Chapter 13 Sparring

afternoon.

A group of trainee demon slayers gathered at the training ground to continue practicing the "Mountain Splitting Style".

After nearly an hour of repeated slashing, the flying fish robes of the thirty trainee demon slayers were soaked with sweat, and many of them were trembling, but they still dared not slacken their efforts.

"stop!"

Zhao Shan's voice rang out at this moment.

Everyone sheathed their swords, and many breathed a sigh of relief before looking at Zhao Shan, awaiting his next instructions.

Zhao Shan approached Shen Lian and Li Hu and said, "Shen Lian, Li Hu, your injuries have just healed. Have you felt unwell today?"

Shen Lian clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Commander, I am not feeling unwell."

Li Hu quickly added, "I'm the same way, it's just that my stamina is a bit lacking."

Zhao Shan nodded slightly: "You two performed reasonably well today. Recovery from injuries takes time and requires gradual progress."

"yes!"

Zhao Shan then looked at the others and said, "From now on, practice in pairs with wooden swords. Remember, stop when you've made a point, and don't intentionally hurt anyone."

The thirty trainee demon slayers were divided into fifteen groups.

Shen Lian's opponent is Chen Yun.

The two men stood several feet apart, their eyes locked on each other, and then they clasped their hands in a gesture of respect.

Please advise.

Chen Yun looked serious as she placed her right hand on the hilt of the wooden sword.

"please!"

Shen Lian held a wooden sword horizontally in front of him. After a period of rest and extra practice, his understanding of the "Mountain Splitting Style" had deepened.

This sparring session is a good opportunity to test one's progress.

Chen Yun made the first move, charging straight at Shen Lian with a wooden sword in hand. She raised the sword high, using the standard "Mountain Splitting Stance" as her starting move.

The wooden sword blade sliced ​​through the air, slashing fiercely towards Shen Lian's face.

Shen Lian's expression remained unchanged. He did not retreat but instead lowered his waist and dismounted. He slashed his wooden sword diagonally upwards, using the power of the "Mountain Splitting Style".

Bang!

The two wooden swords collided in mid-air, producing a loud clanging sound.

Chen Yun felt a powerful force coming from the blade, which made her hands go numb and she involuntarily took a few steps back. She was secretly surprised that Shen Lian's seemingly ordinary strike contained extremely strong power, easily neutralizing her attack.

"Again!"

Chen Yun steadied herself, adjusted her breathing, and charged forward again. This time, she did not choose to attack head-on, but instead moved around, her steps becoming more agile, searching for Shen Lian's weaknesses.

Shen Lian stood with his sword in hand, his center of gravity very stable. His gaze was fixed on the moving Chen Yun. He could sense that Chen Yun's blood and qi had not yet reached the level of a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, but her swordsmanship was solid, which clearly showed that she had put in a lot of hard work.

Chen Yun paused, then suddenly lunged forward, changing her wooden sword to a horizontal slash, aiming for Shen Lian's waist and abdomen.

This sudden change cleverly transformed the "mountain-splitting" trajectory into a horizontal slash, attacking Shen Lian.

"Well done!"

Shen Lian twisted his waist sharply, his arm muscles tensed instantly, and his wooden knife slashed out diagonally at an extremely fast speed to meet Chen Yun's sweeping attack.

Another muffled sound.

This time, the wooden knife in Chen Yun's hand almost flew out of her hand, and she was directly knocked back, her hand holding the knife trembling slightly.

She looked at Shen Lian, without the slightest hint of disdain in her eyes.

"I lost." Chen Yun clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Senior Brother Shen's application of the 'Mountain Splitting Style' is far superior to mine. I am completely convinced of my defeat."

Shen Lian sheathed his sword and stood up, returning the greeting with clasped hands: "Junior Sister Chen is too modest. Your moves are quick and your foundation is solid. It won't be long before you make further progress."

Chen Yun nodded slightly and then returned to the queue.

The sparring session just now seemed easy, but in reality, Shen Lian used the power of his Body Tempering Realm cultivation to easily suppress Chen Yun and win.

Although Chen Yun has not yet entered the Body Tempering Realm, her swordsmanship has a solid foundation and she can use it flexibly, which shows that she has extraordinary potential.

On the other side, Li Hu faced off against Wang Lin.

Wang Lin was the first among this batch of trainee Demon Suppressors to break through to the Body Tempering Realm. He possessed extremely strong Qi and Blood Power, and his stance training and swordsmanship were also very strong.

Li Hu took a deep breath, gripped his wooden sword, and walked into the arena.

Wang Lin stood in the center of the arena with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent. A faint glow emanated from between his eyebrows, which was the mark of the Body Tempering Realm, a martial arts imprint. He glanced at Li Hu who was walking over, and a hint of contempt appeared on his face.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Wang." Li Hu clasped his hands in greeting and then assumed a fighting stance.

Wang Lin nodded to Li Hu, gripping his wooden sword tightly and pointing it diagonally at the ground: "Come on!"

Li Hu's eyes narrowed, he let out a low shout, and strode towards Wang Lin, unleashing a standard "Mountain Splitting" strike.

With this strike, he channeled all his vital energy into his sword, unleashing an extremely powerful aura as the wooden blade slashed fiercely at Wang Lin.

A hint of surprise flashed across Wang Lin's eyes. He had clearly not expected Li Hu's blood and qi to increase so much after his recovery. He put away his contempt, took a step forward, turned slightly to the side, and swept his wooden knife horizontally.

clang!

Wang Lin struck Li Hu's wooden sword with his first blow. Li Hu felt an extremely strong force coming from him, which deflected his sword strike, causing him to stagger forward.

He twisted his body forcefully, attempting to change his move and slash horizontally.

But Wang Lin was faster. In the instant before Li Hu could regain his footing, his wooden knife had already touched Li Hu's wrist.

Snapped!

With a soft sound, Li Hu's wrist went numb, and the wooden knife flew out of his hand. He stood there stunned, his face flushed, and a sense of defeat rose in his heart.

"You flatter me!" Wang Lin sheathed his sword and said calmly.

The entire process took only two or three breaths before the winner was decided.

The spectators on the sidelines had various expressions. Wang Lin's strength had clearly improved, and his use of force was more skillful.

Li Hu picked up the wooden sword, lowered his head, and walked to Shen Lian's side, saying somewhat dejectedly, "Brother Lian, I..."

"Don't be discouraged." Shen Lian patted his shoulder and comforted him. "Wang Lin has already stabilized at the Body Tempering Realm. His control over his qi and blood and strength far surpasses yours. It's not unjust that you lost to him. You have abundant qi and blood now, and you will break through soon. At that time, your swordsmanship will also improve further."

Li Hu nodded emphatically. The sense of defeat in his heart quickly dissipated under Shen Lian's comforting words. He looked at the others who were still sparring and secretly clenched his fists.

Training ended at sunset.

The group, exhausted, dispersed and returned to their respective quarters.

Inside the government office.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged on the bed, adjusting his breathing to recover. He opened the system panel.

[Host]: Shen Lian

[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm (1/10)

[Combat Strength]: 12~20

[Martial Arts]: Tiger-Taming Stance (Minor Success) (1/5), Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Beginner) (1/3)

Skill Points: 1

After this period of cultivation, Shen Lian's cultivation level stabilized at the first level of the Body Tempering Realm, and his blood and qi also increased significantly.

Shen Lian has only learned the first move of the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" so far. Even though he has skill points, he still can't choose to allocate them. He guesses that he can only continue to allocate points to the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" when he starts practicing the second move.

"Brother Lian!" Li Hu suddenly sat up in bed, somewhat excitedly, "I think... I'm showing signs of a breakthrough!"

Shen Lian looked at Li Hu and saw that the faint light between Li Hu's eyebrows was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and the fluctuation of his blood and qi was several times stronger than before.

"Calm your mind and focus your energy to guide your blood and qi to impact the 'Jade Pillow Gate.' I will protect you," Shen Lian said solemnly.

Li Hu nodded emphatically, immediately closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and focused all his energy on circulating his breathing techniques, trying to guide the warm airflow in his body upwards along his spine, attempting to break through the barrier of the "Jade Pillow Gate".

At first, everything went smoothly.

The airflow gently travels along the meridians, but when it reaches the "Yuzhen" acupoint at the back of the neck, it seems to hit an indestructible wall.

No matter how much Li Hu urged him, he was unable to make any further progress.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.

"Tiger, don't rush in headfirst." Shen Lian stood to the side and whispered a reminder, "Gather the warm energy in your body, aim at the 'Jade Pillow Gate,' concentrate all your will, and break through it in one strike."

hum!

A slight tremor ran through Li Hu's body. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and his consciousness sank into his dantian.

Jade Pillow Pass, breached!

A faint cyan mark slowly appeared between Li Hu's eyebrows, flickering for a few breaths before gradually stabilizing.

Li Hu suddenly opened his eyes. He subconsciously clenched his fists, a sense of power filling his body, and his blood and qi became even stronger.

"I... I've broken through." Li Hu was somewhat incredulous, then excitedly looked at Shen Lian, "Brother Lian, I've become a martial artist."

[Combat Strength]: 9~16

Shen Lian smiled with satisfaction. He checked and found that Li Hu's combat power had reached 9-16, a significant improvement compared to before.

"If you lay a solid foundation, breakthroughs will come naturally. Feel your current power and stabilize your current realm," Shen Lian reminded him.

Li Hu nodded excitedly, eager to experience the changes in his body after becoming a martial artist; his strength, speed, and other abilities had all significantly improved.