Chapter 72

"Didn't you say you wanted to learn the sword technique of my Shushan Sect?"

The immense surprise instantly swept away all of Qi Feng's previous frustrations. He immediately understood the old Sword Saint's behavior: this was a part of China's traditional culture. In Chinese history, elders always had to put young people through some trials before passing on their true skills. For example, Zhang Liang had to go under a bridge to help an old man pick up his shoe, right? The Wine Sword Immortal, who was such good friends with Li Xiaoyao's father, also had to tease him before teaching him sword techniques, deliberately showing up a day late. (Of course, Li Xiaoyao, with his protagonist aura and good luck, managed to sleep through a day after taking the Forget-Worries Charm, and only went the next night, coincidentally meeting the Wine Sword Immortal.)

"I want to learn, I want to learn!" Qi Feng nodded vigorously. He didn't need to mention how cool sword techniques and flying with a sword were. The fact that flying with a sword seemed to have the ability to break through his own supernatural limitations was enough to make Qi Feng ecstatic. Learning it would allow him to travel freely across all the maps of different dimensions. This function was simply too amazing.

"But, which sect are you from?"

The Sword Saint was very curious about Qi Feng's bizarre abilities. He couldn't think of any sect that trained disciples in such an unusual way. Of course, learning outside the sect might conflict with the sect's rules, but the old Sword Saint felt that his reputation could handle such minor issues.

"Sect? I don't belong to any!" Qi Feng was puzzled.

"Didn't you just mention a sect competition?" The Sword Saint raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, that was just to make it easier for you to understand..." Qi Feng quickly explained his university in a simple and understandable way for this dimension.

"… Oh? So, you're a student at the Imperial Academy?" The Sword Saint's expression changed, looking at Qi Feng with new respect.

Qi Feng shook his head and sighed. There was no way around it; in our country, the highest regard has always been for scholars. Even sword immortals who could fly and slay demons couldn't escape this tradition. On the contrary, in the so-called civilized society of the present, the idea that education is useless is starting to gain traction.

The old Sword Saint took a few steps back and examined Qi Feng from head to toe. He had probably never seen such a scholar who could lift a tripod. Well, if Qi Feng could be considered a scholar at all. The old man couldn't help but wonder if Qi Feng was a student of the Military Academy, where they trained for military positions. His personality didn't seem like that of a typical scholar.

"Do you write essays for your competition?" The Sword Saint couldn't help but ask.

"Uh, well..." Qi Feng thought for a moment, "Mainly we have exams in mathematics (advanced math) and miscellaneous subjects (specialized courses). Of course, we also have to study classics (Marxist philosophy). So, I can't stay here for long. I haven't read much for the past half year. I'm probably going to fail."

Of course, originally, it was just about dealing with the water demons. If you could handle it yourselves, that would be fine. After all, having one more person like Qi Feng wouldn't make much of a difference. But now it's different. Since the Sword Saint is willing to teach, there's no need for Qi Feng to consider whether to learn the Shushan Sect's sword techniques or prepare for the university exams.

"What if you fail?"

"Ah... I'll just pay to retake the exam... But don't worry, it's usually much easier to pass when you retake it after paying. As long as you don't anger the teachers, you'll be fine."

"Ah? Just pay?"

"Yes, basically, just pay."

"Absolutely outrageous! If teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness! How can the prestigious Imperial Academy be so mercenary and frivolous?!" The Sword Saint angrily waved his sleeve, and a sword aura flashed, cutting the nearby charcoal forest into stumps.

Qi Feng couldn't help but give the Sword Saint a thumbs up. With such insight (and your combat power), how could you worry about the quality of university education? It's a pity you're not our chancellor.

"Cough, calm down, sir... The rules in our place are a bit different," Qi Feng had to step forward to calm him down.

The Sword Saint turned and patted Qi Feng's shoulder, sincerely saying, "Don't worry, if you join my Shushan Sect, I won't ask for money!" Qi Feng was at a loss, not knowing what to say, and could only bow in gratitude. The Sword Saint added, "If you fail the competition, the worst that can happen is that you'll be assigned to fetch water, chop wood, and guard the back mountain, plus a couple of extra hours of practice each day..."

Well, you should really share your experience with the education department.

"But..." The Sword Saint seemed to have another thought, frowning.

Oh no, don't turn around now. I gave up on the good girls and dedicated myself to the path; don't change your mind at the last minute.

"What about your seniority?" The Sword Saint finally asked the question that had been bothering him. "According to what you said, you travel through time with the Soul-Returning Dream, even interacting with our ancestor Qingwei Zhenren... If I take you as a disciple, wouldn't that be a joke?"

It's about that. Qi Feng waved his hand indifferently, "Cough! We'll just count it differently. I'm still in the Soul-Returning Dream state, right? Let's just count by age."

"What? You're still in the Soul-Returning Dream state?" The Sword Saint was greatly surprised, something he hadn't expected. After the shock, he calmed down, his eyes glowing as he scanned Qi Feng from head to toe, shaking his head in amazement, "Truly amazing, I can't detect anything unusual about you at all."

Hearing this, Qi Feng remembered, "You're not in the right field. Fortune-telling and physiognomy aren't your strong suits. Last time in Suzhou, I met a Taoist who claimed to have the skill of Qi Perception. He said my fate was beyond the three realms and couldn't be predicted."

"Oh? The world is full of talented and extraordinary people!" The Sword Saint nodded in admiration, then asked, "So, why did you use the Soul-Returning Dream to come here?"

In the Sword Saint's eyes, the Soul-Returning Dream was an incredibly powerful technique that couldn't be used casually. Qi Feng must have a significant reason for coming here.

"Uh..." Qi Feng couldn't say he was just here to buy some items to open new maps. After some thought, he replied, "It's because of the water demons in Miaojiang. You're still unaware, so I came to inform you. With the combined strength of your sects, stopping the lunatic leader of the Baiyue Sect shouldn't be too difficult."

This was the truth, not just to fool him. The ending of the first "Xianjian" game was too frustrating, and Qi Feng wanted to change it if he could.

"Um, since that's the case... I have no reservations about teaching you the Shushan Sect's sword techniques," the Sword Saint stroked his beard and nodded. "Since you're not from this world, it doesn't matter whether you join the sect or not. I was looking for a successor to pass on the mantle of the sect leader, but I'll have to find someone else."

Of course, the next leader shouldn't have to use the Soul-Returning Dream to attend meetings, right?

"Then let's go, I'll teach you the Shushan sword techniques!" The Sword Saint waved his hand, grabbed Qi Feng's shoulder, and they soared into the air, flying with the sword.

Qi Feng only realized they were already a hundred feet off the ground, "Are we going to Shushan?"

"Where to Shushan?" The Sword Saint said, "To Heishui Town! It's a perfect opportunity to practice. There are plenty of zombies to help you train, better than practicing with wooden dummies. We can also take the Earth Spirit Pearl from the Ghost King."

"Oh, oh!" Qi Feng thought this was a good idea. It was like learning to drive; practicing in a lot is not as effective as driving on the road after getting your license.

The Sword Saint said, "I'll teach you the incantations first. Remember them, and I'll teach you the sword techniques when we get there!" He started reciting long passages, something like "Zhen is thunder, is dragon, Xun is wood, is wind, Kan is water, is moon, Li is fire..."

After a while, Qi Feng's eyes were almost spiraling.

"… This is the first part of the sword technique. Did you remember it? …" The Sword Saint turned and asked.

Remember it? Qi Feng was speechless.

"How much did you remember?"

"Ten…" Qi Feng hesitated.

"Sentences?" The Sword Saint was quite dissatisfied.

"Characters…"

Swish! Qi Feng felt the sword tilt, and they dropped several feet.

"Hehe… The wind was strong, I didn't hear clearly. Could you repeat it, sir?" Qi Feng, being smarter this time, took out his phone, turned on the recording function, and opened a notepad, "Please speak slowly, I'll take notes."

Since the beginning of time, Qi Feng was probably the first and last person to use a phone to assist in learning immortal techniques. (To be continued, please search for Piaowen.com for faster updates and better quality!)