Ten Directions Sword Master

"There's such a power struggle behind the scenes. It seems I should pay another visit to Dean Yu when I return the Lunar Calendar Diagram... Even if I didn't get involved unintentionally, they've already categorized me as Dean Yu's faction, forcing me into this situation."

Lu Li received a secret telepathic message from Luo Xianzhe and learned that many things had happened offstage besides his victory.

"Young Master Lu, you're truly impressive... First, sweep away that deadpan face, then eliminate his lover. With the White Deer Twin Swords, your triumph in Yuzhang is just around the corner!"

As soon as his uncle left, Fatty Luo leaned closer, his serious expression returning to a playful grin.

"We haven't congratulated Young Master Luo on his advancement to the Qi Refining stage yet. I imagine your father is quite pleased and won't stop your clan's dividends, will he?"

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

"That's right, tonight at Baixianglou, we'll drink until we drop... Both He Bailu and Shuangjian have good news to celebrate, so no inferior wine worth less than one gold coin is allowed on the table!"

Fatty Luo patted his belly and laughed heartily, drawing sidelong glances from the disciples who hadn't yet left the room.

The two did as they pleased, changed into clean robes, and set off immediately.

After drinking more than twenty bottles of fine wine, Lu Li dragged the drunken Fatty Luo back to the Scholar's Building. Reeking of alcohol, they could only take a bath and change clothes.

"In just a few hours, the wound has already scabbed over, and it seems to be healing much faster than before... I haven't been practicing any body-strengthening techniques, so this change can only be due to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique."

When pressed gently, the skin did feel firmer.

"The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual is too chaotic. I don't know if it's because the White Deer Academy's records are incomplete, or if each practitioner has their own variations. It's impossible to follow the manual exactly."

The Xiabu Sword Technique allows one to appreciate and reference other sword styles, and continuously strengthen one's sword intent and hone one's inner strength through actual combat.

The Autumn Sword Technique unknowingly accelerated the body's healing speed, and the invading internal force only flowed to the surface and did not penetrate the internal organs.

None of these were explicitly marked in the sword manual, and they were only discovered after he mastered them.

"The key is that there is no one to communicate with. Apart from Dean Yu, no one in the academy has achieved more than me in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique. Last time I only comprehended the Autumn Equinox and Frost's Descent forms. Less than a month has passed in the real world, and I have already mastered all six swords of the Autumn section and opened the Great Heat form of the Summer section. This cannot be fooled by the words 'amazing talent'. I would probably be regarded as a monster."

Yu Ziqi has devoted half his life to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique. In terms of his progress in comprehending the solar terms, he will probably be overtaken by Lu Li soon.

Even if you want to communicate, it's hard to start.

After much thought, I realized I had no choice but to figure it out myself.

If I have the opportunity in the future, I can visit the other three of the four great academies and ask to borrow the classic texts on the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique.

After the four academies split up, many classic texts were no longer shared, along with the essential knowledge acquired in the last few hundred years.

If one can master the essence of all four academies, one can make rapid progress in the application of the solar terms and in mastering the details.

"Why did they split up? Open source is the only way to progress..."

Feeling tipsy, Lu Li couldn't fall asleep, so he simply took out the Seventy-Two Seasonal Chart and spread it out under the moonlight.

"When the deer antlers fall off, the cicadas begin to sing, and the pinellia grows... Of the six sword techniques of the Summer Division, only the Summer Solstice technique requires attention. After activation, the heart fire burns, and one must use internal energy at midnight to dispel the evil energy. If one ignores it, it will burn one's dantian after several repetitions."

"Only by mastering the Winter Solstice technique, where extreme yin and extreme yang clash, can one unleash it without restraint."

With only a few days left before the Lunar Calendar Chart had to be returned, Lu Li hurriedly began to study it.

After the Great Heat, the Beginning of Summer is the most eye-catching.

The sword burned fiercely, its edge scorching hot; once the sword move was unleashed, the opponent had no choice but to dodge and evade.

The next day, an unexpected guest arrived: Nan Henshui, one of the Four Great Prodigies of yesteryear.

However, with two of them losing to Lu Li, this title has become meaningless.

Nan Henshui was the most handsome man he had ever seen. He had a gentle and feminine temperament, and his features were exquisitely sculpted, without a single flaw.

When he first entered the academy, he attracted a crowd of onlookers, who formed a wall around him.

His fame spread even beyond the county, with many saying that if Nan Henshui were to be the first to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, it would be easy for him to climb the Human Ranking based on his popularity.

Nan Henshui didn't have a long chat; after a brief exchange of pleasantries, she left a gift and took her leave.

"After demonstrating his strength, there's no need to deliberately make friends; fellow disciples will naturally flock to him... However, Nan Henshui really has to thank me. With Shen Qing and Luo Yunqi both crippled, the chances of him getting a spot in the secret realm have increased significantly."

Lu Li opened the wooden box, inside which was a scroll of the "Thirteen Styles of Zhaxi" sword technique, which seemed to be a specially selected congratulatory gift.

The title page states that the person who created this sword technique was originally an official from Wu County. He had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment cultivation but was exiled to the border for offending his superior. In a fit of grief and indignation, he combined his family's martial arts to create this technique.

They emphasize that every move is like a word, every word contains killing intent, fully revealing the fierce killing intent amidst pain.

To master this sword technique, one must first be proficient in calligraphy and painting; otherwise, one will only grasp its form without understanding its true meaning.

Lu Li certainly couldn't afford to expend a lot of energy on such a sword technique, but coincidentally, the Xiabu Sword Manual required studying the swords of a hundred schools, and a novel sword technique was delivered to his doorstep.

If you read it carefully, it will become the resources to strengthen your sword intent.

……

Ziyang Academy.

"You really surprised me. I thought you had good swordsmanship talent, but I never expected you to give me such a big surprise without saying a word."

Gu Jingyu's face was flushed, probably from drinking alcohol.

I really don't know how someone who loves alcohol so much can hold a sword and learn swordsmanship so well.

Unfortunately, he was one of the top swordsmen in the academy and the most favored candidate by the deans to combine internal and external skills, open his spiritual platform, and advance to the Refinement of Spirit level.

"It's all thanks to Xuezheng's teachings, otherwise I would still be wandering around outside the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique."

Lu Li brewed a cup of hangover tea and handed it over naturally.

"Don't flatter me. If I had the skill to instruct you, I wouldn't have been so self-aware as to give up the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique so early..."

Gu Jingyu straightened his posture and said with a serious expression.

"Do you know why Dean Lin is so vehemently opposed to his disciples focusing their energy on honing their martial arts skills regardless of whether their cultivation level improves or not? He especially hates those who practice the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique to the point of disgust?"

"I would like to hear the details."

Lu Li was summoned early in the morning and only now did he understand the reason.

"More than twenty years ago, there was a disciple in the academy who was eager to help others and everyone called him Senior Brother Lin. He was on the list of people before he was twenty years old, and his highest ranking was in the top fifteen... He reached the half-step of the Refining God at the age of thirty. The whole academy was looking forward to it. In the near future, Yuzhang will have another strong person on the Earth List."

Gu Jingyu's eyes were glazed over, and his tone revealed sincere admiration.

"He was just like you, so outstanding that he overshadowed generations of disciples in the academy, yet everyone admired him... When his fellow disciples were in danger, he traveled through the night, rushing three hundred miles to withstand ten moves of the demonic cultivation technique and rescue the kidnapped disciples."

"The border was in dire need of attention, and he single-handedly defended the city gate, fighting a bloody battle for seven days, sustaining hundreds of wounds but refusing to leave the battlefield."

"There's one more thing I forgot to mention: he, like you, practices the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique."

Lu Li was shocked; this senior from the academy was truly formidable.

However, the most unusual thing is that he was on the list of top cultivators at the age of twenty and reached the half-step Refinement God stage at the age of thirty. His cultivation aptitude is far superior to mine.

"A proud person like Senior Brother Lin was unwilling to casually step into the Refinement of Spirit. He said he wanted to travel to the Northern Territory to refine the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique in life-and-death battles, lay a solid foundation, and use it to condense his Dharma Body in the future... You should know the rest of the story. Senior Brother Lin was trapped in the desert and never came back."

"What is the relationship between this Senior Brother Lin and Dean Lin?"

Lu Li seemed to be thinking about something, and then said.

"Lin Chuge, Dean Lin's only grandson."

Gu Jingyu let out a long breath and uttered the name that had caused Bailu Academy more than ten years of regret.