Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 77 Apprenticeship
evening.

River beach open space.

The burning bonfire made the cold weather warmer.

Gu Yourong and Xiao Shitou were grilling fish with great interest, while Yin Daoyan sat cross-legged beside them, watching the afterglow of the sunset.

In an open space not far away, Mei Weixuan was moving around, the long sword in his hand emitting a sharp cold light accompanied by the sound of sword ringing.

"This is the sword technique that the children of my Mei family learn in their childhood. Look carefully, this is the stabbing sword."

As he spoke, Mei Weixuan held the sword in his right hand, bent his elbow, and raised it to his waist, then thrust the sword forward.

"Depending on the different thrusts, there are different types of thrusts, such as upward thrust, horizontal thrust, downward thrust, backward thrust, reverse thrust, and probing thrust. The thrust requires the arm and the sword to be in a straight line, with the force reaching the tip of the sword."

Zhong Lin stood quietly in place, staring at every change in Mei Weixuan's sword moves.

Suddenly, Mei Weixuan changed his sword moves, and he flew into the air. He held the sword in his right hand and raised it up, then chopped it down in front of his body with his arm. His arm and the sword formed a straight line, at the same height as his shoulders, and the force reached the blade.

"This is the chopping sword."

Mei Weixuan did not use his own energy and blood, but only evolved the changes in his sword moves. Even so, the sharp sword edge still made Zhong Lin beside him feel the sharp cold light, as if he would fall into endless killing if he only took one step forward.

In just a quarter of an hour, Mei Weixuan demonstrated to Zhong Lin the basic sword techniques of drawing, carrying, lifting, blocking, striking, stabbing, tapping, collapsing, stirring, pressing, chopping, intercepting and washing.

"how?"

Mei Weixuan put his sword behind his back. A gentle breeze blew his clothes, making him feel like a sword immortal.

"Clap clap clap!"

Zhong Lin did not hesitate to applaud. Although he had never learned swordsmanship, he could see that every move of Mei Weixuan's basic swordsmanship was honed through thousands of trials and tribulations.

I can only say that he is worthy of being a child of aristocratic family.

Disciples from aristocratic families have received elite education since childhood. Although there are all kinds of birds in the forest and some scums appear, there are more outstanding talents, such as Mei Weixuan.

"Brother Mei, are you sure you can teach me?"

Zhong Lin asked again.

"It's just some basic sword techniques, used by the five or six-year-old children in the clan to lay the foundation. Many noble families have taught them, so it's okay." Mei Weixuan said casually.

"Then...thank you very much."

Since Mei Weixuan didn't care, Zhong Lin didn't hesitate.

The long sword was unsheathed, and under Mei Weixuan's guidance, Zhong Lin began to learn every move.

I stumbled a lot the first time I tried to learn it, but by the second time I managed to remember all the sword moves.

Zhong Lin suddenly stood still, with his sword stuck in the ground, and opened the system panel.

"system."

Host: Zhong Lin

Method: Chiyang Posture (max level)...

Technique: Basic Swordsmanship (Elementary)...

Miscellaneous: 3D Painting (Maximum Level)...

Skill Points: ∞
(No more word count.)
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and with a thought, the elementary level behind the basic swordsmanship directly became the maximum level. At the same time, a huge amount of memories flooded into his mind.

In his memory, Zhong Lin practiced basic sword techniques every day with a long sword in hand, rain or shine. After decades of practice, he finally engraved the basic sword techniques into his muscles, as if it had become an instinct.

"what happened?"

Seeing that Zhong Lin had not moved for a long time, Mei Weixuan looked puzzled.

Zhong Lin slowly opened his eyes and said with a smile, "I got it."

Mei Weixuan raised his eyebrows and said sarcastically,

"Wow! You're really like an old woman getting into bed—that really made me laugh. I started practicing basic sword techniques at the age of five, and it took me a full ten years before I was allowed to learn other sword techniques. And you've already mastered it after just two attempts? Do you know that the word "mastered" shouldn't be used carelessly?"

Zhong Lin was too lazy to explain. He grabbed the long sword stuck in the ground with his right hand and flew into the air.

As bursts of sword light flashed across the sky, the surrounding wilderness was filled with the sound of Zhong Lin's sword.

The practice of sword moves was filled with a sense of perfect beauty. Every move and every style had the meaning of an antelope hanging on a horn, as if Zhong Lin and the sword in his hand had become one and the same.

"This...this is impossible."

Mei Weixuan opened his mouth wide, his face full of disbelief.

"Are you...are you impersonating me? You must have practiced this before, right?"

Zhong Lin threw the long sword in his hand behind him, and the sword drew a graceful arc and fell perfectly into the scabbard.

"I am a genius."

Zhong Lin said bluntly.

"Genius, you uncle."

Mei Weixuan, who has always been gentle and refined, started cursing.

"No matter how talented one is, he can't be this talented. Tell me, are you going to play me?"

Zhong Lin spread his hands and said, "You don't understand the world of geniuses."

"What the hell..."

Ignoring Mei Weixuan's anger, Gu Yourong, who was sitting by the fire behind him, was also confused at this moment.

Just now, when Zhong Lin was practicing basic sword moves, the state of man and sword becoming one also scared her. Her mentality at this moment was exactly the same as Mei Weixuan's.

"Master Yin, this... this... what Zhong Lin just did... How is this possible? It must be fake, right? How could someone achieve this level after only practicing once?"

The indifferent look on Yin Daoyan's face had disappeared, and his eyes were filled with excitement.

"Zhong Lin."

A shout startled two people in the distance, and they hurried over.

"Master Yin, did you see that? This bastard is pretending to be me."

Mei Weixuan was still shouting loudly. "Shut up, Zhong Lin, and show me your hand."

"Yes."

Zhong Lin spread out his hands and reached out.

"My hands are rough. There are calluses on the tips of my thumb and index finger, which come from regular archery practice. There are also very thin calluses on the base of my thumb. You've practiced swordsmanship, Zhong Lin, but you really haven't practiced swordsmanship?"

After Master Yin carefully observed Zhong Lin's hands, he stared at him with his eyes wide open.

"I dare not lie to Master Yin. This is indeed my first time to learn swordsmanship. I have practiced instant kill techniques before." Zhong Lin said.

"Instant Kill Technique?"

Swish!
Zhong Lin swung his right hand, and a dark sword shadow flashed across, then disappeared.

"impossible!"

Mei Weixuan scratched his head, his face full of disbelief.

"Are you really a genius? But geniuses can't be this talented."

Zhong Lin glanced at Mei Weixuan and was too lazy to continue arguing with him.

Yin Daoyan grabbed the air with his right hand, and the long sword in the distance was pulled out of its sheath by an invisible force and fell into his palm in an instant.

"Zhong Lin, look carefully, I will only practice once."

After saying this, he didn't give Zhong Lin a chance to speak, and moved around in the open space, practicing his sword skills.

The sword technique practiced by Yin Daoyan looked very complicated, but it was full of rigor and unpredictable changes. It was hard yet soft, soft yet hard, giving people a dazzling feeling.

After a moment, Yin Daoyan sheathed his sword and stood, looking at Zhong Lin expectantly and saying, "This is the Thousand Mist Sword Technique. Do you see it clearly?"

Before, Zhong Lin did not have that ability, but after reaching the maximum level of basic swordsmanship, he felt a state of unity between man and sword. This so-called Thousand Mist Swordsmanship seemed complicated, but there was a logic in it. He could remember the sword moves after just observing it once.

Although the fog is misty, it still surrounds the mountain.

Zhong Lin closed his eyes slightly and opened the system panel.

Host: Zhong Lin

Method: Chiyang Posture (max level)...

Technique: Thousand Mist Sword Technique (Elementary)...

Miscellaneous: 3D Painting (Maximum Level)...

Skill Points: ∞
"System, give me more."

With the influx of a stream of information, the Thousand Mist Sword Technique performed by Yin Daoyan unveiled the mystery to Zhong Lin.

Zhong Lin grabbed the sword and started practicing right on the spot.

There was a sense of unfamiliarity in the movements at the beginning, but they became more and more proficient, and in the later stages they even had an indescribable sense of fluency compared to Yin Daoyan.

Mei Weixuan opened his mouth wide. At this moment, even if he didn't believe it, he believed it.

It is impossible for Zhong Lin to have practiced the "Thousand Mist Sword Technique", so he is really a genius?
Gu Yourong's beautiful face was filled with shock, and she kept saying the word "genius".

"Good good."

Yin Daoyan laughed heartily and said "good" three times in a row, unable to hide the excitement on his face.

"Zhong Lin, are you willing to take me as your master?"

At this point, there's no need to observe any further. If you don't take advantage of the insight you've gained from just one look, you'll miss it forever.

It is hard to find a good master, and it is also hard to find a good disciple!

Zhong Lin was also very happy. He fell to his knees with a thud, prostrating himself.

"Disciple Zhong Lin, I pay my respects to Master."

When Xiao Shitou, who was standing nearby, saw Zhong Lin kneeling and kowtowing, he also ran away, came over and knelt down with a plop.

"Disciple Xiao Shitou, I pay my respects to Master."

"Haha, little guy, alright, since you're kneeling, I'll accept you as a registered disciple."

Yin Daoyan laughed heartily but did not refuse.

Zhong Lin took a deep breath and kowtowed again, but this time his sincerity was even greater than before.

"Thank you, Master."

"Okay, everyone get up!"

Yin Daoyan's smile grew wider. His own disciple cared so much about his younger brother. How could such a person with such deep affection and loyalty be more likable?

Gu Yourong bowed and congratulated, "Congratulations to Master Yin for accepting such a fine disciple. The inheritance is promising and there will be successors."

Mei Weixuan said enviously, "Zhong Lin, I never thought you could really become Master Yin's disciple. If this were to be told to others, I wonder how many people would be envious."

Zhong Lin slowly stood up straight and said modestly, "Master, you have a keen eye for talent. Otherwise, how could a hunter like me become your disciple?"

……

On the riverbank, Zhong Lin and Yin Daoyan sat facing each other, while Mei Weixuan and the others were driven far away.

"Zhong Lin."

"The disciple is here."

"Since you have become my disciple, I must explain to you clearly that I am an elder of the Jianding Sect. As for Baicaotang, it is just a branch of my sect."

"The Jian Ding Sect is a supreme sect with tens of thousands of disciples and countless masters. Even the Emperor of the Great Chen Kingdom has to behave like a disciple when meeting the Sect Master."

Zhong Lin took a deep breath. Although he guessed that Jianding Sect might be very powerful, he didn't expect it to be so strong that even the king of a country would have to bow down to it.

"Forget it, it's too early to tell you this. When you return to the sect with me and formally become my disciple, you will know how powerful our sect is."

"Now I will teach you the sect's 'Tian Yuan Bao Zhuang' and 'Wu Qin Xi'. 'Tian Yuan Bao Zhuang' is the stance exercise practiced by the sect's core disciples. 'Those who enter the spirit realm should step into the Heavenly Origin, push the Yin and Yang, explore the mysteries, and enter the subtle.' I hope you will be able to achieve even greater mastery in the future."

"As for the Five Animal Exercises, my master found them in a relic. It may seem like a simple exercise to prolong life, but diligent practice can strengthen the body and nourish the mind. My master's talent is average, but this technique has contributed greatly to my current achievements."

(End of this chapter)