Chapter 19: The Top Scholar System’s Reward

Lin Yang watched the sword fall from the sky before turning his gaze toward Qing Yuan, who stood calmly with his own sword in hand.

He finally realized that he had underestimated his senior brother.

He had believed that mastering the technique of quickly regaining control of his sword, combined with the force-dispersing method that even his master had praised, would be enough to handle Qing Yuan’s attacks with ease.

But he had been far too confident.

He had underestimated the capable people of the world.

After all, Lin Yang had only been training for a short time. There was still a considerable gap between him and Qing Yuan.

Qing Yuan stepped forward with concern.

“Junior Brother Qing Yang, are you alright?”

Seeing Lin Yang standing motionless after his sword had been knocked away, Qing Yuan couldn’t help but approach.

Although he sometimes felt jealous of Lin Yang’s extraordinary talent, that didn’t change the fact that he had long regarded him as family.

He genuinely worried that his previous move might have discouraged his gifted junior brother.

Lin Yang snapped out of his thoughts, smiled faintly, and picked up his fallen sword.

“Senior Brother Qing Yuan, I’m fine.”

“You were truly impressive. With just one move, you effortlessly sent my sword flying.”

“If we had really been enemies, I would probably have been injured already.”

“Thank you for showing mercy.”

Qing Yuan waved his hands repeatedly.

“Not at all. You’ve simply been learning the sword for too short a time. Once you’ve mastered more techniques, I won’t be your match anymore.”

“Besides, your counterattack just now gave me quite a fright.”

“I never expected you to regain control of your sword so quickly after it was knocked off balance and immediately launch another attack.”

“If I hadn’t already been preparing to use the Silk Entangling Stance, and if your attack hadn’t happened to fall within the range that move was designed to counter, I probably would’ve been scrambling to deal with it.”

Hearing this, Lin Yang nodded in realization.

So, just as Qing Yuan had said, his attack had practically walked straight into a trap.

His defeat was only natural.

At that moment, the details of Qing Yuan’s sword technique replayed in his mind.

Combined with Qing Yuan’s earlier explanation, a flash of understanding struck him.

If he encountered the same technique again, he already knew how to respond.

Just then, Yu Daiyan spoke.

“You both performed well.”

“Qing Yang, your opening move was excellent. You managed to stabilize your sword almost instantly and launch another attack.”

“Against an ordinary opponent, that unexpected follow-up would likely have secured victory.”

“Qing Yuan also handled it perfectly. His execution of the Silk Entangling Stance was flawless.”

“Qing Yang, you’ve already mastered the basic sword techniques, and Qing Yuan has taught you two combination moves.”

“If I continue having him teach you, not only would it exceed his ability, but even if he could, it wouldn’t be suitable for your development.”

He turned to another disciple.

“Qing Liang, go to my study. On the third shelf of the bookcase, you’ll find a manual titled Wudang Swordsmanship. Bring it to me.”

“Yes, Master!”

The usually quiet Qing Liang immediately hurried into the study.

Before long, he returned carrying a manual about an inch thick.

After Yu Daiyan nodded, Qing Liang respectfully handed it to Lin Yang.

Yu Daiyan continued.

“Qing Yang, this is Wudang Mountain’s Fundamental Sword Manual.”

“Although it’s called a fundamental sword manual, it’s different from the basic sword techniques you learned before.”

“Those basic sword movements are the foundation of all sword arts. Every advanced sword technique evolves from them through countless combinations.”

“But Wudang’s Fundamental Sword Manual isn’t the foundation because our other sword arts are built from it.”

“It’s called fundamental because it’s specifically designed to establish the foundation of every Wudang disciple.”

“The two techniques Qing Yuan used earlier—the Guarding Stance and the Silk Entangling Stance—are both part of this manual.”

“I’m entrusting it to you now.”

“Study it carefully. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come ask me.”

Holding the manual tightly, Lin Yang bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Master.”

Unable to contain his excitement, he immediately opened the book.

He discovered that the manual contained thirteen sword forms, including the two techniques Qing Yuan had demonstrated.

Each form consisted of three or four basic sword movements combined together.

Some were relatively simple.

Others were far more intricate.

The more he read, the brighter his eyes became.

From then on, every morning, Lin Yang first practiced his internal cultivation method before training the Wudang Fundamental Sword Manual.

Every afternoon, he devoted himself to researching and recreating the internal cultivation technique that imitated the effects of the Qi-Gathering Pill.

Time passed swiftly.

Half a year slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Lin Yang learned the sword manual astonishingly fast.

On the very first day, he had already finished learning all thirteen forms.

Over the following six months, he repeatedly dissected every technique, breaking each sword form down into its individual movements before recombining them in countless new ways.

Gradually, based on the style of Wudang’s swordsmanship, he created hundreds of original sword techniques of his own.

As for how powerful they actually were, he had no idea.

His daily life rarely extended beyond Yu Daiyan’s courtyard.

Occasionally, he visited the library pavilion to read books or sought out Lin Hu, the man who had first introduced him to martial arts.

As a result, during those six months, he never found an opportunity to test any of the sword techniques he had invented.

Meanwhile, after half a year of painstaking research, the internal cultivation method he had designed to imitate the Qi-Gathering Pill finally took shape.

Through countless experiments, he gradually learned to use his breathing to influence his internal organs, circulate his blood, stimulate his vital energy, and resonate through his meridians.

Eventually, that resonance reached the acupoints spread throughout his meridian network.

Once those acupoints responded, the vibrations within his body finally matched the effects normally produced after consuming a Qi-Gathering Pill.

Without taking a single pill, his speed of refining qi and blood increased dramatically.

Even then, Lin Yang wasn’t satisfied.

He wasn’t content with an internal cultivation method that could stimulate only part of his meridians and acupoints.

He continued refining his breathing and adjusting the frequency of the vibrations within his body.

Little by little, he expanded the resonance to encompass more meridians and more acupoints.

His ultimate goal was ambitious.

He wanted every meridian in his body—even all 361 acupoints—to resonate at the same frequency.

He had no idea what kind of effect such a state would produce.

But that uncertainty didn’t stop him from pursuing it.

Soon, however, problems emerged.

Once roughly seventy percent of his meridians and acupoints had begun vibrating together, the intense resonance caused severe discomfort.

His meridians started trembling and twisting under the strain.

The qi and blood flowing through them became chaotic.

That disorder spread to his internal organs, forcing Lin Yang to halt the cultivation technique.

After spending some time calming the turmoil within his body and restoring his qi, blood, and organs to stability, he finally recovered.

At that very moment, the Top Scholar System, which had remained silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

“Congratulations, Host. You have independently completed the research and creation of a new internal cultivation method.”

“This is the first time the Host has independently completed academic research outside of assigned tasks.”

“Academic research conducted outside assigned tasks is classified as extracurricular homework.”

“Extracurricular Homework Completed: Research and Creation of an Internal Cultivation Method.”

“Homework Complete.”

“Reward Obtained: Meridian Toughness +1.”

“Reward has been issued.”

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