Chapter 40: It Began, Thus Three Strikes with One Sword

Early the next morning.

Zhou Yan had just returned from his morning run and was about to begin his solo training when he caught sight of Luo Xuan waiting inside the sword hall.

The young woman wore a serious expression, and the moment she saw Zhou Yan, she immediately called him over to begin learning the secret sword technique.

She seemed even more anxious than Zhou Yan himself.

“Make the most of your time. Practicing Swallow’s Tempest yields the best results with someone who knows the move. Once everyone else arrives, it’ll be harder to train,” she said, beckoning Zhou Yan to the center of the training hall.

“Do you remember the sequence of moves I performed last night?” Luo Xuan asked calmly.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment, nodded, then shook his head. “I do, but surely you don’t expect me to recreate it already, do you?”

Luo Xuan tilted her head, her gaze suggesting she truly did expect as much.

She said, “When my father taught me, I could perform four consecutive strikes in midair right from the start. I only fell short because my strength and stamina couldn’t keep up.”

Alright, so you’re a prodigy! Who could possibly outshine you in talent?

Zhou Yan couldn’t help but laugh, half exasperated, at Luo Xuan’s matter-of-fact demeanor.

A spark of competitiveness flickered in him as he resolved to show her his own—well, his own genius in a moment of clarity.

He addressed her seriously: “Last night was too sudden; I didn’t catch every detail. Could you demonstrate once more?”

“Sure. Go put on your protective gear,” Luo Xuan replied without hesitation.

“Okay.”

Shortly after, Zhou Yan stood before her once more, fully suited up.

Both of them gripped specially designed high-strength practice swords.

“Are you ready?” Luo Xuan asked softly.

“All set,” Zhou Yan replied, raising his sword as he triggered a surge of spiritual focus.

In an instant, all distractions faded. In his vision, only Luo Xuan remained.

A keen light shone in Zhou Yan’s left eye, a symbol of unwavering concentration.

Luo Xuan noted the rapid shift in his demeanor, a subtle stir in her heart.

‘This state...’

She pressed her lips together, anticipation shining in her eyes. Then, with a swift leap, she soared into the air and unleashed her sword.

Like a swallow weaving and darting through the sky, she spun and danced midair, slashing with fierce, lightning-fast strikes, each move using the enemy’s defense as a springboard to maintain her flight.

It was none other than the Southern Light Secret Sword: Swallow’s Tempest!

Witnessing the move again, Zhou Yan—now in his heightened state—perceived it entirely differently.

He raised his sword instinctively to block, but his true focus was on the rhythm and force of Luo Xuan’s movements, analyzing her stances and the way each technique was powered.

Soon, Zhou Yan spotted the crucial detail.

Though she struck from midair, Luo Xuan’s attacks were, at their core, the basic maneuvers of the Southern Light Sword: most notably the Kite Spin, Eagle’s Slash, and Vulture’s Descent.

It was the angles and the force that transformed them.

Perhaps it was no accident—the Southern Light Sword was, after all, inspired by birds. Luo Xuan’s airborne strikes, powered as they were, appeared to Zhou Yan more natural than ever.

After all, the essence of birds is flight.

Because Zhou Yan’s attention was fixed on her force and posture, his defense soon faltered under her complex, rapid onslaught. His stance broke, and the outcome was no different from last night.

A flurry of strikes rattled his armor, then Luo Xuan landed nimbly behind him.

She turned, “Did you catch it all? If not, I’ll break down each move for you.”

Zhou Yan said nothing. He simply removed his armor, lightening his burden.

Without a word, he stepped forward and leapt high.

First move, a vertical slash from above—Skyborne Eagle’s Slash!

Luo Xuan’s brows lifted as she met his blade with her own.

The clash rang out, loud and sharp.

Zhou Yan’s gaze remained calm; using the force of the rebound, he held himself aloft and struck again—Skyborne Vulture’s Descent!

Luo Xuan blocked once more.

Zhou Yan twisted in the air, using the momentum for a sweeping horizontal cut—Skyborne Kite Spin!

Luo Xuan’s lips curled in a faint smile as she parried yet again.

This time, Zhou Yan could go no further. His breath caught, his arms weakened, and he staggered back to the ground.

Yet Luo Xuan was not disappointed. On the contrary, she nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

On his first attempt, Zhou Yan had performed three consecutive airborne attacks, and though he’d reached his limit, he landed steadily.

His talent for the sword was every bit as dazzling as she’d anticipated.

Yet Zhou Yan, receiving her praise, showed little outward joy.

He merely looked at Luo Xuan with the same composed, earnest gaze, awaiting her next instruction.

His sincere thirst for knowledge quickly moved Luo Xuan as well.

She wasted no more words, immediately launching into a rapid explanation of the secret sword’s key techniques.

*

Before long, it was nine in the morning, and the rest of the trainees trickled in. Zhou Yan’s secret sword training ended ahead of schedule, and the daily routine resumed with the rest of the sword hall.

Martial training was monotonous and dry, the lessons repeating almost daily.

Some students reviewed sword forms...

Others paired up to practice combinations...

Some swung at training cubes, honing their reflexes with random strikes.

The two elite students—Yan Yong and Luo Zhiming—were engaged in simulated combat.

Luo Xuan, cold and sharp, moved among the groups, offering guidance and correcting mistakes as she saw them.

Most of the time, Zhou Yan trained alone in a corner, repeating the basic Southern Light Sword moves over and over.

In truth, by Luo Xuan’s assessment, Zhou Yan had already surpassed both elites, Yan Yong and Luo Zhiming.

Theoretically, the best way for him to progress would be to spar frequently with an opponent of equal strength, as those two did.

Unfortunately, perhaps out of fear of losing face, neither of the elites was willing to face Zhou Yan any longer.

Luo Xuan had been quite displeased by this at first.

But Zhou Yan approached her, saying he didn’t need to practice with the two of them.

His reasoning was simple.

As official adult trainees, even with discounts, Yan Yong and Luo Zhiming paid far higher tuition than the youngsters enrolled in the summer program—they were the backbone of the sword hall’s income.

Though their talent had long doomed them in Luo Xuan’s eyes, disqualifying them from learning the breathing technique, as long as Zhou Yan didn’t outright defeat them, they could continue to delude themselves that they were the hall’s mainstays.

Driven by their desire for the breathing technique, they would stay and keep paying.

Letting them keep the gold flowing was very much necessary.

After all, the sword hall’s operations—and the livelihood of the Luo sisters—depended on this income.

Especially with September approaching, when Luo Ke would leave for university. Though she’d grown up thrifty, how could Luo Xuan bear to let her little sister attend a prestigious university as a pauper?

There would be many expenses ahead.

Luo Xuan was quickly persuaded and no longer insisted the two elites spar with Zhou Yan.

Instead, she resolved to personally supervise Zhou Yan’s evening training after dinner, further refining his skills.

***