Chapter 4: Chapter 4: White Crane Sword Will, Realized!
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
A six-year-old girl living alone and cooking for herself is indeed pitiful.
If Zhou Xuanji did not have the memories from his previous life, and if he was Little Jiang Xue, he would either die of hunger or be frightened to death.
At the thought of this, he had some respect for her on top of feeling sorry for her.
This girl would surely become someone extraordinary.
When the porridge was ready, Little Jiang Xue fed him herself. She blew at the porridge to cool it down a little before feeding him.
It has to be acknowledged that Little Jiang Xue’s cooking was not bad. Although he was used to the luxurious feasts in the palace, he still felt that it was good.
Maybe it was because he was too famished.
After all, she was only six years old. How good could she be at cooking?
After he had finished a bowl of porridge, there was still some time before nightfall, so he started to train with a sword in the yard.
He picked up a stick to use as a sword. No one knew where the Crimson Dragon Sword came from after all. He should not expose himself recklessly.
Although he trusted Little Jiang Xue, he was worried that the villagers who were pa.s.sing by would see him wielding it.
He first practiced according to the moves of the first form of the White Crane Sword Technique.
He only discovered how difficult the movements were after he started practicing them.
He was only a two-year-old after all!
After he completed the first round of practice, he had already spent half an hour training.
Little Jiang Xue came out from the kitchen and saw his movements, inquiring, “Little brother, what are you doing? Training how to wield a sword?”
Why would a two-year-old child train with a sword?
She had never seen anything like this before.
“Yeah, so that I can protect you after I finish my training.” Zhou Xuanji replied casually, making Little Jiang Xue laugh with glee.
She replied, “Take it slowly, don’t hurt yourself.”
After she finished speaking, she returned to the hut to prepare a few sets of clothing for him.
Zhou Xuanji continued to train, and once he practiced five rounds of the White Crane Sword Technique’s first form, he felt his body become lighter and stronger. This is, indeed, amazing.
After he completed ten rounds, he felt that his physique had strengthened many times over. Subconsciously, he thought that he had attained enlightenment.
Activating Crane Stand once again, it was now a piece of cake. It was as though he was an old swordmaster who had trained for ten years, drawing and returning the sword with extreme speed.
He continued practicing the second form — Crane Wing Spread.
He could only finish it fifty times by dusk. He was exhausted, but when he performed it the fiftieth time, the fatigue left his body in the blink of an eye.
He swung his fist and felt like he was full of strength.
“As the Sword Owner completes a sword technique, the Sword Spirit will strengthen the Sword Owner’s physique. This will allow the Sword Owner to activate this sword technique with ease. Currently, the Sword Owner’s strength has already reached that of an adult man,” the Sword Spirit said.
Zhou Xuanji felt elated after hearing this.
A two-year-old with the strength of an adult man, I’m going to become like Nezha! (TL: A character in Chinese legends who had extraordinary strength at birth.)
With the Supreme Legendary Sword System around, he did not need to worry about uselessly training himself.
He did not continue to practice but went to the kitchen to help Little Jiang Xue cook.
After dinner, he continued to practice.
He began working on the third form of the White Crane Sword Technique — Crane Celestial Trace!
Little Jiang Xue sat on a small bench not far away and watched him quietly.
She had a silly smile on her face because having Zhou Xuanji around meant that she would no longer be afraid of the night.
Today was undoubtedly the happiest day she had experienced since she was born.
He did not notice her emotions but focused on his training.
Until late into the night, he continued practicing the Crane Celestial Trace, trying to perform it a hundred times.
When he completed the movement for the hundredth time, he felt a strange power flowing inside his body.
He felt that his body had become stronger again. His strength had doubled.
The strength of two men!
Zhou Xuanji was not surprised. Instead, he was in the process of figuring something out.
He closed his eyes, holding the wooden stick in his right hand, using it as a sword. His body moved in a flash as though it was a white crane, and drifted with agility. He leaped a few meters with just one step and struck a ma.s.sive tree in the yard with his wooden stick.
Kaaaaa —
The wooden stick broke, but not before it left a four-inch-deep cut in the trunk.
He opened his eyes to see and was surprised by it.
He had no spiritual energy, yet he could have such destructive power when activating the White Crane Sword Technique?
He looked down at the half-broken wooden stick that was still in his hands and thought to himself.
When he was activating the Crane Celestial Trace, he felt as though he had become one with the wooden stick, and that something was wrapped around his body.
It was pleasant.
Could it be…
His eyes were wide open and he looked stunned.
“You are right. You have realized the White Crane Sword Will. All sword techniques have their respective sword wills. After you have reached adulthood, you could split open a small mountain using the sword will even if you do not have any spiritual energy,” the Sword Spirit said suddenly, and Zhou Xuanji was left in a daze.
He attained the sword will just like that?
According to his understanding, there were not many Sword Masters who could attain sword will.
Most importantly, he was only two years old!
The Supreme Legendary Sword System was indeed overpowered!
The effort I put staying up all night to design this has paid off!
“Not so, the Sword Owner is also extremely talented in the Way of the Sword, or else the Serendipity of the World’s Beginning would not have morphed into the Supreme Legendary Sword System. It just so happened that the cultivation that suits you the most is the Way of the Sword!”
The Sword Spirit continued to explain, and Zhou Xuanji came to a sudden realization.
He immediately thought of his father in this life, Emperor Yan of Zhou!
Emperor Yan of Zhou had great achievements in the Way of the Sword. He once destroyed an army of a million soldiers with one swing of his sword, and his power became well-known across the world.
Indeed, like father like son.
He shook his head, turned around, and left.
He did so only to see Little Jiang Xue asleep by the door. Under the moonlight, her little face appeared rather peaceful.
“Silly girl.” He muttered.
He then went to the door and carried Little Jiang Xue into the hut.
After a day of sword training, Zhou Xuanji was tired and fell asleep the moment he laid on the bed.
After all, he was only two years old.
The next morning, he changed into Little Jiang Xue’s clothes, because his gold-laced clothing could easily attract attention.
Little Jiang Xue brought him with her and they wandered around the village to let the villagers get to know him.
Green River Village had only about twenty families. There were only twenty-three able-bodied men, and usually, five to six of them would stay in the village to defend against raids by demons or bandits.
At times, he would trip over his new clothes and almost fall, which made him appear rather adorable, so the villagers quickly grew to like him.
Little Jiang Xue told the villagers about his past, and they sympathized with him even more.
The villagers in Green River Village were simple and honest, pa.s.sionate, and hospitable, such that his arrival was not met with any rejection.
Within seven days, everyone in the village already knew Zhou Xuanji.
Although he had already mastered the White Crane Sword Technique, he would still spend time training his body every day. He spent most of his time playing around with sword techniques in the mountains.
Demon appearances were rare in this area. Across hundreds of years, the demons became almost extinct in this area. Although there were demon intrusions once in a blue moon, it was usually safe.
In the blink of an eye, three months had pa.s.sed.
And then came a day that some unwelcomed guests appeared.
A middle-aged woman with a face-wide pockmark came to the yard with two strong men. The woman was plump, and it was apparent that she was a harsh woman just by looking at her face. She was fanning herself with her right hand while she rested her left hand on her hip, and screamed, “Little girl! Your grandma is still not back. Come with me to pay her debt!”
There were more than twenty villagers outside the village, both men and women. They all came to stand up for Little Jiang Xue.
They belonged to the same village after all, and could not bear to see Little Jiang Xue bullied.