64: Humiliation in swordplay class

The early morning in the Inner Sect was distinctly different from the noisy, bustling atmosphere of the Outer Sect.

As the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds and fell upon the sword practice grounds, paved with a colossal single slab of bluestone, dozens of Inner Sect Disciples, clad in moon-white robes, already stood there, facing the wind.

This was the "Dao Inquiring Plaza," where Inner Sect Disciples practiced their sword techniques.

The plaza was rich in Spiritual Qi and permeated with Sword Qi; even the air seemed to carry a faint, sharp sense of the Sword Dao.

Lin Ye blended into the back of the crowd, minimizing his presence.

Today was his first time attending an Inner Sect public lesson. He silently circulated the Breath Concealment Art, which had already reached Minor Achievement, perfectly concealing his formidable, mountain-like Qi and blood energy. From his appearance, he was still that weak, inconspicuous Body Cultivator with a mere third-layer Qi Refinement Stage cultivation, completely out of place among the formidable, Spirit Qi-filled Geniuses of the Inner Sect.

On the high platform, Elder Sun, who was in charge of the lesson, held a wooden sword and gracefully demonstrated a profound sword technique. Each of his swings seemed to stir the winds between heaven and earth, his sword momentum continuous, captivating everyone below.

Lin Ye's gaze, however, was not entirely focused on the Elder's sword technique.

The corner of his eye subtly drifted towards the solitary white figure at the front of the crowd.

Su Qingyue.

She was here today too.

She stood there quietly, her white robes purer than snow, her dark hair like a waterfall. Her beautiful face, capable of eclipsing the heavens and earth, was veiled in a coldness that kept others a thousand miles away. She watched the Elder's sword technique with focused eyes, as if everything around her was irrelevant to her.

A ripple, unbidden, stirred in Lin Ye's heart.

However, his almost imperceptible gaze was precisely caught by another look, full of aggression and hostility.

Not far away, Han Meng, burly as an iron tower, stood with his arms crossed, his tiger-like eyes locked onto Lin Ye, a blatant warning and killing intent flashing within them!

Ever since he was publicly 'admonished' by Su Qingyue in the Merit Hall that day, he had fully placed that humiliation, principal and interest, onto Lin Ye's head!

He was vexed that he couldn't find a suitable opportunity to properly 'deal with' this ignorant Outer Sect Little Bastard, but unexpectedly, today, the opportunity presented itself!

Just then, on the high platform, Elder Sun finished his sword technique demonstration. He stood with his sword sheathed, his voice like a grand bell: "The Dao of the sword lies in actual combat. Learning without practicing is merely talking on paper. Today, are there any Disciples willing to come up and exchange a few moves with this old man?"

As soon as his words fell, a loud voice eagerly rang out!

"Disciple Han Meng, requests guidance from the Elder!"

Han Meng strode out from the crowd and bowed deeply to the Elder. His heroic face was filled with a confident smile, but his peripheral vision never left Su Qingyue's exquisite figure.

"Good," Elder Sun nodded approvingly.

Han Meng leaped, landing agilely on the high platform. He drew the longsword from his waist, its blade flashing like a rainbow, and immediately launched an extremely fierce killing move, thrusting directly at the Elder's face!

However, facing his powerful and heavy sword strike, Elder Sun merely raised the wooden sword in his hand with an air of calm.

"Clang!"

With a soft sound, Han Meng's full-force blow, capable of splitting stone tablets, was easily deflected.

The scene that followed became a predictable "teaching session."

No matter how wild Han Meng's sword technique was, or how dense his attacks, the wooden sword in Elder Sun's hand was like a small boat in a vast ocean, always able to effortlessly neutralize them with a technique of using a small force to move a great weight.

After less than ten moves, Elder Sun seemed to lose interest.

He flicked his wrist, and the wooden sword, at an incredible angle, gently tapped Han Meng's sword-wielding wrist.

"Clang!"

Han Meng felt a numbness in his wrist, his tiger's mouth trembled violently, and he could no longer hold his longsword. It flew skyward, tracing an arc in the air, and finally, with a "clink," embedded itself in the stone plaza far away!

The victor was decided!

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder!"

There was no hint of defeat on Han Meng's face. He bowed respectfully to the Elder, then turned around and, with a tone full of 'enlightenment,' loudly declared to the crowd below:

"Exchanging moves with the Elder was truly enlightening! In that instant, I felt as if I perceived the Elder's vast, ocean-like Sword Intent, deepening my understanding of the Sword Dao!"

His words, a blatant attempt to praise himself, immediately drew loud agreement from several of his followers below.

"Senior Brother Han is mighty! To even draw the Elder's personal guidance!"

"Indeed! To exchange ten moves with the Elder without being defeated, there are few in the entire Inner Sect who could do it!"

Amidst the flattery, Han Meng's gaze slowly swept over the crowd below, finally settling, like a pre-locked target, on the slender figure who remained silent.

A cruel smile curved his lips.

"As the Elder said, the Dao of the sword lies in actual combat. As Senior Brothers, while receiving guidance from the Elder, we should also assist those who come after us and resolve their doubts for our Junior Brothers."

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, enunciating each word:

"Lin Ye, Junior Brother!"

At these words, the entire scene instantly fell silent!

All eyes, in unison, focused on Lin Ye!

Han Meng pointed at Lin Ye from afar, a 'genial' smile on his face, but beneath that smile lay undisguised malice and humiliation!

"I heard, Junior Brother Lin, that when you were in the Outer Sect, you repeatedly created miracles with your unpredictable methods. Today, in this sword technique class, how about I, as your Senior Brother, personally 'guide' your sword technique?"

The dagger was revealed!

Everyone understood. Han Meng intended, under the guise of 'guidance,' to thoroughly humiliate this ignorant 'Outer Sect Genius' in front of everyone, especially in front of Su Qingyue!

Immediately, everyone's faces showed expressions of anticipation for a good show.

Lin Ye's heart instantly sank.

He slowly raised his head, meeting Han Meng's aggressive gaze, his face appropriately displaying a well-timed 'panic' and 'unease.'

"Th-thank you, Senior Brother Han, for your kindness." He bowed to Han Meng, his voice tinged with 'fear.' "It's just... this Disciple is dull-witted and has only just begun to learn sword techniques. I truly... truly dare not show off before Senior Brother."

"Oh! Junior Brother Lin, you speak wrongly!" Han Meng seemed to completely miss his refusal. He strode down from the high platform, step by step, approaching Lin Ye. His tall figure, like a mountain, brought a suffocating sense of pressure!

"Precisely because you don't understand, you need me, your Senior Brother, to properly 'teach' you!" He walked in front of Lin Ye, looking down at him, a cold curve on his lips. "What? Junior Brother Lin, are you... looking down on my 'guidance' as Han Meng?!"

A huge accusation was instantly hurled!

On the high platform, Elder Sun's brow furrowed slightly, but he ultimately did not speak to stop it.

Within the Sect, competition was inherently encouraged. As long as no lives were lost, he found it difficult to interfere too much in such 'sparring' between Disciples.

"Stop before it's too late." In the end, he merely uttered these four words indifferently.

"This Disciple obeys!" Han Meng responded loudly, but his eyes, fixed on Lin Ye, were filled with cruel delight.

He grabbed Lin Ye's arm, almost half-dragging him, to the center of the sword practice grounds.

"Come, Junior Brother Lin, choose a wooden sword from the sword rack that suits you."

Under the gaze of dozens of eyes filled with pity and schadenfreude, Lin Ye was in an impossible situation.

He swallowed with difficulty, and could only randomly pull out the most ordinary practice wooden sword from the weapon rack nearby.

He stood there, holding the sword, his flustered and helpless appearance forming an incredibly stark and utterly comical contrast with the imposing, formidable Han Meng opposite him.

"Very good." Han Meng nodded in satisfaction. He slowly drew his own longsword, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, displaying the powerful confidence of a top ten Inner Sect expert.

He glanced at the white figure still standing motionless not far away, and his vanity was greatly satisfied!

"Come on, Junior Brother Lin," he gestured to Lin Ye with a finger, his tone full of mockery, "Let me see just how capable you, this 'late bloomer' Genius, truly are!"

"Please, don't disappoint me!"

Before his words finished, the mockery in his eyes was instantly replaced by a cold killing intent!

He stomped his foot, and his entire body, like an arrow released from a bowstring, transformed into a green phantom, charging towards Lin Ye!

The longsword in his hand let out a piercing shriek, carrying a tricky arc. It was not aimed at Lin Ye's vital points, but rather directly at his wrist, which held the wooden sword!

He actually intended to disarm Lin Ye with the very first move, making him look utterly foolish in public!

Facing this sudden, humiliatingly sharp sword strike, Lin Ye's reaction perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be "flustered and at a loss."

The color drained from his face with a "whoosh," and his dark pupils, constricted sharply from extreme fear, reflected the rapidly expanding sword light in his vision.

He seemed to be scared stiff, his body rigid, even forgetting to dodge.

Just as the sword's edge was about to touch the skin of his wrist, and everyone thought he was about to be disarmed in public, he let out a distorted shriek as if waking from a dream.

"Ah!"

His body made the most instinctive and clumsy reaction of an ordinary person facing danger—he wildly swung the wooden sword in his hand upwards to block!

His movements were disorganized, weak, and full of desperate struggle. They looked so ridiculous, so overestimating his own abilities.

However, it was this seemingly ridiculous, wildly flailing motion that caused a cold, emotionless System prompt to suddenly ring out in Lin Ye's mind!

"Ding! Detected host entering combat state, automatically switching to [Combat AFK] mode!"

"[Wind Chasing Sword Technique] proficiency gain efficiency temporarily increased by 100%!"

"Clang!"

A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out!

Lin Ye's seemingly fragile wooden sword, with an extremely 'lucky' angle, precisely blocked the sharp edge of Han Meng's longsword!

A huge force came through, and Lin Ye only felt a shock in his tiger's mouth. He couldn't control his body and stumbled back seven or eight steps, ultimately falling onto his backside. The wooden sword in his hand almost flew out, making him look utterly disheveled!

"Hahaha! Useless! Can't even hold a sword steady!" Han Meng laughed heartily after successfully landing a hit.

He gave Lin Ye no chance to catch his breath, moving like lightning, he pressed forward again! Sword light flashed like a torrential storm, yet each move avoided Lin Ye's vital spots.

He wasn't trying to defeat Lin Ye.

What he wanted was to toy with him! To humiliate him!

He wanted to be like a cat playing with a mouse, in front of everyone, slowly, little by little, break this ignorant boy down until he collapsed!

Facing such a furious assault, Lin Ye's "performance" entered a new stage.

He scrambled to his feet, using the wooden sword to make extremely clumsy, disorganized blocks.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Intense sounds of metal clashing continuously echoed across the sword practice grounds.

Lin Ye was forced back repeatedly, constantly in peril. He was sometimes pushed to the edge of the platform, sometimes had a strand of hair cut, sometimes his clothes were grazed by the sword wind. He looked like he would fall at any moment, yet he always managed to barely block the fatal blow at the last second, in an extremely 'disheveled' manner.

He was like a roly-poly toy, an incredibly resilient human sandbag!

The crowd below, who had initially been enjoying the show, had grown somewhat numb.

"This... this guy's luck is truly Heaven-Defying! He still hasn't lost like this?"

"What luck! Didn't you see? Senior Brother Han isn't even using his full strength; he's just toying with him! Look at Lin Ye's pathetic state, like a dog, truly a disgrace!"

However, no one knew that beneath this disheveled exterior, Lin Ye's heart was as calm as an ancient well.

In his mind, a series of System prompts were furiously scrolling like a waterfall!

"Ding! [Wind Chasing Sword Technique] successfully blocked once, proficiency +5!"

"Ding! [Wind Chasing Sword Technique] comprehended the 'Discharge Force' secret in actual combat!"

"Ding! [Wind Chasing Sword Technique] successfully blocked once, proficiency +5!"

"Ding! [Wind Chasing Sword Technique] comprehended the 'Guide' secret in actual combat!"

...Every one of his blocks, though appearing clumsy, became more precise, more effortless, and more... effective than the last, with the System's assistance!

Initially, he still needed to use all his strength to barely block Han Meng's attacks.

But gradually, he began to learn how to use the flat of his sword to deflect the opponent's blade, to use the hilt to strike the opponent's sword body... His movements were still 'clumsy,' but the sound of metal clashing, unknowingly, became less and less frequent.

In its place was a more muffled, more effective block!

An incense stick's worth of time passed.

Sweat was already beading on Han Meng's forehead.

The mockery and delight in his heart had long vanished, replaced by a growing sense of surprise and... irritation!

He felt as if he was chopping at a piece of incredibly tough, yet slippery, cowhide! No matter how much force he used, most of it would be neutralized by the opponent in an extremely peculiar way!

This Little Bastard was like an indestructible cockroach, making him feel indescribably disgusted!

"Fall for me!!!"

Han Meng completely lost his patience. He roared, unleashing all the Spiritual Qi in his body without reservation. The longsword in his hand instantly glowed with dazzling white light!

He would use his strongest sword move to completely end this farce!