Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

The sword-training area on the west side of the martial arts hall was already packed with people. The bluestone pavement was humming underfoot as the disciples whispered among themselves, their eyes all focused on Su Yan in the center of the area.

He held the standard unsheathed longsword unique to the Martial Arts Hall in his hand. The blade exuded a cold, metallic feel. Although it was not fully unsheathed, it already made the surrounding disciples feel a sense of pressure.

Junior Brother Zhang and Junior Brother Li, whom he had just defeated, were still standing to the side, their faces flushed, their eyes filled with resentment and defeat as they looked at Su Yan. Su Yan sheathed his sword and stood there, his breathing steady, and nodded slightly to the two of them.

"The two senior brothers' 'White Rainbow Piercing the Sun' is quite powerful, but their breathing is sluggish when connecting to 'Three Rings Encircling the Moon'. They need to pay attention to synchronizing their breathing with their sword moves."

As soon as he finished speaking, a disciple dressed in a blue Taoist robe stepped out from the crowd. He had an arrogant expression and was none other than Junior Brother Wang, who had been a disciple for two months. He bowed to Su Yan.

"Since Junior Brother Su dares to challenge a fellow disciple, let me have a go at it!"

Having said that, he drew his longsword, a flash of cold light, and thrust it straight at Su Yan's heart; it was the first move of the Quanzhen Swordplay, "White Clouds Emerging from the Mountain Peak."

Su Yan's eyes narrowed, and he activated his leaping technique, turning his body to the side to avoid the sword's edge. At the same time, he flipped his wrist, and the longsword was drawn half an inch from its sheath, precisely striking the opponent's sword spine.

With a soft clang, Junior Brother Wang felt a numbness in his wrist, and his swordplay instantly became chaotic. Su Yan used the momentum to retreat half a step, and then changed his sword stance again, using a variation of "Going with the Flow," with the tip of his sword pointing directly at the opponent's wrist, forcing Junior Brother Wang to retreat repeatedly, and finally he had no choice but to sheathe his sword.

I lost.

The proficiency level on the panel jumped rapidly: [Grade C (Incomplete) - Quanzhen Swordplay (Beginner, 189/200)]. Su Yan was slightly pleased; actual combat was indeed a shortcut to improvement. He added to his junior brother Wang.

"Swordplay requires a balance of strength and flexibility; your excessive pursuit of speed has caused you to lose your foundation."

As the noon bell rang, Su Yan and Xiao Nianba had a simple lunch and a short rest before eagerly heading back to the sword-fighting field.

In the past, he lived a precarious life and could only improve his strength through life-or-death battles. Now, with so many fellow disciples to spar with and the opportunity to steadily increase his proficiency, how could he miss such an opportunity? Although it didn't fit his usual low-key style, the numbers jumping on the panel were too tempting. If he didn't "harvest" this wave of "leeks," he would really be letting down the cheat code he gained from transmigrating.

The sword-fighting arena became even more lively in the afternoon, and Su Yan relaxed the challenge conditions.

"Any senior or junior brother who has been practicing swordsmanship for less than a year is welcome to spar, but only until the point is reached."

Upon hearing this, the disciples were immediately eager to try.

A disciple with a buzz cut stepped forward first. The two exchanged blows for a few rounds. Su Yan, relying on the blood and reflexes of a third-rate martial artist, easily deflected the opponent's attacks, struck the sword with his backhand, and laughed.

"Senior brother's 'Colorful Boat and Light Clouds' sword technique is off-center; you need to lower your waist and drop off your horse to stabilize your center of gravity."

Several disciples who were not from Zhao Zhijing's lineage stepped forward to spar, but were all easily defeated by Su Yan. He also kept his word, pointing out the flaws in their sword moves and suggesting ways to improve them. Many disciples benefited greatly and bowed to Su Yan in gratitude, making the atmosphere even more harmonious.

But this harmony was seen as a blatant humiliation by the disciples of Zhao Zhijing's lineage. A disciple dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe stepped forward through gritted teeth.

"Su Yan, you deliberately targeted my disciples. Do you really think we're easy to bully?"

Su Yan frowned slightly, her tone indifferent.

"I am not targeting any particular lineage of disciples; I am simply using the length of sword practice as the dividing line. If you feel this is unfair, you are welcome to have fellow disciples who have practiced swordsmanship for a full year come forward."

As soon as he finished speaking, three disciples stepped out from the crowd. They were all from Zhao Zhijing's lineage and had been practicing swordsmanship for about a year. The leader of the disciples sneered.

"Since you don't know what's good for you, then we'll show you what we're capable of!"

The three took turns attacking, and Su Yan calmly responded. Although he had not yet mastered the Quanzhen sword technique, his solid foundation in external martial arts and combat experience allowed him to always seize the opponent's weaknesses. He would either deflect the force with a sword strike or dodge to the side, then seize the opportunity to counterattack. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all three disciples were defeated. One of them even had his longsword knocked away by Su Yan's sword, losing face completely.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

A furious shout came from outside the crowd. Zhao Zhijing, his face ashen, strode into the sword-training area, his eyes fixed on Su Yan like knives.

"Su Yan! You deliberately provoked my disciples in the martial arts arena, clearly humiliating me!"

Su Yan sheathed his sword and stood still, his expression calm.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you are mistaken."

He turned to look at the disciples around him.

"The sparring just now included disciples from your lineage as well as fellow disciples from the other six lineages. I was merely refining my swordsmanship and exchanging ideas with my fellow disciples. How could that be considered an insult?"

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of a question.

"Does Senior Brother think that losing a few sparring matches is humiliating? Or is it that Senior Brother can't accept defeat?"

"How dare you!"

Zhao Zhijing was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he pointed at Su Yan and shouted angrily.

"How dare you treat my disciples like this?"

He turned to his disciples behind him and said.

"Go ahead! Show him the true skills of my disciples!"

These disciples were all trusted confidants carefully trained by Zhao Zhijing. The one who had been practicing swordsmanship the longest had been doing so for a year and a half. Although their cultivation had not yet reached the third-rate level, their foundation was solid. One disciple rushed out first, his longsword twirling three sword flowers, performing the "Three Rings Encircling the Moon" move with impressive skill.

Su Yan dared not be careless. He gathered his blood and qi, channeling it through his limbs, and blocked with his longsword, accurately catching the opponent's sword move. With a "clang," the two swords clashed. Su Yan used the momentum to spin around, flipped his wrist, and thrust his longsword straight at the opponent's ribs, forcing the opponent to hurriedly defend.

After a few moves, Su Yan figured out his opponent's style, spotted an opening, and struck the opponent's wrist with his sword. The disciple cried out in pain and dropped his sword.

Several disciples followed suit, but were all defeated by Su Yan in similar ways. Some were struck on the wrist, while others had their swords knocked away. None of them could withstand ten moves from him.

"Bastard! Bastard!"

Zhao Zhijing was so angry that he cursed loudly, stomped his feet repeatedly at the defeated disciple, and looked at Su Yan with his eyes full of resentment.

"You just wait!"

"Brother Zhao, please calm down."

A steady voice rang out as Yin Zhiping strode into the sword-fighting arena, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, his tone calm.

"Internal sparring is a common practice, aimed at mutual improvement. Junior Brother Su pointing out a fellow disciple's weaknesses is perfectly acceptable; why get angry?"

When Zhao Zhijing saw Yin Zhiping step forward, he was angry, but he also knew that he was in the wrong. Su Yan had not restricted the sect, and the sparring was only to the point of being ineffective. His anger would only make him seem petty.

He glared at Su Yan fiercely and said through gritted teeth.

"I've taken note of what happened today!"

After saying this, he turned and left, and the disciples behind him hurriedly followed.

Su Yan watched Zhao Zhijing's departing figure and understood.

Today's events have thoroughly offended this powerful figure among the third-generation disciples. However, he does not regret it. In chaotic times, strength is the foundation for survival, and he cannot miss such an opportunity to rapidly improve his proficiency.

He 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, 198/200).

Realm: Third-rate martial artist (23%)

I'm only two steps away from mastery, and a thought flickers in my mind.

The disciples around Su Yan looked at him with a mixture of awe and admiration. Many of them wanted to step forward and spar, but Yin Zhiping stopped them with a gesture.

"It's getting late, disciples, please return to your cultivation. In the future, when we spar, let's stop when we've reached a point of mutual understanding."

Su Yan bowed to Yin Zhiping in thanks, nodded to the disciples around him, then pulled Xiao Nianba, who was already waiting at the edge of the crowd, and turned to leave the sword training ground.