Adam Carter finally let out a silent sigh of relief, though he still couldn’t fully trust her. But given the current situation, there was nothing else he could do for now.

  “And then there’s Eric Bennett—”

  He wanted to ask this Emily why she had killed Eric Bennett against his wishes. Yet as the words reached his lips, Adam Carter stopped himself.

  What was the point of blaming her now? Eric Bennett was already dead. Besides, at this moment, he was completely powerless against this sword spirit called ‘Emily Lawson’.

  But Emily saw through his thoughts, letting out another soft snort, her tone full of discontent: “Such womanly compassion! Since you’ve already severed ties and drawn swords against each other, why show mercy? And what use would it be to keep him alive? Wait for him to betray you again in the future? Or do you, Master, still consider him a friend? You are my sword master—if you ever fall into danger because of a moment’s softness, Emily will once again fall into slumber!”

  Adam Carter fell silent. Rationally, he knew that what Emily said wasn’t wrong.

  Yet the friendship forged over the past ten years couldn’t just be wiped away so easily.

  Feeling heavy-hearted, Adam Carter shook his head and set the matter aside for now. He tentatively asked, “You want me to learn swordsmanship from you—where should I, Adam Carter, begin?”

Chapter 7: To Learn the Sword, Start with the Fist

  “You want me to learn swordsmanship from you—where should I, Adam Carter, begin?”

  Just from how this sword spirit had manipulated his body not long ago, merging the two sets of Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Fist techniques into one, she was more than qualified to teach him. The power and subtlety of those punches left him in awe.

  Since Emily wanted him to learn the sword, he might as well give it a try. In any case, he’d listen for now. He had no hopes of becoming some peerless immortal king—if he could just reach the Golden Core stage, he’d be satisfied.

  “Start with your physical body!”

  That ‘Emily’ looked Adam Carter up and down, then said thoughtfully, “To practice the sword, you must first train your body! You’ve started with external martial arts, which is very good. Internal cultivation is faster, but in terms of physical strength, you’ll be far inferior in the long run. However, before reaching the Qi Refining stage, you still need to understand some methods of circulating energy, working from the outside in, opening your meridians and strengthening your internal organs. The most urgent task is to fully master and integrate your Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Fist within fifteen days, merging them into one. This set of fist techniques is excellent—even before the Seven Calamities, it was quite renowned.”

  Adam Carter immediately frowned. To fully master and integrate the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Fist within fifteen days—she made it sound easy, but at his current pace, he’d be lucky to make the twelve Dragon-Subduing moves roar like a dragon within three months.

  “As a cultivator, how can you fear difficulty? I’ll naturally teach you the key points of this fist technique later!”

  Only then did Adam Carter feel relieved, thinking to himself that with this girl’s abilities, perhaps she really did have a way to help him accomplish it within half a month.

  He was still half-skeptical about the sword spirit’s words, but couldn’t help feeling a bit of anticipation.

  If what she said was true, then perhaps he really had encountered a tremendous opportunity—a master that others could only dream of!

  “But just this set of Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Fist is far from enough. Sword master, do you know the Great Monument-Smashing Hand and the Xingyi Six Harmonies Fist? And there’s also the Golden Bell Shield—”

  “Great Monument-Smashing Hand, Six Harmonies Fist?”

  Adam Carter nodded slightly: “I’ve heard of them. They’re both rather basic fist techniques, widely practiced throughout the Tianyi nations. Compared to my Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Fist, they’re two or three grades lower. As for this Golden Bell Shield, I’ve never heard of it, let alone seen it.”

  “Basic fist techniques?”

  Emily raised her eyebrows in surprise: “If the Great Sun Ape King before the Seven Calamities knew that the peerless divine art he created as his trump card was considered a basic fist technique by those after the Seven Calamities, I wonder what he’d think? Back then, that Ape King was unrivaled—his Great Monument-Smashing Hand shook the world, able to destroy thousands of immortals with a single strike. He even broke the arrogant Immortal Kingdom with one palm. How could that be a basic fist technique? As for the Six Harmonies Fist, it was created by an Immortal Emperor for his disciples, the ultimate foundational method. Though called external martial arts, it actually cultivates body, energy, and spirit together—perfect to make up for your shortcomings! After the Qi Refining stage, it’s almost as good as those who start with internal cultivation. As for the Golden Bell Shield—”

  She paused, her willow brows slightly furrowed: “Could it be lost already? That’s likely. This world has suffered great calamities, and it’s understandable that the true essence of ancient arts has been lost.”

  While Emily muttered to herself, Adam Carter was full of doubts.

  As far as he knew, all cultivators in this world—whether from great sects or wandering families—sought the fastest path to entry. Everyone knew that in cultivation, quality mattered more than quantity.

  So before the Qi Refining stage, they usually focused on a single method. Even after reaching Qi Refining, few practiced more than two arts.

  Only upon reaching the Innate stage, with a lifespan extended to over 150 years, did they have time to branch out.

  But from what Emily was saying, it sounded like she wanted him to practice not only the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Fist, but also the Great Monument-Smashing Hand, Six Harmonies Fist, and Golden Bell Shield—all three external arts—at the same time?

  Was this sword spirit named ‘Emily’ really reliable?