Ten Directions Sword Master

Bailu Academy, Guanyu Sword Pavilion, No. 7 Sword Hall (Class B).

The sword light was sharp and swift, twisting and turning as it pleased, transforming into countless sword circles, layer upon layer, seemingly with endless variations and profound sword techniques hidden within.

Once trapped, it's like a clay ox sinking into the sea—gone forever, leaving no trace, swallowed whole.

After practicing several times, not a single sword move was repeated, and the technique was full of vitality.

If a swordsmanship expert were here, he would be astonished to find that the academy had produced such a skilled swordsman as this young man.

"Excellent, excellent swordsmanship! Young Master Lu, your swordsmanship is truly a feast for the eyes. I don't think it's inferior to the so-called Four Prodigies of the Academy!"

With a few rounds of applause, the sword light faded, and Lu Li tossed a three-foot-long green sword into the sword case.

He obtained the Sun-Covering Sword from the Compass Hall by exchanging merit points he had accumulated through countless near-death missions, which left him penniless.

Each time you return from a mission, you will briefly stop in a starry sky hall where you can exchange for cultivation techniques, divine weapons, treasures, and elixirs, as long as you have merit points.

Weapons are ranked from low to high as ordinary weapons, sharp weapons, precious weapons, and divine weapons.

The Sun-Covering Sword, a top-grade weapon, was a bit too much for Lu Li; it shouldn't be something he could afford.

Therefore, he usually left the Sun-Covering Sword in the Starry Sky Palace and only carried a low-grade weapon-level Hundred-Refined Green Steel Sword.

The Lu family's ancestors were originally boatmen who only learned some rudimentary martial arts skills. However, they were determined and practiced diligently for thirty years, eventually cultivating the most common martial arts technique, Iron Shirt, to an extremely high level.

With his superb martial arts skills, he fought his way across both banks of the Lansha River, formed a boat guild, and made a great name for himself.

After the Lu family of Pengcheng rose to prominence, in addition to the improved version of Iron Shirt passed down from their ancestors, they also collected many exquisite martial arts techniques. However, most of the clan members still practiced the style of large-scale, powerful movements and physical training.

After waking up, Lu Lisu spent almost half a year trying out all the basic martial arts techniques he could access. In the end, he confirmed that swordsmanship was the most suitable for him, and only swordsmanship.

When learning other martial arts techniques, his blockhead didn't improve much. Only when he practiced swordsmanship did he seem like a different person, clear-headed and refreshed.

In just a few days, he mastered two basic sword techniques, and his speed of learning was so fast that even he couldn't believe it.

Unfortunately, the Lu clan's armory did not contain many sword techniques, and even if there were exquisite sword techniques, they were not something he, who was considered a waste at the time, could learn.

Fortunately, as one of the four Confucian academies, Bailu Academy has a heritage and tradition that is more than ten times that of the Lu family of Pengcheng. The martial arts passed down in the academy are as vast as the ocean and as numerous as the stars.

Moreover, Bailu Academy adheres to the principle of teaching without discrimination, unlike ordinary sects and gangs that keep their martial arts secret and require disciples to undergo rigorous examinations and make significant contributions before they can practice.

Apart from the two core martial arts techniques, all other skills and techniques are made readily available for the disciples to choose from.

However, to prevent students from being greedy for more and not mastering more, the academy has also set a standard: unless the martial arts skills chosen in the previous selection are fully mastered or the cultivation method is perfected, each disciple may not change their main cultivation method or martial arts skill at will after deciding on it.

Lu Li had been practicing his family's martial art, the White Dew Frost Technique, since childhood. The academy's training methods did not offer any significantly superior techniques, so there was no need to change them.

Instead, he chose to study two martial arts techniques: the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique and the Vast Void Step.

The former is known as the most extensive sword technique in the world. It was created by the four great academies when they were still united. Any single sword move in it is several times more intricate and complex than an ordinary sword technique.

When combined, they not only add each other up, but also create endless combinations and variations.

Until thirty years ago, a remarkable person emerged in the martial arts world, who created the Star Luo Sword Technique. With just one sword, he repeatedly defeated many top experts, overcoming the odds and surpassing his level. Only then did the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique have a true rival in the realm of complex characters, and it deserves to be called "one of them".

It is precisely because of this that the blood and tears of countless senior students have caused 99% of the academy's disciples to hesitate before this sword technique, lacking the courage to choose it.

For a long time, it has been shelved.

Lu Li made this decision only after she had made a tough decision.

At least he has the backing of the Lu family of Pengcheng and the mysterious Compass World behind him, so even if he were to choose a sword technique that he couldn't cultivate, he could afford it.

Following the sword manual, looking up at the celestial sphere and down at the earth's order, he began with the most familiar Autumn Six Swords, and on a full moon night, he slew the spirit of the White Tiger to consecrate the sword.

After two more years of arduous training, even with Lu Li's exceptional talent in swordsmanship, he finally mastered the Autumn Equinox and Frostfall styles.

Coincidentally, the artistic conception of the cultivation technique he practiced, the White Dew Frost Technique, perfectly matched the current season.

One move could be attributed to chance, but two moves in a row were the same. Among the remaining unmastered sword moves, those from the autumn frost season were also easier to comprehend. This cannot be explained by coincidence.

Clearly, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique requires practitioners to have a certain understanding of the phenomena of heaven and earth.

Lu Li was very dissatisfied with his progress, but if he were to announce it, it would be enough to shock everyone.

Many people linger outside the threshold of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique, hesitant to move forward. Even the rare geniuses who manage to grasp it only scratch the surface.

To master even one or two moves, one usually needs to immerse oneself in this sword technique for more than ten years.

When Lu Li was first admitted to the hospital, he was looked down upon and ridiculed by his classmates. Later, he was forced by one life-or-death mission after another to devote himself to improving his cultivation. He had little interaction with the other disciples and was unaware of where his swordsmanship level was compared to his peers.

Aside from the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique, he also devoted a lot of energy to another refined martial art, the Vast Void Step, and mastered this movement technique to a point where his old strength was inexhaustible and new strength had been generated.

"The Four Great Prodigies... those are all freaks who have touched the Foundation Establishment realm. They could crush me with one hand."

Lu Li was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and smiled bitterly. Body tempering, Qi induction, and foundation building—three realms and thirteen levels. Each advancement in level would greatly enhance one's strength, let alone the difference between just one realm.

"You fatso, don't let anyone else hear you say that, or I'll be laughed at along with you."

The fat man Lu Li was talking about was short and stocky, his bloated limbs making the standard Confucian robes of Bailu Academy bulge out.

The Luo family of Yuzhang is a prominent family in the prefecture. While they may not be among the most prestigious families in the entire Chu state, they are certainly among the top five in the southeast.

As the eldest grandson of the main branch, Luo Liben grew up in luxury and privilege.

However, in the path of martial arts, his talent was far inferior to that of Lu Li's predecessor. Countless elixirs and miraculous medicines were spent like water, and only now has he achieved the perfection of body tempering.

Perhaps they shared a similar plight, and after meeting in the hospital, they became one of the few close friends they had.

Fatty Luo, trying to appear cultured, held a paper fan in his hand and swayed his head, saying, "Young Master Lu, don't be so modest. I think you're a late bloomer. Give them a break ahead. After graduating from the academy, I'll defeat all four of the so-called prodigies and show them who has truly been the top dog at White Deer Academy for the past thirty years!"

The four prodigies are only a year or two apart in age, and they have already made quite a name for themselves in the martial arts world. People say that all four of them have a chance to be listed on the Human Ranking.

The Three Lists of Heaven, Earth, and Man were created in the early Chu Li Dynasty. They were finalized and promulgated by the Ministry of War and made public throughout the land. Passed down from generation to generation, they have established great credibility in the hearts of the people.

Only those who have perfected their spiritual cultivation and become True Persons are qualified to be listed on the Heavenly Ranking.

Therefore, the number of people on the Heavenly Ranking varies and is not fixed.

The True Person realm consists of figures of the same caliber as immortals, either powerful figures in their own right or reclusive masters. Ranking these people is no easy task.

Since the fall of the Chu Li Dynasty, the Great Chu Dynasty, which considers itself the legitimate successor, has been publishing lists regularly. However, the Heavenly List initially concealed the rankings, and now it is no longer published to ordinary people.

Only a unified imperial dynasty has the right to criticize real people.

The Earthly Ranking is a ranking of the strongest people in the world below the level of a True Person, selecting 108 individuals.

Those who can enter the Earth Ranking are all powerful figures with names and surnames throughout the world. It is rare to find even one or two in a prefecture.

The Ranking of Talented Individuals is specifically designed for outstanding young people. Anyone under the age of twenty-four is eligible to be listed, regardless of whether they come from the Northern or Southern Dynasties, overseas islands, or the northern barbarians or southern wilderness.

With such a broad selection range, there are more than a million martial artists of the right age in the world, yet only thirty-six are chosen for the Human Ranking.

After the four prodigies of Bailu Academy were praised by renowned figures in the martial arts world for their potential to be ranked on the Human Ranking, whispers began to circulate within the academy that this generation of academy disciples would be the strongest in the last thirty years.

All of them surpassed the other three of the four great academies, so it was only natural that they became the top of the four great academies.

Yes, I have practiced swordsmanship diligently, and with the mysterious compass guiding me through many worlds, how could I not have the confidence to compete with them?

There's still more than a year to go, and it remains to be seen who will be the top student in the academy by then!

Luo Liben's casual remark ignited a fire in Lu Li's heart, making his blood boil.