Ever since obtaining the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword, he had been too pressed for time to practice it, but he had spent his spare moments pondering this martial technique.

Recalling the mantra of the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword, Tang Yan took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and slightly raised the heavy sword in his hand.

Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword-just hearing the name conveyed a sense of grandeur, might, and ferocity.

With a thought, his Vortex Dantian spun rapidly, and True Qi burst outward like a geyser.

A sharp aura rose from Tang Yan!

Treading with mysterious footwork, he raised the heavy sword high and let out a fierce shout as True Qi madly converged toward the blade.

Pfft! A faint sound of leaking air echoed. The True Qi instantly dissipated, and Tang Yan lost his balance, falling awkwardly to the ground.

His first practice attempt ended in failure.

"The transitions between the forms are still too unfamiliar, and this sword is somewhat heavier than an ordinary longsword, making it hard to control." Tang Yan did not immediately attempt a second strike, instead carefully analyzing the reasons for his failure.

"In my previous life, I had some exposure to weapons, but in this life, I haven't wielded them for long. Some forms simply cannot be executed properly.

This Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword is inherently difficult to cultivate. Even the slightest mistake in a stance will cause problems. As the saying goes, sharpening the axe does not delay chopping wood. It is better to fully adapt to the heavy sword first, then properly cultivate this martial technique."

Although Tang Yan had devoted most of his energy to alchemy in his previous life, all principles shared the same essence. Alchemy and martial arts held similar wonders in cultivation.

The experience he had gained from alchemy was entirely applicable to martial arts as well.

Having made up his mind, Tang Yan simply stopped practicing the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword. He picked up the Unblemished Sword again and trained diligently in this valley.

There were no flashy moves, only basic sword swings. Though the techniques were simple, each swing was infused with all of Tang Yan's True Qi.

One swing, two swings, three swings, four swings...

Each time the heavy sword was swung, it carried a whistling gale. Before long, fine beads of sweat appeared on Tang Yan's forehead.

One hundred swings, two hundred swings, three hundred swings...

Tang Yan was exceptionally serious with every strike, as if following a strict standard of practice.

If an observant person had been watching, they would have been surprised to find that Tang Yan's starting positions for each swing were initially uneven. But as he continued practicing, the strike trajectories began to subtly overlap!

With the same moves and the same force, Tang Yan did not feel impatient.

This practice of starting from scratch left Tang Yan slightly dazed, as if he had returned to his early days of learning alchemy. Back then, under his master's guidance, he had repeatedly tempered and extracted the essence of Pills.

Time passed, minute by minute. Night fell, and stars dotted the sky.

Tang Yan's arms had long since gone stiff. Exhausting the last bit of strength in his body, he finally sat down on the ground, gasping heavily for air.

After two consecutive hours of practice, although he had not achieved his desired effect, his progress was already significant. Out of every ten swings, at least six landed exactly at the expected position without the slightest deviation!

Tang Yan's ultimate goal was for every swing to land in the exact same position as the previous one. Only then would he be considered an Expert in basic sword techniques.

Taking out a High Spirit Pill and consuming it, he replenished his body's reserves. Tang Yan then stood up again and continued repeating his previous movements.

Sweating profusely and exhausting himself each time, Tang Yan persisted for three full days amid this pile of rubble.

Swish! Swish! Swish! The continuously swung longsword landed steadily in the exact same position.

After swinging the sword a hundred times like this, every single strike was incredibly precise without exception, not off by a hair. Tang Yan finally broke into a smile.

Then, his swinging motion abruptly changed, thrusting forward fiercely.

One thrust, two thrusts, three thrusts...

Perhaps due to the past three days of adjustment, Tang Yan handled the Unblemished Sword more smoothly. Practicing other basic sword techniques also came much more easily.

After another two days, a joyful look appeared in Tang Yan's eyes once more.

Every thrust of the heavy sword could finally strike perfectly upon the exact same point.

Tang Yan's sword Force changed again, and he began cultivating the upward sweep technique.

During this time, a few people passed by Tang Yan's location. However, upon seeing the color of the mark on his forehead, they immediately lost interest in him.

Their thoughts were invariably the same: "At a time like this, he's still here practicing foundational swordsmanship? What an idiot!"

Tang Yan was naturally unaware of the thoughts of others. Even if he knew, he would not care.

The true contest of the selection had not even begun yet!

Nine days passed quickly. Standing on the empty ground, Tang Yan finally let out a long breath. Over these days of practice, he had mastered most of the basic sword techniques. The rest could only be refined through continuous combat.

Now that his basic sword technique practice had concluded, it was already close to evening.

Looking at the setting sun, Tang Yan took a deep breath and raised the heavy sword in his hand once more.

Since he was fully prepared, it was time to formally practice the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword!

After all, it was an Earth Rank Middle Grade martial technique. Its complexity was not something ordinary martial techniques could match.

Although his control over the Unblemished Sword was already extremely proficient, truly learning an Earth Rank martial technique would still require a considerable amount of effort.

Moreover, this fierce sword technique consumed a tremendous amount of Spiritual Qi. After practicing it five times in a row, even though Tang Yan's Vortex Dantian could store vast amounts of Spiritual Qi, it was now completely drained.

The Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword was so difficult to cultivate that it sent a slight tremor through Tang Yan's mind, reminding him of the Flame Burst Palm his mother had left him.

The Flame Burst Palm had three forms in total. The first form he had cultivated was no less difficult than the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword.

If the first form alone was comparable to the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword, didn't that mean the Flame Burst Palm's grade might have reached the Heaven Rank?

"My strength is still too weak. Even if I master the Mountain-Shattering Wave-Treading Sword, my current cultivation won't allow me to use it many times. I must improve my strength!" With this in mind, Tang Yan took out a High Spirit Pill and consumed it. His Dantian circulated, rapidly catalyzing the generation of Spiritual Qi.

Once his stamina was fully restored, Tang Yan took a deep breath and stood up again.

It was fortunate that Tang Yan was an outstanding Alchemist, which allowed him to consume Pills with such reckless abandon.

Despite repeated failures, Tang Yan was not discouraged. He continuously analyzed the reasons for his mistakes and corrected them.

Step by step, he unraveled all the difficulties. When he finally resolved his last point of confusion, an epiphany-as natural as when water flows, a channel forms-surged in Tang Yan's mind.

"Hah!"

With a soft shout, Tang Yan raised the Unblemished Sword high.

A bright white light suddenly burst from the sword blade, illuminating Tang Yan's handsome face and determined gaze!

"Go!"

The raised heavy sword fell without hesitation, and the white light emanating from the blade shot outward like a flowing ribbon.

A thick beam of white light surged forward alongside the heavy sword. Its Force was like a fierce tiger, swift as rumbling thunder, spanning the sky with astonishing power!

Under this white light, the surrounding rocks split apart like ocean waves, scattering to both sides.

Rumble!

A dull explosion tore through the sky, causing the entire area to tremble slightly.