Dragon Qi Sword Art

I was Den Kou. I was an inner disciple of Gyorei Cave, a sect made up of Taoist practitioners who aimed to become Immortals, undying transcendent beings. I had made a qi bullet gun and become Elder Min’s direct disciple, and now I was aiming to raise my qi level to the Fourteenth Tier and become a high disciple.

A high disciple was a particularly outstanding Taoist practitioner among the inner disciples. At minimum, one needed a qi level of the Fourteenth Tier. I was at the Twelfth Tier, so I had to raise it by two more levels.

“Senior Brother Kou, are you thinking about something?”

As I was thinking about how to proceed with my training in the Old Immortal Cave, Haoxuen asked me a question.

“My future training. I am thinking about what I should prioritize in training.”

“How many things are you training in right now?”

“I am training in qi cultivation, the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique, Dragon Qi Sword Art, Dragon Qi Throwing Art, Lightness Skill, and Thunder Technique Fist.”

“Isn’t that too many?”

“It is not as if I am seriously training all of them at once. For most of them, I am only doing light reviewing to maintain my skill. I choose one from among these and train it intensively.”

“Have you decided on that one?”

“I will make it Dragon Qi Sword Art.”

“I see, Dragon Qi Sword Art. That is good. But why Dragon Qi Sword Art?”

“I want to use the secret technique Dragon Wing at least once. It seems like it would look cool.”

When Haoxuen heard the reason, he looked a little disappointed. He had probably expected there to be some amazing reason. From that day onward, I decided to begin training in Dragon Qi Sword Art.

“Come to think of it, it is almost time for the entrance exam.”

The hot summer had ended, and cool winds were beginning to blow.

“It has nothing to do with me this year.”

Last year, I had been appointed as Haoxuen’s assistant instructor, but this year, the disciples one year junior to me should become assistant instructors. Come to think of it, who were the disciples one year junior to me?

“Haoxuen, do you know who my juniors by one year are?”

“I know Senior Brother Jinhai, Senior Brother Shajun, and Senior Sister Xinni. I do not know the rest.”

Compared to me, who did not know a single one of them, Haoxuen, who knew three, was better.

Starting the next day, I began training centered on Dragon Qi Sword Art. Since I could already create dragon qi, the next stage was to train mainly in controlling dragon qi while swinging a sword. Dragon Qi Sword Art also had several routines, so I learned them from Elder Shanshi.

I was told that the three routines Dragon Rising Form, Dragon Soaring Drive, and Dragon Descending Control were the most important. Dragon Rising Form was meant to teach the key principles for matching the body’s physical ability, strengthened by dragon qi, with sword movements. Dragon Soaring Drive was a training method for becoming able to use the secret technique Dragon Wing. Finally, Dragon Descending Control was meant to teach the trick to wrapping a sword in dragon qi and cutting with it.

First, by repeatedly performing the Dragon Rising Form routine, I learned the trick to using the physical ability strengthened by circulating dragon qi through my body in swordsmanship movements. Once I became able to do that, next was finally the Dragon Soaring Drive routine to master the secret technique Dragon Wing.

Dragon qi was Floating Yang Qi given a specific vibration, so controlling it was difficult. If I only had to circulate it along the yang meridians, I could somehow manage, but when it came to pouring it into a sword and releasing it as a slash, it became many times harder. After about two months of focused practice, I somehow became able to release Dragon Wing toward a target.

Releasing Dragon Wing itself was not that difficult. That was because when I poured dragon qi into the sword, the dragon qi naturally tried to leap out from the blade. What was difficult was giving that dragon qi the form of a slash and sending it flying toward a target. Even so, after about two months of intensive training, I became able to do it.

During morning training, Elder Shanshi saw me use Dragon Wing and looked surprised.

“To master Dragon Wing in only two months—what a genius.”

The elder said that happily.

“But even for Kou, the next Dragon Descending Control will take several years.”

That meant it was that difficult. The Dragon Descending Control routine felt like a routine where one slowly danced the sword like a sword dance while pouring dragon qi into the blade.

It was truly difficult to perform the Dragon Descending Control routine while keeping the dragon qi, which rampaged once it left the body, held within the sword. When I asked Elder Shanshi what I should do, the elder shrugged.

“There is no shortcut. You must repeat the Dragon Descending Control routine endlessly and master the trick to wrapping the sword in dragon qi.”

“I understand. How long did it take you to master it, Elder Shanshi?”

Elder Shanshi made a face as if recalling the past.

“Let me see. I believe it took about two years. Once you master this Dragon Descending Control routine, you become able to use a secret technique called Dragon Qi Dance.”

Listening to that, I felt it was similar to a technique from Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword. That also involved wrapping a weapon in qi and cutting, and perhaps the fundamental principle behind it was the same.

I thought that maybe I could use the key principles of Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword. However, I decided not to try it during morning training. If I used an advanced technique that was not one of Gyorei Cave’s martial arts, Elder Shanshi might notice.

After morning training ended, I went to the Old Immortal Cave and tried carrying out the idea that had flashed into my mind during training. I performed the Dragon Descending Control routine using the key principles of Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword. Then I succeeded on the first try.

“Why did that work? Even Elder Shanshi took two years. This is…… bad.”

The secret technique Dragon Qi Dance, which had taken even Elder Shanshi two years, had been completed in an instant. I could not use this in front of other Taoist practitioners.

What should I do? I agonized over how to handle it. As a result, I decided to stop practicing Dragon Qi Sword Art during morning training. Instead, I decided to start practicing Dragon Qi Throwing Art.

Starting the next day, when I began training in Dragon Qi Throwing Art during morning training, Elder Shanshi came over.

“Kou, are you not going to practice Dragon Qi Sword Art?”

“I decided to practice Dragon Qi Sword Art by myself, just repeating it alone. For morning training, I decided to practice Dragon Qi Throwing Art, which I want to receive your instruction in, Elder Shanshi.”

“Oh, so you are making morning training efficient too.”

After saying that, Elder Shanshi instructed me in Dragon Qi Throwing Art.