137: Chapter 137 Peak Bishop's Sword Technique

The main hall was at the highest point of Zixia Peak.

When Lin Tian followed Peak Master Su Hanyan inside, the hall doors closed behind him.

The noise outside, the sound of the mountain wind, and the humming of the runes on the stone pillars were all shut out by those two heavy wooden doors.

The main hall was extremely quiet, so quiet that one could hear one's own breathing.

This was Lin Tian's first time entering this main hall.

The furnishings inside were much simpler than he had imagined—no golden, extravagant decorations, no dazzling displays.

Directly in front was a long table, on which lay a sheathed longsword.

The scabbard was deep purple, engraved with fine, dense patterns that looked like some kind of ancient runes.

Behind the long table was a huge painting of calligraphy, depicting the mountain landscape of Zixia Peak, with sweeping brushstrokes and a majestic Aura.

On the walls on both sides hung several pieces of calligraphy, though Lin Tian didn't have time to look at them closely.

The floor was made of polished bluestone, smooth enough to reflect a person, mirroring the several bronze lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Peak Master Su Hanyan walked to the long table.

She didn't sit down but turned around to face Lin Tian.

Her gaze fell on his face, cold as frost, carrying a sense of scrutiny.

That gaze was like an extremely thin and sharp blade, wanting to dissect him to see what exactly was hidden inside.

"Speak," her voice echoed in the spacious main hall, carrying a slight resonance, "What is going on? How did you achieve your Breakthrough?"

Lin Tian stood in the center of the main hall, separated from Peak Master Su Hanyan by a distance of seven or eight steps.

This distance was not close, but he could clearly feel the invisible pressure emanating from Peak Master Su Hanyan.

That was not intentional coercion, but an Aura naturally brought about by a Martial Artist above the Fifth Rank.

He thought for a moment and felt that this question really wasn't worth talking about.

How did he achieve a Breakthrough?

He just Cultivate, and then he had a Breakthrough.

His method of Cultivation was no different from others—meditating, circulating his Mind-Cultivation Technique, refining medicinal potency, and accumulating Internal Energy bit by bit.

If there was any difference, it was probably that he practiced more than others.

Others practiced for two or three hours a day, while he practiced for five or six hours.

When others were tired, they rested; when he was tired, he switched to a different martial art to continue practicing.

If he felt tired from practicing the Purple Qi Diagram, he would practice sword techniques; if he felt tired from sword techniques, he would practice movement techniques; if he felt tired from movement techniques, he would practice throwing knives.

Out of the twelve hours in a day, aside from eating and sleeping, he used almost all his time for Cultivation.

But he wouldn't say these things.

Even if he said them, Peak Master Su Hanyan might not believe him.

"It's just like that. I Cultivated, and then I had a Breakthrough."

Lin Tian's tone was very flat, as if he were talking about a very ordinary matter.

"I said it before, I am a late bloomer. But you didn't believe me, Peak Master."

A late bloomer.

Peak Master Su Hanyan frowned slightly.

This was not the first time she had heard these four words from Lin Tian's mouth.

A year ago, when she taught for five days and then left in a huff, Lin Tian had said something similar.

At that time, she only felt that this was an ignorant boy looking for excuses for himself—poor talent meant poor talent, and this talk of being a late bloomer was nothing but self-deception.

But now, this person she had judged as a waste had used one year to develop Internal Energy, and it was thick and harmonious Internal Energy, far exceeding the level of someone who had just achieved a Breakthrough.

She was silent for a moment, then asked: "I taught you for five days, and you couldn't even get started with the Purple Qi Diagram. How did you get started?"

This question was more specific than the last.

She remembered very clearly that during those five days, she had explained the entry-level Mind-Cultivation Technique of the first layer of the Purple Qi Diagram over and over again.

Lin Tian nodded and said he understood every time, but as soon as he circulated his Qi, everything went wrong.

He couldn't remember the paths of the Meridians, couldn't control the flow of Qi, and he was like a stone that couldn't be warmed.

She had taught so many Disciples and had never seen such a situation.

Lin Tian shook his head: "I didn't figure it out and get started on my own."

"Then who taught you?"

"Senior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun. I asked her for guidance for a month and gave her one thousand taels of silver."

"She taught me for a month, and only then did I get started. After that, I Cultivated on my own."

Peak Master Su Hanyan was stunned for a moment.

Zheng Xiaoyun.

She knew this Disciple—an ordinary female Disciple on Zixia Peak with Early Stage Fourth Rank cultivation.

Her talent was not outstanding, but she was diligent and meticulous.

Lin Tian spent one thousand taels of silver to have Zheng Xiaoyun teach him for a month?

And it took a month to get started with the Purple Qi Diagram?

This speed was definitely not fast.

For ordinary new Disciples, with guidance from an Elder, getting started with the Purple Qi Diagram took three to five days at the fastest, and ten days to half a month at the slowest.

Taking a month to get started belonged to the slower category among new Disciples.

But the question was, what about after getting started?

After getting started, it took Lin Tian less than a year to not only develop Internal Energy but also to refine his Internal Energy to a thick and harmonious level.

This didn't make sense.

Being slow to get started meant poor talent.

But the speed of progress after getting started suggested extremely good talent.

Two completely opposite traits appearing in the same person was a contradiction in itself.

Could it be that this boy was really a late bloomer?

Peak Master Su Hanyan's gaze lingered on Lin Tian's face for a long time.

She had been a Peak Master for so many years and had seen countless Geniuses and even more mediocrities.

But she had truly never seen many cases like Lin Tian's.

Some people did indeed bloom late, stumbling when they first started, but making rapid progress once they got the hang of it.

But such people were extremely rare, and most of them showed some traits in their childhood, just that they hadn't been discovered.

Lin Tian was already nearly twenty years old; for him to be a "late bloomer" at this age was truly rare.

She decided to try one more time.

"Fine." Peak Master Su Hanyan's voice returned to its cold, clear tone.

"Then I will teach you another martial art. I want to see how your progress is."

She walked to the long table, picked up the deep purple sheathed longsword, turned around, and looked at Lin Tian: "I will teach you the Xiaguang Sword Technique."

The main hall was quiet for a moment.

Lin Tian's expression became somewhat subtle.

His mouth twitched, as if he were holding something back, but in the end, he couldn't help it and said: "That... I have already mastered the Xiaguang Sword Technique."

Peak Master Su Hanyan's hand stopped on the scabbard.

"Mastered it?" She arched her eyebrows slightly.

"When did you practice it?"

"I bought the Secret Manual at the Library Pavilion earlier and practiced it myself."

"Practiced it yourself?" There was something undefinable in Peak Master Su Hanyan's voice.

The Xiaguang Sword Technique was a Yellow Rank Medium Grade martial art.

Although it wasn't a profound sword technique, it wasn't something one could master just by casually flipping through a Secret Manual.

Without guidance, relying solely on self-exploration to master a Yellow Rank Medium Grade sword technique—this Comprehension Ability was not ordinary.

She picked up the longsword from the table, didn't unsheathe it, but just pointed the scabbard at Lin Tian: "Demonstrate it. Let me see."

Lin Tian did not decline.

He reached out and grasped the hilt of the autumn water sword at his waist and drew it.

Sword light lit up in the main hall.

The blade of the autumn water sword had a cold luster, and reflected by the firelight of the bronze lamps on the ceiling, it looked as if a thin layer of water was flowing on the sword.

Lin Tian's hand holding the sword was very steady.

The tip of the sword pointed to the ground, and he stood still in place.

Then he struck.

There were no unnecessary movements.

With a turn of his wrist, the tip of the sword flicked from bottom to top, carving a smooth arc.

The sword light split into three in mid-air.

The three sword lights appeared in the Void Realm almost simultaneously, arranged in a triangular shape like three sword flowers blooming at the same time.

The sword light flashed and vanished.

Lin Tian had already sheathed his sword and stood back in place, as if nothing had happened just now.

One sword, three lights.

Proficiency Realm.

Peak Master Su Hanyan's eyes widened slightly.

She saw it clearly.

That sword strike just now, from the start to the sheathing, the whole process was smooth and flowing, without the slightest hesitation.

The three sword lights condensed without dissipating, and each one was clear and distinct, which showed that he had a considerable grasp of the sword momentum and Sword Intent of the Xiaguang Sword Technique.

This was not the level of "mastered it"—this was the level of Proficiency Realm.

A Disciple who had only started a year ago, without anyone's guidance, relying only on a Secret Manual to practice, could reach the Proficiency Realm in the Xiaguang Sword Technique?

Lin Tian sheathed his sword, his expression still calm.

Actually, his Xiaguang Sword Technique had already reached the Minor Achievement Realm, capable of striking five sword lights with one sword.

However, he felt it was better to hold back a little.

His speed of Cultivating Internal Energy was already so fast; if his progress in martial arts was also this fast, he was afraid Peak Master Su Hanyan wouldn't be able to handle it.

Therefore, he only unleashed the power of the Proficient Realm, one sword strike with three rays of light, no more, no less.

Peak Master Su Hanyan looked at Lin Tian, silent for quite a while. The light from the bronze lamps in the great hall flickered, casting shifting shadows upon her cold, elegant face.

Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she did not speak.

Lin Tian took advantage of this gap to speak: "Peak Master, how about you teach me another sword technique?"

His tone was very sincere when he said this, and his eyes were also very genuine.

But the plan in his heart was another matter entirely—a martial art cost at least three thousand taels of silver. He had paid for the Xiaguang Sword Technique himself; if he could learn the Thunderclap Sword Technique from the Peak Master, he would save that sum of silver.

Furthermore, a martial art personally taught by the Peak Master would certainly not be of low grade; it was much more cost-effective than picking one himself at the Library Pavilion.

Peak Master Su Hanyan glanced at him.

She did not know what Lin Tian was calculating in his heart, but Lin Tian taking the initiative to ask to learn a new sword technique happened to suit her intentions. She had originally intended to test him once more.

"Very well. I will teach you another sword technique."

She wanted to see exactly what was going on with this kid.

Peak Master Su Hanyan's hand gripped the sword hilt.

This time, she did not hold it together with the scabbard, but drew the longsword directly. The moment the blade left the scabbard, a cold light poured out from it, like a bolt of lightning compressed to the extreme that had suddenly been released.

A faint layer of purple radiance flowed across the sword body; it was not the luster of metal, but the light emitted after some kind of rune was activated.

"Thunderclap Sword Technique."

As her voice fell, the sword had already thrust out.

Lin Tian only felt a sudden flare of light before his eyes.

That was no ordinary sword light—it was real, lightning-like light. A blinding white light exploded from the tip of Peak Master Su Hanyan's sword, instantly illuminating the entire great hall.

The bronze lamps on the ceiling paled before this radiance, the calligraphy and paintings on the walls were illuminated snow-white, and even the bluestone floor reflected a dazzling glare.

Immediately following this, the sound of thunder rang out.

Boom! Boom, boom, boom, boom!

It was not a single sound, but a series.

The sound of thunder erupted from the sword body, as if a real bolt of lightning had been sealed within the sword and was now being released.

The sound reverberated back and forth in the vast great hall, hitting the walls and bouncing back, then hitting them again, layer upon layer, shaking the entire great hall slightly.

Dust from the ceiling fell in cascades, and the flames of the bronze lamps flickered violently, almost extinguished by the sound waves.

Lin Tian only felt an invisible force crushing toward him from the front. It was not Sword Qi, but the power of the sound itself. The thunderous sound struck him, causing his Qi and blood to churn, his eardrums to buzz, and stars to dance before his eyes.

He involuntarily took a step back, his feet landing on the bluestone floor, and he almost lost his footing.

What a terrifying sword technique.

Peak Master Su Hanyan had already sheathed her sword.

She inserted the longsword back into the scabbard, but the sound of thunder in the great hall still echoed, like distant thunder, getting further and further away, lower and lower, until it finally dissipated completely into the air.

Only the buzzing in Lin Tian's ears continued, and it took quite a while to slowly fade away.

"This sword technique, it's not just Yellow Rank Medium Grade, is it?" Lin Tian's voice was a bit dry.

Peak Master Su Hanyan placed the longsword back on the long table and turned around: "Yellow Rank High Grade. The Thunderclap Sword Technique is divided into three levels."

"The first level is Sword Strikes with Thunder, the second level is Thunderous Sound Piercing the Ears, and the third level is Thunderbolts Descending with Mighty Force."

"When practiced to the third level, a single sword thrust is truly like lightning descending, destroying all vegetation within a radius of ten zhang."

Yellow Rank High Grade. Lin Tian silently calculated in his heart—a martial art of this level would cost at least five thousand taels of silver in the Library Pavilion.

If he could learn it from Peak Master Su Hanyan, it would be equivalent to picking up five thousand taels for free.

He immediately cupped his hands, his voice even more sincere than before: "Please teach me, Peak Master."

Peak Master Su Hanyan looked at him, the sense of scrutiny in her gaze deepening. She did not waste any unnecessary words and began directly from the opening stance of the sword technique.

"The core of the Thunderclap Sword Technique lies not in the sword, but in the Qi. Before striking with the sword, you must first use Internal Energy to vibrate the sword body, causing the blade to produce an extremely high-frequency vibration."

"This vibration is invisible to the naked eye, but when the sword tip pierces the air, the vibration will create intense friction with the air, thereby erupting with the sound of thunder."

As she spoke, she slowed down her movements, drawing the sword from the scabbard to let Lin Tian clearly see every subtle change in her wrist.

"Internal Energy rises from the Dantian, runs along the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian to the wrist, and splits into two strands at the wrist joint. One strand is injected into the sword hilt to control the frequency of the sword's vibration, while the other strand advances along the sword body to be released at the sword tip."

"The timing of the coordination between these two strands of Internal Energy determines the volume and power of the thunderous sound."

Lin Tian widened his eyes, staring unblinkingly at Peak Master Su Hanyan's wrist and the sword body.

He was indeed listening earnestly, watching carefully, and remembering intently. Peak Master Su Hanyan explained it very thoroughly, even more thoroughly than when she had taught him the Purple Qi Diagram.

Every meridian node, every transition of Internal Energy, every place prone to error—she broke it down and explained it in pieces.

A day passed.

Lin Tian held the autumn water sword, circulating his Internal Energy according to the method Peak Master Su Hanyan had taught him, vibrating the sword body.

The sword body vibrated and emitted a slight buzzing sound, but that sound was like the buzzing of a mosquito, a far cry from the sound of thunder.

Let alone the sound of thunder, it didn't even count as a noise.

Peak Master Su Hanyan frowned, but did not say anything, merely telling him to continue practicing.

Two days passed.

The vibration frequency of Lin Tian's sword body was slightly higher than on the first day, and the buzzing sound was a little louder, but still, no thunderous sound appeared.

His Internal Energy circulation route was correct, and his method of exerting force from his wrist was also correct, but the two strands of Internal Energy just wouldn't coordinate together.

Either the Internal Energy injected into the sword hilt was too strong, causing the sword body to vibrate too violently, and the Internal Energy at the sword tip leaked out prematurely.

Or the Internal Energy at the sword tip was too strong, the sword body did not vibrate enough, and the friction with the air only produced ordinary wind sounds.

Peak Master Su Hanyan's expression began to look displeased. But she held back and continued to teach.

Five days passed.

The thunderous sound in the great hall still only rang out when Peak Master Su Hanyan demonstrated it.

Lin Tian's sword thrust out, the sound it emitted changed from a mosquito's buzz to a bee's buzz, but it was still a far cry from the sound of thunder.

Peak Master Su Hanyan's hands were itching again.

She looked at Lin Tian, recalling the scene from five days ago when she had smashed a cup.

Last time she taught the Purple Qi Diagram, he hadn't learned it in five days, and she had smashed the cup and left. This time she taught the Thunderclap Sword Technique, another five days, and he still hadn't learned it.

Was this truly a case of 'late bloomer'?

Her chest felt a bit stifled. But this time she did not smash a cup, nor did she turn and leave.

She was silent for a long time, then walked behind the long table, took out a scroll from a hidden compartment, and tossed it to Lin Tian.

The scroll was not large, entirely pale purple, with jade axles inlaid at both ends, and felt heavy in the hand. The four characters 'Thunderclap Sword Technique' were written on the scroll's surface.

"This is the cultivation method for the Thunderclap Sword Technique. Inside, there are the Mind-Cultivation Technique chants, the meridian circulation diagrams, and my personal cultivation insights from the first to the third level." Peak Master Su Hanyan's voice returned to its cold, elegant tone. "Go back and practice it yourself. Come find me when you have learned it."

She paused, staring into Lin Tian's eyes, and said word by word: "I want to see how many days it will take you to master it."

Lin Tian took the scroll, feeling the warm, smooth touch from the jade axles. He tucked the scroll into his robe, cupped his hands toward Peak Master Su Hanyan, and turned to walk out of the hall.

Peak Master Su Hanyan stood in place, watching his back walk out of the great hall and disappear into the morning light outside the door.

The hall doors closed again, and the great hall returned to quiet. She looked down at her own hand, her fingers curling slightly, as if savoring something.

Five days. Another five days.

Last time, five days, and she had given up.

This time, five days, and she had not given up, but she also had no intention of continuing to teach him. She had given him the cultivation method for the Thunderclap Sword Technique and let him practice it on his own.

She wanted to see exactly how many days it would take for this kid, who kept claiming he was a 'late bloomer,' to master the entry level of the Thunderclap Sword Technique.