Wang Feng entered the sect and went to his usual place, the Coiling Dragon Stream. Along the way, he encountered a few Ordinary Desciple, all of whom had greeted him.
Once he reached the stream, he took out the katana from it's scabbard and started slashing, cutting and thrusting it, all to find a perfect rythem for himself.
Because, this was the first time he had ever even held a sword properly, much less swing it around. So although he had made this sword, he still needed practice to be able to wield it properly.
He continued to swing it around for hours, changing his rythem, style and execution of the sword again and again. At the start, his hold, movement and execution of the sword was too rigid or contained too much unnecessary movement. But as the hours passed, all those points started to improve and by the end of his practice, he could at least properly use the katana without too many errors.
Wang Feng breathed heavily as he sat on the ground while looking at the setting sun, "..... *Haah* the more I continue forward.... The more it becomes evident that my innate talent isn't exceptional....", he muttered soberly to himself.
Although he has progressed much in the last few hours, he wasn't quite satisfied with his progress. Fortunately no one else heard this otherwise they would want to beat him up. Now, although he had 'bad' talent, that was still something that was above almost every individual in this small world.
To them, someone who doesn't even know how to hold a sword properly and can then perfectly handle the sword within hours is in simple words, a Great Genius. It could only be said that Wang Feng's vision and expectations were as high as the heavens for someone at the lowest of planes.
This was a drawback, a Truth. A drawback of knowing too much. A truth that even the ancients can affirm. Having the knowledge can be a weapon, but it can also be a curse.
It can be a good driving force for improvement, but it can also be an unsurmountable pressure that always weights down on the individual.
A glint of determination and stubbornness light up in his eyes as he clinched his jaws and squeezed the handle of his sword in his hand before getting up, "But no matter what, I won't give up... Never."
With that burning sense of objective, Wang Feng started his practice again. He didn't stop even when the sun completely settled, he continued to practice throughout the night.
His control over the sword and it's utilization was increasing greatly, making him truly set upon the path towards the realm of a beginner swordsman.
Wang Feng had classified Sword Dao into different stages: Beginner Swordsman, Apprentice Swordsman, Adapt Swordsman, Sword Master and so on.
Now, to enter the Beginner Swordsman Stage, the partitioner needs to know how to handle the sword properly and should have learned 1 Common Grade Sword Technique to Great Accomplishment Stage.
After that, comes the Apprentice Swordsman. To reach this stage, the partitioner needs to Master at least 1 Earth Grade Sword Technique to Perfection.
To become a Adapt Swordsman, the partitioner needs to Master at least 5 Peak Earth Grade or 1 Heaven Grade Sword Techniques to Perfection.
And to become a Sword Master, the swordsman need to be able to grab the essence of the techniques he cultivates and making his own Sword Qi.
..... And the list goes on with each stage requiring different objectives to be fulfilled.
Wang Feng practiced tirelessly and finally dropped down from exhaustion when the sun had risen high above. Wang Feng breathed heavily as sweat dripped down his entire form, soaking his clothes.
He looked down on his hand and saw clauses and small trails of blood leaking down his hand and onto the ground. He loosened his hand on the sword and winced slightly from the great sting he felt from the clauses and small wounds.
He groaned before he simple willed the sword to be placed into the inventory, freeing his hand. He then chuckled wearily upon seeing his aching and slightly trembling hand.
The reason he received such degree of injuries on his hand was because, throughout the whole night and into the day, he had been practicing with his sword without any use of Qi.
So, without the fortification of his Qi, his body, even though strengthened beyond normal cultivators because of cultivating the Hidden Body Forging Stages, couldn't properly handle the consistent strain which resulted into this.
Wang Feng sighed before sitting, taking out a healing pill from his inventory before popping it into his mouth. He then started refining the pill which slowly healed his injuries.
He opened his eyes an hour later and frowned as he looked at his hand, 'To take an entire hour... looks like it was more serious than I had thought.'
He then stood up and summoned 'Cleaving Moon' back from his inventory. He took a stance before he started to practice again. But this time, with much less intensity. His movements were slow but swift, almost... Fluid.
He closed his eyes and started going through different attacking and defending motions with the katana in his hand. Once he finished, he slowly opened his eyes that shone brighter than the morning sun along with a satisfied smile.
Just then, his mind was jolted into surprised by a sudden sound of clapping on the side. He looked from where the sound was coming with a tense body, which eased instantly after seeing who his audience was.
Xia Ning Chang stood to the side and clapped after seeing his immersed performance. When she saw him look towards her with clear surprise and a bit of alarm, all of which turned to relieve after seeing her, made her happier than she was letting on.
She spoke in her bell like voice, "that was an impressive performance, Junior Brother.", Wang Feng chuckled lightly and cheekily bowed like an eloquent servent while replying, "it was my honor to be able to entertain Young Miss."
Xia Ning Chang's eyes instantly widened as her face heated up in slight embarrassment and she stuttered. Seeing her look, Wang Feng couldn't hold it in anymore and bursted out in laughter, which further embarrassed Xia Ning Chang.
She pouted under her veil, though there was a small smile on her face, and complained, "Ju.. Junior Brother! .... Ughhh..", she wanted to continue but couldn't come up with something so she just groaned out.
Wang Feng's laughter slowly died out with his words, "seriously Senior Sister. You're too shy and easy to embarrass..". Xia Ning Chang's pout swelled further under her veil, which kind of made her look even cuter.
Wang Feng shook his head and asked her while sheathing 'Cleaving Moon' back into the Scabbard. "So, did you come here because you missed me~?", he flashed a smile to which she just huffed lightly and said, *wh..who..would miss you? *Humph* I'm just here to ... collect some herbs. Hm."
Wang Feng half believed her as she did have a small medical garden near the place, which was made by Meng Wu Ya for her solitary cultivation.
Just as he was thinking to himself, he heard Xia Ning Chang's voice, "hey, Junior Brother. Since when did you start using a sword? And where did you get that sword? I haven't seen any sword like it (she means the Katana Shape)."
Wang Feng revealed a proud smiled, "I made this sword myself, it's called Cleaving Moon Sword. It's design is what I call the 'Katana'.... As for when I started using a sword. Well, I honestly didn't know a thing about swinging a sword till yesterday..", he finished with a weary but excited chuckle.
Xia Ning Chang's astonishment could be heard in her voice, "really? But previously, you were moving around like you have been using a sword for at least a few months."
This time, Wang Feng was surprised and asked himself and her the same question, "had I really looked that experienced in using a sword?". Xia Ning Chang nodded.
Wang Feng was delightedly surprised, 'looks like the practice was more effective than I thought.' he inwardly spoke to himself as an idea struck him. He hesitanted for a moment before asking Xia Ning Chang, "*cough* uh Senior Sister.... Can you help me? I want to practice using a sword with an active opponent."
Xia Ning Chang hummed and thought for a second before she nodded, agreeing to his request. Wang Feng smiled brightly, finally he could let loose and try the fruits of his training against someone.
He wasn't worried of hurting her one bit. Quite contrary, he was worried if he could even hurt her before she beats him like a ragdoll for all the teasing he had done to her.... His thoughts suddenly halted with a gulp, 'maybe ... Just maybe... This isn't a good idea.'
But he couldn't walk away now as Xia Ning Chang was ready and told him to start.
Wang Feng shook his head while assuring himself. He sighed lightly and turned serious. He revolved his Qi in his body and dashed towards her. Just as he was a few steps away from her, he unsheathed his katana and delivered a single strike. He expected her to block his attack or dodge with an elegant footwork, but ... She didn't even move.
His eyes then widened in horror as he saw his blade tear through her flesh and cut right through her. He tried to stop but his speed still carried him further beyond her position. So he dug his feet into the ground and forced himself to stop after skidding a few meters.
He turned around just in time to see that the 'Xia Ning Chang' he had cut through just now, dissolved into a shadowy afterimage. He didn't get a chance to process this fact before he felt a chill and was struck on his left side, which hurled him to his right side.
He groaned feeling a numbing pain in his left ribs. He heard Xia Ning Chang's Voice from where he had stopped before, "You shouldn't underestimate your opponents Junior Brother. Neither in training and especially not in a real fight."
He looked at her and saw her standing there with a slight frown on her forehead, concern, reproach and resolve in her eyes as she looked at him. Wang Feng unconsciously lowered his head for a second. His thoughts were chaotic, 'she's different from the Xia Ning Chang portrayed in the novel...'
He groaned and tightened his hold on his sword with a fiery light in his eyes, 'YOU IDIOT!! Of course she's different. she's a fr**king real person for heaven's sake! Not a piece of imagination!'
He spat on the ground before he looked her in the eye, "let's go for round 2." Saying that, he bursted towards her in his full speed, not holding anything back this time.
He channeled his Gold and Water Qi from his body into his sword. This made the sword shine with a sharp and lethal aura along with a clam and eerily silent vibe. Wang Feng knew that if this attack landed on the target, even a 5th Stage Qi Transformation Realm Cultivator would be severely injured.
But his opponent wasn't just anyone. His opponent was Xia Ning Chang, someone who had a cultivation of 9th Stage Separation and Reunion Realm, who was undergoing the transition phase to the new system, which meant she was already a few notches stronger than even a normal 3rd Order True Element Realm.
Xia Ning Chang narrowed her eyes at this strike and internally nodded in satisfaction, she didn't want him to be half-hearted in this training session so she was a bit heavy handed on her first strike.
She took out a small blade of her own and parried his slash, making sparks glow out from the clash of the two blades. Wang Feng smirked and thought to himself, 'oh this is going to be fun.'