Section 3: The Art of Killing with a Blade
If that is the case, what is the use of the sword techniques? Will the enemy follow your moves? Even if the techniques are useful, not every posture is effective. One move, "Immortal Pine Welcomes Guests," involves the right hand pointing the sword at the opponent while the left hand is extended horizontally, resembling a great goose spreading its wings beautifully. But what is the purpose of that left-hand movement? Wouldn't it be more effective to thrust the sword directly?
Upon returning to Qingcheng Mountain, the master praised him for his bravery in standing up for justice, while explaining that the injuries he sustained from fighting with a soldier were due to his "lack of skill."
The Qingcheng Sword Technique was created by the second and third generations of Qingcheng people, and it has been passed down directly through the texts. Could there be any mistake in this? I advise you to study it well; you might even learn the Flowing Wind Sword Technique in the future
What is the use of techniques? As long as they can kill, it suffices. Wang Tianyi chewed on the words of the scarred man, reminiscing about the life-and-death struggle he had just experienced, and for a moment, he was actually entranced.
Wang Tianyi was in a constant state of confusion, unable to concentrate even while practicing swordsmanship. The shadow of the scarred figure always flickered in his eyes, urging him to strike quickly and to dodge swiftly
After this incident, Wang Tianyi fell into deep thought. The martial arts and sword techniques of that soldier were hardly worth mentioning; the key was his bravery and the ferocity of his strikes, each one effective. It was astonishing that someone who had practiced internal strength sword techniques like himself could be defeated in such a manner.
From this point on, Wang Tianyi began training at night using his own methods. He boldly modified the sword techniques, discarding the ineffective parts. Soon, Wang Tianyi realized that he should focus directly on thrusting, chopping, and slashing. If a person's sword is fast enough and powerful enough, even without a formal technique, they can still defeat their enemies
The subsequent events were straightforward. Wang Tianyi handed the package to the young woman, and then he went to the pharmacy with the Scarred Man to bandage the wound. The Scarred Man's injury was not life-threatening, but his bone had been severed, and it would take at least a year and a half before he could wield a knife for wrongdoing again
However, he soon began to feel frustrated. He realized that the harder and more diligently he practiced, the worse his Qingcheng swordsmanship became. In front of the instructor, he had to execute the Qingcheng sword techniques without any alterations, and his performance became increasingly clumsy. At times, he was fast, while at others, he was slow, resembling a hasty novice disciple of Qingcheng mixed with an old man who had no martial arts skills. The swordsmanship instructor remarked, "Every time I see Wang Tianyi wielding his sword, I feel uncomfortable, as if he is dancing with shackles on." Before long, he was directly moved from Group A to Group C.
However, this cannot be said
"I know you possess martial arts skills? But are you not afraid of those who are reckless with their lives?" Scarface said with a cold smile, "I crawled out from a pile of corpses. On the battlefield, practicing martial arts and techniques is of little use! What matters is the ability to kill; this is a killing technique! Even if your skills are better than mine, the one who survives in the end may not necessarily be you"
Wang Tianyi looked at the scarred man who was grimacing in pain while being bandaged and walked over to ask, "You are quite formidable. I am a disciple of the Qingcheng School and almost got defeated by you at the beginning. I see that you have no particular techniques and no internal energy; how can you be so powerful?"
This answer is one that Wang Tianyi cannot be satisfied with; once it has been passed down, can it not be changed? Are the current swordsmen not worse than the dead?
From this point onward, he would never learn the graceful Qingcheng Sword Technique again. His ability to comprehend the beauty of swordsmanship had sharply declined, and his swordplay had become merely a series of quick slashes and cuts. Moreover, aside from the main attacking moves, all the auxiliary components were poorly executed. For instance, after retracting the sword with his right hand, his left hand should form a sword gesture, which would be both stylish and elegant, yet he always clenched his left hand into a fist. The instructor corrected him many times, and Wang Tianyi asked the instructor: "Teacher, what is the use of forming a sword gesture? Can this hand gesture really defeat an opponent?"