Chương 224: The path to becoming stronger

Long Feng focused when old man Solitude said that. Indeed, all these long talks were much harder to digest compared to witnessing it himself.

"Your sword concept seems to be at the seventh level right?" Old Man Solitude asked Long Feng nodded. His sword concept was indeed at the seventh level.

"Very well. I will now suppress my sword energy to the level of a rank three sword concept." Old Man Solitude smiled and released a fairly weak sword energy. Long Feng could tell that it was merely comparable to a rank three sword concept energy, but the sharpness of this energy astounded him.

"Now, attack me with your sword energy. Don't hold back!" Old Man Solitude said as he gathered the rank three sword energy to his finger. Long Feng took a deep breath and released all of his sword energy, stirring the wind in the valley. Then he gathered all of that sword energy Into the Origin Spirit Sword. The infusion of this rank seven sword concept energy caused the Origin Spirit Sword to let out humming sounds and dazzle with a bright light.

Then Long Feng swung it at old man Solitude without hesitation, unleashed all of his sword energy at once. The power of this attack could defeat a rank one spirit realm warrior easily. Old Man Solitude was unfazed by this. He simply poked at the incoming sword with his finger that was coated in his rank three sword energy. One would expect Long Feng's energy to win overwhelmingly due to the difference between them. But the opposite happened.

Long Feng's attack was ripped apart like paper by old man Solitude's finger. And he merely used the energy of a rank three sword concept! Long Feng's jaw fell as he watched this shocking scene. His origin spirit sword was even knocked out of his grasp by old man Solitude's finger and thrown aside!

"Do you understand?" Old Man Solitude asked with a smile. Long Feng nodded gently"Teacher's sword energy is so much more condensed than mine. The power is naturally much greater than mine even though mine was at a higher level" Old Man Solitude's smile widened and a gratified expression filled his face.

"You're right. But it's not just about the thickness of the sword energy but also about the understanding. So right now, we need to focus on two aspects of yours; Your Sword skills and your Sword concept!"

"My sword skills?" Long Feng asked curiously. He didn't think he had any problems there. With the Firmament Sword Art, he didn't need any skills again But old man Solitude thought otherwise"That's right your sword skills. I saw the technique you used back at the competition" he slowly revealed. Long Feng's eyes widened"Teacher was there?" If so, then that could explain how old man Solitude knew about him even though he lived in isolation.

"I wasn't there. But I have my own methods" old man Solitude replied with a faint laugh, not willing to explain more. Long Feng also tactfully didn't ask about that. He already knew that old man Solitude was a strong powerhouse. His methods naturally weren't things he could fathom currently.

"The technique itself isn't bad. It is very strong, and I could tell that it had much more potential than you could use" old man Solitude continued and Long Feng couldn't refute that. Out of seven sword skills in the Firmament Sword Art, he could barely use the first one, and yet it was enough to startle many people to pay attention to him. It's power could be seen from this.

"But your own lack of understanding and control also wasted much of the sword strike's power. Your prior foundation with sword skills aren't enough, yet you forcefully used a powerful skill like that. It was filled with many flaws. A sufficiently experienced foe would directly see through the flaws and disperse the attack easily. If you use that attack against me, I only need a single finger to disrupt it and disperse it. That is because you are lacking in your control of the sword and understanding of the skill."

Old Man Solitude explained. Long Feng remained silent, aware that old man Solitude was speaking the truth. He was aware of all these his flaws, but no one had ever mentioned them so he didn't realize how serious it actually was.

"I've sketched a training plan for you for ye next few weeks. I assure you your sword skills will be completely unrecognizable when you leave. Today, you should go and digest what you've learned. Tomorrow by sunrise, your training will begin" Old Man Solitude said faintly, making Long Feng's heart to beat with anticipation.

"Thank you teacher" he quickly clasped his fists and said gracefully. There was no ties or prior relationship between them, yet old man Solitude was willing to teach him everything sincerely. This alone was enough to make Long Feng owe him infinitely.

"Hahaha! Don't thank me yet. You'll very much enjoy your training!" Old Man Solitude laughed as he walked away, planning to sit on his usual chair to 'get some fresh air' Long Feng also decided to do nothing for the rest of the day and bring his physical state to its peak. And he slept soundly at night to refresh his mental state so that he would be at his best condition the next day. The next morning, he woke up feeling especially energetic.

He quickly cleaned up and rushed out of the room, already impatient to begin his 'training' Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. He found old man Solitude at the edge of the valley where a large tree stood. The old man was slowly walking around the tree and nodding in satisfaction. Long Feng didn't bother to guess what got into this old man today. He simply walked over"Good morning teacher" he greeted. Old Man Solitude finally seemed to notice him"Ah, kid you're awake?

That's good. I can see you're very excited" Long Feng grinned and nodded.

"That's the right attitude kid. Alright, let's stop wasting time. I came up with two very effective methods to quickly raise your sword skills in just a few weeks" Old Man Solitude smiled proudly when he said this.

"What methods teacher?" Long Feng asked curiously. Old Man Solitude grinned and pointed at the large tree.

"The first method. Watch closely" He rolled up his sleeve, muttering something about his old body being forced to work, then he stepped back and lightly hit the tree trunk with his palm. The tree instantly shook and many leaves rained down. A bright sword energy coated old man Solitude's finger and he rapidly sliced out dozens of time around him with his finger. His actions were graceful and calm, but Long Feng couldn't tell what he was doing.

Untill all the leaves hit the floor and suddenly all split along the center at the very same instant. Long Feng's mouth immediately went wide enough to fit an egg down his throat. Even though he was seeing clearly, he still doubted what just happened. It was worth mentioning that these leaves were just the size of a baby's palm!

"Hehehehe, how's that? Amazing right?" Old Man Solitude asked with a bright smile. Long Feng nodded blankly, awed at Old Man Solitude's precision but also wondering how this would help him.

"This will be your first training. It trains your precision and energy control to the limit. I want you to use your sword to slice these leaves along the center. A Swordsman must be precise to the limit and use every strand of energy wisely." Old Man Solitude explained with a cheeky smile.

"That's impossible!" Long Feng blurted out exasperatedly.

"Impossible? Didn't I just do it?"

"That's different! These leaves, they all fall down at different angles, different directions and different time. Slicing them all along the center with a sword is impossible! You also used your finger!" Long Feng pulled at his hair feeling aggrieved.

"Eeee… you're right actually kid. I also can't do that using a sword" old man Solitude laughed softly. Long Feng stared at him blankly, struggling to suppress the impulse to insult this old man. Old Man Solitude also got embarrassed under Long Feng's speechless gaze.

"That doesn't mean you can't do it kid. I just never bothered about this because my precision is excellent already. But you need this. And this is the fastest and most stable way to rapidly raise your precision and energy control in less than a month kid!" Long Feng found himself unable to refute the man's words.

"So, are you going to do it or what?" Old Man Solitude urged. Long Feng could only helplessly nod his head"I will" what other choice did he have? And he truly needed to use all means to raise his strength and the sword was the fastest way right now to do that before the hundred continent meeting.

"Good kid. Give it a try now" old man Solitude laughed and urged. Long Feng grumbled to himself as he stood before the tree with the Origin Spirit Sword in his grasp. He took a deep breath and shook the tree trunk with a palm strike, then he raised his focus to the peak. The moment the leaves began to fall, he raised his sword and swung forward. His sharp sword energy covered the blade of the sword. But before he could slice any leaf apart, all of the leaves were reduced to fragments by his sword energy.

Long Feng stood stiffly, surrounded by tiny falling pieces of leaves.

"Hahaha!" Old Man Solitude burst out laughing, going as far as bending over and holding his stomach to stop himself from falling.

"Kid, your sword energy control is absolutely horrible! You destroyed the leaves even before your sword touched any! Hahahaha!" Long Feng stared at the old man laughing and his face flushed. He snorted and hit the tree again, causing another set of leaves to rain down. This time, Long Feng pushed his focus to surpass his limits so he could shut the old man up. But before he could slice any leaf again, the spreading energy of his sword concept once again reduced the leaves to pieces.

Old Man Solitude's laugh increased, echoing through half of the valley.

"Kid, you have much work ahead of you! Not to mention training your precision, you have to train your control enough that you don't reduce the leaves to pieces! Hahaha!" Long Feng breathed rapidly and calmed his emotions.

"Well since teacher is so great, why not try it with the sword for junior to learn?" Old Man Solitude's laugh froze halfway and he smiled shamelessly"Kid, this is your training. I don't want to steal your fire. Come, let me show you the second training. I'm sure this one will be easier. You can focus on both after that" He touched his beard and said faintly. Long Feng's face brightened up but this time, he remained cautious and didn't believe the old man's words about ease or whatever.

Old Man Solitude led Long Feng back to the cottage area and to the river bank. Long Feng was left scratching his forehead as he guessed how the river would help his skills.

"Look kid, this one is much easier. You see that protruding rock under the waterfall?" Old Man Solitude pointed at the waterfall, the point where it hit the surface of the river. The turbulence there was quite strong, even Long Feng dreaded falling into that area. There was also a faintly visible rock that protruded from the mountain wall behind the waterfall. It was situated in the very center of the waterfall at the point where it hit the river.

The force it must have withstood over the years would certainly be unfathomable. It was a miracle that the rock didn't shatter under the force. Seeing that rock, a bad feeling filled Long Feng's heart. He glanced at old man Solitude suspiciously and asked"Yes I can see it. What does it have to do with my training?" Old Man Solitude laughed mischievously and explained"This training is very simple. You'll just stand on that rock under the waterfall and withstand the pressure without using your cultivation.

At the same time, you will release your sword concept energy and make the basic sword moves; Swing, hack, cut, parry, and stab." Long Feng immediately turned around and began to walk away after hearing this 'easy' training method. His brows twitched repeatedly as he began to realize that this old man truly wanted to exhaust him to death. Trying to slice falling leaves with his sword was fine, great. He was willing to do it.

But to stand under a waterfall that was falling with at least few hundred to a thousand pounds of force without protecting his body with his Inner energy while making sword moves at the same time… that was straight up insanity. He wasn't going to take part in murdering himself.

"Hey kid, where're you going? Wait up!" Old Man Solitude quickly blocked Long Feng's path and smiled at him"What's the rush? Listen to the benefits. Your body strength and stamina will rapidly improve within days. Using your sword energy under the pressure will restructure it, make it much denser than you can imagine. And making sword moves under that pressure can multiply these advantages I listed and also raise your sword skills to unimaginable heights.

Each strike will seem profound and pressuring to your opponents. If you can move freely under the waterfall, then imagine how much more agile and flexible you will be under no pressure?" Old Man Solitude explained rapidly in a single breath. His words made Long Feng to pause and his expression to lighten a bit. The advantages were truly tempting and he was tempted to accept immediately. But… to stand under that frightening waterfall was a bit too…

"Can't you come up with something else? That waterfall will break my bones!" His lips twitched again as he glanced at that waterfall.

"It won't kid. Your body had been strengthened a bit by your inner energy. You will survive it, just won't enjoy the experience much" Seeing that Long Feng was still hesitating, old man Solitude decided to take a harder approach.

"Listen kid, quit being so indecisive like a coward. You wish to become stronger yet you can't bear to go through some pain? Hmph. Where's your will? You want to become an Unyielding swordsman with this cowardly attitude? Such a joke! To think I spent a whole night racking my old brain to create a method that is suitable for you only for you to run like a coward! Do whatever you want!" Long Feng was startled by the old man's outburst.

Then he scratched his head in embarrassment when he realized that the old man was right. He wanted to become stronger in a short time, yet he wasn't willing to endure suffering? Even normally, there was no profit without pain. Nothing was free, especially not strength. Old Man Solitude must have certainly used a while to come up with these methods that were suited to him and wouldn't affect his future, make his cultivation unstable or leave any sort of hidden backlash. It really wasn't right for him to reject it.

Staring at old man Solitude who had tightened his face and looked away, pretending not to care, Long Feng couldn't help but smile and feel warmth in his heart.

"Fine teacher. I'm sorry. Junior will follow your methods" Old Man Solitude glanced at him, hiding the satisfaction that appeared on his face and snorted"Hmph. Thought you'd act cowardly and flee. Fine, since you're so apologetic and sincere, I'll continue teaching you." he sighed, leaving Long Feng speechless.

"From today, you won't do anything else. Upon waking up in the morning, you must immediately come here and train under the waterfall for half of the day. Then you will head over to the tree and train your precision and control till sunset. After that, you'll have something to eat and rest for the night" Old Man Solitude turned serious and spoke calmly. Long Feng nodded in acceptance without hesitating again.

Inwardly, he decided that he would use the nighttime to comprehend the Firmament Sword Art, the new skill he got the heaven ripping finger skill which he hadn't yet looked over and the Nine Firmament Steps.

These three would be his main focus and he believed that if he could master the heaven ripping finger, master the Earth Firmament Sword strike and also master the first of the Nine Firmament Steps, he would not find it hard to face Gongsun Hao in a head on fight, although he would still likely lose due to his lower cultivation. But his cultivation was also rising steadily. He was already a rank eight Yang realm cultivator and was closing in on the peak Yang realm.

Then he would be a single step away from the spirit realm! Right now, reaching the spirit realm would certainly raise his strength and Increase his miniscule chances of entering the top hundred of the hundred continent meeting.

"Good. Your training begins immediately! Take off your dress and jump into that waterfall right now!" Old Man Solitude nodded and ordered strictly. His rapid change in temparament still left Long Feng In awe every time he witnessed it. Truly, this old man was multi talented.