Proofread by Peter Gong

The sun was shining brightly. Disciples gathered on the martial arts practicing field according to their groupings.

“How did you feel about Tiger-Roar Knack in the past ten days?” The voice of Chen Chuyun remained clear and cold. Her limpid eyes swept over them, falling on the face of Chen Zong with a transient stare.

Questions raised by Chen Wu, Chen Shaoze, Chen Che and Chen Yan were all answered respectively. 

“I am going to explain swordsmanship in this lesson.” After answering questions, Chen Chuyun lectured. “The content is about the Shadow Broken Swordsmanship, the Willow Flicking Swordsmanship and the Eagle Striking Swordsmanship. Perhaps, some of you have practiced, whereas some get to know them just now.  

“Anyway, I hope all of you can listen to me very carefully.”

Chen Chuyun always gave people a feeling of aloofness. Chen Zong would believe she only had one facial expression unless he witnessed the fiery light overflowing from her eyes on that night. 

“The Shadow Broken Swordsmanship requires co-movement while drawing the sword, from arm to wrist, which brandishes broken shadow via sword shift…”

Obviously, Chen Chuyun had profound comprehension and expressed it in concise and plain terms. A learner immediately understood clearly as soon as he listened to her presentation, especially for Chen Zong, who was able to combine it with his own understanding for deeper perception.

Chu Chuyun drew her sword and demonstrated for them when something exquisite and delicate was mentioned.

Comparing with the iron sword in Chen Zong’s hand, her sword bright with ripple along the edge looked overwhelmingly sharper, which was much better that his sword.

No swordsman had no eagerness for a treasure sword. Chen Zuoyi and his fellows also revealed a strong desire in their eyes.

After lecturing the first craftsmanship, Chen Chuyun continued on the Willow Flicking Swordsmanship, and then the Eagle Striking Swordsmanship. Awesomely and surprisingly, they became aware that Chen Chuyun had a complete success in the three.

There was half an hour left when she put an end to the lecturing of three swordsmanship.

“Any questions?” Chen Chuyun took a glance.

Her interpretation was very penetrating. All learners had no questions at all this moment because they even had not digested what she taught just now.

“Then, I am going to impart you another swordsmanship.” Chen Chuyun went on with her speech, which lit their eyes with great expectation.

“Its name is Foundation-Eighteen Types.” Chen Chuyun demonstrated it by her sword. During the demonstration, group members except for Chen Zong felt more or less disappointed because it was different from what they longed for. But Chen Zong watched very carefully.

“The Foundation-Eighteen Types has eighteen moves, including chopping, spotting, stabbing, carrying, lifting……It doesn’t belong to the Basic Martial Arts and has no great power, but it is beneficial to drill on swordsmanship. You had better squeeze time to practice in daily life.” Chen Chuyun repeatedly practiced it a couple of times.   

“Coach, I have a question.” Chen Zuoyi consulted when Chen Chuyun was looking at him. “I was told completeness is not the end of martial arts, so what is the realm after completeness?”

His words dazed Chen Zong for a moment.

Completeness was not the end of martial arts?

A more preponderant level?

“There is indeed one level beyond completeness.” Chen Chuyun pondered for a second and told them with her chilly voice mixed with a little bit uncertain feeling. “Exquisiteness is superior to completeness.”

“Exquisiteness.” All repeated at once in a low voice.

Chen Zong sensed an inner flame hot and bewildered that seemed to have made his heart beat faster than usual.

“Exquisiteness.” A simple magical word.

“It is useless to think over exquisiteness too much right now. It is accessible to n.o.body in the clan hall.” Chen Chuyun woke them up coldly.

“This lesson is over if you don’t have other questions. Chen Zong, come with me.” Chen Chuyun declared after pouring scorn on them.

Chen Zuoyi and his fellows looked gloomy and depressed after Chen Zong and his coach left.

An independent courtyard, ten meters long and ten meters wide, accommodated Chen Chuyun in the clan hall.

“Coach, are courtyards like this available to all warriors?” Chen Zong asked.

“Only the top ten.” To his big surprise, the concise reply of Chen Chuyun conveyed an implication that she was ranked as one of the top ten in the whole family. “No gossip, in terms of the three swordsmanship you reached Initial Achievement?”

“Yes.” Chen Zong nodded.

“Show me.” Chen Chuyun demanded urgently with an intent look.

Chen Zong drew his sword immediately and showed it to her coach one by one.

“Good job, good job, good job!” Her repeated compliment did reveal the excitement in her mind. A kind of fanaticism arose in her flaming eyes in contrast to the usual limpid state, which seemed to burn Chen Zong at this moment. “Are you willing to learn swordsmanship with me?”

Chen Zong was frozen for a while for he was intensively shocked. He could read a zeal for sword in her eyes.

“Shall we have a formal ceremony?” Chen Zong asked.

“That won’t be necessary. I just want to witness a genius growing up.” Great expectation could be found in her eyes.

“Of course.” Chen Zong agreed with solemnity.

“All right, a spare room is available at my house. You can either move or stay in your present one.” Chen Chuyun proposed frankly.

“I’ll stay in my present room.” Chen Zong answered without any hesitation because he didn’t want to make any trouble for her.

“Whatever you like. But you must practice swordsmanship here for three hours every day.” Chen Chuyun had no intensive desire to make him move, but the time of practice was compulsory. Chen Zong had no objection to it at all.

From the beginning of martial art training, he kept making progress mainly by his own effort without tutorship except from his father. Right now, a master-hand wished to guide him. It was certainly a chance that he had been seeking long time but failed to get it before.

“Let’s begin now.” Chen Chuyun was vigorous and speedy. “Foundation-Eighteen Types.”

Chen Zong felt puzzled.

“It is absolutely beneficial to other swordsmanship if you are proficient in it.” Chen Chuyun remarked affirmatively.

Chen Zong practiced it presently. He had a very clear memory of her demonstration. At first, his movement was slow. His action was somewhat not standard enough. Chen Chuyun gave directions. The second time was coming close to faultless. The third time was speeding up.

Tenthly, movement cooperated with the sword, clearly brandishing each type, which reflected the whole body as though he had practiced over thousands of times 

“You are really a genius.” Her eyes seemed to melt steel.

Chen Chuyun called a stop when the practice came to the twentieth time. She brought him to a corner of the courtyard where a timber frame like the horizontal bar stood. There was a row of wooden beads hanging on it. The size of the biggest one equaled an egg, while the smallest one was like a soybean.

“Swordsmanship has four key words. They are of fundamental importance. Fast, stable, accurate and ferocious!” Her mighty voice was like a sharp sword. 

“Only fast enough, you can attack your opponent at the speed which makes him hard to defend effectively.”

“Only if you are accurate enough, can you be a crack shot without deviation.”

“Only if you are stable enough, can you refuse to lose and accomplish with ease.”

“Only if you are ferocious enough, can you kill enemies and blaze a trail.”

Four short sentences made Chen Zong tremble as though he encountered a lightning stroke with his pupils dilating and contracting. A storm seemed to form in his heart.

“No matter whatever swordsmanship you practice, the final purpose is to kill your enemy and protect yourself. It is crucial.”

“Your arms will be tied up with heavy sheet iron, five kilogram from now on so as to practice fast. The weight can only be increased, but not be decreased.” Chen Chuyun picked up a piece of sheet iron, black and thin and said. “It is made of ma.s.sy steel. It weighs ten times than normal iron stuff, which made it suitable for training.”

Chen Zong felt not much of a difference when the sheet iron was tied up with his arms at first, but past experiences of burden-training let him know the longer training time lasted, the more obvious the feeling would be.

“The purpose of stabbing the timber bead is to practice your accuracy.”

“When your sword catches the smallest one, it marks an Initial Achievement.” Chen Zong perceived a glaring flash when she was lecturing. A tiny spot appeared in the center of a timber bead in soybean size. The bead seemed to be fixed firmly, absolutely still. Chen Zong sucked in a breath for his extremely terrified inner world.

A split second was enough for Chen Chuyun to draw her sword, stabbed the bead and plugged back. It was incredibly fast. He could only catch a flash of the sword although his eyesight had been transformed. Rivaling against her allowed him no response but death.  

The sword was so swift, hitting the center of the timber bead without crack and shift, which was something more difficult, and indicated that her random stabbing contained precise accuracy and had an amazing control over force.  

It was a stab that completely explained rapidity, accuracy and stability.

“This move is very simple but overcomes thousands of other types.” Chen Zong said to himself with excitement. “If I can combine something involved in it with my practice for higher speed, accuracy and stability, my swordsmanship will undoubtedly be much more powerful.”

His reflection satisfied Chen Chuyun a lot.

Swordsmanship practice needed enough enthusiasm and devotion apart from the pre-existing talent.

“Start with the biggest bead.” Chen Chuyun walked backwards in order to leave him enough room.

Chen Zong took a deep breath. He walked to the egg-sized timber bead, and fixed his gaze on it from a distance. He adjusted his gesture slowly till he found the best position to stab.   

Holding his breath and keeping a close watch on the bead, he twisted his arm and stabbed. 

With Initial Achievement of the Eight-Types of Real Sword, Chen Zong had no difficulty in doing it. Besides, living experiences over twenty days in wind-howling forest witnessed his similar actions such as stabbing fishes and chopping limbs which could train his accuracy as well. 

A stab spotted the wooden bead to crack.

Chen Chuyun nodded imperceptibly.

Plugging back his sword, Chen Zong aimed at another bead, which was the second biggest. He adjusted himself and stabbed.

After successfully making the third biggest crack, Chen Zong failed to hit the fourth biggest one, only sc.r.a.ping it.

“Your moves are neither fast nor accurate enough. Go on practicing for one hour.” Chen Chuyun criticized unceremoniously although deep down she considered Chen Zong performed very well in his first attempt. In case he bred arrogance, to praise too much was not acceptable.

Chen Zong also was not satisfied with his speed or accuracy for even the biggest limber bead required preparation. He was not skillful enough.

His goal was to stab the smallest bead like Chen Chuyun with ease and exquisitely controlled force.

Repeated practice caused great pain, making him powerless. And then came the stability practice.

Training stability was to firmly grasp sword-handle first, then protruding the arm and the sword with a five kilogram iron ball in a straight line. At beginning, it had no difficulty at all. But elapsing time gradually brought pain to the right arm of Chen Zong as if the large tendon in it were being pulled, almost broken. Chen Zong bit the bullet and held on.

Five minutes later, Chen Zong’s right arm went numb so that he had to put the sword down for a break. After ma.s.saging his right arm in a warm and comfortable way. Chen Zong gradually recovered his senses in several minutes.

“Go on.” Chen Chuyun was a very rigorous teacher.

He practiced several times and stabbed the limber bead again.

“Time’s up. You may come tomorrow.” Chen Chuyun demanded.

“Coach, Bye.” Chen Zong took a bow formally. He appreciated a lot for her guide despite no mentorship ceremony.

Leaving the courtyard at a brisk pace, Chen Zong felt that the sunshine today was extraordinarily bright.