Chapter 38 - Jiu Shen Demonstrates His Skill
After seeing him remain silent, Lu Sulan spoke no more. She then walked towards her disciples and displayed a milder gaze.
When the disciples saw Lu Sulan walking towards them, they bowed their heads respectfully and greeted her. "Greetings, Sect Mistress Lu."
Lu Sulan nodded her head with a gentle look. She then glanced at Jiu Shen with a cheeky smile and replied. "Before we start with our practice, let me introduce this man first. He is Lord Jiu Shen and he will be checking all of your flaws, so make sure to do good when you execute your sword techniques."
When Jiu Shen heard her words, he remained serene and tranquil with no hints of ripples in his emotions. He had expected this kind of development after speaking too much about their sword techniques. In his uncountable eons of life, he had already grasped the human"s heart.
After speaking with Lu Sulan, he was able to tell that she was a headstrong woman that would not allow anyone to mock their teachings. She had an unyielding nature who would not easily back down. Even after knowing that he was an Alchemy Saint, she still risked offending him just because he said that their sword techniques were flawed.
After listening to their sect mistress" words, the disciples glanced at the man standing behind their sect mistress. His long silver hair was tied in a ponytail. With skin as fair as white jade and a face that could make a woman breathless.
They were surprised to see such a handsome man and they all thought that he might be one of their sect mistress" pursuers.
"Okay, let"s start everyone. Xiao Hua, you"ll go first." Lu Sulan called out for someone with a kind smile.
A young lady with beautiful facial features stepped forward. She appeared to be slightly shy as she walked towards Lu Sulan. "Greetings, Sect Mistress Lu." Xiao Hua bowed her head slightly as she greeted Lu Sulan.
"Little Hua, let me see if there is an improvement in your Radiant Sword Slash." Lu Sulan stroked her hair with a doting look.
"Yes, sect mistress." Xiao Hua answered shyly, her face blus.h.i.+ng. She took in a deep breath and calmed herself down before performing her Radiant Sword Slash.
Jiu Shen calmly observed Xiao Hua as she executed her sword technique. "Manipulation of true essence, subpar. Conversion of true essence, average. Execution of attack, trash. Damage produced, average. Overall rating, below average."
All the disciples exclaimed after seeing the brilliant radiance produced by Xiao Hua"s sword slash. They also felt that it was strong enough to kill a mid-stage 4th-rank Knight Crusader realm expert.
It was already good for Xiao Hua who was only an initial-stage 4th-rank Knight Crusader to be capable of producing an attack that was one minor realm higher than her cultivation.
Even Lu Sulan was happy with her progress. She smiled and patted Xiao Hua"s little head causing the latter to blush in embarra.s.sment. "Good job, Little Hua. But you still have to sharpen your skills. If you weren"t nervous, you could have executed a much stronger attack."
"I will work hard, sect mistress." Xiao Hua replied respectfully.
Lu Sulan then glanced at Jiu Shen with a smile. "Do you want to say something, Lord Jiu Shen?"
Jiu Shen wanted to maintain a low-profile, but he did not want to see Lu Sulan"s annoying smile. How could he allow a little girl to act so willfully in his presence?
He stared at Lu Sulan deeply causing the latter to look away.
His gaze was so penetrating that it made her feel a hint of fear.
Jiu Shen then turned to look towards Xiao Hua who was looking at him expectantly.
"You have great potential, but the way you manipulated your true essence was mediocre at best. The way you executed your technique looked flashy, but it"s full of holes and openings. There was also an unnecessary pause of half a second midway through your execution and this might have been related to your anxious state of heart. Furthermore, because your manipulation of true essence was subpar, the damage of your attack was significantly reduced." Jiu Shen"s words were harsh but everything was on point. He was able to see the flaws of Xiao Hua"s sword technique with one glance. He was even able to tell them the reason for such flaws.
His words were like sharp arrows that pierced Xiao Hua"s little heart. Her body faintly trembled and her eyes also watered, but she suppressed her urge to cry. Everything he said was right, but she didn"t know how to improve her control in manipulating her true essence. Even their sect mistress could only correct them slowly.
Looking at her distressed look, Jiu Shen remained unperturbed. If he had complimented her, she would grow complacent and her sword techniques would never progress. It was better to tell her about her mistakes so that she can slowly correct them herself.
Seeing Xiao Hua"s sad look, Lu Sulan was about to berate Jiu Shen, but before she could speak...
"Your name is Xiao Hua, right?" Jiu Shen asked.
Xiao Hua nodded her head slowly while biting her lips.
"Observe this carefully, Xiao Hua. I will execute the same sword technique and I will also suppress my realm to the initial-stage 4th-rank Knight Crusader... Can I borrow your sword?" Since he had already told Xiao Hua about her flaws, then he might as well help her improve her shortcomings.
Xiao Hua was surprised, but she obediently handed her sword to Jiu Shen.
Everyone, including Lu Sulan observed Jiu Shen"s every move. They wanted to see what he would do.
Jiu Shen suppressed his realm, making everyone sense the aura of an initial-stage 4th-rank Knight Crusader on him.
Without making any superfluous movements, Jiu Shen nonchalantly brandished the sword in his hand causing a raging sword wind to materialize in midair. It then hit a nearby boulder making it explode into countless pieces.
His attack caused all the disciples to widen their eyes in surprise. It was actually twenty times stronger than Xiao Hua"s attack! And the way he executed the sword strike was more natural as if he merely executed a random slash.
As for Lu Sulan, she was covering her mouth with an expression of utter disbelief. "That"s... How did he execute our sect"s Radiant Sword Slash?! The attack he made can also threaten a 5th-rank Spirit realm expert. I must be dreaming..." She muttered to herself while feeling shocked in her heart.
Because of the silence, everyone heard Jiu Shen as he muttered. "This sword technique is truly lousy. Even after revising it, I can only increase its power by a bit..."
After hearing his words, everyone was speechless.