Published at 5th of October 2024 5:16 pm

Chapter 114: A Step into the Profound【Sixth Release】

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Sun Hongdian was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t think too much of it, and as soon as he let go, he turned to the students below and said:

“Everyone, this is the new titular instructor at the academy, the young master of the Li Family, Li Hao!”

Whooosh!

As the name “Li Hao” was announced, the students who were initially bewildered, puzzled, and curious, suddenly erupted into an uproar.

In the past few days, the whole city had been talking about the owner of this name.

Tea houses, restaurants, and even brothels and inns were the same.

To be thrown among the world of heroes, it might only be like casting a small stone, causing ripples that had not yet spread far.

But within Qingzhou City, it was almost a household name.

A fourteen-year-old at the Fifteen Li Realm, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy!

Such a living legend was actually right before their eyes?

The crowd’s eyes widened as they looked at Li Hao as if he were a priceless treasure.

Li Hao was somewhat helpless but had anticipated such a reaction, so he could only get used to it.

“Next, Li will be teaching you. Li’s teaching opportunities are only three times a year, so listen carefully and cherish this chance. There must be no chaos or clamor!”

Sun Hongdian said loudly to everyone.

The students’ eyes shone brightly, This legendary youth was going to teach them?

What could he possibly teach, his own cultivation experience?

Many faces were full of anticipation, although they didn’t expect Li Hao to really teach them anything, they were curious to see how this youth expressed himself.

“Master Li, I leave this to you.”

Sun Hongdian turned to Li Hao with a smile.

Li Hao smiled and nodded. After watching the other man wave goodbye with a smile, he turned his attention to the quieting classroom.

“Since you all know about me, I’ll spare the self-introduction.”

Li Hao said with a smile, “What do you want to learn? Swordsmanship, fist techniques, movement techniques?”

“You are going to teach swordsmanship?”

Song Yueyao’s eyes brightened upon hearing Li Hao’s words, as most of them practiced swordsmanship.

Li Hao knew that swordsmen and knife users were like language and math, main subjects, broad categories. Most martial artists dedicated their studies to these two types.

The number of sword and knife manuals passed down from ancient times was also the greatest among all the cultivation techniques.

“If you want to learn, I’ll teach,” Li Hao said with a smile.

“Are you going to teach us the swordsmanship of the Listening Rain Tower?” a bold young man asked expectantly.

They were all from noble families with good backgrounds. After completing their academy studies, they would either make a name for themselves in Jianghu or return to take over family businesses.

With a cultivation level at the Divine Travel Realm, they could suppress many threats, being amongst the more formidable existences within their realm.

“Sorry, family secrets are not to be shared.”

Li Hao said with a smile, “I can teach you whatever swordsmanship you are practicing under Master Bai.”

“How can you teach if you haven’t learned it?”

Someone said in surprise, feeling that Li Hao’s statement was too casual, which immediately altered their impression of him.

“It’s not too late to learn now.”

Li Hao said with a smile, “Does anyone have a manual? Lend it to me for a moment.”

At these words, everyone was astonished and then some dissatisfaction began to surface. Li Hao’s declaration was seen as too arrogant, showing no regard for the lesson at hand.

Their initial expectations had suddenly deflated.

Song Yueyao frowned slightly, her opinion of Li Hao changing, believing him to be too arrogant.

“Li, we really want to learn.”

Someone well-meaning reminded him.

“If that is the case, let’s start quickly. Does anyone have a sword manual?” Li Hao asked.

Seeing that Li Hao continued to act on his own accord, the remaining few became disillusioned, frowning at his response.

Was casually pointing out a few things from a sword manual considered teaching?

Whether he taught well or not was one thing, but his attitude was appalling.

Disappointment was evident in Song Yueyao’s eyes—his prodigious talent was real, but so was his arrogance.

The students all wore expressions of dissatisfaction, but no one voiced their thoughts.

If he wasn’t going to teach, then forget it! What was the act for?

Was the young master from the Divine General Mansion that remarkable?

Of course, these thoughts remained unspoken, as nobody dared to offend him openly, nor were they foolish enough to try.

Li Hao glanced around, observing their expressions. He instantly knew what they were thinking and felt somewhat helpless. His gaze settled on Song Yueyao:

“Song, you have the sword manual, don’t you? Let me have a look.”

Song Yueyao, being singled out by Li Hao, looked a bit unnatural, especially under the scrutiny of those around her. She frowned and said:

“I didn’t bring the manual as my practice of that sword technique is nearly at perfection.”

“Then find me a manual,” Li Hao instructed.

Song Yueyao fell silent with a slight pout, reluctantly preparing to speak to her good sister Lin Feifei, when suddenly a young man said:

“Li, I have one here.”

With that, he quickly ran up and handed the sword manual to Li Hao, grinning at him:

“Li, my name is Ma Jing.”

He wore a somewhat ingratiating expression on his face.

Li Hao nodded.

As the young man returned to his place, soft sighs of disdain could be heard from below, clearly unimpressed by Ma Jing’s fawning behavior.

Ma Jing, however, did not care. Regardless of whether Li Hao looked down on them, this was an opportunity to curry favor—a fool would miss out.

“Please give me a moment.”

Li Hao picked up the sword manual and addressed the crowd.

He then began to flip through it. The characters and images on the pages were easily comprehensible with his understanding of swordsmanship. Halfway through, he could even infer the later moves in his mind.

This was a high-quality sword manual titled “Yin and Yang Reversal Sword.”

[You have mastered the basics. Would you like to record it?]

Record it.

Li Hao thought to himself.

Soon, a torrent of information flooded his mind, but with his current cultivation level, he could easily assimilate it. After briefly closing his eyes, he had absorbed it all.

He glanced at the panel again:

“Yin and Yang Inversion Sword (True State) · Yin and Yang Reversal.”

Yin and Yang Reversal is the essence of the swordsmanship, and with his understanding of the Tao Realm, he could grasp the essence of most Cultivation Techniques.

Such as the essence of the Falling Snow Sword Skill, Avalanche!

“The student standing outside the door, come in and join us,” he said.

Before beginning the lesson, Li Hao hadn’t forgotten to call in the young man who was being punished by standing at the door.

The young man, having heard about Li Hao’s identity from Sun Hongdian, had been eavesdropping and secretly watching from the doorway.

At this moment, seeing that Li Hao called out to him, he was somewhat surprised, never expecting that Li Hao would remember him, and his heart instantly felt joy and warmth.

As for Li Hao teaching swordsmanship, let alone that Li Hao had no intention of teaching seriously, even if he were to do so, the young man had no interest. He had disliked martial arts since he was a child, but being born into a martial family, he had no choice.

“Thank you, Li. My name is Zhou Zheng,” said the young man.

Li Hao nodded and said, “Take your seat.”

Once Zhou Zheng had returned to his seat, Li Hao then said, “I will first demonstrate the Falling Snow Sword Skill at perfection level for you all to try and perceive.”

What?

The already disinterested and even seat-leaving crowd was taken aback by Li Hao’s words, and soon someone covered their mouth, stifling their laughter.

To demonstrate a sword technique at the perfection level after just one look?

This was a high-quality swordsmanship practice, and even if you were a prodigy, you would need to study it for two to three months to achieve perfection, right?

Seeing Li Hao’s boast, the crowd already had the look of spectators at a spectacle, ready to enjoy the performance of this “legend.”

Song Yueyao furrowed her brows. Li Hao didn’t strike her as the type to be exaggerating, but today’s encounter had left her deeply disappointed.

However, she thought about their previous interaction in Cangyu City, realizing they hadn’t really spent much time together—it was just a brief meeting.

With a silent sigh, Song Yueyao turned her gaze away, no longer wishing to watch, finding it boring.

On the stage, after Li Hao finished speaking, he nonchalantly summoned a sword from the weapon rack.

The use of his power to command objects made some of the mockingly looking individuals rein in their scorn a bit, their eyes displaying a sense of gravity.

No matter what the temperament of this young master of the Li Family was like, at least his cultivation level was truly terrifying.

And Li Hao, gripping the sword hilt, still looked nonchalant and easygoing. He sent the sword manual floating back to a student named Ma Jing before he started to wield his sword.

The Yin and Yang Inversion Sword consisted of moves that were both feigned and real, with feints hidden in solid strikes and solid strikes within the feints, continuously changing in an extremely complex manner.

In terms of difficulty alone, it surpassed the Falling Snow Sword Skill by a good margin.

But at that moment, as Li Hao casually swung his sword, his figure was graceful like jade, his sword momentum like a rainbow. A set of exquisitely daunting Yin and Yang Inversion Sword moves unfolded before the eyes of the students.

In an instant, the laughter froze in the eyes of the students who had been smirking and looking forward to a show.

The smug upward curve at the corners of their mouths also disappeared unconsciously as they stared dumbfounded at the intricate and marvelous swordplay.

The sudden silence in the hall made Song Yueyao feel a bit of strangeness, and she was taken aback. She turned her head to look toward the front where Li Hao was expected to perform his juggling act.

But what she saw was a display of swordplay as splendid as a peacock spreading its feathers.

This was… the Yin and Yang Inversion Sword!

Song Yueyao was dumbstruck.

It was as if she had been struck by lightning, frozen in place.

She had practiced this sword technique close to perfection, but she definitely couldn’t perform the marvelous swordplay she was seeing before her eyes.

Which was feigned and which was real?

Or rather, were they all feints, or all real?

She could no longer distinguish the movements; it was as if ten thousand swords were brandishing before her eyes, dazzling her.

In the silent hall, after the end of Li Hao’s swordsmanship demonstration, it remained quiet for a long time.

Li Hao sheathed his sword, looked at the students, and after allowing them some time to digest what they had seen, he finally broke the silence, asking:

“Did you all learn it?”

“…”

“…”

As if awakening from a dream, the students then fell into a bout of speechlessness and silence.

Learn it?

Just from watching it once, you’re asking us if we learned it?!

We would like to learn it, but… we can’t remember it, we simply can’t remember at all!

“That… Li, Young Master Li, did you really just learn this swordsmanship?”

Someone couldn’t help but to ask.

Hearing this, the crowd suddenly realized the truth and their eyes widened in shock, staring at Li Hao as if they had seen a ghost.

Just flipped through the sword manual once, and learned it?

And not just the basics, but to a stage of perfection?!!

Song Yueyao was also stunned, her lips slightly parted, and her throat as if blocked, she found herself unable to speak for a moment.

Li Hao said helplessly, “Although the Li Family has compiled many cultivation techniques and secret manuals, those from Tan Palace Academy are strictly confidential and we are not brazen enough to steal them.”

Even if I had stolen them, I wouldn’t have the cheek to tell you… Li Hao silently added in his heart.

Hearing Li Hao’s words, the people looked at each other, knowing his statement was indeed true.

Each sect has its own peerless techniques and confidential cultivation methods. If someone rashly steals them, it’s considered a great taboo, likely to provoke confrontation and disdain from other martial arts sects.

“Then you…”

The audience was somewhat dumbfounded. If it wasn’t through stealing, could he really have mastered it on the spot?

Just from watching it once?

“Don’t dwell on these details anymore. Try to recall what you can. Once you’ve absorbed it, I will perform it again, more slowly,” Li Hao said.

Upon hearing Li Hao’s words, everyone immediately snapped to attention and began frantically recalling the sequence they had just witnessed.

The hall returned to silence once again.

With nothing else to do, Li Hao turned around and brought in the easel that had been left outside the door.

Then, he set up the easel in front of everyone and started to paint.

As for what to paint, Li Hao had an idea.

He decided to include all the students in the hall in his painting.

Although they were all at the Divine Travel Realm, not very high in stature, the large group could still provide him with plenty of experience.

Seeing Li Hao’s peculiar actions, some were puzzled, but no one asked questions, choosing instead to focus on their efforts to remember.

After a while, Li Hao completed the painting, estimating that about half an hour had passed.

Those who could absorb had likely done so sufficiently, and those who couldn’t were probably beginning to forget.

He cleared his throat and announced, “I will perform once more, watch closely this time.”

At his words, everyone’s spirits were lifted, and their gazes instantly locked onto Li Hao.

Li Hao picked up his sword and began the demonstration again without further ado, but this time his movements were much slower.

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