It Could Not Be Forced

The group set off the next morning under the eyes of the disciples of the Jian Chu Sect. On the suggestion of Mei Chao Bing, they traveled in the direction of the Zhen Yan Sect's camp again since this was the safest route and would also allow them to ask if there had been any news since the day they left. Furthermore, this would give them a chance to rest without worries after they had managed to travel half the distance back to their own sect's camp.

With everyone's levels being of different levels, they needed more time to travel than Zhi Guan had. But with one more person being there to help and even one who was of such a high level, they were able to speed up at least a little compared to when they had originally set out. If they were attacked, between Zhi Guan, Mei Chao Bing, and Song Mu, it should already be pretty safe. Counting in Yuan Lei and Liu Bao Ru, there really wasn't much the group needed to be worried about anymore. As such, they could cut their travel time in half and would arrive at the Zhen Yan Sect in three or at most four days' time.

Before then, things continued just like they had on the previous route: They would travel for most of the day and then find a spot where they could rest for the night, taking turns to patrol the area while the others rested. Yun Bei Fen and Yi Ju continued to use that time to better their skills.

This time, Yun Bei Fen not only demonstrated for Mei Chao Bing but also for his first senior martial brother.

After watching for a while, Zhi Guan couldn't help but furrow his brows. He turned to Mei Chao Bing, giving him a long look.

Mei Chao Bing couldn't help but straighten up further. "Senior martial brother Zhi, is there a problem?"

"Why don't you also try to teach him some sword skills? I'm sure he would benefit from this."

Mei Chao Bing couldn't say that he was surprised. He didn't know Zhi Guan well but he had gone with him on several missions when he had been younger before his Master had betrayed the sect. Back then, he had already been like this. No matter what the content of the mission was, he would be busy with his sword. In his mind, there seemed to be nothing else but sword arts. Thus, it was no wonder that he wanted his little junior to learn about this as well.

Thankfully, Mei Chao Bing was prepared to answer that question. "It isn't that I haven't thought about it yet. But I figured that it might be better to do that after he gets a new sword. His old one is a bit … well, let's say you can see the age."

Zhi Guan thought of the sword that Yun Bei Fen usually carried around and couldn't help but nod. Yes, the age was really apparent at first glance. "Well, thankfully, I have already found all the materials for a new sword to be forged. It's good that little junior finally realized the significance of having a good sword."

Mei Chao Bing hurriedly nodded and didn't dare to speak out. He really didn't want to burst Zhi Guan's bubble. If it wasn't for him talking Yun Bei Fen into it, he would probably still be using that sword in another ten years.

Having gotten the promise that Mei Chao Bing would try to teach his junior, Zhi Guan turned to look at Yun Bei Fen's tries of using spiritual energy to attack again. "It seems he's having some problems."

Mei Chao Bing sighed. "True." To be honest, this reminded him very much of how things had been when he showed him how to sense spiritual energy at first. Most likely, he would need quite some more time until he got the hang of it. But, well, it was probably alright. It wasn't like he needed to know how to do everything immediately.

"We don't have much time to practice while we're outside here. He can probably put some more time into doing this after we have returned to our sect's camp. By then, things should get easier for him. Right now, what he is most lacking are opportunities to practice and give his skills a try outside."

Zhi Guan nodded. "Well, at least he's trying." He murmured to himself and then got up, taking out his sword and stepping a little further away to train himself.

Mei Chao Bing couldn't help but take a closer look. His Master had paid a lot of attention that he knew both sword arts and cultivation techniques so he did have a general understanding of the skills of the Teng Yong Sect. But it really couldn't be compared to Zhi Guan who had put his whole focus on learning the way of the sword.

Not only that, but there were also more than just a few years between them. In fact, even Yun Bei Fen's third senior martial brother was probably quite a bit older than him. Zhi Guan … he had had a lot of time to learn the sword arts of their sect. Naturally, he would be more proficient than somebody who hadn't reached even thirty years of age.

Mei Chao Bing sighed. He couldn't help but be a little envious. He had tried so hard in the last few years to get stronger but he couldn't change the flow of time. There was no way to bridge the gap that experience alone could cause. He could only wait for more opportunities in the future and continue to try hard. This was something that could not be forced however much he would have liked that.