Chapter 16 Mindset_2

Li Fu said indifferently, "I use a knife, not a sword."

"Knives and swords are similar, there isn't much difference," Li Hao said with a smile.

"What do you know, to attain perfection in weaponry, even the slightest difference can lead to infinite disparities," Li Fu retorted irritably, but then he held back his temper, after all, the kid didn't understand martial arts, so it was normal for him to see it that way.

Li Hao felt somewhat helpless and simply continued to munch on fresh fruit, crossing his "little Erlang" legs, watching Xue'er practice her swordsmanship.

"There's something off about your Swirling Style."

Midway, Li Hao casually commented to Bian Ruxue, "If you lower your arm a bit more, it would look better."

"Don't spout nonsense; you'll distract Xue'er," Li Fu frowned and reprimanded.

A layperson guiding an expert? That was simply ludicrous!

However, Bian Ruxue ignored Li Fu. She had grown accustomed to Li Hao's casual guidance. Although Brother Hao hadn't stepped onto the path of martial arts, every time she practiced according to what Brother Hao said, she indeed felt smoother.

At the moment, she lowered her arm and executed the Swirling Style again, indeed feeling a sense of enlightenment and ease in her heart.

Li Fu let out a soft gasp, not because Bian Ruxue actually followed Li Hao's advice—after all, the girl was incredibly compliant towards Li Hao—but because the slight change in posture, as Li Hao suggested, actually added some more ferocity to the sword momentum.

He peered doubtfully at the kid snacking on fruit, his legs crossed without any proper decorum. Was it just a coincidence?

Or was he making judgments based on what looked nicer?

"The waist needs power. With these kind of swirling, broad slashes, it's not just the hands that need power, but the waist driving the arms to swing," Li Hao continued.

Bian Ruxue gave a slight nod, then executed again, repeating several times, finally grasping the essence. The sword momentum generated wind, with clearly more power than before.

Li Fu raised an eyebrow, feeling surprised. Once could be luck, but twice couldn't be.

Could this kid actually understand the sword and possess a talent for the Sword Dao?

Although Li Fu wasn't fond of Li Hao's temperament, he had to admit, after half a year of interaction, the kid was extremely bright, exhibiting maturity and wisdom beyond his peers.

Could it be that he actually had a talent for the Sword Dao, but because he couldn't practice martial arts, he was unable to showcase it?

Thinking of this, pain stirred in his heart. If this was true, what a great pity it would be!

With Li Hao's nonchalant guidance, Bian Ruxue's sword technique gradually approached perfection.

There was no helping it; with Li Hao's understanding of the Sword Dao, merely by watching a few times, he could record Bian Ruxue's Superior sword technique into his panel and immediately bring it to Ultimate Perfection.

His guidance, based on an understanding of correcting flaws at the level of Ultimate Perfection, even leapfrogged perfection. As long as Bian Ruxue grasped even a bit of it, she could achieve nearly perfect power.

Then, Li Hao asked the young girl to demonstrate for him the move she failed to execute during their previous sparring session.

True to form, Bian Ruxue obediently complied.

Li Hao understood as soon as he saw it; he even had a visualization of how the other person had defeated her.

However, he didn't spell it out, especially with Li Fu beside him. Revealing his talent for the Sword Dao was one thing, but getting too detailed would seem too monstrously talented.

"This sword move doesn't look good; I think the downward chop should be changed to a slope, and the elbow should be lifted back."

"It would be better to switch from chopping to thrusting here, and the wrist shouldn't quiver."

Li Hao pointed out casually.

Bian Ruxue was puzzled but listened carefully, slowly grasping Li Hao's point, then she tried again according to his guidance, repeatedly, and gradually approached the execution Li Hao described.

Li Fu took another look at Li Hao, now convinced that Li Hao also possessed an extremely high talent for the Sword Dao.

Although the kid expressed himself in a layman's way, merely using "looks good" and "doesn't look good" to correct Bian Ruxue's movements, detecting the aesthetics of weaponry at such a young age was a talent in its own right.

After all, in the eyes of a genius, some things appear as an entirely different landscape.

Li Fu sighed inwardly and felt even more pity for Li Hao.

The next day.

The two went to the Eternal Spring Court for an early visit, and subsequently, Bian Ruxue rushed excitedly to the martial arts training ground.

After the morning practice and class at the training ground, Bian Ruxue found the young man from the day before, the common-born youth, and, holding a sword nearly as tall as she was, faced him seriously, seeking another challenge.

Hearing Bian Ruxue's words, the young man couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The other common-born youths who were gathered around him also joined in the mocking and jeering.

They did not dare to provoke the other legitimate descendants, but Bian Ruxue was, after all, not of the Li Family's direct lineage; she was merely the fiancée of a legitimate member, not yet married, and that legitimate member was widely known within the Divine General Mansion as a good-for-nothing. Any of them could eventually surpass him.

Therefore, they naturally disdained the one who sat atop a treasure mountain, enjoying endless resources and favor.

"Defeated by Brother Bai yesterday, haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

"If you want to stand up for that good-for-nothing, have the guts to bring him here! Brother Bai doesn't even need to lift a finger, I can handle that good-for-nothing with both my hands tied!"

"Hmph, Brother Bai already went easy on you yesterday, and yet you fail to appreciate that."

"Although you have talent, Brother Bai has been cultivating here for eight years. If you're thinking of seeking revenge, in half a year, you might stand a chance. But by then, Brother Bai will likely not be here anymore."

Bian Ruxue bit her lip, her little face staring intently at the young man in the middle, "Do you dare or not?"

These words instantly provoked the young man's blood qi. The young man, given the full name Li Dongbai, was one of the three most talented among the common-born youths in the martial arts training ground; with a seventh-grade War Body, he enjoyed resources close to those of a legitimate descendant and had already stepped into the Zhou Tian Realm.

But the martial arts training ground's rules for skill competition required the stronger party's cultivation to be suppressed to the same realm as the weaker party.

And Bian Ruxue's current cultivation was at the Ten Realms Perfection of the Power Passage Realm!

"Today, I'll make sure you lose convincingly."

Li Dongbai's eyes were chilly. He hadn't originally planned to bother with this prodigiously talented little girl; he had been casually chatting with his peers about something, happened to mention that good-for-nothing, and made a few comments, which led this little girl to confront him.

Even as a common-born youth, he had great pride and naturally would not simply apologize, leading to yesterday's contest.

"Come on!"

Li Dongbai stepped onto the platform of the martial arts training ground.

The area around the platform quickly filled with people, all excited to witness the contest between these two common-born prodigies and that extraordinary talented girl.

Outside the area, the training ground instructor, a veteran from the military, smiled and squinted his eyes, encouraging the idea of the young people sparring with each other.

A fine sword is forged by sharpening, and without struggle in youth, how can there be setbacks and how can there be progress? Surely one can't wait until they're his age, an old bag of bones, to fight desperately with others.

Soon, the two figures, one large and one small, clashed fiercely together on the platform.

The same scene had been witnessed by the military old-timer the day before, and today's difference was not significant, only that Li Dongbai's attacks were even more ferocious.

"It looks like Xue'er is going to lose again," the military old-timer thought to himself: "After all, her cultivation time is too short; though her talent is superb, she still needs tempering."

Just then, during the most intense exchange, the decisive sword strike was delivered.

With a swoosh, a sword flew out and rolled off the platform, embedding itself diagonally into the sandy ground.

And on the platform, the figures also came to a standstill.

Along with them, the cheering and supporting cries from below the platform were silenced.

As well as the frozen smile on the face of the military old-timer.