Chapter 113: A Sword’s Cold Gleam Pierces the Sky (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Qiao Xing raised the Cross Greatsword with one hand, thrusting it straight and true."The strong point of a saber lies in its slashing. Because of its curved edge, thrusts are nearly useless, and back strikes and reverse grips are completely abandoned. "In many high-level battles, abandoning back strikes means the reverse grip is half as fast. "The strong point of a spear lies in its thrusting, but it lacks slashing capabilities and isn’t flexible enough. "The hammer’s strength is its flexibility and armor-breaking capability, but blunt weapons are difficult to deliver aerial Slash Strikes, and with the addition of energy, the advantage of armor-breaking vanishes. "Therefore, in the end, the Church chose the sword. "These weapons all have their very obvious weaknesses. But the sword is different; it hardly has any particularly obvious strengths, yet it also has no obvious weaknesses, provided that you are strong enough. "Enchantment can make the sword’s Slash Strike comparable to a battle saber and its thrust comparable to a spear. It can also possess an armor-breaking ability not inferior to a hammer. Moreover, the greatsword is hard to break before your energy is exhausted. "When you are strong enough, the advantages of a double-edged sword will gradually manifest." Lu Luo had picked up on something already. Qiao Xing repeatedly stressed one had to be very strong for the double-edged sword’s advantages to manifest. What was the relationship here? "How strong must one be to be considered strong enough?" "You are smart and quick to respond. The standard for being strong enough is very simple. "It is when you can swing a heavy two-handed greatsword with one hand without the slightest sense of stagnation. "When you can fully unleash your own energy without a hint of hesitation. "Whenever you swing your energy-filled weapon, there won’t even be a millisecond of pause. That is when you are strong enough." Lu Luo weighed the Cross Greatsword; it was indeed heavy, and this was only the Church’s standard training greatsword. Some knights’ swords were heavier and larger than these. To swing such a weapon single-handedly, the strength required would have to be at least 20, or possibly even 25. [According to the Observer’s calculations, swinging such a greatsword with one hand requires at least 15 points of strength; to swing it flexibly requires at least 22 points of strength.] But if one used such a heavy weapon, wouldn’t that reduce speed? Wait... No, something’s not right. Lu Luo continued to ponder what Qiao Xing had said. Wielding the greatsword freely was just Qiao Xing’s first requirement. The second requirement was to fully unleash energy, and the third was to instantly reverse direction while swinging the energy-imbued greatsword. These three requirements corresponded to the three stages, or realms, of Holy Radiance Cross Swordsmanship. Think calmly, be objective. Lu Luo scratched his head, trying as much as possible to set aside his identity as a saber master and imagining himself within these three realms. If he could swing the greatsword freely, fully unleash energy, and reverse direction instantly when releasing energy, what would happen? Lu Luo imagined such a scene. If he really could meet these standards, would single-handedly wielding the Cross Greatsword then become as simple as wielding the Wraith Blade now? It meant that, by then, his physical condition would have reached a level where he no longer needed to concern himself with the weapon’s weight. To fully unleash energy meant that every strike could produce an aerial Slash Strike. If every strike produced an aerial Slash Strike, then where would the sword’s advantage over a saber lie? Let’s enter the Thought Palace! With the Observer’s assistance, Lu Luo entered a space similar to an imagination realm, where he compared his sword-wielding posture with his saber-swinging stance. Swing saber—retract—swing again—repeat. Or, reverse swing—lateral recovery—repeat. This is the normal posture for swinging a saber. Because it’s single-edged, as Qiao Xing mentioned, the saber gives up on back strikes. But what about the sword? When strength and agility reached the standards Qiao Xing mentioned, then the sword’s swing... Lu Luo even considered intricate patterns like up-down, left-right reversals, because a sword is double-edged with no blind spots. During slashing, there’s no need for retraction or repositioning. This means that in extreme conditions, the sword’s swing speed could reach at least twice that of a saber, not to mention the speed of sword thrusts. This wasn’t originally important, because such sword slash strength is definitely not as good as that of a saber. But what if energy were added? Such as Holy Radiance, Qi He, or even the crudest Dark Energy directly imbued? When one could unleash energy to their heart’s content, twice the attack speed would mean twice the energy Slash Strikes, a massive Outburst. The difference in slash frequency and power would be like heaven and earth! Feels like a humanoid energy laser cannon? Is that the idea? Lu Luo grew more excited the more he thought about it. As for the third realm, the instantaneous reversal... "You haven’t figured it out yet? You’re not going to be thinking about it all night here, are you? I need to go back to sleep!" Damn! How can you be so unreasonable? I’m contemplating the subtleties of Martial Arts, why can you interrupt me like this? On what basis? The train of thought Lu Luo had just sorted out was completely disrupted by Qiao Xing. This was really too much! However, since all this information came from Qiao Xing, Lu Luo couldn’t say anything to him. "Uh, I’ve figured out some useful stuff, so I guess I got a bit carried away. Sorry, Lord Qiao Xing." "Oh? You’ve figured it out already? That was pretty quick." Due to ingrained ways of thinking, people who have trained with one type of weapon for a long time usually find it hard to switch. Qiao Xing had thought Lu Luo would need to put in a lot of effort to give up using a saber, but now it seemed he was smarter than most and quicker to comprehend. Lu Luo looked at Qiao Xing and hesitated, but still made a small request. "Lord Qiao Xing, if one can swing a greatsword to their heart’s content and release energy freely, it means the weapon’s weight is no longer a limiting factor in striking. Instead, the rate at which energy pours forth becomes the greatest factor affecting destructive power. Could you show me a demonstration?" Qiao Xing’s pupils contracted slightly, then returned to normal almost instantly. He had thought Lu Luo was just coming to terms with giving up the saber. But unexpectedly, Lu Luo had thought so far and deep, already understanding the significance of the second state. This guy! "I can." Qiao Xing held his Cross Greatsword at a 45-degree angle toward the sky, then powerful Holy Radiance visibly gathered on the blade. What followed completely stunned Lu Luo. Qiao Xing swung the Cross Greatsword languidly, like he was carelessly waving a fly swatter up and down. But from the blade, Holy Radiance flowed, continuously emitting aerial Slash Strikes. Each reversal produced a folded Holy Radiance slash. These Holy Radiance slashes linked together, forming a golden, serpentine bolt of lightning that shot up to the sky. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The dull thunder echoed in the sky, and the clouds above dispersed once more. The long-missed moonlight fell on Lu Luo’s face. Then, a gigantic whale, too enormous for words, appeared under the moonlight and within their sight. Merely one of its fins was so vast it could be described as blotting out the sun and sky. "Leviathan! They say seeing it brings good fortune." Lu Luo swallowed awkwardly. Due to the distance, he had no way to gauge the length of such a massive creature. Aside from awe, there was nothing else. "Lord Qiao Xing, has this guy been flying in the sky all the time? How long has it been?" [According to records, the first human sighting of Leviathan was before the founding of the Wasteland Alliance, specifically 493 years ago.] "Does this have anything to do with your swordsmanship training? You sure have a wide range of concerns. How about you buy it a house in the Fourth Ring?" "Er..." Lu Luo managed. "Understand why you need to use a sword now?" "I understand." "Is my swordsmanship impressive?" "Impressive." "Fast?" "Fast." Lu Luo had thought that after Qiao Xing began teaching him, his sarcastic, passive-aggressive tendencies would improve, but it seemed that was not the case. "I have already told you the concepts of the three foundational realms of swordsmanship. The next period will depend on your own comprehension and practice. "No matter the Martial Art, it must be practiced repeatedly to form muscle memory. "In certain situations, muscle memory itself means faster reactions." "I understand. So now, how exactly should I practice?" "For beginners, the level thrust, straight thrust, horizontal slash, vertical chop, diagonal cut, and flat slice—these six sword positions—start by practicing each with imbued energy 10,000 times." Never mind the amount of energy needed for each move, just the 10,000 repetitions—if he did one sword strike per second... Without taking a single break, one sword position would take three hours; six moves would be eighteen hours. And what was Qiao Xing demanding? Energy infusion! Even if Lu Luo’s Qi He was quite powerful, high quality and abundant, infusing energy 60,000 times in total... Wasn’t that a death sentence? "Lord Qiao Xing, should I keep practicing like this? Aren’t there any specific swordsmanship moves with names like ’Autumn Wind Falling Leaves’ or ’White Crane Spreads Wings’ or something?" Qiao Xing didn’t speak, just stared at Lu Luo with his dead-fish eyes until Lu Luo lowered his head and admitted his mistake. "Alright, I got it." "No, you still don’t understand. "Entering the world of swordsmanship starts with understanding that form precedes brute force. "Even with just mastering the most basic sword forms, it’s much stronger than relying solely on brute force for destruction. "All sword forms can evolve from these six basic positions. "So, these six are the foundation of all swordsmanship." Having said this, Qiao Xing put the Cross Greatsword back on the rack, looking ready to leave. Lu Luo watched Qiao Xing with some confusion. "Lord Qiao Xing, where are you going?" "I’m going home to sleep with my wife and kids. You didn’t think I was going to stay here and accompany you while you practice swordsmanship, did you? Are you thinking too much?" Lu Luo said, "...Okay then. But what if I finish all this practice?" Qiao Xing had always looked down on those who tried to run before they could walk. However, seeing that Lu Luo had managed to understand the concept of the second realm just through imagination, Qiao Xing thought that deflating his ego a bit here wouldn’t be a problem. "Form preceding brute force is just the first step. The second part of Holy Radiance Cross Swordsmanship is that momentum precedes brute force. "This refers to your sword momentum, your presence. To put it more plainly, your swordsmanship must develop into your own unique personal style. "You should no longer be constrained by ordinary sword forms or techniques..." As a Church powerhouse who had been teaching swordsmanship for many years, Qiao Xing’s instructional skill was unquestionably high. After a simple explanation, Lu Luo was able to grasp some of the meanings behind his words. "What exactly are the requirements then?" "With imbued energy, those six moves, 100,000 times each." Damn, can’t we do something else? That many? What about my regular swordsmanship lessons? "You don’t need to attend the swordsmanship lessons anymore. Those are just to fool people; it’s a waste of time for you to listen to them. "From now on, I will teach you alone every evening. Concentrate on your sword practice." As Qiao Xing finished speaking, his figure was already fading into the distance, leaving Lu Luo alone there. He’s leaving just like that? Is he implying that I should practice the sword by myself here? [Observer: Good heavens, adding up to 660,000 times! Even without eating or drinking, it’s going to take 2-3 months of practice.] Lu Luo’s expression was bitter. But wasn’t this the very reason he came here? Now that his wish has been granted, there’s no point in complaining. Just practice! The desire for individual power growth exceeds all other desires. This is the perfect chance to get stronger, and there’s no way I’ll let it slip by! Lu Luo picked up one of the Cross Greatswords. He could lift such a heavy sword with one hand, but wielding it with agility would require more strength than he currently possessed. So, he needed the help of the Mechanical Arm. "Increase pressure!" The Mechanical Arm’s boost increased Lu Luo’s arm strength to 24, enough for him to wield the sword single-handedly with agility. "First, the level thrust." Lu Luo gripped the sword in one hand, and as instructed in the daytime swordsmanship class, he kept the blade stable, without shaking, and then channeled Qi He into it. "First strike. Steam. Level thrust." After a triple steam boost, Lu Luo thrust his sword forward. SWISH! The extreme boost from the steam Qi He allowed Lu Luo’s first thrust to emit a Sword Qi, which dispersed the moisture on the grass and created a mist around him. "Observer, keep count of my strikes for me." [Received.] Counting was quite distracting. Lu Luo needed to immerse himself fully in his sword practice, so it was better to leave the counting to the Observer. "Second strike. Steam. Straight thrust." SWISH! From a distance on the rooftop, Qiao Xing observed Lu Luo. Compared to his usual cold composure, his eyes now held a trace of confusion. He watched Lu Luo’s earnest sword wielding and began to murmur to himself. "The Dawn Disc... it turns out there’s more than one! "Only the Believer of Light most devoted and closest to the Holy Light can see the dawn and touch the true dawn. "Sending the Saintess to Lu Luo after discovering the Disc was complete, and even sending her to me... Han Shiyu, that woman, really is petty..." The Church’s literature always depicted the Believers of Light as those who would serve the dawn all their lives. Although Believers of Light could marry, there were very few in the entire Alliance who actually married and had children. Qiao Xing happened to be one of them. By sending Lu Luo, who was charged with hosting the Dawn Disc, to Qiao Xing, Han Shiyu was testing him. If Qiao Xing failed to instruct Lu Luo, it would imply that Qiao Xing, having married and fathered children, had drifted further from the Holy Light in his heart. If Qiao Xing chose to teach Lu Luo, that would be what a true Believer of Light should do. After casually watching Lu Luo practice for a while, Qiao Xing smacked his lips. "I guess this guy is, how do I put it, not too bad!" After a few glances, Qiao Xing lost interest. What’s so interesting about sword practice? Isn’t it better to go home to a warm bed with my wife and child? This time, Qiao Xing truly departed, while Lu Luo stayed behind, furiously practicing the sword.