136 Chapter 136: Swallow's Return

Feeling the presence behind him, Zeng Yi didn't need to look to know who it was.

Besides Zhu Zhuqing, who else could it be?

He turned around and saw Zhu Zhuqing still dressed in her tight black attire, her straight black hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Oh, by the way, where's Xiao Ju?" Zeng Yi saw that Zhu Zhuqing came alone, feeling a bit confused. He remembered leaving Xiao Ju to her care.

"She was taken by Rongrong to play," Zhu Zhuqing said apologetically.

Zeng Yi felt somewhat helpless. These female classmates all liked to play with Xiao Ju, and Xiao Ju didn't resist; she liked them too. At this rate, Xiao Ju wouldn't be his pet alone but everyone's pet.

Forget it, Xiao Ju will come back on her own when she gets tired of playing.

Since that was the case, Zeng Yi didn't bother with Xiao Ju and continued to focus his gaze on Zhu Zhuqing.

"How's your progress in practicing the soul power techniques I taught you?" Zeng Yi asked.

"The ones you taught me before?" Zhu Zhuqing thought for a moment and said, "You mean the Tree Walking and Water Walking exercises? I have mastered both."

Zhu Zhuqing had practiced those two soul power techniques for a long time. The Tree Walking practice was relatively easy for her to learn. However, the Water Walking practice was more challenging due to her cat martial soul, which naturally had an aversion to water. But she managed to overcome it through hard work, spending almost a month to achieve the same ability as Zeng Yi, effortlessly walking on the water surface.

After learning these techniques, Zhu Zhuqing realized that her control over soul power had improved significantly, and her own strength had greatly increased. That was why she had asked Zeng Yi to teach her in the first place.

She believed that Zeng Yi could teach her better than any other instructor.

"Oh? Not bad," Zeng Yi said, somewhat surprised.

Zeng Yi didn't doubt what Zhu Zhuqing had said. With her character, she had always been straightforward. If she said she could do something, she could, and if she couldn't, she would admit it. She was unlikely to lie or deceive him, especially regarding something as important to her as cultivating her skills.

"So, what kind of training do you want to teach me?" Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but ask.

Zeng Yi furrowed his brows in response to this question. After thinking for a moment, he said, "With your current strength, I feel that in our battles, your methods are too limited. You rely too much on your two soul skills, making it difficult to achieve significant improvement."

"What should I do then?" Zhu Zhuqing asked hastily.

Zeng Yi paused for a moment and then spoke, "How should I put it? Your martial soul is a Hell Civet, known for its speed, but lacking in attack power."

"I believe you need to make up for your weakness in terms of attack power."

"How can I do that?"

"Do you really want to become stronger?" Zeng Yi suddenly stared at Zhu Zhuqing with a serious expression and asked.

"Of course!" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes sparkled with determination as she answered confidently.

"Very well, then you should learn swordsmanship from me."

"Swordsmanship?" Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback.

"Of course. Since you want to become stronger and I am just a swordsman specializing in swordsmanship, you can learn from me. What else do you want to learn if not swordsmanship?" Zeng Yi said matter-of-factly.

"But my martial soul is not a sword, it's a beast martial soul!" Zhu Zhuqing said.

"What's wrong with a beast martial soul? Although most beast martial soul masters rely on their bodies for close combat, there are no rules saying that they cannot use weapons! Aren't your hands empty? You can just hold a long weapon and fight against enemies who fight barehanded. Isn't that a way to take advantage of them?" Zeng Yi said, giving Zhu Zhuqing a disdainful look.

"Moreover, you excel in speed, and using a sword can compensate for your deficiency in attack power. I believe you are very suitable for learning the Quick Sword Style. Just think about the sword moves I used when I fought with you all the other day. If you learn swordsmanship, you will be able to do the same."

Hearing Zeng Yi's words, Zhu Zhuqing recalled the extremely fast swordplay that Zeng Yi used to defeat their team. She couldn't help feeling fear, but when she thought about being able to use such moves in the future, her mood became excited and enthusiastic.

"Can I really learn swordsmanship now?" Zhu Zhuqing was both excited and doubtful. She wondered if it was really okay for her to start learning swordsmanship at her age.

"Of course you can. You're only twelve years old, so learning swordsmanship shouldn't be a problem," Zeng Yi said confidently.

"But is it really okay for you to teach me swordsmanship? What about your master?" Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but think of Zeng Yi's master, Sword Douluo. She knew that revealing techniques to outsiders was a major taboo among martial sects.

"Him? What does that old man have to do with this? These swordsmanship techniques are my own practice, and they have nothing to do with that old man," Zeng Yi said, guessing Zhu Zhuqing's thoughts and not caring at all.

In the current Douluo Continent, the art of the sword was not prominent. Most soul masters focused on cultivating their own martial souls. Even soul masters with sword martial souls, how many of them truly understood the way of the sword? They relied on several soul skills in battles, making their swordsmanship look nonsensical.

If someone genuinely sought Zeng Yi's guidance in swordsmanship, he wouldn't mind teaching them. So teaching Zhu Zhuqing swordsmanship was no problem, but could she focus and learn?

"What do you think, Little Zhu? Do you want to learn swordsmanship from me?" Zeng Yi asked with a smile.

"I want to!" Zhu Zhuqing thought for a moment and then said firmly.

"Not bad, you have good judgment." Zeng Yi nodded approvingly when Zhu Zhuqing agreed.

"You should know that swordsmanship is a profound study. It's a way to cultivate one's character through practice. Therefore, it's crucial to have a lifelong awareness of self-cultivation and approach it with a serious attitude."

"I will persevere," Zhu Zhuqing assured firmly.

Zeng Yi smiled without saying anything more. He reached out his right hand, gathering soul power in his palm. He aimed the palm at the ground and released the soul power, instantly drawing a pile of fallen leaves on the ground towards him. Then, he picked up the leaves using his two fingers.

Zhu Zhuqing observed Zeng Yi's actions with a puzzled expression.

"Let me show you a sword technique. Pay attention." Zeng Yi smiled faintly, flicking the leaves into the air. The leaves floated aimlessly in the air, moving up and down without any pattern.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze was fixed on the floating leaves.

In the next moment, Zeng Yi swiftly unsheathed the Ronin Sword with his right hand.

[Swallow's Return!]

Instantly, a flash of sword light disappeared from the night sky.

Under Zhu Zhuqing's shocked gaze, the falling leaves were split into four parts and gently fell onto the roof.

Zeng Yi's sword speed was incredibly fast, and Zhu Zhuqing could only vaguely see his sword's trajectory. But even so, she could only see one slash, while it seemed that Zeng Yi had actually executed three slashes, as evident from the divided leaves.

So fast!

Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing didn't feel any fluctuations of soul power emanating from Zeng Yi's body, indicating that this was purely swordsmanship.

The technique of this sword surpassed the power of soul skills.

Is swordsmanship really this powerful?

Zhu Zhuqing's slender neck couldn't help but tremble, her heart full of astonishment.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's shocked expression, Zeng Yi was satisfied and sheathed the Ronin Sword.

"This sword move is called Swallow's Return. It is named after the swallows that change their flying trajectory in the air. It slashes out three swords almost simultaneously, each with a different path, making it difficult for opponents to defend against," Zeng Yi explained casually.

Swallow's Return was a sword technique that Zeng Yi learned while watching anime in his previous life. Naturally, he remembered the principles behind it. Although no one taught him, with his current level of swordsmanship, he could easily execute this technique.

"If you learn Swallow's Return, I believe among your peers, there won't be many who can match you. When that time comes, you will be able to graduate," Zeng Yi said.

"But for now, you need to start with the basics of swordsmanship."

Zeng Yi took out a long knife from the spatial bracelet and threw it toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Seeing the long knife flying towards her, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly caught it and hugged it to her chest. She carefully examined the knife, which was similar to Zeng Yi's martial soul, the Ronin Sword. The knife was about one meter long in total, with a blade and hilt length of about one meter. The blade was inserted into the scabbard, which was a dark blue-black color. The blade and scabbard together weighed about twenty kilograms. Even though it was sheathed, she could still sense the sharpness of the blade.

"This knife is called Clear Shadow. It comes from my master's collection. It is a masterpiece of a renowned swordsmith, so it can be considered a famous blade. I have no use for it anyway, so I'm giving it to you." Zeng Yi said indifferently.

Although Sword Douluo was no longer around, Zeng Yi had sifted through his collection of famous swords. In the current Douluo Continent, most soul masters focused on cultivating their own martial souls, which meant they didn't place much importance on artificial weapons like swords. Many master swordsmiths' works were thus left unappreciated. Only Zeng Yi's indulgent master, Sword Douluo, liked to collect these famous swords.

Therefore, Sword Douluo's collection contained many of these famous swords, and Zeng Yi didn't mind giving away a few. Moreover, in this Douluo Continent, most martial soul masters primarily focused on cultivating their own martial souls. Many swords or knives forged by people didn't receive much attention.

Soul masters thought that their own martial souls were better to use than external weapons. Therefore, many master swordsmiths' works were only for their own pleasure. Only Sword Douluo had an interest in collecting these famous swords and knives.

So, for Zeng Yi, there was no harm in giving away a few of these treasured swords or knives from Sword Douluo's collection.

"Clear Shadow, huh?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at the Clear Shadow in her hand as she gently touched the scabbard. She felt the chillness and the sharpness coming from it, whispering softly.

"From today onwards, we are partners, Clear Shadow."