Chapter 195 - Training Begins

He then said with a beaming smile in his face, "Sure. If I come across any sort of trouble in the nearest or distant future, I will surely call out for the both of you to come help me. However, if you also need my help, don't be shy to come to me. I will be always be available for you guys."

"Okay. See you around, Li Huang. And remember, always be a good boy. Don't go around causing trouble." Zhao Yu said while Xiao Lin nodded his head.

Then when they departed from his presence to go join up with the other disciples that also chose the department that they individually opted to study at, Xiao Lin also left where he was to join the disciples walking behind the elder leading them to the Spirit Sword Department.

...

Many minutes later, since they walked slowly behind that elder, Xiao Lin and the others finally arrived at the department where they would study Sword Cultivation.

As soon as they entered, Xiao Lin could immediately notice many awesome things about the place, which included tall statues that stood at the different corners of the massively spacious, rectangular hall, and had large swords that seemed to stab deep into the marbled ground of the hall.

"Here, is the Spirit Sword Hall. In this place, you will trained in everything that's related to the Way of the Sword. So, for your first training session, I will have some teachers come teach you basic moves regarding the Way of the Sword. And by moves, I don't mean those that have to do with Sword Spiritual Energy, but basic blocking and attacking moves, before you are finally shown how to use your palms, legs, others parts of your body including your eyes and even your mouth to unleash tremendous amount of Sword Spiritual Energy. Yes, don't be baffled. Sword Spiritual Energy does not necessarily need to be discharged or expelled from the hands alone, with enough training and focus, a Spiritual Sword Cultivator should be able to exhale a terrifying amount of energy possessing boundless sharpness that will lacerate everything in it path."

Haha!

Once the elder finished saying that and noticed the expressions in their faces, the elder laughed and said with a smile, "Yea, perplexing and at the same time awe-inspiring right? I know. That's one of the reasons why other departments in the sect respect the Spirit Sword Department. So, even with our legs and hands cut off or bound up, we can still deliver a startlingly powerful attack on an opponent who wouldn't be expecting that kind of bizarre and highly lethal move, since the move is mostly utilized for close-range battles. However, don't think that this move will come easy for you guys. It will take a lot of training to be able to turn your throats and mouths into channels where Spiritual Energy can be discharged out from. And if is not done right when you guys start training for it, you could end up having your throat slashed apart to shreds, resulting to a permanent disability to speak which is called muteness. But in more severe cases, you could end up dying, since the Sword Spiritual Energy when moving from your dantian to your throat region will gash and slice everything in it path, which includes your lungs, chest and so on."

Once the elder finished saying that, he continued with a bright smile appearing in his face, "Although I am not supposed to say this now, since it's an highly advanced move for old and well-seasoned experts like me, I am however trying to let you guys know that you have made the right choice picking this department for your cultivation."

"Now, your training will start. So, I will leave everything in the hands of your teachers. However, I will appear once in a while to contribute greatly to what our friendly and battle-experienced teachers have taught you lads so far. Bye for now!" The elder said with a smile in his face and suddenly shot away at a speed that no eyes could follow, including that of some of the teachers present in the hall at the moment, as it was their turn to teach the disciples.

"Hello, disciples" A teacher who had suddenly appeared before Xiao Lin's group greeted with an amiable smile in his face.

"Hello, teacher" The group responded enthusiastically while the teacher nodded his head.

He then said further, "My name is Lin Bao. However, you all can call me Eight Flashing Swords. I think I will prefer that, as it is a way of getting closer to all my trainees, instead of the name or title that carries a lot of authority with it. Haha!"

"Alright, senior Eight Flashing Swords" A disciple said while Lin Bao nodded his head gladly.

Lin Bao then mentioned, "You guys are just too many for me to know your individual names. Although I know that cultivators, regardless of cultivation rank, possess highly retentive and sharp memories, I am just too lazy for that at the moment. So, what do you say we immediately get to training, and from thereon, I will become used to each of your names?"

"Yes, it's a cool plan, senior Eight Flashing Swords" A disciple said while Lin Bao nodded his head.

And so, Lin Bao began to instruct them on how to correctly used the sword to block attacks and deliver their own attacks, and the correct forms and stances to assume or enter when facing an opponent in battle.

"It's very important to know how to use the sword, because it will surely go a long way for you when engaged in an intense or deadly battle with other cultivators of a particular Spiritual Energy." Lin Bao said.

He then asked with a bright smile in his face as he looked around at the disciples gathered in large numbers before him, "So, which one of you can tell me the reason why?"

"Can I try, senior Eight Flashing Swords?" A girl suddenly raised up her hand and asked with a polite expression in her face.

"Sure, anyone can have a go at any question that I will ask. Also, no need to raise your hand to answer my question. Just answer it if you feel that you can provide an answer to it" Lin Bao replied.

"Alright, senior Eight Flashing Swords" The girl that raised her hand said and put her hand down.

She then continued, "So, to answer the question that you asked us, it's simply because our dantians at this stage, can only store certain amounts of Spiritual Energy. So, once we run out of them, with that of our opponent's depleting too, we would still be able to fight them and kill them, that's if we were ever locked in a rigorous battle to the death with them."

"Good! I like your intelligent response to my question" Lin Bao said with a nod of his head, while the girl that answered the question broke a smile in her face

Lin Bao then said further, "Then to contribute to the response that your colleague mentioned, now, imagine that you are locked in a serious battle with someone who is a cultivator of a particular type of energy, let's say anyone of those weak, Elemental Spiritual Energy such Fire Spiritual Energy or Earth Spiritual Energy, once both of us fully exhaust the Spiritual Energies in our dantians, we Spiritual Sword Cultivators would still be able to subdue and defeat them, even if they were armed with powerful defensive weapons. So, with the correct blocking form, method or style, we would be able to easily deflect or ward off our opponent's heavy or killing strikes. Then with the accurate or precise attacking method or form, you will be able to disarm your opponents in battle, or cut off their heads and behead them if we were ever engaged in a really fierce battle to the death with them."

Once he said that, everyone nodded their heads with light of comprehension shining forth from within their eyes.

"Good! I am glad that you all understood my contributed answer" Lin Bao said with a nod of his head.

He then said further with a serious expression appearing in his face, "Now, let's return to training in perfecting our swordsman's blocking form and attacking method."

...

So, everyone continued to train in perfecting the blocking and attacking form that were taught to them by Lin Bao who was impressed by the way the disciples were quickly taken in everything that he was teaching them.

After training them for hours where Lin Bao didn't give them even a second to take a break from what they were doing, he said "Stop!"

Once he said that, the physically fatigued disciples standing before him immediately had expressions of delight appear in their faces. They thought that it was time to take a break. However, what Lin Bao said next shocked them to the core of their being.

"Now, everyone of you should divide yourself into a ten-person group, where each group will face each other in battle without the usage of your individual Spiritual Energies. Then any group that wins, as in comes out on top, will be allowed to rest for only a few minutes. While those that lost, will continue to train till I say it's over. And nothing is ever over for me.. Now, start!" Lin Bao said with a dead serious look manifesting in his face, while Xiao Lin's seniors who meditated at a spot in the tremendously large hall, began to laugh gloatingly at the miseries of their juniors with the look of 'Thank Heavens that I am done with that man' appearing in their faces.