Chapter 695: Dare to tease her sister, number 695!
The Cultivation Techniques that came from the Great Elder were mostly fragments of martial sword techniques. According to the cultivation laws of the Holy Court Continent, different Cultivation Techniques are generally not to be practiced at the same time. However, sword techniques are exceptional in this regard; they are considered both internal and external alongside the Qi Techniques. Practicing them simultaneously often yields a complementary effect, although this effect is usually extremely limited. Its greatest use is to maximize the potential of Qi in combat.
Thus, when she gifted these martial sword techniques to Mu Ze and the others, she hadn’t expected their strength to improve so profoundly. She merely hoped that they would acquire more self-defense skills to avoid repeating the tragedies of her previous life.
It was only upon seeing such results that Mu Hanyan realized how vast and profound the sword techniques collected by the Great Elder were. However, since these techniques were incomplete, improper practice could not only be of no benefit to one’s cultivation but might also hinder the improvement of cultivation, and even lead to losing control. That’s why the Great Elder cherished them and was reluctant to show them to just anyone.
For Mu Hanyan, however, this was not a problem at all. After several advancements in her Heavenly Heart Technique, she could not only absorb the power of all things but also accommodate various different Cultivation Techniques. She even managed to merge the Mu Family’s secret Heavenly Heart Technique with the Yan Family’s secret Sky Star Technique and used this to unlock the Hidden Meridian. It was quite an easy task for her to decipher and perfect these techniques.
It took her only two days to repair and complete these techniques. While she couldn’t claim they were now perfect, at least they wouldn’t negatively impact anyone’s cultivation. The added benefit to their strength enhancement would merely vary in effect.
Because deciphering these techniques was too easy, Mu Hanyan didn’t take them too seriously, nor did she have high hopes for them. What she didn’t expect was that through these techniques, Mu Ze and the others would achieve such significant strength enhancement.
Reflecting on her own previous hardships in cultivation and then seeing how much Mu Ze and the others had improved in just half a month, Mu Hanyan herself was filled with emotions and even a bit inexplicably heartbroken. But then, thinking of her own skyrocketing strength since her rebirth, she felt content. In just a year, she had gone from an entry-level Swordsman to the Sword Master Realm. What did she have to be dissatisfied about?
Mu Ze and the others, of course, knew that their rapid increase in strength was all thanks to Mu Hanyan’s help. Without the Elixirs given by Yan Yuchu and the generous sharing of techniques obtained from the Great Elder, how could they have achieved such success?
As a result, the younger generation of the Mu Family was even more sincerely convinced by Mu Hanyan, obeying her every command. The moment she suggested supervising their cultivation, Mu Ze and the others would eagerly rush into the courtyard before dawn, making so much noise that sleeping in became an unattainable luxury for Mu Hanyan.
Mu Hanyan had no choice but to supervise their practice while eating her breakfast. Her breakfast was quite lavish - soup dumplings, crystal dumplings, steamed buns, rice porridge, and a few small dishes. She yawned as she finished her meal with everyone watching her eat with envy.
"Jiang Yuzhe, put more force into your attacks. With such a half-hearted approach, you will only endanger their lives when it really comes to a life-and-death situation," Mu Hanyan yawned and said to Jiang Yuzhe, who was presently sparring with Mu Ze and the others in the center of the courtyard.
The combat power of Mu Ze and the others was considered quite good, but the further they progressed, the more difficult cultivation became. Over the years, the potential for improvement was limited no matter how hard they tried. The best method to enhance their combat power was to engage in real combat.
Hence, the recovering Huayue, Zirong, and Jiang Yuzhe were dragged over by her to act as sparring partners.
Huayue was fierce and decisive in her attacks. Hua Rong was cunning and ruthless, whereas Jiang Yuzhe’s moves were unpredictable and mysterious. Having these three as sparring partners was most fitting indeed.
Over the past dozen days, Mu Ze and the others were beaten black and blue daily, yet their combat skills improved by leaps and bounds, brimming with a high-spirited and rousing will to fight unlike anything seen in their earlier days as coddled scions of wealth.
"I’ve been harsh enough, but they’re even more ruthless than me," moaned Jiang Yuzhe nursing two panda eyes.
Although his strength was considerably higher than Mu Ze and the others, and his experience in dealing with opponents was far richer, two fists are no match for four hands, and over these ten-plus days, his adversaries had also rapidly accumulated their own combat experience. Thus, from initially being the one to dish out one-sided tyranny, it had evolved to an evenly matched confrontation, and now, Jiang Yuzhe was the one taking more beatings.
No sooner had his words fallen than four wooden swords thrust at him simultaneously, each angled most cunningly. Although they were mere wooden swords, they were made of heavyweight, solid ironwood, surely painful enough to make someone feel they were on the brink of death if struck.
Jiang Yuzhe’s face changed, he slightly swayed his figure, and a flurry of illusions flickered before he vanished from everyone’s sight.
"Not that move again," said Mu Hanyan, her gaze sharpening.
Previously, when Jiang Yuzhe deployed this maneuver, even she would have trouble tracking him. But since advancing to the Sword Master Realm, her Six Senses had become far more acute and she could discern the faint afterimages.
According to Mu Hanyan’s guess, there wasn’t much mysterious depth to Jiang Yuzhe’s move—just a rapid evasion from the opponent’s line of sight followed by hiding himself. It sounded simple, but the execution was as tough as climbing to heaven. When the rivals had comparable cultivation levels, to entirely evade their gaze relying on speed alone, to nearly become invisible, was even harder than directly killing them.
The four Mu Family’s disciples could only watch helplessly as Jiang Yuzhe disappeared from view, their thrust wooden swords faltering for a moment. Seizing this brief opportunity, Jiang Yuzhe reappeared from his hiding spot, taking an eerily curved path directly to Mu Yuying and reaching for her chin.
"That bastard, daring to flirt with my sister right in front of me!" Mu Hanyan’s brow twitched, a character ’川’ forming on her forehead. While others couldn’t see Jiang Yuzhe, she was able to catch the trajectory of the afterimages.
Mu Hanyan was about to explode with anger, but before she could even stand up, she heard a light "slap."
"Ah... Ah... Ah..." After the slap came Jiang Yuzhe’s pained cries, and then a figure materialized seemingly out of thin air, sent flying, flying, and flying, at least a dozen meters away, before crashing heavily to the ground in front of Mu Hanyan and the others.
"Alright, it was still that move," Mu Hanyan settled back down. Such a scene had become all too familiar these past days. Even with the grasp of a Sword Master like Mu Hanyan, who needed to focus her eyesight to barely spot Jiang Yuzhe’s afterimages, it was a mystery how Mu Yuying managed to perceive them.
Seeing the fresh, crimson handprints on Jiang Yuzhe’s face, all the Mu Family’s disciples cheered in unison. Jiang Yuzhe hung his head like a defeated rooster, utterly dejected and despondent.
"I mean, how many times has it been now? Why can’t you learn your lesson and stop provoking her?" Zirong said, her voice laced with sympathy.