Chapter 13

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"Stop, what did the instructor ask you to do?"

Outside the residential area, Chen Zuoyi and Chen Wu, along with other clan descendants, blocked Chen Zong's path and questioned him sternly.

"Speak." Chen Wu pressed.

"What's it got to do with you?" Chen Zong glanced at them, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, but indifferent.

"You..." The faces of Chen Zuoyi and the others changed dramatically. Chen Wu, in particular, gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes fierce.

"Are you going to make a move?" Chen Zong's eyes were sharp.

"In twenty days, it will be the team leader competition. By then, I hope you can still be so arrogant." Chen Zuoyi said coldly, leaving with a chest full of anger.

The clan hall has its rules. For those who have just entered the clan hall and whose cultivation is below the fourth level of the Blood Qi Realm, their task is to practice diligently and strive to break through and become warriors as soon as possible. Therefore, apart from the monthly team leader competition, they are absolutely not allowed to fight privately, or the consequences will be severe.

"Team leader competition..." Chen Zong smiled slightly, his eyes like a sword: "I will let you know how sharp my sword is."

...

Chen Zong's life was very regular.

Every morning, he practiced the Tiger Roar Technique in his room, and in the afternoon, he went to Chen Chuyun's courtyard to practice the Basic Eighteen Forms and the Three-Word Technique of Speed, Accuracy, and Stability. In the evening, he practiced the Tiger Strength Fist, the True Sword Eight Forms, the Residual Image Sword Technique, the Willow Breeze Sword Technique, and the Eagle Strike Sword Technique.

Perhaps it was due to his own efforts or the influence of practicing the Basic Eighteen Forms, Chen Zong found that his cultivation in the four foundation sword techniques was different from before. At the same level, each sword stroke was more rounded, whether gentle or sharp, it flowed smoothly and naturally like clouds and water.

After repeated comparisons, Chen Zong finally confirmed that practicing the Basic Eighteen Forms indeed helped his sword techniques, improving his control over the sword.

On the thirtieth day of his arrival at the clan hall, exactly one month had passed.

In Chen Chuyun's courtyard, Chen Zong was practicing.

A black heavy iron plate was tied to his right arm, hidden under his sleeve. The iron plate was not ten pounds but had increased to twenty pounds. He held the hilt of the sword and extended it horizontally, forming a straight line with his arm. A heavy iron ball, also twenty pounds, hung from the other end of the sword.

Chen Zong's gaze was level, his body as steady as a wooden stake, his arm extended without a tremor.

One minute!

Two minutes!

Three minutes!

Soon, five minutes passed, and Chen Zong still held the sword steady.

At seven minutes, Chen's arm trembled slightly, but he continued to hold on.

At eight minutes, his arm muscles felt as if they were about to tear, the pain unbearable.

At nine minutes, his entire arm went numb, losing sensation.

At ten minutes, he reached his limit and had to put the sword down to slowly stretch his right arm, allowing the blood and qi to flow and recover.

At the beginning of his training, Chen Zong's arm could only bear ten pounds, and the heavy iron ball on the tip of the sword was also ten pounds, allowing him to hold for only five minutes. Now, with twenty pounds on his arm and the heavy iron ball also twenty pounds, he could hold for ten minutes, a significant improvement.

While his right arm was recovering, Chen Zong used his left hand to hold the hilt and extend the sword horizontally.

Chen Chuyun had not taught him this; it was a sudden idea that Chen Zong had during his recent training.

Usually, he held the sword with his right hand, but if his right hand was injured or unable to hold the sword for some reason, wouldn't his strength be greatly reduced? Why not train his left hand to hold the sword as well?

Chen Zong began to focus on left-hand sword training, but for someone who had always been right-handed, it was very difficult. However, Chen Zong could overcome it.

Under the same weight, his left arm was clearly weaker than his right, reaching its limit at seven minutes and needing to be put down to recover.

At this point, his right arm could train again.

After an hour, both arms had recovered, and Chen Zong practiced the Basic Eighteen Forms with the sword, switching from his right hand to his left. It looked similar, but Chen Zong knew that the left-hand practice of the Basic Eighteen Forms was far from the right, requiring more effort.

Standing before the wooden spheres, Chen Zong's posture was casual. His right hand moved quickly, the iron sword flashing, and a dim sword light appeared. The wooden sphere, about the size of an egg, trembled slightly, a sword hole appearing in the center, indicating that Chen Zong had gradually mastered the Three-Word Technique of Speed, Accuracy, and Stability.

The sword light flashed again, sharp and astonishing, and the second wooden sphere also trembled slightly, a sword hole appearing in the center.

The third wooden sphere!

The fourth wooden sphere!

The fifth wooden sphere!

The sixth wooden sphere!

When Chen Zong aimed a powerful strike at the seventh wooden sphere, the sword grazed it, cutting a small opening.

He sheathed the sword, adjusted his posture, and drew the sword again.

He practiced until his right hand was sore, then switched to his left.

The difficulty of left-hand training was greater than that of the right, but after a few days of training, he had made significant progress. After adjusting his posture, he struck the largest wooden sphere directly, though his control of force was not as steady as with his right hand.

After three hours of training, Chen Zong bid farewell and left.

At night, in a corner of the training ground, Chen Zong practiced his sword techniques.

He first used his left hand to perform several rounds of the True Sword Eight Forms, the Residual Image Sword Technique, the Willow Breeze Sword Technique, and the Eagle Strike Sword Technique, then switched to his right hand for full concentration.

After twenty days of hard training, the True Sword Eight Forms reached the peak of minor accomplishment, while the Residual Image Sword Technique, the Willow Breeze Sword Technique, and the Eagle Strike Sword Technique all reached the peak of major accomplishment.

Crouching Sword Stance!

Drawing Sword Stance!

Charging Sword Stance!

The True Sword Eight Forms were performed under Chen Zong's sword.

Tonight, there was no moon, only sparse stars. The iron sword was gray and dark, but as Chen Zong wielded it, each sword stroke emitted a dazzling light, a sign that the True Sword Eight Forms had reached the peak of minor accomplishment. Each sword light was clear and brilliant, like stars in the night sky.

Explosive Sword Stance!

With a sprinting step, a dragon-like back, and force transmitted through the arm to the sword, the sword was thrust with utmost ferocity, without any reservation, as if Chen Zong had poured all his strength into it, piercing the sky like a flying star chasing the moon. The sword emitted an extremely bright light, moving so fast that it sparked as it cut through the air, the air becoming slightly scorched.

Under the sword, a faint, sharp whistle sounded like the tide at the horizon, gradually spreading.

Chen Zong's body trembled as if struck by lightning, a strong tingling sensation sweeping through his limbs, causing them to tremble slightly.

The blood qi in his body vibrated, as if a tiger was roaring. Instinctively, Chen Zong put down the iron sword and assumed the Tiger Crouching Stance, clearing his mind and silently reciting the Tiger Roar Technique, focusing all his spirit to control the blood qi.

He "saw" a red stream flowing, vibrating in a wondrous way, emitting a sound like a tiger's roar.

The blood qi flowed at an astonishing speed, like a flood breaking through a dam, gradually losing Chen Zong's control. His skin turned red, and his body temperature rose rapidly, as if he were about to burn.

Chen Zong remained calm, exerting all his effort to control the blood qi. Whether due to his own efforts or other reasons, the speed of the blood qi gradually slowed, eventually returning to its original state. Chen Zong noticed that the blood qi seemed different, with a more vivid color.

"Could it be..." A thought came to mind, and Chen Zong immediately tried to move the blood qi.

The blood qi flowed rapidly throughout his body, his skin turning slightly red. Chen Zong immediately felt his body becoming lighter, and a stronger force was growing in his hands.

The standard strength for the third level of the Blood Qi Realm is five hundred pounds, and Chen Zong was already extremely familiar with it. Therefore, he could clearly feel any increase in his strength.

There was no mistake. Under the movement of the blood qi, his body had been enhanced in all aspects, especially in strength, which had increased by about one hundred pounds.

In other words, he had completely refined his blood qi once, which was at least half a month earlier than he had originally expected.

After refining the blood qi three times, he could break through to the fourth level of the Blood Qi Realm and become a warrior.

Under normal circumstances, it takes about four months to learn the Tiger Roar Technique and complete the first refinement of the blood qi. Two months are spent on the initial practice of the Tiger Roar Technique, and the remaining two months are used for the actual refinement of the blood qi.

The second refinement of the blood qi takes even longer, at least three months, and the third refinement takes at least four months.

In other words, under normal circumstances, it takes nearly a year for a disciple with average talent to refine their blood qi three times.

Those with higher talent can complete the three refinements in a shorter time, perhaps nine months or even six months. Those with lower talent will take more than a year and fail to meet the clan hall's goals, leading to their expulsion.

Clearly, Chen Zong's talent was not low. Combined with various conditions, he had achieved the miracle of refining his blood qi once in just one month, from learning the Tiger Roar Technique.

"It seems I might be able to refine my blood qi three times within half a year and break through to the fourth level of the Blood Qi Realm." Chen Zong's eyes sparkled with determination.

Becoming a warrior is his second short-term goal.

Now that this goal is within reach, it's impossible not to be excited. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

He sheathed the sword and assumed the Crouching Sword Stance again.

Drawing Sword Stance!

The iron sword cut through the air, like a crescent moon shining in the night, the sword light dazzling and accompanied by a sharp whistle.

This is the sign that the True Sword Eight Forms have reached the peak of major accomplishment.

It was precisely because the True Sword Eight Forms had reached the peak of major accomplishment that Chen Zong's body potential was unleashed, causing the blood qi to rapidly expand. By chance, the blood qi escaped control and accelerated, refining itself in the vibration pattern of the Tiger Roar Technique.

The True Sword Eight Forms had an excellent effect. The improvement in blood qi from minor to major accomplishment was more significant than the improvement from major to perfect accomplishment in the Tiger Strength Fist. Combined with the previous improvements from minor to major accomplishment in the Residual Image Sword Technique, the Willow Breeze Sword Technique, and the Eagle Strike Sword Technique, the accumulated effects led to tonight's breakthrough.

Chen Zong had never boasted about his cultivation progress, not even to Chen Chuyun.

After consolidating the True Sword Eight Forms, Chen Zong looked at the sky. It was very late, and he should rest, to be well-prepared for the next day. Tomorrow was the monthly team leader competition, his first battle since entering the clan hall.

The team leader position, he was determined to win!

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