"Understood!" everyone answered in unison.
At this moment, they all felt very unfamiliar with Sanhuang, not knowing where this person had appeared from.
After all, back in the Black Shark Water Fortress, Sanhuang had always looked filthy, foul-smelling, and disheveled; no one would have any interest in paying attention to him, let alone remembering his appearance.
After explaining some trivial matters, Qin Yuesheng waved his hand to dismiss the crowd, telling them to prepare everything before sunrise the next morning.
Night passed in silence; the next day arrived.
The sun rose in the east, purple aurora streaming from the horizon.
Thirteen battered, patched, and variously-sized ships sailed out from the reef area, led by the vessel Qin Yuesheng stood on, heading northward as one group.
Qin Yuesheng stood at the prow, watching the round sun slowly rise from the surface of the sea, feeling elated, and exhaling a deep breath in satisfaction.
That breath shot out over a yard in distance, hovering above the water for a long time without dissipating.
Suddenly, a swordfish leapt up from beneath the surface, body straight as it shot through that breath. In an instant, the whole fish was cleanly sliced in two, silently and seamlessly split.
Bam! Bam!
The two halves of the fish fell into the sea, dyeing the water with a splash of red.
"What!" Sanhuang stared wide-eyed at this scene, utterly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Qin Yuesheng nodded in satisfaction.
The breath of an Inner Strength master is no less powerful than an arrow; before, his own breath might have been weaker, but now that Qin Yuesheng had reached the Fifth Layer of the Internal Power Realm, this breath was deadly enough to kill.
"I once heard that an Inner Strength master could pluck a hair and use it as a hidden weapon to kill, or simply spit and kill an enemy several yards away. Now my strength should have reached that level," Qin Yuesheng silently thought.
He handed an iron sword to Sanhuang—this was something Qin Yuesheng had casually scavenged from the Black Shark Water Fortress's warehouse, and in the Qin family's smithy it would've fetched only a few taels of silver.
"Hold this sword. While we still have time before arriving at our destination, I will now teach you swordsmanship," Qin Yuesheng said to Sanhuang.
Hearing that Qin Yuesheng was finally going to teach him martial arts, Sanhuang was instantly thrilled, unable to contain his excitement and curiosity about what Qin Yuesheng would teach him.
In terms of martial attainment, Qin Yuesheng was absolutely top three in the Jiangnan martial world today; if he dared claim second, no one would dispute first. Such words held true.
Qin Yuesheng possessed an abundance of true martial skills; anyone who could learn even a fraction from him would gain immensely.
Palm Techniques, Fist Techniques, Blade Skills, Sword Techniques.
Qin Yuesheng considered many things, but finally decided to teach Sanhuang the way of the sword.
After all, everyone in the world spoke of Gentleman's Sword and Celestial Son Sword, but no one mentioned Celestial Son Blade or Celestial Son Fist; plus, Qin Yuesheng had just acquired the sword burial treasure left behind by Bai Yue Sword Saint, making it most appropriate to teach him swordsmanship.
Sanhuang possessed dragon energy; should he truly have such fate and one day become emperor, Qin Yuesheng, his savior and martial arts master, would surely hold the position of Imperial Preceptor.
"Actually, entering the martial path is very simple. Whether it's the eighteen kinds of weapons or fists and feet, there are only two key words to entry," Qin Yuesheng raised the Black Dragon Sword. "That is: foundation. Since you have never learned the sword before, I will not teach you any Sword Techniques."
Sanhuang asked with confusion, "Master, then what am I learning from you?"
"Learn the basics. I have five foundational moves to teach you: thrust, sweep, chop, flick, and slice. When you have thoroughly mastered and integrated these five moves, I will teach you a third-rate Sword Technique," Qin Yuesheng said.
The reason for teaching a third-rate Sword Technique was not because Qin Yuesheng was stingy, but because second-rate and higher Sword Techniques all required Inner Strength to activate.
Although Sanhuang, under his enlightenment, possessed the strength of the Third Layer of the Internal Power Realm, he was still unreliable, with his Inner Strength depleting with use, and Qin Yuesheng could hardly serve as his power source, replenishing him whenever he ran out.
So for now, he could not teach Sanhuang anything above a third-rate Sword Technique, lest the boy overestimate his abilities.
Though Qin Yuesheng only taught foundational sword moves, Sanhuang did not show any displeasure. Instead, he stared at Qin Yuesheng with eager anticipation.
To him, foundation or Sword Technique meant nothing; he did not even understand what those were.
He only knew Qin Yuesheng was going to teach him martial arts, something he had always longed for, though his mother had never considered instructing him.
Now Qin Yuesheng's guidance filled Sanhuang's heart with deep gratitude.
"This is the thrust sword move."
"This is the sweep sword move."
"This is the chop sword move."
"This is the flick sword move."
Qin Yuesheng demonstrated each basic sword move, asking Sanhuang to imitate and remember them.
These were the steps Bai Yue Sword Saint had taken when learning the sword; it was best for Sanhuang to follow the path of his predecessor.
Qin Yuesheng was not so idle as to invent a new Sword Dao for Sanhuang.
Once Sanhuang had mastered the basic sword moves, Qin Yuesheng instructed him to find a quiet corner and work hard at training these fundamental moves on his own.
More than ten ships sailed side by side on the East Sea; if not for their dilapidated state, it would have been a splendid sight.
Qin Yuesheng carried the Celestial Demon Evil Blade in one hand, the Black Dragon Sword in the other, with the Dragon-Slaying Sword strapped to his back. The sea breeze swept his black robes, making them snap loudly, his demeanor fierce and imposing.
After sailing for several hours, a gigantic fortress city on an island suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Except for those in the know—Qin Yuesheng, Zhao Quan, Guo Jiuqu—all other water bandits were left dumbfounded.
Their mouths gaped in disbelief: "H-how could it be the Twelve Linked Rings?! How did we get here?!"
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