Chapter 235: Chapter 234 Sword Qi? Chapter 235: Chapter 234 Sword Qi? People followed the man into a clearing in the middle of the forest.
The man stopped, glanced at the crowd and said, “Isn’t there anyone who chooses to leave? I’m giving you one last chance to leave, otherwise…don’t regret it later.”
Someone in the crowd spoke up, “Master Moke, we’ve heard of your reputation, you are the most formidable Sword Master in the academy, we came specifically to learn from you, we will not leave.”
“Is that so?” The man raised his eyebrows, and the two “pickled black catfish” hanging above his eyes seemed to suddenly come to life. His expression remained stiff, but his voice softened slightly, “It seems there are clever people here, very well, I won’t waste more words. The lesson officially begins.”
Having spoken, the man’s expression became serious, and he walked to the side.
There, in front of a tree, was a huge box.
The man went to the front of the tree, opened the box, took out an iron sword, swung it around, and immediately a “whoosh” sound of cutting the air emerged, full of force.
Holding the sword, the man’s entire demeanor transformed, from the previous dullness to sharpness, as if he himself was a sword.
Turning to face the crowd, the man spoke, “Swordsmanship, it’s complicated yet simple. Here’s something you need to remember: no matter how fancy or exquisite the swordsmanship, it cannot surpass the absolute crushing power of speed and strength.
Therefore, sometimes, you don’t need to master complicated sword techniques, as long as your sword strike is powerful enough, and your speed is fast enough to suppress your opponent, you can achieve victory.
If possible, it’s best to end the fight as quickly as possible because the longer it drags on, the more variables arise. And even if you end up victorious, it might cost a great deal of physical and energy, a loss outweighing the gain.
Today I will only teach you two moves—the simplest attack and the simplest defense. These two moves will not instantly boost your strength, in fact, my lessons cannot significantly help your strength either—you must ensure to practice continuously outside of class.”
Having finished speaking, the man turned again, stood sideways to the crowd to let everyone clearly see his actions: “Now, I’ll demonstrate the simplest attack, Heavy Slash. Just … now!”
As the last word slipped out, the man, holding the longsword, suddenly raised it, carrying the force of thunder and the speed of lightning, and swung it vigorously through the air in front of him.
A sound of cutting wind arose, and the longsword, carried by sheer momentum, stopped as if it had cleaved the air itself.
The crowd widened their eyes.
After completing the demonstration, the man sheathed his sword, ignoring the expressions of the crowd, and started explaining, “Remember, the simplest attack does not mean it’s easy—because it’s very simple, you must prepare even more. Especially in generating force, make sure your legs are stable, the power flows from your shoulder to your arm, to your hand, and finally to the blade…”
The man spoke at length, paused, and then said, “Alright, next is the simplest defense, Parrying, .”
After speaking, the man fiercely raised his sword in front of him, the air around quickly gathering towards the blade. It looked as though it was just a sword standing upright, but it resembled more of a wall.
The crowd’s eyes widened again.
The man lowered his sword, explaining again, “Generally speaking, Parrying is simpler than attacking. But like I said earlier—simple doesn’t mean it’s easy—on the contrary, it’s difficult. Because the key to parrying does not lie with you, but with your opponent.
How the opponent attacks, you need to figure out how to respond with the appropriate method, angle, and force. This is the only way to succeed. And to improve your chances of success, you need to think ahead of all possible responses.”
“Master Moke, I heard that by following your swordsmanship training, if one learns well, one could defeat those magic-wielding apprentices without using any magic, is that true?” someone in the crowd, a blond young man, suddenly asked.
The man glanced at the speaker and responded indifferently, “That’s right.”
The crowd stirred slightly.
The man continued, “Magic is indeed powerful, but to be honest, at the apprentice level, it’s not excessively strong; in fact, it can be considered weak. When facing a magic-wielding wizard apprentice, as long as his magic hasn’t been cast yet, to you, he’s just an ordinary person. At that moment, if you strike him with a sword, he will still bleed, stab him with a sword, he will still scream.
So, if you can ensure that you approach closely enough with a sword before a second-level wizard apprentice releases his first spell, you can achieve victory.”
“What about the third-level wizard apprentices?” the blond young man asked further.
“That’s a bit more complicated,” the man replied, “Third-level apprentices often have life-saving measures, and even if you manage a close attack, you might be restrained. Of course, if you’re clever enough to lure out and successfully dodge their trump cards, you can still win.
“And…” the blond young man asked again, “Master Moke, it’s said that…if one learns your swordsmanship and masters it well, one can defeat wizards, is that true?”
“Where did you hear that from?” Moke looked at the speaker and asked.
“Don’t think too far, child,” Moke said, “Swordsmanship is indeed powerful, but it only works at the wizard apprentice level. Using it against wizards is not realistic.”
“But…” the blond young man’s eyes twinkled, “but…I heard that after you were injured, you defeated an official wizard as a third-level apprentice.”
What? Was that possible?
A line of people cast inquiring glances at Moke.
Moke, however, showed little pride under their gaze and simply acknowledged, “Yes, that happened.”
The crowd murmured in surprise, evidently not expecting Moke to be so formidable. Then their looks turned fervent—as if thinking that if Moke could do it, perhaps they could as well…
At that moment, Moke unceremoniously began to douse their enthusiasm.
“I must remind you of something. I am me, and you are you. Thus, the swordsmanship I used to defeat the official wizard is not the ordinary swordsmanship you imagine.”
As he spoke, Moke gripped the longsword, cried out loudly, and suddenly swung it at a tree beside him as thick as a person’s embrace.
A piercing sound arose, as if nails were scratching the rust-layered inner wall of an iron bucket.
The sharp air flow quickly swept over the tree, and then, under the dumbfounded gazes of the watchers, the tree split in half with a “snap,” and fell to the ground with a “thud,” the broken surface smooth as if deliberately polished.