175: Chapter 175 Snatching a disciple right in front of you? A mutual appreciation between geniuses, resulting in a gift of a fourth-grade flying sword!

[Lu Bingyun gripped his sword.]

[His breathing slowed.]

[White frost condensed on the surface of the bluestone slabs.]

[Spiritual energy surged from his Dantian, flowing down the main Meridians of his arm.]

[Reaching his elbow, he forced the spiritual energy to split.]

[It was his first attempt, and his control was rough.]

[The ratio of the two streams of spiritual energy was uneven, split sixty-forty.]

[As they merged at his wrist, the ice crystals on the sword's tip shattered.]

[Broken ice splattered all over the ground.]

[A failure.]

[Lu Bingyun opened his eyes.]

[Sweat beaded on his forehead.]

["The ratio is wrong," Ji Wuya spoke up. "Fifty-fifty. Ice-type Cultivators excel most in precision. Again."]

[Lu Bingyun adjusted his breathing.]

[He thrust his sword again.]

[The split ratio was close to fifty-fifty.]

[The spiritual energy bypassed his wrist and merged, condensing into an icy blade at the tip of the sword.]

[The icy blade extended forward by three feet.]

[Its edges were neat, without any cracking.]

["That's it." Ji Wuya lowered his arms.]

["Remember this feeling. Go back and practice it three hundred times to let your Meridians form muscle memory."]

[Lu Bingyun nodded heavily.]

[His fingers tightened around his sword.]

[You sat on a stone stool, watching from the side.]

[The two of them communicated extremely fast.]

[One pointed out the crux of the problem, and the other corrected it immediately.]

[Over the course of the morning, Ji Wuya broke down the three blind spots in Lu Bingyun's sword strikes one by one.]

[The congestion in his wrist Meridians, resolved.]

[For the attenuation of ice-type spiritual energy as it conducted through the sword body, Ji Wuya had him change the angle of spiritual energy injection.]

[Changing from a direct pour to a spiral injection.]

[The range of his Sword Qi doubled.]

[For the hidden danger of cold energy backflowing and clashing with his Dantian when sheathing his sword, Ji Wuya taught him a set of breathing and breath-regulation techniques.]

[Coordinating with the sheathing action, the backflowing cold energy was guided into the auxiliary Meridians to circulate and dissipate.]

[These three problems were all unique cultivation bottlenecks for an Ice-type Heavenly Spiritual Root.]

[You watched for the entire morning.]

[When it was appropriate, you would offer a word or two of guidance on the paths of operating Sword Intent.]

[The rest of the time, you just watched.]

[As noon approached,]

[you patted the dust off your knees and stood up.]

[You sent out a communication talisman.]

[ordering the Fire Cloud Hall Disciples to send food and spiritual wine to the back mountain.]

[The two were still on the training field.]

[Ji Wuya was explaining the compression techniques for ice-type Sword Qi.]

[Lu Bingyun gestured along as he listened.]

[His fingers traced the path of the spiritual energy in the air.]

[You did not speak to interrupt them.]

[At a quarter past noon, on the back mountain's training field.]

[The Fire Cloud Hall Disciples brought over a stone table.]

[Four dishes, one soup, and a pot of spiritual wine.]

[The wine was from Hall Master Chi Yang's private cellar, which you had specifically sent someone to fetch.]

[The three of them sat around the stone table.]

[Ji Wuya picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup.]

[He sniffed it.]

["The wine of the Eastern Region is surprisingly decent."]

["It's brewed by Hall Master Chi Yang himself. If you think it's bad, don't drink it."]

[Ji Wuya did not respond.]

[He threw back his head and downed the cup.]

[Setting down the cup, his gaze shifted to Lu Bingyun sitting across from him.]

[Only food was placed in front of Lu Bingyun, with no wine cup.]

[At seventeen, he was not yet of drinking age.]

[He was eating quietly.]

[His movements with the chopsticks were clean and neat.]

["Shen Ji," Ji Wuya refilled his second cup.]

["Speak."]

["This Disciple of yours has a skeletal structure so pure, I've only seen it in one person in the last twenty years."]

["Who?"]

["Myself."]

[Lu Bingyun's chopsticks paused mid-air.]

[Ji Wuya looked at him.]

[He traced his finger around the rim of his cup.]

["Let me have him."]

[You picked up a piece of meat with your chopsticks and put it in your mouth.]

[You chewed it twice and swallowed.]

["No."]

["I'm more suited to teach him than you. You walk the Fire-type sword path; teaching an ice-type Disciple is a degree removed. I am an Ice-type Heavenly Spiritual Root, so a personal transmission from me is more appropriate."]

["That makes sense," you set down your chopsticks. "But he is already my closed-door Disciple. When it comes to taking Disciples, it's first come, first served."]

[Ji Wuya stared at you for two breaths.]

[He raised his wine cup.]

["Fair enough."]

[He took a sip and did not mention the matter again.]

[Setting down the cup, he looked at Lu Bingyun.]

["Your sword."]

[Lu Bingyun stopped his chopsticks.]

["That ice-blue sword is a ready-made one bought from outside. Its grade is not high, just a Third-Grade Medium Grade. It is barely enough for your current Foundation Establishment cultivation, but it won't suffice later on."]

[Lu Bingyun set down his chopsticks.]

["This Disciple does not have a better sword at the moment."]

[Ji Wuya lowered his head.]

[He untied the ice-blue longsword from his waist.]

[It was not his usual one.]

[You had noticed earlier that he was carrying two swords today.]

[His usual one hung on his left, while a slightly shorter one hung on his right.]

[He placed the sheathed sword from his right side onto the stone table.]

[He pushed it in front of Lu Bingyun.]

["A Fourth-Grade Flying Sword. cold abyss."]

["It was my personal sword during my Foundation Establishment Stage. After breaking through to the Golden Core stage, I switched to the Fifth-Grade Flying Sword I use now, and this one was kept in my storage ring."]

["A sword forged by an Ice-type Heavenly Spiritual Root. It is only smooth to use for an Ice Spiritual Root. It's yours."]

[Lu Bingyun looked at the sword on the table.]

[The scabbard was completely dark blue.]

[An ice-blue Spirit Stone the size of a thumb was embedded in the mouth of the scabbard.]

[Fine, subtle ice patterns were engraved on the surface of the scabbard.]

[Cold energy overflowed from the mouth of the scabbard.]

[A layer of water mist condensed on the surface of the stone table.]

[A Fourth-Grade Flying Sword could double the combat power of a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator in the Eastern Region.]

[Lu Bingyun did not reach for it.]

[He turned his head to look at you.]

[You glanced at the sword on the table, then at Ji Wuya.]

["Take it," you said.]

["Since he's willing to give it, just accept it."]

[Lu Bingyun stood up.]

[He received the cold abyss sword with both hands.]

[It felt extremely heavy in his hands.]

[Cold energy seeped through the scabbard into his palms.]

[His ice-type spiritual energy surged outward, and a faint blue glow emerged from his palms.]

[Ji Wuya raised his wine cup and drank it dry.]

[Lu Bingyun bowed while holding the sword.]

[The angle of his bow was extremely standard.]

["Thank you, Senior Ji."]

["Don't call me Senior. Call me Senior Brother," Ji Wuya set down his wine cup. "Your Master and I associate as peers, so calling me Senior Brother is not a loss for you."]

[Lu Bingyun glanced at you.]

[You nodded.]

["Senior Brother Ji," the youth changed his form of address.]

[His voice was low, and his pronunciation was clear.]

[Ji Wuya threw back his head and poured another cup.]

[In the afternoon, on the back mountain's training field.]

[Lu Bingyun switched to the cold abyss sword.]

[He drew the sword from its scabbard.]

[The sword body resonated with his ice-type spiritual energy.]

[The temperature of the training field plummeted.]

[The frost layer on the bluestone slabs thickened by an inch.]

[Standing in the center of the field, Ji Wuya broke down three stances of ice-type sword techniques.]

[The angle of the strike, the rhythm of spiritual energy infusion, and the direction of the cold energy when sheathing the sword.]

[Every detail was demonstrated repeatedly.]

[Lu Bingyun practiced along.]

[The cold abyss sword became smoother and smoother in his hands.]

[He practiced the first stance ten times.]

[The range of his icy blade increased from three feet to seven feet.]

[By the sixth practice of the second stance,]

[the compression of his Sword Qi increased by thirty percent.]

[You stood at the edge of the field.]

[Once Ji Wuya finished explaining the three stances of ice-type sword techniques, you stepped forward.]

["It's my turn."]

[You drew the Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword.]

[Black and white sword glows emerged.]

["Bingyun. Since Senior Brother Ji is guiding you on your ice-type paths, I will teach you something else."]

["Sword Intent Conversion."]

[You raised your hand and struck with your sword.]

[The Supreme Sword Bone resonated.]

[The black and white Sword Intent collided and compressed at the tip of the sword.]

["See clearly. Where is the conflict point when two types of Sword Intent run parallel, and how to find a balance within that conflict."]

["You are a pure ice-type with no second attribute. But when facing enemies in the future, it's impossible to only encounter ice-types."]

["Only by understanding conflict can you dismantle your opponent's moves."]

[You executed three consecutive sword strikes.]

[Each strike had a different ratio of black and white.]

[Holding the cold abyss sword, Lu Bingyun stared at the trajectory of your strikes.]

[The interlaced black and white light trails were reflected in his pupils.]

[He raised his sword to simulate it.]

[Using pure ice-type spiritual energy to replicate the conflicting structure within your Sword Intent.]

[On the first attempt, his Sword Qi was scattered.]

[On the third attempt, it barely took shape.]

[On the fifth attempt, the ice-type Sword Qi split into two streams at the tip of the sword.]

[After crossing and colliding, they shot out fiercely.]

[Though it was not dual-attributed, the structure was already thirty percent similar.]

[Ji Wuya stood to the side.]

[He watched Lu Bingyun's fifth sword strike.]

[His fingers paused on the hilt of his sword.]

[The twilight descended.]

[Forty-eight years old. March 11th. Chen hour. The mountain gate of the Tianxuan Sect.]

[Ji Wuya carried his sword casket on his back.]

[He stood on the bluestone road outside the mountain gate.]

[The hand-over of the Medicinal Pills had been completed.]

[Thirty Fifth-Grade Foundation Establishment Auxiliary Pills, along with Daoist Xuantian's personal letter, had been entered into the storehouse last night.]

[You stood on the inner side of the mountain gate.]

[Lu Bingyun was half a step behind you.]

[Ji Wuya looked at you, then at the youth behind you.]

["Shen Ji. Teach him well."]

["No need for you to worry."]

["An ice Spiritual Root Genius is rare. If you ruin him, I won't let you off."]

["Scram."]

[Ji Wuya snorted coldly and turned to Lu Bingyun.]

[He took down a jade token from his waist.]

[It was the size of a thumb and milky white all over.]

[A longsword was engraved on the front.]

[The word "Wuya" was engraved on the back.]

["Take it," he tossed the jade token over.]

[Lu Bingyun caught it with one hand.]

["When you go to the Central Continent for experience in the future, bring this token to the Xuantian Holy Sect to find me."]

["Give my name, and the mountain gate will let you through."]

[Lu Bingyun gripped the jade token tightly.]

[He bowed in salute.]

["Thank you, Senior Brother Ji."]

[Ji Wuya nodded.]

[He turned around.]

[His white robes billowed in the mountain wind.]

[He took ten steps forward.]

[He paused for a moment.]

[He did not look back again.]