Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul

After finishing his meal, Li Chang'an practiced his sword for a while, as usual.

In these twenty days, he has mastered the family's "Yuyang Sword Technique" to perfection.

While he practiced swordsmanship, his grandfather, Li Shaoyun, watched from the side. After he finished a set, he praised him, saying:

"If this were ancient times, a hundred skilled fighters would find it difficult to get close to him."

Li Chang'an sheathed his sword and stood up, laughing, "The world has changed, Grandpa. Now everyone's using guns. Although our family's swordsmanship excels at breaking spears with a single sword, spears aren't so easy to break these days."

"Yes, times have changed. No matter how well we practice our swordsmanship, we can't withstand a hundred or so soldiers firing a barrage of bullets around us," Li Shaoyun said with a sigh.

"Can't withstand what?"

"Don't you know I can't take it anymore?"

A strong, resonant voice came from the courtyard gate.

The grandfather and grandson turned around and saw a tall, well-built old man in a suit walk in.

"Uncle Lu!"

"Grandpa!"

Lu Jin walked closer, nodded to the two of them, and then looked at Li Chang'an:

"Chang'an, how's your sword practice going?"

So-so.

"Progress is incredibly fast!"

"So-so" was what Li Chang'an said.

Li Shaoyun said that the progress was rapid.

Lu Jin laughed and said, "Shaoyun has very high standards. When he was young, he often looked down on this swordsmanship and that swordsmanship. He said your progress is rapid, so it must be very good!"

He looked at Li Chang'an and said, "It's good for young people to be humble, but being too humble is just arrogance. Your grandfather brought you a gift this time."

As he spoke, Lu Jin reached out and swept his hand through the air, and a gleaming, eight-sided Han sword appeared out of thin air in his hand.

"Here, catch."

Lu Jin tossed the sword to Li Chang'an with the hilt facing him.

Li Chang'an reached out and caught the sword hilt. The instant he gripped it, he flipped his wrist and thrust forward, the sword emitting a clear, resonant hum.

The love that a swordsman has for a good sword is indescribable. Although Li Chang'an has not been practicing swordsmanship for long, he has already reached a high level and it is not an exaggeration to say that he has achieved some success. Naturally, he was delighted to get a good sword.

He held his sword horizontally in his hand and looked down at the scene.

The sword is long and slender, with a cold, silvery sheen. The guard is engraved with fine cloud patterns, and the hilt is wrapped with a dark brown cord. It feels solid and comfortable in the hand.

He held the sword upright and lightly flicked the blade with his fingertip.

"Ding!"

The sword hummed softly, its echo reverberating through the courtyard for a long time.

Li Chang'an flipped the sword over and looked at the blade: "Grandpa, it's been sharpened, it's a controlled knife."

"Grandpa can give you toys too?" Lu Jin asked with a smile.

"I mean, carrying this thing around could easily get me taken to the police station. At my age, I'm afraid they'll have to call my parents."

Li Chang'an examined the sword in his hand repeatedly. He wasn't particularly discerning; flicking the sword with his fingertips earlier was no different from tapping a watermelon—it held no special significance. However, when he channeled his true qi into the sword, the qi flowed smoothly and without any hindrance. This indicated that it was no ordinary sword.

"That's alright." Lu Jin waved his hand. "After a while, Grandpa will go to Tiangongtang and ask them to make you a sword pouch. Once you put the sword in it, no one will be able to stop you."

In the world of supernatural beings, there are spatial techniques, and naturally, there are also spatial equipment. The size of these spatial equipment is often determined by the skill of the weapon refiner.

Ma Benzai of the Tiangong Hall, one of the Thirty-Six Thieves, could casually produce several Devouring Pouches before he obtained the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, Divine Machine Hundred Refinements. Moreover, his Devouring Pouches were quite large, capable of holding several tons of stones.

"The Heavenly Crafts Hall can't even produce many of these Devouring Pouches in a year. It's said that their orders are booked up for decades to come. Chang'an, hurry up and thank your grandfather," Li Shaoyun said hastily.

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind," Li Chang'an said, clasping his hands in thanks.

Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "It's all unnecessary to say all this. We don't need these empty formalities between us. Come on, let's see if this sword is any good."

Li Chang'an nodded, assumed the starting stance of the "Yuyang Sword Manual," with the tip of his sword pointing diagonally to the ground and his body slightly lowered.

With a single step, Tiger Gate begins, the sword sweeps upwards from below, true qi rises from the Yongquan point, passes through the waist and hips, flows through the wrist, and explodes at the tip of the sword.

This sword strike was three times faster than usual, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp, piercing sound.

Then came the retreat of the Dragon Gate and the advance of the Snake Gate. His sword tip began to flicker and drift erratically, and his whole being moved like a serpentine snake slithering through the courtyard.

In a flash of sword light, a sudden thrust was made.

"laugh."

The sword tip remained suspended in mid-air, completely still.

After finishing a round of sword practice, Li Chang'an sheathed his sword and stood still, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

This sword is two ounces lighter than the one I used before, but its center of gravity is further back, making it more agile when thrusting, especially with the serpentine gate's thrusting motion; the direction of the sword tip is much more precise than before.

"What a fine sword!"

He turned to Lu Jin, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you for bestowing the sword upon me, sir."

Lu Jin smiled and nodded: "Your swordsmanship is quite good. How's your training going?"

"The foundation has already been established."

"You've already completed the Foundation Establishment stage in just over twenty days?"

Lu Jin gasped in shock. The speed at which one can establish their foundation can, to some extent, reflect a cultivator's aptitude.

Li Chang'an is more than four times faster than ordinary people. In other words, if he maintains this speed, his cultivation progress will be four times that of others. One year's work is equivalent to four years of others' work, and ten years is equivalent to forty years of others' work. This is quite exaggerated!

"Grandpa, you said that if I could complete the Foundation Establishment stage within a hundred days, I would have passed the test. Shouldn't that count as passing?"

"It's definitely passed."

Lu Jin grinned, inwardly exclaiming that he had struck gold.

"When does Grandpa plan to pass on my great-grandfather's techniques?"

"Chang'an, don't you know the rules? You have to become a disciple before you can learn any skills!" Li Shaoyun scolded softly.

"That's true. You have to become an apprentice. In my whole life, I, Lu Jin, have never properly taken on a disciple," Lu Jin laughed.

Although he taught Lu Lin the methods, Lu Lin was, after all, his great-grandson.

The Lu family has an ancestral rule that the methods must not be passed on to their descendants. Although there is some justification for doing so, it is still against the ancestral rule, so it has never been made public.

Apart from the Lu family, no one else knew about this.

If he were to accept Li Chang'an as his disciple, Li Chang'an would be considered his eldest disciple in the eyes of the martial arts world.

"Uncle Lu taking on a disciple is a big deal, so we must make proper arrangements," Li Shaoyun said with great joy.

Taking on disciples is a very serious matter in the world of supernatural beings.

A teacher for a day is a father for life. A formal apprenticeship ceremony requires three teachers as witnesses, distinguished guests to take their seats, and the following items are indispensable: the apprenticeship letter, the reply letter, the tea ceremony for changing the address to the new teacher, and the token of inheritance.

Lu Jin smiled and said, "I, Lu Jin, am almost a hundred years old and have never properly accepted a disciple. If I were to accept a disciple, it would certainly be a grand affair. But these are turbulent times in the martial world, so let's not join in the excitement and keep things simple. We'll hold the apprenticeship ceremony again in a few years when things are more stable."

"Uncle Lu is very thoughtful," Li Shaoyun said.

That's true. Right now, everyone's attention is drawn to Zhang Huaiyi and the Eight Extraordinary Skills. Who has time to care about who takes on disciples? Rather than having a quiet ceremony, it's better to put it aside for now.

Lu Jin thought for a moment, then looked at Li Chang'an:

"If you want to become an apprentice, go to your family's ancestral hall. In front of your great-grandfather and your great-great-grandmaster—no, I should say your master—just kowtow a few times and offer a cup of tea."