Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Xie Yuan secretly shook his head.

’You’re really letting your imagination run wild, and you’re completely wrong.’

Lin Cheng froze for a second. After a moment’s thought, he slapped his forehead.

"I guess there is that risk! Hah, if you hadn’t brought it up, Junior Brother Zhang, I never would’ve thought of that. So, what should we do...?"

"I happened to hear a saying once, something like, ’When the sword precedes the footwork, the sword wields the man; when the footwork precedes the sword, the man wields the sword.’ But I don’t quite get it. Senior Brother Lin, could you explain it to me a little?" Xie Yuan said, patiently leading him on.

Lin Cheng’s eyes narrowed as he repeated in a murmur,

"’When the sword precedes the footwork, the sword wields the man; when the footwork precedes the sword, the man wields the sword...’

"I get it, I get it!"

He looked thrilled as he excitedly told Xie Yuan,

"Hah, it’s just what you were talking about! If the sword leads you and you can’t control it, you’ll expose a weakness the moment you miss. That’s the sword wielding the man, and that’s obviously no good. But if our footwork leads the sword, keeping the move firmly in our control, committing seventy percent and holding back thirty—that is how you truly wield a sword!

"That’s right, that’s it! Junior Brother Zhang, do you understand now?"

"Mm, now that Senior Brother Lin has explained it, I think I understand a bit... What about this move...?"

"Oh, I think this move should be done like this..."

"...I think you might be a little off. I heard there’s a saying about it..."

"I heard it described this way..."

"Hey, wouldn’t this be better?"

"I dreamed about this move the other night..."

After half a day, Lin Cheng had "instructed" Xie Yuan numerous times, and in doing so, had reaped significant benefits himself.

After all, Xie Yuan’s Cloud Mountain Sword Form was at the Perfection Stage. He figured that within the entire Outer Sect, few instructors could even match his level of mastery. With just a look or a few sentences, he could give Lin Cheng an epiphany that made his head buzz.

"So that’s how you’re supposed to practice it... Junior... Junior Brother Zhang, where did you hear all these sayings?"

"In the handyman compound."

"The handymen know about this stuff?"

"Handymen know everything except how to cultivate."

Xie Yuan figured that was enough for one day. Any more and Lin Cheng’s brain might just explode. He gave a slight nod.

"Senior Brother Lin, thank you for your pointers. I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough myself. Aigh, I hear all these sayings and theories but never understand them, so I wouldn’t dare practice on my own. It’s all thanks to you for clearing things up for me, Senior Brother Lin!"

Lin Cheng came back to his senses and nodded hesitantly.

"Oh, you’re welcome, Junior Brother Zhang. You really shouldn’t practice on your own... If you have more questions, come find me again."

As he watched Xie Yuan close the door, Lin Cheng scratched his head and thought with some shame,

’I don’t think I actually helped Junior Brother Zhang with his questions even once. Instead, I’m the one who had all the breakthroughs! His cultivation level might be low, but his knowledge is incredible. What a fluke... he’s a true lucky charm! It’s great that he moved in!’

Lin Cheng clenched his fist, picked up his Long Sword, and started practicing in the courtyard again.

Inside, Xie Yuan heard the sound of the sword cutting through the air and shook his head with a private smile.

’He really is a hardworking guy. Hmm, the whistle of his blade sounds much better now.’

He sat at the table, took out the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill, and opened the first page with great interest.

’I’ve practiced plenty of Cultivation Techniques, but this is my first time seeing a different ’nurturing’ method. Let’s see what it’s all about...’

Accompanied by the faint shouts and the sound of a sword cleaving the air from outside the window, Xie Yuan lit an oil lamp in his room and read quietly.

After a good while, he had skimmed through the entire Inner Power manual and then carefully reread the introduction and the 1st Layer. A panel of text shimmered into view before his eyes.

[Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill · 1st Layer: (1/100)]

Xie Yuan chuckled.

"’Wait for an instructor to teach you before practicing?’ Is it supposed to be hard? Not in the slightest."

He closed the book, his eyes gleaming with insight.

’Interesting. This Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill is clearly a stepping stone for the Sword Sect’s more profound Inner Power techniques, just like the Cloud Mountain Sword Form.

’It’s not weak on its own, either. For a beginner’s Inner Power, it has a sharp, aggressive quality that perfectly complements the intent of the Sword Sect’s techniques. It’s an ideal match. It dramatically increases the power of your attacks, and at higher levels, it can even amplify your Sword Qi and Sword Aura.

’If I can master this Sword Qi Skill, my internal energy will become razor-sharp, drastically increasing my lethality. Even setting aside its future potential, it’s worth learning just for the immediate boost in strength.’

His Golden Bell Shield could take him to the Qi Blood Third Transformation, so there was no rush with that. However, the body-nourishing technique the Daoist had given him only went up to the 5th Layer, roughly equivalent to the Qi Blood Second Transformation. He was about to max it out, so it was time to think about what came after his foundational technique.

Xie Yuan looked at the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill in his hands. He was quite pleased with this technique and the subsequent ones that would follow in the same lineage, but he began to wonder,

’I wonder if my body-nourishing technique will conflict with this one. Logically, you can’t have two different types of internal energy flowing through the same meridians. But according to its description, the body-nourishing technique is neutral and gentle, without any specific attribute, and compatible with all things. The Daoist designed it to be a perfect foundation...’

He nodded. He decided to give the 1st Layer of the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill a try. If anything felt off, he would simply stop. With his current cultivation level and physique, he could afford to take what barely even counted as a risk.

He sat cross-legged on the bed in a meditative posture, following the instructions in the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill. He began the breathing exercises, guiding Spiritual Qi to nurture the first wisp of True Spirit within his abdomen.

Perhaps because he already had a solid foundation from his body-nourishing technique, Xie Yuan’s practice went very smoothly. Soon, a new wisp of internal energy formed in his Dantian, distinct from the energy of his old technique. It carried an almost imperceptible, sharp intent.

He nodded to himself. Then came the most critical moment.

Xie Yuan carefully guided that sharp wisp of internal energy through his meridians, directing it to "meet" the constantly flowing energy from his body-nourishing technique within one of his energy channels.

The energy from the body-nourishing technique was like a current of water. It simply washed over the wisp of sword-energy. There was no conflict, no stabbing pain—it was just like formless, attribute-less water, able to merge with anything.

’It’s just as I predicted! This means I can cultivate the Cloud Mountain Sword Qi Skill—’