My bathroom leads to the celestial realm.

30. A weak foundation will cause the ground to shake.

After the ceremony, the two stood up, looked at each other, and smiled, creating a much more harmonious atmosphere.

Anyone who witnessed this scene would be utterly astonished.

The cultivation world is strictly hierarchical, with seniority always following cultivation level. Even among fellow disciples, there are many who are called "senior brother" today, "senior uncle" tomorrow, and "junior brother" the day after.

Unless it's a true master-disciple lineage.

He Tiannan is about to break through to the Golden Core stage, while Xu Yan has just begun cultivating. Their cultivation levels are worlds apart, and their statuses are incomparable. They are not even qualified to be on equal footing.

He Tiannan had to take the initiative to address him as a fellow Daoist for him to respond in this way, but that was all.

Xu Yan lowered his head and continued eating the meat.

He Tiannan carefully examined him for a moment, thinking to himself: This kid's divine light is restrained, he doesn't seem to have just started cultivating. He has achieved this much in less than a month. Could it be that I am old and blind and have misjudged him?

Thinking of this, he sighed and said, "I originally intended to go to great lengths to unblock your meridians, open your barriers, and guide you into the Dao to sever your karmic ties. I never expected that when I returned from seclusion, you would have already achieved such success in your cultivation!"

At this point, I couldn't help but smile wryly.

Xu Yan said with a sense of accomplishment, "I've disappointed you, haven't I?"

"That's not the case. It's just that I can't repay your kindness with the grace of attaining enlightenment, which is a bit of a worry."

Both are acts of grace that lead to enlightenment, so they can naturally offset each other. But if they were replaced with something else, they wouldn't be enough!

Xu Yanxin understood immediately; the old man was deliberately testing him!

"That's easy!" he said with a grin. "I used to be incredibly unruly and had only a superficial understanding of cultivation. Wouldn't it be enough for you to teach me for a while, senior?"

"Not enough!" He Tiannan shook his head.

"Enough! Enough!"

"That's not enough!" He Tiannan insisted. "If I only teach you a little, what kind of person will I become?"

How can cause and effect be discounted?

Xu Yan smiled and said, "Then you can teach me for a few more days and help me find a suitable cultivation method, how about that?"

You wouldn't guess that this person is such an honest person.

He Tiannan finally nodded: "In that case, which do you want to learn: alchemy, weapon crafting, or talisman formations?"

Xu Yan immediately said, "I want to learn swordsmanship, is that alright?"

"You only learn swordsmanship?" He Tiannan was quite surprised. "For us cultivators, alchemy, weapon crafting, talismans, and formations are the foundation for self-defense. Swordsmanship is merely for self-protection; it's a minor skill!"

Xu Yan thought to himself, "You're just talking nonsense to me. If there were a sword cultivator here, would you dare to say that swordsmanship is a minor art?"

"I just want to learn swordsmanship!" he said.

He Tiannan suddenly felt an urge to hit someone and was about to continue trying to persuade him when Xu Yan interrupted, "Senior, it's not that I'm ungrateful, it's just that I lack a means of self-defense. Is swordsmanship easier to learn, or is it easier to learn alchemy, weapon crafting, talismans, and formations?"

He Tiannan sighed: "Swordsmanship is naturally easier."

"Exactly!" Xu Yan said with a "See, I told you so" look. "Besides, if we get trapped again in the future, we can just fly down on our own!"

He rubbed the soles of his shoes, making no attempt to conceal what he had been going through recently.

All this talk is just nonsense. The only reason is that wielding a sword looks cool!

In a few months to half a year, the gate will open. After learning the four arts and returning to the mortal world, will he be able to diagnose people's pulses and prescribe medicine, or draw talismans to exorcise evil spirits?

If there's no use for it, what's the point of learning it?

Upon hearing this, He Tiannan's almost dissipated guilt resurfaced from the ashes, swaggering through his mind.

"Alright!" he reluctantly agreed, "but you can't just learn swordsmanship; you should at least learn one of the four arts."

"Then let's refine the weapon," Xu Yan said casually.

Seeing that there was still time, He Tiannan flipped his hand and took out two flying swords. He handed one of them to Xu Yan, and with his feet neither too far to the side nor too far to the side, he struck a very elegant starting stance, demonstrating and explaining at the same time: "The sword is the king of all weapons. This is a thrust, this is a slash, this is a point..."

Xu Yan was immediately dumbfounded: "Wait, senior, I meant flying swords, flying swords, not this kind of swordsmanship!"

He Tiannan's face hardened: "If the foundation isn't solid, the earth will shake. Do you think flying swords don't need a foundation?"

Xu Yan froze, shaking the sword in his hand blankly: "Flying swords... also need this as a foundation?"

"Not bad!" He Tiannan nodded. "If you can't even master the basics of swordsmanship, how can you control a flying sword?"

Xu Yan was bewildered: "I have to learn this first?"

"nature."

"How long will the course last?"

"It can take anywhere from a year and a half to three to five years. If you don't have the talent, it's not uncommon for it to take eight to ten years."

Xu Yan was almost in tears. "I didn't plan to win the competition, so why should I learn this?"

He wanted to speak again, but was stopped by He Tiannan, who had entered strict teacher mode, and struck Xu Yan with several sword strikes: "Bow stance, pull back your leg, raise your arm, point your sword diagonally upward, this is the first move of the basic sword technique, called 'Looking Up at the Moon'!"

He had long seen through Xu Yan's frivolous and unreliable nature, and didn't give him a chance to speak at all.

Xu Yan tried to speak several times but was interrupted each time, so he had no choice but to obediently assume the correct posture.

He Tiannan corrected a few details, then demonstrated the second move, explaining clearly how to turn, how to apply force, and from what direction to strike.

Xu Yan was a little impatient at first, but he quickly calmed down and focused on understanding. He learned most of it after only two readings.

He Tiannan couldn't help but look at him with new respect.

Even in major sects, there are many people who take a month or two to learn a sword technique. How long has this kid taken?

Although his physical constitution is poor, his comprehension is truly extraordinary!

He thought this in his heart, but refused to admit it aloud. He swung his sword, creating afterimages, constantly striking, thrusting, intercepting, and correcting his movements.

Xu Yan proactively increased the intensity, slowed down the movements, and used modern training methods to enhance muscle memory.

This continued until evening, and Xu Yan had mastered the sword technique to a fairly standard level.

Master He was extremely satisfied: "Not bad, not bad, cough, not bad at all! It's just that you're not skilled enough yet, and you'll need to practice more in the future."

Xu Yan chuckled, revealing eight teeth: "Senior, I still think it would be better to start with flying swords directly."

Upon hearing this, He Tiannan's face immediately darkened: "That's overly ambitious!"

"That's not right!" Xu Yan immediately retorted. "When the sword is in your hand, you rely on wrist strength; when the sword is in the air, you can only stab and poke. Are those the same thing?"

"How can one wield a sword without being familiar with its nature?"

Xu Yan didn't want to argue any further: "Senior, let's stop with the empty talk. Whether it works or not, we'll find out by trying, won't we?"

Practice brings true knowledge.

He not only had experience flying thunder eagles, but also knew a little about aerodynamics, and really didn't want to waste any more time.

He Tiannan remained silent for a moment before finally speaking the truth: "A flying sword isn't something you can just use whenever you want. It requires spiritual refinement and the infusion of true essence until the sword and the user become one, only then can you wield it freely. You've only been cultivating for a few days, what are you using to refine a flying sword?"

Xu Yan blinked. He had no shortage of spiritual energy and true essence. Wasn't this like a pillow for someone who was sleepy?