hsntnovel Chapter 61: The Knife Technique Teacher
Chapter 61: The Knife Technique Teacher
Lin Yun was engrossed in a swordsmanship tutorial video when footsteps downstairs interrupted his thoughts.
"Lin Yun, come down for dinner!" Shi Jiang's voice came from the courtyard.
Lin Yun shut down her computer and went downstairs. In the courtyard, Shi Jiang had already set out the meal on the long table in the living room on the first floor. He Lingruo also came downstairs. She had changed into a casual outfit, and her long hair was casually tied up with a hairpin. She looked more approachable than during the day.
"Have a seat." Shi Jiang pulled out a chair and gestured for Lin Yun to sit down.
The three sat around the long table, the atmosphere more relaxed than Lin Yun had expected. Shi Jiang, with his cheerful personality, was the most talkative at the table, recounting everything from the fun anecdotes of the training camp to the characteristics of each trainee, from the techniques for using the gravity chamber to the challenge strategies for the Trial Tower. He Lingruo was quiet, but when she occasionally chimed in, she always hit the nail on the head.
"By the way, Lin Yun, which teacher are you planning to choose?" Shi Jiang asked while picking up some food.
"I haven't decided yet," Lin Yun answered truthfully. "Does Senior Brother have any suggestions?"
Shi Jiang put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment: "The instructors in the training camp are basically all at least War God level, some even surpassing War God level. Each instructor has a different specialty; some are good at swordsmanship, some at movement techniques, and some at practical combat guidance. Choosing an instructor mainly depends on your own needs."
"I suggest you don't rush to choose," He Lingruo suddenly spoke, her voice soft but clear. "The training camp's rule is that you can attend classes freely during the first week. Go and listen to the classes of various teachers first, get a feel for their teaching styles, and then decide."
Lin Yun nodded: "Senior sister is right, I'll go listen to it tomorrow."
"If you're interested in swordsmanship, I recommend you go find Teacher Ning Yan," Shi Jiang said. "Teacher Ning is Chinese, known as 'Blazing Blade,' a peak-level advanced war god with extremely high swordsmanship. Although he has a bit of a fiery temper, his teaching level is universally recognized as top-notch."
"Blazing Blade?" Lin Yun became interested in this title.
"Yes." Shi Jiang lowered his voice, as if he were talking about a secret. "Teacher Ning comes from a family of martial arts masters. Before the Great Nirvana, his family was a famous family of sword masters in China. It is said that his ancestors were imperial bodyguards in the Ming Dynasty, and their sword skills have been passed down from generation to generation. After the Great Nirvana, their family's sword skills were not lost. Instead, they continued to evolve in the battles with monsters. By Teacher Ning's generation, they had reached a very high level."
"What's wrong with your fiery temper?" Lin Yun asked.
Shi Jiang gave a wry smile: "You'll see when you get there. Teacher Ning is extremely strict with his students. If your movements aren't up to par, he'll yell at you directly, and sometimes he'll even get physical—of course, he won't actually hurt you, but his aura is something most people can't handle. Last year, a new student was yelled at by him until he burst into tears on the spot."
He Lingruo rarely chimed in, "But his teaching level is indeed very high. Most of the students practicing swordsmanship in the training camp have learned from him. As long as you can tolerate his temper, you will improve very quickly."
Lin Yun nodded thoughtfully. Strictness wasn't a bad thing; what he needed was a teacher who could help him improve quickly.
"There's another teacher named Liu Jing, who is very skilled in movement techniques. I heard he has reached the perfect level and even touched the threshold of the artistic conception level," Shi Jiang continued. "Your movement techniques are just beginning to become subtle. If you can get his guidance, you should improve very quickly."
Lin Yun memorized all this information.
After dinner, He Lingruo went upstairs. Shi Jiang took Lin Yun for a walk in the courtyard, continuing to tell him about the various things at the training camp.
"Life in the training camp is actually quite monotonous." Shi Jiang gazed at the Nine-Story Tower in the distance, a hint of emotion in his voice. "Every day is just cultivation, eating, and sleeping, over and over again. But no one here dares to relax, because the rankings are there, and if you relax, others will surpass you."
"Senior brother, what's your current ranking?" Lin Yun asked.
Shi Jiang gave a wry smile: "No. 95. Looks good, but it's still far from those monsters ahead of it. Especially my senior sister, she's been in the training camp for four years, and since last year, she's never lost her number one ranking."
"Is Senior Sister that strong?"
"Strong is an understatement." A hint of awe flashed in Shi Jiang's eyes. "I estimate that her strength has already reached the peak of the advanced war god level, but she has stayed in the training camp, partly to consolidate her cultivation, and partly to find a master. She has already won first place eight times, and she only needs one more time to become a master."
"Eight times in first place..." Lin Yun was secretly surprised.
"So you need to be mentally prepared." Shi Jiang patted him on the shoulder. "There are too many geniuses here. You came in at fifteen, which is really impressive, but there are also people who are even more talented than you. For example, there's a guy from North America named 'Lei,' who came in at sixteen and broke into the top fifty in his first year. There's also Camille from Europe, who also came in at sixteen and is now ranked third."
Lin Yun nodded, but his heart was not particularly stirred. He had never considered himself the most talented one; he was simply doing one thing—becoming stronger.
"Senior brother, I want to go to the Nine-Story Tower tomorrow," Lin Yun said.
"Okay, I'll take you tomorrow," Shi Jiang readily agreed.
The next morning, before dawn, Lin Yun got up.
He stepped out of the pavilion and into the courtyard. Morning mist shrouded the training camp, the distant buildings appearing and disappearing in the fog. Lights were already on in Shi Jiang's room, and a faint glow emanated from He Lingruo's room as well.
Lin Yun took a deep breath and began practicing his swordsmanship.
This has been his habit for many years, and it will not change no matter where he is.
Half an hour later, Shi Jiang came out of the pavilion and saw Lin Yun practicing his sword in the courtyard. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes.
"You're up so early?"
"I'm used to it." Lin Yun sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Come on, let's go have breakfast." Shi Jiang patted his shoulder. "After we eat, I'll take you to the Nine-Story Tower."
The training camp's canteen was on the first floor of the Nine-Story Building, a large hall that could accommodate hundreds of people at the same time. When Lin Yun followed Shi Jiang into the canteen, there were already quite a few people inside. They were gathered in twos and threes, some talking in hushed tones, some eating silently, and each of them carried a unique aura of killing intent characteristic of martial artists.
"That's the North American Pavilion, that's the European Pavilion, and that's the other base cities in Asia," Shi Jiang explained to Lin Yun as they walked.
Lin Yun's gaze swept across the crowd, noticing that many people were also sizing him up. The arrival of a new trainee always attracts some attention in the training camp.
"Is that the new guy?"
"I heard she's only fifteen."
"Fifteen years old? So young?"
"I don't know how strong he is. He's currently ranked last on the Black Dragon List."
"That's normal, all the newcomers are always last."
Lin Yun ignored the surrounding discussions, followed Shi Jiang to get his food, and found a corner to sit down.
After the meal, Shi Jiang led Lin Yun on a tour of the Nine-Story Tower.
Each floor of the nine-story tower is about six meters high, and the tower's length and width both exceed 150 meters, making it an absolutely colossal giant tower. The exterior of the tower looks very classical, but the interior is absolutely high-tech. The floor is made of hard alloy, and you can easily hear bursts of air explosions and shouts.
Each floor of the nine-story building serves a different function. The first floor houses the dining hall and reception hall, the second floor contains classrooms for various theoretical courses, and other facilities such as gravity chambers and trial towers are distributed across different floors.
Shi Jiangxin took him to the ninth floor.
The ninth floor is a spacious hall with some cushions. At the very back of the hall, there is a corridor with large rooms on both sides.
"The trial room, you can think of it as a virtual space." Shi Jiang pushed open an empty trial room, letting Lin Yun go in to take a look. There were only two sofas in the room, each with a dark blue helmet on it. "When you put on the helmet, your consciousness will enter a 100% realistic virtual space, practically identical to the real world. The system will generate monsters of various levels to fight against you. You won't actually get hurt, but the feeling of pain is real. This is the best place to hone your combat skills."
Lin Yun walked into the trial room, looked at the helmet, and felt a little eager to try it out.
"Don't rush, there'll be plenty of time later," Shi Jiang said with a smile. "Come on, I'll take you to see the challenge room."
The challenge room is also on the ninth floor. The opponents in the challenge room are not virtual monsters, but real people. You can apply to fight any student here, and the winner gets points.
"The challenge room is one of the main ways to improve your ranking," Shi Jiang explained. "If you can beat a student ranked higher than you, you can take their ranking. Of course, if you lose a challenge from someone ranked lower than you, you will lose points. So most people won't easily accept challenges from lower-ranked individuals."
Lin Yun nodded. This rule is reasonable; it encourages students to challenge themselves upwards, rather than crushing those downwards.
Finally, Shi Jiang led him to the fifth floor.
Gravity chamber.
The atmosphere on the fifth floor was noticeably different from the lower floors. The corridor was quiet, and the doors to every gravity chamber were tightly closed. Each door had an indicator light: red meant it was in use, and green meant it was vacant.
"The gravity chamber is the most valuable resource in the training camp," Shi Jiang said in a low voice. "It can simulate a high-gravity environment, up to a thousand times the Earth's gravity. Training in a high-gravity environment puts a lot of strain on the body, but the effects are also very significant. Many trainees have seen a substantial improvement in their physical fitness after training here for a few months."
"However, there are time limits on the use of the gravity chamber," Shi Jiang added. "The higher the ranking, the longer the usage time. He Lingruo, ranked first, can use it for 90 hours per month. Those ranked in the top 30 can use it for 6 hours per month. Those ranked in the top 100 can use it for 2 hours per month. Those ranked after 100 can only use it for 1 hour per month."
Lin Yun nodded, silently calculating in his mind. He was currently ranked last, and could only use it for one hour each month. But he believed that it wouldn't be long before his ranking would rise.
After visiting the Nine-Story Building, Shi Jiang took him to the training camp's archives.
The archives are located in a separate building, housing a vast collection of teaching materials, combat videos, and cultivation tips for various secret techniques. Lin Yun spent the entire morning in the archives, perusing over a dozen books on swordsmanship and movement techniques, and watching dozens of combat videos of War God-level experts.
He increasingly realized that he still had many shortcomings in combat skills.
In the wilderness, he faced nothing but monsters. While their attacks were brutal, they lacked variety, making them easy to deal with once their patterns were understood. But combat with human martial artists was entirely different—skill, tactics, and psychological warfare were all crucial, and each element could determine victory or defeat.
"There's still so much I need to learn," Lin Yun thought to himself.
In the afternoon, Lin Yun attended the first swordsmanship class.
The instructor was Ning Yan—a renowned swordsmanship master in the training camp, a peak advanced war god, known as "Blazing Blade".
When Lin Yun entered the classroom, there were already seven or eight students sitting inside. They looked at Lin Yun with a hint of curiosity, but quickly looked away.
The classroom was small and simply furnished. At the front was a podium, and behind it hung a large display screen on the wall. Beside the podium stood a training alloy combat sword.
"Everyone, please sit down."
A loud voice came from the doorway, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Lin Yun turned his head and saw a burly middle-aged man stride in. He was about forty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a short beard on his chin. He exuded an imposing aura. He was wearing a red training uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong and powerful forearms.
Ning Yan. Blazing Blade.
His gaze swept over everyone in the classroom, lingered on Lin Yun for a moment, and then looked away.
"Today's lesson is about the foundation of swordsmanship—power generation." Ning Yan's voice became serious. "Many people think that swordsmanship is just about swinging the sword, the faster and more powerful the better. That's wrong. True swordsmanship emphasizes 'power originating from the ground, strength arising from the heart.' Can the power from your feet be transmitted to your waist, can the power from your waist be transmitted to your arm, can the power from your arm be transmitted to the sword—every link must be undiminished, and every bit of power must be used on the blade."
He swung his knife.
The blade tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound. But Lin Yun noticed not the sound, but the entire process of Ning Yan swinging the blade—from the soles of his feet gripping the ground, to the power generated by his calves, to the twisting of his waist, to the force delivered by his shoulders, to the extension of his arms, to the rotation of his wrists—every step was smooth and natural, the power flowing within his body without any leakage.
"I used seventy percent of my strength in this strike." Ning Yan sheathed his sword. "Can any of you tell me the trajectory of the force in this strike?"
The classroom fell silent for a moment. A student sitting in the front row raised his hand and answered: "From feet to legs, from legs to waist, from waist to back, from back to arm, from arm to knife."
"That's too general," Ning Yan criticized bluntly. "Anyone who has studied basic swordsmanship knows what you're saying. What I'm asking is—in the process of power transmission, which joint is the pivot? Which muscle group is the core? How many turning points does the power need to pass through from the soles of the feet to the tip of the blade?"
The student was speechless and his face turned bright red.
Ning Yan's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Lin Yun.
"Newcomer, you speak."
Lin Yun stood up, thought for a moment, and then said, "The power surges from the soles of your feet, passing through seven joints: ankle, knee, hip, waist, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Each joint is a turning point. The core hub is the waist, which is the key to connecting the upper and lower body. If the waist does not generate enough power, the power of the upper and lower body will be disconnected, and the power of the blade will be reduced by at least 30%."
A hint of surprise flashed in Ning Yan's eyes, but it was quickly concealed.
"Not bad," he said, his tone still stern. "At least you've read some books. But just knowing isn't enough; to actually do it, what kind of swordsmanship have you practiced?"
"The third level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade Technique, the first level of the Phantom Blade Technique," Lin Yun said.
"Ninefold Thunder Blade, third level... 2.8 times the power." Ning Yan nodded. "That's a good foundation. How far have you progressed in the first level of Phantom Blade Technique? How long have you been practicing it?"
"It's been three months, and the 'One Strike, Two Shadows' technique is still unstable," Lin Yun answered truthfully.
Ning Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "Show me your sword."
Lin Yun walked to the open space in the center of the classroom, drew his training knife from his waist, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and quickly reviewed the key points of the Phantom Blade Technique in his mind. Then, he opened his eyes and drew his knife.
The blade sliced through the air, and two sword shadows separated from it, slashing in two different directions, one to the left and one to the right. The sword shadows were fairly solid, but they only existed for a short time, disappearing in a flash.
Ning Yan stared at the two sword shadows and remained silent for a few seconds.
"One slash, two shadows, you've grasped the basics." His tone rarely carried a hint of approval. "But there are many problems. First, your slash speed isn't fast enough. Blade shadows are created by speed; if the speed is insufficient, the shadows will be weak. Second, your power is still too rigid. Phantom Blade Technique requires a balance of strength and flexibility; you only have strength, not flexibility, so the blade shadows are unstable. Third, your wrist is too stiff; the final flip isn't natural enough, resulting in an incomplete separation of the blade shadows."
He pointed out three problems in one go, each one hitting the nail on the head.
Lin Yun listened attentively, remembering every word Ning Yan said.
"However..." Ning Yan changed the subject, "You were able to master it in such a short time, which shows you have good comprehension. Many people practice this Phantom Blade Technique for one or two years and still can't even get the basics right. You were able to achieve two shadows with one strike in three months, which is already quite impressive."
Lin Yun was slightly taken aback. This was the first time Ning Yan had said "not bad" instead of criticizing.
"Do you want to learn from me?" Ning Yan asked.
"Yes," Lin Yun replied without hesitation.
"Okay." Ning Yan nodded. "But let me make this clear: my classes aren't easy. If you fall behind, I won't wait for you; if you slack off, I'll kick you out. Understand?"
"Understood," Lin Yun replied firmly.
Ning Yan looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips. The smile was faint and fleeting, but Lin Yun caught it.
"Sit down," Ning Yan waved his hand. "Let's continue the lesson."
For the next hour, Ning Yan explained in detail the power generation details of the first level of the Phantom Blade Technique. He started with the most basic grip on the blade, then went on to explain the wrist rotation angle and every turning point of the power from the feet to the blade. His explanation was extremely detailed, breaking down each movement into several steps and demonstrating each step repeatedly.
But he did indeed have a fiery temper. One trainee was holding a knife incorrectly, so Ning Yan walked over, snatched the knife from his hand, demonstrated it again in front of him, and then said sternly, "See? This is the correct grip! Don't grip so tightly with your fingers. The hilt isn't your enemy! Relax! The knife is your friend, not your foe!"
The student turned pale from being yelled at, but he did correct his grip on the knife.
Lin Yun sat in the back row, listening quietly, his eyes following Ning Yan's every move. He noticed that although Ning Yan had a volatile temper, every movement he made was extremely precise, with no wasted energy. His swordsmanship, like his title "Blazing Blade," was fierce, sharp, and uncompromising, yet within this fierceness lay a delicate control.
This is the foundation of a martial arts family. Hundreds of years of inheritance, the essence of swordsmanship passed down from generation to generation, cannot be mastered by hard work alone. It requires accumulation, reflection, and the hard work of countless generations.
When get out of class ended, Ning Yan walked up to Lin Yun.
"Tomorrow afternoon, at the same time," Ning Yan said. "You can continue. I'll first refine your basic swordsmanship, and then I'll teach you the Phantom Swordsmanship. Although your foundation is good, there are still many minor flaws that need to be corrected."
"Thank you, Teacher Ning." Lin Yun bowed slightly.
Ning Yan waved his hand and strode out of the classroom.
Lin Yun stood in the classroom, watching Ning Yan's departing figure, a surge of anticipation rising in his heart. This hot-tempered teacher's swordsmanship was indeed unfathomable. Learning from him, his own swordsmanship would surely improve rapidly.
As I stepped out of the Nine-Story Tower, the sun was already setting. The golden afterglow bathed the tower, casting a warm glow upon the black structure.
Lin Yun stood in the square in front of the building, looking up at the nine-story tower, a sense of unprecedented determination welling up in his heart.
He's here at the elite training camp.
Dragon blood, gravity chamber, trial tower, phantom sword technique—these will all become stepping stones for him to become stronger.
And he wouldn't waste a single step.
Lin Yun turned around and walked towards Jiangnan Pavilion.