Training (ii)

Two years had passed, and Xiao Feng had finally completed all of his training. He had perfected the entire set of slashes, despite the master asking him to focus only on the first four. But Xiao Feng's tenacity proved to be greater than expected.

It took him six months to master the eight slashes, and another year and a half to comprehend the thrust. The fine thrust became his main trump card, and he spent every moment he could, honing his skills with the fine thrust sword.

However, there was still something that bothered him. The Heavenly Slaying Slashes and Heavenly Sword Play. He had yet to gain any enlightenment on these techniques, and he knew that the divine manual was the key to unlocking even more power.

The master could see that Xiao Feng was deep in thought, standing there blankly and sweating profusely. He knew it was time for the next step.

"Xiao Feng, I think it's now time," the master said.

Little Xiao Zhu, who had been observing from the side, grinned excitedly at the mention of his father's name.

"What is it, Master?" Xiao Feng asked.

"Infuse your Qi into every slash," the master instructed, with a smile.

Xiao Feng followed the instructions, infusing his Qi into the vertical slash. To his surprise, it brought down a mountain, splitting it in two. In that moment, an idea sparked in his mind.

"What if I combine the Heavenly Slaying Slashes and the Eight Slashes together?" he pondered.

Without hesitation, Xiao Feng decided to give it a try. He took a deep breath and whispered, "Heavenly Slaying Slash - Vertical Slash."

A whirlwind formed, destroying everything within its path. The force of the slash caused rocks to disintegrate. It was so powerful that the master had to hold onto Little Xiao Zhu tightly to protect him.

"Damn! This destruction is beyond reasoning," the master exclaimed once everything had settled.

Xiao Feng was impressed with how well the technique harmonized. "Yeah! This is a strength befitting of the sovereigns," he chuckled.

But before he could perform the horizontal slash, the master immediately stopped him.

"Right now, you're nothing less than a weapon of mass destruction. How did you even do that?" the master asked.

Xiao Feng laughed and walked towards Little Xiao Zhu, rubbing his hair affectionately.

"Master, it has been five years, and I think it's time for me to leave. I need to find my junior sister," Xiao Feng said.

The master let out a sigh, realizing how quickly time had flown. "There is nothing more for you to learn here. You can take your leave, and I will pray for your success."

Sadness filled Little Xiao Zhu as he realized that his only friend was leaving.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Xiao Feng," the master spoke up.

"Yes, Master," Xiao Feng replied.

"I would like to entrust Little Xiao Zhu to your care. He needs a master like yourself to guide him since my knowledge is now limited. Would you be willing to take on this responsibility?"

Xiao Feng's initial response was a simple "No," which pierced Little Xiao Zhu's heart. But then, Xiao Feng looked at him and made a soft grin.

"I know you don't want him to be a burden, right?" he said, sighing in relief. "That won't be a problem. I'll gladly take him under my wing."

Xiao Zhu's spirits lifted, and he ran towards Xiao Feng, jumping into his arms.

Xiao Feng packed all his belongings, putting them into his spatial ring. Little Xiao Zhu stood by his side, ready to embark on their first-ever journey together.

"Goodbye," Little Xiao Zhu bid farewell to his mother and father, promising to visit once he became stronger.

Xiao Feng took out his sword from the spatial ring and wrapped it in silk, applying Qi to it. He then handed it over to Little Xiao Zhu.

Confused, Little Xiao Zhu asked, "Why give it to me to hold when you have a spatial ring?"

Xiao Feng grinned. "How will people know of our master-disciple relationship if both of us are empty-handed?"

Understanding, Little Xiao Zhu nodded. "Oh, that's true, Master."

"But you can call me 'Little Uncle Xiao' instead. 'Junior brother' would probably make your actual junior brother laugh at me," Xiao Feng chuckled.

Surprised, Little Xiao Zhu asked, "You have another junior brother?"

As Little Xiao Zhu attempted to take the sword from Xiao Feng, he realized just how heavy it was.

"This is a mountain, not a sword! You want me to tie this around my neck? That's impossible!" he exclaimed.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Xiao Feng assured him with a smirk.

"Tell me about your younger brother," he groaned, the weight of the sword pressing against his back, causing him to bend. "What grade is this sword?"

"It's above divine grade," he replied.

"Wow! Your master is so cool. You even possess an artifact above divine grade."

Xiao Feng laughed. "That was a gift from my younger brother. His name is Xuan Ping. He's a body cultivator, and words can't even begin to describe how strong he has become."

...

"You claim to be the strongest, yet your strength is nothing compared to this?" Xuan Ping scoffed, effortlessly evading the attacks of a disciple who was giving it his all.

"Aw, Senior Brother Xuan is so cool. Even the way he evades is so impressive," someone commented.

After Xuan Ping and Xiao Feng went their separate ways in search of strength, Xuan Ping found himself in the Endless Sky Sect.

During the five years that Xiao Feng dedicated to honing himself, Xuan Ping joined the Endless Sky Sect as an outer disciple, slowly working his way up to become a core disciple. Despite holding this position, nobody knew his exact strength because he had never been pushed to reveal even ten percent of his abilities. He was known as the mysterious onlooker of the sect, never involving himself in any activities or interfering with anything that went on.

Now, he found himself in a situation where he had to confront a fellow disciple due to a twist of events.

In the Endless Sky Sect, there were only ten core disciples, with Xuan Ping holding the tenth position. All of them were impressive except for the sixth core disciple, a female who was considered the beauty of the Endless Sky Sect.

She used to be silent and focused solely on cultivation, but after Xuan Ping became a core disciple, she changed. She started spending her spare time with him, which angered the third core disciple who had always had a crush on her. As a result, he decided to use his power to overshadow Xuan Ping, but instead, he ended up getting played.

Xuan Ping found himself growing bored as he easily evaded his opponent's attacks.

"He's not even worth the effort," Xuan Ping thought to himself. He decided not to counterattack. Initially, he had intended to defeat all the core disciples, the elders, and even challenge the sect master himself. However, considering his current state, he thought it would be better to hold back, lest he end up annihilating the entire sect.

As the fight continued, he could only think of one thing: "Senior Xiao, come quickly. I crave a good fight."

A beautiful lady hurried over, her face displaying anger.

"Senior Wu, what's the meaning of this?" she demanded as she approached them.

Wu Hao quickly composed himself, not wanting to lose face in front of Chen Xue.

"It's nothing, just a little spar of enlightenment with my junior brother," he explained.

"Brother Xuan, the sect master wants to see you," Chen Xue said.

"Okay, Senior Brother Wu, thanks for today's enlightenment," Xuan Ping replied.

"No problem!" Wu Hao replied.

Chen Xue scoffed and left with Xuan Ping.

They arrived at the sect master's abode where an elderly man, with a streak of white in his beard, sat cross-legged in meditation.

"Good day, sect master," Xuan Ping greeted softly.

"I still can't sense your presence," the sect master sighed.

Xuan Ping stood silently, not saying a word.

"How is your cultivation going?" the sect master asked.

"I'm making progress, but I still have a long way to go before breaking through to the supreme realm. I can say that I'm proficient in my techniques now," Xuan Ping replied.

"Hmm, that's good to hear. But remember not to rush yourself or become discouraged. Stay focused on the journey, not just the destination," the sect master advised.

"I understand, but sometimes I get frustrated by my limitations," Xuan Ping admitted, gritting his teeth.

"Limitations can be overcome with practice and perseverance. You have the potential to achieve great things. Please keep that in mind," the sect master encouraged.

"Thank you for your advice," Xuan Ping replied.

"It has been two years. Are you still sure that your senior brother will come for you? When you first arrived at the sect, I could tell you were strong, but now, you have become unfathomable. I hope you don't forget your promise," the sect master said, staring at Xuan Ping.

"Yes, I will uphold my side of the deal. Xiao Feng, my senior brother, will come for me," Xuan Ping assured him.