Going beyond the scope of basic swordsmanship was no trivial matter; it was something almost impossible to achieve.
Qin Mu understood the difficulty involved.
All sword arts in the world, no matter how complex, how ever-changing, or how innovative, could be broken down into the most fundamental sword movements: the thrust stance, the flick stance, the cloud stance, the cleave stance, the chop stance, the dot stance, the collapse stance, the hook stance, the rising stance, the smear stance, the sweep stance, the parry stance, the intercept stance, and the flourish stance.
Even the most astonishing sword arts created were merely combinations of these stances.
But the State Preceptor of Yankang was different. He had added new basic sword movements to these fundamental techniques!
How terrifying was that?
Qin Mu didn't know how many basic sword movements the State Preceptor had added, but even if it was just one, every existing sword art would have to be rewritten, recreated—otherwise, in the eyes of the State Preceptor, they would all be riddled with flaws!
"He could be called a god..." Qin Mu murmured, suppressing the shock in his heart.
The Grand Six Harmonies Sword Art that Qu Ping displayed was truly majestic in scope, its power supremely fierce and forceful, reaching an unbelievable level of strength!
Qin Mu had also seen several Six Harmonies realm cultivators in the Great Ruins, but none were as formidable as Qu Ping.
Among the Imperial Academy students, the leap from the Five Luminaries realm to the Six Harmonies realm was like a massive transformation—a staggering improvement!
Students in the Five Luminaries realm were also strong, but not to an absurd degree. In Qin Mu's view, among all the Imperial Academy students, none were his match.
But cultivators at the Imperial Academy, even those who had just advanced to the Six Harmonies realm, were incredibly powerful!
The Six Harmonies realm was truly a world-altering change.
Just as Qin Mu was thinking this, the horsetail whisk at Dao Child Lin Xuan's elbow suddenly rose. The whisk's strands surged outward, clustering together as they thrust forward to meet Qu Ping's Grand Six Harmonies Sword.
Qu Ping's Grand Six Harmonies Sword fell outside the scope of basic swordsmanship, but Lin Xuan's sword art, wielding the horsetail whisk as his blade, was clearly structured within the framework of fundamental techniques.
His sword art wasn't as majestic as the Grand Six Harmonies Sword, but in Qin Mu's eyes, he could see something extraordinary.
"Qu Ping will lose without a doubt. Dao Child Lin Xuan likely needs only one move to defeat him."
Having learned swordsmanship from the Village Chief—only one move, Sword Treading the Land, plus the most basic sword techniques—his eye had already surpassed countless sword masters.
Lin Xuan's strike also looked simple enough, seemingly just a thrust toward Qu Ping's descending Grand Six Harmonies Sword, but those wisps of whisk strands were each a slender sword—and swords that changed in a thousand ways!
Too many variations!
Qin Mu activated the Divine Firmament Eye and the Azure Firmament Eye, his heart shaking violently. Within Lin Xuan's horsetail whisk, there were over a hundred strands, each of which could change its technique over a dozen times in an instant. In other words, every instant saw over a thousand variations!
With so many variations, there was no way to defend against them!
And Qu Ping's Grand Six Harmonies Sword didn't have nearly as many changes. Though the sword pillar contained more sword light, it mostly employed the same winding sword stance, rotating in concentric circles, advancing layer by layer.
Encountering Lin Xuan's whisk strands as swords, it would certainly be broken.
Moreover, Qin Mu noticed that Lin Xuan's fundamentals were incredibly solid—nearly rivaling his own. This Dao Child Lin Xuan's mastery of basic swordsmanship was the strongest among all cultivators and martial artists Qin Mu had encountered so far. Though slightly inferior to himself, the gap wasn't much.
Even the Sword Hall Master, after receiving Qin Mu's instruction, was still a step or two behind Lin Xuan.
The most critical point was this: although Qu Ping's sword art contained new basic techniques created by the State Preceptor, Qu Ping's fundamentals hadn't reached the pinnacle. His foundation was unstable. No matter how refined the sword art, without a solid foundation, its power couldn't be fully unleashed.
Clink-clink-clink-clink—
A countless number of dense collision sounds rang out. The crowd only had time to see the whisk strands colliding with the magnificent sword pillar, and then the sword pillar dissolved in midair, ceasing to exist. Only a very few could perceive the sword art variations exchanged in that fleeting moment.
Qu Ping was struck in the chest by the horsetail whisk and crashed into the mountain gate with a thud. The gate shuddered, sending down a shower of dust.
Lin Xuan gently shook the horsetail whisk, the strands growing shorter until they rested again on his elbow. Then he sat down, eyes on nose, nose on heart, calm and composed.
Meanwhile, Qu Ping slid down the mountain gate. His chest was riddled with blood holes, pierced by the whisk strands. Dao Child Lin Xuan had not struck with lethal intent—each strand had avoided his vitals as it entered his body, sparing his life.
Several physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau rushed over, administering a few spirit pills to Qu Ping, then tearing open his clothing to apply medicinal ointment to the wounds on his chest and back, staunching the blood.
"So powerful!"
Behind the mountain gate, the Imperial Academy students all felt their hearts sink. Qu Ping wasn't unknown among the cultivator-tier students—in fact, he ranked among the top.
The Imperial Academy not only held entrance examinations but also held annual student evaluations to determine rankings, using these to motivate students to strive for improvement. Qu Ping ranked within the top hundred among the Academy's cultivators.
Entering the top hundred meant the gap in strength was already minimal. Qu Ping's defeat in a single move showed that the difference between his strength and Lin Xuan's was considerable.
This was the most frightening part.
Suddenly, the Second Prince's voice reached everyone's ears: "If you can't see through the variations in their sword moves, you'd best not participate."
This remark struck hard at the Academy students. Most present had failed to see through the sword art changes between Qu Ping and Lin Xuan.
Especially Lin Xuan's swordsmanship—as the Daoist faith's Dao Child, his swordplay was hidden within the changes of his horsetail whisk strands. If one couldn't even perceive his sword art variations, going up would only invite humiliation.
Beside Shen Wanyun, Yun Que whispered, "Eldest Brother, did you see through that Dao Child's sword art changes?"
Yue Qinghong also hurried over, wanting to ask Shen Wanyun's opinion. Shen Wanyun hesitated, then said, "I used the Clairvoyant Divine Eye to see his technique variations, but I can't break through them..."
Yue Qinghong laughed. "Eldest Brother, if you went up, that little Daoist would certainly seal his Six Harmonies divine repository to fight you. Most of his cultivation resides within that repository. Without the power from his Six Harmonies divine repository, he wouldn't be able to execute such exquisite swordplay!"
Shen Wanyun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I need to wait and see if I can spot any flaws. That Qin Mu is nearby. Let's go ask him for his thoughts."
The three arrived where Qin Mu stood. Shen Wanyun said, "Junior Brother Qin, do you think you could defeat this Daoist faith's Dao Child?"
Qin Mu hesitated briefly, then replied, "If we dueled at the mountain gate with his Six Harmonies divine repository sealed, our chances would be fifty-fifty."
"Bragging!" Yue Qinghong scoffed coldly. "Making wild claims! If you're on par with him, doesn't that mean you're stronger than a Six Harmonies realm cultivator?"
Hu Ling'er pointed at the woman, looking shocked. "Young Master, this is the girl you bumped back-to-back into the copper pillar! I've seen her face!"
Yue Qinghong flushed with anger and embarrassment—this fox was too despicable.
Shen Wanyun's eyes flickered. "But what if it weren't a fair duel at the mountain gate? What would your odds be then?"
Qin Mu said frankly, "Ten out of ten. In a fight to the death with no rules, he has no chance of winning at all. In truth, I'm quite strong."
Shen Wanyun's heart skipped a beat, his eyebrows raising as he silently calculated what his own chances would be if he encountered Qin Mu in a life-or-death struggle.
Yue Qinghong smiled. "Junior Brother Qin, that's a bit much..."
"Young Master, this monk is the one you knocked out with a single punch!" Hu Ling'er exclaimed, pointing at Yun Que. "This bald head—I remember this head! Monk, your clothes are still with Young Master. How much are you willing to pay to redeem them?"
Yue Qinghong's smile froze on her face, and she said disgruntledly, "For a monk, wealth is merely an external thing. I don't have any yet. Once I have money, I'll come redeem them..."
"All talk, and still a poor monk."
Hu Ling'er lost interest in him. "You'd better hurry, or Young Master will pawn off your clothes."
As they spoke, another cultivator emerged from the mountain gate. He cut an impressive figure, with a striking appearance, and stepped forward to greet the two Daoist disciples blocking the gate. "Colonel of Might Kun Ziyu requests the Dao Child's guidance. I am at the Seven Stars realm and will seal my Seven Stars divine repository."
Dao Child Lin Xuan rose and returned the bow. "Senior Brother Kun, please proceed."
Shen Wanyun's eyes lit up immediately. "Colonel of Might Kun Ziyu! He's returned from the border as well!"
Wei Yong quickly asked, "Eldest Brother, how skilled is this Kun Ziyu?"
Shen Wanyun didn't answer. Yue Qinghong beside him said, "We Imperial Academy students are eighth-rank officials, while the Colonel of Might is sixth-rank. Senior Brother Kun earned his sixth-rank through battle at the border. You can imagine his strength! In the last cultivator evaluation, he ranked in the top ten of the Academy!"
Wei Yong's respect deepened. "To have fought on the battlefield, earned merit, and risen to sixth-rank—that's truly remarkable!"
Qin Mu knew little about this and asked them to explain. Shen Wanyun said, "Academy students must go down the mountain each year for field experience, accompanied by the Directorate of Education. Most go to the border, some to the Great Ruins, and some to the Bureau of Engineering. If they distinguish themselves, they receive promotions. Many students at the Academy hold sixth-rank positions; some even hold fifth-rank!"
Qin Mu was impressed. The State of Yankang was cultivating officials!
After leaving the Imperial Academy, students could be directly assigned to real positions—posted to local governments or straight to the military!
Kun Ziyu's combat strength was astonishing. Even with his Seven Stars divine repository sealed, he surpassed Qu Ping in power. Moreover, compared to Qu Ping, his skills were better suited for actual combat—simultaneously wielding spells and controlling his sword, his swordsmanship wasn't rigid in its forms but adapted to circumstances.
He and Dao Child Lin Xuan actually fought their way into the air, clashing in mid-flight. Sword light streaked back and forth like lightning, accompanied by thunderous booms as bolts of lightning struck toward Lin Xuan. Kun Ziyu engaged in close combat with a force like rushing thunder—he had clearly also cultivated an extremely powerful combat technique!
The battle was spectacular, leaving the crowd below dazzled and full of praise.
Qin Mu frowned and asked Shen Wanyun, "Eldest Brother, what's the origin of the Daoist faith's technique?"
Shen Wanyun shook his head. Behind them, a deep voice answered: "The Daoist faith's classic text, the Innate Grand Mystery Art—a supreme mystical cultivation method equal in renown to the Heavenly Demon Cult's Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra! Kun Ziyu will likely lose."