63: Chapter 63 The Perfection of the Golden Fist

Hearing Senior Sister Chen Yu's question, which carried a hint of anticipation, Lin Tian pondered for a moment.

Come every day? He needed to Cultivate his fist techniques and blade techniques, comprehend the Three Element Combination Attack, and also attend to the tempering of his own qi-blood. Time was indeed tight.

"Coming every day is, I'm afraid, a bit difficult," Lin Tian said truthfully.

The light that had just flickered in Senior Sister Chen Yu's eyes instantly dimmed a little. Her long eyelashes lowered, and she let out a soft "Oh," her voice tinged with an imperceptible sense of disappointment.

"However," Lin Tian changed the subject. Seeing her instantly lift her head again, the corners of his mouth curved slightly. "Coming once every two or three days should be fine. In the future... I will come once every three days to spar with you, Senior Sister. How about that?"

"Really? That's great!" Senior Sister Chen Yu's eyes instantly brightened like stars, her joy overflowing.

But immediately, she noticed the knowing smile in Lin Tian's eyes, as if he had seen through her little thoughts. Her cheeks flushed red, and she glared at him in shy annoyance, stamping her foot as she chided, "You... you did that on purpose!"

After saying this, she dared not look at Lin Tian again and turned to walk away quickly. Her goose-yellow figure appeared somewhat hurried in the lamplight under the corridor.

Yet, her slightly flushed ears betrayed the restless mood of their owner.

Lin Tian watched the direction she left in and shook his head with a laugh. Sparring with Senior Sister Chen Yu was indeed beneficial.

She had extremely high talent and a solid foundation. Sparring with her provided him with considerable pressure, which helped him refine his Basic Blade Technique and identify and fill gaps.

Moreover... having a pleasing-to-the-eye and evenly matched opponent made cultivation seem a bit more interesting.

Since that day, Lin Tian's life became increasingly routine.

Most of his time was spent in bitter cultivation in the backyard of the Lin Family Mansion in the east of the city. He focused mainly on the Water Element Fist, striving for Perfection as quickly as possible so he could Cultivate the Three Element Combination Attack to a higher level.

At the same time, he practiced the seven basic forms of the Xiuchun Saber Technique without fail every day, steadily advancing toward the Realm of "Proficiency."

Every three days, he would arrive punctually at the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall to spar with Senior Sister Chen Yu.

The two of them traded blows, moving from mutual probing at the beginning to gradually developing a tacit understanding later on.

While guiding and feeding moves, Lin Tian's own blade technique became increasingly refined and seasoned through this practical sparring.

Senior Sister Chen Yu's progress was even more visible to the naked eye. Under the "pressure" and guidance of Lin Tian, a sparring partner at the "Minor Achievement" Realm, her Basic Blade Technique improved rapidly, and her understanding of the blade grew deeper day by day.

During the rest of his time, he devoted himself to studying the incomplete volume of the True Explanation of Five Elements Combined Strike. Combining it with the key formulas for the Three Element Combination Attack taught by his Revered Master, he attempted to initially fuse and circulate the three distinct Fist Intents and forces of Metal, Wood, and Water.

This was a slow process requiring countless failures, adjustments, and realizations. Progress was slow, but every glimmer of understanding deepened his comprehension of the Dao of the Five Elements' mutual generation and restriction.

With a sufficient supply of three portions of qi-blood powder every month, he had no worries about his cultivation. He could squeeze his potential to the maximum, and his recovery speed far exceeded that of others.

In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed.

Lin Family Mansion, backyard.

Under the moonlight, Lin Tian slowly withdrew his fist, and the white mist steaming around his body quickly submerged back into his body.

He stood still for a moment, immersing his mind to inspect the results of this half-month of bitter cultivation:

Name: Lin Tian

Cultivation: Second Grade Martial Artist (Early Stage)

Martial Arts:

Five Elements Stance (Perfection 1000/1000)

Metal Element Fist (Perfection 1000/1000)

Wood Element Fist (Major Achievement 600/1000)

Wind-Chasing Footwork (Perfection 1000/1000)

Water Element Fist (Major Achievement 9/1000)

Xiuchun Saber Technique (Basic Style) Proficiency 295/300

Compared to a month ago, his strength could be called reborn!

Metal Element Fist was the first to reach Perfection!

The fist force was extremely sharp and condensed, retractable at will, and its power skyrocketed. The Wood Element Fist was steadily advancing toward the Late Stage of Major Achievement.

What surprised him most was the Water Element Fist; after accumulating strength, it finally stepped into the "Major Achievement" Realm!

Thus, the Metal, Wood, and Water Element Fists had all entered the room, laying a solid foundation for him to Cultivate the Three Element Combination Attack.

The Xiuchun Saber Technique was just one step away from the Realm of "Proficiency"! That deeper, almost instinctive sense of control over the seven basic forms was already clearly within reach.

And the greatest gain was the initial successful practice of the "Metal, Wood, and Water Three Element Combination Attack"!

Although it was only a crude circulation and barely overlapping of the three forces, far from the mysterious Realm of "endless generation and cyclical amplification" described in the True Explanation, the power it erupted with far exceeded the previous Metal-Wood combination!

He roughly estimated that if he exerted his full strength, the power of this strike might already be close to 2,500 jin!

With this kind of power, even an ordinary Second Grade Middle Stage Martial Artist, without special protective Cultivation Techniques or powerful Martial Skills, would likely suffer broken bones and tendons if they took it head-on!

"Finally... I have some ability to protect myself," Lin Tian slowly exhaled, his eyes containing a hidden gleam.

Relying on his Perfection-level footwork, Proficiency-level blade technique, the Three Element Combination Attack, and his status as an Imperial Guard, as long as he did not encounter an expert above the Second Grade Late Stage or fall into a desperate siege, he had considerable confidence to deal with most threats.

At the end of the month, it was again the day to receive the qi-blood powder.

Lin Tian changed into dark black light clothing, strapped his long saber to his waist, and stepped into the Jinyiwei Company Office again.

On the training ground, more than half of the ten people who passed the assessment had arrived, and Senior Sister Chen Yu was among them. Everyone was full of spirit, their Aura condensed; clearly, no one had been slack in this past month.

"Everyone is here." Not long after, that instructor surnamed Gao walked over, his gaze like lightning as he swept over the crowd. "I have summoned you here today for two things."

"First, to examine the progress of your blade techniques this month."

Upon hearing this, the crowd was not nervous; on the contrary, most were eager to try. Those who could pass the strict assessment and stay here were all proud geniuses. Having practiced bitterly for another month, who wouldn't want to show their edge in front of their peers, win the favor of their superiors, and strive for more resources?

"Lin Tian, how is your training going?" Senior Sister Chen Yu asked in a low voice, her beautiful eyes filled with concern and a hint of curiosity.

In the past half month, she had sparred with Lin Tian and felt that his blade technique was unfathomable, already surpassing "Minor Achievement," but she couldn't figure out exactly to what extent.

"It's passable, still at 'Minor Achievement,' but not far from 'Proficiency,'" Lin Tian replied in a low voice, not hiding anything.

He was indeed only five practice sessions away from a Breakthrough.

Today's examination came suddenly, and there was no time to complete it on the spot, but with his Realm at the Peak of "Minor Achievement," it was more than enough to handle the assessment.

Senior Sister Chen Yu nodded slightly, but she was secretly shocked in her heart.

She considered her progress to be rapid; under Lin Tian's "pressure," she had reached the Middle Stage of "Minor Achievement," but the other party had actually touched the threshold of "Proficiency"? This gap... did not seem to have narrowed.

The assessment began, and the ten people took turns to go on stage and perform the seven basic forms. Sure enough, those who could stay were all elites; no one remained at "Entry Level," and the worst was at the Early Stage of "Minor Achievement."

The most eye-catching performer among them was a tall, thin youth with a sinister gaze—the other selected Disciple from the Liehuo Martial Arts Hall, Lie Yun.

His blade technique was ruthless and swift, the seven forms linked together, and his Aura was imposing. Clearly, he had reached the Peak of "Minor Achievement," and seemed to be only a hair's breadth away from "Proficiency."

"Not bad!" Instructor Gao watched Lie Yun withdraw his saber and rarely showed a trace of approval, nodding, "Lie Yun, your blade technique has grasped the essence. With a few more months of diligent practice, you should be able to enter the Realm of 'Proficiency.' Very good!"

Upon receiving public praise from the instructor, a flash of complacency crossed Lie Yun's face. He lifted his chin slightly, his gaze carrying provocation and arrogance as he swept over the other colleagues, especially lingering on Lin Tian for a moment with a cold glint in his eyes, before quickly moving away.

This was the Imperial Guard office; no matter how much he hated Lin Tian, he dared not act presumptuously in public.

The gazes of those around looking at Lie Yun could not help but carry a bit of envy.

Being able to receive the instructor's evaluation of "can enter Proficiency in a few months," this speed of progress was already extremely fast.

Lin Tian's expression was calm, turning a blind eye to Lie Yun's provocation.

A few months?

He only needed to go back and practice five more times, which would be a matter for tonight or tomorrow.

The other party's showing off was somewhat ridiculous in his eyes.

The assessment ended, and everyone's performance was above passing; Instructor Gao was quite satisfied.

Just as everyone thought that today's business was over and were preparing to disperse to receive the qi-blood powder, Instructor Gao spoke again, his voice suddenly becoming heavy:

"The second thing. I have summoned you here today not only to examine your blade techniques but also to issue a task."

A task?

The crowd perked up, putting away their thoughts and listening attentively. Having joined the Imperial Guard for over a month, with nothing but cultivation every day, they were finally going to come into contact with a real "Imperial Guard errand"!

Excitement, curiosity, nervousness—various emotions flashed across their young faces.