Work Harder

"Huff huff huff..."

Zheng Chang had repeated the steps described in the manual for little over an hour. In the time he had been outside, he had successfully cut down three leaves. Even with the wind blowing so much at him, his blade just was not able to keep up. Every strike dealt with a high amount of resistance, enough to blow a normal mortal off their feet.

"Why is it so windy today?! I just arrived and now I cannot even train when I desire? How am I supposed to become an immortal if I am unable to train?!" Zheng Chang furiously drove his sword into the wind and tried his absolute hardest to hit another leaf.

SWISH

His sword missed the target and he lost his balance.

"Why is it so damn hard?!" Zheng Chang furiously shouted to the sky, pointing the tip of his sword to the heavens. In the face of adversity, he did not understand what to do. He desired to become strong, but he needed to take steps to achieve such a goal. In his heart, he knew he was just another ordinary outer disciple; not outstanding nor was he cannon fodder. His talent was just normal.

"If I am to become an immortal, I must never take shortcuts and I must always value sincere advice."

He placed the flat side of his blade against his forehead, closing his eyes to visualise his next attempt. Within his mind, he saw a man facing off against another man. He visualised the concept of the balanced sword and executed it in his mind, replaying it and replaying it. Within his determined heart, he began to understand something.

"Cut."

SLASH

A leaf was cut perfectly in half and Zheng Chang remained in a still and graceful posture. With his sword in hand, he felt the wind cruising towards him, but he felt unlike before.

"Balanced Sword Technique 1st layer: your sword can cut through a leaf without a shift in weight."

Zheng Chang smiled as he realised what he had just achieved.

"First layer! I have finally broken through." Zheng Chang cheerfully announces to the winds.

"With my sword technique at the first layer, I should probably take some time to cultivate the Crimson Heart Cultivation Technique. Elder Mo looked so sincere when he gave out the storage rings, it is a shame that most of those other disciples won't listen to him." Zheng Chang quickly moved back indoors and took out another manual from the ring.

"Crimson Heart Cultivation Technique: channel the qi of the heavens and earth into your body and then refine it in your heart. A determined heart can create wonders for the quality and foundations of your cultivation."

Zheng Chang squinted his eyes as he looked through the method. He felt unsure of how to go about cultivating this method. While the first line of instructions was extremely straightforward, the next seemed slightly confusing. 'How is a determined heart supposed to make my foundations better?'

Zheng Chang pondered for a moment before sitting cross legged in the middle of his hut to cultivate.

For the next month, Zheng Chang cultivated in his hut and practiced his sword technique. On one particularly boring day, he decided to obtain the Spirit Sense Technique. Since then, he had also attempted to train with it, not knowing why it was recommended. Apart from an instinctual boost, he did not know why the technique was recommended. Nevertheless, his hard work payed off.

"Huff... Balanced Sword Technique 4th layer, 7th stage Qi Condensation, and Spirit Sense Technique 2nd layer..."

Now Zheng Chang could easily cut through multiple leaves in a single swoop, even going as far as having his eyes closed to make it harder for him. With the help of the Spirit Sense Technique, he had increased his instincts and his sword became as sharp as the wind. Together with his cultivation, he felt that the first month of cultivation was quite good. However, he felt like he needed to test his abilities in actual combat, and the only place in the sect that offered that is the sparring hall.

"I must test my strength. Even if I have average talent and I only possess the most mundane techniques, I am not to be underestimated!" He laughed heartily to himself.

"Even if I lose terribly, I will take it as a learning experience. My journey is long, and I will definitely make many mistakes."

—————

On the top of a certain mountain peak:

"Hahah..."

An old man stared down the mountain and his eyes found themselves looking at a young outer disciple. In the harsh winds he practiced his sword and trained his mind. Without a doubt, the old man recognised that this disciple was indeed a disciple that is very respectful and wise with his decisions.

"Out of the many disciples that I have witnessed training, this one is probably the only one that actually trains the basics three techniques so seriously. I am very impressed. His talent seems average, but I believe that he can become a great cultivator."

"Maybe by the time the next inner sect assessment comes by, we may see another peerless monster."

The old man thought back on the three techniques. "The heart is resolute, the senses are keen, the blade is balanced. If only I heeded that advice many centuries ago..."