“Do you know what Cultivation Technique all Qingfeng Sect Disciples practice?”
Zhao Qingfeng asked when he saw An Chen look up.
“Qingfeng Art, Qingfeng Swordplay.”
An Chen knew this.
He was currently practicing the former, while he hadn’t yet encountered the latter, which was a swordplay that Qingfeng Sect Disciples could only practice after reaching the Refining Qi Sixth Level.
This swordplay didn’t seem to have anything special about it; it was very basic, merely incorporating the use of wind-attributed spiritual Qi into its sword moves.
But precisely because it was basic, it was very versatile and could be used from the Qi Refinement Stage all the way to the Spirit Nurturing Stage, with the strength of the spiritual Qi determining the strength of the sword strike.
“Qingfeng Swordplay, do you want to learn it?”
“I want to learn.”
After all, this was the Foundation of the Qingfeng Sect, and no matter how basic it was, it was far superior to the sword arts found in Secret Manuals that could be bought in the market outside. Moreover, it aligned with the Qingfeng Art he was currently practicing, so using it should feel more natural.
“I’ll teach you.”
However, An Chen frowned and asked:
“Is Qingfeng Swordplay our School’s Legacy?”
“It is, but not entirely.”
Zhao Qingfeng suddenly pulled out a book that was very well preserved, with its pages intact.
Zhao Qingfeng handed the book to An Chen, who instinctively took it.
“The Qingfeng Swordplay that ordinary Disciples can learn only consists of three forms.”
Zhao Qingfeng stood in the open space in front of the Immortal Cave, suddenly drew his longsword, and with a shake of the sword, it vibrated, emitting a sword hum.
Zhao Qingfeng suddenly began to dance with his sword.
“First Form!”
Compared to the previous demonstration of blade art An Chen had witnessed, An Chen always felt that Zhao Qingfeng was truly dancing. His body was soft and agile, and he seemed to wield the sword without much force, like a gentle breeze passing by.
But An Chen could tell that this was a physical illusion caused by his movements; the speed of the sword strike was actually very fast, and the force behind it was considerable.
The first strike of this form seemed to rely solely on the Physical Body for power, while the second strike began to incorporate spiritual Qi.
Then, An Chen saw the spiritual Qi swirling around Zhao Qingfeng, flowing with the longsword in Zhao Qingfeng’s hand, poised to strike.
The moment the sword was unleashed, the spiritual Qi burst forth entirely. Although the sword strike appeared gentle, the area in front of it had been completely severed by the spiritual Qi.
A crescent-shaped crack appeared on the ground not far away.
“Second Form!”
Zhao Qingfeng slowly retracted his sword, then slowly drew it again.
This time, it bore some resemblance to the first form of Qingfeng Swordplay, yet there were many differences, and the spiritual Qi utilized was even more immense.
This time, his final strike was directed at a distant stone wall, causing a massive crack to appear on the wall, with rocks constantly tumbling down.
“Third Form!”
The third form was similar, but the spiritual Qi used was already incredibly vast, requiring at least a Spirit Nurturing Stage Cultivator to wield it.
When Zhao Qingfeng delivered his final sword strike, his target shifted to the sky above.
The sky wasn’t a good reference point because the effect wasn’t obvious.
However, An Chen could clearly see that the air vibrated, and the continuous sky briefly experienced a slight “dislocation” before recovering.
This was probably because Zhao Qingfeng was afraid of using too much force and slicing off the mountaintop, so he had to resort to swinging his sword at the air.
Zhao Qingfeng sheathed his sword and looked at An Chen.
What he had just demonstrated were the first three forms of Qingfeng Swordplay: the first strike could be used at the Refining Qi Sixth Level, the second strike at Qi Refining Peak, and the third strike at Spirit Nurturing.
“Qingfeng Swordplay emphasizes being as light as the wind, yet with hidden power within. My sword strikes may seem weak, but they are full of internal force. Once the spiritual Qi is unleashed, nothing can withstand it.”
An Chen nodded. He had also noticed these points. The deceptive nature of this Qingfeng Swordplay was very strong; it even looked a bit like dancing. However, in terms of actual effect, An Chen felt that this swordplay was actually somewhat similar to a fierce blade art.
Like wind, and also like a blade.
In most people’s impressions, wind is gentle and soft, but in reality, when a cold wind howls, it can feel like a razor scraping against one’s face.
Perhaps this was also the inspiration for the creation of Qingfeng Swordplay.
“I just demonstrated it once. How much did you understand?”
“The movements, I remembered them.”
An Chen only needed a moment to recall Zhao Qingfeng’s sword-dancing movements, replaying them constantly in his mind. With his control over his body, learning the movements was not difficult.
As for Zhao Qingfeng’s method of circulating spiritual Qi… he still needed to learn it, and his spiritual Qi was not very abundant.
“The movements are the least important part. All the movements, and even all the preceding parts of each form, are for the final strike.”
“The final strike?”
An Chen learned a small trick from a book.
When you don’t know what to say but want to continue the conversation, repeat the last few words of the other person’s sentence and turn them into a question. This not only keeps the conversation going but also encourages the other person to continue sharing.
Originally, this trick was meant for dating, but An Chen found that it worked well on everyone.
The same applied to Zhao Qingfeng.
Zhao Qingfeng nodded, then suddenly unleashed another sword strike.
This was the final strike of the first form. Although it lacked the previous preparations and other sword moves, the effect of this strike was not diminished in the slightest.
Each form had seven or eight sword strikes, but the preceding few strikes served only as a “buildup,” aiming to accumulate spiritual Qi to be unleashed in the final strike.
“When you first learn, you need a complete form to unleash a complete final strike, but once you become proficient, those are all superfluous.”
Those movements were primarily for Connection, allowing for attacks to be linked during the buildup process, preventing too long of a wind-up when charging a big move, which could lead to being ambushed.
Therefore, what was truly important was the final strike of each of these three forms.
An Chen nodded, indicating understanding, but he still had a point he didn’t quite grasp.
“But these, ordinary Disciples should also learn them, right…?”
Zhao Qingfeng smiled.
“That’s exactly what I’m going to say. Qingfeng Swordplay has more than just three forms.”
He suddenly drew his sword again, but this time, he seemed to be exerting force throughout his entire body, his body tensed like a bow, completely different from the previous light and airy feeling.
“Qingfeng Swordplay also has the latter three forms.”
He suddenly unleashed a fierce sword strike; the longsword in his hand seemed to transform into an axe, which he wielded with immense power.
Each sword strike unleashed a fierce gale, and with the release of spiritual Qi, these gales were incredibly violent, leaving terrifying cracks on the distant mountain wall.
If the previous three forms were gentle breezes, then what was happening now was a raging storm.
However, there was another difference.
That was, An Chen finished watching an entire form, but he didn’t see the so-called “final strike.” Every strike of the entire swordplay was a fierce killing move, not for any kind of buildup.