Chapter 726: Midnight Martial Contest: Testing the Edge (26)

The sword light rose like a startled swan's shadow, and the light sword in Yan Qing's hand seemed to have a life of its own.

When the tip flicked, it was as light as morning dew on a falling leaf; when it retracted, it left a reverberating echo as heavy as a thousand pounds. Like ink splashed freely on rice paper, flowing naturally, the instructor, careless for a moment, was struck by several swords.

However, Yunli, watching from the side, was not convinced; she lifted her great sword and insisted on demonstrating it herself to San Yue.

"Don't listen to Yan Qing; great force yields miracles!"

As she said so, she raised her sword and slammed it toward the instructor—fortunately, his foundation was deep enough to barely block the blow, yet his hands still tingled numbly.

"Fine, now it's my turn!"

Yan Qing is agile, Yunli is fierce; although the two masters' styles differ completely, San Yue keenly spotted the similarities in their techniques and began to imitate them one by one. At first it was a bit awkward, but as San Yue grew accustomed to the sword's feel, it became increasingly proper.

This time the instructor took the initiative, hefting a great sword and charging at San Yue.

"Left Azure Dragon, right White Tiger, cut the carbs! Watch my move!"

San Yue Qi thrust both arms powerfully, mimicking Yan Qing's stance toward the instructor—only she didn't meet force with force; instead she copied Yan Qing's agile footwork, using the instructor's downward slash momentum to draw along the sword's spine at a slant.

"Seng—!"

Amid the clang of metal, the instructor's attack was indeed deflected three inches by San Yue Qi; the blade skimmed her shoulder, clipping only a few strands of pink hair.

A flash of surprise simultaneously crossed the eyes of the two junior masters.

——

One Punch Man.

"Oh?" Bang Gu set down his teacup, his half‑closed eyes widening a bit, "This little girl... has quite the talent."

"It seems this San Yue Xiaojie hasn't fully embraced her talent," Bang Pu, acting as the elder brother in Bang Gu's training hall, watched San Yue Qi's exaggerated learning ability and couldn't help praising, "Sure enough, there are no ordinary people in the train crew."

"The technique of shedding an opponent's force looks simple but is actually the hardest," Bang Gu stared at San Yue Qi's hands, trembling slightly after exertion under the sky, and said slowly, "The core of my Flowing Rock Shatter Fist is 'Shedding' and 'Turning'—channeling and neutralizing incoming force like water, then using it to strike back onto the opponent."

He paused, a hint of sentiment in his voice: "But unfortunately, I truly grasped the essence of 'Flowing' in this fist only in middle age..."

Bang Pu crossed his arms and snorted coldly, "Hmph, it's because you were too brute when young; your Exploding Heart Liberation Fist only knew head‑on clashes, taking the wrong path."

Bang Gu did not rebut his brother, merely nodding slightly, "Indeed, that's why I find this little girl's grip on the sword so endearing; even on her first sword practice she instinctively 'shedded' the opponent's attack. Though the technique is a bit rough, that spirit... is truly rare."

"What, from what you said it sounds like you want to take on disciples again? Talented disciples are hard to find."

"Yes, the previous one was—"

Before he could finish, Bang Gu fell silent again. Bang Pu knew he was thinking of Hungry Wolf; the kid's talent was indeed astonishing, but ever since becoming a hero hunter his fortunes turned sour, and now he has been captured by the Odd Man Association, his fate unknown.

Bang Pu couldn't help letting out a deep sigh.

Talented disciples are rare, but those with a simple, sincere nature are even rarer.

——

"What are you muttering?" Yunli asked curiously as she heard her mumble.

"Isn't this... a sword technique!"

Relying on her excellent foundation, San Yue Qi narrowly defeated that Yunqi instructor on her first try, but as soon as the bout ended, San Yue felt the world spin and quickly rubbed her head: "I didn't expect the first lesson's intensity to be this high..."

"San Yue Xiaojie's movements are agile, her waist supple; she's an excellent seed for practicing Luofu Sword Art."

Compared with Yan Qing's loose style, Yunli is stricter: "However, your forehand lacks precision, your backhand is weak, and your sword swings are too sloppy... that's a common flaw among beginners. No matter; as long as you practice the Zhu Ming Sword Technique, everything will improve."

Yan Qing: "I've decided, in the next lesson, San Yue Xiaojie will start practicing—"

"Footwork first." / "Power first."

The two spoke in unison again.

"Eh? Do you even understand swordsmanship?" Yunli glared at Yan Qing in displeasure.

"I was about to ask you! Dual swords emphasize agile response and mutual support; what could be more important than footwork?"

"A battle formation's strength doesn't rely solely on strengths; weaknesses matter too. The shortcoming of dual swords lies precisely in power generation. If both arms are weak, what's the point of agile footwork? This isn't dancing."

"Any accomplished swordsman knows to 'play to strengths and avoid weaknesses.' First amplify strengths, then compensate for weaknesses; that's the proper way to learn."

Yunli caught the sarcasm in his words, and her teeth ached with anger: "Hmph, young master truly lives up to the abstract theory camp!"

"Abstract? You brag that you can hear what the sword says; what does that even mean? Abstract social camp?"

——

Blade Fang.

"Hmm, indeed we should focus on power first."

Miyamoto Musashi's gaze seemed to drift, perhaps intentionally, toward Yu Di Dubu, who sat poised beside him.

"If a technique lacks force, it's more a dance than martial art. When the strong clash, often a single strike decides the outcome."

Yu Di Dubu clearly heard this and let out a displeased hum.

Lord Lihai, sitting nearby, didn't notice Yu Di Dubu's mood; as one of the few karate grandmasters with apprentices spread across Sakura Country, he asked, "In this situation, how would you resolve it?"

"Simple, the strong dictate," Yu Di Dubu said with a hint of a smile, "Within the same field, how can someone not strong become another's master?"

"Heh... you're basically encouraging them to fight," Guo Haihuang smiled slightly, "But these two youngsters will surely have a duel someday, just not today; perhaps after successfully teaching San Yue Qi, they'll be itching for a sparring match."

"But for now, I'm curious which path San Yue Qi will ultimately take."

——

"Sigh, sigh, how is it that after only the first lesson the two masters are already quarreling! Stop arguing, footwork and power I will eventually have to learn, so what's the difference in learning one first..."

San Yue hurriedly mediated between the two masters.

"Different!! San Yue Qi, you must follow my instructions without fail!" The two again spoke in unison, arguing so loudly that San Yue Qi's head swelled.

After that, San Yue Qi never learned how the two masters compromised; in any case, after a few days of training, the long‑unseen Xing found the place where they practiced swordsmanship.

Before even approaching, she heard the three of them chatting together.

Yunli: "I'm not good at putting on a master's airs; since grandpa asked me to teach you sword practice, I won't hold anything back."

"Not at all, thank you both, masters. Hey, wait, is our teaching only now officially starting?"