He could only ponder on his own and consult some books and stories in the martial academy, hoping to find clues, but unfortunately, he always came up empty-handed.

“However, the first time my heart trembled, the pain knocked me out cold and I only regained consciousness the next day. The second time, I recovered within half an hour, and this time I was basically able to stay conscious... If it happens another one or two times, even if I encounter this situation again, I should be able to withstand the pain and send my breath directly into my internal organs.” Henry Young thought to himself.

External training is for muscles, bones, and skin; internal training is for the breath.

Only by sending the breath into the internal organs can one temper them, truly transforming towards the extraordinary realm. Otherwise, no matter how strong the muscles and bones are, one can never be considered a true martial artist.

Henry Young was not particularly anxious. He was only fifteen now, with another two or three years before reaching the peak of his physical abilities. As long as his strength kept improving, that was enough for now.

“At the very least, with my current strength, getting into the county academy shouldn’t be a problem.”

Although Miles Lewis regarded Henry Young as a rival, Henry Young never saw anyone as his opponent. In his eyes, his only opponent was himself. He just wanted to successfully enter the county academy—nothing else mattered.

……

After this physical anomaly, Henry Young rested for more than half an hour. He didn’t practice boxing anymore, but instead took down the long sword hanging on the wall, fastened it at his waist, and walked out of the room. The martial hall in his room was too small and not suitable for practicing swordsmanship.

When he arrived at the martial hall, Senior Brother Shaw, who had been practicing saber techniques in the training hall earlier, had already left.

Henry Young didn’t think much of it.

He began to practice his swordsmanship on his own.

“Whoosh~”

“Whoosh~”

His sword moves were swift and elusive as lightning, leaving only afterimages behind.

The swordsmanship he practiced was the fast sword.

“Boxing trains the body; the flesh is the foundation of martial arts. Only by forging a strong physique can one become a powerful martial artist.” Henry Young understood this very well.

“But in life-and-death combat, fists alone are not enough. Humans can fight with demon beasts, and our human race can even surpass the demon race to become the rulers of the five domains—not just because of our bodies. In terms of physical strength alone, demon beasts are much stronger than humans.”

“We rely on weapons.”

“Weapons are extensions of our fists and feet, but they are sharper. With weapons, we can more easily sever the heads of demon beasts and cut through their hides more quickly.”

Swish~ Swish~ Swish~

Henry Young’s sword grew faster and faster, one strike after another, like the rising wind, as if accompanied by dragons and tigers.

Chapter 4: The Three Realms of Swordsmanship

He practiced the fast sword.

The sword technique was called “Wind Feather Sword.”

Henry Young began practicing martial arts at a young age, but for the first several years, he only practiced boxing to lay the foundation. After following his elder brother and sister-in-law to Donghe County, and reaching the fourth level of body tempering to enter the martial academy, he began to train with weapons.

It was simple.

Weapons are deadly!

Children who are too young, no matter how clever, are ultimately immature in mind. Training with weapons can easily distract them, making it hard to temper the body, and children lack control over weapons, making it easy to injure themselves.

Therefore, usually only those over twelve years old begin to train with weapons.

At twelve, one has usually practiced martial arts for several years, laid the basic foundation, learned basic texts, and matured in mind. Progress in weapon training comes quickly after that.

When Henry Young entered Donghe Martial Academy, he immediately chose the sword as his weapon.

And he was indeed quite gifted in swordsmanship.

He started practicing sword techniques at twelve, and in just one year, by thirteen, he had mastered the “Basic Thirteen Forms,” earning the appreciation of the academy teacher ‘Young Tower’, who accepted him as a registered disciple and taught him the foundational sword technique “Mortal Wind Sword Technique.”

Young Tower was a powerful martial artist, respected even by the head of the academy. When he accepted Henry Young as a registered disciple, it made many other students jealous, since Henry Young was not particularly outstanding at the time.

Two years later, when Henry Young entered the Hall of Blazing Fire, he had also mastered the “Mortal Wind Sword Technique.” Only then did teacher Young Tower formally accept him as a personal disciple and teach him an advanced sword technique, the “Wind Feather Sword.”

This sword technique was among the very best even in the martial academy’s collection.

“Wind Feather Sword, a total of sixty-four forms. I’ve been practicing for nearly half a year, and I’ve mastered every form.” Henry Young thought silently, “According to Charles Young, my swordsmanship should be at the peak of the foundational level.”

The martial academy’s martial texts made it very clear.

Swordsmanship, spear techniques, staff techniques, saber techniques, and all other weapon arts can be divided into two realms.

The first is the foundational level, the second is the subtle level.

The foundational level is broad. Take swordsmanship as an example: one must practice each of the Basic Thirteen Forms hundreds or thousands of times every day, for years, until these thirteen forms are ingrained in the bones. Only by truly mastering the Basic Thirteen Forms can one be said to have a solid foundation.

No matter how advanced the sword technique, it all comes from the Basic Thirteen Forms. If the foundation is not solid, practicing even the most powerful sword techniques is useless.

Training in the Basic Thirteen Forms is difficult, but as long as one has enough determination and courage, reaching the foundational level is not too hard. Among the students of Donghe Martial Academy, nearly all the elite students of every generation have passed the foundational training and are considered to have reached the foundational level.

The second realm, the subtle level, is a hundred times harder than the foundational level.