Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Xie Yuan looked at Song Qingping, whose sharp gaze was fixed on him. His thoughts raced, but his expression remained perfectly composed as he answered respectfully:

"This disciple’s name is Zhang Mountain."

Song Qingping grunted in acknowledgment. He continued to size Xie Yuan up and down, staring for so long that Xie Yuan’s skin began to crawl before he finally asked abruptly:

"Who taught you to practice swordsmanship like that?"

"Eh? Um, the swordsmanship basics were all taught by the instructor in a group. After that, this disciple figured things out on my own."

Unsure of Song Qingping’s intentions, Xie Yuan answered slowly.

Song Qingping snorted.

"Such a good sapling, yet you practice swordsmanship so blindly! Hey, don’t you people usually correct your disciples?"

He directed the second half of his question at the instructor.

The instructor stepped forward, bowed with utmost reverence, and said:

"Grandmaster Song, Zhang Mountain just recently became an official Outer Sect disciple. He was in the service courtyard before, so he probably practiced a lot on his own. Many of his habits haven’t been corrected yet."

"The service courtyard..."

Song Qingping paused, then shook his head emphatically.

"Such a promising talent, and you actually sent him to the service courtyard? Your Cloud Mountain Sword Sect is really something else!

"Look at this kid. Long arms, straight posture, calm gaze, full of spirit and vitality, and extremely steady hands—he was born to practice the sword. When he was practicing your Cloud Mountain Sword Form just now, the fluidity of his transitions between moves was completely beyond what an Outer Sect novice should have. To reach this level on his own in the service courtyard... that’s what I call talent. But—

"The details show sparks of brilliance, but overall, there’s no structure at all! You’ve clearly grasped the fine points of the moves well, but then you suddenly throw in some bizarre flourish, completely ruining the inherent grace of the sword form. I was wondering where you got your ’creative ideas’ from. So, it turns out you were just practicing blindly on your own in the service courtyard!

"This is what happens when you have no master to guide you at the beginning and just fumble around. That retreating slash of yours—if I see you mess up the footwork like that again, I’ll break your legs. And also..."

Song Qingping immediately began critiquing several of Xie Yuan’s moves, hitting the nail on the head—he pointed out the exact imperfections Xie Yuan had deliberately created.

Seeing that Song Qingping had only noticed some of his incongruities, Xie Yuan felt a sense of relief, yet also grew more vigilant.

’My acting is already superb, and my Celestial Concealment Skill is exceptional, but in front of a Flying Dragon List Master, it’s still easy to slip up.’

In truth, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect had no Flying Dragon List Masters other than the Sect Leader, who was always elusive and unpredictable. Xie Yuan had felt quite secure. Who would have thought this Song Qingping would not only overstay his welcome but also insist on showing off...

Xie Yuan put on a receptive expression, performed two moves, and this time, they were finally normal.

Seeing that he understood with just a little guidance, Song Qingping nodded again.

"His talent is indeed decent. If your Cloud Mountain Sword Sect doesn’t know how to teach him, this kid can come back with me to the Sword Storage Pavilion."

"What, are you trying to poach our disciples?"

A cold voice drifted over.

"Senior Sister Luo, I was just joking! How could I possibly take away one of your disciples?"

The nearby Outer Sect disciples were already green with envy seeing Song Qingping speak so much to Xie Yuan. Then, when they heard him praise Xie Yuan repeatedly and even talk about poaching him—whether it was an exaggeration or not, it was clear he highly approved of his talent!

In that moment, the expressions of the Outer Sect disciples were incredibly sour, as if they had all eaten lemons.

Xie Yuan quickly bowed.

"Thank you for your high praise, Grandmaster Song. This disciple has benefited greatly."

’Having some of my talent seen through by Song Qingping has instantly drawn attention... This won’t do. I need to be more low-key in front of a Grandmaster.’

He had heard the Sword Sect was looking for the person—be it a disciple or a senior—who had sparred with Yao Tianchuan. Song Qingping’s lingering here seemed to be about rekindling old flames with Luo Shuang, but perhaps it was also partly to wait for an explanation.

’When I saw him coming over just now, I almost thought I’d been discovered. Thankfully, my acting and my Celestial Concealment Skill are both more than sufficient. Besides, that greasy Grandmaster’s main focus is on fawning over Luo Shuang, so he wasn’t paying that much attention to a disciple. I managed to bluff my way through.’

Song Qingping looked past Xie Yuan to Lin Cheng and frowned.

"Your Sword Sect... you really do teach all comers without discrimination. You take someone with good talent and make him a service hand, while someone whose talent isn’t even good enough to be a service hand is taught the sword. His bones have already set, and his aura isn’t clear. In the Sword Storage Pavilion, he wouldn’t even qualify to be a service disciple!"

Hearing this assessment, Lin Cheng’s face turned pale, and he silently lowered his head.

Both Xie Yuan and the instructor beside him frowned. The instructor took a step forward and said respectfully:

"Grandmaster Song, our Sword Sect has its own standards for selecting disciples. Lin Cheng’s aptitude may be a bit lacking, but his character is excellent. Neither I nor any of the other instructors or deacons in the Outer Sect see any problem with him practicing the sword."

"And that’s why the disciples of your Cloud Mountain Sword Sect can’t compare to ours."

Seeing the instructor dare to talk back, Song Qingping’s temper flared. He forgot his objective for a moment and spoke with cutting sarcasm.

A cold voice came from behind.

"Song Qingping, do the disciples of our Sect need you to comment on them? Prioritizing aptitude over character—that is why your Sword Storage Pavilion falls further and further behind us in the later stages."

Hearing this, Song Qingping’s expression changed.

The words were rather blunt. The Outer Sect disciples all tensed, thinking the two Grandmasters were about to clash. Who would have expected Song Qingping’s expression to instantly become fawning?

"Senior Sister Luo is right! That’s why I’ve been a loser at your hands for all these years!"

"Hmph."

Seeing Song Qingping shamelessly cozying up to her, Luo Shuang let out a soft snort. She glanced at the Outer Sect disciples and Lin Cheng, then said coolly:

"Don’t listen to his nonsense. Just focus on your training."

"Yes, Elder Luo!"

Lin Cheng clasped his hands earnestly and shouted.

The two Grandmasters left together. The Outer Sect disciples, who had been standing with their chests puffed out, all let out a sigh of relief and began excitedly discussing the guidance Song Qingping had just given.

Xie Yuan moved closer to Lin Cheng and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don’t mind what that pretty boy said."

Lin Cheng froze for a moment, his eyes wide. He whispered nervously:

"Junior Brother Zhang, how dare you speak about a Flying Dragon List Master like that?"

"Heh, he’s not here, is he?"

It took Xie Yuan a moment to react. He then remembered what a lofty term and status "Grandmaster" was in the eyes of a Martial Artist.

Never mind a Flying Dragon List Master; disciples wouldn’t even dare to gossip behind the back of an ordinary Grandmaster who had scolded or criticized them.

"Grandmaster" wasn’t just a noun. In the eyes of a Martial Artist, the title of Grandmaster carried immense weight.

However, Xie Yuan himself didn’t have as strong a sense of hierarchy as they did. Plus, he had already encountered quite a few Grandmasters on his journey. He had even lived with a preternaturally talented young female Grandmaster for a long time...

Especially with Mu Chaoyun. Having spent so much time with her, day in and day out, he thought, ’What’s so special about a Grandmaster? She’s just a young refugee girl who stares at me eagerly every day, waiting for me to bring her food. I had to buy her clothes, and I even had to fetch her bathwater. What’s the big deal?’

With Mu Chaoyun not around, Xie Yuan’s courage swelled, and he completely forgot who it was that slept on the floor every night. But even if he did remember, it wouldn’t matter. ’That was only because I couldn’t beat her. I was just letting her have her way. After all, taking care of someone isn’t the same as serving them. The day will come when I can defeat her. If we’re still living under the same roof then, the inner room... it’s not like I couldn’t go in!’

In summary, Xie Yuan admired and respected the cultivation of Grandmasters, but apart from their cultivation level, he didn’t feel he was in any way inferior.

Lin Cheng was touched that Xie Yuan would risk offending a powerful figure to speak up for him. He said in a low voice:

"Thanks, Junior Brother Zhang. But it’s alright. ’As heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman constantly strive for self-perfection!’ A few words are nothing to me."

"Besides, Instructor Sun and Elder Luo both spoke up for me, and so did you. I feel even more motivated to practice martial arts in the Sect now."

Xie Yuan nodded. Luo Shuang seemed cold, but she clearly cared about the Sect and its disciples. It wasn’t surprising that she would directly rebuke Song Qingping.

What was admirable, however, was Instructor Sun. Despite the enormous gap in both strength and status between him and a Grandmaster, he had dared to contradict a Grandmaster to his face for the sake of a disciple.

The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect truly had a righteous and upright atmosphere; it was a good place. No wonder Mu Chaoyun had recommended he come here to cultivate.

He had had many other considerations at the time. He never expected that a twist of fate would bring him here after all. It just went to show how unpredictable life could be.

’Well, I’m already here, so I might as well make the best of it. In any case, cultivation is faster here than down the mountain, and there are good cultivation techniques like the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill. Not to mention, I can comprehend the Black Celestial Book in the windy rock crevice.’ Xie Yuan decided he would stick around here for the time being.

At least he was an official Outer Sect disciple of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, not an outsider like Song Qingping.

Instructor Sun knew the disciples had gained a great deal from the Grandmaster’s guidance and were still excited, so he dismissed the group practice early, allowing them to comprehend their insights on their own.

As the disciples dispersed, many cast furtive glances at Xie Yuan, thinking to themselves that he was truly worthy of being a disciple who had climbed up from the vast service courtyard so quickly. His talent was indeed extraordinary, enough to even earn the favor of Song Qingping.

’So talented and yet so hardworking. It’s really annoying...’

Of course, even a Grandmaster from the Celestial Dragon List wouldn’t have been able to see through the bit of talent Xie Yuan revealed. It was just a corner he had accidentally exposed, one he had no intention of showing at all.

Xie Yuan returned to his room and thought silently:

’This Song Qingping is wandering all over Cloud Mountain day in and day out. Who knows when he’ll finally leave? I have to be careful. It’s not easy to pretend to be a swordsmanship novice in front of a swordsmanship Grandmaster. From now on, besides being extra cautious, I’ll also have to keep track of his whereabouts... Seriously, doesn’t he have his own Sect? How can the Sword Sect just let him wander around like this? What if he discovers our secrets? Up on Sword Peak, there’s that *thing*.’

’Speaking of which, the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect probably doesn’t know the truth about Sword Peak themselves. Otherwise, they would never have allowed outside Grandmasters like Wei Dong and Song Qingping to come up the mountain and get so close to Sword Peak.’

Xie Yuan let out a breath. He thought of the sword wind, the Black Celestial Book, his perfected basic swordsmanship, and the incomparably powerful Nine Forms of the Cloud Dragon. He also recalled the peerless swordsmanship the two Grandmasters had displayed during their duel—the Floating Light and Shadow Sword and the Tide-Suppressing Sword Technique of the Serene Sea—which could shake mountains, topple cities, and change the color of the sky and earth.

He felt a stir of eagerness.

’It feels like everyone is looking for the "mysterious expert" lately... Once things die down a bit, I’ll go to the rock crevice every day to feel the wind. The Black Celestial Book costs five hundred points. If I don’t persist, who knows when I’ll get another chance.’

’And there’s the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill, the Life-Nourishing Art, the Nine Forms of the Cloud Dragon... There’s never enough time to practice! My cultivation addiction is acting up, and my only worry is that the days are too short and time is running out!’

Xie Yuan put down roots in the Outer Sect. He trained relentlessly by day and without pause by night. He and his like-minded roommate, Lin Cheng, discussed swordsmanship every day, stirring up the competitive spirit of the Outer Sect as he immersed himself in the improvement of his cultivation.

In cultivation, one loses track of time. It wasn’t until the first snow fell on Cloud Mountain that he realized two months had passed in the blink of an eye.