Xiuxian: But It's Not a Game

Chapter 137: Swordsmanship Reaches New Heights.

On their first day here, they basically just watched others fight swords.

After understanding the situation the next day, Su Yu felt a little restless. It was a rare opportunity to meet so many sword masters of the same age, and it would be a waste not to spar with them. He specially took out his two flying swords, put them in their sheaths, and carried them on his back, which meant that he was willing to accept challenges from others.

Just as he slung the sword over his shoulder, a young man flew towards him, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked loudly:
"Chen Qi, may I have some guidance?"

Su Yu clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying:
"Su Yu, please enlighten me!"

"please!"

Su Yu said to Luo Qingchan beside her:
"I'll be back as soon as I go!"

The two soared into the air to a deserted spot, where there was no referee. They clasped their fists in a salute to each other and simultaneously unleashed their flying swords to attack.

Chen Qi's two flying swords were clearly seventh-tier flying swords, but Su Yu was not afraid at all and activated Thunderous Might to meet them. The four flying swords crossed each other in the blink of an eye, and a dense series of clanging sounds rang out, as dense as firecrackers.

Both sides, without prior agreement, only activated their two flying swords to engage in a fierce battle, focusing solely on swordsmanship skills and levels of swordsmanship, without using any other means other than swordsmanship.

The four flying swords crisscrossed each other at incredible speeds, their swordsmanship techniques constantly shifting and evolving within them.

Both sides used every possible sword technique to their advantage, trying to outskill their opponent. Every second, there were no fewer than ten different moves.

In terms of the grade of flying swords, Chen Qi has the advantage.

In terms of swordsmanship level, Chen Qi also has the advantage.

However, Su Yu has double the talent, and with the double bonus, the attribute bonus of the basic sword technique actually surpasses that of Chen Qi. Overall, they are evenly matched in this aspect.

When it comes to the realm of swordsmanship and swordsmanship skills, Su Yu has the advantage.

Most importantly, due to the influence of his solidified talent, his skills are not affected by any external factors, and his state is very stable.

Su Yu methodically unleashed her swordsmanship skills, devoid of emotion, relying solely on pure technique. With her superior skill and swordsmanship, she gradually gained the upper hand. Then, thanks to her innate talent, she made no mistakes, successfully expanding her advantage until she achieved absolute dominance and defeated Chen Qi.

"Concession!"

Having defeated Chen Qi head-on, Su Yu clasped his hands in a respectful bow.

Chen Qi, however, showed no sign of defeat; instead, he exclaimed excitedly:

"Brother Su's swordsmanship is superb. He did not make a single mistake from beginning to end. I am completely convinced of my defeat."

Everyone carried the flowery sedan chair, and Su Yu also praised it:

"Brother Chen's swordsmanship is also superb. I believe it won't be long before he reaches an even higher level."

"Haha, let me lend you some good words."

After exchanging compliments, the two returned. Upon their return, they saw Luo Qingchan looking at them with surprise, as if she were meeting them for the first time.

Su Yu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized what her surprise was, and smiled:

"They've praised me, so I have to praise them back, right?"

She smiled slightly, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

Before the two had exchanged more than a few words, someone else challenged him, and Su Yu readily agreed.

It turned out that sparring with someone of similar skill level had many advantages, and after several battles, he could clearly feel the improvement in his swordsmanship.

Every improvement is permanent; it won't be wasted or regressed due to a long period of inactivity.

Seeing that he was enjoying himself, Luo Qingchan also took out her flying sword and joined in the sword fight.

There's not much to do here. I have to spar with swords more than ten times a day. The opponents I encounter vary in strength. The weak ones are no match for me; they're completely overwhelmed in less than a minute.

The opponent was much stronger than him, and no matter how hard he tried, he was no match for him. He could only watch helplessly as his opponent suppressed him until he was defeated.

However, after fighting for a week and engaging in nearly a hundred sword duels, he still hadn't encountered an opponent who could rival Luo Qingchan.

It's not about swordsmanship. There are several people who can rival her in swordsmanship, and two people whose swordsmanship skills are even stronger than hers. But there is no other contestant who can comprehend the true meaning of the way of the sword. She is unique.

After each day's matches with other players, if he felt he had made slight progress, he would invite Luo Qingchan to spar, exchanging ideas and confirming their improvement over the past period.

They've always had this kind of communication; they used to chat frequently when they were leveling up or traveling and had nothing else to do, but not as often as they do now.

While they practiced their swordsmanship, a large number of flying boats would arrive from all directions every day, and hundreds of people would come every day, so the number of people gathering here was increasing.

Having more people doesn't affect them; on the contrary, new people join every day, giving them more opponents to choose from.

After a week of sword fighting, Su Yu had witnessed the diversity of people.

Most contestants have stable personalities like Chen Qi, but there are also quite a few contestants with eccentric tempers or fiery personalities.

Some people can afford to lose; if they lose, they lose and try again next time.

However, some people couldn't stand losing, and once they lost, they immediately lost face. Some even insisted on another match, leaving him speechless.

Besides these, there are also some arrogant and domineering contestants, all of whom are young people. They are probably used to being arrogant in their local area and don't restrain themselves here either, which is very annoying.

Su Yu kept his distance from such fighters, unwilling to get close to them. He preferred to exchange and spar with fighters who had normal personalities. After a week, he actually met quite a few fighters with compatible personalities and got along well with them, forming a small circle.

These friends come from different places; some are from the Blue Mountains, some from the Vientiane Islands, some from the Three Mountains Islands, and two even from further afield.

They traveled from hundreds of millions of kilometers away to the nearby Sanshan Islands via an ultra-long-distance teleportation array, and then flew over from the Sanshan Islands.

Given the distance between them, they probably wouldn't see each other again after leaving the Sword Palace, but that didn't stop them from gathering together every day to compete in swordsmanship and improve together.

Occasionally, when I get tired, I'll fly the airship over the sea and grill meat and drink on the deck.

The food is all readily available; you can simply dive down to the seabed and catch some lobsters, crabs, squid, and shellfish.

Lobsters over ten meters long, crabs with shells covering hundreds of square meters, and shellfish tens of meters long—these creatures absorb the essence of heaven and earth, resulting in exceptionally delicious meat. Paired with the various fine wines he brews, it's simply a top-tier experience.

Every time the two returned home, the second brother would see the two of them together every day with a smile on his face.

Su Yu didn't seem to mind, but girls are often shy, so she waited until he left before going out herself.

After hundreds of sword duels of the same or even higher level over half a month, Su Yu's swordsmanship, which he had been accumulating for a long time, finally made a further step forward.

The previously achieved "Small Success" in condensing swords into silk has progressed further, reaching the level of "Entering the Hall of Mastery".

The sword light also progressed further, advancing from [Beginner's Guide] to [Slightly Accomplished].

Sword Qi Thunder Sound has not improved; it is still at the "Masterful" level, but it is still some distance from the next step, "Divine Mastery."

The higher the level of swordsmanship, the greater the gap becomes, and the more difficult it is to improve.

The power bonus of sword aura thunder sound at the "Beginner Level" is 10%, at the "Slightly Accomplished" level it is 20%, at the "Master" level it is 30%, and at the "Consumer Level" it is 50%. If you can reach the "Divine" level, the bonus will jump to a staggering 100%, which is extremely exaggerated and naturally very difficult to improve.

[Entering the Inner Chamber] - Condensing Sword into Silk, Armor Penetration +3.

The sword light of "[Small Success]" can be divided into ten sword energies at once.

Of course, this is just data. In reality, as swordsmanship improves, sword energy becomes more compressed and solid, which can greatly enhance the strength of sword energy and flying swords.

Furthermore, the sword energy is condensed and shrunk, making the finger-thick sword energy extremely concealable in certain environments, which can be surprisingly effective in surprise attacks and assassinations.

As the level of swordsmanship increases, the sword energy shrinks continuously. If one can reach the stage of divine skill, the sword energy can be compressed to the thickness of a thin iron wire. Combined with the extremely fast speed of the sword energy, if one's reaction is slow, one may not even be able to see the sword energy before being hit.

"Not bad!"

Su Yu pinched her chin and said to Luo Qingchan:
"I've just made some progress in my swordsmanship, would you like to spar?"

"Okay!"

She readily agreed.

Time passed, and before they knew it, the day the Sword Palace would open arrived.

One morning, Su Yu, who usually left early, stayed obediently on the Azure Boat. Su Huan was speaking to them with a serious expression:

"The Sword Palace is now open. You can use the sword talisman to teleport in at any time. Remember to abide by the rules inside the Sword Palace."

"Also, don't leave immediately after the assessment. There are many sword immortals staying in the Sword Palace, including a large number of Earth Immortals and two hidden Celestial Immortals. If your assessment results are not ideal, don't give up. You can go and wander around these sword immortals to see if any of them are interested in taking on disciples. If you can become their disciple, you can also obtain advanced sword techniques."

"Ok!"

After giving his instructions, the second brother waved his hand and said:

"You can get ready to leave. I'll wait for you outside."

Su Yu nodded, took out the sword talisman and activated it. An invisible force expanded and enveloped him, distorting space. In a turn, his vision changed, and he appeared in front of a vast palace.

It was a magnificent palace suspended above the churning clouds, carved entirely from flawless white jade, resembling a jade palace formed from the snow-capped peaks of Kunlun. The jade walls shimmered with a lustrous light, and the sun shone brightly in the sky, cascading down in seven-colored rays.

The palace eaves soar nine times, with precious bells hanging from the corners of each eave, surrounded by ancient seal script. Whenever a gentle breeze blows, there are hidden purple lightning and golden light that scatter the evil spirits from all directions.

The bottom of the celestial palace is a bottomless abyss, supported by endless rolling clouds and mist.

Above the clouds, a thousand-step jade platform leads directly to the main gate of the celestial palace. The steps are engraved with ancient seal script. On either side of the gate stand a row of fierce-looking giants holding weapons, their imposing aura spreading like a tide.

Su Yu's gaze fell on these furious giants, and attributes appeared on them.

Giant Spirit Divine Weapon (Legend): Divine General, Level 260, a guardian of the Immortal Palace of an ancient immortal.

Attributes: 30000 million HP, 200 million MP, 150 million Attack Power, 2000 km/h Speed; Skills: Mountain Moving Divine Technique, Vajra Body Protection Technique, Nine Heavens Giant Spirit Refining Form Technique, Law of Heaven and Earth, Heavenly Thunder Refining Demon Divine Power, Heavenly Furnace Forging Gold True Technique.

Magical artifacts: Giant Spirit Halberd (Tier 9), Giant Spirit Armor (Tier 9).

"Outrageous!"

There are twelve such divine weapons on each side, totaling twenty-four. If they were to unite, even a celestial being could withstand them.

The gates of the celestial palace have been opened, and through the gates one can only see a vast vortex of starry sky, unable to discern what lies within.

(End of this chapter)