Chapter 10

This Zhou Yuan also entered the sect three years ago, but his talent far surpassed hers. He had long reached the peak of the fifth level of Qi Gathering, and his understanding of swordsmanship was even stronger. He could already perform the fifth move half a year ago!

It was precisely because of this that she lost so miserably in yesterday's match, unable to put up any resistance at all.

However...

Since she entered the sect, Liu Yiyi had almost never won in any matches. After getting used to it, she no longer felt embarrassed.

If she couldn't win, so be it. Her goal wasn't to outperform others, but to seek revenge!

Ignoring the other person, she continued on her way.

"No!"

After taking a few steps, she was stopped again. Zhou Yuan looked at her with disbelief: "You broke through?"

The cultivator with the weakest cultivation, who was only at the third level of Qi Condensation yesterday, had somehow reached the fifth level after just one night...

If he really had such talent, he wouldn't have only achieved this level after three years!

"Just a stroke of luck!"

Liu Yiyi shook her head, unwilling to explain.

It was normal for her unstable aura after breaking through to be noticed. Besides, there was no need to hide anything from fellow disciples.

"There's no such thing as luck in breaking through... Since you've also reached the fifth level of Qi Gathering, let me see if your swordsmanship has improved!"

Curiosity piqued, Zhou Yuan drew his long sword.

He had always been better than this guy, and it was hard to accept that he had caught up overnight.

"I don't have time..." Liu Yiyi frowned.

"Win me first!"

With a cold laugh, Zhou Yuan flicked his long sword, drawing a sword flower in the air before thrusting straight at her.

If she didn't counter, she would be injured. Liu Yiyi had no choice but to draw her long sword and strike out.

Ding!

The two swords clashed, and the force radiated outward.

She had expected to be pushed back as in the previous match, but to her surprise, the force from the other side was not as strong as she had imagined, and it even felt a bit weak!

"Could it be because of my improved strength?"

Liu Yiyi, slightly puzzled, quickly circulated the true essence within her body, striking faster and faster.

"This..."

Blocking her attacks, Zhou Yuan's playful expression gradually turned serious.

He had thought that with her rapid improvement in cultivation, her true essence would be unstable, but it was surprisingly solid! Her swordsmanship seemed to have transformed, and she was no weaker than him!

"Even if your cultivation is the same as mine, you can't possibly defeat me!"

Narrowing his eyes, he inwardly sneered, pouring true essence into his long sword and performing the fifth move of the Thirty-Six Styles of Immortal Subduing, the Long Rainbow Setting Sun.

Sizzle!

Sword qi surged, and in an instant, it seemed as if a large sun appeared in front of Liu Yiyi, the heat unbearable. Her body was pushed back by the sword qi, and she stumbled.

Despite her overnight cultivation and enlightenment, she was still a bit weaker compared to him.

"Trouble!" Liu Yiyi's heart turned cold.

The power of the other's sword move was immense. If she couldn't dodge, she would be seriously injured. If this delayed her from finding a master, wouldn't she miss a great opportunity?

"Evade..."

Biting her lip, in a critical moment, Liu Yiyi had another epiphany. Her arms moved naturally, like the wings of a bird, striking down.

Buzz!

A resonant sound, and Zhou Yuan's long sword flew out of his hand, embedding itself in the wall nearby, trembling.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Zhou Yuan, who had been in the advantageous position, was hit by the sword qi and retreated seven or eight steps, his face pale and bloodless.

If the other person hadn't held back at the last moment, he would have been seriously injured!

"That's not the Thirty-Six Styles of Immortal Subduing! How can you be so strong?"

Zhou Yuan was full of disbelief.

This guy had been the weakest for three years since entering the sect... Yesterday, he couldn't even defend himself against him, but after just one night, he had improved by two levels, and his swordsmanship had advanced so much that even he couldn't resist...

How could this be possible!

"I..."

Not only was Zhou Yuan stunned, but Liu Yiyi was also dumbfounded.

She had been prepared to be injured, but she never expected that following the senior's advice and treating her arms like wings, attacking instinctively, would have such an incredible effect!

Not only did it break the fifth move, but it also secured her victory!

"The senior's understanding of swordsmanship is indeed at the pinnacle..."

Quickly regaining her composure, Liu Yiyi trembled with excitement.

A casual hint from the senior had improved her so much. How strong must the senior be?

Even Elder Wu Yuan, who taught them swordsmanship, was far inferior!

The Immortal Subduing Sect actually had such a world-class expert hidden...

She mustn't miss this opportunity!

The desire to find a master became even more urgent in her mind. Ignoring the person in front of her, she hurriedly left the training hall and headed toward the mysterious residence.

"Winning just now was due to surprise... Once he recovers, it will be hard to win again!"

As she walked, Liu Yiyi reflected on the battle.

Defeating Zhou Yuan wasn't because her strength surpassed his, but because she had understood the senior's words and integrated them into her swordsmanship, catching him off guard.

It would be difficult to replicate this.

So, to truly become strong, she couldn't rely on luck but had to deeply understand swordsmanship and gain a deeper insight into it.

As she walked, suddenly, a rustling sound came from the deep forest.

"Hmm?"

Furrowing her brows, Liu Yiy lightly moved and hid behind a large tree.

...

"Finally had a good sleep after so many years..."

Stretching, Su Yin walked out of the room.

For ten years, he had slept for at most two hours a day, spending the rest of the time studying. This was the first time he truly relaxed.

After washing up, he took out some ingredients to make breakfast but soon shook his head.

The elders who lived here before were provided meals by the sect and rarely cooked, so the large courtyard had no firewood.

The fish soup he made yesterday used grass cut from the courtyard, which was far less effective, and the taste was not as good.

"Fine, I'll cut some!"

Instructing the donkey and other beasts, Su Yin stepped out.

In the forbidden area, he had done many things himself, and he was already used to it.

As for cultivation...

He had told Chen Yu and others to send more cultivation manuals, and he would study them here. He wouldn't go to crowded places to avoid being seen as having no cultivation, which would be embarrassing.

Breathing in the fresh air as he walked, he soon arrived at a place with many dead trees.

Su Yin took out a hatchet and approached.

Among the 36 skills he learned in the forbidden area, one was "chopping wood."

It required nine tests, and the wood he chopped started as thick as a baby's arm and eventually became as thin as a hair.

However, no matter how well he chopped... what was the point?

In the world of cultivation, what mattered was cultivation and true essence. Who cared about chopping wood?

Even if he could chop wood into shavings, so what?

At most, it would make starting a fire easier, but in battle... forget it.

However, although it couldn't be used in battle, he had to admit that this "skill" of chopping wood was indeed highly advanced. It involved finding the structure and grain of the wood to chop, and even the hardest wood could be easily split with one strike.

Even without a knife, a bamboo stick or a wooden stick could do the job.

Putting these thoughts aside, Su Yin focused on the dead tree in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the texture and structure of the tree trunk appeared in his vision, no longer mysterious.

"Let's start!"

Taking a deep breath, Su Yin swung his hatchet.

...

Liu Yiyi, hiding, couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound.

Not far away, a young man with a hatchet stood quietly, a trace of sacred true essence emanating from his body. In an instant, his figure merged with nature, with the Dao, as if he were the only one in the world.

Like a sage, like a deity!

The hatchet fell, without any true essence fluctuation or visible power, drawing a perfect arc in the air, as if the Dao itself was revealed.

The tree trunk was cut like tofu, the cut as smooth as a polished stone.

Several consecutive strikes, and the dead tree, which hadn't completely fallen, immediately turned into neatly cut pieces of firewood, each of equal size and thickness, more precise than machine-cut.

Rustle!

They fell to the ground, piling up.

"Such... such advanced swordsmanship..."

Her teeth chattering, Liu Yiyi's body stiffened: "Is this... a world-class expert?"