Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Xie Yuan was feeling pleased with himself when a sudden change occurred.

The wisp of inner power that had washed over the stream of sword qi had inexplicably taken on a hint of sharpness, just like the sword qi itself, yet it still retained the mellow richness of the Life-Nourishing Art.

"This is..."

Xie Yuan was stunned. ’It seems that the stream of inner power from my Life-Nourishing Art can be converted into a stream of sword qi?!’

He gave it a try, and after a bit of effort, he actually succeeded!

Gazing at the now much thicker stream of sword qi, Xie Yuan’s eyes lit up.

’Is this a special property of the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill? No, the introductory cultivation method of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect couldn’t be this amazing. It must be a special property of the Life-Nourishing Art!’

’The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without contention, so nothing in the world can contend with it... The Life-Nourishing Art might be all-encompassing, but I never imagined it could also transform all things!’

It not only avoided conflict with other cultivation techniques, but it could even directly transform into them, essentially boosting them!

Xie Yuan couldn’t help but wonder: if he converted all the inner power from his Life-Nourishing Art into streams of sword qi, wouldn’t his Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill instantly reach an extremely high level?

And the power of his swordsmanship would skyrocket!

And what’s more... Xie Yuan felt it out for a moment, his face a mask of astonishment.

This converted stream of sword qi could actually be converted back.

’What’s the principle behind this?’

Xie Yuan was utterly shocked. He could understand converting the attributeless Life-Nourishing Art’s inner power into sharp sword qi. But once it had taken on that sharpness, how could it be converted back and forth at will?

’This Life-Nourishing Art... it’s really that incredible?’

Xie Yuan instantly recalled the scene when he met that Daoist on the mountain behind the small stone village.

He had said that he modified this Life-Nourishing Art on a whim...

’To create such a miraculous Cultivation Technique on a whim... who exactly is that Daoist? Which Grandmaster could he be?’

Xie Yuan frowned and thought hard. He was no longer the ignorant boy he once was and had learned much about this world, including hearing about the top Martial Dao experts. Yet, after racking his brain several times, he couldn’t think of anyone who fit the description.

He sighed. ’If I had known he was so powerful, I would have knelt down and begged him to take me as his disciple... but that’s just wishful thinking. A mysterious expert like that probably accepts disciples based on his own whim, not on how much you plead.’

’The real shame is that the Life-Nourishing Art only goes up to the 5th Layer. I’m about to max it out, and I have no idea how to find the subsequent levels...’

Xie Yuan shook his head.

’You don’t know what you have until it’s compared to something else. Only after cultivating the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill did I realize just how top-tier the Life-Nourishing Art truly is.’

’I wonder when I’ll meet that Daoist again?’

「In the following days」 Xie Yuan officially joined the Outer Sect of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect. He followed the instructors to practice his sword and his techniques, learning the Martial Dao heritage of a Major Sect.

The other Outer Sect disciples learned that a new disciple had arrived and was living with that martial arts fanatic, Lin Cheng. They all wondered how long it would be before he moved out.

To their surprise, this new junior brother wasn’t just another Lin Cheng—he was even more intense!

"Zhang Mountain is so diligent, practicing first thing in the morning. Excellent, excellent! Now look at yourselves, sleeping until the sun is almost up! Utterly lazy!"

"Mm, although Zhang Mountain arrived late, his swordsmanship is taking shape, and he’s already grasped the basics of the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill. You senior brothers better step up your game."

"HISS! His swordsmanship is already nearing the stage of ’refinement and mastery, knowing it like the back of his hand,’ isn’t it? With talent like that, how did he end up in the Service Yard?"

The Outer Sect disciples soon realized something was off. After asking some service disciples they knew, they found out this guy was already famous. What they were experiencing now, others had already gone through before.

"Damn it, who let him practice the sword? Can’t we send him back to the Service Yard..."

"Having one Lin Cheng who gets praised by the instructor for his diligence is bad enough. Now there’s a Zhang Mountain, and the two of them are even living together! It’s true what they say: birds of a feather flock together!"

As the sun had just risen, the group of Outer Sect disciples, who had already been practicing their swordsmanship under the instructor’s supervision for a long time, stared with dark circles under their eyes. They watched the earnest faces of Xie Yuan and Lin Cheng and muttered under their breath.

Xie Yuan paid no mind to what others thought. Practicing martial arts here on Cloud Mountain was remarkably efficient. Even when practicing the already perfected Cloud Mountain Sword Form, although his progress had maxed out, it still had the effect of refining his Blood Qi. In fact, because the technique was perfected, this effect was quite substantial. It was the best substitute for when he couldn’t practice his Golden Bell Shield in public!

These past few days, he had continued to "ask for guidance" from Lin Cheng, helping him polish his swordsmanship and improve his progress. Although Lin Cheng’s physical talent and understanding of the Martial Dao were a bit lacking, he had, after all, been educated. He was sharp, and once a point was explained, he always understood.

His understanding of the Martial Dao could be slowly nurtured by Xie Yuan, but there was nothing to be done about his innate talent. His cultivation could only improve gradually.

Fortunately, Lin Cheng’s diligence and ferocity in training were second to none in the Outer Sect. If he couldn’t get it right in one try, he’d do it ten or a hundred times. Before Xie Yuan arrived, he had managed to stay at a lower-tier level, but recently, his cultivation and swordsmanship had been soaring, causing the instructors to take notice and praise him profusely.

In the process of teaching Lin Cheng, Xie Yuan himself often made gains. Practicing on your own and teaching someone else are two completely different experiences. Even with a deep understanding, one often gains new insights while explaining things to others. Therefore, although teaching Lin Cheng took time each day, Xie Yuan’s own Martial Dao and swordsmanship realms also rose accordingly.

His Blood Qi realm, Inner Power and sword qi, and Cloud Mountain Swordsmanship—Xie Yuan had made repeated gains in all these areas during his few days in the Outer Sect, so he was naturally diligent in his practice.

Tangible progress was right before his eyes. No matter how much sweat cultivation demanded, he couldn’t bear to stop.

Standing in the morning light, Xie Yuan practiced his sword meticulously. The only difficult part was that he had to find a way to pretend his swordsmanship wasn’t perfected, and to make that pretense look natural.

Suddenly, the disciples saw a man and a woman who looked like Immortals drifting toward them. Their auras were extraordinary, their looks otherworldly, like a picturesque couple.

It was Luo Shuang and Song Qingping.

The instructor hurriedly led the Outer Sect disciples in bowing to the two Grandmasters:

"Greetings, Elder Luo! Greetings, Grandmaster Li!"

Luo Shuang nodded slightly, signaling that there was no need for such formalities, then said with a hint of reproach:

"Qingping, I told you there was no need to get a closer look. You’re disturbing the disciples’ practice."

"Senior Sister Luo, as long as they are disciples of your Sect, I want to take a good look at each and every one."

Song Qingping’s words came effortlessly.

Xie Yuan couldn’t help but rub his arms, a shiver of disgust running through him.

Song Qingping waved his hand.

"Carry on with your practice. Senior Sister Luo and I will just look around."

The instructor nodded and told the disciples to continue. In any case, it was just the Outer Sect disciples practicing the Cloud Mountain Sword Form; there were no sect secrets to hide.

Song Qingping walked among the disciples like a dedicated master, offering a bit of guidance here and a word of critique there, much to the delight of the disciples he advised.

Guidance from a Flying Dragon List Master, even if it was partly for show, was no empty talk. A single piece of his advice was worth more than a long time of their own hard work, and could even lead to a sudden epiphany.

Song Qingping glanced back and saw Luo Shuang standing at the edge of the group, a smile playing on her lips as she nodded slightly. He immediately puffed out his chest, feeling even more motivated.

Xie Yuan took all of this in, silently thinking that Aunt Hong’s explanation was probably correct...

’Elder Luo really does have the Sect’s best interests at heart. Not only did she win a match, but she also found a Grandmaster to be a free laborer.’

Song Qingping walked and paused, gradually arriving in front of Xie Yuan. His brow suddenly furrowed as he scrutinized him carefully.

Xie Yuan’s heart tightened under his gaze. He then heard Song Qingping ask in a deep voice:

"What’s your name?"