33 Shen Long's Swordsmanship

"Long-er! Your performance just now was excellent. To be completely honest, I didn't expect you to pull that off in just two attempts! Your comprehension ability really is high, definitely comparable to your Senior Brother! It seems like that it's very possible for you to cultivate to the Seventh Level. Admirable." Daoist Fireblade praised after seeing his tremendous improvements.

"Only if I figured out the importance of physics when I was back in school... How useful would that be now? The universe Laws and concepts in cultivation are actually related to those equations I learnt in school. Who would know that? I thought the knowledge of light novel was my biggest advantage, seems like it's actually Physics..." Shen Long cursed to himself as he tried to calm himself down.

"It's all thanks to your teaching, Master. I am still, however, no way close to perfection. I am still unable to resonate with this sword art. Unlike the static practice of the sword movements, I was extremely tensed and "conscious" while practising. What I mean by "conscious" is that I feel like I'm just trying to emulate the diagrams in the manual, and my sword is unable to guide me through this sword art." Shen Long respectfully asked.

"This is because you are replicating everything from the manual. Everyone's version of the manual would be different, even though it originates from the same sword art. When I demonstrated this sword art to you, my strikes are lighter and faster than the manual's instructions, but I am still using the same sword art. You need to find your own style as a Sword Cultivator. It's not just about copying movements and perfecting techniques; it's more about creating your own version of the Sword Dao." Daoist Fireblade spoke in a profound manner.

"My style... When I was practising the basic sword movements, I just follow my sword and my soul. My strikes? They are moderately slow, but they're filled with strength, originated from the momentum. That's not right. How can I build up momentum without speed? It's some sort of lightness that I can't explain. It's softness with strength. Instead of using brute force, I sought to neutralise the force and blend with it." Shen Long thought to himself, to find the characteristics of his sword art that is unique to him.

Shen Long's sword strikes were fairly difficult to explain through words. His style was similar to a modern-day Jujitsu practitioner, and he followed the concepts of Taiji. In Chinese terminology, Shen Long's attacks would be classified as "Yin" as his strikes were softer, gentler and low-impact. Instead of furiously attacking, Shen Long would borrow the power from his surroundings and strike at critical points to result in the force.

"Yin" movements supposedly were much more difficult to master. It required more techniques and practise, instead of striking blindly. However, for this set of sword art which put great emphasis on balance, Shen Long's "Yin" attacks weren't enough to suffice. Instead, in his attempt just now, he only used "Yang". He aimed to be quick and heavy, totally unlike his usual style.

This was the reason behind the slight improvement of his sword art. If he was able to utilize both Yin and Yang, mastering the first stance would be much easier. In fact, the whole stance was made, revolving around the two opposing qualities - Yin and Yang. When one could completely comprehend them and find the balance between the two, they would have mastered the stance.

This was, of course, easier said than done. Shen Long himself wasn't even aware of the actual concepts behind this set of sword art. He knew the importance of finding the balance between slow and fast, but those were merely parts of the much broader concepts, Yin and Yang. However, with his knowledge of Taiji and Jujitsu from the modern world, he should be able to figure it out quite quickly.

Shen Long continued to practise the sword art in different styles. After listening to his Master's advice, he tried to relax and let his body guide his movements. After all, Shen Long had long memorized every detail of the stance. There really wasn't a need for Shen Long to keep reciting the manual in his head. It would only bring him disadvantages, and nothing else.

Shen Long's sword art became more refined as he continued to practise. His confidence towards executing the sword art also grew, as he now closed his eyes while testing his styles. Ultimately, he figured out his attacks were "Yin" and soft as it was the most comfortable for him. His swordplay had definitely improved again, but it was obvious that something significant was missing.

As Daoist Fireblade watched Shen Long, he was tempted to give advice throughout. However, he resisted the temptation as he wanted Shen Long to grasp the concepts himself. Revealing everything would definitely be harmful to one's cultivation as it would skip the learning process. Especially for a cultivator with such high innate comprehension abilities, sometimes less is more. The fewer insights and advice he gave, the more successful he would be in the future.

With that being said, Daoist Fireblade would, of course, correct his general movements and technique-based matter. Shen Long would definitely benefit from his comments on the practical side of cultivation, as those only required regular practice to achieve perfection. Only with proper techniques, one could bring out their full potential.

Shen Long continued to be immersed in his training as time continued to tick. Daoist Fireblade left without Shen Long noticing as he did not wish to disrupt his training. As Shen Long recited the sword art, he was consciously seeking for the missing ingredient from his swordplay. He didn't want to abolish his original style; so he decided to integrate his other styles into it.

From his repeated attempts, he figured out that the quick, light sword strikes were the closest to the manual. This style followed Newton's Second Law, and Physics confirmed Shen Long's experiment. However, he couldn't immerse himself as much as he practised in that manner. Combining the two together was also very difficult, as they were fundamentally very different.

Suddenly, Shen Long had an idea. As a twin swords user, he could simultaneously wield two swords. Hence, he wielded one sword with his normal style and the latter with the seemingly more efficient one. Surely, he thought, that would count as "merging" them as one swordplay style.

Shen Long readied himself as it was Shen Long's first time using a pair of twin swords. It was way more difficult than Shen Long had expected as it required him to split his focus into halves. Even though Shen Long was extremely familiar with the sword art, this still poses a challenge for Shen Long.

However, its prowess was obviously much greater than before. The two styles blended in with each other, like Yin and Yang, co-existing in the universe. Shen Long could feel the sense of balance in his swordplay, and he was confident that this was the right direction. With great enthusiasm, Shen Long continued to train, perfecting his sword art.

However, after his hundreds and hundreds of attempts, what Shen Long just achieved actually made Shen Long halt. A wild smile appeared on Shen Long's face as he was ecstatic for his first major success in the first stance. He could finally hear a melody, though faintly, through his swordplay. He promptly reflected on what he did and resumed his practice again.

"I must succeed in cultivating the first level of this sword art today!" Shen Long exclaimed as he was overwhelmed by his excitement. His eyes were brimming with light despite he had been training for almost 16 hours already non-stop already. It was almost 10 am in the morning, yet Shen Long didn't feel a single bit of exhaustion.

Time passed quickly, and Daoist Fireblade had arrived in the training ground. He was impressed by Shen Long's attitude and his hard work. Training for one whole day non-stop was no mean feat, especially for sword training which required movement from the entire body.

Shen Long excitedly told his Master to give him some advice on his swordplay now. Shen Long expected his Master to compliment him, though what he heard slightly disappointed him. Shen Long stared at Daoist Fireblade as he could not believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"No way... Are you f***king kidding me!?"