Tears streamed down his face, tears streaming down his face. The only thought Lu Yuan had now was that tears were streaming down his face.

He hadn't been serious enough before; only now, applying himself, did he realize his magical power was mediocre, his swordsmanship average, nothing worth boasting about. Among the Ten Great True Disciples, his ranking must be quite low.

Having been lazy and careless normally, he only realized the truth of his skill when he genuinely cared, a realization that brought tears to his eyes. He needed to work hard.

If he didn't strive now, he would be bullied right to his doorstep, and his Master’s reputation would be completely tarnished. Everyone has a temper, after all.

Now that he was forced into such a predicament, his temper naturally had to rise. No more talk, just effort.

"Ninth Junior Brother, let's begin the drill." To practice swordsmanship, one naturally needed a sparring partner. However, finding a good partner was difficult.

The strength of the Elder generation was too high; a casual move or two could annihilate him. In such absolute disparities of power, nothing could be practiced; such exchanges were meaningless.

As for ordinary disciples, their strength was too low. Ordinary disciples had not received the true teachings, their cultivation methods and sword arts were inferior; they were no match for him.

So, going around, the choices were limited. Essentially, only the True Disciples made worthy opponents.

And these True Disciples tended to stick to their own cliques. If you weren't close friends, no one would spar with you.

Fortunately, he had a decent relationship with Ninth Junior Brother Ye Fang and Tenth Junior Brother Ye Yuan, forming a small circle. Finding these two to practice swords with would not be hard.

"I can spar with you," Ye Fang said, not at all resembling the outwardly refined gentlemanly swordsman he pretended to be. "For the next month, you, Sixth Senior Brother, will be responsible for fetching wine from down the mountain." Naturally, there were no taverns on North Peak; this was an Immortal cultivation ground, so selling alcohol was out of the question.

Getting wine meant diligently walking down the mountain. And for the disciples of the tenth generation, who couldn't yet fly on their swords, descending the mountain on foot was no easy feat.

"Deal," Lu Yuan agreed immediately. Ye Fang struck instantly, his first move a flash of cold light, sword shadows swirling—such speed.

Both Ye Fang and Lu Yuan practiced the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud. However, Ye Fang struck first, preempting the attack.

"Cloud Intent Spreads Thinly," "Great Wind Rises Heavily," "Cloud Entangles, Sword Obstructs," "The Wind Rises!"... "Heavy Clouds, Urgent Wind," "Wind Passes Mountains and Rivers, Leaving No Trace"...

The One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud. In Ye Fang’s hands, the entire sequence of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud was unleashed.

Every move was exquisitely precise. Likewise, Lu Yuan countered with the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

Since they were both Ten Great True Disciples practicing North Peak's most famous sword art, as the exchange continued, Lu Yuan noticed something strange: flaws occasionally appeared in the moves used by both him and Ye Fang. Of course, because their mastery of the sword art was still shallow, even when flaws appeared, they could only be used to slightly press the advantage, not to secure an instant victory.

And when his own swordplay showed weakness, his advantage would diminish. Why would sword moves have flaws?

Lu Yuan pondered. Every sword move must have a flaw; that was obvious.

No sword move in existence was flawless—a little thought made that clear. However, some moves' flaws appeared in the later stages.

What if one could divide a sword sequence into segments, skipping the parts where flaws emerged and only executing what was necessary? The sword move is static, so why must the person be static?

This thought flashed through Lu Yuan's mind. He tried hard to implement it, but found it far from easy.

Yet, achieving it even a few times left Ye Fang flustered. This idea evidently worked.

But he couldn't instantly transition from using half a move into the next one; connecting the sequences wasn't simple. Everything sounds easy in theory but is hard in practice.

This is precisely why 'knowing is easy, doing is hard.' These sword moves had been practiced for six years. Suddenly trying to modify six years of habit by using only half a move was no simple task.

Lu Yuan felt it was time to seek his Master's guidance on the principles of the sword. "Sixth Senior Brother, don't forget the wine." Since no victor was decided, Lu Yuan left in a hurry.

Ye Fang just shrugged, reminding Lu Yuan about the wine. "No problem," Lu Yuan called back.

He felt a glimmer of comprehension now and was eager to seek his Master's counsel. —————— A grey scabbard, a black hilt, hanging on the wall.

Even still, this sword exuded a sense of absolute stillness. This was the main chamber of the Evergreen Residence.

Although birds sang and flowers bloomed outside the window, filling the view with vibrant green, the interior felt overwhelmingly quiet because of this sword’s presence. Lu Yuan knew this was his Master’s famed weapon in the cultivation world of the Great Jin Kingdom: the Twilight Sword.

His Master’s title among the Six Sword Immortals of North Peak was Twilight Sword, Li Yuanbai. He drew his gaze back to his Master.

His Master’s face seemed even older now. After listening to Lu Yuan’s explanation, Master Li Yuanbai spoke slowly, "The realm of swordsmanship can generally be divided into four levels." "The first level is where you are now: the sword move is dead, and the person is dead." "The second level is where the sword move is dead, but the person is alive; the person is not rigidly bound by the move." Hearing this, a flash of realization crossed Lu Yuan’s heart—it was the very insight he gained while sparring with Ye Fang: the move is dead, but the person is alive.

One does not need to execute the entire set of sword techniques; finishing only the necessary moves suffices. Of course, realizing the second realm of swordsmanship and actually achieving it were entirely different matters.

It was the same old saying: knowing is easy, doing is hard. "The third level is Sword Intent.

However, this realm is exceptionally difficult to grasp. Those who struggle to reach it are already quite formidable masters.

When I was one hundred and sixteen years old, I grasped Sword Intent. After comprehending it, my sword skill level increased dramatically, eventually placing me among the Six Sword Immortals of North Peak," Li Yuanbai stated.

"But grasping this realm is exceedingly rare; even many Ninth Generation Elders have not attained it. In the entire North Peak, fewer than ten Ninth Generation Elders have comprehended Sword Intent.

As for your generation of disciples, not a single one has grasped it yet, not even your Eldest Senior Brother or Second Senior Brother." "The fourth level is a legendary realm: Ultimate Sword Intent. Once Ultimate Sword Intent is grasped, all things under heaven—vegetation, earth, stone—can be channeled into the sword, transforming into an overwhelming torrent of sword techniques; it is the highest realm of swordsmanship," Li Yuanbai shook his head.

"But that level is legendary; there is no known record of anyone successfully achieving it. It exists only in myth." Listening to Master Li Yuanbai, waves surged within Lu Yuan.

Swordsmanship actually had so many levels! And he was only at the first level.

He truly needed to work hard, Lu Yuan thought, his eyes brightening. Li Yuanbai continued his explanation, his heart warming with satisfaction.

His disciple was finally showing initiative. Of course, he understood his disciple’s temperament; Lu Yuan was determined to slap back the faces of Sima Changbai and Sima Hao now, which was why he was striving so hard.

Once that goal was met, he would likely revert to his lazy habits. But even a period of effort was beneficial.

His own time was short; the more of these supreme skills he could pass on, the better. (The narrator is supposedly too composed and won't ask for votes, but this book is clearly aiming for the rankings.

To become familiar with the essential skill of asking for votes, I shall begin practicing now. Hey!

One, two, three! Send your recommendation tickets flying!

Favorites, rewards—the more the merrier.)