25 First day of training!

The training ground was vast, and it was filled with different types of equipment. It resembled a typical, modern-day gym as the room was surrounded by reflective mirrors. Besides the strength and conditioning equipment, there was a room, isolated from the rest. Inside stood many metallic puppets in different colours where a rack of swords sat beside it.

"Shen Long, here is the training ground that will be accessible to you only. Of course, I will come in here and coach you daily, but no one else will be allowed to step in here. The equipment here is all quite old, as it was built since the entire palace was built. Despite that, I had never used them before. As I've told you earlier, understanding and grasping the Dao is more important to us, Celestial Immortals than physical training." Daoist Fireblade said as he walked around the room, wiping the dust off the pieces of equipment.

"I'm sure you know how to use the basic strengthening equipment here. They are all fairly self-explanatory. You must not forget to train your physical strength, as well as your sword techniques. I expect you to be in here at least six hours a day, and two hours will be spent in strengthening training alone. Even with good sword techniques and strong Qi, you still need to exert force through your body. Boosting your physical strength would greatly increasing your raw power." Daoist Fireblade seriously explained as he signaled Shen Long to follow him to the puppet room.

"For now, stick with the black puppets. They are the weakest out of all. Typically, a Qi Condesation cultivator would use these to train, but you are currently on the same level as them as well. No harsh feelings. I'm sure you will be advancing quickly since your comprehension abilities are quite high."

"So, let me introduce you to the basic movements of a sword. They can typically be categorized into two types: offensive and defensive. The offensive ones include pierce, strike, tap, thrust, chop; the defensive ones are parry, break, sheath, lift, jab. However, don't treat them as two different sides towards sword art. As your mastery over the sword improves, the "defensive" moves can be offensive as well. But for now, just interpret it as two separate things for now."

"Try striking the puppet with your full strength! Let me assess your form as well as your talents in the sword. Some cultivators have a natural affinity towards swords. Who knows if you are one of them? Here, take this sword for now." Daoist Fireblade handed over a long, silvery-white katana.

Shen Long gripped the sword the same way he held a banana. Shen Long's chopping motion resembled a badminton player. To Daoist Fireblade's surprise, Shen Long actually knew how to borrow power from his back and abs as he chopped down. As the sword collided with the surface of the black puppet, a loud noise echoed through the room.

It was clear that the puppet was damaged as its surface revealed a small crack. However, its regeneration ability as a puppet allowed the scar to quickly disappear. As it was Shen Long's first time wielding a sword, his performance wasn't too bad and his Master was somewhat satisfied.

"Not bad. Your grip, however, needs some work. You should grip the sword with your thumb and the first two fingers while your remaining fingers should be curled loosely around the hilt. Your wrist should be way more relaxed and in line with your shoulder. Let me demonstrate to you once." Daoist Fireblade said as he readied himself in a horse-stance position.

"Watch closely as I chop down. First, you need to learn this basic position. In Ancient China - which you should definitely know - this position is known as the "horse-stance" position. Your feet should point forward as you squat down with the buttocks pushed out. Your back should be slightly arched up to balance yourself. This should be your strongest position, and always try to maintain in this position while you can when training."

"As you chop down, aim for the weak points. If you examine the puppet closely, you should be able to see some white marks. Those, of course, won't actually be there in actual combat, but these points are usually the weak-spots of a cultivator. Aim for the crown, neck, the ribs and the joint between the knees. Of course, you can aim for their private parts... but you really shouldn't use it unless necessary. Once again, a cultivator should have some basic values and morals..." Daoist Fireblade said as the black puppet split into perfect halves.

"Your strikes need to be clean, fast and accurate. When chopping down, it's important that the blade is perpendicular to the target. This way, the force it exerts will be way greater. Now, try again. Once you can chop down this black puppet, slow down your strikes. With speed, you're borrowing momentum. When slowed down, the force of your strike will be solely dependent on your techniques. This is the only way to change." Meanwhile, the black puppet had, once again, regenerated to its original appearance.

Shen Long attempted again as he prepared himself into the horse stance position. As he was about to strike, he felt a sudden pain on his back. He immediately turned around and he saw Daoist Fireblade holding a whip on his hand.

"Don't lean forward! Your back needs to be arched! Shoulders! Feet should be shoulder-width! Look at your grip! Did you ever listen!? No! Can you concentrate on everything I've said to you!? When I talk about your shoulders, don't straighten your back! Listen to everything and focus!" Daoist Fireblade said as he whipped Shen Long every time he spotted a flaw in his position.

It took Shen Long more than 5 minutes in order for him to land his second strike. Shen Long never expected Daoist Fireblade to be this strict though he understood that it was because he deeply and truly cared about Shen Long as his disciple. Despite the physical pain, Shen Long felt heartwarming as he felt his Master's sincerity.

With a corrected form, Shen Long was able to split the black puppet into halves. Shen Long didn't expect that all as his Master only fixed little things, yet it had such a huge impact. His Master nodded slightly in approval of his progress.

"Don't be complacent. Now slow down the strike, but don't forget about your posture. Now that you know the form, you have to practise it millions and millions of times. As you continue practising, it will become muscle memory for your muscles, and your strikes will be more natural and fluent. However, this is merely the first part of sword art. As I have said, there are ten basic movements that you must grasp, and this is only the first one."

Daoist Fireblade then continued to teach him the nine other movements. Although they were all connected and had some similarities, there were still drastic differences. As they were all the fundamental moves, Daoist Fireblade explained everything in great details and required Shen Long to execute them in perfection.

Shen Long had painstakingly learned every basic movement, despite being extremely tired. He was thankful for his Master's effort as this coaching session didn't end until 11 o'clock in the evening. Shen Long had been training non-stop for the past six hours, yet Shen Long felt more motivated than ever.

Despite he was still a complete novice when it came to the sword, he enjoyed practising his sword art. Shen Long didn't mind repeating the key 10 movements over and over again, though most would find it extremely boring. Shen Long was immersed in the training session just now, even though he found it quite tricky at first.

As soon as he got home, he went to bed and immediately fell asleep. After all, he was completely exhausted. He had been cultivating for the entire day, and he hadn't eaten a single thing despite Shen Long was a complete foodie. Even though Shen Long could survive without eating for a month, he had never skipped a meal, except today.

A day full of cultivation for Shen Long had passed again as the Sun filled the World with glorious, warm light. The birds started to chatter as Shen Long started to get up.