Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

As soon as Yin Zhiping finished speaking, the martial arts hall fell silent.

Behind him followed a panting disciple, who was none other than Yin Zhiping, the disciple who had secretly slipped out to report Zhao Zhijing's bias earlier. Yesterday, he had seen Li Zhichang leading Su Yan to his residence in the sect and knew that Su Yan was someone specially taken care of by Master Qiu. Today, seeing that Zhao Zhijing was clearly biased towards Wang Chengye, he hurriedly sought out Yin Zhiping.

Yin Zhiping had originally planned to come over after the morning class to check on Su Yan's progress. After all, Su Yan was a disciple personally entrusted by Master Qiu Chuji to be tested. Although he had no intention of competing with Zhao Zhijing, Su Yan was still someone personally entrusted by Master. He happened to run into a messenger disciple and rushed over, just in time to witness Zhao Zhijing's absurd act of betting with Xiao Nian'erba.

"Senior Brother Zhao"

Yin Zhiping walked into the center of the field, his gaze calm yet carrying an undeniable force.

"Junior Brother Su has only been in the sect for a few days, and has only been learning the Quanzhen Swordplay for less than a week, and has only learned the seven moves of the first style taught by Grandmaster Qiu; Junior Brother Wang has been in the sect for two months, and has already mastered the swordplay. This competition is already unfair, so how can we use the disciples' fate as a wager?"

He turned to look at Xiao Nianba and added.

"Furthermore, this girl was personally instructed by Grandmaster Qiu to be temporarily placed with Junior Brother Su, with the stipulation that everything would be decided after he returned in a month to complete the assessment. Although she is nominally a servant, she is not actually included in the sect's servant allocation and is not bound by the rule of 'serving formal disciples as servants,' so how can there be any talk of 'being placed under the sect's arrangement'?"

Zhao Zhijing's face turned pale and then red. He hadn't expected Yin Zhiping to arrive so quickly and speak so clearly. He had always been at odds with Yin Zhiping, but he didn't dare to openly disobey Qiu Chuji's wishes, so he could only grit his teeth and say...

"Since Senior Brother Yin has spoken, then let's drop the bet. But sparring is a common occurrence within the sect. Since Junior Brother Su has a conflict with Junior Brother Wang, he must have some confidence. Let's take this opportunity to test each other and let the disciples learn the subtleties of the Quanzhen Swordplay."

Su Yan understood that Zhao Zhijing was not willing to let the matter rest and was determined to embarrass him in public. He stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"This disciple obeys the teachings and wishes to exchange ideas with Senior Brother Wang."

His tone was calm and composed, without the slightest hint of fear. Having faced life and death in chaotic times, this scene was nothing more than a minor incident for him.

Soon, a servant disciple brought two unsealed standard longswords, their blades wrapped in blue cloth, exuding a cold, hard metallic feel.

Wang Chengye snatched the sword away, impatiently ripped off the blue cloth, and drew the long sword with a sharp clang. He stared arrogantly at Su Yan.

"Don't cry if you lose later!"

Su Yan took the other sword, his movements slow and steady. His fingertips traced the spine of the blade, feeling its weight. His internal energy circulated slightly within his dantian, the basic breathing techniques of the Quanzhen School quietly flowing, gradually filling his blood and qi. Yin Zhiping walked to his side and whispered encouragement.

"The Quanzhen Swordplay emphasizes balance and tranquility. Your external martial arts foundation is solid. You only need to calm your mind and integrate the moves with your qi and blood. There's no need to rush."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Yin."

Su Yan nodded his thanks, his heart stirred slightly. Yin Zhiping's advice had hit the nail on the head. He had been used to the fierce and violent fighting style of the Su family sword technique, and the smoothness of the Quanzhen sword technique did require him to deliberately restrain his strength.

By this time, the news from the martial arts hall had already spread, and many disciples who had finished their morning lessons flocked over, crowding around and standing on tiptoe to watch, with discussions rising and falling.

"Have you heard? The new junior brother Su is going to have a Quanzhen swordsmanship contest with Wang Chengye!"

"Wang Chengye has been practicing for two months, while Junior Brother Su has only been learning for a few days. How can he possibly win?"

"It's hard to say. I've heard that Junior Brother Su is someone Grandmaster Qiu values; he might actually have real skills!"

Little Nianba stood at the edge of the crowd, her little hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her eyes full of worry, but she dared not make a sound to disturb him, and could only silently cheer for Su Yan.

Yin Zhiping walked to the high platform in the center of the martial arts hall and sat down, speaking in a deep voice.

"Duel Rules: Only Quanzhen Swordplay may be used. The fight will end when the opponent is touched, and vital organs must not be injured. Violators will be dealt with according to the sect's rules."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wang Chengye shouted and thrust his long sword straight at Su Yan's heart. It was the first move of the Quanzhen Swordplay, "White Clouds Emerging from the Mountain." Although he was not a master of it, it still had a certain lightness and agility.

He practiced for two months and his moves were already quite proficient. Although the transitions between sword moves were not perfectly smooth, they were fluid, which showed that he had put in a lot of effort.

Su Yan's heart skipped a beat. He subtly activated his footwork, sliding half a foot to the side and back, barely avoiding the sword's edge. At this moment, he only mastered one form of the Quanzhen Swordplay, seven moves, and his proficiency was only [C-level (incomplete) - Quanzhen Swordplay (beginner, 95/200)]. Although he didn't know his level within the sect, it was certainly far inferior to Wang Chengye's proficiency after two months of practice. He could only focus on dodging for now.

Seeing that his first attack had missed, Wang Chengye launched an even fiercer offensive, followed by the second move, "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun." His longsword slashed down with tremendous force, clearly showing that he had only scratched the surface of the Quanzhen sword technique's balance of strength and gentleness.

Su Yan dared not take the blow head-on. He lowered his waist and fell off his horse, blocking with his long sword. With a clang, the two swords collided, sparks flying everywhere.

Although Wang Chengye's internal strength was shallow, he used the momentum of the sword strike to make Su Yan's wrist slightly numb.

Su Yan thought to himself: Although Wang Chengye is a playboy, he is not completely incompetent. His skills have indeed been solid in the past two months. He dared not be negligent and focused his mind, breaking down the moves of the Quanzhen Swordplay and slowly responding to each move.

"Three rings encircling the moon!"

Wang Chengye shouted again, his longsword flashing three times as he thrust at Su Yan's left shoulder, throat, and lower abdomen. The swordplay was cunning and clearly showed that he had honed his skills diligently.

Su Yan took a deep breath, circulated his internal energy in his dantian, and channeled his qi and blood to his limbs, displaying the reaction speed of a third-rate martial artist.

Without dodging or avoiding, he thrust his longsword vertically, precisely striking the spine of Wang Chengye's sword. Using the recoil, he retreated while simultaneously flipping his wrist, executing a variation of "White Clouds Emerging from the Mountain," with the tip of his sword pointing directly at Wang Chengye's wrist.

This move involved a rapid shift between offense and defense, entirely based on the combat foundation of the Su family swordsmanship, while incorporating the agility of the Quanzhen swordsmanship, drawing gasps of surprise from the surrounding disciples. Wang Chengye hadn't expected Su Yan to react so quickly, and hurriedly withdrew his sword to parry, but was overwhelmed by Su Yan's sword momentum and forced to retreat repeatedly.

The proficiency level on the panel jumped rapidly: [Grade C (Incomplete) - Quanzhen Swordplay (Beginner, 113/200)]

Su Yan was overjoyed; real combat was indeed the fastest way to improve proficiency. He stopped passively dodging and instead used each exchange to study the connection points of the Quanzhen Swordplay.

Although Wang Chengye's sword techniques were skilled, he lacked the support of his vital energy, and his strength gradually waned. On the other hand, Su Yan, as a third-rate martial artist, had abundant vital energy, and became more and more stable as the fight went on, with his sword techniques becoming increasingly refined.

"A colorful boat floats on a light cloud!"

Wang Chengye was anxious. This was the most powerful move he had ever learned. Although he had practiced it for two months, he had only been taught four forms of the sword technique so far.

The longsword thrust diagonally at Su Yan's ribs, trying to force him to defend. Su Yan, however, advanced instead of retreating, lowering his waist and shoulders, the longsword gliding past Wang Chengye's blade, a move from the Quanzhen sword technique known as "pushing the boat with the current." At the same time, he made a fist with his left hand, using the shock of his blood and qi to slam his fist into the hilt of Wang Chengye's sword.

With a clang, Wang Chengye's longsword flew out of his hand and embedded itself in a wooden stake not far away, the blade still trembling incessantly.

He stood there, stunned, his face full of disbelief, clearly not expecting to lose.

Su Yan sheathed his sword and stood still. Although his breathing was somewhat heavy, he remained calm and composed. His long sword hung at his side without the slightest arrogance.

"Senior Brother Wang, you flatter me."

A murmur arose among the surrounding disciples, some praising Su Yan's skills, while others mocked Wang Chengye for being easily defeated.

Zhao Zhijing, sitting to the side with a livid face, suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeve, and snorted coldly.

"Nonsense!"

After saying that, he left the martial arts hall without looking back, clearly harboring a grudge against Su Yan and Yin Zhiping.

Yin Zhiping stepped down from the platform, looked at Su Yan, and his eyes were full of approval.

"Good lad, you've mastered the Quanzhen Sword Technique to such a high level in just a few days, and you can even combine it with your own Qi and blood to use it flexibly. You've truly lived up to Grandmaster Qiu's expectations."

He paused, then addressed the disciples around him in a loud voice.

"Senior Brother Zhao is not feeling well today, so I will take over the rest of the martial arts instruction. The sparring between Junior Brother Su and Junior Brother Wang was for the purpose of exchange. All of you disciples should take this as a lesson, focus on your cultivation, and never bully the weak."

Su Yan bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Yin."

His gaze shifted to the little girl at the edge of the crowd. Seeing the joy on her face, he nodded slightly to reassure her.

Little Nianba ran over quickly, her eyes sparkling.

"Yan-ge'er, you're amazing!"

Su Yan patted her head, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes, and turned to look at the panel.

Host: Su Yan

Age: 16

Internal strength:

Level C - Complete Authentic Basic Breathing Techniques (Beginner, 75/200).

Martial arts:

Rank E - Su Family Sword Technique (Perfect, 12/500) [Consumable -30%, Armor Penetration +30%, Pressure +40%]

Rank E - Leap Technique (Perfect, 492/500) [Consumer Cost -30%, Agility +40%, Evasion +40%]

Rank E - Monument Smasher (Mastery, 163/400) [Consumable Cost -25%, Critical Hit +30%, Fist Power +25%]

Grade C (Incomplete) - Quanzhen Swordplay (Beginner, 146/200).

Realm: Third-rate martial artist (23%).

He saw that the proficiency of Quanzhen Swordplay had risen to [C-level (incomplete) - Quanzhen Swordplay (beginner, 146/200)], and thought to himself.

This competition is great; we should have more competitions like this.

His gaze swept over the other disciples like a wolf eyeing a sheep.

All the disciples present shuddered, as if they were being watched by something.

Inside the martial arts hall, Yin Zhiping had already walked to the center of the arena and began to explain the core principles of the Quanzhen Sword Technique. Su Yan pulled Xiao Nian'erba to find a seat and listened attentively.