I have the face of a great demon.

In his cultivation journey at the Azure Sky Sect, Liu Xingchen entered his third month.

On this day, Senior Brother Qin announced news that made all the disciples' hearts race—they would begin learning the Azure Sky Sword Technique.

The disciples were all eager and excited. After all, compared to the tedious internal energy and movement training, sword practice was what they longed for.

The Azure Sky Sword Technique is the Azure Sky Sect's most renowned skill in the martial arts world, famous for its fierce attacks and unpredictable moves.

When this sword technique is combined with the Azure Sky Internal Energy and movement techniques, its power is second to none in the martial arts world.

From today onwards, Liu Xingchen and his disciples will embark on their journey to become swordsmen.

In the morning light, the long sword in his hand gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Liu Xingchen lightly touched the water with the tip of his sword, like a dragonfly skimming the surface, light yet sharp.

As the internal energy circulated, the sword began to draw graceful arcs in the air, its light flashing like stars falling to earth.

Every turn, every swing of his sword, revealed his profound understanding and masterful control of swordsmanship.

Finally, as the last sword flourish came to an end, Liu Xingchen slowly sheathed his sword, his movements clean and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

After practicing swordsmanship for more than half a month, Liu Xingchen has mastered the basic principles of swordsmanship.

His sword, like his name, is as dazzling as the stars and elusive.

In sparring with his fellow disciples, he displayed astonishing strength, easily handling two opponents at once.

Senior Brother Qin saw this and was delighted, praising Liu Xingchen's progress highly.

In three months, it will be the sect's grand competition.

This is an excellent opportunity to showcase one's strength. If one can make a name for oneself in the competition, one may gain the favor of the sect's seniors and formally become their apprentice.

If no senior takes a liking to them, they can either continue to cultivate under the guidance of their senior brother and wait for the next competition until they can become a disciple, or they can only leave in disappointment.

As one of the best disciples, Liu Xingchen is undoubtedly the most likely candidate to win the top prize in the newcomer competition and formally become an apprentice.

If that's the case, then Senior Brother Qin will also have something to show for himself.

The other disciples were not to be outdone. In order to formally become disciples, they practiced day and night, hoping to show their skills in the competition.

"Waaaah!" Tie Zhu roared suddenly, like a tiger unleashed from its cage in the mountains. Every muscle in his body was tense. Holding a wooden sword, he rushed towards Liu Xingchen like a bolt of lightning.

However, Liu Xingchen moved like a willow catkin in the wind, lightly touching the ground with his toes, and with a swift movement, he drifted out of Tie Zhu's attack range like a ghost, leaving Tie Zhu standing there waving his wooden sword, with only the whistling of the wind in the air.

Tie Zhu turned around unwillingly, his wooden sword drawing sharp arcs in the air as he slashed and hacked, each strike powerful and heavy.

But Liu Xingchen was like a nimble dancer, easily navigating between his attacks, each time managing to dodge the seemingly unstoppable sword strike perfectly.

Finally, after repeatedly missing his target, Liu Xingchen's wooden sword rested lightly on Tie Zhu's neck at an incredible angle, the two so close they could hear each other's breathing.

"Brother Xingchen, I lost again!" Tiezhu said dejectedly. "Am I not suited for swordsmanship?"

Liu Xingchen gently patted Tiezhu's shoulder, his eyes showing both sternness and encouragement.

"Your movements are too stiff; each sword strike is like a straight-line charge, lacking variation. The Azure Sky Sword Technique emphasizes fluidity and unpredictability, like flowing clouds and water."

"Your straightforward approach, while incredibly fast, makes you easy for your opponents to predict."

"You need to know that the Azure Sky Sword Technique emphasizes flexibility and unpredictability. If you practice it this way, you will grasp the essence of the sword technique."

“Brother Xingchen, I know my problem, but I just can’t change it. Every time I want to change my moves, my body just won’t obey me.”

"Don't even mention fighting you, I'm no match for my other fellow disciples."

"If we weren't using this soft peach wood sword, but your black heavy sword, we could definitely beat them to a pulp."

Liu Xingchen quickly made a shushing gesture and lowered his voice: "Shh, be quiet! My sword is a secret, I don't want anyone to know, so don't go around telling everyone."

Tie Zhu scratched his head: "Oh, I forgot again."

“However, I can see that you are not suited to practice the Azure Sky Sect’s sword techniques. You are tall and strong, and are more suited to those straightforward styles.”

"Then, should I switch to another sect?"

At this moment, a voice interrupted: "No, it's not necessary. Even if you can't master the sword, there's no need to change sects."

"Senior Brother Qin." The two turned around and saw that Senior Brother Qin, who was passing on his skills, was already standing behind them.

Senior Brother Qin said:

"Tiezhu, I can see it too. You're indeed not suited to this kind of agile swordsmanship. But do you know? Our Azure Sky Sect doesn't only have swordsmanship as a path to follow."

"Our sect has a branch called the Dragon Tiger Hall, whose leader is a master of external martial arts. After joining our sect, he learned our sect's internal cultivation method and combined it with external martial arts to create his own external martial arts style."

"The people in the Dragon Tiger Hall practice external martial arts, relying on force to subdue others, and they are quite formidable."

"If you'd like, you can transfer to the Dragon Tiger Hall."

Going to the Dragon Tiger Hall to practice external martial arts is indeed an excellent choice for Tie Zhu.

However, this meant he would have to part ways with Liu Xingchen, and Tiezhu was a little reluctant to do so.

Liu Xingchen smiled and patted his shoulder: "What's there to be reluctant about? We're still in the Cangqiong Sect. Although we don't practice together or live together, we're not far apart. We can get together and practice our martial arts in our spare time."

Liu Xingchen's words finally dispelled Tie Zhu's concerns, and he agreed to transfer to the Dragon Tiger Hall for cultivation.

The Dragon Tiger Hall Master was overjoyed when he saw Tie Zhu. Where could he find such a talented young man with superhuman strength? He accepted him without hesitation.

Tie Zhu thrived in the Dragon Tiger Hall, where his talent was fully utilized. The hall master crafted two heavy iron maces specifically for him, which Tie Zhu cherished and practiced diligently with every day.

Under the guidance of the hall master, he wielded the iron mace with great skill and power, each strike was powerful and heavy, and no one dared to challenge its edge.

Liu Xingchen went to spar with Tie Zhu and found that these two iron maces were really not to be trifled with. Even he had to avoid their sharp edge. It would not be an easy task to defeat Tie Zhu.

Tie Zhu has become a disciple of the Dragon Tiger Hall Master, and his future is limitless. Liu Xingchen is also happy for him.

Meanwhile, Liu Xingchen was also preparing for the upcoming sect competition. His goal was to outperform all the other competitors and win the opportunity to become a disciple of a renowned master.