

"Do you know, what is the wind?"

"Hmm... the heart?"

"Correct, correct!" Chu Zhiyuan showed a praised expression, Xiao Ruoyu was also innately wise, with high perception, he laughed, "The key to the Jinghai Sword Technique is the heart. No matter how strong he is, I ignore it. With a heart like still water, without ripples, there is no wind, and thus no waves."

"Heart like still water..."

"Understanding this is not enough; you need to achieve it," Chu Zhiyuan said, "You are now in a robust time, your heart likes to move, unable to remain still, so you are not suitable for practicing this sword technique. Switch to another one."

"But this is the sword technique of the Jinghai Unlimited Scripture!" Xiao Ruoyu said unwillingly, "Its power is extremely formidable."

"No matter how good the sword technique, no matter how powerful, if it’s not suited to you, practicing it will be double the effort for half the result, not worth the loss," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "After ten more years, after ten years you can practice this technique, and by the age of forty, practicing one day would be worth three years of practice now!"

"...Really?"

"Unless you can achieve a heart like still water now." Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "If an opponent passes by in front of you, can you remain unmoved?"

"...No."

"Then breaking your sword technique would be too simple; a few provocative words would unsettle your mental state, rendering your sword technique powerless."

"...Okay, I’ll switch techniques." Xiao Ruoyu said helplessly, "The others do not seem as good, none as good as this."

"If you haven’t thought of another, I’ll teach you a sword technique." Chu Zhiyuan said, "It’s what I comprehended from the White Cloud Sword Stele, its power should suffice."

Xiao Ruoling’s spirit lifted.

Others didn’t know he had gone to the White Cloud Sword Palace to comprehend the White Cloud Sword Stele, but Xiao Ruoling and Xiao Ruoyu did, always curious about what sword technique he had learned.

It was going to be taught to him, Xiao Ruoyu was instantly excited.

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