Chương 6: Group Training
Biên tập viên: Henyee Translations
It was night time again.
Their dinner was the leftover lamb soup from last night.
Xu Ning did not say a word about picking the Heal-all Plants during the day.
After dinner.
Xu Lian packed up the dishes and chopsticks. Tao Yunchuan said to Xu Ning, "From tomorrow onwards, on odd-numbered days, you shouldn't go to the mountains to pick medicine."
"Why?"
Xu Ning was puzzled.
Tao Yunchuan said to Xu Ning, "I paid the village five taels of silver so you can go to the martial arts training."
Xu Ning suddenly felt a little confused.
'Training?'
Xu Ning was a little dumbfounded.
He was already in the intermediate realm of the Gale Knife Technique, why would he need training?
Seeing how Xu Ning did not immediately agree, Tao Yunchuan thought that Xu Ning was distressed over the money. He said, "You don't have to worry about the money. We have 100 taels in savings, so take this opportunity to practice martial arts."
"Xu Ning, you have to understand that martial arts training is the true way in life."
Tao Yunchuan said, "When I was a teenager, I went up the mountains to collect medicine and met a beast. Although I escaped, I was physically disabled. I had no ability to practice martial arts, so I couldn't get ahead in life. You are still young, and with your current capabilities, you can't give up this opportunity."
"I…"
Xu Ning felt that this was a waste of time.
Xu Ning pondered for a moment and spoke.
"Yunchuan, my knife technique is actually quite good."
Tao Yunchuan heard this and shook his head. He smiled. "Don't lie to me. Last month, you were upset because you haven't improved your skills for a long time. And now you're saying that your technique is good? Do you think I'm gullible?"
Xu Ning was at a loss for words.
"It's fine, Xu Ning, don't hesitate. I have already paid the money. Go there tomorrow."
Tao Yunchuan did not intend to give Xu Ning a chance to make a decision this time. He stood up and patted Xu Ning's shoulder. "Remember, practice hard."
After that, Tao Yunchuan limped out of the room.
Seeing how Tao Yunchuan was determined, Xu Ning decided to listen to his brother-in-law.
"If that's the case, I'll go practice."
Xu Ning knew that he couldn't escape Tao Yunchuan's demands.
However, he didn't plan to train for a long time. After finding an excuse for his increase in strength by going to the group training, Tao Yunchuan would recognize his talents.
By then, he would ask to train alone instead of training in a group.
…
Early the next morning.
The rooster crowed while the sky was still dim.
Xu Ning woke up early. He quickly groomed himself and went outside.
Today, Xu Ning would officially begin his time in the training camp.
On the way there, Xu Ning saw a large bunch of teenagers rushing towards the school.
As soon as Xu Ning arrived at the school, he saw that the field was crowded.
Xu Ning estimated there were more than 200 people in the school field.
Every 30 people were divided into a team, and the training was led by the elders of the clan.
Yesterday, Tao Yunchuan told Xu Ning that his instructor would be Tao Yunmeng.
Xu Ning asked around and finally found his team.
Tao Yunmeng, the leader of Xu Ning's team, hadn't arrived yet. Xu Ning greeted the peers in his group.
Although he was an outsider, the young men with Tao as their surname did not exclude him.
However, from what Xu Ning remembered, his predecessor had never been unable to fully integrate and be accepted by the Tao village.
In his predecessor's heart, he had never been a member here.
But fortunately now, as a transmigrator, Xu Ning was not so sensitive anymore.
"Xu Ning!"
Suddenly, Xu Ning heard someone call his name.
He looked over.
"Guo Ye?"
Xu Ning saw Guo Ye.
"Xu Ning, you are here too!"
Guo Ye was surprised.
"My brother-in-law signed me up."
Xu Ning then asked, "So you are also participating in the training camp, I didn't even know."
"I occasionally practice. I come here for a few days a month. If it weren't for my uncle forcing me to come, I would rather go to the medicinal shop."
Guo Ye scratched his head; he felt quite embarrassed.
Having poor martial arts skills in this era was considered as being unambitious, so Guo Ye didn't mention the training camp to Xu Ning.
Xu Ning smiled when he heard his words.
Most people who paid the fee wanted to come every day, but Guo Ye was forced to come instead.
Furthermore, Tao Yungang was in the medicinal materials business, so he had plenty of money in his hands. The fee of five taels of silver per month wasn't a huge expense.
"Uncle Meng is here!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
A muscular man in a tight shirt, carrying two large wooden boxes on his shoulders, walked over.
This was the leader of Xu Ning's team, Tao Yunmeng.
Tao Yunmeng was a powerful man in the Tao Village. Apparently, he had long mastered the Gale Knife Technique, and his internal skill had reached the fourfold realm. He was also famous among the nearby villages.
Bang! Bang!
Tao Yunmeng put down the two large wooden boxes from his shoulders.
"Grab a knife and line up!"
Tao Yunmeng looked at the dozens of teenagers in front of him as he shouted.
Tao Yunmeng's team practiced the Gale Knife Technique.
The dozens of teenagers in front of him went silent instantly.
Everyone stood in order. They then took out the steel knives from the wooden boxes and stood back in line.
The steel knives were not anything special, but not every family had one.
For example, Xu Ning's household only owned two hatchets.
Therefore, the knives needed for the training camp were prepared by the village.
The members stood still. Tao Yunmeng counted the number of people before nodding with satisfaction. "Very well, many people came this time! There are even new faces."
Tao Yunmeng noticed Xu Ning.
"Roll call."
Tao Yunmeng took out a piece of paper with the list of trainees on it.
"Tao Qingshu!"
"Here!"
"Tao Zhi!"
"…"
"Xu Ning!"
Finally, Xu Ning was the last one called out.
"Here!"
Xu Ning said loudly.
"Okay, there are only three people who are absent, which is pretty good. Then, let's start practicing!"
Tao Yunmeng shouted fiercely.
"Everybody get your spirits up!"
There was more than one team on the school field. There were nearly ten leaders, but Tao Yunmeng's voice was the loudest.
"Practice the usual routine first, begin!"
Dozens of teenagers began to practice the Gale Knife Technique at the same time.
Instantly, the knives glided in the wind.
Tao Yunmeng did not stand in place, instead he paced around slowly, carefully observing everyone's movements.
"Use more power!"
Tao Yunmeng would reprimand those whose movements were not of standard or had no force.
Especially for those whose movements were obviously subpar, Tao Yunmeng would even kick them as a reminder.
Occasionally, Tao Yunmeng would also praise them.
"Tao Zhi, good progress, continue to work hard."
Tao Yun praised the young girl.
In Kangyun County, regardless of which village, there were always a few women practicing martial arts.
In Xu Ning's team, there were two to three women practicing martial arts.
They were all from good family backgrounds. Their parents and relatives were regarded as upper-class in the Tao Village; they had few problems in life.
In the Tao Village, women could practice martial arts, but it was not compulsory.
Firstly, for external skills such as the Gale Knife Technique, women were disadvantaged in terms of physique when compared to men.
The second reason was that even when women practiced martial arts, they rarely participated in defense and fighting. The high-risk occupations such as guards and hunting teams of the village were mostly performed by men.
After being praised by Tao Yunmeng, the girl named Tao Zhi smiled and swung her knife even harder.
Tao Yunmeng continued to walk and examine, and soon he arrived in front of Guo Ye.
Guo Ye was obviously nervous when Tao Yunmeng came over.
"Guo Ye, what are you practicing?"
Tao Yunmeng suddenly spoke in an aggressive tone.
Guo Ye was naturally an anxious person, so his movements were more stiff than most people.
"Lazy and enervated. Looking after your uncle's shop as an excuse, you lack perseverance and hard work. You never practice in your spare time. You still haven't touched the basics of the knife technique. What do you want me to say about you?"
Tao Yunmeng gently kicked Guo Ye's calf.
Guo Ye staggered and almost fell to the ground.
But faced with Tao Yunmeng's aggressiveness, Guo Ye didn't dare to say a word.
"I really don't know how Brother Yungang can stand you…"
Tao Yunmeng sneered.
Tao Yunmeng's eyes turned away from Guo Ye.
He was completely disappointed in Guo Ye, who had average talents and no fighting spirit. Such a person could not become a true warrior.
Then, Tao Yunmeng turned his gaze from Guo Ye to Xu Ning.
Chương 7: Intermediate Gale Knife Technique?
Biên tập viên: Henyee Translations
Tao Yunmeng scrutinized Xu Ning's movements.
Tao Yunchuan handed over five taels of silver for the training camp yesterday. After Tao Yunmeng received the notice from the accountant, he added Xu Ning's name to the list.
According to the registration information, Tao Yunmeng knew that Xu Ning had been practicing alone previously, so he didn't have high expectations.
After all, people like Xu Ning who could not gather enough money for martial arts training because of their family background, were common in the Tao Village.
Xu Ning watched Tao Yunmeng walk over, but he was calm as a cucumber.
His Gale Sword Technique had reached the intermediate realm.
Thus, Xu Ning was not worried, so he continued to practice the Gale Knife Technique.
Tao Yunmeng approached and stood beside Xu Ning, wanting to see the results of his lone practice.
'What?'
Tao Yunmeng stared at Xu Ning for a while and his eyebrows suddenly jumped, revealing a rather unexpected look on his face.
Xu Ning's knife technique was extremely smooth, and his slashing force was also precise. He was clearly ahead of the others.
'The kid's lone training sessions seem to be pretty good…'
Tao Yunmeng thought secretly in his heart.
The Gale Knife Technique was not an internal skill; it was an external technique.
As far as the technique was concerned, there was a big difference between an untrained and a trained individual.
Xu Ning learned the Gale Knife Technique without any guidance from the elders and practiced privately by himself, so being able to reach this realm was quite amazing.
'Xu Ning's proficiency with the Gale Knife Technique seems like it's elementary, no matter how I look at it…'
Tao Yunmeng was still unable to determine Xu Ning's true strength just by the practice routine.
But even so, Tao Yunmeng still looked at Xu Ning in admiration.
It was difficult to reach the elementary realm of the Gale Sword Technique within three years. And practicing without any guidance at least doubled the difficulty.
'When we do the individual tests later, I have to take a good look at this kid… If he really only practiced alone, he's definitely a talented kid…'
Tao Yunmeng smiled softly.
Although Xu Ning had a foreign surname, Tao Yunmeng still regarded him as a descendant of the village.
"Xu Ning, very good!"
Tao Yunmeng did not hide his compliments.
"Thank you Uncle Meng."
Xu Ning continued his movements without showing any excitement.
Xu Ning knew clearly about his own strength.
Tao Yunmeng walked away from Xu Ning.
After Tao Yunmeng walked away, Guo Ye opened his mouth and whispered to Xu Ning next to him.
"Xu Ning, you were praised by Uncle Meng!"
There was a tone of disbelief and bits of jealousy in his voice.
Xu Ning glanced at Guo Ye and ignored him.
"How did you do it?"
Guo Ye knew that Xu Ning had been practicing alone. He thought Xu Ning would not be as good as him. He didn't expect Xu Ning to be praised by Instructor Uncle Meng.
"Practice more, and think more."
Xu Ning's expression remained blank.
He certainly couldn't tell him the secrets of the Martial Arts Panel.
"Um…"
Suddenly, Guo Ye had the urge to practice martial arts harder.
A complete set routine of the Gale Knife Technique was soon finished.
After finishing the routine, Tao Yunmeng stood in front of the team again.
"Except for a few lazy people, most people have made progress."
Tao Yunmeng's gaze shined over Guo Ye.
Guo Ye lowered his head subconsciously.
"Next, practice on your own and ask me if you have questions."
Everyone followed the new instructions and began to practice.
…
After an hour and a half, all of the practice procedures were over. Finally it was time for the last part of the morning training.
Tao Yunmeng was personally in charge of the test.
"Form a circle, I want to test everyone individually."
Tao Yunmeng said.
"First person, come forward."
Tao Yunmeng took out a steel knife from the wooden box.
A young man at the front of the line stepped out and entered the circle.
The young man gave Tao Yunmeng a salute. "Uncle Meng!"
"Come!"
Tao Yunmeng swung his sword fiercely.
The boy suddenly rushed towards Tao Yunmeng.
The test began.
The young men and women in the circle stared at them intently.
Although this was a test, Tao Yunmeng was utilizing his actual combat techniques, which was something worthwhile to study.
"Uncle Meng is a master…"
Xu Ning stood in the crowd as he watched the fight between the two.
Tao Yunmeng was obviously going easy on the young man, but he was still able to put tremendous pressure on his opponent.
The young man swung his knife and slashed forward, but Tao Yunmeng was able to counter easily.
The heavy steel knife was like a flexible rope in Tao Yunmeng's hands. It constantly restricted the young man's movements by whipping in the air.
'He's just like me, in the intermediate realm of the Gale Knife Technique…'
Xu Ning thought to himself, 'However, I might be wrong, but I still feel that my realm seems to be higher…'
Xu Ning could understand all of Tao Yunmeng's moves, and Xu Ning even felt that he could do better in some places.
'But he only used his external skill. If he showed the strength of his four-fold internal skill, I would definitely not be a worthy opponent of his…'
After thinking of this, Xu Ning felt a little unfortunate.
He had no access to internal skills at all.
Apparently, an internal skill was a fundamental cultivation technique.
"Enough."
In the circle, Tao Yunmeng picked up the steel knife from the young man's hand.
The young man lasted for two minutes.
"Your understanding of the Gale Knife Technique is basically solid, but there are some details that need additional attention…"
After the test, Tao Yunmeng patiently pointed out the young man's problems and made some suggestions.
"Next…"
Tao Yunmeng called for the next person.
Soon, it was Guo Ye's turn.
"Uncle Meng…"
Guo Ye scratched his head and walked into the circle.
Tao Yunmeng's eyes narrowed. "Go."
Guo Ye grabbed the knife with both hands and rushed over.
Tao Yunmeng dodged his attack easily, then he turned around and kicked Guo Ye's ass.
Guo Ye was sent flying out of the circle.
"Learn the basic routines first."
Tao Yunmeng said coldly.
"Yes, Uncle Meng."
Guo Ye stood up awkwardly and scratched his head.
"Last person, Xu Ning."
Tao Yunmeng was looking forward to this test against Xu Ning.
He would soon be able to understand how good this kid's lone practice had been.
Xu Ning walked into the circle and saluted. "Uncle Meng."
Xu Ning was also looking forward to this fight with Tao Yunmeng.
After he got into the intermediate realm of the Gale Knife Technique, he hadn't had the opportunity to test his true strength.
Soon, Xu Ning's entire body entered a flow-like state.
With a knife in one hand, he rushed towards Tao Yunmeng.
The knife slashed forward.
"So fast!"
Tao Yunmeng was shocked.
Xu Ning's slash was extremely fast and done at a tricky angle.
The knife flew towards Tao Yunmeng, who had not yet exerted his full strength. He almost didn't react in time.
When the blade reached his face, Tao Yunmeng was able to dodge it by instinct.
'No way…'
Tao Yunmeng looked at Xu Ning, who was full of fighting spirit. He was a little frightened.
'His realm of skill demonstrated just now is not elementary, it should be intermediate!'
'Three years of lone practice to cultivate his Gale Knife Technique into the intermediate realm?'
Tao Yunmeng breathed heavily.
"Come!"
Tao Yunmeng was ready for battle.
He suppressed his internal skill, but began to manifest his intermediate realm Gale Knife Technique.
Xu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly. After the slash just now, he vaguely felt that he had the upper hand.
He stabbed with the steel knife in his hand again.
The gale knife violently flew in the air.
Xu Ning's relentless attacks were like a tsunami, crashing into Tao Yunmeng wave after wave.
'He really is in the intermediate realm!'
Tao Yunmeng was certain this time.
Xu Ning's combos and cohesion were even better than his own.
The rhythm, speed, and intensity of his slashes were all accurate and precise.
Tao Yunmeng suddenly realized that he was slightly struggling.
Xu Ning displayed more and more offensive slashes, and Tao Yunmeng slowly began retreating in a defensive posture.
Xu Ning and Tao Yunmeng were fighting inside the circle.
The people gathered around were amazed by Xu Ning's performance.
"If I remember correctly, this person is an outsider, right?"
"Yeah, his name is Xu Ning…"
"Why do I feel that Uncle Meng is at a disadvantage in the fight?"
"Uncle Meng should have suppressed his true strength, but it seems that Xu Ning should at least be in the elementary realm…"
"…"
The crowd whispered amongst themselves.
"Xu Ning's Gale Knife Technique does not seem to be in the elementary realm…"
Everyone around felt that Tao Yunmeng was going easy, but Tao Zhi, the girl who was praised by Tao Yunmeng before, clenched her fists tightly and muttered to herself, "He should be at the intermediate realm…"
The reason why Tao Zhi made this judgment was because she was taught by her father, who was in the intermediate realm of the Gale Knife Technique.
The oppressive force displayed by Xu Ning at that moment was similar to that displayed by her father.
"If he's already so strong, why did he come to the training camp…"
When Tao Zhi saw Xu Ning's fresh face in the morning, she thought he was a novice.
But now that did not seem to be the case. Tao Zhi was shocked.
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