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n*Clang*

n“Fuu~…”, Bi Rui made a heavy exhale as she pushed away Wu Long’s spear blade with her own.

n“Congratulations, Rui’er”, Wu Long smiled, as this was a first time she was able to parry his attack of this level of skill without being guided to unfavorable stance or otherwise being in disadvantage.

nHe was guiding her by always raising his skill level by one above her own, and the moment she started adapting to it signified her own skills rising to that level.

nOf course, it was just one strike at this point, so she still was far from being able to consistently hold her own against him at this part.

nThey were standing on one of the upper deck levels of the ship, where an open platform suitable for training oversaw the sea on one side and a lower deck below on the other.

n“How come it becomes harder and harder to advance?”, she asked with a chuckle, wiping away droplets of sweat on her forehead, the sea breeze gently waving her black hair, as she noticed that unlike what she thought, her progress was becoming more strained the more advanced her spear skills were getting.

nAfter all, once the foundation was solid, her further advancement was swift and relatively easier, but once she went past a certain level of skill, she seems to be hitting one wall after another.

n“Hahaha, as you pass the initial mastery and movements, and your foundation of skills is clear, you begin to refine finer details”, Wu Long chuckled, and made a simple-looking thrust of the spear to the side, one very much resembling the thrust she just parried, but shivers went through Bi Rui as she saw it.

n“This is the same level of skill I showed you the first time I wielded the spear in front of you in that small courtyard”, he added as he turned to her.

n“Eh? But…”, she widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at the spear and then Wu Long interchangeably.

n“Your skill rose, and so did your perception, which is why you can see it better now”, Wu Long nodded, understanding her confusion.

n“Many think there is a clear limit of weapon skill, Rui’er.

nThat after practicing something for a thousand years straight without stopping, there is nothing to gain purely from only the skill of physically wielding a weapon and that it is impossible to progress further.

nThus the further progress is only possible through the training in manipulation of Spear Qi, or Spear Intent, but that cannot be further from the truth, since both of those still take their foundation in the basic ability to wield a spear”

nWu Long took the spear in both hands and started a pattern of movement he taught her before, his movements starting at the level of proficiency she was at, and becoming progressively more profound even though he repeated the same pattern.

n“But it is understandable where the sentiment comes from.

nAs you progress further and further, and achieve initial ‘mastery’ of a weapon, your movements can be seen as perfection itself.

nEach move flowing into the next with no blemishes or blind spots, perfectly adaptable to different situations, efficient and clean”

nHe then reached a level when the exact same spear movement pattern took her breath away, as one word came to her mind to describe it, ‘sublime’.

n“However, what if I told you that this move, and this one are on completely different levels?”, he then added as he made the same pattern two times more, which she saw as the same skill he showed her at the end of progression just before.

n“I… don’t see it? Because the perception have not reached that level?”, her voice slightly trembled from excitement of this realization.

n“Mm, correct. The mastery at this level only seems ‘complete’ and ‘perfect’, because those who have not reached a level where they can replicate it cannot see its flaws”, Wu Long nodded, as he sighed, turning his look to the blade of the spear he held.

n“I have hit the wall of my own quite some time ago, long before being reborn in this world, and until now despite my best efforts cannot go beyond it yet…

nThe level of difficulty rises because you move beyond the simple theory of weapon combat, where you correct larger movements, posture, timing and all the obvious aspects.

nYou start looking into more finer details that are not as easily seen, and the higher the level goes the more fine perception is necessary to advance, and then, as you reach what you think is truly the pinnacle…

nYou break it”

nWu Long chuckled, as she made a bewildered expression, stuttering “B-break it?”

n“Mm, you break everything you have known”, he chuckled, knowing how she felt, “Then you rebuild it, and then refine it further in detail, and then you destroy that as well, rebuild, and so on”, he spoke without demonstrating further, adding “But it would only be harmful to you to see it now, because to break it you have to first build it”

n“…”, Bi Rui sank into thoughts, processing what she just heard, and then looked up at him, asking “H-how many times you broke your spear skill to rebuild it?”

n“I lost count”, Wu Long chuckled, as she gasped.

n“Just so you know, I am nowhere near the current pinnacle of the Spear Dao”, he then added.

nThis prompted her to make a surprised face as she asked “The ‘current’… pinnacle?”

n“Hahaha, the Grand Dao is infinite, and the ocean of knowledge is endless Rui’er. And as part of the Grand Dao, the Spear Dao is endless too.

nThe pinnacle of a Dao is only the highest level attained by anyone, the highest level known, but it is not the end all be all of it”

nWu Long made a light laugh as he understood her confusion very well, as it was hard for him to reconcile the truth about the pinnacle of a Dao when he learned it as well. f𝚛e𝐞𝐰bo𝚟l.c𝗼m

n“D-Does that mean… someday… if I work hard I can reach the pinnacle that is yet known?”, Bi Rui spoke visibly trying to hold back, but her eyes brimming with excitement.

n“Mm, that’s the right approach”, he smiled, happy to see excitement and ambition instead of fear at how long and arduous the road ahead of her was.

nIt was this quality that made him sure she was suited to pursue the heights of the Spear Dao.

nShe ran up to him, and putting away their weapons they untied in a tight embrace as she clung to him, unable to quell her excitement.

n“Oh! … If you are not at the pinnacle of the Spear Dao… then?”, she then exclaimed, as if remembering something, and asked after turning her face up to look at him.

n“The current pinnacle of the Spear Dao is the current Spear God.

nThat old man could still whoop my ass with ease when it comes to pure spear wielding skills, though we were about even when it came to true combat.

nIt is unknown who of us would have died if we were not interrupted again and again whenever we clashed”

nWu Long spoke with a slightly complicated look on his face, a bit wry and at the same time not completely reconciled.

n“Y-You fought? You’re not the Disciple of the Spear God?”, Bi Rui widened her eyes, since she somehow assumed he was, ever since she heard he was a Disciple of the Sword God, and saw how high his level of spearmanship was.

n“Hahaha, no, I am not officially a Disciple of any living man or woman aside from Sword God. Though I did learn from others… just that I have not officially taken them as Masters. The Spear God… well, it is complicated”, he then chuckled, but seeing a very brief and well-hidden light of disappointment in her eyes, sighed with a gentle smile.

nAfter all, Bi Rui also knew about Ye Ling’s words about Wu Long’s burdens, and that sharing them signifies his trust.

nHe raised his hand and gently pushed a strand of her hair that stuck to her previously sweaty forehead aside.

n“The last man who taught me spearmanship, was a Disciple of the Spear God, and a friend of mine. However, that old man feared to be surpassed by his Disciple who came dangerously close to doing it…”, Wu Long spoke with a calm tone, his expression making it obvious that it was not an uncommon story, but something within his eyes flashed with a dangerous light, as Bi Rui covered her mouth with shock, understanding the rest without him saying it.

n“I guess even for you there were people that were hard to kill”, she then spoke and he nodded.

n“When it comes to deeply interconnected interests and politics, things can get complicated. Despite my efforts I have not been able to surpass the limits of what one man can do”, he said, but then smiled at her, “But now I am not alone”

nHer heart burst with warmth as she looked into those eyes, and she leaned forward as their lips met in a kiss.

n“Haa~… haa~… Wu Long…”, after a long and sweet kiss, it turned a bit more intense, and from there spiraled into one after which she heavily breathed, opening her eyes with a fiery gaze.

n“Haha, let’s go”, he nodded, and the two floated up from the platform to one of the towers of the ship that was entirely made exclusive to the Dao Family members.

nWu Long went inside of Bi Rui’s room, taking off his Spatial Ring and placing it on the bedside while she was closing the door.

nBut as she was too excited and in a hurry, a very small gap was left open after she pushed the doors together, she then reached to completely close them, but as something came to her mind, she froze, hesitating and then turned her head to Wu Long, seemingly seeking permission for something.

nHe first raised one eyebrow with a bit of surprise, but then a wry smile appeared on his face as heshook his head with a chuckle and made a small nod.

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