Chapter 17: Basic Swordsmanship

Lin Yang paid no attention to the expressions of the three master and disciples around him.

The moment he noticed his entire body trembling and aching, he immediately realized that he wouldn’t be able to maintain the stance much longer.

His thoughts shifted.

In an instant, he entered his Inner Vision.

As expected, he could clearly see what was happening inside his body.

From his right foot…

To his waist…

To his shoulder…

And finally his sword arm…

Countless muscle fibers had tightened far more than necessary.

Nearly all of his body’s weight was being supported by only a handful of muscles, tendons, and bones.

Those few areas were bearing far more pressure than they were meant to endure.

That was the true source of the intense soreness spreading throughout his body.

Seeing this, Lin Yang’s eyes brightened.

He immediately thought of a solution.

He began by adjusting the force beneath his right foot.

Making countless tiny corrections, he gradually redistributed the pressure that had been concentrated on only a few muscles.

Little by little…

He spread the burden across many more muscles and tendons throughout his leg.

The moment the adjustment was complete…

The pain in his toes vanished.

The overstrained muscles immediately relaxed.

A faint smile appeared on Lin Yang’s lips.

Following the same principle, he began adjusting the force around his waist.

Then his back.

His shoulders.

His arm.

From his right foot all the way to the fingertips holding the sword…

He carefully refined every point of force.

Instead of allowing a few muscles to support everything, nearly every muscle along that entire chain now shared the burden.

Almost instantly…

His trembling body became steady once again.

The sword that had felt unbearably heavy only moments before suddenly became much lighter.

Even the trembling at the tip of the blade gradually disappeared.

“Hm?”

Qingyuan and Qingliang exchanged astonished glances.

Neither had expected Lin Yang to discover the solution so quickly.

Nor had they expected him to adjust his body so naturally.

Both of them instinctively turned toward Yu Daiyan.

The surprise in Yu Daiyan’s eyes had yet to fade.

But slowly…

He nodded.

His face was filled with satisfaction.

Only moments earlier, he had remarked that Lin Yang’s aptitude for the sword was far inferior to his talent for cultivating inner energy.

Yet before the words had even settled…

Lin Yang had immediately proven otherwise.

“Very good.”

“It seems I spoke too soon.”

“Qingyang.”

“Your talent for the sword is even better than I imagined.”

Yu Daiyan praised him without hesitation.

“You flatter me, Master.”

Still maintaining the Sword Stance, Lin Yang answered modestly.

Yu Daiyan shook his head.

“You’ve already grasped this stance.”

“Simply continue reinforcing it during your spare time.”

He looked toward Qingyuan.

“Continue teaching him the remaining sword-holding postures.”

“Yes, Master.”

Qingyuan immediately obeyed.

He proceeded to demonstrate one grip after another.

A standard one-handed grip.

A reverse grip.

A reverse carrying grip with the blade pointing downward.

A two-handed grip.

An overlapping two-handed grip.

Every method of holding the sword was explained in detail.

Each grip was paired with its own corresponding Sword Stance.

Lin Yang soon noticed something interesting.

Every stance distributed force through the body differently.

Using his Inner Vision, he memorized the pattern of force within every muscle, tendon, and bone.

Then he redistributed the strain across a wider range of muscles.

As a result…

Learning each new stance became surprisingly easy.

This practice continued for an entire month.

Partly, it was to make the sword grips second nature.

Partly, it was to engrain the proper methods of generating force into his body.

And perhaps most importantly…

It allowed him to become completely familiar with the balance point of his sword.

By the end of the month, Lin Yang possessed an almost perfect understanding of every muscle involved in wielding a sword.

His awareness of the weapon’s center of balance had also become astonishingly precise.

His research into the Qi Gathering Pill had progressed as well.

As he continued refining his breathing techniques…

Especially after mastering several Sword Stances…

He gradually merged those stances with the breathing method from the Basic Internal Cultivation Manual.

The two complemented each other.

Through constant experimentation over the course of a month, he finally succeeded.

The vibrations generated by his internal organs could now stimulate his meridians as well.

Although he still couldn’t make the acupoints resonate alongside them…

It was already a tremendous improvement over before.

One day, after receiving Yu Daiyan’s permission, Qingyuan finally began teaching him true sword techniques.

“Junior Brother.”

“Watch carefully.”

“Today, we’ll begin learning the Basic Sword Art.”

As he spoke, Qingyuan formed a sword finger with his left hand.

His right hand gripped the hilt firmly near the guard.

His feet suddenly drove him forward.

The sword shot straight ahead.

A perfectly direct thrust.

Lin Yang stood a short distance away.

His eyes followed far more than just the sword itself.

He observed Qingyuan’s arm.

His shoulder.

His back.

His waist.

Finally…

His feet.

The instant Qingyuan executed the thrust…

The complete pattern of force flashed through Lin Yang’s mind.

After an entire month of studying the mechanics of the human body…

He could now accurately judge exactly how many muscles, tendons, and bones were involved in every movement.

The moment Qingyuan finished…

Lin Yang immediately drew his own sword.

His foot stepped forward.

The blade shot straight ahead.

A sharp whistle echoed through the air as the sword pierced forward.

Qingyuan froze.

Qingliang stared in astonishment.

Neither had expected Lin Yang to reproduce the technique almost perfectly after seeing it only once.

Lin Yang paid them no attention.

Instead, he carefully analyzed his own movement.

Although the thrust had been successful…

He immediately noticed flaws.

Several muscle groups had failed to contribute fully.

It wasn’t yet the ideal strike.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward again.

Another thrust.

Then another.

Again.

And again.

One.

Two.

Three…

Only after every muscle in his body worked together exactly as he intended did he finally stop.

Turning toward Qingyuan, he spoke calmly.

“Senior Brother.”

“Please continue.”

“Ah…”

“Oh…”

“Right.”

Qingyuan had been completely absorbed in watching Lin Yang practice.

To his disbelief…

Lin Yang’s thrust already looked even better than his own.

For a brief moment, Qingyuan couldn’t help feeling somewhat ashamed.

Only after hearing Lin Yang’s voice did he finally snap out of his daze.

He wanted to continue teaching.

But embarrassment filled his face.

Unable to help himself, he looked toward Yu Daiyan.

“Master… I…”

Yu Daiyan nodded knowingly.

He understood exactly how Qingyuan felt.

Teaching a genius like Lin Yang was bound to deal heavy blows to one’s confidence.

Fortunately…

There hadn’t been anyone like Lin Yang among their own generation of disciples.

Otherwise…

Their youth probably wouldn’t have been easy either.

Still…

The third generation of Wudang disciples would likely have a difficult time from now on.

Thinking of this, Yu Daiyan smiled faintly.

“Don’t worry about him.”

“Qingyuan.”

“Just continue teaching as you normally would.”

Receiving his master’s reassurance, Qingyuan took a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

“Very well.”

“Junior Brother…”

“Let’s move on to the next technique.”

“The downward slash.”

As he spoke, he pushed off the ground.

His sword descended in a powerful arc from above.

After completing the slash, he sheathed the blade and looked toward Lin Yang.

Lin Yang nodded lightly.

Simply by watching Qingyuan’s movement, he had already understood the entire pattern of force behind it.

He immediately began practicing.

One slash.

Then another.

And another.

After seven or eight repetitions…

He finally lowered his sword and looked back at Qingyuan.

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