My Apprentice Is Too Diligent

Chapter 38: Sparring, Mastery of Swordsmanship by Nan Jinyu

After breaking through to the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, Chen Wuji's five senses became even stronger.

From a distance of two zhang, he could sense the fluctuations of others' emotions.

Not to mention things like killing intent, murderous aura, and yin energy.

"Yin energy?" Qing Meng was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "Mr. Cheng, I didn't notice it until you mentioned it. I thought it was just Xiao Liu's spiritual weakness and physical fatigue caused by his injury. I didn't expect that there was yin energy haunting him."

"What do you mean?" Chen Wuji became interested upon hearing this. "Of course, if it's not convenient..."

"It's fine, it's fine." Qing Meng waved his hand dismissively. "There's nothing inconvenient about it. It's just that a month ago, when we went into the mountains to hunt tigers, Xiao Liu was also a member of the hunting team. When they were chasing a tiger, they accidentally fell into an ancient tomb that had collapsed over time."

"Aside from a few pottery jars and a few stones, there was nothing else in the tomb. The bodies had turned into bones and ashes."

"According to Xiao Liu and the others, the moment they fell in, they felt a cold yin aura, but it quickly dissipated, so they didn't think much of it."

"After they were injured while hunting the tiger and returned, they were mentally weak, thinking it was just excessive fatigue."

"Now that I think about it, the yin energy in that tomb should have attached itself to Xiao Liu and the others when it dissipated upon contact with the outside air!"

"I see." Chen Wuji nodded understandingly. "In that case, Qin Zhuangzhuo, you'll have to put in some effort to remove the yin energy from them. Otherwise, their mental state will be affected over time."

"Indeed, it needs to be removed." Qing Meng nodded and thanked him with clasped hands. "I'm grateful to Mr. Cheng for reminding me. Otherwise, my disciples would have suffered a lot."

"I just happened to come across it, nothing more." Chen Wuji shook his head and took his leave. "Qin Zhuangzhuo, there's no need to see me off."

"Alright, Mr. Cheng, take care."

Qing Meng stood in place and watched as Chen Wuji walked away.

Only after his figure disappeared from sight did Qing Meng return to the main gate and look for Xiao Liu and the others.

...

On the way.

After Chen Wuji had distanced himself, he entered a small alley.

Turning left and right several times, he emerged again, reverting to his original appearance and changing his clothes.

In his hand, he carried a bag containing a box, which he had covered with an outer layer.

He then leisurely walked towards the Chen Family's courtyard.

Passing by a teahouse...

"Have you heard? The Black Tiger Martial Hall has split into two, one half still called the Black Tiger Martial Hall, and the other half called the War Tiger Martial Hall."

"Heh, it's not just a split, these two Tiger Martial Halls that emerged are openly fighting each other. After Zhao Feihu died, his disciples really caused a lot of trouble. Not only did they split into two factions, but they also antagonize each other."

"They accuse each other of being responsible for Zhao Feihu's death. But the problem is, it's still uncertain whether Zhao Feihu is really dead or not!"

"After such a long time without seeing any trace of Zhao Feihu, it's safe to assume he's dead. If the body can't be found, it's probably been destroyed."

"Yes, I also think Zhao Feihu is dead. Otherwise, he wouldn't just stand by and watch his disciples split his lifelong legacy in half."

"It's good that he's dead. In my opinion, Zhao Feihu was definitely killed by his enemies seeking revenge. The Zhao family is not a good bunch. When he was young, he was ruthless and killed many people. After establishing the martial hall, he restrained himself a bit. But privately, he still killed. It is said that fifteen years ago, he invited someone to attack and destroy the White Crane Martial Hall."

"You know about this? Without evidence, you can't spread rumors like this. Although it's highly probable that Zhao Feihu is dead now, he still has disciples."

"With those few disciples of his, if they can hold onto their respective martial hall properties, it would be considered good. They still want to seek revenge? They're thinking too much. I know about this secret because when the White Crane Martial Hall was destroyed, my cousin happened to live next door to it and witnessed the process of its downfall. He heard the name of Zhao Feihu being shouted when the martial hall resisted!"

"Hiss~ In that case, it's really possible that someone from the descendants of the White Crane Martial Hall came back for revenge."

"Now that Zhao Feihu is dead, his disciples are eager to fight each other. It seems they're not good people either."

"That's right, 'If you're not from the same family, you won't enter the same door.' If the master is like this, how good can the disciples be?"

"Hahaha..."

Laughter spread through the wind, reaching the surroundings.

Some turned their heads, some were astonished, and some were disdainful.

Chen Wuji, who was on the move, was also laughing.

The descendants of the Baihe Martial Arts Hall came to seek revenge?

Is this actively helping him take the blame?

As for the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall, it has split in half.

It is estimated that Zhao Feihu himself did not expect that before he even saw the body, his home would be in chaos.

But Chen Wuji was not surprised by this result, as he had anticipated it earlier.

That night, when he sneaked into the room of Zhao Feihu's seventh disciple and interrogated him for information, he dug up a lot of valuable information from this seventh disciple.

It can be said that out of the ten disciples Zhao Feihu took in, apart from three who were relatively good people, the rest were all vicious and greedy.

Even his daughter, who Zhao Feihu had finally managed to have after he turned forty, was the main one who would gouge out other people's eyes at the slightest provocation.

When Chen Wuji heard that these people were fighting each other, he was only happy and wished for them to kill each other.

Compared to that, Chen Wuji was more concerned about the second half of the "Blood Transformation Sword Art".

He had already broken through to the Ninth Layer of the Body Refining Realm.

The next step was to strive for the True Qi Realm.

However, his own True Qi Realm cultivation technique had not been perfected yet.

...

Liangshan.

On the mountainside, the headquarters of the Blood Sword Sect.

"How is it? Any news?" Sun Zhenyao, the sect master of the Blood Sword Sect, furrowed his brows and looked at a dusty man with a severed arm.

"No, Vice Sect Master Shi and his men seem to have disappeared from White Water County without a trace," the man with the severed arm shook his head.

"He wants to leave, to run, let him be! But we can't lose the 'Blood Transformation Sword Art'!" Sun Zhenyao gritted his teeth and said in a resentful tone, "That bastard Shi Ying stole the first half of the 'Blood Transformation Sword Art', he deserves to die!"

"Keep searching! Find that man with the surname Shi! Whether he's alive or dead, even if Shi Ying is dead, we must find the 'Blood Transformation Sword Art' and bring it back to the sect!"

"Yes, Sect Master!" The man with the severed arm first respectfully responded, then hesitated and cautiously said, "Um, Sect Master, the first half of the 'Blood Transformation Sword Art' that was lost, many of our people already know its contents. We can rewrite it, isn't that enough? As for..."

"You don't understand," Sun Zhenyao raised his hand and interrupted, "In any case, we must find the 'Blood Transformation Sword Art' that Shi Ying stole. Don't ask about anything else."

"Yes!"

...

Chen Family courtyard.

After Chen Wuji bought the tiger heart, he immediately prepared another batch of Seven Treasures Tiger Heart Soup.

There were plenty of medicinal materials provided by the Li family, enough to make a large amount of Seven Treasures Tiger Heart Soup.

The only thing that was lacking each time was the tiger heart.

Hunting tigers at the Hunting Tiger Mountain Villa also took time.

Chen Wuji had a plan for this, and he would prepare accordingly.

While waiting for the soup to be ready, he continuously expanded his dantian and expanded his Qi Sea without stopping.

Compared to the earlier stages of the Body Refining Realm, it was a test of the body.

In the end, the First Layer was exhausting mentally.

Fortunately, with the assistance of three precious jade stones, Chen Wuji's mental fatigue was greatly reduced.

Coupled with the stimulation of mastering multiple martial arts techniques to perfection, the speed of opening up his Qi Sea was pleasingly fast.

Therefore, after completing the Blood Transformation twice more, reaching a total of five Blood Transformations, the progress of opening up his Qi Sea was almost one step per day.

In just half a month, the space in his dantian expanded to the size of a large pond, and the number of vortexes in his Qi Sea increased from one circle to five circles.

At this point, Chen Wuji slowed down slightly and paused his advancement.

The non-stop cultivation day and night had exhausted his mental strength, and his head was starting to ache a little.

If it weren't for Chen Wuji's five Blood Transformations, mastery of multiple martial arts techniques, and the solid foundation he had built, anyone else would have long gone mentally unstable or even collapsed from such rapid progress in a short period of time.

It's not easy for one's state of mind to stabilize.

Now that the sea is open, halfway through, I can finally take a break.

...

After coming out of the underground training room, Chen Wuji went to take a shower first, then changed into new clothes and took a walk in the yard.

After a while, he went to the kitchen to prepare some food to reward his internal organs.

Finally, he strolled towards the training grounds of his disciples.

Most of the time, his disciples were practicing in the martial arts arena.

When Chen Wuji arrived, he happened to see Nan Jinyu sparring with Chen Yifan, one with a sword and the other with a knife, engaging in a lively exchange.

Su Dayong and Duan Zhen were watching quietly on the side.

When Chen Wuji approached, the two of them didn't notice at first. It was Nan Jinyu who suddenly accelerated, disarmed Chen Yifan's knife, and then bowed to Chen Wuji, calling out. Only then did the two of them realize it, turned around, and hurriedly called out.

"Master!"

"Master, you're here."

"Mm." Chen Wuji nodded calmly and asked, "Where are the second and sixth disciples?"

"Second junior sister and sixth junior sister went to attend a banquet. Little Eight is in her own courtyard and refuses to come out." Su Dayong answered.

Refuses to come out? That must be Nie Xiaoxiao, a timid little girl.

Chen Wuji understood and asked in confusion, "A banquet? Whose banquet?"

"Miss Li, Li Qingyan's exchange meeting." Su Dayong replied, "It invited the daughters of influential families in the county. Originally, the third junior sister was also invited, but she declined."

"I want to practice swordsmanship. I don't have time to attend any exchange meetings." Nan Jinyu interjected.

"...Martial arts training requires moderation." Chen Wuji glanced at her and said calmly, "Attending this kind of social gathering for young ladies is not a bad thing. It can help you relax and make a few friends."

"Disciple understands." Nan Jinyu nodded in response.

As for whether she actually listened or not, only she herself knew.

Chen Wuji didn't insist.

"For normal social gatherings, you can attend. But for certain ulterior motive banquets, you can skip them. Have you three heard me?"

"Disciples understand!"

Su Dayong, Chen Yifan, and Duan Zhen all responded in unison.

Seeing this, Chen Wuji nodded.

He raised his hand and smoothly drew the long sword from Duan Zhen's waist, walking towards Nan Jinyu.

"They are not your opponents. Today, I will be your opponent. Attack as much as you want, without holding back or worrying."

Swish!

Nan Jinyu's eyes lit up, she clasped her fists and bowed, "Thank you, Master!"

That's right.

When sparring with Chen Yifan, Duan Zhen, Han Ying, and others, Nan Jinyu always held back, afraid of injuring her opponents.

But with Chen Wuji, she didn't have to worry about that.

"Whoosh!"

Without saying a word, Nan Jinyu swung her sword and stepped forward, charging towards Chen Wuji.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of swords produced sparks.

Chen Wuji held the sword with one hand, defending against Nan Jinyu's attacks.

Most of the time, he was on the defensive, not attacking. Only occasionally, he made a few probing moves, forcing Nan Jinyu to defend.

With Chen Wuji feeding her moves, Nan Jinyu completely let go, using her Rainstorm Sword Technique with a continuous and unending barrage, wave after wave, pouring down on Chen Wuji, engulfing him completely.

Dang dang dang!

After a few moves, Chen Wuji discovered that this girl's Storm Rain Sword Technique was about to reach perfection.

Sword Dao's Favor.

A true genius of Sword Dao.

If it weren't for Chen Wuji's complete mastery of swordsmanship and the suppression of the same level of cultivation, it would be difficult to easily withstand it.

"Dang dang dang!"

Sword qi filled the air, slashing and cutting the ground.

Su Dayong, Chen Yifan, and Duan Zhen had already retreated to a distance, watching the two people on the field with astonishment and envy.

"Sister Three is amazing. She has such strength after practicing swordsmanship for such a short time," Chen Yifan sighed.

"Now I know how strong Sister Three's true strength is," Su Dayong agreed.

"I wouldn't last three moves," Duan Zhen concisely stated.

"But it seems like Sister Three's swordsmanship is about to break through," Duan Zhen added.

"No..."

Hoo!

Bang bang bang~

Suddenly, a series of air-ripping sounds burst out on the field.

The three looked up and saw that the air around Nan Jinyu seemed to have been punctured, deflating like a leak, bursting continuously.

The continuous and spectacular scene made Su Dayong and the others widen their eyes in disbelief.

"Did... did her swordsmanship break through?" Chen Yifan exclaimed with his mouth agape.

"This... is the Storm Rain Sword Technique reaching perfection?" Su Dayong marveled, "Amazing, it's too amazing!"

"Yes."

On the field, Chen Wuji, who had stepped aside, sheathed his sword and nodded in satisfaction, "With the swordsmanship reaching perfection, your cultivation should also be close to breaking through to the Body Refining Fifth Layer."

Nan Jinyu didn't respond immediately.

Instead, she stood in place, comprehending and understanding the sword technique. After a while, she sheathed her sword and faced Chen Wuji, respectfully bowing.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Reaching perfection in swordsmanship is not the end, achieving mastery in swordsmanship is," Chen Wuji said calmly, "When both of your sword techniques reach mastery, you will comprehend a different scenery of Sword Dao."

Nan Jinyu pondered for a moment and nodded firmly.

"Haha, that girl will probably regret it now, right?"

"If I had known, I would have gone up earlier and let them experience my strength!"

Laughter filled the air.

Han Ying and Chen Qingning walked side by side from a distance.

Seeing the commotion on the martial arts field, they hurriedly walked a few steps and jogged to the field.

"Master!"

"Disciples greet Master."

The two bowed to Chen Wuji first.

"What's going on? What's going on? Sister Three's swordsmanship has improved again?" After greeting Chen Wuji, Chen Qingning eagerly asked.

"Yes," Su Dayong nodded, "Sister Three has made another breakthrough."

"By the way, how was your exchange today?"

"It was alright," Chen Qingning sighed lightly, "It's just that the food we prepared wasn't that great."

Su Dayong, "..."

"Don't listen to her," Han Ying laughed, "Today's exchange was very interesting and fun. Qingning even learned a palm technique on the spot, leaving everyone stunned!"

Oh?

(End of this chapter)