"All right."

Xiang Tieniu turned his head in confusion, looking at Zhou Ping'an.

Although he was not particularly sharp-witted, he knew well enough who provided his meals and whose orders to follow.

Besides, his master had instructed him long ago that after joining the army, he must swear to loyally serve General Zhou, obeying his commands without question.

"Since Third Miss wishes to see the basic Sword Technique I've passed down, Tieniu, go ahead and try it. Don't worry about hurting her."

Zhou Ping'an was slightly proud.

From the moment Luo Hao spoke resentfully, he knew that Xiang Tieniu, due to his innocent nature and simple mind, was the first to unravel the secrets of this straightforward Sword Technique.

"Be careful."

Xiang Tieniu seemed to see no difference between men and women.

He also didn't think there was anything wrong with swinging his sword at a charming boss.

The wide and heavy Broad Blade that seemed like a door panel on his back suddenly leaped into his hands; he stepped forward, bowing front and arrowing back, delivering an unremarkable, diagonal slash from overhead.

Whoom…

The black blade clangorously resonated, thunder seemingly echoing through the air, and the surrounding atmosphere vibrated altogether…

The power of the blade was like thunder, ahead of the blade edge was a thread of gray mist in the air, evoking a sense of vast and profound weight in anyone who saw it.

Originally, Lin Huaiyu only waved her sword horizontally without activating her True Qi… Before their blades even touched, she felt as if her arm bore the weight of thousands, the immensely heavy force numbing her palms.

[That's almost twenty thousand kilograms of force, and the properties are so strange, it seems to subtly counter the Wave Subduing Blade Technique…]

Lin Huaiyu's knowledge and judgment were extraordinarily sharp.

She immediately recognized the miraculous aspect of Xiang Tieniu's stroke.

Clumsy defeating the clever, all-encompassing.

It was merely a simple strike, yet it seemed to encompass the heaviness of the earth, the explosiveness of fire, the agility of the wind, and the softness of water…

"This…"

Her sword gleamed several rotations, transforming into the Wave Subduing Blade Gleam, drawing in and thoroughly dissipating the sword energy; with a shake of the sword, she rebounded Xiang Tieniu's Broad Blade back to him.

Spectators saw this simpleton merely draw back and push, deflecting tens of thousands of kilograms of force into nothing, retreating just a step and standing firm with his sword, not attacking further.

"What a great Sword Technique, Brother Zhou, is this a new move you created recently? It seems to contain the essence of earth, water, fire, and wind, all fused into a single strike. How did you achieve this?"

Lin Huaiyu's eyes burst with astonishment.

She was somewhat obsessed with Martial Arts, and each time she encountered a novel technique, she couldn't suppress her desire to learn and try it out.

Seeing Xiang Tieniu's Sword Technique, she already understood that although the technique he deployed did not seem overwhelmingly powerful or exceedingly sophisticated,

it was merely because the practitioner himself was not sufficiently trained, only revealing a fraction of the technique's essence.

There was nothing lacking in the Sword Technique itself.

On the contrary, this technique, from the superficial to the profound, could endlessly evolve.

Someone who had never practiced Martial Arts could use it.

And so could an old Jianghu who had practiced Sword Techniques for dozens or even hundreds of years.

It was just a simple strike, yet the more one pondered, the deeper the appreciation.

In terms of conception, it even slightly exceeded the Canghai Sword Codex.

"Actually, it's not as amazing as you think. This Cultivation Technique I've created has only reached the Refined Energy level. I haven't even developed the True Qi Realm, the Five Viscera Realm, or the Blood Exchange Realm yet, but it's perfect for training soldiers, allowing for the quickest formation of combat capabilities," Zhou Ping'an laughed with a slight chuckle.

But he still felt a slight pinch in his heart.

Based on seventy thousand strands of Wish Power Threads, combined with his own Wave Subduing Blade Wave Stacking, Wind-Chasing Spear Technique, and Karmic Fire Divine Flame Technique, and also incorporating several Body Strengthening and Conditioning and Force-Exertion Techniques from the King of Light's Golden Body Method into one Sword Technique, its foundation was profoundly solid.

This Sword Technique was formidable because, as long as one trained diligently, and with sufficient nourishment, even a fool could achieve something notable.

It could simplify and incorporate Breathing Techniques into sword moves, unconsciously strengthening the muscles and bones of the body, generating force...

This was its advantage.

But there were also disadvantages. The higher the achieved realm, the harder it was to progress, and breakthroughs were tremendously difficult.

Therefore, this was actually a rapid-development Sword Technique.

Just for a short span.

Once the force was developed, further progress without outstanding talent was incredibly challenging to achieve.

'Maybe, once I have a sufficient foundation, I can solve this problem.' Zhou Ping'an thought to himself, sighing internally.

In order to create the world's strongest army,

he had indeed spared no expense.

"Huaiyu, what do you think would be a good name for this Cultivation Technique?"

"Earth, water, fire, and wind, a blend of primordial essence. Why not call it the Primordial Heart Method?"

"Primordial, Primordial Heart Method… That name is a bit grand, but still fitting," Zhou Ping'an tilted his head, pondering before accepting Lin Huaiyu's suggestion.

He turned his head to glance at Luo Hao, who was holding his staff rather gloomily, and suddenly smiled.

"Luo Hao, there's no need to feel dissatisfied. Every tool has its strengths and each their weaknesses. Tieniu sticks to one track, and focussing only on the Sword Technique allows him to comprehend its essence quicker than you."

"And you, in terms of power, you are comparable to him. Even more distinctly, whatever Martial Arts you handle seem to trace back to their origins, directly seeing their true nature. Perhaps, through the Sword Technique, you saw the true essence of earth, water, fire, and wind, but felt there was no starting point, right?"

"Yes, every time I switch from Sword Technique to Staff Technique, I feel something is off. Either there's a lack of heaviness, or it's missing speed..." Luo Hao scratched his head and hehe smiled.

On the surface, although he claimed his cultivation was misguided, deep down, imperceptibly, there was actually a hint of defiance.

This fellow might appear rough and straightforward, but his mind was quite focused. Even when he had never learned martial arts before, he had the habit of daring to question and being diligent in thinking.

Until he understood, he couldn't practice.

This was the reason he, who started learning this newly created sword technique with Tie Niu at the same time, couldn't beat Tie Niu.

"Watch carefully."

Zhou Ping'an shook his head.

He knew this guy accepted things verbally but not in his heart.

He didn't say much else.

He simply picked up a long-handled broom from the corner of the room and swung it overhead, smashing it down.

Incredibly, he used the long handle of the broom as a weapon, performing staff technique.

As the slender bamboo stick came chopping down, Luo Hao felt as if the sky had darkened; what he saw was no longer a bamboo stick but a towering white jade pillar crashing down from the clouds with a thunderous roar.

An immense pressure of wind smashed down around him, turning his vicinity into a marshland, rendering him unable to move an inch.

This staff moved with the force of wind and thunder, fierce flames leaping, seemingly distant then suddenly right above his head.

Hum...

The bamboo stick stopped, and the Qi force, like a wild wind, swept up, causing Luo Hao's long hair to wildly fly about.

He couldn't help but bulge his eyes open, tense his body tightly, and shout out in terror, with his well-tempered copper rod only raised halfway, already stiffened in place.

On his forehead, sweat flowed like a waterfall.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Zhou Ping'an seemed as if he hadn't moved at all, retracting the broom, resting it back by his feet.

He thought to himself, if he didn't suppress this fellow's arrogance thoroughly, this promising individual might grow skewed.

Luo Hao, with his heavy shirt soaked in sweat, didn't notice Tang Lin'er next to him, barely holding back her laughter.

The shock in his eyes slowly faded as he took a deep breath, bowing respectfully, his expression fervent, "I saw it clearly, General. That staff move just now seemed unchanging, but actually, all possible variations were integrated within it, changing as the heart desires, as the situation demands, simplifying complexity. There's no need to think, just to practice."

"A teachable lad; do you still want to learn another set of staff techniques?"

Zhou Ping'an smiled.

"No need. The sword technique is the staff technique; the spear technique is also the staff technique. Whether it's swords, spears, staffs, or rods, in hand, it can be whatever you think it is."

The more Luo Hao spoke, the smoother and more excited he became, as if he had just unraveled a monumental puzzle.

His aura jumped; in his hands, the well-tempered copper rod was squeezed, leaving deep impressions of five fingers.

A blood-red haze rose from the back of his head, appearing as a faint column of smoke.

"Blood Renewal."

Zhou Ping'an's face twitched.

Could it be that he had encountered yet another sudden enlightenment genius?

Not only him, Tang Lin'er also stood by, eyebrows furiously twitching, clearly, Luo Hao's sudden breakthrough while merely standing and listening to a few theories deeply impacted him as well.

The only one unaffected was Xiang Tieniu.

As if he hadn't noticed anything at all.

With a flat, unruffled expression, it was unclear whether he was just obtuse or truly didn't understand how difficult Luo Hao's on-the-spot breakthrough was.

"You all go down. Individual cultivation is important, but don't neglect troop training. The formation map for the Three Talents Formation has been distributed; within half a month, you at least should be able to form the formation, capable of fighting enemies..."

Zhou Ping'an distributed some Blood Fortifying Pills and Marrow Cleansing and Sinew Refining Pills, then waved his hand for people to step down.

"Thank you General…"

The three commanders left with great delight.

Once out of the County Yamen, they looked at one another, their eyes full of eagerness.

They thought, this time they absolutely couldn't be outdone by each other.

The matter of training troops needed urgent attention.

Even Xiang Tieniu, in fact, understood the underlying meaning of Zhou Ping'an's words.

In at most another half month, they might have to head to the battlefield. By then, insufficient strength wouldn't just mean failing to achieve merits and receive noble titles; it could lead to death.

…

Lin Huaiyu suddenly looked up and smiled, "I want to learn too."

"Go ahead, the more advanced parts haven't been created yet. Perfect for us to figure out together."

Zhou Ping'an didn't mind Lin Huaiyu learning the simple sword technique he had created.

Because he knew, when it really came to comparing perceptiveness,

Without using the Power of Wishes to induce overclocking of his brain, he was still a notch behind in terms of insight.

During this past half month,

With enough Yellow Sprout Pills to consume, Lin Huaiyu's True Qi jumped every three days, and by now she had connected the Minor Heavenly Cycle and most of the Grand Circulation and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

The speed of cultivation was incredibly fast.

Moreover, apart from the accumulation of True Qi, her incipient Martial Intent started forming brands, and when wielding the sword, the gleam of the sword was so alive, it nearly achieved the Human-Blade Union.

If talking about cheating,

Zhou Ping'an felt that Third Miss was truly cheating.

Her cultivation seemed to have no bottlenecks.

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