"You idiot! How is your sword technique even worse than last time?"
"Are you trying to fool your old man? The more you practice, the worse you get. When do you plan to master your life-bonded secret skill?"
"Too weak! Start over..."
Hearing the nagging voice endlessly by his ear, Er Niu felt a sense of resentment.
Ever since returning yesterday, his dad has been forcing him to practice the sword.
Practicing is fine, but the slightest mistake results in physical punishment.
Now he's being scolded to the point where he can't even practice properly. The more he practices, the worse he gets, and the worse he gets, the more beatings he receives. He's about to break down.
"Dad, can you stop talking?"
Er Niu said helplessly, "You're a spear user, teaching me how to practice swordsmanship, do you think that's reliable?"
"Why not?"
Su Wenlin widened his eyes, "I may not know sword techniques, but I can tell good from bad! You're just not practicing diligently!"
"You're just one step away from mastering your life-bonded secret skill. If I don't push you, who knows when that'll happen!"
"Hurry up and practice! Stop wasting time!"
Er Niu sighed with resentment and picked up the sword once again.
Although his dad wasn't entirely wrong, he was indeed just a step away from mastering the sword technique.
But this last step involved resonating with the heavens and the earth, not something simple to achieve.
This step is often the hardest, requiring guidance from a master with the same life-bonded secret skill, or insight after long periods of practice.
Unfortunately, apart from him, no one else in Cyan Mountain Village knows this Furious Wave Sword technique.
"Forget it, just endure a few more days, Dad won't stay long."
Er Niu muttered in his heart and was about to continue practicing the sword.
Just then, there was a series of knocks at the door outside the courtyard.
"Brother Er Niu, are you up?"
Chang Qing?
Er Niu's eyes lit up, almost crying with joy — a savior had arrived.
"It's the young master, he must have something for me, I'll go have a look."
Er Niu said with a serious face, tossed the sword aside, and ran out quickly.
Su Wenlin opened his mouth, wanting to stop him, but after a thought, he just laughed and cursed, then paid no more attention.
...
"Brother Qing, is something up? Do you need my help with something urgent?"
Er Niu quickly ran into the courtyard and winked secretly at Su Changqing.
"Did you upset Uncle Wen Lin again?"
Su Changqing shook his head in amusement and then said,
"Indeed, there's something I'd like you to come with me to the mountain for..."
Before he finished his sentence, Er Niu's eyes lit up immediately, "Sure! No problem!"
For him right now, as long as it wasn't sword practice, he didn't mind going anywhere.
Having said that, Er Niu pulled Su Changqing along for a quick jog, quickly leaving the village.
Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief and curiously asked Su Changqing, "Why head to the mountain? There are quite a few beasts there."
"To find medicinal herbs."
Su Changqing sighed, "Many people in the village have caught colds over the past few days and can't stop coughing."
"If this continues, I'm afraid something might happen, so I asked my teacher for a medical book and learned a few herbal decoction recipes."
Hearing this, Er Niu's mouth twitched slightly.
Going into the mountains to gather herbs for those in Cyan Mountain Village?
Whether following a medical book or even a divine book, those people couldn't be saved.
It's not even a question of illness. Even if they were truly sick, healing them would still mean 'certain' death.
But this is something he couldn't tell Chang Qing. Otherwise, others' fates he could not know, but he'd surely not survive.
"You're even bringing a wooden sword. Are you planning to use it for self-defense?"
Looking at Su Changqing's outfit, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, a wooden sword to the left, and a hatchet to the right, Er Niu commented with a hint of amusement.
He thought the sword practice was a lost cause, but it seemed like the young master took it seriously, even carving out a wooden sword.
"Of course."
Su Changqing nodded seriously, "I called you here today, firstly for company, secondly to teach you the sword technique."
"That secret manual was a gift from you; I can't keep it all to myself, can I?"
Er Niu, hearing this, looked at Su Changqing with some amusement, pointing to himself, "You, teach me sword technique?"
A mere mortal claiming to teach a sword cultivator at the peak of the third realm — it sounded absurd.
"Is there a problem?" Su Changqing raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hahaha."
Er Niu laughed heartily, shaking his head, "Of course there's no problem. I'll definitely learn properly later, hahaha."
Chatting and laughing all the way, the two soon arrived at the foot of Blue Mountain.
The thick morning fog had not yet dispersed, making the visibility in the forest very low.
Su Changqing led the way with a hatchet, searching for herbs while staying alert for any beasts that might appear in the woods.
As for Er Niu, he felt more relaxed. After all, with his high skill and courage, not to mention the beasts, even toppling this mountain would be easy for him.
As they strolled along, Er Niu chatted idly with Su Changqing:
"Chang Qing, I haven't thanked you for that poem last time; it really made me feel proud."
Su Changqing carefully picked a medicinal herb with a slight smile and said:
"Why are you being polite with me? It's just a poem. If you need more, just ask."
He couldn't promise much else, but a few poems were no big deal for him.
"Really?"
Brother Er Niu's eyes lit up, "Then I won't be shy with you. That girl just loves these literary things, and I really have no other place to get them."
"But not too many. Just one or two more will do, too many might annoy the teacher."
Su Changqing smiled, "No problem."
As they chatted and joked, they gradually ventured deeper into the mountains, and there were more snakes, insects, and pests around.
While Su Changqing was bending over to pick an herb, a snake on a nearby branch slowly raised its body.
As soon as Su Changqing grabbed the herb, the snake suddenly bared its fangs and shot towards him at incredible speed.
Brother Er Niu's eyebrows twitched, and Sword Qi gathered around his fingertips, ready to strike.
But suddenly!
Swish!
A wooden sword, swift as lightning, sliced precisely at the snake's crucial spot.
"Um... Surging Waves Sword?"
Brother Er Niu was stunned, staring dumbfounded at Su Changqing who had just sheathed the wooden sword.
Though it was only a simple sword move, he, having practiced all night, immediately recognized the origin of this Sword Technique.
"Well? This Sword Technique can indeed be mastered, right?"
Su Changqing picked up the snake's corpse and smiled at the dazed Brother Er Niu.
Brother Er Niu didn't speak, instead, he recalled the simple sword move from earlier.
Swift, decisive, precise!
Even he, a Sword Cultivator who had mastered the Surging Waves Sword Technique, couldn't find a single flaw.
In fact...
"Just now... I heard the sound of flowing water from the Surging Waves Sword Technique. Was it an auditory illusion from practicing all night, or... Sword Technique ambiance?"
Brother Er Niu's gaze towards Su Changqing gradually changed, though there was still a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Su Changqing didn't think much of it and continued moving forward.
Brother Er Niu followed silently behind, suspiciously scrutinizing Su Changqing's back. After a moment, his fingertips twitched slightly, and an aura spread out.
"Awoo!"
Soon, a wolf's howl came from afar but appeared in front of them in an instant.
"Brother Er Niu, don't move recklessly!"
Su Changqing, though startled, was not afraid. He held the wooden sword and slowly advanced, assuming a standard Surging Waves Sword stance.
Brother Er Niu's pupils contracted.
"Awoo!"
With a howl, a large gray wolf lunged directly at Su Changqing.
Brother Er Niu's aura fluctuated, ready to drive away the gray wolf if danger arose.
But soon he realized it was unnecessary.
With a light shout, Su Changqing's Surging Waves Sword Technique burst forth with seamless flow.
Gusts of wind surged, dry leaves around danced with the sword's edge.
The swirling leaves emitted a sound akin to a flowing creek, and the sword's moves grew sharp. The creek's sound thickened, like waves crashing one after another.
The gray wolf, already wounded, let out a mournful wail and turned to flee.
But at the next moment, myriad streams converged, like raging waves crashing furiously upon the gray wolf's body.
Brother Er Niu watched this scene with wide eyes, his face full of astonishment.
"Hiss... Damn! Surging Waves ambiance? Mastered Sword Technique?"
"What the hell is going on!"
Surging Waves Sword, mastered, Su Changqing.
He recognized all these words, but putting them together seemed absurd!
Brother Er Niu had given the Surging Waves Sword Technique to Su Changqing, and it was incomplete, only two days ago, yet...
The guy actually mastered it!???
"Roar!"
While Brother Er Niu was having an existential crisis, a roar echoed from the dense forest.
Su Changqing's expression turned serious, and he turned to look.
He saw a black bear, more than ten feet tall, stride out of the dense forest, its bloodthirsty gaze sweeping the surroundings.
"Hiss... Such a huge bear? This is trouble."
Seeing this, Su Changqing urgently shouted, "Brother Er Niu, run! I'll catch up!"
With that, he took a deep breath, "I must give it my all."
Looking at the black bear, Su Changqing's face turned solemn. He raised one hand and pointed two fingers at his forehead, letting out a soft shout,
"Imprint out!"
Swish!
Instantly, a water-like mark appeared and then directly infused into the wooden sword.
In the next moment, the ordinary wooden sword emitted a faint green light, as if water currents were converging around it!
Seeing this, the black bear had yet to react.
But standing behind Su Changqing, Brother Er Niu was completely dumbfounded.
"Innate... Secret Technique?"