noveltune Chapter 38 Sword Control
Chapter 38 Sword Control
More than half a month has passed since that day when I began my magical training in the back mountain.
Lu Ming diligently practiced every day and had become quite proficient in several basic spells. Although their power was still shallow, he could cast them without any hindrance, and his control over spiritual power had become much more refined.
His spiritual power grew increasingly abundant, and the first level of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique became completely stable.
That day, just as Lu Ming finished his morning lessons, his senior brother Chu Tianyi visited again, carrying a long, narrow wooden box.
"Junior Brother Lu, you have mastered the basic techniques. In the future, you only need to practice diligently, and you will become proficient through practice."
Today, I will impart to you another crucial technique on your path of cultivation—the art of object manipulation.
Chu Tian handed over the wooden box, saying, "This is the Wind Spirit Sword, the standard equipment for inner disciples. Although it is not a powerful magic weapon, it is made of tough material and is engraved with basic wind-riding runes, making it perfect for beginners to learn sword control."
Lu Ming took the wooden box; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.
Upon opening it, a longsword, about three feet long, with a sheath that gleamed with a faint blue light, lay quietly inside.
This sword has a simple and elegant design with smooth lines. Although it lacks dazzling brilliance, it possesses a restrained sharpness.
He was thrilled; this was the flying sword that countless people dreamed of!
"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Lu Ming stroked the cool scabbard with great affection.
"The core of the art of controlling objects lies in 'using spirit to control qi, and using qi to control objects'."
Chu Tianyi said seriously, "You need to pour your own spiritual power into the magic weapon to establish a connection with it, and then guide it with your divine sense so that you can control it as easily as you would your own arm."
He explained in detail the methods of sword control, including how to evenly infuse spiritual energy into the runes on the sword, and how to use divine sense to lock onto direction and control speed and altitude.
And most importantly, how to maintain a balance between spiritual energy output and divine consciousness control.
"That's the theory, the key is practice. Let's go to the open space behind the mountain."
Chu Tian acted swiftly and decisively, leading Lu Ming directly to that familiar training ground.
Lu Ming took a deep breath and, following the incantation, slowly channeled his spiritual power into the Wind Spirit Sword.
The sword trembled slightly, and the runes on it lit up one by one, giving off a light feeling.
He tried to communicate with his divine sense, and the Wind Spirit Sword let out a soft hum, swaying and floating up about a foot off the ground.
"Very good, initial sensing successful. Now, try stepping on it and controlling it to fly forward. Remember, focus your mind and body, and don't rush or be impatient," Chu Tianyi instructed from the side.
Lu Ming carefully lifted his foot and stepped onto the sword.
The Wind Spirit Sword suddenly sank downwards, its shaking intensifying, startling Lu Ming so much that he almost fell. He quickly increased his spiritual power output to barely stabilize himself.
"Concentrate! Keep your spiritual energy output steady, and your divine sense should be like holding a rein—neither too loose nor too tight!" Chu Tianyi's voice came.
Lu Ming steadied himself and tried again.
He steered his flying sword, like a toddler learning to walk, wobbling and staggering forward.
It moved as slowly as an ox pulling a cart, and its trajectory was unpredictable, sometimes suddenly leaping high, which frightened him so much that he kept his body tightly lowered.
Sometimes it would suddenly drop, startling him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat.
More often than not, he was drawing irregular circles in the air, and once he almost crashed into a tree next to him. Fortunately, Chu Tianyi pulled him back in time with a gentle spiritual force.
His appearance was truly comical and ridiculous, completely lacking the elegant and graceful demeanor one might imagine an immortal to be.
"Hahaha! Junior brother, your 'Drunken Sword' technique is quite unique!" A hearty laugh rang out.
Lu Ming turned his head and saw that his senior brother Zhao Ling had arrived at some point, standing with his arms crossed, watching with great interest and laughing so hard he was doubled over.
This senior brother has a handsome face, bright eyes, and a somewhat unrestrained and free-spirited temperament.
Zhao Ling was originally the junior brother of Tianyan Peak. After Lu Ming arrived, Lu Ming became the junior brother, and Zhao Ling became the senior brother. Therefore, he often came to visit Lu Ming.
Lu Ming blushed, his mind wandered, and the flying sword beneath his feet went out of control, carrying him around in the air like a headless fly for a few seconds before finally plunging into a small pond next to him with a "plop," splashing a large spray of water.
"Pfft—" Zhao Ling laughed even harder.
Chu Tianyi couldn't help but chuckle. With a flick of his sleeve, he used a force to pull the drenched Lu Ming out of the pool. "It's alright, beginners are all like this."
Back when your senior brother Zhao Ling was learning swordsmanship, he even hung himself on a treetop to dry for half an hour.
"Senior brother, you can't do that! You shouldn't insult someone by bringing up their weaknesses," Zhao Ling said awkwardly.
Lu Ming wiped the water off his face and looked at his senior brother, who was laughing loudly. His embarrassment turned into a helpless smile.
The path of cultivation is indeed not smooth sailing; it is full of "surprises".
However, Lu Ming was resilient and did not lose heart.
He learned from his failures and continued practicing. He fell countless times and bumped into things countless times (fortunately, the open space behind the mountain was spacious, and Chu Tianyi was there to protect him).
From midday until sunset, he was finally able to barely control the Wind Spirit Sword and maintain a relatively stable flight in the air. Although the speed was still not fast and the turns were a bit stiff, at least he wouldn't fall down easily anymore.
"That's enough for today. Go back and nurture your flying sword to strengthen your connection."
"Once you've mastered it, your speed and agility will naturally improve." Chu Tianyi nodded in satisfaction and left first.
"The senior brother teaches a steady and methodical approach, but it's not very interesting to just leisurely wander around your own mountain when flying on a sword."
The real joy lies in soaring through the skies and taking in the breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks!
Zhao Ling winked and lowered her voice, "How about it, Junior Brother Lu? Want to come with me to another peak and broaden your horizons? I guarantee it'll be exciting!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's heart stirred.
He had just tasted the thrill of flight, and although he was only a few feet off the ground, the feeling of freedom had already made him itchy to fly, let alone fly to those other magical peaks that he had only ever seen from afar.
The curiosity in a young boy's heart was instantly ignited.
"This... our senior brother just left, wouldn't it be against the rules if we flew to another peak on our own?"
Lu Ming hesitated for a moment, but the longing in his eyes betrayed him.
"Hey! Rules are rules, but people are flexible!" Zhao Ling waved her hand dismissively.
"We're not going to cause trouble, we're just flying over to see the scenery, what could possibly happen? Besides, with your senior brother here to protect you, what's there to be afraid of! Come on, come on, this is a rare opportunity!"
Without waiting for Lu Ming to hesitate any longer, he grabbed Lu Ming's arm, and a flash of blue light appeared beneath his feet, and a more ornate and radiant flying sword supported the two of them.
"Hurry up!"
"Whoosh—!"
The flying sword suddenly accelerated, transforming into a streak of light as it soared into the sky, several times faster than when Lu Ming controlled it himself!
The intense feeling of weightlessness made Lu Ming gasp and instinctively grab Zhao Ling's robe tightly.
"Haha! Relax!"
Zhao Ling wielded her flying sword with exceptional skill, drawing a smooth arc in the air as she flew towards a relatively secluded Spirit Valley at the border of Hundred Herbs Peak and Beast Taming Peak.
"Senior Brother Zhao, where are we going?" Lu Ming asked curiously, looking at the unfamiliar scenery rushing past below.
Zhao Ling chuckled, lowered her voice, and wore a knowing look on her face:
"Junior brother, you don't understand, do you? Hundred Herbs Peak and Beast Taming Peak are the two peaks with the most female disciples in our Dao Academy!"
"Especially this Lingxi Valley, with its beautiful scenery and abundant spiritual energy, is often visited by senior and junior sisters who gather spiritual plants, care for spiritual beasts, or stroll along the stream."
"It is... cough cough, it is an excellent place to observe and learn from fellow cultivators from other peaks, and to cultivate one's character!"
Lu Ming was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening, and his face instantly flushed.
He then understood what Zhao Ling meant by "good place".
The flying sword slowed down and quietly descended in the sky above Lingxi Valley.
Sure enough, below, a stream flowed gently, with exotic flowers and rare herbs blooming on both banks. Many female disciples dressed in light green dresses from Baicao Peak or light blue outfits from Yushou Peak were busy among them.
They might bend down to examine the spiritual herbs, or frolic with the gentle spiritual beasts, chatting and laughing, their graceful figures blending seamlessly with the surrounding beautiful scenery, truly creating a stunning picture.
Zhao Ling's gaze quickly settled on a female disciple of Baicao Peak who was carefully casting a spell on a spiritual herb that emitted a blue light by the stream.
The female disciple had a beautiful profile and a focused expression.
"See that? That's Junior Sister Liu Qing from Hundred Herbs Peak..." Zhao Ling gestured with her eyes, her voice softening slightly, carrying a hint of nervousness and anticipation.
"Her method of cultivating ice orchids is absolutely superb... Sigh, it's just that every time I try to find a chance to say a word..."
As he muttered to himself, his gaze seemed to be too focused, causing the spiritual energy fluctuations of the flying sword beneath his feet to become slightly disordered, creating a slightly stronger gust of air.
The female disciple below, named Liu Qing, seemed to sense something and looked up, just in time to see the two people sneaking around in the air.
She was taken aback at first, but when she saw that it was Zhao Ling, two red clouds rose on her face. She glared at him as if she was embarrassed and annoyed, then lowered her head, quickened her pace, and hurried away from the stream.
"Uh..." Zhao Ling was met with a cold shoulder and touched her nose somewhat awkwardly.
Lu Ming saw everything clearly from the side, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and could only desperately hold it in.
Zhao Ling quickly adjusted her mindset, reverting to her carefree demeanor. She nudged Lu Ming with her elbow and teased, "..."
"Don't just stare at your senior brother! Junior Brother Lu, what about you? Tell your senior brother secretly, after looking around, which senior sister or junior sister do you find more... um? pleasing to the eye?"
He winked and made faces, as if to say, "We're all men, I know what I mean."
Lu Ming had never experienced anything like this before. Zhao Ling's blunt question made him blush and his heart skip a beat.
Hu Zhen's gentle and beautiful face flashed through my mind subconsciously, but how could I say those words?
He stammered, his eyes darting around, and he could barely speak coherently: "I...I didn't, Senior Brother Zhao, please don't talk nonsense..."
"Hahaha!" Zhao Ling burst into laughter at Lu Ming's embarrassed look. "He's shy! Okay, okay, senior brother won't ask anymore!"
"We men of Tianyan Peak must be proactive. Look at me, senior brother. Although I've suffered many defeats, I keep fighting!"
He laughed as he manipulated his flying sword, preparing to take Lu Ming to another place to "cultivate his mind".
However, at that moment, a slightly cold female voice entered their ears like a stream splashing against stones:
"Zhao Ling, are you leading your new junior brother astray again, disturbing the peace and quiet?"
The two were startled and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a female disciple dressed in the attire of the Xinglu Peak, with a cold face, standing on an ancient pine tree not far away, holding a sword and looking at them coldly.
They were clearly disciples of the Criminal Law Peak responsible for patrolling this area.
Zhao Ling's face stiffened, and she quickly smiled apologetically:
"It's Senior Sister Leng! It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! We were just passing by! We'll be on our way, we'll be on our way!"
Having said that, she dared not linger any longer. She immediately activated her flying sword, grabbed Lu Ming who was still not fully recovered from his shyness and panic, and fled from the Lingxi Valley area as if escaping.
Only after flying back to the territory of Tianyan Peak did Zhao Ling breathe a sigh of relief and pat her chest:
"What bad luck! How did I run into that cold-faced devil from Xinglu Peak? Oh well, it's just bad luck today. I'll take you somewhere else another day."
Lu Ming's face was still flushed, and he nodded with lingering fear.
Although this "sword observation" trip was short and ended somewhat chaotically, it allowed him to witness another vivid scene within the sect.
The shyness she felt when asked about her feelings still lingered in her heart.
He simply kept this embarrassment and the quietly appearing beautiful figure deep in his heart.
Perhaps one day, when he can wield his sword freely and stand confidently before others, he will be able to face certain issues with ease.
For now, it's best to focus on cultivation.
He walked towards his small courtyard, preparing to continue nurturing his flying sword and practicing sword control techniques.