205: Chapter 205 Meng Wei, the Scripture Pavilion
Three days later, Li Qing had basically finished familiarizing himself with [Spirit Scent], able to control it freely.
Otherwise, with such an olfactory enhancement active, it would be difficult to swallow anything.
After all, no matter how delicious a delicacy might be, under such extreme olfactory perception, it was broken down into various component scents. While it was clear, it couldn't trick his brain into thinking the stuff was actually tasty.
It was like a butterfly; viewed from afar, it was beautiful and graceful, but when examined with a magnifying glass, one would discover the terrifying, grotesque details within.
...
"Correct, your flying blade technique is still too formulaic," Li Qing said to Dong Wei.
"Formulaic?" Dong Wei asked, puzzled.
"It means lacking flexibility. Your Moves seem smooth and fluid, but in reality, they are a bit stiff. If you were to face a true expert, you would undoubtedly lose."
After these days of guidance, Dong Wei was getting closer and closer to mastering the basics of the "Flying Star Blade", but it seemed he had hit a Bottleneck. Even though Li Qing spent extra time guiding him, the results were mediocre.
After comparing him with Huo Zonglin, Li Qing realized it wasn't that his teaching wasn't clear, nor was it that Dong Wei lacked Comprehension Ability.
There was only one reason: he lacked experience.
Huo Zonglin came from an ordinary background; although slightly better off than Li Qing, he still had to be self-reliant.
Not long after entering the sect, he often accepted missions, fighting against Vicious Beasts and battling vicious bandits, so his control over his strength was far superior to Dong Wei's.
As for Dong Wei, having been born into a wealthy and prestigious family, he naturally lacked that touch of seasoned capability accumulated through hardship.
After a long while.
"Alright, contemplate this carefully on your own. My suggestion is to go on missions with Huo Zonglin and gain more experience; perhaps then you will have an epiphany and achieve a successful Breakthrough."
Leaving Dong Wei in the courtyard to continue practicing his blade, Li Qing arrived at the Spirit Snake Hall.
Two days ago, Li Qing had accepted the task of tutoring Meng Wei. Starting today, it would be once every three days, for half a day each time, with ten merit points per month. It was considered a very leisurely job with generous compensation.
If those Disciples who fought tooth and nail for missions worth three or four merit points—while also having to bear certain risks—knew about this, who knows how much envy and jealousy it would stir up.
Spirit Snake Hall, Courtyard No. 9.
"This is the place." Li Qing walked straight in.
Just as he walked in, he discovered a young maiden dressed in red, sparring with a Martial Artist dressed as a servant.
Li Qing watched quietly for a moment and saw what was really going on.
The servant's martial arts were clearly far superior to the maiden's, but because of some concern, he was held back at every turn, while the maiden's sword technique was mediocre at best.
"Watch my sword, Sudden Rain Crushing Waves!"
It was clearly an explosive sword Move, yet in the maiden's hands, it turned into a gentle drizzle, soft and weak, as if she hadn't eaten a meal.
However, seeing the Young Miss in high spirits, the servant dared not block or dodge to avoid hurting her pride, so he chose to take the hit.
Clang!
A gash was ripped in his arm armor. Seeing this, the maiden frowned slightly.
"Tsk, Meng Shisan, you're too weak!"
She flicked the thin sword in her hand, "How boring!"
Just as Meng Shisan was about to say something, he suddenly turned his head and discovered a young man who had appeared there without him noticing.
Seeing this, Meng Wei looked over as well and frowned, "Who are you? How dare you trespass in my courtyard!"
Li Qing said indifferently, "I have come here for the task of tutoring Junior Sister Meng Wei."
"So it's you!" Meng Wei frowned.
Her sword technique was clearly practiced well enough, yet her third brother had insisted on finding her a tutor.
Moreover, her third brother had specifically emphasized not to throw a tantrum, which dashed her original plan to play a trick and make this person run away in a panic.
"How do I know if your skills are up to par, or if you're just a useless pretty boy?" Meng Wei's eyes rolled around, and she pointed at Meng Shisan.
"How about this: you have a fight with Meng Shisan. If you win, I'll learn sword techniques from you."
"Young Miss!" Meng Shisan's expression changed. He glanced at Li Qing with awe, then hurriedly stepped forward to whisper something in her ear.
"'dual mastery of sword and step', 'skilled in teaching'? So what!" Meng Wei didn't care.
She pointed at Li Qing and said, "My father is the Vice Lineage Master, just do as I say!"
Hearing this, Li Qing's expression remained indifferent, and he sat calmly on a stone chair.
"Whether you want to learn or not is up to you. In any case, my task is just to stay here for half a day to get my merit points. If you don't learn, it's not my loss."
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Wei's expression stiffened.
She had never seen anyone give her such a cold shoulder; even Inner Sect Disciples like Liu Zan and Wang Honghu treated her with friendliness.
"You!" Meng Wei stomped her feet in annoyance. She wanted to slash at him with her sword, but remembering her third brother's warning, she immediately backed down.
Afterward, she thought of something and smiled, "Fine, I'll learn!"
'Hmph! As long as I don't study seriously, that will be a problem with your teaching ability, and then I'll have my third brother punish you!'
Li Qing stood up calmly, "In that case, let's begin. My time is very valuable."
Hearing this, for some reason, Meng Wei felt a pang of intense irritation, and she gritted her teeth, "Fine!"
A long while later, Meng Wei watched Li Qing leave with a dazed expression, until he disappeared from sight.
She turned to look at the wooden stake in front of her, which had been severed in two by a single sword mark.
"This... did I really sever this myself? Meng Shisan, is it true!?"
Meng Shisan restrained his look of astonishment and nodded repeatedly, "It's true, Young Miss, you severed this stake with your own hands!"
He hadn't expected that in just a few hours, the effects of Li Qing's guidance would be so immediate; Meng Wei instantly possessed a portion of the strength of an ordinary Martial Artist.
Although any Martial Artist at the Huajin level could easily sever this ironwood stake, it clearly did not include Meng Wei.
Meng Wei's eyes reddened slightly. She had yearned for the Dao of martial arts since she was young, but her martial talent, whether in bone structure or Comprehension Ability, was the lowest among her siblings. It would be difficult for her to even reach Core Formation.
If it weren't for her prominent family background, given her talent, she might still be struggling at the Mingjin level.
Under the weight of such setbacks, she had become addicted to the false sense of victory she gained from sparring with Meng Shisan.
How could she not know that Meng Shisan had been going easy on her all along!
"Li Qing..."
With just a few sparse words of guidance and repeated practice, she had achieved remarkable results!
Today, for the first time, she experienced the rate of progress of a Genius—no, that didn't even count as a Genius!
And this was only after one day!
Li Qing was unaware of Meng Wei's change in mindset; he was walking towards the Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion was located in a secluded area and was a seven-story building half-embedded into the mountainside.
Guarding the first floor was an old man with a goat-like beard. It was said that in his youth, he was an Inner Sect Disciple at the Late Stage of Core Formation. As he grew old with no hope of reaching Gang Strength, he came to the Scripture Pavilion to take on an idle position.
"The miscellanies on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion are free. The second floor contains foundational books on subjects like Alchemy, and borrowing one requires one merit point. The third floor contains Core Formation-level Martial Skills and secret techniques, costing three to five merit points each. As for the fourth floor and above, only Outer Sect Disciples and above may enter." The old man with the goat-beard said without looking back, while holding a picture book.
Hearing this, Li Qing walked straight to the second floor.