Those who complained did not know that the Elder who created this particular sword art had a very deep and profound level of skill. However, his meridians were injured during a battle against another cultivator of Jung Hu. As such, he had been unable to cultivate True Qi.
In order to protect his status in the sect, the Elder had kept the matter a secret. From then on, he acted mysteriously, pretending that he had overwhelming strength to deceive all of the members of the sect.
Ever since then, however, it had been undeniable that he lacked the ability to protect himself. He had to rely on wit and experience from that moment on, protecting himself through deception.
That era was when the Seven Clouds Sect stood at the height of its power.
When this Elder realized that his power would never recover, he became depressed and organized many covert raids on the smaller sects. He acted behind his superiors' backs by using deceptive schemes that hid his movements.
During the raids, he forcibly seized many secret martial arts manuals, hoping to find a top-level skill that he could cultivate without True Qi.
After many years of research, the Elder did indeed discover many mysterious techniques that didn't require True Qi. However, none of them suited him.
He was incredibly depressed.
However, this Elder had talent and intelligence that far surpassed the norm. Suffering from depression and frustration, he decided to combine all the unfathomable martial techniques that he had discovered, thus creating his own set of top-tier skills.
Once the notion appeared in his mind, he was fully obsessed by it. He intended to create a special set of techniques unique to himself. This was something that all martial artists aspired to do. With his full attention and effort, he threw himself wholeheartedly into research. Eventually, fearing distractions, he entered into closed-door meditation and did not bother himself with matters of the sect..
Creating a set of skills was an extremely difficult thing to do. Not to mention the fact that the skill he intended to create had to be a top-tier skill that did not require True Qi to execute.
Creating this unprecedented martial skill was a process filled with many hardships that vastly surpassed his expectations. However, his determination and willpower were beyond that of a normal human. After half a lifetime's worth of efforts that he expended over the course of ten years, he finally created his skill, the "Blinking Sword Art".
That Elder was extremely excited, spreading the joyous news to his sect members. However, he discovered that the Seven Clouds Sect had regressed tremendously and was now a shadow of its former self. The Seven Clouds Sect has been attacked and surrounded by an alliance of various sects; it could be wiped out at any moment.
The Elder was furious and alarmed upon hearing the news. Using the skill he had just created, he unleashed its godly might, killing many top-tier opponents and terrifying those that remained. Under the encirclement of the various sects, he managed to slaughter a bloody path out to safety, creating immense merit for the Seven Clouds Sect.
Regretfully, although the sect managed to avert the disaster, the Elder was at the brink of death. He could only pass on his newly created skill and place it in the Seven Overlord Hall, leaving it behind for the other disciples before he passed away.
What was even more regretful was that, even after all these years, none of the following generations had managed to successfully cultivate this particular skill other than Xu Su. As a result, this bright pearl was hidden under the dust, never to see the light of the sun.
Xu Su had no idea of the history behind the Blinking Sword Art. Even if he knew, he would not be moved. To him, as long as this particular sword art could allow him to protect his own life when he clashed against Physician Wu, it was already sufficient. Why care about its history? Its creation process? Xu Su had no interest in such mundane details. He was a practical man, Xu Su would not be interested in spending his time and energy to understand things that had no benefits to him.
In his own residence, Xu Su lit an oil lamp as he laid in front of the table. He repeatedly flipped through the pages of the manual underneath the candlelight.
He had no intentions of copying the manuals. What he was planned to do was to use his Eidetic Memory and memorize all the contents within the secret manuals. This way, he could always have the contents in his mind without arousing suspicions.
Regarding Physician Wu, Xu Su still maintained a high sense of alertness. He was not foolish enough to think that he would be safe because Physician Wu had slackened his supervision. If Physician Wu knew about all the secret manuals he had in his residence, wouldn't all his plans come to naught?
Under the dusky yellow light from the lamp, crackling sounds rang out, reminding Xu Su that he had been studying for a long time and that it was time for him to get some rest.
However, Xu Su had no intention of stopping. He fully immersed himself in the contents of the secret manuals, absorbing all the information they contained into his mind.
As the light popped, a shadow appeared on the wall and began to sway back and forth in the flickering light. Xu Su continued to sit there, immersed in the sword manuals, and didn't budge an inch. His body contrasted sharply with this almost demonic shape; however, if one looked closely, he or she would see a sort of harmony between the two.
As time passed, the shadow behind Xu Su became fuzzy as it slowly faded away into nothingness. Outside, dawn had broken.
Unknowingly, Xu Su had spent an entire night studying.
Pa!
A soft sound rang out as the light from the lamp died out. Only then did Xu Su come to his senses.
He lifted his head and looked at the oil lamp before glancing at the daylight that shone outside his residence. A bitter smile rose from the bottom of his heart.
To think that he had actually spent a day studying and researching killing techniques. He had truly changed from his former self.
Xu Su lost himself in contemplation for a moment before standing up and stretching his body, causing cracking sounds to ring out. After doing so, he left his residence and went to collect a basin of cold water from the nearby well in order to wash himself. Xu Su activated the Eternal Spring Arts, regaining his energy and causing all the fatigue from the previous night to melt away.
After a whole night of study and research, Xu Su already knew that he had to fully understand the principles behind this set of martial arts techniques. If he did not practice it for at least eight to ten years, there was no way he would be able to master it. Even a genius would at least need two or three years in order to yield some results.
Time waits for no one!