Watching the Mountain

Chapter 261: Chapter 163: I’m Looking Forward To It

He took a shallow breath and looked calmly at Li Daoyi before speaking in a measured tone:

"You’re right. It is just as you guessed. As for the specific reason, you’ll find out naturally once you become the Chief Disciple. There’s no need to be impatient. Let’s start our swordsmanship match for now."

With that, he silently summoned his Flying Sword. It hovered before him as he beckoned to Li Daoyi with a casual invitation. "Come."

Li Daoyi didn’t hesitate. He summoned his Flying Sword, held it firmly, and faced Xu Ran. "I ask for your guidance, Martial Uncle."

Xu Ran gave a slight nod. Without another word, he immediately unleashed his strongest technique, *Melting Snow*, and attacked.

The attack was a spellbindingly beautiful sight, but Li Daoyi’s face paled. He scrambled to swing his sword in defense.

A moment later, Xu Ran looked down at Li Daoyi, who was collapsed on the ground gasping for breath, and chuckled lightly:

"Martial Nephew, you’ve certainly improved a great deal, but you must keep working hard. You’re the young prodigy the Sect has placed its hopes on, so don’t you dare slack off."

Lying on the ground, Li Daoyi took a few gasping breaths before speaking with great difficulty:

"Martial Uncle, why was your Cultivation a Small Realm higher than mine this time?"

Xu Ran feigned surprise. "Oh, was it?"

Then, as if only just realizing, he scratched his head and offered an embarrassed, placating smile.

"Oops, Martial Nephew, my apologies. I didn’t notice. I thought we were at the same Realm. I was wondering why you seemed so much weaker today. Turns out I didn’t suppress my Cultivation properly."

"My apologies, my apologies. I must be getting old and forgetful. Should I suppress my Cultivation further so we can go again?"

Hearing this, Li Daoyi, still on the ground, managed a pained grin. He tilted his head and said:

"It’s alright, there’s no need. This is perfect. Martial Uncle, I ask that you continue to spar with me like this in the future."

Xu Ran sounded surprised. "You mean you want me to spar with you using a Cultivation a bit higher than yours from now on? Are you sure? I may not be a prodigy myself, but I’ve only ever trained against other prodigies. I’m not weak."

Li Daoyi slowly rose to his feet and dusted himself off. He then raised his hands in a slight bow toward Xu Ran and replied with a determined voice:

"This is the only way to put more pressure on me. I’m counting on you, Martial Uncle."

Seeing this, Xu Ran readily agreed. "If that’s the case, then as you wish."

With that said, his gaze fell upon Li Daoyi. He stroked his chin, recalling the time he defeated Zhang Zhentian on the arena stage, not long after Zhang Zhentian had turned twelve. That victory had been a topic of constant discussion ever since.

’Now I’ve met another young prodigy on the same level as Zhang Zhentian. Should I take this chance to record every one of our fights?’

’Just think, when Li Daoyi becomes a world-renowned, top-tier expert in the future, it’d feel pretty good to pull out these recordings of our fights to enjoy.’

The moment the idea popped into Xu Ran’s head, it took root and wouldn’t let go.

「A few days later」

When Li Daoyi came to Xu Ran for swordsmanship guidance again, he noticed the Memory Stone in his hand and asked, puzzled:

"Martial Uncle, what are you doing?"

Xu Ran answered with a calm expression, "If you want to improve, endless fighting isn’t enough. You must also learn to review each battle and analyze your experiences and weaknesses."

"Relying on your own memory after a fight is never enough to properly review it. This Memory Stone will allow you to analyze your battles from an angle you’ve never been able to see before."

After hearing Xu Ran’s explanation, Li Daoyi frowned in thought for a moment before murmuring, "That actually is a good idea. Whenever I’ve reviewed my fights before, I could only ever recall my own point of view. I’ve never seen them from a third-person perspective."

Although he said that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his Martial Uncle’s motives weren’t so pure. But since he couldn’t figure out the real reason, he decided not to overthink it.

’Whatever Martial Uncle’s purpose is, it doesn’t matter as long as it makes me stronger.’

Seeing that Li Daoyi had no objections, Xu Ran proceeded to record every one of their battles with the Memory Stone, his conscience perfectly clear.

Furthermore, he only recorded the fights that he won cleanly and decisively. He paid special attention to capturing Li Daoyi’s most pathetic moments, making sure to get them from every possible angle.

As for the fights where Li Daoyi performed well, Xu Ran thought for a bit and only kept a few of the more representative ones. He deliberately erased the rest.

Li Daoyi was well aware of what Xu Ran was doing, but he never protested. He simply watched in silence and continued to seek out Xu Ran for a match every few days.

Xu Ran had once asked Li Daoyi why he insisted on seeking him out for swordsmanship advice when he already had a master, the Evergreen Sword Saint.

Li Daoyi’s response was that his master, the Evergreen Sword Saint, relied more on combat instincts forged through blood and fire. His style had long since transcended the confines of pure swordsmanship.

Sparring with his master was more about honing his own combat instincts. When it came to swordsmanship, however, he actually gained more from his matches with his Martial Uncle, Xu Ran.

Besides, the simple fact that Xu Ran had once received guidance on his swordsmanship from Sword Dao Ye Shan was enough to make Li Daoyi eager to learn from him.

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