Chapter 26: The Museum Director

The next day, Li Zhen attended his classes as usual. During his hour-long cultivation session at noon, his spiritual energy increased by the standard 0.1.

Although he had advanced to the second level of Qi Refining, such minor realm enhancements didn’t significantly impact his cultivation speed. Only when progressing to mid or late stages within these realms would there be a noticeable improvement in his cultivation rate.

Li Zhen suppressed the idea of requesting a Pill Toxin Detector from school for now. After class, he headed straight for the Going Beyond Swordplay Club.

“Let’s duel first!” Coach Wu said, waiting inside the dedicated practice room upon seeing Li Zhen arrive.

“Please enlighten me!” Li Zhen held his training sword and performed a courteous bow.

When sparring with Coach Wu, Li Zhen didn’t need to hold back. The coach far surpassed him in both cultivation and swordsmanship realms.

However, today was different. As soon as they engaged, Coach Wu realized something had changed—Li Zhen’s attacks were no longer confined by the basic sword techniques; instead, they flowed with newfound flexibility.

“Your swordsmanship has reached a new milestone!” Coach Wu exclaimed, clearly surprised.

He found himself needing to focus more intently. Li Zhen’s swordsmanship exerted immense pressure on him. Most crucially, from Li Zhen’s movements, he sensed an unmistakable aura of killing intent—a sensation he had experienced before only when facing opponents who had truly taken lives with their swords.

It was an indescribable sensation. From his experience, only those who had used sword techniques to slay powerful enemies could reveal such murderous intent when wielding a blade.

He didn’t delve into the source of Li Zhen’s killing aura, but the pressure it exerted on him was suffocating.

While Li Zhen’s mastery of swordsmanship was still in its infancy, it significantly enhanced his threat level. However, at this stage, he couldn’t fully harness the power of his sword techniques.

Confident in himself, Coach Wu didn’t hold back during their sparring match. He unleashed his full strength-enhanced swordsmanship, complemented by his exceptional reflexes. This combination propelled his offensive capabilities far beyond that of an ordinary cultivator with merely basic proficiency in swordsmanship.

As they clashed, Coach Wu felt as if he were battling an opponent equally matched in swordsmanship. As time wore on, he gradually found himself losing ground.

It seemed inconceivable; after all, Coach Wu was a seasoned sword instructor. Yet despite having taught this twelve-year-old newcomer for less than two months, he now found himself outmatched in swordplay.

“Alright, young Master Li, I think we’ve done enough today!” Coach Wu said, retreating several steps.

“Why did you pull back so soon?” Li Zhen asked, somewhat dissatisfied.

He was far from satisfied; this unrestrained battle had only scratched the surface of his potential.

“Master Li,” Coach Wu replied with a wry smile, “your talent with the sword is beyond my ability to instruct. I’ll report this to the director and request a more skilled instructor for you!”

During their sparring match, he couldn’t exert enough pressure on Li Zhen, which meant Li Zhen’s swordsmanship wouldn’t improve through these sessions.

Despite the intense appearance of their duel moments ago, in reality, Li Zhen had faced no real challenge while wielding his blade. Such practice was woefully ineffective.

Coach Wu didn’t want his own limitations to hinder Li Zhen’s progress.

“Coach Wu, your guidance has been excellent!” Li Zhen shook his head at the suggestion that there might be an issue.

Aware of his own limitations, Coach Wu made up his mind. There was nothing Li Zhen could say to change it.

With Coach Wu departed, Li Zhen practiced alone for a while. Without a partner, improving one’s swordsmanship was no easy feat—especially after reaching the minor success stage. Advancing further required countless battles.

Realizing the futility of solo training, Li Zhen decided to investigate the pill toxin lingering within him instead.

First, he applied for access to the Pill Toxin Detector at Going Beyond Swordplay. His request was approved without issue.

After conducting the test, he received a pill toxin report. The display on his retina showed a pill toxin level of 0.

This result wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it still brought a look of delight to his face.

It seemed that the energy obtained from pills consumed by the Dragon Heart Space did not leave any residual toxins when cultivated and absorbed.

The process by which the Dragon Heart Space devoured pills likely extracted only the purest form of energy, discarding everything else—including any toxic elements that could affect the body.

If he had enough pills, his cultivation speed would skyrocket.

Of course, he understood this was unlikely. In a small county like Yunxi, medicinal pills were incredibly precious resources for cultivation.

“What?! Li Zhen’s basic sword technique has reached the Minor Accomplishment realm? Are you sure about this, young Wu?” Curator Zhang asked incredulously, staring at Coach Wu.

“Curator, if you don’t believe me, you can review the footage from the practice room cameras,” Coach Wu said helplessly. “Why would I deceive you on such a matter?”

Although Curator Zhang knew Coach Wu wouldn’t deceive him, he still retrieved footage from the training room.

He saw Li Zhen dominating Coach Wu in swordsmanship, and with his own expertise, could tell that Coach Wu was giving it his all.

“From now on, I will personally oversee Li Zhen’s swordsmanship!” he declared, waving his hand dismissively.

It wasn’t that Going Beyond Swordplay lacked instructors capable of surpassing mere proficiency in swordsmanship, reaching a state of mastery. However, these high-caliber instructors were often only nominal employees, rarely gracing the dojo with their presence.

Moreover, Curator Zhang was thrilled by talent, and Li Zhen’s skill was indeed a mix: part minor accomplishment in swordsmanship itself, part innate physical prowess amplifying his abilities.

In the brief sparring video, Li Zhen’s blade speed clearly outstripped even Coach Wu’s, despite the latter’s superior martial realm. When their swords clashed, Coach Wu, though more cultivated, found himself at a disadvantage—his movements constrained. This indicated that Li Zhen’s strikes carried greater force than those of Coach Wu.

Of course, in paired practice like this, both combatants use minimal spiritual energy and refrain from deploying lethal moves easily. Otherwise, it ceases being practice and becomes a life-or-death struggle.

It was undeniable that Coach Wu was simply not capable of providing Li Zhen with proper guidance in swordsmanship.

In high spirits, Li Zhen returned to the practice room. He began rehearsing his basic sword techniques once more, pouring all his strength into each move. The air resonated with the occasional sharp clangs of his blade.

Suddenly, his practice sword faltered in mid-stroke. As he pivoted, Li Zhen faced the door, adopting a defensive posture.

He sensed the presence of a first-class spiritual object approaching. Despite knowing there should be no danger within the Going Beyond Swordplay Hall, he remained vigilant.

In his short three months in this world, he had already encountered numerous life-and-death crises. He couldn’t afford to ignore any potential risks.

The door opened, revealing Curator Zhang entering the practice room. Noticing Li Zhen standing at the ready, he nodded slightly.

This wasn’t the first time he’d met a prodigy. Among the Han family members, talented individuals emerged every few years. Additionally, whenever prodigies from other backgrounds appeared, the four great clans actively sought to form connections with them. Typically, such prodigies would be placed under training at the Going Beyond Swordplay Hall.

However, many of these young talents met their demise before they could fully mature, falling victim to various accidents.

The fallen prodigies all shared a common trait: excessive pride that blinded them after achieving success.

Li Zhen had just defeated Coach Wu, but instead of being overly pleased with himself, he quickly prepared his defenses upon noticing Curator Zhang’s arrival. This indicated Li Zhen possessed a steady mindset.

“I’m surnamed Zhang, the curator of Going Beyond Swordplay,” Curator Zhang introduced himself with a smile. He activated his identity bracelet, revealing his credentials for verification.

After examining Curator Zhang’s identity, Li Zhen realized he’d been too cautious.

“Greetings, Curator Zhang!” Li Zhen sheathed his practice sword and bowed respectfully as a disciple should.

As someone training at the Go Beyond Swordplay, it was only proper to greet the curator with a disciple’s bow. Besides, he would be learning from Curator Zhang in the future.

“Come at me with your sword so I can assess your skill level!” Curator Zhang said with a grin. His aura suddenly intensified as he drew his own practice blade from its scabbard at his waist.

“Apologies for any inconvenience!” Li Zhen did not decline; instead, his eyes locked onto Curator Zhang with a gleam of excitement.

Li Zhen sensed Curator Zhang’s aura, recognizing it as that of late-stage Qi Refinement. He couldn’t discern more detail than that; at his second level of Qi Refinement, there was little difference between seventh and ninth levels—they were all capable of effortlessly overpowering him.

Yet he felt no fear. This was a rare opportunity: a chance to engage in direct combat with a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator without concern for personal risk.

He didn’t hesitate due to his opponent’s advanced stage; rather, he unleashed his full power. With a shrill whistle through the air, his practice sword lunged towards Curator Zhang.

Curator Zhang smiled faintly, deflecting the attack with a gentle flick of his own practice sword. The force of the impact involuntarily caused him to step back two paces.

In the next instant, Curator Zhang’s practice sword pressed against Li Zhen’s throat. Throughout the entire battle, the curator had only made slight wrist movements.