After Elder Han He left.

"Elder Shang Wu, have you made any arrangements for Li Mo in the past few days?" Ying Bing asked.

Shang Wu squinted her almond-shaped eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Apart from cooking, there's nothing particularly important."

"Then may I trouble you to lend him to me for three days?" Ying Bing said softly. "I want him to learn sword techniques with me for three days."

After all, she wasn't Li Mo's master. If she wanted to teach him something, she had to consult the 'rightful owner.'

"I trust your swordsmanship, Little Bing'er, but in three days... he won't learn much, will he?" Shang Wu nodded in agreement, but she was a bit curious.

"I have this." Ying Bing took out an item from her sleeve—three sky-blue incense sticks.

"Spirit-Link Incense? The Sect Master even gave you this? How generous..." Shang Wu's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, clearly aware of the item's value.

This was not a product of the Eastern Wasteland Region but originated from the Central Divine Continent. It was made from a rare treasure called Spirit-Link Wood, ground into powder and refined with other precious materials. Lighting this incense while contemplating martial arts could greatly enhance one's wisdom.

However, Spirit-Link Wood grew slowly, only an inch every three hundred years, making it extremely rare. The sect's current stock was likely not much, left by the first-generation ancestor and saved by successive leaders.

Giving Ying Bing three sticks at once showed how much they valued her.

Shang Wu scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. It seemed that aside from giving her disciple a couple of martial arts books, she was just freeloading...

"Wait, you mean to use the Spirit-Link Incense on Little Mo?" Shang Wu came back to her senses.

"Yes, it's useless for me to keep it," Ying Bing nodded.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

"Tsk tsk... this kid is quite lucky." Shang Wu nodded with a smile. Good things she couldn't use, but if her disciple could, it was just as well.

...

"Learn swordsmanship from you?" Li Mo had just opened another meridian. With eleven meridians open, his small world expanded a few more feet. Then he saw Ying Bing push the door open and come in.

"Yes, come with me," Ying Bing said calmly, then turned and went downstairs.

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

"What's this all of a sudden..." Li Mo scratched his head, seemingly understanding. Ice Block wasn't someone good with words. She didn't mention what happened under Qingyuan, but she must have remembered it in her heart.

That's good. With Ice Block around, he could save a lot of martial comprehension. He knew he wasn't cut out for swordsmanship, but Little Li didn't plan to give it up entirely. Besides, he didn't have any other martial arts to practice at the moment.

...

In the open space of Autumn Water Pavilion, blue smoke curled up from the copper furnace. The scent of the incense had a refreshing and invigorating effect on the mind. Li Mo knew this was good stuff.

"From Major Mastery to Perfection means truly making martial arts your own, no longer confined to moves," Ying Bing said. "Even without relying on sword moves, you can achieve the same."

"Similarly, any sword move is a step closer to the true essence of swordsmanship. Master one, and you master a hundred."

Ying Bing joined her fingers and lightly brushed them over a nearby bamboo, leaving a mark resembling a crane's feather, but it was ice blue instead of fiery red.

Li Mo's eyes widened in amazement. 'Thousand Feathers of the Fire Crane' had been transformed by Ice Block into 'Thousand Feathers of the Ice Crane,' indicating she had fully comprehended this upper-tier sword technique. And he hadn't even seen her practice it.

"The Transcendence of your sword technique should allow you to control the timing, quantity, and location of force bursts freely," she continued. "You can even concentrate a thousand feathers into one, piercing through stone."

As soon as she finished speaking, one of the crane feathers suddenly exploded, its power ten times stronger than a single burst.

"What you need to do now is forget the 'moves.'"

"Pick up the sword."

"Alright," Li Mo said, taking out the Bluesteel Sword, which was full of nicks.

Just as he was about to make a move, a cool, soft hand held his, accompanied by a faint fragrance. Ying Bing tightly grasped his hand.

Li Mo: "!"

This felt different from when he jumped off Qingyuan. That was free-falling, his mind blank, with no time to think about anything else. Now...

"Don't get distracted. I'll guide you through it once," a clear voice sounded in his ear.

Truly, a hands-on lesson. Even in her past life, with disciples of extraordinary talent, she would at most give a few pointers. Ying Bing had never taught anyone so seriously.

"Alright," Li Mo collected his thoughts and began to learn earnestly.

A quarter of an hour later, Ying Bing released his hand and stood silently to the side. Somehow, she had a ruler in her hand, watching him with serene eyes, her lips parting slightly: "Practice."

Li Mo: "..."

Ice Block's intention wasn't to hit his palm if he practiced incorrectly, was it?

Five minutes later, Little Li got his answer. It wasn't his palm.

"I'm a grown man, and you're still spanking me!" Li Mo protested, covering his backside. It didn't hurt, but it was embarrassing!

"Hahaha!" Shang Wu laughed, rolling on the lounge chair, tears streaming down her face.

Ying Bing remained unmoved, lowering her eyes: "Forget the moves. You just used a sword move again. The force starts from the ground, flows through the meridians, and can be achieved without sword moves."

She didn't mention the spanking, and there was no room for negotiation.

Alright, alright. If I, Li Mo, don't show off a bit, you really won't take me seriously, huh?

Martial Dao Comprehension, activate!

[Five years of Martial Dao Comprehension successfully injected.]

[Year One: You received guidance from Ying Bing, gained inspiration, and began earnestly pursuing the essence of swordsmanship, forgetting the existence of sword moves.]

...

[Year Five: After diligent practice, you have partially forgotten the sword moves, no longer bound by the form of the first three styles.]

Goodness. With Ice Block's guidance, even five years of Martial Dao Comprehension only got this far. If I were to shut myself away and figure it out alone, who knows how long it would take.

"I'm ready," Li Mo said, picking up the sword and starting to practice again.

"Really learned it?" Watching him wield the sword, Ying Bing's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

However, after a few moves, Li Mo stopped.

"Uh... can you guide me through it again?"

"...Alright," Ying Bing paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Thus, Ice Block's small sword technique class resumed.

...

"Wait for me a moment..."

"I got it! Can you guide me through it again?"

...

This scene repeated over and over.

Ying Bing felt something indescribably strange. It seemed like Li Mo was both smart and foolish. He was clumsy during instruction, often needing her adjustments and guidance, frequently making what she considered very basic mistakes.

But when he closed his eyes and thought for a while, it was as if he had an epiphany, and all those flaws and errors vanished. After a while, he would ask her to teach the next part again.

What she didn't know was that Little Li was conserving his Martial Dao Comprehension.

...

Three days later.

Having just broken through to the twelfth meridian, Ice Block had another dream that night. She dreamed of the time when she was in charge of Cassia Palace, not yet ascended to Phoenix Heaven.

At that time, the Righteous and Demonic Paths in Central Province were in fierce conflict. The court watched from the sidelines, fanning the flames, hoping the sects would destroy each other.

Cassia Palace, neither wholly righteous nor demonic, rarely involved itself in worldly affairs. Yet it gathered nearly half of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths' powerful female cultivators, making both sides eager to win them over.

But the Great Yu Dynasty clearly didn't want Cassia Palace to join either side, disrupting the balance. So, the Crown Prince, who was already regent, prepared countless betrothal gifts that would make any major power envious and presented them to Cassia Palace.

"The Crown Prince wishes to form an alliance with the master of Cassia Palace, forever united in friendship."

This wasn't the first marriage proposal, but it was the grandest. However, the outcome was no different. The suitor couldn't withstand even three of her moves.

"I have no interest in the weak," she said.

People kept coming to bother her, and it was tiresome. She had no interest in imperial ambitions or fighting. Besides reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, nothing else mattered to her.

So she should have said something like that at the time. But as the story spread, it turned into:

"The master of Cassia Palace likes men stronger than her."

This rumor persisted even when she became Empress Huangtian, though no one dared to challenge her anymore...

"I've been dreaming a lot lately..."

"Without reaching the Spirit Observation Realm, I can't control my own spirit."

Ying Bing rose, brushing the frost from her shoulders. The sound of sword practice came from outside the window, and she opened it.

In the sunlight, a young man wielded a sword. The sword shadows sometimes multiplied into hundreds or thousands, sometimes merged into one. He moved with ease, as fluid as a crane stretching its form.

Ying Bing watched quietly, a slight curve forming at the corner of her mouth, unnoticed even by herself. She should be considered a good teacher. Of course, it also had to do with Li Mo's talent.

Strangely enough, with guidance, he progressed rapidly; without it, he was unremarkable. But in any case, through ups and downs, he had brought this upper-tier sword technique to Transcendence.

Originally, Ying Bing thought reaching Perfection would be quite good. It far exceeded expectations.

Perhaps in half a month, when the system ranks the geniuses in the Eastern Wasteland Region, she might actually see him in the middle of the list?