It’s already late at night, but in Shen Hao’s backyard, lanterns are still lit all around, illuminating the place brightly.
Two figures leap and maneuver within the courtyard.
One moves like a ghost, sotis vanishing, sotis reappearing, wielding a heavy black saber that spins out dazzling saber-flowers, exuding an unrivaled presence like a rampaging fierce beast in the night.
The other fights barehanded, strolling as if at leisure, moving slowly but actually fast, like a butterfly among blossoms; his hands whip about, able to dodge the sharp blade by re milliters to slap the saber’s spine and block.
This is Shen Hao and Nie Yun entertaining themselves after drinking.
In Nie Yun’s words: I’m in a good mood—how about I give you so pointers?
Shen Hao naturally went along. Since stepping into cultivation, he had mostly self-studied, relying on real combat to explore and summarize on his own. Though his comprehension was good, and luck as well, he’d never truly been guided by anyone systematically. He was extrely excited, and directly pulled out all his moves except his truly hidden ones.
With Shen Hao’s current cultivation, the gap between him and Nie Yun was more than just a few streets; in Nie Yun’s eyes, if only considering strength, Shen Hao might as well be a kid.
"You just learned this saber technique, right?" Nie Yun countered Shen Hao’s attacks while comnting, even opening his wine gourd for a sip in the anti.
"Yes, this ti an upper-level reward—called the ’Light Splitting Slash.’ Nie, what do you think?"
"Barely good enough to show off, but nothing too special. Also, you’re not using the saber correctly."
Not using the saber correctly?
Shen Hao paused his attack, looking confused at Nie Yun, who stood there unflushed and unruffled, waiting for him to explain.
"A saber isn’t just about domination, nor only about charging ahead without hesitation. Your understanding of the saber has issues, which will make you lose adaptability when facing enemies of equal strength... When you strike, you need to reserve so strength. It’s not just about saber techniques—any weapon works like this...
Also, I believe this ’Light Splitting Slash’ shouldn’t focus on ’lethality,’ but rather on speed. You need to find the balance between ’force’ and ’speed,’ otherwise you’ll never get to the essence of this saber technique.
And your saber moves are too influenced by military battle array styles—not suitable for dueling between high-tier cultivators."
Nie Yun seed to have no gaps in his knowledge. Though he himself didn’t use weapons, he could still precisely and incisively analyze Shen Hao’s freshly learned ’Light Splitting Slash.’
Reserve so strength when striking?
Shen Hao was stunned for a mont by this, then soon drifted into deep thought, as if these words had struck just the right spot in his heart.
Scenes flashed rapidly through his mind like silent film—monts from life-and-death battles he’d experienced, fraught with danger.
His saber, his saber techniques... It seed he had brute force charging ahead, but lacked the agility to adapt to changes.
Against weaker opponents, it always felt smooth as chopping vegetables. But when facing those of equal strength or when he was at a disadvantage, it was like being bound in a cocoon—all his power only yielded sixty or seventy percent.
Back when he first fought the Cloud Sword Incarnation in the Cloud Sword Domain, Shen Hao was thoroughly suppressed, and felt this way before. He just didn’t know the cause, only thinking it was because the Incarnation’s swordsmanship was too strong.
Now, it seems the root of the problem was in himself.
As the saying goes, a blow wakes the drear—that was now Shen Hao’s situation, ntally reviewing his understanding of saber techniques again and again.
After a while, Shen Hao was rarely excited, looking at Nie Yun and calling him to go another round.
So the saber glint flared again, and the two began sparring once more.
After one incense’s ti, the two paused again.
"Not bad. Your comprehension is high—just in this short while you’ve already adjusted your saber habits. Keep training with this mindset and you’ll soon improve."
Nie Yun took another swig, his eyes flashing with a hint of surprise—he was impressed by the comprehension Shen Hao had just demonstrated.
Comprehension is born, not made. Due to his Black Beast Tattoo, Shen Hao was known as a gifted talent who grew by innate talent, but his comprehension was truly sothing he was born with. Only, this was the first ti anyone had noticed it.
If Nie Yun was just a bit surprised, then right now Shen Hao felt unprecedented excitent—like a lost child stumbling onto a brightly lit avenue.
So that’s how a saber should be used!
Just now, following Nie Yun’s guidance, Shen Hao left two parts strength in every strike. Though it went against his years of habits, he forced himself to suppress this and give it a try, and then found a door to a ’New World’ opened wide before him.
With lighter force, his True Qi running between ridians and weapon wasn’t fully loaded, gaining a nimbleness and ease. Those reserved two parts of force could now be used for adaptability, body technique maneuvering, or speed in executing moves.
Each strike lost two parts of force, but saber speed increased by at least twenty percent!
Combined with the ’Light Splitting Slash,’ the smooth exhilaration made Shen Hao want to howl to the sky.
"Alright, that’s enough for now. I’ve got assignnts to do—where’s my room?"
Nie Yun, hands behind his back, followed Hu Tian to the guest room to rest. Shen Hao stayed in the courtyard, pacing around and occasionally swinging his saber, deep in thought. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot to digest all Nie Yun’s pointers from today.
All night, Shen Hao kept thinking in the backyard until dawn.
Nie Yun had breakfast and left—couldn’t be persuaded to stay. Said he needed to return to the mountain for matters, always busy. On the way out, he took five jars of one-year aged Wuliangye. He didn’t bother mixing them in his wine gourd, but strung them into two loops slung over his shoulder, not finding them cumberso at all.
Also, Shen Hao and Nie Yun settled on a date—next month, December 14th, they’d et at the Teleportation Array in Fengri City, and head for Chang Baifeng together.
For three days straight, Shen Hao focused on his saber cultivation, and began gradually transitioning his Cultivation thod for the Great Five Elents True Qi Talisman into the Great Five Elents Technique.
His cultivation speed soared again the mont he began circulating True Qi in his body as per the Great Five Elents Technique.
Conservative estimates put its efficiency at more than double the previous Great Five Elents True Qi Talisman!
Thus, after just a few days, Shen Hao could already sense the bottleneck of his next small realm. Keep in mind, he’d only just broken through Gathering Spirit Realm Fourth Layer less than half a month ago...
Until Wang Jian ca knocking, saying Flying Dragon had urgent business and requested a eting—only then did Shen Hao snap out of his cultivation focus and return to his routine.
After the Jingxi operation, Flying Dragon was ’idle at ho,’ worried Shen Hao would ’kill the donkey when the mill’s done.’ To reassure Flying Dragon—and to extend the intelligence network outward from Fengri City’s jurisdiction—Shen Hao had Flying Dragon act as the ’Fengri City Black Market boss’ and sent him out.
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