The sparse sound of cicadas blended into the watery night, making the entire sect residence appear particularly tranquil.
You Su closed his eyes and faced upward, standing in the courtyard bathed in clear and bright moonlight.
A seductive shadow was sneakily approaching the young man from the shadows.
Ji Lingruo had tiptoed to You Su's back, a mischievous glee on her face as her prank was about to succeed. She fixed her gaze on the teen's defenseless bottom and quietly pulled out her wooden sword.
She felt like a stealth genius, like a silent serpent in the night. With such talent, why bother learning swordsmanship? That annoying senior brother hasn't bothered with her for several days, so why suddenly check on her lessons?
As if about to exact her revenge, she forced herself not to let out a "hehe" laugh, and struck without hesitation.
The blow, however, did not produce the expected sound of soft flesh, but rather the sound of hard objects colliding.
Ji Lingruo inwardly marveled, wondering if men's buttocks were really so hard? Upon closer inspection, she found that You Su had already detected and blocked it with his wooden sword.
Ji Lingruo looked up again and noticed her senior brother had turned around, his vacant eyes fixed on her. Ji Lingruo steeled herself, drew her sword to strike again, knowing that if she backed down now, she would only suffer more.
She swung her sword like rain, her actions simple yet elegant, with a distinct rhythm unique to the Yuan Sword.
You Su didn't initiate any strikes but continued to counter every move. His junior sister's every attack was well-measured but lacked power, leaving one quite baffled.
After a prolonged assault, Ji Lingruo felt a bit discouraged by You Su's composed defense. Frustrated with her body's weakness, all her efforts came to nothing.
Ultimately, she wasn't a dumb girl, nor was she lazy. She had nearly reached this level in her first year of sword training. Each night of despair was met with defiance, but after almost three years, the might of her swordplay remained feeble.
As her frustration mounted, Ji Lingruo's attacks gradually subsided, and You Su noticed as well. After a few exchanges, both halted simultaneously.
Sensing the girl's dejection, You Su clicked his tongue in amazement, "Junior sister, have you had an epiphany? How could you improve so much?"
Ji Lingruo heard this, widened her eyes, and tucked stray strands of hair behind her head, "Really? I've improved?"
"Of course! You even learned how to ambush!"
Ji Lingruo's newly excited face instantly fell, furious enough to want to punch her senior brother in front of her, gritting her teeth:
"You're so sarcastic!"
You Su put away his wooden sword and said earnestly, "Did I not teach you? The biggest difference between a cultivator's sword and a mundane swordsman's sword is not in the moves, but in the aura. 'Qi' refers to mobilizing your own Profound Qi, while 'rhythm' implies harnessing the Qi between heaven and earth. The stronger the aura you raise when wielding the sword, the stronger the sword move's power naturally becomes. You had good moves just now, but your aura was pitiful, so naturally, you couldn't break my defense."
"Got it, got it." Ji Lingruo drooped her dense and long lashes, muttering softly to herself, "Who wouldn't want that."
Although a murmur, You Su, ever sharp in hearing despite his blindness, picked it up. He always suspected his junior sister had reasons for concern, but each time he inquired, it led nowhere.
Not being able to wield a sword with rich aura indicates unsuitability for the path of a Sword Cultivator. Yet, Ji Lingruo quickly grasped sword moves, suggesting she'd be an excellent swordsman in the mundane world. This contradiction is indeed puzzling.
"Heaven and man in accord, Qi and body resonating. The feeling of mobilizing Qi is not much different from when you first did Qi Introduction and Meridian Passage, junior sister. Don't be discouraged. Practice more, and you will surely control your Profound Qi well." You Su encouraged sincerely.
"I just couldn't be bothered to exert myself hitting you." Ji Lingruo crossed her arms, once again adopting a cocky demeanor, as if the word 'dejection' never appeared on her face.
"What's the lesson today?"
"Today we won't learn new Swordsmanship, we will review and gain insights from the past."
"Huh? Why?"
"You've already learned all six chapters, six sections, thirty-six styles of the Yuan Sword in the Mandarin Duck Sword Scripture."
"That's it? Having learned all the surface moves, shouldn't you continue learning hidden techniques?"
"The Mandarin Duck Sword Scripture doesn't have any hidden techniques." You Su shook his head.
The Mandarin Duck Sword Scripture is divided into two parts, the male learning Yuan Sword and the female learning Yuan Sword, both with thirty-six moves. It may seem less diverse than most sword sect techniques, but the Mandarin Duck Sword is actually a dual sword technique.
With dual coordination, each move can be combined with a dozen others from another sword technique, achieving endlessly varied, extremely intricate effects. If a man and woman master Yuan Sword and Yuan Sword and are intimately connected, mentally in tune, this sword technique will display its kaleidoscopic true power.
Unfortunately, the Yin-Yang Dao is considered heretical in today's world, scorned by people, leading sects like the Heaven and Earth Yin Yang Joyful Union Sword Sect to be labeled as evil sects, becoming increasingly feeble.
You Su worried his junior sister might misunderstand, so he hadn't revealed that the Mandarin Duck Sword could also be practiced as a duo. After all, the premise of dual practice was premature for them, and his junior sister might not be willing to pair with this blind man.
"Huh?" Ji Lingruo pouted her thin lips, frowning her delicate brows, "What's the point of these few moves then?"
Discarding dual sword techniques, the Yuan Sword alone is still considered a near-first-rate sword technique, not as feeble as Ji Lingruo suggested.
"There's no sword technique in the world that makes you invincible upon learning." You Su lifted his wooden sword and spun it into a beautiful sword flower, the moonlight reflecting on the polished wood, making it appear sharply lethal. "What's making you stronger is every breath, every slash, instead of complaining about the sword technique not being good enough, consider whether you've truly mastered it. Grab your sword, let's start reviewing from the first move."
"Full of high-sounding principles." Ji Lingruo flicked her fragrant tongue but obediently drew her wooden sword, posing the starting form of the Yuan Sword.
"First move, Fluttering Wings Flying."
"Second move, Crane Walk Cloud Range… Relax your body and calm your mind when practicing sword, keep your spirit inward, why are you always watching me?"
"Self… self-indulgent!"
"Make sure your offense and defense are clear, your sword technique is distinct, each move must emphasize hiding the body within the sword, this isn't a sword style, you're nearly using it as a saber style."
"No way!"
"Not bad, keep practicing like this, repeat the third move's hook sword a thousand more times, then you can rest tonight."
"A thousand times? You Su, you're doing it on purpose!"
"That's already considered little. Practice slowly yourself, I'm heading to sleep first." You Su waved his hand, returning to his room, leaving behind a fuming young girl, glaring at his retreating figure with gnashing teeth.
You Su returned to the room, lying down and letting his thoughts wander.
It was already deep into the night, the chaotic insect chirping had cooled down. According to his routine, he should have rested, but he dared not close his eyes. He sensed that the monstrous junior sister and master awaited him in the world that appeared upon reopening them.
Yet he had reason to rest because there was bound to be a fierce battle the day after tomorrow. He also wanted to confirm the rhythm of switching between two worlds, which seemed to occur when he unintentionally fell asleep.
You Su felt somewhat helpless; who would've thought sleeping would become a daunting affair.
As the sound of his junior sister's sword practice kept echoing outside, drowsiness began to sweep over him. You Su didn't resist, gently closing his eyes.
Half-dreaming, You Su opened his eyes again. He got up and looked out the window, where under the moonlight, the bloated mound of flesh clumsily wielded a sword, his demeanor was already very calm.
"Senior brother, I'm so clumsy..."