Chapter 140 Mastery of Sword Technique

On August 29th, Yanshan Yue carried her Tianshu Sword to the Tianji Tower.

"Hello, I would like to challenge the Nine Limits of Tianji."

Yanshan Yue had visited the Tianji Tower frequently over the past year. Although she did not know the guard's name, she was quite familiar with him.

She nodded politely. "Please register me."

"Someone is already inside. Come back in a few days." Yang Tiefin naturally recognized Yanshan Yue. The young girl was very polite, reserved and steady in temperament, and had very proper features, though he did not particularly appreciate her type.

She was the kind of person wholly devoted to cultivation, indifferent to external matters. Such geniuses possessed ironclad willpower and would have a very bright future in the martial path.

However, to the people around her, such a person was extremely boring, even useless. Because she only cared about her own cultivation and paid no attention whatsoever to other matters or people.

Yanshan Yue was somewhat surprised. She had already coordinated with Wang Ye and Ye Chang'an. Since those two were not coming, virtually no one else would.

The Nine Limits of Tianji was extremely dangerous, placing exceptionally high demands on challengers.

Among the more than two thousand students at Anda Martial Arts Academy, those truly qualified to challenge it had already passed long ago. Those without the qualifications would realize how formidable it was after a single try and would not return.

The new semester had not even started yet; logically, no one should be challenging it. Moreover, this guard teacher had actually told her to wait several days.

Yanshan Yue was somewhat curious about who was challenging it. Could it be Gao Wu? Or Song Mingyue?

Both of them were first-year students rated at Grade A-plus, especially Gao Wu, whose official recognition and monster-slaying videos had enjoyed exceptionally high popularity recently.

Outwardly, he was now directly referred to as the King of Youths, with even the two characters for Beizhou dropped. This title was immensely imposing.

This had also sparked a great deal of controversy. Many youths in Beizhou were unconvinced, to say nothing of young martial artists in the other thirteen provinces.

Online, youths from all provinces were now sneering and mocking, putting Gao Wu right in the spotlight, yet also driving his popularity to a peak.

By now, leaving aside Beizhou, almost every youth across the entire Alliance knew the name Gao Wu!

Yanshan Yue did not envy this; she felt these were all empty reputations, harmful and of no benefit to cultivation. She was tempted to ask the guard teacher if Gao Wu was inside, but upon second thought, why meddle in other people's affairs?

Besides, this was personal privacy, and it wouldn't be appropriate for her to ask.

She nodded and said, "Then I'll come back in a few days. Goodbye."

With a brief greeting, Yanshan Yue turned and walked away briskly.

On September 1st, Yanshan Yue came to the Tianji Tower again. Today was freshman registration, followed by twenty days of garrison corps training.

The training was meant to emphasize discipline and reinforce organizational skills. Every batch of freshmen had to go through this process; no one was exempt.

If Gao Wu had been the one challenging the tower over the past few days, he should have gone to participate in the training as well.

Before Yanshan Yue could even knock, Yang Tiefin smilingly opened a small window. "Someone is inside. Come back in a few days."

Yanshan Yue showed a surprised expression. She really wanted to ask who was inside! The guard teacher was smiling somewhat lewdly—wasn't he just teasing her because she was young?

She cast a deep look at the guard, but instead of questioning him, she lowered her gaze slightly and said, "Then I'll come back in a few days."

Yang Tiefin could tell that Yanshan Yue was somewhat displeased, that the young girl harbored doubts in her heart, and that she distrusted him, but he did not offer any explanation.

Are you kidding? Forget about Yanshan Yue being a young girl; even if the other party were a grandmaster of martial arts, he would still see no need to explain.

Guarding the Nine Limits of Tianji wasn't a particularly wonderful job; its only advantage was being leisurely. Even if he hadn't abused his power for personal gain, using his official authority to do something was only right and proper.

How much grease and profit could there possibly be in this damned place!

After returning, Yanshan Yue felt somewhat stifled and couldn't help venting and complaining a little in the group chat.

Wang Ye and Ye Chang'an both expressed sympathy while also feeling somewhat curious about it.

The Nine Limits of Tianji was extremely perilous, and every intense battle consumed a tremendous amount of energy, requiring a couple of days of rest and adjustment. Logically speaking, no one could possibly monopolize it every single day.

"I'll go ask." Wang Ye appeared very proactive about this. Although he had a proud temperament, he loved socializing and was on good terms with several professors at the academy.

After a while, Wang Ye posted a message in the group: "I've cleared it up. Neither Gao Wu nor Song Mingyue has participated in the training."

Wang Ye then sent an emoji expressing extreme shock. "I heard a heaven-shaking secret!"

Yanshan Yue couldn't be bothered with such childish chatting, but Ye Chang'an was very cooperative, sending a surprised emoji with wide-open eyes: "What secret?"

"Song Mingyue has already become a direct disciple under Grandmaster Lu." Wang Ye didn't drag it out and directly dropped this major news.

Ye Chang'an went silent at that. Yanshan Yue, who had been lurking, was also extremely astonished.

There were four grandmasters at the academy, and each grandmaster had exceptionally high standards for accepting disciples. Over the past ten years, only two people had been able to directly enter their gates as disciples.

Others who wished to enter a grandmaster's school had to first pass the Nine Limits of Tianji. In fact, even upon passing the Nine Limits, a grandmaster would only take them as ordinary disciples, not necessarily as direct disciples.

The gap between a regular disciple and a direct disciple was immense.

What ability did Song Mingyue possess that made Lu Yuan, known for his strictness, look at her in a new light? Why hadn't Gao Wu, who had risen to fame by slaying swarms of demons, managed to enter his gates?

Yanshan Yue found it hard to comprehend.

Wang Ye and Ye Chang'an, who usually loved to joke around, also fell silent. Both had skipped grades to enter Anda Martial Arts Academy and were considered the top geniuses of their generation.

They had also been led to pay respects to the grandmasters, had received encouragement from them, and had even been taught secret techniques by them. However, none of the grandmasters had been willing to break the rules and take them in directly.

Song Mingyue, who had suddenly emerged from obscurity and was previously unknown, had directly become a direct disciple of Grandmaster Lu. This meant Grandmaster Lu believed Song Mingyue was stronger than all of them combined!

Of course, there was the issue of compatibility with cultivation techniques, but as long as one's talent was sufficient, grandmasters would fight to take them in; when would they ever consider such details...

On September 9th, Yanshan Yue went to the Tianji Tower again. This time, she arrived at seven o'clock.

Seeing the guard's half-smiling face, she couldn't help feeling a bit angry in her heart. She asked, "Hello, surely there won't be anyone inside at this time?"

Yang Tiefin smiled. "There's no one right now. However, someone else has already made an appointment. Sorry."

Yanshan Yue frowned slightly. "You can make appointments?"

"If you're willing, of course you can make appointments. After all, challenging the barriers requires maintaining a certain rhythm," Yang Tiefin replied.

"Then I'll make an appointment too," Yanshan Yue said.

"Naturally you can."

"I'll book tomorrow," Yanshan Yue said.

"Sorry, the whole month is fully booked." Yang Tiefin shook his head. He wasn't really making things difficult for the young girl; he had simply agreed with Gao Wu up until the 30th.

Actually, there was a freshman gala on the 20th. As the freshman representative, Gao Wu had to attend the gala and participate in advance rehearsals, which would leave him with one free day.

However, Yang Tiefin didn't want to mention that. Inserting Yanshan Yue for just one day in the middle wasn't of much significance either.

Yanshan Yue was genuinely a bit angry. She asked, "Who on earth booked it for so long?"

"That wouldn't be convenient to disclose." Naturally, Yang Tiefin wouldn't argue seriously with a young girl, but he had no time to coddle a child either, and casually shut the small window.

Yanshan Yue stood her ground without moving, determined to find out who was monopolizing the Nine Limits of Tianji.

At around nine in the morning, Gao Wu leisurely walked into the courtyard with his backpack, catching sight of the young girl standing at the entrance at a single glance.

The other party was wearing a black combat suit, with long eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, proper features, a height of about one meter seventy-five, a well-proportioned figure, and a traditional, unadorned three-foot scabbarded sword in her hand.

The girl actually had somewhat sturdy bone structure, but the proportions of her facial features were exceptionally fine, and her oval face possessed the grandeur unique to women of the northern lands. A pair of bright eyes gazed out with a calm expression.

She didn't look very old, yet she exuded the sternness of a veteran female head teacher in her thirties or forties.

Gao Wu had never met the girl, but he instantly guessed her identity, because his Yin spirit allowed him to see three luminous acupoints shining on her body—she was abruptly an advanced martialist.

To become an advanced martialist at such a young age meant she was one of the few in the massive martial arts academy. This girl must be the legendary genius Yanshan Yue.

She truly was a genius!

Having just condensed his second acupoint, his origin force level was merely on par with the girl's.

"Hello." Knowing that Yanshan Yue was here to challenge the tower, Gao Wu greeted her with a smile.

Yanshan Yue cast a deep look at Gao Wu. Having watched his videos many times, she naturally recognized him.

The other party's slender and upright figure was too recognizable, and speaking to him up close, Gao Wu's smile was brighter than the sun in the sky.

Although Yanshan Yue was not prone to swooning over handsome men or beauties, she had to admit that Gao Wu indeed possessed immense charm—not the vulgar sort of masculine beauty, but a powerful vitality as radiant as the morning sun.

She nodded politely. "Hello."

Before Gao Wu could speak, Yanshan Yue asked very directly, "May I ask how you managed to make an appointment, and how you could book it for so long?"

"Haha..." Gao Wu couldn't help laughing. "This is simply Uncle Yang's authority. You just need to get on his good side."

Yanshan Yue furrowed her brow deeply. Sure enough, this wasn't any formal procedure; it was just the guard abusing his power for personal gain. She was about to say something, but felt that bickering over such a small matter was meaningless.

Anyway, it wasn't a matter of utmost urgency; what harm was there in waiting until next month?

As she walked away carrying her sword, she nodded to Gao Wu, primarily to thank him for telling her the truth.

Yang Tiefin opened the heavy door and let Gao Wu in. Gao Wu chuckled and said, "She seemed a bit unhappy."

"People like that can only stew in their own frustration when they get angry. Having said that, only those who can keep a secret and contain their thoughts can accomplish great things," Yang Tiefin remarked casually.

As a dignified martial master, he would never care whether a young girl was angry or not.

Yang Tiefin continued, "You just focus on your challenges, and I'll arrange your appointments. Even if the principal comes, he can't cut the line. If I'm guarding the gate here and don't even have that much authority, then what the hell am I doing this for!"

"Many thanks, Uncle Yang. I'll do my best to clear the tower as early as possible!"

After chatting with Yang Tiefin for a moment, Gao Wu finally shouldered his pack and stepped into the Nine Limits of Tianji secret realm.

Before entering the first barrier, Gao Wu took out an advanced flying rat medicinal ampoule, injected it entirely into his body via intramuscular injection, and then consumed an advanced golden ginseng oral liquid.

Through a few days of testing, he discovered that engaging in high-intensity combat after injecting the medicine could better stimulate its medicinal power. It just took a heavy toll on the body, which was why he needed to carry extra doses of advanced golden ginseng oral liquid.

Today was his eighteenth birthday; after today, he would be an adult in the legal sense.

Having just injected the tenth advanced flying rat ampoule, his entire being was in peak condition. If things went smoothly, he might just clear the ninth barrier today!

Carrying the Destiny Sword, Gao Wu entered the secret realm. Having come here for nearly twenty consecutive days, he had already mastered the trick to clearing the barriers in the shortest time possible.

The earlier barriers required no overthinking at all; a momentary burst of power with the Destiny Sword directly struck the flaws.

Thirty minutes later, Gao Wu had already reached the seventh barrier. Without using his Yin spirit, this barrier was exceptionally difficult.

Fortunately, he had opened his second acupoint and unleashed his origin force through the Eighth-Chao Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra, instantly raising his origin force value to nine thousand, allowing him to suppress the giant tiger at the origin force level.

Coupled with the boost in speed, a Piercing Cloud Sword thrust straight into the giant tiger's opened maw, sinking the nine-foot Destiny Sword almost entirely into its body. The kinetic energy carried by the blade itself, combined with the sword-vibration technique urged by the Wandering Dragon Secret Sword, instantly shattered the giant tiger's vitality.

With just a single encounter, Gao Wu resolved the seventh barrier's giant tiger.

Resting for an hour at the entrance of the eighth barrier, Gao Wu felt that all the medicinal power had been thoroughly digested. His body felt light, agile, and indescribably brisk and comfortable.

Checking the Boundless Merit Book, his agility had increased to 13 points.

The ten advanced flying rat ampoules had raised his agility by a total of 0.4. Primarily because his base was already high, the effect of advanced potions was no longer drastically obvious.

An increase of 0.4 points equated to a 20% boost in agility, which was already a tremendous improvement. Factor in the four points of agility augmented by the Gale Transformation, and a 20% increase became terrifyingly potent!

The enhancement of agility wasn't merely reflected in speed and reaction time; more importantly, it elevated the internal and external coordination of the body.

Taking advantage of his prime state, Gao Wu drew the Destiny Sword and practiced a set of Wandering Dragon Swordsmanship. He felt his body and sword merge as one; wherever his intent went, the sword followed, flowing smoothly and effortlessly through every transition.

He then split dual swords, executing the Wandering Dragon Secret Sword. The twin blades transformed into chilling, fierce yet ceaseless sword light, surging and rolling like a tide at the entrance.

As the twin swords slid back into their scabbards, the roaring sword hum and the surging tide of sword light were simultaneously reined into the sheaths.

Instantly, the humming ceased, the light vanished, and his figure settled.

Gao Wu stood there gripping the scabbard, his body upright yet relaxed.

He felt exceptionally wonderful inside. Every single movement and transition of the swordsmanship he had just practiced was flawlessly executed, possessing an indescribable rhythmic beauty.

At that very moment, Gao Wu truly grasped the essence of the swordsmanship, perceiving the wondrous beauty contained within it. He knew that his swordsmanship had undoubtedly broken through its bottleneck and taken a massive stride forward!

Opening the Boundless Merit Book, the annotations behind the three techniques—Wandering Dragon Palm, Wandering Dragon Sword, and Wandering Dragon Secret Sword—had all changed to "Great Accomplishment."

Since the Wandering Dragon Palm and Sword were originally one, it was only natural for the palm technique to improve alongside it.

Gao Wu drew the Destiny Sword to check again, and the annotations behind the two sword techniques had changed to "Realm of Perfection (Enhanced by Destiny Sword)"...

With his swordsmanship advancing by leaps and bounds, Gao Wu's spirit surged with bold pride. He stepped into the eighth barrier and shouted loudly, "Be a good little kitty—big brother is here!"

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