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(A/N: Crescent Moon Technique -> Crescent Moon Sword Technique)
30 minutes later…
"Huff… Huff…" Despite the heavy breathing, Tian Ye has his full attention on Han Yi who was standing casually in front of him with an outstretched hand gripping onto a tree branch glowing in blue light.
He himself was grabbing his sword, pointing at Han Yi, ready to retaliate anytime he attacked.
His hands were trembling slightly, it might be because he wasn't used to long battles, or his body couldn't handle the strain of high intensity battle, or his cultivation is too low, or all of the above.
It didn't matter as he was only focused on improving his combat abilities.
"Do you want to rest?" Han Yi asked gently but it only came across to Tian Ye as mockery.
"Tian Ye!" An excited voice came from his left, so he thought as his attention was on the person in front of him, Han Yi, 'So fast? An afterimage?!'
He rotated his body clockwise to dodge the incoming attack and deliver a spinning sword attack, he also didn't forget to coat his sword with spiritual qi and extend the sword by 50 centimeters. With his current spiritual qi purity and control, he was able to do it at ease even if it's only for a single second or even less and that makes it even better since it helps with qi consumption.
Clang!
Han Yi appeared directly in front of him and caught the sword strike with his tree branch and said with relief as well as with a tone scolding, "That wasn't me, you're too focused on me and didn't even pay attention to your surroundings, if it wasn't for me, you'd have killed the 3rd Elder's Disciple that's now lying on the ground in fear. Work on your vision towards your surroundings as well, not just on your combat experience."
"3rd Elder's Disciple?" Tian Ye asked in surprise then saw a child around his age on the ground, trembling, laughing dryly as he looked him in the eye, "T-Tian Ye… It's me… Zhao Feng."
"Zhao Feng?" Tian Ye who stabbed his sword on the ground asked in confusion, "Do I know a Zhao Feng? It sounds a little familiar…"
Hearing Tian Ye's words, Zhao Feng immediately stood up, forgetting his fright from death that might have come to him and angrily grabbed Tian Ye's collar and said, "It's me!"
Tian Ye then laughed lightly, patting Zhao Feng in the shoulder asking, "Oh! Zhao Yang! How're you doing? We haven't met in a while!"
"It's Zhao Feng!" Zhao Feng responded angrily then Tian Ye shrugged and said, "I'm just kidding, so? How's your cultivation?"
"I reached the Qi Refinement Realm last week! I wanted to let you know, but Master Gao said you were in seclusion." Zhao Feng, who knew how Tian Ye liked to play pranks despite his mature demeanor, decided to forget what happened earlier and just explained.
"Is that so?" Tian Ye smiled slightly then said, "I'm happy for you."
"What about the others?"
"Others? Sun He broke through 2 weeks ago and Yang Wei broke through a day earlier than me. You? Have you made progress?"
"Me? I broke through to the second layer a month and some days or weeks back. I forgot the exact time." Tian Ye bragged like a kid.
"What?!" Zhao Feng looked at Tian Ye in shock then asked with a slightly trembling tone, "Y-You… you're in the third layer now?!"
"Of course not, I've been busy with some other things but I would be somewhere around the third or fourth layer now if I hadn't been."
"This… This…" Zhao Feng looked at Tian Ye in disbelief then nodded in understanding before leaning close, "Tian Ye, how about you tell me the secret so I can get ahead of Sun He and Yang Wei? You know that I've always been the slowest one."
"Hm… I don't mind telling you."
"Really?! Thanks, you're really a good close brother!" Zhao Feng laughed excitedly.
"Hmph! Praise me more!"
"Yes, yes, young master Tian Ye is the best!"
Tian Ye then began to whisper something to Zhao Feng as if telling him some top secret techniques.
Han Yi who was watching over these two converse couldn't help but look at Tian Ye with a slight surprise, he didn't expect his disciple to have such a side. He soon chuckled as he thought, 'I guess it's normal to be like this to those of similar age. Furthermore, they grew up together.'
Tian Ye then asked, "Forget about that for now, have you learned the 3rd Elder's martial arts yet?"
Zhao Feng nodded in reply, "I've partially learned the Crescent Moon Sword Technique's First Movement, Moonlight but… why'd you ask?"
"Is that so?" Tian Ye then asked as he picked up the sword off the ground and waved it lightly, "Wanna spar?"
"I just started learning the Crescent Moon Sword Technique, I haven't had the chance to have a battle yet." With his current experience of nearly dying from Tian Ye's attack just now, Zhao Feng scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Oh… Then why don't you just demonstrate it for me to see?"
"If that's it, I should be able to." Zhao Feng directly agreed. If it wasn't a battle and just a demonstration, he could do it.
Zhao Feng walked a distance away from Tian Ye, then after moving for 5 meters, he stopped.
Closing his eyes, he breathed in and out to focus, and then he soon opened his eyes wide again. He raised his right hand over his left shoulder and as he dashed forward, he waved his hand that was covered with spiritual qi for a second.
"Crescent Moon Sword Technique, First Movement, Moonlight!" He shouted along, sending a flying slash from his fingertips reaching a total distance of 10 meters away.
Seeing him finish the demonstration, Tian Ye clapped his hands and nodded, "Not bad."
"Heh!" Zhao Feng said proudly but Tian Ye turned to Han Yi and said, "Master? Don't our Flowing Sword Technique have this kind of attack? Maybe 4th Form? Although it's a bit weak considering that it flew so far away, it's convenient."
Han Yi was a little shaken hearing his words but then laughed and said, "I've also said the same thing to my master but then my master said that he isn't so strict so I can go ahead and learn another sword technique if I want."
"Really?" Tian Ye nodded in satisfaction to their line of discipleship's flexibility then asked in curiosity, "Who's master's master…?"
Han Yi shook his head in reply, "The previous generation's 2nd Elder, my master, Peng Hu, died after living till the end of his lifespan of 96 years old. He failed to break through to the 8th Layer of Qi Refinement Realm."
"I see… I'm sorry for your loss and for mentioning such a painful memory."
"Thank you for your thoughts but it's fine. I have long moved on and carry my master's will which is to bring the sect to the path of greatness, with our sect leader who's not present and doesn't even care much about his appearance, it's up to us elders to do it." As he said these words, he walked to the side of Tian Ye and ruffled his hair, "And you, my disciple with your contributions have helped me in carrying my master's will and strengthening the sect even if not in the immediate future."
Tian Ye slightly smiled but then a voice arose from the woods saying, "So you're here, Zhao Feng."
Zhao Feng, who was on the side, staying quiet obediently, exclaimed, "Ah! It's master!"
It was the 3rd Elder, Gao An. As Gao An approached, he looked over to the 1st Elder and slightly nodded, "First Elder."
"Um." Han Yi just nodded in reply.
After greeting politely, he went over to Zhao Feng's side and ruffled his hair, the same way Han Yi did to Tian Ye and scolded, "Why are you here? Did you forget that we're practicing the second movement today? You're already 10 minutes late."
Zhao Feng just laughed cheekily, "Master, I saw Tian Ye then forgot, I haven't seen him in a while so I went over to catch up."
"This kid… even if you want to catch up, you have to let the person you have an appointment with, in this case, me, know first. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master, I apologize."
With the harmonious master and disciple relationship between the pair of Gao An and Zhao Feng duo, Tian Ye couldn't help but smile, feeling happy for him.
Tian Ye then looked around and went to get his scabbard, sheathing his sword and saying, "Master, can we end practice now? I'm a little exhausted."
Han Yi, who was on the receiving end, nodded, "Sure, it's been 30 minutes after all, you can go ahead and rest."
"Thank you for today's sparring master, I'd like to take a month to cultivate again, I should be able to convert it fully in a month."
"So soon?" Han Yi was a little surprised at Tian Ye's speed, but then thought that he was cultivating for 24 hours a day, it was natural so he nodded, "Alright, just come to me if you need anything."
Tian Ye nodded then waved his hand goodbye casually at Zhao Feng, "Good luck on your cultivation, Zhao Feng."
"Yeah! You too!" Zhao Feng waved his hand in response as well then looked over to his master and said with glowing eyes, "Master!"
"Hm? What is it?" Gao An asked what Zhao Feng was apparently so excited about.
"Tian Ye said if you're a master that really cares for me, you'd give me 10 hundred-year old spiritual herbs right now so I can catch up to Tian Ye and far surpass Sun He and Yang Wei."
Tian Ye, who hasn't walked that far yet froze for a moment, meanwhile Gao An and Han Yi's lips twitched hearing Zhao Feng's words.
Han Yi then chuckled, 'I was wondering what he whispered to him awhile ago but he actually told him such a ridiculous thing.'
Feeling the ominous gaze of Gao An on his back, he used spiritual qi to boost his speed and run to the Seclusion Cave as fast as he could.
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