Xu Zhenming stood gripping his wooden sword, unable to bring himself to take the first step.
There was nothing particularly unusual about Lee Hyun's stance before him.
Even so, the instincts that had kept Xu Zhenming alive for so many years continued to warn him of the same thing.
'I must not fight that young Immortal.'
For the first time in a long while, Xu Zhenming recalled a memory from his childhood.
He had been only ten years old when he encountered an enormous bear that had come down from the mountain in search of food before winter.
The bear had merely looked down at the young Xu Zhenming from the slope above. Yet at the time, Xu Zhenming had barely been able to breathe.
The sense that his life and death rested entirely in the beast before him. The helplessness of knowing that nothing he did could change the outcome.
Decades had passed since then, and now that he had reached the Transformation Realm, Xu Zhenming had never imagined he would once again feel like a child standing before a savage beast.
...
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun was carefully observing Xu Zhenming.
'So this is a master of the Transformation Realm.'
The tip of Xu Zhenming's sword trembled almost imperceptibly without pause. At a glance, it looked as though his hand was shaking, but a master of the Transformation Realm was a martial artist who had reached a level rarely seen even across an entire kingdom. There was no way such a man was simply trembling.
Naturally, every tiny movement had to contain profound skill honed through real combat.
Lee Hyun was a cultivator who trained the Primordial Body, and his entire body had been tempered by spiritual power. His dynamic vision was exceptional as well.
Looking more closely, he saw that the wooden sword never remained in the same position. The tip seemed to point upward before dropping down, and the instant it angled left, it was already poised to transition into a straight thrust. The angles of Xu Zhenming's wrist, elbow, and shoulder were also shifting by amounts too small for an ordinary eye to notice.
It was completely different from the fixed opening stances he had seen in the Azure Steel Sword Art. Was Xu Zhenming creating constant variations from the very moment he raised his sword, allowing a single stance to flow into dozens of different attacks?
'So this is the martial path... A form unconstrained by predetermined moves. Since they can't directly harness spiritual qi, they must have refined their handling of weapons to the absolute limit.'
Lee Hyun's expression grew even more serious.
Just then, Xu Zhenming hurriedly shouted.
"W-wait!"
Guo Tianxiong, who had been watching from beside the training ground, frowned.
"What is it?"
"Please wait a moment."
Without taking his eyes off Lee Hyun, Xu Zhenming retreated two steps. Then his lips moved slightly as he sent a voice transmission that only Guo Tianxiong could hear.
[Something is strange.]
[What is strange?]
[It's difficult to explain. Standing in front of him, my body refuses to move.]
[Do you sense killing intent?]
[No. I just... feel that I must not oppose him.]
Guo Tianxiong was slightly surprised.
He knew Xu Zhenming's temperament well. Xu Zhenming was a bold fellow who had once held a chokepoint while surrounded by two Transformation Realm masters from Qianyang Kingdom until his companions could escape.
And yet that same man could not even begin a sparring match with wooden swords?
Guo Tianxiong walked onto the training ground.
[I'll try first.]
When he extended a hand, Xu Zhenming passed him the wooden sword. Guo Tianxiong lightly swung it several times to gauge its weight, then stood opposite Lee Hyun.
"Instructor Xu seems to be feeling unwell today. Allow me to face you first."
"Please go easy on me."
"Of course."
Guo Tianxiong replied as though it were nothing, but the moment he faced Lee Hyun directly, his gaze changed.
The instant he leveled his sword, his chest tightened. It felt as though an enormous, invisible mountain were suspended above his head.
Before he realized it, Guo Tianxiong was gripping the wooden sword tightly. As he suppressed the tremor threatening to shake the sword tip, the veins stood out sharply on the back of his hand, and tiny beads of sweat had already formed across his forehead.
...
Lee Hyun found himself impressed once again.
'Academy Head Guo's opening stance is even more profound.'
Guo Tianxiong's wooden sword was also trembling ever so slightly. But while Xu Zhenming's sword had revealed clear variations, Guo Tianxiong's instead seemed as though all variation had vanished.
Yet on closer examination, the pressure of his fingers on the hilt and the angles of his wrist, elbow, and shoulder were changing from one instant to the next.
The sword stood still, yet it was constantly moving. There was no predicting which direction his attack would come from.
Compared to the limitless possibilities created by Guo Tianxiong's restraint, the changes at Xu Zhenming's fingertips looked like child's play!
'Is this the realm of stillness within motion!'
The moment Lee Hyun tensely gripped his wooden sword with both hands, Guo Tianxiong lowered his sword first.
"?"
"There are a few things I would like to confirm first. I want to know what offensive means Retainer Li can use in actual combat."
"For offensive techniques, I've learned one that launches a ball of fire, one that fires needles of spiritual power, and a type of sword art. I also know a technique that uses a barrier of qi to push away everything around me..."
"Do you have techniques for defense and movement as well?"
"One creates a shield, one lightens my body, one lets me run quickly, and one lets me enter the ground."
"How proficient are you with the techniques you just mentioned?"
"I've used all of them for a long time, so I'm quite familiar with them."
"For a long time..."
Guo Tianxiong pointed to several wooden boards, leather shields, iron plates, and stone pillars set up along one side of the training ground.
"Before we begin sparring, I would like to see how dangerous Retainer Li's techniques are. After all, if we do not know their exact power, someone may be injured."
"Understood."
'Hmm... If I want to look like an ordinary Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator... how much spiritual power should I use for a basic technique...?'
After calculating for a moment, Lee Hyun drew a small amount of spiritual power to his fingertip.
"This is a technique called the Yang Metal Art. It's used to kill spirit insects."
A thin strand of silvery-white energy condensed at the tip of his finger.
Flash.
A slender silver needle tore through the air.
The Yang Metal Art pierced through the wooden board in front, passed straight through the leather shield behind it, then left a small hole in the center of an iron plate as thick as a finger.
Even after piercing the iron plate, the remaining silver needle drove nearly half a chi (about 15 cm) into the stone pillar behind it before finally disappearing.
Guo Tianxiong approached the iron plate and examined the hole.
'Hell... this is what he uses to kill bugs?'
Lee Hyun had deliberately used only a little spiritual power, but his mastery of the technique was so high that its power was still astonishing.
"Then... would you show us the next technique as well?"
Next came the Fireball Art.
A fireball the size of a fist appeared above Lee Hyun's palm. A chillingly immense power emanated from it.
Unlike ordinary flames, the fire on its surface did not spread outward, but curled inward toward the center of the sphere. The closer it came to the center, the brighter it grew, until it turned a dazzling white.
When he extended his hand, the fireball shot rapidly toward a stone pillar.
Flash!
A blinding burst of light erupted.
BOOM!
Scorching heat and a violent shockwave blasted outward in every direction.
The impact shook the ground, traveled up through Guo Tianxiong and Xu Zhenming's feet, and rattled their organs. Dust billowed into the air along with an acrid smell.
The stone pillar had been shattered by the blast pressure. The surface of the remaining stump was cracked like a spiderweb, while several areas glowed red-hot and had even begun to melt slightly.
"......?"
Finally, Lee Hyun decided to demonstrate the Azure Steel Sword Art.
With a flash of light, the broad, thick Earth Shovel Sword sprang out of his storage pouch. Its tip struck the stone floor with a heavy sound.
Thud.
Guo Tianxiong and Xu Zhenming looked back and forth between the Earth Shovel Sword and Lee Hyun's face for a moment, then nodded.
'Weapons used by Immortals really do have unusual shapes.'
Lee Hyun gripped the Earth Shovel Sword with both hands and activated the Azure Steel Sword Art. Blue light spread across the broad blade.
The light extended far beyond the sword, forming a translucent blade three chi long.
Once the blue energy covered the blunt shape of the Earth Shovel Sword, it finally resembled a properly proportioned greatsword.
Lee Hyun swung the sword diagonally.
Slice!
The upper section of the standing stone pillar remained in place for a moment before slowly sliding sideways and falling to the ground.
Guo Tianxiong inspected the cut surface and fell silent.
"......"
Lee Hyun lowered the Earth Shovel Sword.
"My apologies. Did I destroy too much?"
"It's fine. Things break here all the time anyway."
Lee Hyun returned the Earth Shovel Sword to his storage pouch.
Guo Tianxiong maintained a calm expression, but his thoughts were considerably more complicated.
The newly appointed Retainer named Li Dongyi possessed techniques far too powerful to judge him solely by his realm of Qi Refining Stage 3.
Guo Tianxiong had heard that cultivation realm and mastery of techniques were separate matters, but it still left him somewhat deflated to see such a young man wield means that even he, one of the foremost martial artists in all of Yunze Kingdom, could not casually confront head-on.
'Even a martial genius as exceptional as me would struggle to take the techniques of a Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator head-on...?'
The Retainers of the Fengtian Bureau rarely sparred with Guo Tianxiong and the others, and even when they occasionally did, neither the power nor activation speed of their techniques matched those of the new Retainer before him.
Furthermore, unlike Yunze Kingdom, Qianyang Kingdom did not deploy Qi Refining cultivators, so Guo Tianxiong had almost never had cause to fight one.
Because of that, he had never considered a mere Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator particularly threatening, making the shock of seeing Lee Hyun's techniques all the greater.
Guo Tianxiong pushed aside his thoughts and spoke.
"As expected, an Immortal's methods are on a completely different scale when it comes to raw power. But such a comparison only means something if we assume the opponent will politely wait while you cast your technique."
"I agree. When I watched the sparring match between Academy Head Guo and General Jiang recently, both of you moved extremely quickly."
"The martial artists of Qianyang Kingdom will not kindly wait for Retainer Li to activate a technique."
At that moment, Xu Zhenming cautiously asked,
"Before that, may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Have you perhaps learned a technique or cultivation art that frightens people?"
"Hm? I've never learned anything like that..."
Xu Zhenming turned toward Guo Tianxiong with an awkward expression. Guo Tianxiong explained in his place.
"When we stood opposite Retainer Li with swords in hand, we felt an inexplicable pressure."
"Pressure?"
Lee Hyun thought for a moment, then activated the Aura-Concealing Art without releasing the Spirit-Concealing Art. A thin veil that concealed the fluctuations of his spiritual power spread over his skin and wrapped around his entire body.
At that moment, Xu Zhenming and Guo Tianxiong blinked.
"H-how did you do that? The pressure from before is gone."
"It truly is."
'Does the Aura-Concealing Art hide not only fluctuations in spiritual power, but also all the little traces of energy leaking from my body? I should keep the Spirit-Concealing Art and Aura-Concealing Art active together from now on.'
To dispel their suspicions, Lee Hyun offered a plausible excuse.
"It's probably because of my constitution. My family has been unusually strong for generations, and even before I entered the immortal path, my body was sturdy enough to face wild beasts in the mountains. The cultivation art I practice also has some body-tempering properties. Perhaps the two of you sensed the energy that has become ingrained in my body."
Guo Tianxiong stroked his beard as though the explanation made sense.
"So you are an Immortal who also practices body cultivation. No wonder your presence felt unusually powerful."
Xu Zhenming also relaxed and picked up a wooden sword from the rack at one side of the training ground.
"Then allow me to properly explain how martial artists fight cultivators. What do you think is the greatest difference between martial artists like us and cultivators?"
"Isn't it whether one possesses spiritual roots?"
"Correct. Because we have no spiritual roots, we cannot directly absorb heaven-and-earth spiritual qi. We nourish the body's vital essence through food and medicinal ingredients, then refine it over many years into internal energy."
Xu Zhenming opened his palm. As he circulated his internal energy, a faint current moved along the veins on the back of his hand and wrist.
"Once we reach the Transformation Realm or the Profound Realm, we possess power that can hardly be called mortal. Even so, if we compare only our total reserves of power, we cannot match cultivators. That is why masters of the martial path do not compete with cultivators through raw strength."
Xu Zhenming brought over a thick wooden shield and stood it upright, then moved the tip of his sword close to it.
White light gathered at the tip of the wooden sword. At first, the sword aura was as thick as a finger, but with each breath Xu Zhenming took, it gradually narrowed. From the thickness of a little finger to that of a chopstick, then further still until it had been compressed into a fine line no thicker than a large needle.
Xu Zhenming lightly thrust his sword forward.
Thunk!
The thin sword aura pierced through the thick wood and left a small hole in the iron plate positioned behind it.
"Martial artists of Qianyang Kingdom generally call this One Point Pierces the Surface. It means piercing a surface by concentrating force on a single point."
Guo Tianxiong added,
"No matter how sturdy a Qi Refining cultivator's defensive technique may be, any method designed to protect a broad area at once is bound to be vulnerable to an attack concentrated on a single point."
"I see."
'It's not a difficult concept for someone from the modern world like me. The amount of force is fixed, so you reduce the surface area to increase the pressure.'
Next, Guo Tianxiong stabbed the same spot on the wooden shield three times with the tip of his sword. From the outside, the strikes left only shallow marks, but when his fourth thrust drove into exactly the same point, the shield burst apart from within.
Crack!
"If a single strike cannot break through, we can also attack the same point repeatedly. Qianyang Kingdom's Interlocking Sword Formation has several martial artists thrust at the same spot in sequence as though they were a single person."
Xu Zhenming continued explaining.
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that whatever method martial experts of the mundane world use to break through an Immortal's defenses, it ultimately comes down to some form of thrust. Using the principle of One Point Pierces the Surface is the most practical way to kill an Immortal."
This time, Xu Zhenming took out three short wooden throwing knives.
"The next thing you should be wary of is... because Immortals generally have so many different methods available, their attention can easily become divided the moment they hesitate over which one to use. That is when martial experts like us cut their fingers to disrupt their hand seals, attack their eyes so they lose sight of their target, or interfere with their breathing to throw off their mnemonic formula."
He threw the first knife. As it arced high over Lee Hyun's head, Lee Hyun's gaze naturally followed it upward.
At that instant, Xu Zhenming threw the second knife. When it flew toward Lee Hyun's wrist, Lee Hyun drew his hand slightly back. By then, the third knife was already flying toward the top of his foot.
"The third one might be the real attack, or all three could be feints."
"And the moment I evade all the feints, you could rush me directly."
"On top of that, we may hide hidden weapons inside our sleeves and launch them, or scatter stone dust or powdered medicinal ingredients to interfere with sight and smell."
Guo Tianxiong spoke again.
"Then let us consider things from Retainer Li's perspective. If the Fireball Art were the only technique you knew, you would use the Fireball Art the moment you saw an enemy. But Retainer Li knows many techniques, so when attacked, you will first have to decide whether to block, push the enemy away, evade, hide, or counterattack."
"That's true."
"Having many methods is an advantage in itself, but using them seamlessly in actual combat requires that much more situational training. In battle, even if a choice is somewhat imperfect, making it quickly is better than delaying while searching for the perfect answer."
Lee Hyun fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand that in theory, but how should I train?"
"At first, I will limit the methods you are allowed to use."
Guo Tianxiong raised two fingers.
"Defensive techniques and movement techniques. For now, use only those two categories. Any method that pushes the opponent away must also be used solely for defense."
"No offensive techniques?"
"You may use them if you wish to kill Instructor Xu."
"I won't use them."
Xu Zhenming returned to his position opposite Lee Hyun.
"The rules are simple. Block my attacks or push me away. If that proves difficult, create distance."
"May I enter the ground?"
"That... will be forbidden for now."
"Understood."
The two once again stood facing each other with ten jang (about 30 m) between them.
"Let us begin."
The instant he finished speaking, Xu Zhenming advanced straight toward him and thrust his sword.
Without hesitating, Lee Hyun immediately summoned a translucent Spirit Light Shield in front of his chest.
'Blocked...'
Boom!
Just before Xu Zhenming's sword struck the Spirit Light Shield, he unleashed a stomping step, and the floor of the training ground burst apart.
The shock made Lee Hyun lose his balance and lifted him slightly off the ground. In that instant, Xu Zhenming brought his wooden sword crashing down against the Spirit Light Shield. With the impact of the stomping step combined with the sword strike, Lee Hyun was thrown backward!
Xu Zhenming did not miss the opening and surged forward. Just as Lee Hyun's back was about to hit the ground, the wooden sword descended toward his chest.
Shhhk–
Still lying flat, Lee Hyun's body slid backward.