You promised yourself to be a caged bird, but you became the supreme young master?

Lu Qingyan sheathed her sword and stood still. Her long, ink-black hair was loosely tied into a low bun, with a few stray strands of hair damp with the thin sweat on her forehead, sticking to her fair temples.

A thin layer of sweat beaded on his forehead and slid down his jawline, dripping onto the bluestone floor and spreading out in a small wet patch.

Her hand holding the sword trembled slightly. She had just finished a set of "Basic Sword Techniques". The moves of chopping, stabbing, parrying and picking were complete, but she felt that the sword moves lacked a certain coherence and rhythm.

The middle-aged man with blue eyes in the corridor fixed his gaze on her unsheathed longsword. His voice was not loud, but it carried a clear and insightful air of overseeing the whole situation.

"Your swordsmanship is correct in technique and your stance is fairly proper, but unfortunately—"

He lightly tapped his knee with his fingertips, his tone calm and clear, "My heart and my sword are three feet apart."

Lu Qingyan was startled and looked down at the sword in her hand, the tassel of which was still swaying gently.

"When you swung your sword just now, your wrist strength was stagnant because you were afraid that the sword's momentum was too strong and you couldn't stop it."

In the instant you thrust your sword, your gaze wavered slightly, as if you were worried about disrupting your footwork.

The middle-aged man spoke slowly and deliberately, each sentence hitting the nail on the head.

"The Basic Swordplay may seem rudimentary, but it is actually the most important principle of 'man and sword as one.' If you are too concerned about the correctness of the moves, you will only make your mind a shackle on the sword."

He raised his hand, making a feint as if to strike with a sword, his fingertips slicing through the air, creating a barely perceptible gust of wind.

"Try chopping again—remember, keep your wrists relaxed, shoulders down and elbows dropped, and let the power come from your waist, not from your arms."

The moment you strike with your sword, your eyes should only be on the direction the sword's edge is pointing, not on the boundaries of the move.

Lu Qingyan did as instructed, raised her sword, took a deep breath, relaxed her wrist, and used her waist and abdomen to slash down with the long sword, which carried a cool breeze.

This time, the swordplay was much smoother than before, but it was still somewhat sluggish.

"When wielding the sword, the tip should have a slight 'flicking' force, not a hard flick."

The middle-aged man spoke calmly, without stepping forward, but offering his advice from a few steps away.

"Look at the swallows flying over the eaves. When they soar through the sky, their wings are outstretched, not taut. The same goes for swords. Only when strength and gentleness are combined can they have true charm."

Lu Qingyan focused her mind and tried to wield the sword again. The tip of the sword drew a soft arc, which was indeed much smoother than before.

Her hand holding the sword seemed to suddenly lighten a little.

The middle-aged man watched her movements and slowly nodded: "That's right."

The foundation of swordsmanship has never been the precision of the moves, but rather the harmony of mind and spirit.

If you're always thinking, "I need to master the sword," you're actually falling behind.

Forget the sword, forget the moves, just let your heart follow the sword – that is the essence of Basic Swordsmanship.

If you can do that, you've mastered the basics.

Having said that, the middle-aged man with blue eyes looked at Lu Qingyan, who was deep in thought, and said no more. Instead, he turned to look at Lu Heng.

"Your swordsmanship has reached the level of mastery."

But your heart is still not calm enough...

This is normal for family members dividing their property, but I think you should be able to do it.

After casually offering a few more pointers, the middle-aged man with blue eyes walked away without looking back towards the other members of the main family.

For him, this was something he did casually and insignificant.

However, the middle-aged man with blue eyes, who didn't turn his head, didn't see that after his guidance, Lu Heng thoughtfully swung the sword in his hand.

Compared to before, it's an almost imperceptible improvement.

The display on the panel is as follows...

Without a sound, even though he hadn't practiced the "Basic Sword Techniques," his proficiency increased by three or four points after receiving the instruction.

Can guidance also improve proficiency?

Lu Heng wasn't particularly excited, but he had a sudden realization.

After all, the truly important "Basic Body Refining Method" cannot be obtained through shortcuts; apart from one's own arduous cultivation and the accumulation of resources, there is almost no other way.

No matter how earnestly someone guides you, they cannot directly help you with your spiritual practice.

Even the only cultivation technique that advanced cultivators can guide you through will naturally be optimized to its maximum level as your proficiency increases.

The reason why Basic Swordsmanship can be improved through guidance is that everything in it requires comprehension.

The panel simply visualizes this process of understanding through proficiency, but in essence, understanding can still be increased through guidance.

Therefore, in terms of guidance, unless it is the transmission of skills or a sudden enlightenment, it will not have much effect on him.

Several hours later…

"Alright, that concludes today's martial arts demonstration..."

Also, you should prepare in advance, because the outer academy will hold a ranking every month, that is, every three martial arts competitions.

I will rank you based on your combat tactics and cultivation level.

Of course, if any of you are not satisfied, you can choose to challenge those ranked higher than you.

There's no benefit to being ranked high; if you're ranked in the bottom 100 out of 200 people present, there's absolutely no advantage.

Those ranked in the top 100 can have their benefits upgraded from Level D to Level C.

Those ranked in the top 50 can have their benefits upgraded from Level C to Level B.

Those ranked in the top 25 can have their benefits upgraded from Level B to Level A.

The challenged party cannot refuse the challenge, but can be challenged a maximum of three times in a single ranking challenge.

During the ranking challenge, life and death are irrelevant unless there is an intentional act of killing.

So, anyone considering this challenge should think it over carefully.

Having said that, the middle-aged man with blue eyes left the training ground without looking back, having completed his mission.

"That's easy to say..."

In reality, how many people are truly capable of challenging their peers who are more talented and receive better compensation?

Isn't this just like sending a monster to capture Tang Sanzang?

Perhaps it's a little easier, but essentially it's still making things difficult for people.

Lu Heng, who had been listening silently the whole time, silently complained to himself.

The path of spiritual practice is inherently slow, and no one will stop to wait or catch up.

and…

During the ranking challenge, unless there is an intentional killing, the phrase "life or death is irrelevant" is already clearly stated, so it is not recommended to participate in the challenge at all.

Gee tut.

Lu Heng shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Qingyan suddenly asked from the side.

She had just listened clearly to the middle-aged man with blue eyes giving Lu Heng his instructions.

He knew that the sparring partner he had randomly chosen might not have exceptional talent in cultivation, but his merits outweighed his flaws, and he might even possess a certain talent for comprehension.

In that case, even if Lu Heng falls behind temporarily, there is still a possibility that he will reach the Qi Refining Secret Realm in the future.

"I'm thinking about my spiritual practice."

Lu Heng originally wanted to answer directly that he hadn't thought about anything.

Considering that the young lady might think he was being perfunctory, he decided to make up a generic excuse.

Any practitioner would think that their practice is perfectly reasonable and feasible.

"Oh, come with me. Before you leave the outer courtyard, you can ask me some questions about the Basic Body Refinement Method."

Lu Qingyan thought for a moment and then spoke.

But I don't need to leave the outer courtyard.

Lu Heng sighed inwardly, wanting to say something but holding back.

"I forgot to mention, my 'Basic Body Refinement Method' is already at the proficient level."

"If you can raise your Basic Body Refinement Technique to the Proficient level before the first evaluation, then follow me." The girl said calmly.