Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 206: Chapter 176: Situ Qin’s Shock

All the way back to the handyman courtyard and even after lying down on his bunk, Xie Yuan couldn’t get that pair of eyes out of his mind.

It was as if the entire galaxy had fallen into them, or as if they were the galaxy itself.

’I can’t get to sleep...’

Xie Yuan’s heart fluttered. After tossing and turning for a long while, he finally gave up on rest. He sat up, deciding to go out and practice.

He usually rested for a few hours in the evening before training, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary today.

Moonlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in a hazy glow.

Xie Yuan sat up from his spot in the row of handyman disciples sleeping on the shared bunk. He got out of bed, draped on his clothes, and slipped on his shoes, leaving the room without a sound.

Further down the row of bunks, Tian Zhuang felt a sense of unease. He suddenly opened his eyes and shot upright, causing the person next to him to grunt in their sleep.

He glanced around. The room was still; he hadn’t noticed Xie Yuan’s silent movements.

But Tian Zhuang still felt unsettled from being jolted awake for no reason. He squinted, peering into the dimness, and felt that someone was missing from the bunks... It was Xie Yuan!

His eyes flew open. He instinctively glanced at the moon outside the window and gritted his teeth.

’We just lay down... He can’t be serious, can he? He must have just gone to the latrine. Yes, that has to be it!’

Tian Zhuang lay back down, his eyes wide open as he stared at the ceiling beams, waiting.

The door remained shut. His heart sank.

’He’s not even going to sleep? If he goes now, will the steward even see him? ...Forget it. I’ve lost.’

Tian Zhuang let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

Unaware of the petty rivalries among the handymen, Xie Yuan found a secluded spot by the cliff. He raised his sword and slowly recalled the Sword Technique Situ Qin had taught him, practicing it one move at a time.

He now understood the reasons for his previous minor errors, imperfect postures, and imprecise power generation. Following the principles of the Sword Technique was indeed far better.

’As expected of a legacy from a great clan. Even the principles for this simple, basic Swordsmanship are like pearls, every word precious. There isn’t a single wasted phrase; it all gets straight to the point. The Outer Sect instructors aren’t nearly this good!’

After practicing a few times, Xie Yuan felt he had improved significantly and couldn’t help but marvel.

It wasn’t that the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s teaching methods were poor. It was just that the Outer Sect instructors taught the handyman disciples in broad strokes. With so many of them, it was impossible to correct everyone individually. Once you were shown the door, your progress depended entirely on your own efforts, so it was inevitable that details would be missed.

Besides, an instructor’s understanding of Swordsmanship couldn’t possibly compare to a Grandmaster’s. The two Grandmasters accompanying Situ Qin were both sword experts. A few casual pointers from them were enough to save a beginner like Xie Yuan from countless missteps.

This was reflected on his status panel, where the progress bar shot up.

Xie Yuan stood at the cliff’s edge, his sword a blur in the moonlit night breeze. His grey handyman’s clothes whipped about, snapping in the wind.

Not only was his Swordsmanship growing more refined, but the residual potency of the Blood Dragon Pill was also still advancing his cultivation. Each repetition of the sword forms also served to refine his Blood Qi and strengthen his body.

Sensing his own rapid progress, Xie Yuan found cultivation to be addicting. He was almost unwilling to stop.

「At dawn.」

Tian Zhuang groggily opened his eyes. He hadn’t slept well all night and felt utterly exhausted.

But the moment he managed to pry his eyes open, he instinctively glanced to the side.

Many of the other handymen were already getting up. Tian Zhuang counted them, then froze and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Xie Yuan was lying right there in his bunk, perfectly fine. He hadn’t gone to the main peak early!

Tian Zhuang blinked, and his mood inexplicably lightened.

’So he really did just get up to use the latrine... Must’ve taken a long time.’

For the next several days, Xie Yuan followed a new routine. In the mornings, he would go to the Back Hall on the main peak to perceive the Sword Qi from the Sword Peak. At noon, he would bring food to the small courtyard halfway up the mountain and have lunch with Situ Qin. The afternoons were spent either chatting and listening to her play the qin, discussing and practicing martial arts, or exploring the scenic spots of Cloud Mountain.

At night, Xie Yuan would secretly return to the secluded cliffside spot to internalize the Grandmaster’s Swordsmanship experience that Situ Qin had relayed to him, practicing relentlessly. His days were packed to the brim.

Even for someone like Xie Yuan, who trained both internally and externally and possessed a powerful physique and boundless energy, the schedule was physically taxing. But while his body was tired, seeing the numbers on his panel constantly increase, and spending his afternoons enjoying the scenery, the music, and the beautiful company, his spirit was utterly content. His state of mind was perfect, and he felt he could continue training like this indefinitely without any issue.

「In the small courtyard.」

"Not bad at all," Situ Qin praised with a beaming smile, clapping her hands lightly. "Your Swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds lately. You’re starting to look like a veteran Sword Sect disciple."

Holding his sword in a reverse grip, Xie Yuan cupped his fist and said humbly,

"It’s all thanks to Miss Qin’s guidance."

Situ Qin clasped her hands behind her back and nodded slightly, affecting the air of a lofty expert, but the mischievous glint in her darting eyes gave her away.

"It’s good that you know! Hmm, your Blood Qi is flourishing, your inner breath is pure, you have a balance of internal and external training, and your Cultivation Technique is sharp. You’re no worse than any disciple from a Major Sect at the same realm! Once you break through to the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, you’ll be a true force to be reckoned with!"

Xie Yuan was also filled with anticipation. He had taken the second Blood Dragon Pill yesterday, causing his Blood Qi to surge once more, bringing him close to the peak. Once he fully digested it and took the third pill, he would certainly reach the limit of External Training. That would be the time to attempt a breakthrough!

Breaking through a cultivation bottleneck was a major challenge for any martial artist, especially when crossing into a new major realm. It required extensive preparation.

But Xie Yuan, naturally, was an exception. As long as his Blood Qi reached its limit, he could temper his entire body, using sheer quantity to force a qualitative change and complete his metamorphosis. Success would be a matter of course.

As Xie Yuan was lost in these pleasant thoughts, he heard Situ Qin speak again, her tone laden with meaning.

"Master Xie’s cultivation foundation is exceptionally solid. You have almost no weaknesses. However, there is one area where you still lag behind true Sect disciples. Do you know what it is?"

"Oh? This... Please enlighten me, Miss Qin."

Xie Yuan was surprised. He believed himself to be on par with anyone in his realm, whether in terms of his well-rounded training, his inheritance, his combat experience, his adaptability, or his mental fortitude. He had even developed rudimentary ranged attacks to make up for any shortcomings. He had bested Huang Zifeng of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect in their spar before, and he was even stronger now. He shouldn’t be inferior to anyone.

"You’re good at everything, but you’re missing one thing."

Situ Qin smiled faintly.

"Do you remember when we climbed over Peng Yue’s wall?"

At her words, understanding dawned on Xie Yuan.

"Are you saying I lack a Lightweight Skill?"

That day, Situ Qin’s figure had been lithe and graceful; she floated over the high wall with a simple twist. Xie Yuan, on the other hand, had relied on brute force, scrambling up like a dog scrabbling at a wall. It hadn’t been difficult, but it was certainly lacking in finesse.

Situ Qin nodded.

"Exactly. The Body Technique is often overlooked, but it’s crucial. In fact, some prominent clans make it the very first thing they teach their children. They know their little troublemakers need to be able to run fast and escape with their lives when they get into trouble, so they can come back and call on their uncles and elders for backup."

She said this with a teasing, mocking tone, leaving it ambiguous which family she was referring to, before bringing the conversation back on topic.

"There’s some truth to it, though. ’As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no lack of firewood.’ It’s like your hard-style techniques—being able to take a punch and give one back means victory as long as you’re on your feet. But a Body Technique is on another level. If they can’t hit you and you can run fast, you are forever invincible.

"The only thing is, good Lightweight Skills and Body Techniques are hard to find. Most also require coordinating with Inner Power, so you rarely see them among common martial artists. They usually just make do with the footwork that accompanies their Pile Skill. But since your foundation is so solid, Master Xie, you can aim higher. When you reach the next realm, your opponents will be zipping and dodging all over the place. If you don’t have a Body Technique, you’ll be at a huge disadvantage."

Xie Yuan grew thoughtful as he listened. "Thank you for the advice, Miss Qin," he said. "It seems I’ll have to find a Body Technique within the Sect..."

’Of course, that’s not something a handyman disciple can even dream of,’ he thought. ’Once I become an official disciple, I should be able to receive a basic footwork manual.’

’But to get an advanced one, I’ll have to earn it with contribution points.’

"Why go through all that trouble?"

Situ Qin said with a laugh. With a flick of her wrist, a booklet materialized in her hand, and she tossed it to Xie Yuan.

"Since we’re on the topic, I naturally came prepared!

"The Flying General’s ’Cloud Dragon Step,’ complete with his handwritten notes. It’s the only one of its kind."

Xie Yuan caught the booklet. He saw the three large, flamboyant words "Cloud Dragon Step" written on the blue cover. As he looked, Situ Qin’s explanation reached his ears:

"Tai Bo earned his title as the Flying General because of this very Body Technique. He used it for long-distance raids, fighting across a thousand miles without ever failing. Most people only know it for long-distance travel, but they don’t realize that in close-quarters combat, Tai Bo’s movements are so elusive that no one can even touch the hem of his clothes."

Xie Yuan was stunned. The signature Body Technique of a Flying Dragon List Grandmaster, a top-tier Cultivation Technique... and she was just giving it to him?

"Don’t say it!" Situ Qin held up a hand to stop him before he could speak. "Enough nonsense. Tai Bo already agreed. He developed this technique himself on the battlefield, so there are no sect rules attached to it. If you can learn it, you’re free to learn it. But even with his notes, understanding it won’t be easy."

Xie Yuan chuckled and shook his head, a warmth spreading in his chest. He carefully put the Cultivation Technique away.

"In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse. Once I’ve learned it, I’ll teach you."

Situ Qin rolled her eyes at him.

"You wish! I learned it long ago. My mastery might not be that profound, but it’s leagues beyond your ’not-even-started’ level! Come on, read it now. If you can’t figure it out, I’ll teach you!"

Full of enthusiasm, Situ Qin pushed him down into a chair at the desk, forcing him to start studying on the spot.

Xie Yuan had intended to take such a profound Body Technique back with him to study carefully, but he complied with her wishes and began to read.

After silently reading the Cultivation Technique for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xie Yuan closed the booklet, a thoughtful expression on his face.

[Cloud Dragon Step: (1/100)]

"So? Are you completely lost? Just ask if there’s anything you don’t understand."

Situ Qin’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, her face all but screaming, ’Go on, beg me to teach you.’

Xie Yuan mused aloud, "It seems fine. I just need to get a feel for it."

He stood up, and his body blurred. He circled the chair in a flash, leaving what looked like a faint afterimage behind him, like the tail of a cloud.

Situ Qin’s expression froze. Her small, cherry-like lips slowly formed an "O" as she stared, dumbfounded.

Although Xie Yuan’s execution of the footwork was incredibly ugly—like a drunken crab scuttling sideways, all crooked and wobbly—

—the essence and the speed were unmistakably those of a beginner who had just grasped the Cloud Dragon Step!

’How is this possible?’

’Tai Bo’s Cloud Dragon Step is unparalleled, and its difficulty is top-tier. Just understanding the theory requires reading it dozens, if not hundreds of times.’

’Even I took a little while... well, not a long while... to get the hang of it back then.’

’But this guy reads it once and he’s already stumbling through the moves?’

Xie Yuan completed another circuit, and Situ Qin’s head swiveled to follow him, her expression one of utter bewilderment.

’Yes, he’s actually doing it!’

’And this time, it’s already much smoother!’

HISS...

Situ Qin was flabbergasted. Her mouth hung open for a long moment before she finally snapped it shut, her wide eyes still filled with disbelief.

"Master Xie, no way. You’re actually doing it?"

"Hm? Is the Cloud Dragon Step supposed to be fake? Hmm, Cloud Dragon, Cloud Dragon... the name is similar to the Sect’s famous ’Cloud Dragon Nine Forms’ Swordsmanship. Does it also emphasize the combination of real and illusory, truth and feint? Mmm..."

Situ Qin fell silent. She saw that Xie Yuan had misunderstood her, but in doing so, had stumbled upon the correct principles of the technique.

After a long moment, she said with a complicated expression,

"Yes. That’s exactly what I meant."

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