After mastering both the sword and footwork techniques, Shen Long could finally start cultivating the [Melodies of the Nine Sole Swords]. However, Shen Long had already encountered another problem. As Shen Long planned on becoming a twin swords cultivator, the difficulty of training in any sword manual would have instantly doubled. However, his combat abilities would also, of course, increase to compensate for its difficulty.
This was because training in twin swords require fluency in both hands. Especially for the manual [Melodies of the Nine Sole Swords], it required perfect harmony between all nine "imaginary" swords. However, the nine swords were all created from the actual, real weapon. This cultivator of the manual had to connect all nine, originally separated, swords into one; its domineering power could only be unleashed when these swords formed as one.
That was also the reason why this manual was extremely difficult to cultivate, as the complexity increased exponentially as the manual progressed. Despite the technical problems, each "Sword" was different, hence fusing them together required practice and also profound comprehension of each level.
Besides Emperor Tideflow himself, no one was able to fully cultivate the journal to complete mastery. Even the personal disciple of Tideflow himself was only able to cultivate it to the Sixth Level. However, if Shen Long was talented in the Dao of Balance, he would have a huge headstart compared to others. He would also gain insights and a deeper understanding towards the Dao of Balance through cultivating this journal.
Emperor Tideflow actually trained in the Dao of Symmetry, which was a Normal Dao, branched off from the Heavenly Dao of Balance. Compared to other Saint cultivators, Shen Long's insight towards the Dao was quite high. This was because Shen Long's innate comprehension ability was high, and he had fortunately received a few enlightenment sessions, due to his high karmic luck from the baptism of the universal essence.
"Shen Long. Are you able to wield the sword with both hands? If not, we will definitely have to work on your weaker arm first. When both sides are equal, in terms of control and technique, then we will finally move onto the actual manual." Daoist Fireblade questioned.
"Yes. I have practised the basic movements with both hands. I was clear on my goal from the beginning. That's why I was in the training ground for more than 12 hours a day! I don't know if my concept for twin swords is right though. Instead of treating them as two separate weapons, I think of them as one weapon. Or am I meant to use one for defence, one for offence only?" Shen Long asked for some more advice from Daoist Fireblade.
"Your thinking, indeed, is correct. Enough chit-chat. Let's just get straight into the Manual. You don't have time to waste at the moment. As usual, I will demonstrate you the sword move first. Observe the movement of my hands closely, because the manual doesn't include twin swords cultivators like you."
Daoist Fireblade's swords flowed with a dazzling grace that was breathtaking. His soul became one with the swords as he unleashed his emotions - cheerfulness, painfulness, and sadness - in their strikes. The left hand emulated the right and a sense of symmetry was presented. Both hands were in perfect harmony, as their movement was synchronised. Along with his elegant footwork, his demonstration of the [First Stance: Melody] was like a piece of music, a piece of art.
Shen Long was immersed in his demonstration. It was his first time, witnessing proper sword art in real life. Although he had read about it before from light novels, he never expected it to be this stunning. He could identify fragments of the ten sword movements in the sword art, which boosted his confidence a little.
As Shen Long had memorized the first stance of the manual previously, it was Shen Long's turn to try now. Starting off with only one sword, he was able to replicate all the movements and positions flawlessly from the journal. However, he couldn't sense any energy from his sword art, despite following the manual step-by-step.
"Master, what did I do wrong? I am sure I did everything right as I executed each movement perfectly. But it still feels like I did it improperly. I couldn't feel any feelings in my sword art, nor any energy. It doesn't make any sense!" Shen Long yelled as he attempted again with his left hand.
The results were the same. Albeit his fluency in the sword art and correct positions, he couldn't feel the intensity and emotions from his sword art, much less the music. Shen Long was awestruck by the difficulty of this manual. Even with his high comprehension ability, he couldn't discover the reason behind his repeated failures.
"Your movements, indeed, was all correct. The problem lies in your shallow comprehension of the sword. Can you tell me, here, the point of using a chop, followed by a spin-parry? How about here. Why must you sidestep as you strike downward, despite the advancing step would bring you much more strength? As I've said, cultivating a sword art is not just about being able to physically demonstrate them. It requires engagement with the manual and comprehension. Study the manual again. Practise with your brain, not your body. As you can see, the techniques and movements in the first level are all fairly simple. Technically, you are completely fine. Always try to connect the manual with your understanding of the Dao. Try again!" Daoist Fireblade instructed as he shook his head.
Shen Long decided to recite the manual in his head once more, trying to discover if he missed any important details. Suddenly, he thought of the introduction of the manual.
"Your strikes should be like raindrops. Each droplet is soft and gentle, yet, when merged, they can slowly penetrate a rock. Your strikes should be like the wind, gentle but soft, yet carrying great power."
"Soft and strong... How can you impose strength and softness at the same time? What exactly is a force? In physics terms, a force is a push or pull, resulting from the interaction between two objects. Wait a minute! How is physics going to help me understand the concept behind the sword art? I'm clearly thinking in the wrong direction. There's no way it's something to do with forces and those stupid equations we learnt in class. That's way too bullshit. But for the spiritual communication, I did figure it out through my knowledge of electromagnetic waves... I thought I could finally escape from school. Who knows that I will be here thinking about physics in the cultivation world..." Shen Long thought to himself as he recalled those physics lectures in his head, which made him shiver.
"There's no way. Please no. If everything is about Physics, then surely the all the Daos in the world are just the different observations that mankind have studied for the past hundreds of years. So you're telling me I need to recall all Newton's laws and his discovery. That can't be true." Shen Long was scared, just from thinking about physics.
"Any discoveries?" Daoist Fireblade asked as he watched Shen Long's mouth twitch randomly.
"I was trying to make connections between the moves in the manual with the Daos. I have a few ideas that I would like to test out but I'm not confident that they will work. I hope not, at least..." Shen Long replied as he murmured the last bit of the sentence.
"Screw it. I will just give it a try. To increase force, if I remember correctly, can be done by increasing the mass or acceleration. Well, since I have to be soft, the "mass" must be quite small. This means that my sword strike has to be as fast as possible. I really hope I am wrong... That's way too overpowered. That's almost like a plot armour for me! Plus, I really don't like physics..." Shen Long thought as he attempted the stance again.
Shen Long was right. The whole concept of being soft and strong was similar to the Newton's Second Law - F=ma. Although the sword art was no way near perfect, there was a huge improvement. After all, Shen Long still had not found the perfect balance between the strength and his speed, nor had he created any music from his sword art.
Shen Long's eye rolled upon realising it actually worked. Shen Long wasn't sure whether to cry or to laugh. With the knowledge of Physics, Shen Long's cultivation speed would drastically increase, if other Daos also followed some physics' rules. However, he still was not content. Ignoring the fact that he hated physics, he barely paid any attention in class. He, also, was only aware of the basics of Physics. Anything beyond the scope of 16 years old? Nope. Nothing.
(To all the students who are reading this, you better study hard. Who knows if you will be like Shen Long one day?)