Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

But why do I feel that the sword strike just now wasn't swordsmanship, but simply because this guy had a lot of strength?

Among the younger generation, some couldn't understand this extremely brief exchange: "What happened? Why did that tomboy draw his sword halfway, exchange a few blows, and then pull it back? Shouldn't he have rushed in and attacked the center at that moment?"

At the elders' table, Lü Ci commented, "I once fought with Lin Zifeng of the Flowing Cloud Sword. He was no match for me, but my strength could not shake his sword."

"Liuyun Sword has absolute control over the sword, but this kid Li Chang'an broke through that girl's control over the sword with a casual sword strike."

"Whether he used tricks in swordsmanship or the San Yi Sect relied purely on brute force, the outcome is already decided. What that girl should do now is to get off the stage as soon as possible. Continuing will only bring her humiliation!"

Lu Jin glanced at him, intending to say that it wasn't the Dragon-Tiger Might, but the Dragon-Elephant Might, because that girl's sword had just been kicked by an elephant.

But after thinking about it, he didn't say it. He wasn't like Zhang Zhiwei, who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Chapter 83 The True Swordsmanship

On the stage, Master Yuan laughed, but he didn't believe it: "There's no way there could be such precise swordsmanship. You're just all about raw power. Take this."

She charged forward like an arrow drawn from a bow, the large iron plate slicing towards Li Chang'an's neck.

"Clang." The two blades clashed together. The large iron plate opened and closed, slashing and cutting with a fierce and ruthless force.

In Yuan Shixiao's swordsmanship, thrusting is merely a close-range technique, while slashing and sweeping are the finishing touches.

Just as she was about to deliver a sweeping sword strike after getting close, she saw Li Chang'an thrust his sword straight at her.

This sword strike, seemingly ordinary, was like a gazelle leaping off a cliff, a masterpiece of nature, deflecting her large iron plate and heading straight for the main entrance.

Yuan Shixiao felt a sharp sword blade approaching his neck.

How can it be so fast? !

Almost instinctively, she used her supple waist to perform a bridge maneuver to dodge, but a long, bloody gash was still left on her neck.

She was shocked and quickly rolled over to create some distance between herself and the enemy.

The younger generation watching the match found this exchange rather dull, far less exciting than a typical sword fight with its back-and-forth exchanges, counter-moves, and hundreds of rounds of intense combat. It resembled more of a Western fencing routine.

But the older generation was overwhelmed by the sights, marveling at the exquisite coordination between swordsmanship and movement. The seasoned skill in each move required years of dedicated practice.

Yuan Shixiao touched the bloodstain on his neck and looked at Li Chang'an with a shocked expression.

Li Chang'an smiled faintly and twirled his sword: "Without enough strength, how can you thrust fast and accurately?"

After two exchanges, Yuan Shixiao understood that the person in front of him was not only precise in swordsmanship but also possessed great strength.

To fight this kind of guy in close combat would be suicide.

“I was presumptuous; I shouldn’t have used my hobby to judge your specialized field of study,” she said in a deep voice.

Li Chang'an shook his head: "It's not a matter of specialization, nor is it a hobby. Swordsmanship is a path to be sought externally, not externally, so..."

“I have never touched kendo, and I have no interest in kendo.”

"It's just something that was passed down in my family, and I just happened to take it in."

Yuan Shixiao was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, his anger even producing a sarcastic and meme-worthy expression:

"I've never touched swordsmanship, I have no interest in it, I'll kill you!"

Yuan Shixiao immediately unleashed her full power. A dazzling white light surged around her, enveloping her like a golden light spell. As she swung the large iron plate in her hand, streams of black sword energy exploded out, jagged and intertwined, surging like ink and obscuring the arena.

Looking at the visually stunning competition in the arena, the old master exclaimed, "Dark clouds roll like ink but fail to obscure the mountains, white rain leaps like pearls and scatters into the boat, delicate green peaks sway, and light enters the abyss. This Flowing Cloud Sword is truly a sect full of poetic charm."

In these two lines of poetry, "ink covering the mountain" refers to the ink-colored sword energy that Yuan Shixiao unleashed, while "delicate green mist" refers to the white protective true energy surrounding his body.

The old master continued, "Although the Flowing Cloud Sword has the word 'sword' in its name, it is not a style of fighting with a sword. The correct way to use it is to open a white True Qi shield and throw black sword Qi from a distance. In this way, it can be said to be both offensive and defensive."

"At the same time, the Flowing Cloud Sword also has unique movement techniques and the ability to manipulate objects. When an enemy gets close, the sword can be used to create distance. If it is really too difficult to defeat, the sword can be used to fly away. In the right hands, the Flowing Cloud Sword can be quite troublesome!"

On the stage, Li Chang'an brandished his longsword, easily scattering the incoming black sword energy, and fierce sparks drifted off the blade.

He pressed forward despite Yuan Shixiao's relentless barrage of sword energy, while Yuan Shixiao, surrounded by white smoke, used his sect's unique movement techniques to create distance.

The Flowing Cloud Sword school is good at both offense and defense. It has movement speed and can fly and move on the sword. However, there is one thing: they practice the technique but not the body. No matter how fancy the skills are, they are still just ordinary.

Therefore, after suffering two defeats, Yuan Shixiao stopped competing with Li Chang'an in swordsmanship and chose to suppress him with sword qi.

At this point, Li Chang'an finally understood why his grandfather harbored such resentment towards the Flowing Cloud Sword, constantly claiming that their swordsmanship wasn't genuine.

Imagine you challenge the Flowing Cloud Sword to a duel based on its reputation, assuming your opponent is a true swordsman, but they stand at a distance, shielded by a protective barrier, and unleash a flurry of sword energy at you.

If you chase after him, he'll use his movement technique to run away. If you finally catch up, he'll fly away on his sword and then continue throwing sword energy at you.

Then you lose, and you can't get back at them.

Anyone would be angry in that situation!

Strictly speaking, the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect doesn't resemble a sword-wielding sect at all; it's more like a sect that uses magic.

Li Chang'an strongly suspected that the founder of the Flowing Cloud Sword was actually an ancient literati who thought swords were beautiful, so he used them. In reality, this sect didn't care about weapons at all.

With this thought in mind, Li Chang'an looked at Yuan Shixiao again. Since it's not swordsmanship, then he should practice Qi properly. Why treat swordsmanship as a hobby? Isn't this like practicing a firearm as if it were a fire-tipped spear?

"Since you're so skilled with a sword, then I'll show you what real swordsmanship is all about!"

With a thought, Li Chang'an entered a state of oneness with his sword, transforming his aura into sword momentum. He swung his sword to cut through the overwhelming inky sword energy, and with a flash, carrying the surging sword momentum, he instantly flew to Yuan Shixiao's front.

The Li family's Yuyang Sword Technique emphasizes thrusting, but even more so, it focuses on movement. Coupled with their powerful life cultivation and the immense boost from the Reverse Life Qi Transformation, their speed far surpasses that of Yuan Shixiao.

Yuan Shixiao was too fast to dodge with her movement technique. She could only watch helplessly as the Han sword in Li Chang'an's hand sliced ​​through her protective aura like a hot knife through butter and stabbed down toward her head.

In an instant, everything in the world seemed to lose its color.

She had never felt death so close before.

A group of older people also frowned, ready to intervene at any moment.

But soon, their brows relaxed.

A knitted hat was seen flying high into the air.

The Han sword in Li Chang'an's hand, however, was angled forward and stopped less than an inch from the top of Yuan Shixiao's head.

Yuan Shixiao was stunned by the terrifying and unassailable sword intent, and stood frozen in place, still in shock.

It wasn't until her hair fell loose and draped over her shoulders that she suddenly realized what was happening, screamed, covered her head with her hands, and frantically looked around for her hat.

Li Chang'an reached out and caught the hat that fell from the sky, then slammed it down on Yuan Shixiao's head.

He saw clearly that this woman was losing a lot of hair; no wonder she was wearing a tattered hat in such hot weather.

Feeling the hat back on his head, Yuan Shixiao felt a sense of calm wash over him, his previous arrogance vanishing completely. He covered his head with one hand and said, "Thank you, thank you for your swordsmanship just now..."

"You're welcome." Li Chang'an said calmly, "You asked me about swordsmanship. Actually, there's not much to say about swordsmanship. Swordsmanship is just swordsmanship. The sword itself doesn't have any special meaning. Whether it's slaying demons or upholding justice, those are the skills of the person, not the skill of the sword."

"The reason for using a sword is simply because the human body is too soft, so we need to use a hard weapon to kill our opponents. So don't give it too many fancy meanings."

"The sole purpose of a sword is to kill."

"When killing, the longer one kills the shorter one, it is about the spirit to sweep away all obstacles; when killing the shorter one kills the longer one, it is about the courage to fight to the death."

Chapter 84 The Three-in-One Approach

Yuan Shixiao stared blankly at Li Chang'an. In fact, her master had said similar things to her before.

But she just felt something was wrong; only her own opinion was right. But for some reason, this time she didn't have any intention of arguing.

Li Chang'an casually stuck his sword into the arena, no longer looking at Yuan Shixiao, and faced the crowd: "Is there anyone who would like to come up and have a go at me?"

At this moment, the crowd below the stage was in an uproar.

They couldn't understand the subtle sword techniques used earlier, but they could clearly see the wide-ranging sword energy that Yuan Shixiao later unleashed.

They were holding their breath for Li Chang'an when they saw him suddenly increase his speed, appearing in front of Yuan Shixiao in the blink of an eye, piercing through her protective shield with a sword and knocking off her hat.

As for the scene under Yuan Shixiao's hat, because the arena was quite high, the audience standing below did not notice her sparse hair on top.

"Hey, what's going on? How did Li Chang'an get so close with such dense sword energy? What sword technique did he use? I don't quite understand!"

"How come someone as good as Hat Girl suddenly lost?"

A group of people were discussing it animatedly.

Even Zhuge Qing and Zhang Lingyu couldn't help but frown.

This guy named Yuan Shixiao is definitely not weak. Even if they went up there, they would have to put in a lot of effort to take him down. But Li Chang'an took him down way too easily.

"Did you figure it out?" Zhuge Gong asked his son.

"I don't know much about swordsmanship. All I see is speed and powerful energy!" Zhuge Qing said, squinting.

“His life cultivation is very high!” Zhuge Gong said.

"How tall?" Zhuge Qing asked.

Most sorcerers only practice divination and cultivate their nature, but the sorcerers of the Zhuge family are different. They cultivate both nature and life, and their cultivation of life is comparable to physical training. Therefore, Zhuge Qing is more sensitive to the cultivation of nature and life.

"It's hard to say. Although I didn't see him use the methods of the Three Ones Sect on stage, judging from his current state, he should have been maintaining the Reverse Life state. The Reverse Life state has a huge boost to oneself, so I can't say for sure how much of the speed and power he is showing now comes from his life cultivation and how much comes from the Reverse Life state," Zhuge Gong said.

Zhuge Qing nodded and said, "He looks really cool in this state. If he entered the entertainment industry, even as a newcomer, he would be able to play the lead role. But doesn't this state take a toll on him? Can he maintain it indefinitely? Are the methods of the San Yi Sect really that magical?"

Zhuge Gong shook his head and said, "If there really is no consumption, why don't Master Lu and Lu Lin maintain this state? As far as I know, the only one in the Sanyi Sect who has maintained this state is the previous sect leader, Zuo Ruotong."

"How long did that previous sect leader hold the position?"

“I have never met the head of the Sanyi Sect in person, but you have a great-grandfather who once studied under the Sanyi Sect. Although he died young, he was a well-known gossip in the village when he was alive. He talked a lot about the Sanyi Sect, and many elders still remember him. It is said that the head of the Zuo Sect has maintained this status for almost fifty years.”

"Fifty years?" Zhuge Qing's squinty eyes widened in surprise.

He found it hard to believe that an ability could be used continuously for so long.

Fifty years—not to mention the depletion of vital energy and mental energy—just the fact that one hasn't slept for fifty years is something few people could endure.

“That’s right, it’s precisely because it’s incredible that he has the title of immortal. Could it be that this Li Chang’an wants to follow in his master’s footsteps?” Zhuge Gong pondered.

Zhuge Qing narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing: "Father, I want to go up and give it a try."

Zhuge Gong laughed and said, "Curious about this method?"

"Who wouldn't be curious about such methods?" Zhuge Qing said, and then walked towards the stage.

Zhuge Gong stopped him: "Wait a minute. Master Lu is eager to have Zhang Lingyu and Li Chang'an have a match so that he can avenge his previous defeat. If you go up and accidentally win, Master Lu will definitely cause me trouble. If you lose and it causes great depletion to Li Chang'an, leading to Li Chang'an's defeat to Zhang Lingyu, Master Lu will cause me even more trouble."

Zhuge Qing was taken aback: "Isn't Master Lu supposed to have a flawless life? Why would he do something like this?"

“Master Lu is certainly decisive on important matters. But on trivial matters, can it be considered a flaw if a centenarian beats up a forty-year-old man like me?” Zhuge Gong retorted.

“If it can make you, Father, get whipped, then I’ll want to go up even more,” Zhuge Qing said with a smile.

"If I get hit because of you, won't I hit you back twice as hard?"

Zhuge Qing immediately admitted defeat. He was hailed as a genius that the Zhuge family had only seen once in a century, and the last person in the Zhuge family to have this honor was his father.

Although he felt that he was as good as his name suggested, surpassing his father in ability, the extra decades of cultivation his father had accumulated were undeniable.

Zhang Lingyu also looked at the stage with a serious expression. He admitted that if he were on the stage, he would not have been able to defeat the woman named Yuan Shixiao so cleanly and decisively.

This opponent is a bit more difficult to deal with than I imagined. If I go up with just some basic techniques, it's not very safe, and I'm afraid I'll embarrass my master.

However, when I was going down the mountain, some of my senior brothers, knowing that I would most likely have a sparring match after I left, gave me some small trump cards out of concern.

But is it really appropriate to use something so precious for this kind of friendly competition?

Even if I win, what will others think of me, and what will they think of my master?

I can accept losing face, but won't they think that Master is a sore loser?

Should I use it or not?!

At this moment, Li Shaoyun, sitting on the elders' seat, was grinning from ear to ear at the sight of this scene, and even gave Yuan Shixiao's master a provocative look.

Back then, you used your sword energy to dangle me around like a kite and beat me up. Now you know how powerful it is, right? Still so arrogant?

Yuan Shixiao's master felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly. His disciple was actually very talented, but she was a bit too arrogant. As a result, she rushed in so high-profile, but was defeated so miserably. Not to mention the disciple, even he, as the master, was losing face. However, he wondered if this blow would make her restrain her temper.

Not only the two of them, but even Lu Jin was shocked by Li Chang'an's performance. With his strength, he was naturally able to see the details clearly.

That tomboy with the Flowing Cloud Sword was very strong; even among all the talented young people in this courtyard, he was considered outstanding. Yet, he was defeated so thoroughly.

In recent years, I have been focusing my attention on Chang'an's reverse cultivation, but I didn't expect him to be so good at swordsmanship as well!

For a moment, Lu Jin felt both happy and worried.

The good thing is that Li Chang'an is very powerful, so he doesn't have to worry about things going wrong.