Master Du’e was instantly dumbfounded.
He hadn’t expected Ye Qiu to unleash sword qi so quickly.
Though the sword qi bursting from Ye Qiu’s fingertip was only thirty centimeters long and didn’t fully master the first sword of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, it was still astonishing.
After all, it had taken Master Du’e a full three years to produce a mere ten centimeters of sword qi from his fingertip.
Yet Ye Qiu, from starting practice to releasing sword qi, took less than three minutes!
This left Master Du’e both shocked and delighted.
“Amitabha, it seems this old monk has found the right person. Benefactor Ye, your martial talent is truly exceptional.”
Exceptional?
Ye Qiu didn’t think so. On the contrary, he frowned, dissatisfied with the result of this sword finger.
Because that day at the Bai residence, he’d seen Master Du’e point a finger, and the sword qi pierced through the air, appearing over ten meters away in an instant, sharp and formidable.
Then, Ye Qiu pointed several more times in succession.
The results were the same as before.
The sword qi remained at thirty centimeters.
“Too weak. With this little sword qi, I can’t even kill a Dragon Ranking expert, let alone deal with the super experts in the Forbidden City.”
Unwilling to accept it, Ye Qiu continued practicing.
Master Du’e could tell Ye Qiu was eager for quick success and advised, “Benefactor Ye, the martial arts of the world are varied, but broadly speaking, they fall into two categories: fists and feet, or weapons.”
“Fists, feet, and weapons usually have set routines. With hard work, one can become a master.”
“But the Six Meridians Divine Sword is an exception.”
“The Six Meridians Divine Sword is a form of invisible sword qi. It requires profound inner strength as a foundation, exceptional martial talent, long-term comprehension, and a bit of luck to succeed.”
“Benefactor Ye, you have deep inner strength and extraordinary talent. What you need most now is time…”
Whoosh!
Ye Qiu pointed again, and the sword qi stretched three meters.
Master Du’e’s voice cut off abruptly as he stared at Ye Qiu, wide-eyed.
This defied logic!
It took me ten years for my sword qi to reach three meters. How could Benefactor Ye achieve it after just a short practice?
“Benefactor Ye, how did you do it?” Master Du’e couldn’t help but ask.
Ye Qiu replied, “I just followed what you said, Master—circulating inner strength through the meridians and forcing the sword qi out through my fingertip… Master, did I practice it wrong?”
Master Du’e fell silent.
Ye Qiu said apologetically, “Master, have I disappointed you? I’m sorry, my martial talent is actually quite average.”
What? This is called average?
Are you trying to infuriate people?!
If Master Du’e weren’t a monk, he’d have snapped at Ye Qiu, “Surname Ye, can’t you stop showing off or you’ll die?!”
“Benefactor Ye, you didn’t practice it wrong. Keep going!”
Master Du’e decided to say no more, sitting aside to watch Ye Qiu practice.
Time slipped by quietly.
Half an hour, one hour, two hours…
After over two hours of practice, the sword qi from Ye Qiu’s fingertip remained at three meters.
Ye Qiu sighed, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes, motionless.
Master Du’e waited another half hour. Seeing Ye Qiu still meditating, he stood up and said, “Benefactor Ye, this old monk must return to Tianlong Temple, so I won’t stay longer.”
“Please remember my words. Once you’ve mastered the first sword of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, be sure to come to Tianlong Temple.”
“At that time, I’ll personally welcome you.”
“Farewell!”
With that, Master Du’e turned to leave.
Just then, Ye Qiu’s eyes snapped open with a “whoosh,” and he pointed a finger.
Whoosh—
A heaven-shaking sword qi erupted.
An invisible sword qi burst from Ye Qiu’s fingertip, slicing through the air and striking a ginkgo tree over ten meters away.
The ginkgo tree, as thick as a washbasin, snapped in half the moment the sword qi hit.
Master Du’e stopped dead in his tracks, turning to look at Ye Qiu. His shocked eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
“Benefactor Ye, you, you…”
Ye Qiu smiled faintly. “Master, it seems I’ve mastered the first sword of the Six Meridians Divine Sword.”
Buddha above, is this still human?
This is a demon!
Master Du’e was at a loss for words to describe his shock. It had taken him a full thirty years to master the first sword.
But Ye Qiu? Three hours.
Truly, comparing people can drive one mad.
While Master Du’e was reeling, Ye Qiu stood up and said, “Master, sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“If my martial talent were a bit better, I wouldn’t have made you wait so long just now.”
“My apologies.”
Master Du’e was speechless.
Ye Qiu’s subtle bragging was like a thunderbolt to his heart.
He wanted to say, “Benefactor Ye, you’re already a once-in-a-century martial genius. Aren’t you satisfied? Do you want to ascend to the heavens? How are others supposed to live?”
Master Du’e stood there, dazed.
“Master, Master!” Ye Qiu called twice before snapping him out of it.
Master Du’e came to, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly to Ye Qiu, suppressing his excitement. “Benefactor Ye, congratulations on mastering the first sword of the Six Meridians Divine Sword.”
“This old monk will return to Tianlong Temple today to share this news with my master.”
“Benefactor Ye, why not come with me?”
Ye Qiu gave a wry smile. “Master, I have some matters to attend to and can’t go to Tianlong Temple just yet.”
“Then when will you be free, Benefactor Ye?”
“Within six months, I suppose.”
“Good. I’ll return to the temple and prepare the manuals for the other five swords, awaiting your visit.”
“Thank you, Master!”
Ye Qiu bowed in gratitude.
“Benefactor Ye, I hope you can come to Tianlong Temple soon. If you can revive the Six Meridians Divine Sword, I’ll have a great treasure to gift you.”
“Farewell!”
With that, Master Du’e turned and left swiftly.
Ye Qiu stood in the courtyard, feeling elated.
“I didn’t expect to learn the first sword of the Six Meridians Divine Sword today. What a pleasant surprise.”
At that moment, Bai Bing emerged from the house. Not seeing Master Du’e, she asked curiously, “Where’s Master Du’e?”
“He’s gone,” Ye Qiu said, turning to her. Suddenly, he stepped forward, scooped Bai Bing up by the waist, and lifted her.
“Ah! What are you doing?” Bai Bing yelped.
“Something fun, naturally. Heh heh~” Ye Qiu grinned mischievously, carrying her into the bedroom and tossing her onto the bed.
Bai Bing blushed, shyly saying, “How about we wait till tonight? It feels weird in broad daylight, okay?”
“Ice Sis, what you don’t know is that daytime’s more thrilling.”
“Wait, Ye Qiu, can you agree to a request first?” Bai Bing said hurriedly.
“I know what you’re going to say. Don’t worry, Ice Sis, I’ll go easy later.”
With that, Ye Qiu pounced.
