A Sword Skill Trait: Ten Steps One Kill!?
Ji Xiu's focus sharpened, and he tightened his grip on the Wooden Blade.
At this moment, all the secrets and techniques recorded within the Celestial River Saber condensed into a single point in his mind.
Then, he swung.
SHLICK!
A falling autumn leaf was precisely cut in two.
As he unleashed that slash,
Ji Xiu was single-minded, his mind a complete blank.
In his eyes,
only the falling leaf remained. Even time seemed to freeze, turning the world gray.
Not until it was split in two
did all color return.
'Humans are creatures of emotion and desire, especially in a life-and-death struggle.'
'Some are timid, some hesitate, some are afraid... This is only human and can't be avoided. But...'
Ji Xiu gasped for breath. In that moment, it felt as though something inside his body had completely devoured all his stamina in an instant.
So much so that the constitution he had so carefully built up recently almost couldn't take the strain!
'In that one instant.'
'I... I cast aside my own cowardice, my own emotions!'
'My mind held only a single thought: draw my blade, strike, and cut that leaf in two!'
'As the saying goes, a single leaf's fall signals the coming of autumn.'
'If it's true for a leaf...'
'how much more so for a person?'
In two lifetimes, Ji Xiu had only ever killed chickens.
When he had used the Wooden Blade to break Fire Kiln Steward Qiao Jin's arm a few days prior, he had felt his heart pound—THUMP THUMP—so fast that he could barely breathe.
If he hadn't forced himself to keep a straight face, preventing any mistakes or tells from showing, and if his Sword Skill hadn't already reached Minor Success and become second nature,
things could have gone horribly wrong.
If a simple spar could affect him so much, what would happen in a real life-and-death battle?
He had no experience.
Even if his Saber Technique reached Great Success, his performance would still be subpar.
This wasn't an issue of mentality, but of experience—the same principle as practice makes perfect.
But now!
Things were different.
Draw, strike, and in a peak state—within ten steps... blood would be drawn!
Whose blood, he didn't know.
But at least he wouldn't let fear control him and cause him to panic in a moment of crisis.
Snapping out of his immersive epiphany, Ji Xiu looked up.
The sky was already dark. He decided to call it a night and get up early the next day to find Duan Chenzhou at the Duan Residence. He also needed to think about asking his senior brother, Lu Yu, about the Guest position.
After all, he was out of silver taels.
He couldn't even afford food.
How was he supposed to continue with Blood Nourishing and Muscle Forging after that?!
However, just as he turned around,
he saw a head quietly peek out. Noticing that he had turned, it shot back inside with a WHOOSH.
Seeing this, Ji Xiu shook his head with a resigned sigh.
'That girl.'
He set down the Wooden Blade, tossing it into the courtyard, and quickly washed up.
He saw Ji Wei burrowed under the covers, her head hidden as she pretended to be asleep, but he didn't call her out on it.
He slept well through the night.
...
「At the crack of dawn.」
Ji Xiu set out early and arrived at the Duan Residence.
But as soon as he arrived,
he saw...
...there was someone else in the courtyard.
'Does he have a visitor?'
He narrowed his eyes, peering through the hazy morning mist.
From the back, the man stood tall with a ramrod-straight spine, his figure hidden within a black robe. His build was completely different from Lu Yu's.
Thus, Ji Xiu had already come to a conclusion as he stepped over the threshold.
It wasn't until he stepped into the courtyard that the man, who was sitting across a stone table from Duan Chenzhou, heard the commotion and turned his head at the same time as the master.
Only then did Ji Xiu see the man's face clearly.
'It's that 'Lord Gu' from the Government Office the other day?!'
Ji Xiu's eyes narrowed.
First, he saw Gu Baichuan, who turned to him with a faint smile and gave a slight nod.
Then, he saw Duan Chenzhou, his lips pursed and his face devoid of expression.
"Master Duan."
He gave a slight bow to Duan Chenzhou.
"Lord Gu."
Ji Xiu then greeted Gu Baichuan.
Previously, this man had casually asked him to send his regards to Duan Chenzhou.
Taking that opportunity, Ji Xiu had asked Duan Chenzhou about Lord Gu's background.
However, upon hearing the name, Duan Chenzhou had merely frowned and refused to speak of the matter.
Ji Xiu had been tactful enough not to press him.
He never expected to run into him again today.
"Duan Chenzhou, you came to this five-hundred-li Anning County and have been so quiet these past few years. I thought you'd changed your ways."
"But now that I'm here, I see you're just planning to take a disciple and cultivate the next generation."
"What, you don't want your lineage to die with you?"
Gu Baichuan said with a smile.
Duan Chenzhou, however, was stretching with one arm pressing down on his leg. His black hair was tousled by the wind, his back a portrait of proud solitude. He merely glanced over before closing his eyes, his tone indifferent.
"I'm just a man who lost an arm. I worked as a Captain in the Government Office for two years until my Qi and Blood began to decline, and then I resigned from my post."
"What good could I possibly teach? What's so special about my lineage that it needs to be passed on? This talk of it dying out is meaningless."
"A great lord from the Northern Garrison Command like yourself has traveled far and wide and seen everything."
"Don't be so petty."
Hearing this, Gu Baichuan clapped his hands, stood up, and laughed heartily.
"Are you really sure?"
He turned back to scrutinize Ji Xiu, his gaze lingering on the boy's eyes and the faint aura coalescing around him. He clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Open your eyes and take a look."
"He's in the First Realm of Power and has only just Entered the Realm. He has yet to accomplish Nourishing Mercury Blood or achieve Forged Willow Tendons."
"And yet, he has already practiced a Saber Technique that contains a sliver of 'potential' to the point of Great Success, and..."
He narrowed his eyes, clasped his hands behind his back, and circled Ji Xiu.
"...he has already crossed the threshold to becoming a 'Swordsman'."
"The Sword Dao Ancestral Court, which was disbanded after the conflict between sabers and swords, once had a tenet: 'Those who do not enter the Sword Sect by eighteen will never be accepted.'"
"This boy already meets the most basic entry requirement for such a prestigious sect, and you're still unwilling to teach him a thing or two?"
"If you won't take him, I might just have to give him some pointers myself."
Gu Baichuan laughed and patted Ji Xiu on the shoulder.
"Kid, once you achieve Great Success in Marrow Refining, begin Bone Tempering, and reach the second step of the Power Barrier, you can come find me at the Government Office."
"I'll show you a path..."
"...a way out, one that doesn't involve rotting away in this five-hundred-li Anning County like this 'benevolent master' of yours!"
With that said,
he walked past Ji Xiu, hands clasped behind his back, and made to leave.
Just before leaving, he suddenly turned his head to look at Duan Chenzhou.
"Duan Martialist."
"You've been hard-headed your entire life, yet you went soft right before the 'final hurdle'."
"If your Master were to find out,"
"and let's not even get into him just vanishing without a trace."
"Even if your Master truly died in the Corpse Release Tomb, falling at that final step..."
"...seeing you in this state, I doubt he could rest in peace."
As his words faded, the man was already gone, leaving with a brisk stride.
All that was left was Ji Xiu, who could feel the palpable tension in the air...
He swallowed hard.
However, before he could process his thoughts,
suddenly!
WHOOSH!
A blade came flying through the air—CLANG! Caught off guard, Ji Xiu watched as it embedded itself at an angle in the stone slab right in front of him.
Duan Chenzhou had flicked his single sleeve, sending the blade flying from a weapon rack. The look in his eyes was indescribably complex.
"You comprehended 'Ten Steps One Kill' from the Celestial River Saber?"
"Come, pick up this blade."
"And strike at me."
With his hair unbound, he sat with an imposing air, patting his knee.
"But..."
Ji Xiu hesitated.
'Once I use Ten Steps One Kill, I won't be able to hold back!'
'What if...'
"Boy, what do you amount to? You think... you can actually hurt me?"
"If you can hurt me, that would be true 'Great Success'!"
"Right now, you're still a long way off."
"Just do it. If you've truly grasped its essence,"
"then I, Duan Chenzhou, will teach you—free of charge—a Superior Pile Skill that uses blood to forge the tendons and solidify your foundation!"
As if seeing through Ji Xiu's worries, Duan Chenzhou scoffed.
Then he took a deep breath and roared, as if to vent all his earlier frustrations. His voice boomed like a great temple bell, loud enough to wake the deaf.
"STRIKE!"
In that instant, Ji Xiu felt his spirit seized, and he unconsciously... struck!
Ten Steps One Kill!
Upon sight...
...blood falls!
As Duan Chenzhou watched, he saw the look in Ji Xiu's eyes shift from hesitation to an aloof, icy coldness, as if he had lost all emotion.
When it was replaced by an extreme 'focus,' his eyes seeing nothing but the blade...
...a complicated mix of emotions flickered in Duan Chenzhou's eyes.
'Minor Success, Great Success.'
'These are just a matter of practice making perfect. As long as one puts in the effort, they will eventually be reached. It's only a matter of time, sooner or later.'
'But...'
'to enter the Sword Sect and become a Swordsman...'
'...is not as simple as just cultivating a blade art to Great Success.'
'Some people practice the blade their entire lives, but they are not devout. They are unable to swing their blade and sever their own 'flaws.' The instant they face an enemy, their first feeling is always fear, which they then have to suppress.'
'They don't realize that in doing so, they have already lost the Initiative.'
'If they go their entire lives like this,'
'then they can never be considered a true Swordsman.'
'But there are others.'
'Without even realizing it...'
'...they have already broken through this barrier.'
SWOOSH!
In that instant, a brilliant flash of light from the blade tore through the air, leaving only an afterimage behind!
In a flash,
ten steps away,
Duan Chenzhou caught the tip of the blade between two fingers.
His eyes were calm as he stared at the blade before him, its tip just an inch from his neck.
After a long moment...
he finally spoke.
"A fine strike."
CLICK!
Just then, someone pushed the gate open and strode inside, calling out loudly.
"Master Duan, has Ji Xiu come to practice his Sword Skill today?"
"It took a few days, but the old man finally gave in and agreed to let him join my Lu Manor. I came here today specifically to find him..."
Lu Yu strode through the gate.
He arrived just in time
to see Ji Xiu a mere hair's breadth away... from taking off Duan Chenzhou's head.
The words caught in his throat, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"Junior Brother, are you trying to kill your master!?"