Chapter 39: Beyond Perfection

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Beyond Perfection

In the bamboo forest, Liu Chen, who had been destroying Cyan Bamboo with the Thrusting Sword Technique and healing them with the Recovery Technique, came to a stop.

[Thrusting Sword Technique: Great Success, 3000/5000]

’I still have an hour left to practice. I’ll get the Thrusting Sword Technique to the Perfection Realm first.’

Liu Chen glanced at the Proficiency he had accumulated. He decided against practicing the Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword directly. That Swordsmanship was not only profound, but it also involved the fundamentals of many other Sword Techniques.

After some research, Liu Chen still felt the Basic Swordsmanship was more practical. At the very least, it would allow him to gain some combat prowess quickly.

Liu Chen practiced the Thrusting Sword Technique nearly twenty more times, piercing the Cyan Bamboo yet again. He closed his eyes. Images of himself practicing the technique over and over surfaced in his mind, finally merging into a single, perfect form. The posture for his Thrusting Sword Technique had achieved perfect unity.

[Thrusting Sword Technique: Perfection, 0/10000]

’Beyond Perfection?!’

Liu Chen pulled the bamboo pole out, a look of confusion in his eyes. He felt his Thrusting Sword Technique was already perfect. His form was now completely identical to the stance described in the Secret Manual, and the damage he dealt was several times greater than before.

But the fact that his Proficiency could still increase was a surprise. Since the prompt was there, though, the only thing he could do was max it out and see what happened.

The Cyan Bamboo was healed with the Recovery Technique. Liu Chen took the bamboo pole to an open clearing. At the Perfection Realm, a single strike of his Thrusting Sword Technique could kill a stalk of Cyan Bamboo, and Liu Chen had no desire to live in a barren bamboo forest.

He executed a thrust, and a formless wave of air erupted from the tip of the bamboo pole, piercing a falling bamboo leaf.

[Thrusting Sword Technique Proficiency +500]

The corresponding Proficiency notification appeared. Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. He was beginning to understand what ’beyond Perfection’ truly meant.

Following his own intuition, Liu Chen thrusted again and again. With each movement, waves of air shot from the tip of the bamboo pole, wreaking havoc on the falling leaves.

After a dozen more practice thrusts, the bamboo pole shot from Liu Chen’s grasp. It pierced through several stalks of Cyan Bamboo before finally embedding itself in the stone wall on the far side of the forest.

Liu Chen closed his eyes. In his mind, the blurry figures with indistinct faces all transformed into his own image. The essence of that last thrust was constantly evolving, finally converging into a single point.

[Thrusting Sword Technique: Unique]

The Proficiency notification appeared. Liu Chen opened his eyes and smiled. ’So Perfection is mastering the Thrusting Sword Technique from the Basic Swordsmanship manual... and beyond Perfection is creating my very own version of it.’

After a moment of simple joy, Liu Chen walked slowly into the bamboo forest. He healed the damaged stalks of Cyan Bamboo one by one with his Recovery Technique before finally arriving at the rarely-visited stone wall.

The bamboo pole was embedded straight into the stone wall. Besides the point of impact itself, there was very little unnecessary damage.

But Liu Chen wasn’t focused on the power of his Thrusting Sword Technique. Instead, he gripped the bamboo pole and tried to pull it out.

’After all, this was the only bamboo pole in the entire forest that felt right. If I leave it here, will I have to practice empty-handed tomorrow?’

"Are you sure you want to give him the Spirit Sword?"

In the Bamboo Garden, Bai Qiulan glanced at the Spirit Sword on the table—a priceless treasure for cultivators in the Body Tempering and Meridian Passage Realms. She then recalled the dozen or so stalks of Cyan Bamboo that had nearly been destroyed moments ago. And that was with a simple bamboo pole, the kind normally used for firewood. If he had a Spirit Sword instead...

This bamboo forest, which took nearly a century to mature, would probably be completely destroyed.

"I’m not sure."

Mo Xuan slumped in his chair as if drained of all strength. He knew the Thrusting Sword Technique as well; he’d even developed his own insights into it back in the day. But it had always remained just that—the Thrusting Sword Technique. If he hadn’t just witnessed Liu Chen’s practice with his own eyes, he would have sworn that final move was one of the Sword Techniques from the Cyan Lotus Demon-Slaying Sword.

Given the circumstances, if they gave Liu Chen the Spirit Sword, the bamboo forest would likely be wiped out the next time he practiced some other Basic Sword Skill with wide, sweeping attacks.

"Look on the bright side. The greater Liu Chen’s talent in the Sword Dao, the more suited he is to be your successor, no?"

Bai Qiulan glanced at Mo Xuan. ’He must be really shaken.’ It was hard to imagine that the Mo Xuan of the past, who looked down on everyone in Purple Cloud Valley, would fall into such a state over someone else’s talent for the Sword Dao.

"I’m afraid that’s not possible. We should see whether Suyao or Linglong has the potential to become the Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak. As for Liu Chen... I doubt Purple Cloud Valley will be able to hold on to him."

Mo Xuan sat up straight. Purple Cloud Valley was a good place, certainly, but Liu Chen’s talent for both the Sword Dao and cultivation was simply too high. He was destined to surpass him, to venture into farther lands and strive for higher Realms. Remaining in Purple Cloud Valley would only be a waste of his gifts.

"If Purple Cloud Valley isn’t enough, what about the Wuji Immortal Sect?"

Bai Qiulan glanced at Mo Xuan. ’He’s not a native of the Great Xia Dynasty, after all. He was sent here to gain experience. But then he never went back. I wonder what’s going on in that head of his.’

"Perhaps. But didn’t we agree not to talk about this?"

Mo Xuan looked at Bai Qiulan with a helpless expression. The Wuji Immortal Sect... His family was a vassal power of the Wuji Immortal Sect. The plan had been for him to go there, but an unexpected ’complication’ arose. And he was unwilling to abandon that ’complication’ to resume his family’s plans.

"You should be close to mastering the Purple Bamboo Scripture. You have to start thinking about what’s next."

Bai Qiulan felt a little helpless. When the Mo Family first came looking for her, she had been afraid. But they had actually been quite respectful, even giving her resources. Their only request was that she find out why Mo Xuan refused to return to the family.

Unfortunately, even after decades, he still changed the subject every time she brought it up.

"There’s still a long way to go."

Mo Xuan shook his head. He knew his own cultivation better than anyone. It would still take him several more decades to bring the Purple Bamboo Scripture to the Perfection Realm.

-----------------

"Senior Brother, we’ve finished picking the Bamboo Shoots."

Ji Suyao and Ye Linglong found Liu Chen staring blankly at the stone wall, baskets of Bamboo Shoots in hand. They had seen their Senior Brother standing there a while ago and decided to go pick the shoots in the meantime. But now he was still standing in the exact same spot, and they had no idea what he was doing.

Ye Linglong crept a little closer and saw Liu Chen holding half a bamboo pole, staring dazedly at the stone wall. She looked back and forth a few times but couldn’t make sense of what her Senior Brother was doing.

"Let’s go. Time to make dinner."

Liu Chen took a deep breath. ’My sword is gone.’ This bamboo pole had destroyed several stalks of Cyan Bamboo without any issue, yet it had snapped the moment he applied a little force.

But there was nothing he could do now. The bamboo pole had long since lost its Life Force. If it still had any, he might have been able to use the Recovery Technique to restore it after pulling it out. But a dead object like this was beyond his capabilities.

"Linglong, did the reply letter mention how to build a bamboo house?"

Dinner had ended, and Liu Chen couldn’t resist asking. He was now using the time he had originally set aside for building his bamboo house to practice his swordsmanship. If he had to start building the house from scratch, he would need to rearrange his entire schedule.

"My apologies, Senior Brother. There were no instructions for building a bamboo house."

"I was just asking. Don’t worry about it, Linglong."