I Can Replicate Martial Arts

Much like Sword Intent, it was difficult to cultivate to Great Success without exceptional talent.

Why did Thunderbolt Swordsmanship have to be used in conjunction with the Five Thunders Celestial Heart Technique?

It was to use Daoist Techniques to support the cultivation of the Thunderbolt Swordsmanship.

Although Zhao Rui didn’t know the Five Thunders Celestial Heart Technique, that didn’t stop him, because he had a much faster method.

"Five Thunders Celestial Heart Technique copy complete! Reward: one Advancement Point."

"Thunderbolt Sword Technique copy complete. Reward: one Advancement Point."

As the notification sounded, Zhao Rui raised his longsword and, with a light flick, batted Zhang Zheng’s sword aside.

"Alright, that’s enough! Zhang Zheng, I’m a man of my word. I’ll buy you that game disc later!"

"If you don’t, I’ll cast a spell and curse you!"

"Damn it!"

Zhang Zheng and the others weren’t purely disciples of the Qingcheng "Sword" Sect. To be precise, they were disciples of the Qingcheng Daoist Sect.

Their main focus was on cultivating the Dao, with martial arts as a secondary pursuit.

On a typical day, they would study things like Alchemy and Blessing Skills, perform some divination, tell a few fortunes, cultivate to become immortals, and follow the Dao.

All the fighting and killing was always a secondary concern.

Of course, this didn’t stop the most exceptional disciples from cultivating both the Dao and the Martial Dao simultaneously.

Zhao Rui hadn’t known this at first. It was only after studying for a while that he understood why they had sent him here for "secluded cultivation."

’So they really did send me here to become a Daoist.’

He dabbled in everything, from Rituals of Fasting and Sacrifice to talismanic secret methods.

There was no harm in learning these things. After all, the "Martial Dao" had "Dao" right in the name.

’All roads lead to Rome, after all.’

And Zhao Rui was enjoying himself immensely.

In the days that followed, Zhao Rui entered a "challenge" mode, taking on everyone he could find.

He didn’t just spar with them in Martial Arts; he even tried to copy some of their Daoist Techniques.

The ones related to the Martial Dao worked, but others were completely useless.

Zhao Rui came to a conclusion: ’The useless ones are probably fakes. They don’t involve Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and are just for show, which is why I can’t copy them.’

Still, he managed to copy quite a few Martial Arts. Some were the Basic Martial Arts of the Qingcheng sect, while others were the Mountain Martial Arts that Zhang Zheng and the others had studied since childhood.

While he was engrossed in his cultivation of the Dao, Dongqi University was welcoming its new freshman team members.

"Wow, that upperclassman is so cool!"

The new "heroines" on the team clapped, their faces full of admiration as they watched Wang Dalong demonstrate the Bodhisattva Palm Technique on the platform.

"I heard he made it into the top fifty in the whole country during his freshman year. He’s incredible."

"Yeah, and Luo Min is even more incredible! First in the province and top ten in the nation! It’s a shame she’s in seclusion, so we couldn’t meet her."

Hearing the freshman girls’ words of praise, Cai Zhengyang looked slightly annoyed.

’So what if he made the top fifty? What’s so amazing about that!’

"Wang Dalong is nothing! Our captain is the truly amazing one!"

’If I can’t compare to him, then I’ll just bring up someone we *both* can’t compare to.’

’That way, we’re all on the same level.’

"The captain? You mean Captain Zhao?"

The freshman’s eyes instantly lit up. "Oh, yeah! We haven’t met Captain Zhao yet! I heard he’s super handsome and can even play the... flute!"

"It’s a *different* kind of flute!"

"Same difference! Where’s the captain, anyway?"

Seeing that he’d successfully diverted the freshmen’s attention from Wang Dalong, Cai Zhengyang gave a triumphant smile. "Our captain has gone away for secluded cultivation. I heard he’s at the Qingcheng Sword Sect!"

"Wow, a Sword Sect! Is it the kind where they can fly on their swords? Our captain is so cool!"

"Stop fangirling. No one can actually fly on swords. Don’t be so naive."

"Who’s being naive? What’s wrong with complimenting the captain? You have a problem with him?"

"You’re the one with a problem! I bet you’re just a toad lusting after a swan..."

"I’ll shut that mouth of yours!"

"Bring it on!"

In an instant, a chaotic brawl erupted.

Cai Zhengyang stared, his jaw slack, as his junior female classmates traded blows, tearing at each other’s clothes until they were disheveled and revealing glimpses of skin, their faces already bruised and swollen.

’Where were the cute, sweet girls I was promised!’

’Are you sure you’re not a bunch of tigresses in human form!’

’There goes my love life!’

Far away on Qingcheng Mountain, Zhao Rui had no idea that the mere mention of his name had caused a massive brawl among his female underclassmen.

If he had been there, he definitely would have pulled up a chair and bought a bag of sunflower seeds.

To enjoy the show properly.

...

It was a clear, beautiful day with a gentle breeze.

A figure leaped gracefully onto a path on Qingcheng Mountain.

The newcomer wore a flowing, period-style gown of black gauze. Her eyebrows were as dark as ink, a thin veil covered her face, and her figure was remarkably graceful.

She was clearly an enchanting woman.

The woman’s exposed eyes were beautiful, but they held a faintly severe glint.

She walked up the mountain with slow, deliberate steps, yet her speed was incredible. In the blink of an eye, she was dozens of yards away.

"Hm?"

Just then, a soft sound of surprise came from beneath a large pine tree on the path.

A smile touched the lips of the woman in black. She turned toward the sound, and in a flash, appeared before the person who had made it.

The person who’d spoken was also a woman, dressed in a white tracksuit. She was quite pretty, with a hint of playfulness in her eyes that didn’t quite match her otherwise refined features.

"Who are you?"

The woman stared at the figure in black, her hand gripping her longsword tightly, her face a mask of vigilance.

"Well now, a promising sapling!"

The lips of the woman in black curled upward. She gave a faint laugh, then her figure suddenly moved as she reached out to grab the other woman.

The woman in white was startled. She retreated explosively, angling her longsword to slice at her opponent’s arm.

The woman in black moved without haste, her hand continuing on its path as if she paid no mind to the other’s Treasure Sword.

The woman in white was overjoyed. She channeled her Force, and her longsword shot forward. But before she could rejoice, her blade passed straight through the other woman’s arm.

"An afterimage!"

Startled, the woman in white thrust her right palm forward. With a BOOM, her own strike sent her flying backward.

"You actually saw through my Chaotic Flower Palm Technique. Not bad, not bad at all!"

The woman in black’s figure blurred as she gave chase.

The two of them instantly clashed again.

The sounds of BANG! BANG! BANG! echoed from the woods. Rows of trees were severed by Sword Qi, crashing to the ground as their branches and leaves tangled with a great RIPPING sound.

"Fine Swordsmanship!"

The woman in black raised her hand and beckoned toward the fallen branches on the ground. A branch as thick as her thumb instantly flew into her hand.

"Let’s see what you think of my Swordsmanship!"

With that, the woman in black wielded the branch as if it were a longsword, launching a furious assault on the woman in white.

Countless sword-shadows filled the air like swirling snow, a mixture of the real and the illusory that was impossible to tell apart.

The woman in white was horrified. She spun her longsword in a series of defensive arcs to protect her vital acupoints while rapidly retreating.

"Got you!"

The woman in black, unhurried, thrust the branch forward. It pierced through the layers of sword-shadows and tapped the woman in white squarely on the chest.

The woman in white coughed up a mouthful of blood. Disregarding her injury, she shouted a Spell: "By the glorious might of heaven and the grip of thunder, go!"

Instantly, a bolt of lightning shot from her palm, tearing through the air and exploding in front of the woman in black.

"As expected of a disciple of that old scoundrel from Qing City!"

The woman in black dodged aside, only to see that the woman in white had already used the opportunity to flee at top speed.

She wasn’t worried. With a soft chuckle, she set off in pursuit.

At the main gate of Qingcheng Mountain, two disciples on patrol suddenly saw a woman in white running quickly up the steps.

"It’s you? What happened?"

The two were startled to see her and rushed forward to meet her.

"There’s a powerful enemy at the foot of the mountain! They’re hostile! Quick, go find Yun Hao."

Hearing this, the two were alarmed. One of them quickly rang the warning bell by the gate, while the other dashed into the Daoist Temple and ran toward the inner courtyard.

The woman clutched her chest and leaned against the gate, pressing several of her own acupoints to mitigate her injuries.

Inside the Daoist Temple, everyone heard the warning bell and looked toward the entrance. In a few moments, more than twenty Qingcheng Disciples, all armed with longswords, poured out of the main gate.

"The attacker is incredibly powerful! All of you, be careful!"

the woman said, her voice faint and weak.

Just then, a figure leaped out from inside the temple, landing directly in front of the woman in white.

"Qinglian, are you alright?"

The newcomer had bright eyes, pearly teeth, sharp brows, and a piercing gaze. It was the devastatingly handsome Uncle Master, Yun Hao.

"I’m alright. The attacker’s Martial Arts are bizarre and extremely powerful. She attacked me without any provocation!"

Hearing her words, a cold glint flashed in Yun Hao’s eyes.

He was about to ask for more details when his ear twitched. With a flick of his longsword, a blast of Sword Qi shot out, striking a large rock not far away.

"Such sharp intuition! Qing City is truly extraordinary, as expected."

The voice drifted ethereally from the mountain path, sounding first from the left, then the right, making it impossible to locate.

"Who are you? What business do you have on our Qingcheng Mountain?"

Yun Hao rose to his full height, his hand forming a sword-seal as he stared intently at a specific spot.

"That is a question you should ask that old scoundrel from your Qing City. Why did he come to my Great Hall for no reason at all?"