At the rear cliff.
Ye Ping earnestly contemplated the sword marks on the ground, hoping to condense sword intent as soon as possible.
Yet just as Ye Ping was immersed in enlightenment, he vaguely sensed someone approaching.
In an instant, Ye Ping opened his eyes and looked behind him.
It was Su Changyu.
“Eldest Senior Brother?”
Ye Ping had not expected Su Changyu to come. He immediately rose and cupped his hands in salute.
“No need for formalities.”
Su Changyu spoke, still carrying the bearing of an eminent expert.
Outwardly, that was the case. But inwardly, he felt awful.
No—more accurately, it was not just awful. It was especially awful.
Ever since he learned that this little junior brother of his possessed extraordinary talent, Su Changyu had not been in a good mood.
So really, one should not compare oneself too much with others.
“Eldest Senior Brother, may I ask what brings you here today?”
Ye Ping asked curiously.
These past few days, Su Changyu had come rather frequently, and Ye Ping was somewhat curious.
“Oh, it’s nothing important. I merely came to teach you a second sword art.”
Su Changyu said it lightly.
“A second sword art?”
Ye Ping was somewhat surprised.
“Eldest Senior Brother, your junior brother’s aptitude is dull. It has been nearly a month, and I still have not fully condensed sword intent from the first sword art. Wouldn’t learning a second sword art so soon be a bit premature?”
Ye Ping was a little worried, afraid that he would bite off more than he could chew.
Yet when these words fell into Su Changyu’s ears, they sounded exceedingly grating.
This was called dull aptitude?
Then what was he?
A piece of trash?
In less than a month, you condensed the Four-Thunder Sword Momentum. What more do you want?
I cultivated bitterly for fifteen years and only managed to bring the Spring Thunder Sword Art to the threshold of beginner proficiency. You condensed the Four-Thunder Sword Momentum in one month.
What else do you want?
Su Changyu’s heart was filled with grief and indignation.
For some reason, his mood became even worse.
“No matter. As the saying goes, once one method is understood, ten thousand methods are understood. Since you have already grasped the Four-Thunder Sword Art, learning a new sword art will yield twice the result with half the effort.”
Although he felt terrible inside, Su Changyu appeared extremely calm on the surface.
“So that is how it is. Many thanks for your guidance, Senior Brother.”
Ye Ping nodded. He had indeed overlooked that point.
“Little Junior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother will now demonstrate this new sword art for you. Comprehend it well, and see what you can understand from it.”
Su Changyu spoke slowly, then drew his treasured sword and took a few steps back.
Ye Ping held his breath and focused all his attention on Su Changyu.
Not far away, Su Changyu held the longsword in his hand. He did not hurry to swing it, but instead closed his eyes.
“Is Eldest Senior Brother about to become one with heaven and earth, entering the state of man and sword as one?”
Ye Ping was shaken inwardly.
Time passed little by little.
After a while, Su Changyu opened his eyes. He had finally remembered the sword moves.
Clang.
The next moment, Su Changyu drew his sword. Immediately after, his sword momentum surged like a rainbow, like a roaring great river, causing Ye Ping to marvel again and again.
Only, very quickly, Ye Ping could not help but frown.
Because he discovered that although Eldest Senior Brother’s sword moves appeared extremely powerful, they seemed somewhat disjointed.
Ye Ping compared Su Changyu’s sword art with the Four-Thunder Sword Art and vaguely felt that something was off.
It looked a little uncomfortable, giving off a sense of unfamiliarity.
Hiss!
In an instant, Ye Ping froze.
He had guessed a possibility.
Eldest Senior Brother was reminding him.
This sword art was very powerful, no weaker than the Four-Thunder Sword Art, perhaps even stronger. However, certain parts of this sword art were extremely easy to get wrong.
Eldest Senior Brother was worried that he would stray down the wrong path, so he had deliberately revealed flaws to make him reflect carefully and avoid making mistakes.
Thinking of this, Ye Ping’s heart could not help but fill with gratitude.
He could tell that Eldest Senior Brother was a man who rarely smiled or joked. He appeared hard-hearted, but in truth, he was a gentle person. He simply was not good at expressing emotion, so he would not teach him through words, but instead expressed himself in other ways.
For a time, Su Changyu’s image in Ye Ping’s heart improved greatly.
And Su Changyu was indeed putting great effort into performing this improved version of the Chuanhe Sword Art.
After one full set of sword techniques had been demonstrated,
Su Changyu was somewhat out of breath.
But he still maintained his calm and composure. After finishing the final move, he even deliberately flourished his sword and looked toward Ye Ping with an impressive air.
Ye Ping, too, had been paying close attention to this sword art the entire time.
When the sword art ended, its grandeur was majestic and vast, making Ye Ping unable to help murmuring to himself,
“The waters of the great river come from the heavens, rushing to the sea, never to return.”
Ye Ping used a line of poetry to describe this sword art, seeming deeply shaken.
Not far away, Su Changyu appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, he had been watching Ye Ping all along. He was also worried that Ye Ping might notice something amiss, but when he saw that Ye Ping’s eyes were filled with astonishment, he could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
Then, hearing Ye Ping recite a line of poetry, he was even more stunned.
“The waters of the great river come from the heavens, rushing to the sea, never to return?”
“This poem feels very stylish. Excellent. I, Su, will gladly accept it.”
Su Changyu committed the line to memory, then looked at Ye Ping and said,
“Little Junior Brother, what do you think of this sword art?”
Su Changyu asked calmly.
“Eldest Senior Brother, your junior brother feels that this sword art is majestic and vast. Its sword momentum is like ocean waves, layering endlessly upon each other, until finally all streams converge into the sea. It is simply divine.”
Ye Ping praised from the bottom of his heart.
As expected, a scholar was indeed a scholar. Su Changyu nodded in great satisfaction, then said,
“Little Junior Brother, this sword art is called the Heavenly River Sword Art. The introductory section has only nine moves, but it can be endlessly deduced and expanded. You must comprehend it well and ponder it carefully. As for anything else, Senior Brother will not say much. Otherwise, it would lose its meaning. Do you understand?”
Su Changyu said seriously.
“Yes. Please rest assured, Senior Brother. Your junior brother will definitely practice it earnestly and condense the Heavenly River Sword Momentum as soon as possible.”
Ye Ping nodded seriously.
When Su Changyu heard this, he could not help smiling faintly.
Heavenly River Sword Momentum?
This sword art had been completely fabricated by him. Aside from the opening move and the final move, everything else had been made up by himself.
With this?
You can still condense sword momentum?
Little Junior Brother, you are still too young.
Su Changyu felt delighted.
However, he was not deliberately trying to trick Ye Ping.
It was mainly because he knew Daoist Taihua’s intentions, and on top of that, he truly could not comprehend the Chuanhe Sword Art. That was why Su Changyu had come up with this idea.
“Little Junior Brother, Senior Brother has already handed the sword art over to you. Of course, if you cannot comprehend anything from it, do not force yourself. After all, the path of the sword contains countless sword arts. If one does not suit you, just change to another. At worst, you can continue comprehending the Four-Thunder Sword Art later. That would not be bad either. Do you understand?”
Su Changyu gave this reminder.
He was rather worried that Ye Ping would cling stubbornly to one sword art and refuse to let go. If that gave rise to an obsession later, Daoist Taihua would probably chop him to death.
“I will respectfully follow Senior Brother’s teachings.”
Ye Ping nodded.
“Very well. Practice your sword properly. In a couple of days, your Senior Brother Luochen will come find you and teach you the art of alchemy.”
Su Changyu said.
“Senior Brother Luochen?”
This time, Ye Ping truly was somewhat surprised.
He had not expected to start learning something else so soon.
With aptitude like his, could he learn it?
Ye Ping was filled with curiosity.
“Mm. Do not worry. Your Senior Brother Luochen has a gentle temperament, much better than mine. All right, practice your sword in peace.”
Su Changyu did not say anything more.
He turned and left.
Only, before long, Su Changyu came back again.