Yin Shen Palace took a deep breath after that passage, his gaze growing heavy.
He exclaimed, "Pay attention, listen, and watch closely!"
"The Blood Spirit Sword Technique relies on the mental method as its foundation, led by Divine Intent. Before the sword is drawn, the Divine Intent arrives; the Sword technique feigns and exposes flaws when it's held loosely, and the sword is already striking when the technique is firmly grasped; the sword tip moves, and the Divine Intent follows. When the enemy's blood is splattered, I've already returned, free from the backlash loop…"
He recited the cultivation technique slowly, his body's Spiritual Energy creating an illusion of the practice route, his body and footwork following the swordplay, his left hand shaping the sword technique, continuously altering the direction of his fingers.
The Blood Spirit Seven Swords, each move and form was executed slowly.
Yin Shen Palace was much slower than how Sun Yuan usually taught, significantly slower.
But even though it's called the "seventh swords," the changes in body and footwork, along with the circulation route and the coordination of vitality, Spirit, and mind… were truly complex and ever-changing.
Astoundingly expansive.
Mu Lin Yuan and three others watched at the same time, but by the second move, they were feeling dizzy and their brains seemed to swell.
They all stopped their efforts, sighing inwardly.
With such vast complexity, how could one learn it all at once?
This kid was probably overjoyed for nothing, like a dog trying to bite a bubble.
While Yin Shen Palace practiced his swordplay, he felt a bit helpless inside. Deciding to do this on a whim today was frankly quite an absurd flight of fancy.
He himself had practiced for three full months just to get started.
Giving this kid only one chance to observe, it would be impossible for him to remember it all even if he worked himself to death. To do this just to gain the appreciation of the Celestial Worm God was a bit rash indeed...
The sword light of the long sword retracted.
Sword Intent returned to the Dantian, and Yin Shen Palace was silent for a moment before saying, "How much did you remember?"
There was no longer any expectation in his voice.
No one replied.
Turning his head, he saw Fang Che standing motionless, his face solemn, his eyes looking forward but utterly vacant, as if he were deeply entrenched in thinking and memorizing.
Half an hour later.
Fang Che blinked, his eyes clearing, and he said, "Please, Sect Hierarch, give me guidance."
As he spoke, he floated three feet into the air and unsheathed his sword.
"Eh?!"
Yin Shen Palace and the three elders' eyes bulged in shock, unable to contain their astonishment.
Because Fang Che's starting posture, even the floating footwork and the ethereal feeling, were exactly the same as Yin Shen Palace's!
If not for the difference in clothes and face, just by the silhouette, one might almost think that Yin Shen Palace had taken the field again.
"This kid... interesting."
Yin Shen Palace immediately perked up with a bit of anticipation, his eyes gleaming.
Fang Che stood firm, his long sword thrusting out with his arm, a flash of cold light, and his feet shifted from an irregular pattern into a forward step.
The heel of his back foot lifted slightly, the arch hanging in the air, the toes touching the ground, and from the curvature of the front of the shoe, it was apparent that only the big toe and the second toe were touching, his toes in a semi-rotating stance.
His left hand formed the Sword technique, as if grasping the weak point of an enemy in front of him, a surge of Spiritual Energy rising from the Dantian, rushing into his right arm, the exact starting route of the first form of the Blood Spirit Seven Swords.
The cold light flashed again, the sword stabbing forward.
The slight forward tilt of his body matched precisely that of Yin Shen Palace's just moments before.
Even the composed demeanor had captured some semblance.
He recited softly, "The Blood Spirit Sword Technique relies on the mental method as its foundation, led by Divine Intent. Before the sword is drawn, the Divine Intent arrives; the Sword technique feigns and exposes flaws when it's held loosely, and the sword is already striking when the technique is firmly grasped; the sword tip moves, and the Divine Intent follows. When the enemy's blood is splattered, I've already returned, free from the backlash loop…"
He repeated verbatim everything Yin Shen Palace had recited earlier.
His body movements were identical.
His footwork was precisely the same.
His Sword technique was completely similar.
The recitation was not a single word off.
One form's variation finished, he immediately began the second, the third, the fourth…
Beside him, Yin Shen Palace's eyes grew wider and wider.
On one side, Mu Lin Yuan, Hou Fang, Qian Sanjiang, and the others were all slack-jawed, their mouths agape enough to swallow a goose egg whole.
Sun Yuan was no better off.
His entire face was frozen in shock.
Only then did he realize that the kid hadn't paid much attention when he was teaching.
If the Blood Spirit Seven Swords can be learned in a single glance, what was the worth of what he had taught? Was an entire hour even necessary?
Yin Shen Palace was so astonished that he was beyond the capacity to think.
With his keen perception, he instantly recognized that Fang Che had never encountered the Blood Spirit Seven Swords before and had never learned it.
The awkwardness of each move was very apparent, the clumsiness inherent to a beginner.
He had mastered the form, but not the essence or killing power.
He was merely imitating.
So, the suspicion of 'this kid has learned this before' vanished as soon as it arose.
It was a unique case, unless he had taught the boy himself and then forgotten.
But still, this was too fast!
Just one look?
And he remembered it all?
At that moment, even the Sect Hierarch of the Yixin Sect could hear his own heartbeat racing with intensity.
A genius!
It was only by the seventh form, the final strike of the Blood Spirit Seven Swords, that the speed slowed and a few movements were not standard.
Yet, in the end, he had mastered it all.
After completing a set of sword moves, there was silence as if the crows and sparrows had been stunned into quietness.
Fang Che sheathed his sword and stood still, pondering the mistakes he had made in the sequence.
Then he said softly, "When I executed the fifth sword move, the turn and the thrust, the footwork was incorrect, the posture slightly off, and the sword technique half a beat too slow... by the time I reached the seventh sword, it was a complete mess, with a total of... six... eight nine... yes, nine mistakes. Moreover, in the chant, 'The sword lifts the blood of the foe, turning the void into a stern killing,' I'm unsure whether it was correct to say 'stern killing' or 'stern evil Qi.' From the perspective of the artistic conception, it should be the 'evil Qi' of evil Qi, right? So, is that referring to the practice of imposing presence?"
Yin Shen Palace took a deep breath, his fair face flushing slightly red.
He pointed out, "When executing the turn and thrust of the fifth sword, the body must follow the turning step. Although the left hand forms the sword technique, it isn't directed at the enemy at the sword's point but instead anticipates another possible enemy. You did not grasp this and practiced as if facing only one opponent, which is why your posture was off. This is not your mistake. As for the errors in the seventh sword move, those were indeed mistakes. They were wrong in..."
He gave a detailed explanation.
His voice was so heavy that it carried a hint of bestowing all his knowledge.
Consequently, Fang Che practiced the sequence again, and suddenly, he had an epiphany: "I see, thank you, Sect Hierarch."
Yin Shen Palace smiled and nodded his head.
He turned his gaze to Sun Yuan, his eyes filled with a complex light, and he sighed softly, "A genius, truly a martial arts prodigy!"
On the other side, Fang Che continued with his third practice, and everyone noticed that the lad had already remembered everything.
Although he still appeared somewhat green, it was now only a matter of accumulating proficiency.
And for such a genius, could proficiency really be a problem?
Mu Lin Yuan, Hou Fang, and Qian Sanjiang were thoroughly shaken!
They were still unable to collect their wits even now.
To think that such a genius existed in this world!
Compared to Fang Che, all the so-called 'geniuses' they had encountered in their lives up to now seemed like they could be thrown straight into the trash can.
There was no comparison at all.
The three turned to look at Sun Yuan, their eyes filled with naked jealousy and a kind of malicious intent as if they wanted to beat him up.
Sun Yuan's face was blooming with smiles, and upon suddenly feeling their gaze, he quickly restrained his smile, revealing a look of appeasement on his face.
The intention to beg for mercy could not be more obvious on his face.
"Don't hit me, with a disciple in front, save some face."
"Now it's your turn. I'm going to rest for a bit, think about some things."
Yin Shen Palace sighed, stepped back, and sat down on a chair, lost in thought.
For Yin Shen Palace, this visit was purely coincidental. A mere disciple's initiation into the Yixin Sect should not even have warranted Sun Yuan's involvement, which was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
It was purely by chance that he was in the area and out of slight curiosity about Sun Yuan's boasting of an 'exceptional genius' that he decided to take a look.
He never expected to encounter a disciple who even the Celestial Worm God would regard with 'satisfaction.'
It was precisely this slight satisfaction from the Celestial Worm God that gave Yin Shen Palace a different idea.
He had spontaneously decided to impart the Blood Spirit Seven Swords to Fang Che.
Originally, his expectation was that if Fang Che could learn just one of the moves, he would be considered a supreme genius!
But he never anticipated meeting a true genius that could astonish past and present!
At this moment, he was filled with different thoughts.
But his feelings were incredibly complicated.
He had just been so shocked that he could not calm the tumult of thoughts in his heart.
Fang Che was elated within; the Blood Spirit Seven Swords had immense killing power and unfathomable moves, far superior to the swordsmanship he had known in his previous life.
It was truly a powerful weapon.
Unfortunately, it was Yin Shen Palace's signature technique, so he could not reveal it carelessly.
...
On the other side, Mu Lin Yuan stepped forward with a smile that was warm and friendly, mixed with a hint of impatience.
"It's my turn."
Sun Yuan coughed, "Disciple, you should study hard; the Great High Priest has reached the peak of his unique knowledge..."
Mu Lin Yuan interrupted with a humph, "No need to remind me, I'm not competing with you."
"The Great High Priest is too serious..." Sun Yuan immediately said with an embarrassed smile.
"Humph!"
For some reason, looking at Sun Yuan now filled Mu Lin Yuan with particular irritation; evil thoughts began to multiply within him.
Seeing this guy's face made him almost uncontrollably want to beat him to lifelong disability with a relentless onslaught of punches and kicks.
After taking a deep breath, he finally calmed himself.
Turning his head to look at Fang Che, his eyes were now filled with kindness and warmth.
"Fang Che, since you are such a talented disciple, I cannot be selfish with my knowledge... In Jianghu, one lives a life of licking blood off the knife's edge amidst life and death. One needs cultivation, movement techniques, mental methods, as well as the ability to stay calm. What I have learned in my life, other things I can discuss later, but for now, I will pass on to you a meditation technique that allows you to maintain a clear mind in any crisis. This technique is my unique knowledge, Bingche Spirit Platform!"
Saying this, he began to transmit the technique to Fang Che through whispered instruction.
He was not as generous as Yin Shen Palace, who allowed everyone to witness the teaching.
After all, Yin Shen Palace's swordmanship was too complicated, and there was no need to worry about others secretly learning it.
But his Bingche Spirit Platform could be remembered by others if they heard it just once, and that would be too much of a loss.
On the side, Hou Fang, Qian Sanjiang, and Sun Yuan were all pondering.
What exactly did the old man mean by saying, "What I have learned in my life, other things I can discuss later"?
Especially Sun Yuan, who felt a heavy sense of crisis.
Watching Mu Lin Yuan, he always felt like this old man was coveting his disciple!
This damned immortal! He's simply not behaving like a proper person!
That look he gave me just now was definitely malicious.
Just before, he was always mocking me for boasting... and now, he's like this, does he really want a piece of trouble?
...
[The zero o'clock update has been scheduled. The morning one has also been timed.]