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At that time, Lu Yin was just beginning to gain popularity, showcasing her charm. The head of the Xie family, Xie Qing's father, offered her a lucrative deal – the Xie family would support her with all resources in exchange for her marrying the eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Qing's older brother.
In the end...
This woman beat both Xie Qing's father and his older brother, who looked at her with lust!
"I liked her immediately, and when she beat that arrogant duo, I decided she's my ideal!" thought Xie Qing, nodding in satisfaction.
In his current state, he could only bury this sympathy deep in his soul. He needed to think much more productively.
She is the heir to the sect, and most importantly, her cultivation level is at Core Formation, very close to being considered a high-ranking cultivator.
In his current state, Xie Qing couldn't compare to her, so he could only postpone it for a better time.
"Ah... I haven't felt this good in a long time. I haven't fulfilled my duties as a servant... I mean, disciple, for a few days. So, I got a bit out of practice," Xie Qing thought, shrugging and looking around. "Well, let's see what can be done. I'm dying of boredom."
Usually, sect disciples were occupied with cultivation, which was evident. At other times, they practiced the path of the sword, so there were arenas and training grounds here, accommodating over a thousand disciples. However, even with such conditions, all the places were occupied.
Entering the training ground, Xie Qing was taken aback. All rooms were taken, and a thousand disciples were waiting.
As he entered the training ground, the majority of people suddenly focused their gaze on him. Some looked surprised, while others were indifferent.
Two disciples approached him suddenly.
"It's Disciple White! Why are you here?"
"Young one, have you come to train? Want your little sister to teach you everything?"
"Uh..."
Xie Qing wasn't even surprised that two predators approached him immediately. He just nodded with a smile, exciting the two girls.
"Senior sisters, I did come here for training, but apparently, all the spots are taken. I think I'll leave," Xie Qing said with a gentle smile, turning towards the entrance.
"Wait, wait!"
However, two disciples suddenly stopped him, seizing his hand. They smiled at him.
"Disciple White, we reserved training ground No. 258, and a disciple is about to leave now. We can go in. Come with us, alright?" the girl said.
"Well, if I won't disturb you, of course."
"You won't disturb, be assured!"
The two disciples were named Li Yue and Mei Lin.
Li Yue had long black hair braided into a pigtail. She had brown eyes, and her height was around 160 cm; she had a slender figure.
The other was Mei Lin, with short dark chestnut hair and bright green eyes. She had a petite body.
These two were disciples of the outer court, lacking any special talent but having a rich family background, not uncommon for most disciples.
Of course, the definition of "special talent" in the eyes of this sect was annoyingly high, so they were considered talented in their own right.
They didn't have to wait as long as Xie Qing initially thought. The room became available after just five minutes, and a disciple with an aura filled with depression emerged. The spiritual energy around him was in disarray, and he was at the Enlightenment - 9th stage.
"He couldn't break through," thought Xie Qing, narrowing his eyes. To be completely honest, he also felt a bit anxious before the breakthrough. Doubts filled his mind: "What if it doesn't work?" "What if this is all a dream?"
These thoughts seemed to emerge from the depths of his heart, the Heart Demons. Before each breakthrough, practitioners suffer from their influence. Although these Heart Demons are weak, they can shake you if you're not resolute enough.
Soon, the trio entered their room, and the doors closed. Some disciples envied Xie Qing, while others envied the other two.
***
"Disciple White, you can practice as you like! We just need to train in martial arts together, so we won't disturb you," Mei Lin said, brightly smiling.
Together with Li Yue, they moved to the other end of the room, which looked much larger than it appeared externally, thanks to a special formation.
Looking around, Xie Qing surveyed the area. It was an ordinary but enormous room with iron walls and a solid stone floor.
The youth stood near racks with weapons and even armor, but since he had no opponent, he simply took out a Jian (Chinese sword). Although he hadn't deeply studied the art of the sword, he still had a basic set of skills. Putting his hand into his pocket, Xie Qing pulled out five books concentrated on sword techniques.
"The first technique... Crescent Strike. Apply spiritual energy to the sword, then swing with full force to create a crescent-shaped arc," thought Xie Qing, continuing to read.
Before he could even open the first page, a sound rang in his head.
Ding!
[Sword Technique Learning... success!]
"Huh?"
[Crescent Strike] | [Rank: Common] | [Description: A simple sword technique. Even a fool can learn it]
Xie Qing was speechless, upon seeing the description. For some reason, it seemed like the system was mocking him indirectly because he couldn't learn this technique, no matter how much he read.
"Disappointing," thought Xie Qing but decided to learn other techniques.
And, as expected, the pattern repeated. Time after time, even without flipping to the third page, the system issued a message that the skill was learned.
Ding!
[Blade Strengthening] | [Rank: Common] | [Description: A basic technique to strengthen the blade, preventing it from accidentally breaking during the battle; otherwise, you'll have to collect it in pieces]
Ding!
[Sword Aura Imitation] | [Rank: Common] | [Description: A basic technique for imitating Sword Aura. Stupid technique suitable only to scare children or courtyard kittens]
Ding!
[Ten Steps of the Swordsman] | [Rank: Common] | [Description: Basic movement technique, helps better control the body in sword combat. This nonsense looks like a clown's dance]
Ding!
[Heavenly Sword] | [Rank: Common] | [Description: Basic body-strengthening technique, that helps reinforce the body by absorbing spiritual energy. A shred of the true 'Heavenly Sword' technique. Suitable for weaklings]
"Wow..."
Xie Qing selectively ignored the sarcastic comments from the system and focused on his loot. It could be said that he learned all this in... five seconds. Unheard of.
Feeling excited, Xie Qing tightly grasped his sword and began to try out his techniques. The first was the "Crescent Strike."
"Ha-a-a!"
Xie Qing shouted – his blade shone, and soon a crescent arc burst out, flying twenty meters and then crashing into a mannequin. The mannequin shook a bit and then turned a bright green color.
"Weak strike... well, these are just techniques for practice," thought Xie Qing, sighing.
The mannequin was not simple. Disciples could hit it with all their might, and unless the disciple surpassed the Core Formation level, these mannequins wouldn't break.
So, the mannequin could show the level of the strike, indicating the damage it would inflict on the opponent.
Light green: weak, a small scratch.
Dark green: a minor wound.
Light yellow: deep wound.
Dark yellow: serious injury.
Light orange: almost fatal wound.
Dark orange: fatal wound.
Further is only dark red, which only means one thing: instant death! But, of course, achieving such a strike level required hard work, and the sword techniques themselves were equally important.
What they provided upon joining the sect was only for understanding and laying the foundation for future Sword Aura formation.
Shaking his head, Xie Qing turned away to look at other weapons. But he didn't notice that the mannequin, while externally intact, had deep cracks inside.