Chapter 3, Lower Grade Eight
Ye Xuan was repeatedly simulating in his mind, unaware that he had stood still for half an hour. When he raised his head again, the aura of confidence and pride returned to him, causing Lu Jie beside him to raise an eyebrow. Upon seeing Ye Xuan's right hand rise again to perform the Listening Wind Sword Technique, the astonishment on his face became clearly evident: what Ye Xuan was executing at this moment was not merely the Listening Wind Sword Technique, but rather the Tidal Sea Listening Wind Sword Technique!
Ye Xuan had previously learned the Tide Sea Sword Technique, which is one of the two human-level martial arts he knows. The Tide Sea Sword Technique and the Listening Wind Sword Technique are inherently a set, sharing many commonalities and intricacies. Therefore, when Lu Jie passed the incantation to Ye Xuan and asked him to practice, Ye Xuan did not refuse. After taking the branch from Lu Jie, he took a deep breath and began to practice.
Having studied the Listening Wind Sword Technique for so many years, he is naturally acutely aware of its flaws. Therefore, even though Lu Jie can rank among the top ten innate experts of the White Jade Dynasty, due to the lack of follow-up power in the Listening Wind Sword Technique, if an opponent with similar strength is determined to escape, he truly has no means to eliminate them.
During that period, only truly formidable techniques dared to bear the character "Heaven" in their names. Just like the Four Books of the Heavenly Dragon and the Heavenly Phenomenon Sword Technique, which have been passed down to this day and can still rank among the top of the heavenly-level techniques, they also possess remarkable power when considered individually.
At this moment, looking at Lu Jie’s satisfied expression, and after continuing to mutter a few more words, Ye Xuan secretly thought: It seems that I still need to gather the two sets of sword techniques, Mountain Peaks and Raging Flames; otherwise, when encountering a sword immortal, this immature Wave and * Diagram * Sea Listening to the Wind could easily lead to trouble.
Lu Jie was unaware that the Listening Wind Sword Technique and the Tidal Sea Sword Technique were part of a complementary set, nor did he know anything about the Celestial Phenomenon Sword Formula
Yet Ye Xuan was unaware of Lu Jie’s actions; at this moment, he had completely forgotten that Lu Jie was still standing beside him. He merely furrowed his brows, contemplating the sword techniques of the Listening Wind Sword Art, while also recalling the Tide Sea Sword Art in his mind. These two sword arts are a set, sharing many similarities, and when combined, the power of the Tide Sea and Listening Wind can rival that of Earth-level sword techniques. However, Ye Xuan had no idea how to combine them.
As the changes occurred repeatedly, the force in Ye Xuan's hand increased by several degrees. In that instant, the branch was unable to withstand Ye Xuan's strength and broke directly, preventing him from successfully completing this set of sword techniques.
Lu Jie, how dare you violate the family rules! Suddenly, a furious voice echoed from the outer gate of the courtyard, "Privately teaching Lu Li the Wind Listening Sword Technique and the Lu Family Qi Induction Method!"
After Ye Xuan executed the Tide Sea Listening Wind Sword Technique, he discovered a problem. Although the power of this sword technique had indeed increased significantly when combined, it also presented the same issues he encountered while practicing the Listening Wind Sword Technique earlier; there were still some openings and flaws in the sword moves.
Upon witnessing this scene, not only Lu Jie, but even Ye Xuan, who had already assumed the identity of Lu Li, became exceptionally furious
The Celestial Sword Technique embodies the essence of the natural phenomena, represented by "Listening to the Wind over the Waves" and "Mountains Ablaze with Fire," symbolizing the four states of urgency, calmness, heaviness, and fierceness
It is precisely for this reason that Lu Jie has been striving to improve this set of Wind Listening Sword Technique, but the results have been minimal. He has been keen to learn other sword techniques to compensate for the deficiencies in the follow-up power of this technique. However, finding human-level sword techniques is not so easy, and the mysterious-level techniques do not match at all. Thus, this matter has been delayed for a long time
Looking at Ye Xuan, who was staring blankly at his right hand, where a pile of wood shavings had accumulated in his palm, Lu Jie was already shocked for the third time: "He... he actually broke through?"
Uh... Ye Xuan blinked and smiled a little shyly, "It seems... I accidentally broke through to the eighth rank."
A fifteen-year-old child, learning the human-level sword technique for the first time, grasped it completely with just a single glance and identified its flaws. After standing still for half an hour, he managed to rectify all the deficiencies. This is truly the level of a martial arts master! Anyone witnessing this scene would be utterly unable to remain calm, let alone Lu Jie, who had spent countless days and nights pondering how to address the flaws in the Listening Wind Sword Technique for many years.
However, it is fortunate that Lu Jie did not feel confused; he was merely shocked. On the other hand, Ye Xuan was quite pleased that Lu Jie regarded him as a genius who suddenly became enlightened due to a head injury.
The swordsmanship is graceful, with a relatively casual connection between each move. All the techniques in this set of swordplay can be disassembled and freely combined. After practicing just a few moves, Ye Xuan had already completely immersed himself in the understanding of this sword technique.
In ancient times, the naming of these martial arts manuals was not as casual as it is today, where any Tom, Dick, or Harry can casually bestow an elegant name.
In this ethereal state, Ye Xuan carefully contemplated the unique aspects of the Listening Wind Sword Technique. Previously, when observing Lu Jie’s performance, Ye Xuan did not have a strong impression. However, it was only when he truly practiced it himself that he realized many of the sword moves in the Listening Wind Sword Technique appeared to be somewhat superfluous, and several lacked follow-up power. Clearly, some were lethal moves, yet after executing them, there were no subsequent sword techniques to complement them.
The sensation of performing this sword dance felt somewhat strange to Ye Xuan, so he stopped before completing the entire set of sword moves, merely standing in the courtyard, frowning in contemplation
If previously he thought that Ye Xuan could master the Wind Sword Technique so quickly simply because he was a genius, then now, suddenly reforming the sword technique to such perfection, this can no longer be described by the term "genius"; it is entirely a prodigy!
The middle-aged man at the forefront had a sullen expression, clearly very displeased. Accompanying him were two elderly men with silver hair and several young men and women. After a brief contemplation, Ye Xuan realized that the leader was Lu Ren, the current head of the Lu family; the two elderly men were the punishment elders of the Lu family, while the young men and women were all part of the current younger generation of the Lu family, among whom was Lu Xin, who appeared to have slightly red eyes and a flushed left cheek.
With the sound of this angry shout, several people also entered the courtyard at the same time
Before Ye Xuan could finish demonstrating the sword technique, Lu Jie noticed that the speed of Ye Xuan's movements suddenly quickened. The originally unhurried and gentle Listening Wind Sword Technique transformed into a violent display, akin to a storm suddenly breaking over the ocean. However, before Lu Jie could grasp the meaning behind this change, the sword technique once again became gentle, reminiscent of a storm receding from the sea, bringing back a sense of calm and sunny weather.
The superfluous sword techniques in the Listening Wind Sword Technique are essentially designed to compensate for the deficiencies in the Tide Sea Sword Technique. Likewise, the lack of follow-through power in the Listening Wind Sword Technique should be supplemented by the Tide Sea Sword Technique. Once these two sword techniques are combined, their respective shortcomings will naturally complement each other.
However, at this moment, after observing Ye Xuan standing still for half an hour, the suddenly reactivated Listening Wind Sword Technique became so extraordinary that it even compensated for its inherent flaws, leaving Lu Jie utterly astonished.
In his mind, Ye Xuan silently rehearsed the Tide Sea Sword Technique, followed by the Wind Listening Sword Technique. Then, when both sets of sword techniques were simultaneously rehearsed, a light suddenly shone before Ye Xuan: Yes! This is how it should be!
Ye Xuan chuckled a few times but did not respond. At that moment, he realized just how dangerous his earlier actions had been: he had actually combined the Tide Sea Sword Technique and the Listening Wind Sword Technique right in front of Lu Jie.
The Celestial Phenomenon Sword Technique consists of human-level swordsmanship in each set, yet when paired, it possesses the power of earth-level sword techniques. If all four sets are gathered into two groups, the execution of the Celestial Phenomenon Sword Technique will manifest changes akin to the phenomena of heaven and earth, with power comparable to the strongest heavenly-level techniques.
In the lower three ranks, as one practices strength, each breakthrough in rank naturally increases the force by a few degrees. Therefore, when Ye Xuan suddenly broke through to the eighth rank, the sudden increase in force made it difficult for him to control, resulting in him directly crushing the branch into wood shavings.
The Wind Listening Sword Technique emphasizes responding after the initial attack, thus it is not a fast sword style. There is no need to rush into aggressive attacks; rather, the more urgent one is, the less effective this sword technique becomes. It embodies a sense of being unmoved by the eight winds, remaining at ease within oneself.
When Lu Jie saw Ye Xuan perform the initial moves of the Listening Wind Sword Technique, he was already astonished beyond belief. Although the movements appeared somewhat stiff and lacked a touch of fluidity, the fact that he could replicate eight or nine points of similarity after just one viewing demonstrated an extraordinary talent.
This sword technique is divided into four sets, and when combined in pairs, it can unleash even greater power
The Taohai Sword Technique embodies the essence of the ocean, while the Listening Wind Sword Technique captures the essence of airflow. The combination of wind and sea suggests that strong winds naturally lead to large waves, while gentle winds result in calm seas. The grandeur of the Taohai Sword Technique and the subtlety of the Listening Wind Sword Technique, when intertwined, evoke a sense of magnificent vastness and boundless grandeur.
Of course, he must currently find a way to cover up the flaws in the Listening Wind Sword Technique, because when he combines the Tidal Sea Sword Technique with the Listening Wind Sword Technique, the two sets of formulas naturally merge into one. Without the formulas of the Tidal Sea Sword Technique, the Tidal Sea Listening Wind Sword Technique cannot be executed at all, let alone the sword moves that can compensate for the flaws in the Listening Wind Sword Technique.
At this moment, the practice has entered a state of self-forgetfulness and clarity. The technique of the Tide and Wind Swordplay is executed with great ease and fluency. The accumulated experience, combined with the final push, makes it difficult not to break through to the next level, the eighth rank.
Haha, I knew that Li Er must be blessed by fortune!" Lu Jie said with a joyful expression, "If this continues, in three years, among the younger generation of the four great families of the Baiyu Dynasty, you will undoubtedly be the one who stands out!
When Lu Jie saw Ye Xuan stop after only a few moves, he thought that Ye Xuan had forgotten the subsequent sword techniques. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Ye Xuan standing in the center of the arena, frowning. Lu Jie was no stranger to this phenomenon; it was a state of being lost in thought, a condition that many cultivators often enter while practicing martial arts. Thus, Lu Jie, who had intended to speak, closed his mouth again.
After Ye Xuan completed his recovery, his cultivation not only did not decline but instead rose, reaching the peak of the ninth rank, just a step away from entering the lower eighth rank.