Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Feng Qingyang laughed and said, "This time, Xia boy, you'll memorize it first. Let me see how talented you are!"

So he memorized another 300 characters, which Xia Zuo then recited perfectly.

To Feng Qingyang's surprise, he recited 600 words in one breath, while Xia Zuo remained completely unfazed.

Feng Qingyang kept pushing the limits, and on the fourth attempt, he recited more than 5000 characters in one go. Xia Zuo still recited it word for word, and even recited the entire 9000-character outline of the Dugu Nine Swords from beginning to end.

It's still exactly the same word.

Feng Qingyang couldn't help but clap and exclaim, "I said before that Yue was lucky, but I didn't expect him to be this lucky!"

"To have a photographic memory is already extremely rare, but who would have thought you could also understand something just by hearing it? Young man Xia, how much of what you've understood?"

Xia Zuo secretly calculated, folded his hand in half, then wiped away the collar and said, "I understand about 30%, but I'm not sure."

Feng Qingyang sighed, "Excellent, excellent, excellent! The Huashan Sect has great potential for prosperity!"

"With my talent, Feng Qingyang, it took me more than three months to memorize it back then, and it took me a full ten years to comprehend half of it. Even now, I still haven't fully grasped it."

Clearly, the old man was taken aback and couldn't help but lament, "I actually thought I was exceptionally talented, second only to the three masters Bodhidharma, Wang Chongyang, and Zhang Sanfeng, and no less than my Huashan ancestor Hao Datong."

"Now that I have seen a true genius, I realize how big the gap is between me and a grandmaster. Hehe, it's probably bigger than the gap between me and a dog."

Even the old man Feng Qingyang couldn't help but complain to himself; the impact on Linghu Chong was truly immense.

At this moment, he was completely dumbfounded, only to realize that what his Uncle Feng said was right. His proud brain was no different from a pig's head in front of a true genius.

Xia Zuo killed Tian Boguang in a flash, so fast that no one could react. Then Feng Qingyang appeared. One thing after another, giving Linghu Chong no chance to think things through.

The recitation of the sword manual of the Dugu Nine Swords had calmed Linghu Chong down, and Feng Qingyang's focused test on Xia Zuo also gave him time to recall the past.

Linghu Chong discovered that Xia Zuo left a very thin impression on him; he was almost like a familiar stranger, someone he could only nod to when they met.

In his memory, Xia Zuo was a very honest, quiet, and exceptionally hardworking but clumsy child.

Linghu Chong felt more than once that this kid's talent was too poor, and he was too dull and mature. He couldn't get along with him, and they would definitely not be on the same path in the future.

Who knew that with his master and mistress away from home today, a powerful enemy attacked the mountain gate. In this critical moment, Xia Zuo, who had been keeping a low profile and seemed ordinary, finally revealed his true colors.

Feng Qingyang turned around and asked, "Linghu boy, how much of it have you remembered?"

At this moment, Linghu Chong felt all his past pride shattered. He lowered his head dejectedly: "Uncle-Master Feng, this disciple is dull-witted and only remembered the first 900-odd words, and..."

"Moreover, I know that there must be errors or omissions in these 900 characters."

Linghu Chong's dejected appearance pleased Feng Qingyang greatly.

This brat, relying on his talent, has always looked down on everyone. Today, he learned his lesson from his junior brother and won't needlessly cause trouble and lose his life in the future.

Feng Qingyang smiled and comforted him, "Linghu boy, you don't need to be discouraged. A little monster like Xia is a once-in-a-century talent. We mortals can't compare to him."

"Wait a moment, I'll teach him once first, then send him away quickly, and then you and I can learn slowly."

After saying that, Feng Qingyang ignored Linghu Chong and said to Xia Zuo, "Boy, I don't need to worry too much about geniuses. I'll just memorize the entire sword manual, and you can go to the cave to learn swordsmanship on your own, okay?"

Xia Zuo was naturally very willing and nodded without hesitation: "Please, Master Feng, teach me the ultimate principles of swordsmanship."

Feng Qingyang clicked his tongue in amazement: "After listening to the general principles, I know that this is the ultimate truth of swordsmanship, not just a simple sword technique. You are truly remarkable."

Without waiting for a random answer, Feng Qingyang recited the sword manual of the Dugu Nine Swords, which consisted of 46,000 words and described more than 2700 variations and specific ways to deal with them.

Linghu Chong was like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden; he was overwhelmed by everything and couldn't remember anything, let alone gain any insight.

Xia Zuo was mentally prepared for this and knew that the core concept of Dugu Nine Swords was "to anticipate the enemy's moves and attack when the enemy is about to defend," thus always maintaining the initiative in the attack.

For Xia Zuo, who shared the ability of Swift Escape, this was the most suitable swordsmanship for him.

Xia Zuo gained not only power but also rich combat memories through his own efforts. By comparing these memories with the Dugu Nine Swords manual, he quickly mastered them.

I have thoroughly understood and mastered most of the "General Formula", "Sword Breaking Form", "Knife Breaking Form", "Spear Breaking Form", "Whip Breaking Form", "Rope Breaking Form", "Palm Breaking Form" and "Arrow Breaking Form".

The ninth sword technique, "Qi-Breaking Style," is far too complex to be fully mastered yet, but it's only a matter of time.

On the contrary, he had not yet fully grasped the 9000 words of the general outline.

Xia Zuo previously thought he had grasped 70% of the essence, but as his mastery of the Nine Swords deepened, he realized that his understanding of the general principles was still insufficient.

The general principles are not only applicable to swordsmanship, but can be extended to individual and even squad combat, just like the military strategy of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, and will not be eliminated due to technological and historical advancements.

From this perspective, Xia Zuo's understanding of the general principles is still far from complete; he can't even estimate how much he has actually understood.

He clearly wouldn't get any more guidance from Feng Qingyang.

So when Feng Qingyang asked if he had remembered everything, Xia Zuo nodded without hesitation.

After receiving permission, he went into the cave on his own to watch the sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the method of countering the Demonic Sect's Ten Elders.

After he left, Linghu Chong moved Tian Boguang's body and wine jars into the cave, and then received food from Lu Dayou.

After Xia Zuo declined dinner, Linghu Chong and Feng Qingyang shared their meal, and then the two continued teaching.

Compared to Xia Zuo's monstrous talent, Linghu Chong was naturally far inferior, but he still learned extremely quickly, especially mastering the "Broken Sword Style" with incredible speed, clearly demonstrating a very solid foundation in swordsmanship.

Feng Qingyang was overjoyed and praised, "Kid, you really are a genius!"

Linghu Chong lowered his head shyly and said, "Compared to Seventh Junior Brother, I am far inferior."

Feng Qingyang, puffing out his beard, glared and said, "Nonsense! This is what a genius should look like!"

"As for Xia boy, he's a monster!"

"Even I feel very insecure in his presence, so please don't mention him again."

After a while, Feng Qingyang avoided Linghu Chong and muttered to himself, "Xia Zuo's talent seems to be comparable only to that of the Venerable Zhang Sanfeng two hundred years ago."

"Perhaps the Huashan School is truly capable of producing a grandmaster in his generation."