29 Melodies of Nine Sole Swords

Shen Long and Zhang Bai quickly ran away from the Justice Department, and they sat in the restaurant. Their efficiency was crazily high - from arriving the Department, falling out with the Supervisor, travelling back - as it only took them forty minutes or so. It was still 3:50 pm and Shen Long could still head back before being late for his training session.

"So, how did the negotiation go? The Supervisor actually seemed quite nice to you! Unlike everyone else, he spoke in quite a gentle voice!" Zhang Bai asked as he went to get a cup of water, which was free-of-charge. For an outer disciple like Zhang Bai, spending money in the restaurant was too much of a luxury for them.

"Hmph! Don't talk about that Zeng Gui guy or the Justice Department. Every single one there is trash. They are all so corrupted, to a point that they don't even bother hiding it from us. So I asked him for the investigation and evidence, and he just told me that Qingben pissed off a Challenger. He said it like there was nothing wrong, and he even told me to give him some "evidence" if I want Qingben to be released immediately!" Shen Long angrily said.

Shen Long continued to explain the conversation between Zeng Gui and him to Zhang Bai. Zheng Bai was really surprised by Shen Long's audacity and personality. He didn't expect Shen Long to go this far, just to help an Outer Disciple who he met through basketball. Shen Long also insisted on buying Zhang Bai a drink, which improved his opinion of Shen Long even more.

Zhang Bai, as a truthful and honest person, approved Shen Long's actions. Shen Long was no longer just a basketball legend, but also a disciple he looked up to. He liked how Shen Long didn't judge others based on their status; he liked how he treated his friends and his personality. Despite that, Zhang Bai still wasn't aware of how talented Shen Long was, in terms of cultivation.

To every disciple in the palace, Shen Long's cultivation base was unknown. Although others could sense that Shen Long was in Saint Realm, no one ever believed it. After all, as a personal disciple of Daoist Fireblade, Shen Long could have easily changed his aura, to deceive others. Clearly, Shen Long didn't do that as he was actually in Late-Saint Realm.

Despite his current cultivation base, his rate of advancement was monstrous. He only started cultivating for around two months, and he was already in Saint Realm. However, no one besides Shen Long himself and his Master knew the truth, and Shen Long didn't particularly mind it neither.

Fame was surely important, and Shen Long enjoyed being praised, but safety would always be Shen Long's first priority. Hiding his strength would prevent a lot of unnecessary attention. Daoist Fireblade wasn't too worried about the disciples in his own palace, but he didn't want this news of Shen Long to spread.

If Emperors willed, they could easily rewind time to check Shen Long's past. Even though the essence of Earth would prevent others from viewing Shen Long's past, they could still see the descent of the essence of the universe. Every cultivator who had received the baptism of the essence of the universe was basically guaranteed to become a legendary figure.

Hence, even renowned Emperors may come and snatch Shen Long away. If Daoist Fireblade had any enemies, they would definitely kill Shen Long at all cost. They wouldn't give Shen Long a chance to develop as grudges were passed on in the cultivation world. If one's Master had a sworn enemy, then the disciples would recognize them as an enemy as well.

Daoist Fireblade wanted to prevent this news from spreading. During Shen Long's baptism, there were actually numerous scouts from famous academies heading towards Earth's at that time. As professionals, they recognized the phenomenon almost immediately. Although the scouts all travelled together, it didn't stop them from fighting and killing.

There was only one survivor remaining, after their merciless fight. However, that cultivator was ultimately killed by Daoist Fireblade. After all, the difference in cultivation was too huge. The cultivator didn't even have a chance to report back to his school. Hence, Shen Long, right now, was in a safe position as no one knew about his past.

Shen Long started heading back to the training ground. He originally planned to skip today's lesson as he expected the meeting between him and the Justice Depart would take much longer, but it clearly wasn't the case. Since there was nothing he could do, he could only go train, and even consult Master for what he should do next.

"If that Challenger actually challenges me, I better be prepared before our actual fight. If I want to put up a fight against a Late Demigod cultivator, my sword techniques must be impeccable. I am sure that I will master the Sixth Level of the [Moonlight Stance] within a month! Then, I will become a Peak Saint. Even though I will still be at a huge disadvantage, it was still possible to win. No... I must win. I must exact justice for my friend! I just need to cultivate the [Seventh Level] once, then I will be in Early Demigod realm..." Shen Long thought as he prepared himself for his sword training.

Daoist Fireblade arrived at exactly 4 pm, just like every other session. He was never late, but he wouldn't show up until 4 either. As normal, Shen Long greeted him, with a 90 degrees bow, showing his utmost respect.

"Greetings, Master! Today, are you available today after our training session? I've found out many things today, and I think that it's extremely important for you to know as well. Let's talk about that after the training session! Master, please provide me with some advice on what I should do next. I have already mastered all the basic movements!" Shen Long said as he demonstrated his sword art.

Even though Shen Long trained with Daoist Fireblade daily, his improvement compared to yesterday was immense. And this was all caused by Shen Long's complete mastery over the ten, basic sword movements. Now, Shen Long could finally call himself a swordsman, but this was merely the start of his journey.

"Very nice, Shen Long. Mastering these ten stances in a month is no mean feat! When I just started practising the sword, it took me six months to do so. Your hard work did go to waste. As your master, I'm well aware of your effort for the past few weeks. Your dedication towards cultivation is admirable. Your Master, I, is kind of ashamed right now. I have been stuck in this bottleneck for way too long..." Daoist Fireblade complimented while patting Shen Long's back.

Shen Long was well aware of the problem, for Daoist Fireblade. This inner demon of his had hindered his cultivation as he was unable to cross the final boundary between an Emperor and a Celestial Immortal. It was so close, yet so far. Shen Long knew that only he could cure this inner demon of his Master, and hence he was even more motivated to get stronger.

"Enough about me. Since you have mastered the basic movements, we can begin to cultivate your [Melodies of the Nine Sole Swords]. Although I don't really train in this manual, I can help you out with the first few stances. After all, my understanding towards the sword was still quite high, and the first few stances don't pose any challenges to me. When I can't teach you anymore, I'll get my friend - Emperor Tideflow - to train you." Daoist Fireblade said as he began to skim through the Manual.

Shen Long got out his copy of the manual as well and started reading the summary of the first level.

[First Level of Melodies of Nine Sole Swords: Melody]

[To cultivate the [Melodies of the Nine Sword], this first level - melody - is the most important one. This sword art is like a piece of music, and the melody, without a doubt, is the basis of everything. As you progress with this set of sword art, the other swords would merely act as support, enriching the music you create with your swords. When you cultivate the manual, don't use brute force. Be more gentle. Think about raindrops. Each droplet is soft and gentle, yet they can slowly penetrate a rock.

Your strikes should be like the wind, gentle but soft, yet carrying great power. When your enemy attacks you, guide their attacks to flow around you. You should be like a phantom dancer, and this depends on your footwork. Always try to dodge, before using your swords to parry. When you have to parry, try to be as gentle as possible. Neglect their power with techniques, and strike back if the timing is great. Keep these in mind as you practise. When you're stuck, come back and re-read the page. It is more helpful than you think it is.

Emperor Tideflow]

Shen Long was impressed by Emperor Tideflow's words. These concepts are all complicated, yet they all make perfect sense. Reading these words reminded him of typical, Chinese light novels. The concept was very similar as it described the strength of softness. Be as light as a feather while exerting force. Basically, using the extremes, while finding a right balance.

This was also the path of the Heavenly Dao - The Dao of Balance. Always find the balance between the extremes, then one can use the power of both extremes. Everything in the World lives in the state of balance. Humans require a warm temperature to live, and it couldn't be too cold nor too hot. This applies to cultivation as well. The equilibrium point was, however, extremely difficult to find.