I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress

'Stage of becoming a sword…' Grand Elder Jian's brows subtly raised when he saw Yi Chen's arm over which a Qi blade had formed.

A glimmer flashed in Grand Elder Jian's eyes the very next second as he muttered with a smirk, "…Interesting."

With that said, he raised his sword in front of him and entered an offensive stance.

"Attack when you're ready," he said the next moment, curiosity evident in his eyes.

"Y-Yes…"

Yi Chen nodded subtly as his expression turned serious.

A part of him wanted to see Grand Elder Jian's shocked expression when he formed the Qi blade, while the other part was just curious as to what his reaction would be like.

However, when he noticed just how little of a reaction he got out of him, it made him certain that even with all the training and enlightenment he had gone through until now, he had only touched a drop in the ocean.

'So, such a vast gulf is still there between my level and True Sword Mastery…how exciting.'

Yi Chen thought while tightening his grip on the hilt as the very next moment he charged forward with all his might.

HAH!

He roared with all his might, aiming his blade right at Grand Elder Jian's neck.

CLANG!

The very second, Grand Elder Jian's sword effortlessly deflected the strike as sparks rose in the air.

However, not bothered by this setback, Yi Chen regained his momentum and carried on with his next strike

CLANK!

And the next.

CLANG!

And the next.

TINGG!

The two swords clashed incessantly, and the echoes of their distinct sounds resounded in the courtyard as the two figures kept changing their positions.

From a novice's point of view, it would seem that Yi Chen was the one who was dominating, with his strikes landing one after the other, not giving Grand Elder Jian even a chance to fight back.

However, if one were to look carefully, they'd realise that it wasn't the case. Although it looked as if Yi Chen had the advantage, that was only because Grand Elder Jian had only been on the defensive side all along, closely watching each of Yi Chen's moves.

Yi Chen had already realised this, and instead of getting frustrated at the fact that there existed such an enormous gap between the two of them, he used this opportunity to properly showcase all that he knew about swordsmanship, especially his latest understanding of sharpness and dullness.

'Let's see your reaction now!'

Yi Chen thought while striking his sword towards Grand Elder Jian's chest with intense force as the sound of the wind sweeping past his blade changed at the very last moment before making contact with Grand Elder Jian's sword.

THUD!

The moment it did, a heavy sound resounded in the courtyard, forcing Grand Elder Jian to take a couple of steps away.

'…Oh?'

His eyes glimmered with delight, and the smile on his face widened considerably. 'So he has already understood this concept…'

The next instant, he changed his stance and charged straight towards Yi Chen, changing from his previously defensive strategy to an offensive one.

While he was charging towards him, Yi Chen saw Grand Elder Jian's figure momentarily disappear right in front of his eyes, causing his heart to almost burst out of his chest.

'Where…where did he go?!'

Just then, his image resurfaced just a few inches away from him as the glistening blade in his hand zoomed towards his left shoulder from the side.

ZOOOOM!

Immediately raising his sword to defend, Yi Chen was already preparing for a counterstrike aimed right towards Grand Elder Jian's stomach.

However, while thinking this out, he didn't consider one thing. It was something he only realised when the sound of the air sweeping past the incoming blade changed right before contact.

'This…'

Yi Chen's eyes widened in realisation, but by that time, it was already too late.

BOOM!

With just his blade, he was unable to defend against such a heavy blow that carried massive momentum, and as a result, his figure flew in the opposite direction like a kite with its strings cut.

SHATTER!

While in midair, the Qi blade which Yi Chen was so proud of shattered into tiny shards before disappearing into dust.

THAK!

THUD!

SHHEEEEEEEEEEEE

Yi Chen's figure smashed heavily on the ground a couple of times before sweeping a considerable distance on the ground before finally coming to a standstill.

'Ah…'

An embarrassed expression immediately formed on Grand Elder Jian's face upon seeing the result of his 'light' strike.

'Even though I tried to control my excitement…I guess a little managed to leak out.' He thought while scratching the back of his head and looking at Yi Chen's figure a few meters away.

'Well, at least he didn't get seriously injured…' Grand Elder Jian muttered inwardly, but just then he heard Yi Chen cough a couple of times and saw him wipe the drop of blood that slid down the side of his lips.

"…"

The very next instant, Yi Chen felt an invisible force around his body which lifted him off the ground and helped him stand up.

Knowing that it was Grand Elder Jian's spiritual energy, his eyes naturally went in his direction once he was back on his feet.

"Are you alright?" Grand Elder Jian asked as his eyes scanned his body for injuries.

"As you can see, just a few bruises." Yi Chen answered with an embarrassed smile.

'I still have a lot to learn…'

He thought, a hint of excitement at what the future had in store for him forming in his heart.

Just then, he saw a pill bottle containing a dozen or more pills come into view.

"Take one of these healing pills. They'll clear your wounds up quickly…"

Yi Chen nodded and accepted the bottle. However, just when he was about to pop a pill in his mouth, he felt a scratching sensation all around his bruises.

'Ah…they've started healing on their own.'

Yi Chen muttered in realisation as he recalled how his entire ear had healed back because of this ability of his.

"This…"

However, just then he froze as his eyes went towards Grand Elder Jian's direction, who couldn't help but frown upon seeing the small traces of injury on Yi Chen's skin healing on their own.

"…It's healing on its own?" His expression turned to one of curiosity the next second as he asked Yi Chen, "Have you perhaps acquired a special physique?"

"Ah…Yes, I acquired it while exploring a tomb a few months ago." Yi Chen answered with a nod, feeling that there was no need to hide such things from him.

'While rare, it's not like no one else has special physiques…Even Grand Elder Jian has one as well.'

Yi Chen thought to himself.

"Oh? You got it inside a tomb. That's very impressive." Grand Elder Jian nodded with praise apparent on his face.

"Thank you." Yi Chen accepted the praise and, the next moment, tried to return the pill bottle to Grand Elder Jian, only to see him wave his hand towards him.

"Keep it. Those are Tier 3 pills, so they might come in handy in the future."

"…I see."

Hearing those words, Yi Chen readily placed the pill bottle inside his storage ring.

"Mhm." Seeing this, Grand Elder Jian nodded to himself. Clearing his throat the next second to attract Yi Chen's attention, he said, "After that brief exchange with you, here's my evaluation of your swordsmanship."

'My evaluation...'

Yi Chen's countenance turned serious the moment he heard those words as he waited for Grand Elder Jian's next set of words with rapt attention.

"I considered a lot of factors. They included your familiarity, comprehension, form and techniques, and this is what I've concluded." Grand Elder Jian paused briefly to meet Yi Chen's eyes and continued, "It's a little above average at best."

"Just a little above average?"

Hearing this evaluation, Yi Chen naturally found it difficult to swallow as he couldn't help but ask, "B-But I'm already at the Stage of Becoming the Sword! Something which even many Core Building Stage cultivators fail to achieve in their entire lives!"

"You're correct. In that regard, your comprehension rate is truly admirable." Grand Elder Jian didn't deny his words and continued, "However, I'm not evaluating you solely on the basis of that.

If a formally trained swordsman at your age were to be at the same comprehension stage as you, then he would easily be able to beat you.

Your basics are lacking, your stance is horrible, and there are a lot of other bad habits in your movements. Just from a glance, it's evident that you've never been formally trained in swordsmanship.

As for your attacks, they are swift, decisive and almost instinctual, which are all admirable traits and clearly tell me that you've survived a fair share of battles.

While these battles have helped you hone your understanding of swordsmanship, they have also become the very source of your bad habits."

Grand Elder Jian paused briefly before finally landing the final blow. "That's why I've evaluated you in such a manner."

"I-I see…"

Yi Chen responded with a forced smile as a bitter sensation welled up in his chest upon hearing all the areas he was lacking in.

'So there are problems even in my basic movements, huh…'

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