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Swish! Swish! Swish!

Within the small courtyard, the aura of swords crisscrossed.

The more Shen You wielded his sword, the more unrestrained and free he felt.

He felt as if he were a master of landscape painting, freely wielding his brush with unrestrained strokes, his brush moving like dragons and snakes.

Every move and stance embodies the profound principles of heaven and earth.

"only……"

He frowned slightly, then suddenly stopped what he was doing and stood with his sword in his arms.

The surroundings went from extreme movement to extreme stillness, and a gust of wind spread out from around his body.

He felt that his knife was already very powerful.

But it's not as good as a butcher's knife.

"If I had a butcher's knife, I'd be even stronger!"

What's the logic behind this?

Shen You pondered deeply.

"Does this mean I've become a pig-slaughtering heir, and from now on I can only use a pig-slaughtering knife?"

A butcher's knife isn't that pretty.

Most importantly, his butcher knife doesn't come with any corresponding martial arts techniques.

Swinging a knife based solely on instinct may make one strong, but it lacks the upper limit.

"What method can I use to take this further?"

He muttered to himself.

"How can I combine my familiarity with the butcher's knife with the 'Tiger-Taming Knife Technique'?"

This is enlightenment.

He had developed an extraordinary aptitude for the sword, and now, without a teacher, he had begun to explore ways to further improve his swordsmanship.

Martial arts, after all, is a pursuit of self.

Blindly following the rules and only knowing how to follow in the footsteps of predecessors will not make one a true master.

Only those who can break with convention and establish their own school can be called martial arts masters.

At this moment, Shen You is taking his first step toward becoming a Grandmaster.

……

call!call!

Within a courtyard, the wind howled through the air.

It was a massive broadsword, its long, narrow blade slightly curved, with a thick back and a gleaming edge. The hilt was secured with an iron band, which could be connected to a longer handle to transform it into a polearm if necessary. However, at this moment, the broadsword was in its short-handled form, with a white tassel on the hilt swaying violently in the strong wind.

The one wielding the knife was none other than Wang Long.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he wielded his broadsword with increasing speed. With each swing of his blade, the faint phantom of a black tiger appeared and disappeared around him.

Wang Long's proudest skill is the "Black Tiger Saber Technique." It is inspired by a black tiger descending the mountain and pouncing fiercely. The moves are powerful and domineering, with sweeping and slashing attacks, using brute force to overcome any technique.

When this sword technique is mastered to its highest level, every movement is like a black tiger by one's side, capable of unleashing fierce power at any moment, making the person resemble a human tiger.

The "Black Tiger Fist" that Wang Hu learned was derived from this sword technique.

However, Wang Hu's martial arts skills were still shallow, and he could not bring out the essence of the Black Tiger's protection. This turned a powerful fist technique into a mere three-step attack of "one pounce, two lifts, and three scissors," making him resemble a kitten rather than a fierce tiger.

Wang Long's skill level was naturally not that rudimentary. He had already mastered the "Black Tiger Saber Technique" to a high level, and he could vaguely touch the threshold of the fierce saber energy in the technique.

At this moment, he wielded his sword in the darkness, his figure seemingly merging with the night. His every move was no longer human, but rather like a black tiger pouncing.

His gaze was sharp, his eyes filled with hatred and murderous intent. In a daze, he seemed to see Shen You, whom he considered audacious and reckless, appear before him. Shen You showed a fearful and timid expression, turning and fleeing in front of him.

Like a startled prey, it desperately wants to escape the tiger's pursuit.

"Prey should act like prey!"

Wang Long revealed a sinister smile; at this moment, he had completely adopted Black Tiger's mindset.

He seemed to have completely transformed into a black tiger, pouncing on his prey with an air of supreme dominance, opening his blood-red maw to reveal his ferocious fangs, ready to devour his prey alive.

boom--!

The black tiger phantom on his body flashed brightly with exceptional clarity.

With a single slash, he carved a foot-deep gash into the ground.

Jin Cheng.

His martial arts skills have finally reached a new level.

In the courtyard, Wang Long slowly sheathed his sword, his gaze drifting toward the side room beside him.

"Second brother, tomorrow is the examination for those in hemp clothing. During the examination, I will definitely find an opportunity to kill that Shen You and avenge you!"

"Don't worry, that cafeteria lady is probably already dead from her injuries, and Shen You won't be able to keep up this for long!"

Wang Long's gaze was icy.

Inside the side room, Wang Hu, his chest wrapped in a thick white cloth, remained seriously injured and unconscious.

……

"Why!? Why!?"

In the courtyard, Shen You kept swinging his knife, and the more he swung it, the more anxious he became.

He vaguely sensed that his martial arts cultivation had reached a bottleneck. It wasn't a lack of martial artist level, but rather a constraint on his understanding of martial arts.

He was used to wielding a butcher's knife, but he insisted on using a large knife to practice the "Tiger-Taming Knife Technique" here.

The sense of deviation and confusion he experienced nearly drove him mad.

But he just couldn't give up this feeling.

It was this confusion that made him feel that he had reached a crucial juncture on his path of martial arts.

If you can get past this hurdle, a whole new world awaits you just one step ahead.

"Get over it! Get over it!!"

Shen You roared inwardly, his chaotic emotions almost causing him to vomit blood.

"What's your rush?"

Suddenly, a rough voice came from the side.

Shen You was jolted awake, as if from a nightmare. She turned her head and saw Aunt Dou standing to the side with her arms crossed.

"Are you in a hurry?"

Aunt Dou's small eyes gleamed, and she asked again, "What's your rush?"

"I……"

Shen You opened her mouth, but shook her head blankly, "I don't know..."

He was in a hurry and wanted to break through something, but he had no idea what lay ahead.

This feeling of being torn apart is what drives him crazy the most.

"You know nothing, yet you're wildly swinging your knife around."

Aunt Dou sneered, "Your knife is like a headless fly, bumping around everywhere! A knife is no ugly thing!"

"Auntie! Please teach me!"

Without saying a word, Shen You turned around and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Aunt Dou.

"You want me to teach you?" Aunt Dou grinned as if she had seen the biggest joke in the world. "I'm just an ordinary cook, what skills do I have to teach you!"

"But I only know one thing..."

She slowly pulled the butcher knife from her waist, her eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"When I hold the butcher knife in my hand, all I can think about is killing pigs!"

Why think so much?

"A pig-slaughtering knife is for slaughtering pigs, while the large knife in your hand is for killing people! That's all!"

She swung her knife forward with a sudden burst of speed, a streak of blood flashing through the air. This lightning-fast movement sent a shiver down Shen You's spine. An overwhelming killing intent emanated from ahead, chilling Shen You to the bone.

"When I'm slaughtering a pig, all I see is the pig!"

"When you kill someone, you should only see people!"

"I don't know any martial arts, I've never practiced them, but I only know one thing..."

Aunt Dou grinned, revealing a face full of cold, white teeth.

"That means when you want to do something, just focus on doing it well!"

"And in your eyes..."

She stared intently at Shen You.

"Can you see the person you want to kill right now?"

The courtyard seemed to fall silent suddenly.

A chilling aura enveloped Shen You.

Shen You stared blankly, muttering to herself.

"The person I want to... kill...?"

He was jolted awake, and a burly, violent figure suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Wang Long!

"That's it! I'm going to kill him!!"

Deep hatred and anger surged from Shen You's heart in an instant.

His soul seemed to be ignited by this flame.

The raging flames transformed into endless killing intent, almost engulfing his entire body.

He gripped his broadsword tightly, his entire body radiating killing intent, his energy surging, his eyes wide with rage, and he roared as he swung his sword forward with a fierce strike.

boom--!!

A streak of blood-red light flew from the blade and hurtled forward.

The unstoppable blade strike cleaved the low wall in front of them in the blink of an eye.

The low wall collapsed with a crash.

Shen You, panting heavily, held his broadsword and looked at the scene before him.

The murderous intent in his heart seemed to subside at this moment.

"So that's how it is. This is my knife!"

He gripped the broadsword tightly, feeling extremely exhilarated.

He finally found his own knife.

A...

A murderous knife!

[Tiger-Slaying Saber Technique: Mastery (0/1000)]