After Ding Fan returned to the inn, he began to cultivate.

Ding Fan looked at the "Wind-like Sword Technique" and was quite shocked. This sword technique was very different from ordinary sword techniques. Ding Fan was someone who had seen the world; he had seen many martial arts sword manuals and the like. When it came to sword techniques, Ding Fan knew that the sword emphasized speed! Only speed can break through!

This is also the most basic and the most universally recognized understanding of swordsmanship. But as Ding Fan looked at the "Wind-like Sword Technique" before him, he found some viewpoints very novel, and the focus presented in this sword technique was also quite special.

The book stated: The sword of the ordinary, when cultivated to mastery, becomes a peerless precious sword; the sword of the skilled, when cultivated to mastery, breaks through with speed alone; the sword of the divine, when cultivated to mastery, moves like a shadow following the wind, omnipresent…

For Ding Fan, who had previously painstakingly studied ancient pill prescriptions, the obscure and difficult text in the sword technique posed no problem in reading. What was mentioned in this "Wind-like Sword Technique" is that true sword masters focus not on the sword, but on the footwork and posture. When the cultivation reaches its final effects, it's like a shadow moving with the wind, omnipresent!

Reading up to this point, Ding Fan felt not only somewhat rattled but already sensed the preciousness of this book. Its value lay not merely in the moves and stances of swordsmanship but in the swordsmanship theory described in this martial arts book, which gives one a sense of enlightenment and delight after reading.

Generally, sword cultivators focus on the sword itself or the sword technique, but this sword technique instead emphasizes the footwork and posture, aspects that sword users are least concerned about!

Interesting!

Having roughly skimmed this point, Ding Fan felt a surge of joy! This "Wind-like Sword Technique" presented Ding Fan with a completely new concept in sword usage. According to the metaphor in the book, his current understanding of sword usage was merely at the level of a skilled user's, evidently some distance from the level of using the sword like a divine being.

Although it may seem like merely a difference between two levels, Ding Fan knew that this gap was as wide as between clouds and mud!

This "Wind-like Sword Technique" is divided into nine chapters. Previously, that Gao Feng from the Wild Wolf Gang had only cultivated the first three levels. Ding Fan, having already read through the sword technique once, had a rough understanding that the contents of the first two chapters are the focus theory of this sword technique, which are also the concepts Ding Fan has realized.

The third chapter doesn't even discuss actual moves but explains a distinctive footwork and posture.

At this point, Ding Fan couldn't help but feel a solemn respect for this sword technique again.

It's important to note that Gao only learned the content of the first three chapters before he was able to scratch his own clothes when battling with fist techniques on the stele, showing the power of this sword technique. The first three chapters don't even mention any actual sword techniques; they are mostly theory.

Even just learning the theory, the opponent almost scratched himself!

Despite the fact that the opponent Gao was a Spirit Severing Initial Stage cultivator, Ding Fan wouldn't be concerned, but Gao was only a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator. Killing such cultivators posed absolutely no difficulty for Ding Fan.

Although Ding Fan's cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, Ding Fan could certainly handle ordinary Spirit Severing Initial Stage cultivators without any issues. As for Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivators, Ding Fan could certainly solve them easily and delightfully.

Yet Gao merely learned the first three chapters of this "Wind-like Sword Technique" and could almost hurt himself!

This clearly shows this sword technique is no ordinary thing!

Subsequently, Ding Fan began carefully reading the sword technique. Ding Fan was now deeply interested; for Ding Fan, ordinary martial arts could be easily understood at a glance. After all, Ding Fan had a very high cultivation talent and really didn't want to waste time on ordinary martial arts.

Because ordinary martial arts didn't have much effect on enhancing Ding Fan's strength. Against the cultivators Ding Fan had battled during actual combat, those who displayed impressive martial arts were useless against him. With his powerful divine sense alone, Ding Fan could defeat them easily.

However, this sword technique, much like the fist technique on the stele Ding Fan was currently cultivating, greatly interested Ding Fan. Not to mention its power, just the theory alone commanded Ding Fan's admiration, and thus Ding Fan was eager to see what kind of divine being authored this sword technique!

The first chapter of the sword technique describes the biography of the creator of this sword technique – Jiang Rufeng. From the text, Ding Fan could discern that Jiang Rufeng was a figure from three hundred years ago, a sword expert who devoted his life solely to the pursuit of swordsmanship, reaching an unparalleled height, a life spent lonely chasing defeat, somewhat desolate, wandering the world in his later years. In an unexpected moment of inspiration, he created this set of "Wind-like Sword Technique!" It was truly his highest achievement in life!

After Elder created the "Wind-like Sword Technique", he always hoped a successor would diligently practice it and one day fight him. However, unfortunately, people at the time were both astonished and disdainful upon seeing Elder's sword technique. Some found Elder's swordsmanship theory absurdly laughable; others wanted to directly practice sword techniques but couldn't understand them. Ultimately, Elder's "Wind-like Sword Technique" quickly faded into obscurity, and Elder Jiang Rufeng eventually passed away with regrets.

Ding Fan felt a pang of sorrow for the elder upon seeing this. Clearly, Ding Fan believed the elder's swordsmanship was the pinnacle of sword martial arts, but it was unfortunate that future generations did not recognize its value, ultimately leading to its decline. What a pity...

The second chapter of the book narrates a sword-wielding theory that previously shocked Ding Fan greatly. Although Ding Fan has not yet thoroughly read the latter parts, Ding Fan can ascertain that this second chapter is the highlight of this martial arts book and is also a classic representation of this sword martial art.

After all, this theory is incredibly innovative, no wonder people from three hundred years ago could not accept the elder's viewpoint. Even Ding Fan in this era is deeply shocked upon seeing this theoretical perspective, indicating that the theory is quite bold and hard for ordinary cultivators to accept.

Ding Fan continued to leaf through the pages and was once again deeply shocked upon seeing the content of the third chapter! The third chapter discusses a martial arts step movement that, at first glance, seems unrelated to sword usage, but Ding Fan could discern that this step movement martial art is the key to the later sword techniques.

Ding Fan's shock was not at how formidable this step movement martial art was, but rather because the body movement described in the book was strikingly similar to the step technique within the fist technique on his stele. After just half an hour of reading, Ding Fan already had a general understanding of this step movement martial art.

Ding Fan understood that this was not an ordinary existence, as the prowess of the step technique within the fist technique on the stele needed no further elaboration. Ding Fan even felt that the step techniques described in the "Wind-like Sword Technique" were more profound than those in his own fist technique.

Yet, Ding Fan was shocked because the fist technique on his stele was not something an ordinary person could easily learn, the difficulty being beyond words. Even after such a long time, Ding Fan had only learned one move — Golden Dragon Emergence. Ding Fan realized that the step techniques described in the "Wind-like Sword Technique" were even more advanced than those in his fist technique, yet the author wrote them in a very clear and accessible manner. After just a moment, Ding Fan had learned most of it and even had new insights into his own fist technique, which was simply astounding!

Ding Fan believed that if he practiced the third chapter of the "Wind-like Sword Technique" a few more times, his fist technique's body movements would greatly improve!

All of a sudden, Ding Fan felt a great admiration for the elder Jiang Rufeng. Not only was the elder unmatched in sword mastery, but his literary skill was clearly superior as well. Such intricate martial arts, yet under their pen, it's so straightforward and easy to understand. It is simply unbelievable!

Ding Fan was thrilled that the elder possessed such high literary skills, which certainly meant that learning these martial arts would be effortless and smooth!

But when Ding Fan saw the fourth chapter, he wished he could immediately take back his previous words! This was simply too bizarre!

As Ding Fan looked at the image of a person in the fourth chapter, instantly it was as if a living individual appeared in his mind. This person seemed to be facing a Spirit Severing cultivator, while his own cultivation was negligible, just the inadvertent True Qi emitted by the Spirit Severing cultivator was enough to make this person tremble!

But this person, with just a few motions with the sword, suddenly had a surge in momentum. This was not the person's cultivation True Qi, but rather seemed to be a form of worldly energy, accurately speaking, it was the Sword Qi induced by the sword in the person's hand.

Ding Fan was astonished, carefully examining the sword in the person's hand, it was merely a very ordinary sword commonly seen in the Cultivation World. The issue was certainly not with the sword, but with the few actions of that person!

However, the person's movements were far too swift. The sword technique's illustrated motion was incredibly strange, many actions were completely against the joints, leaving Ding Fan aghast as even cultivators could easily reset bones or perform joint-defying actions, but clearly, this was limited to healing, applying this to combat was absolutely impossible!

After all, cultivators, too, are human, and physical limits are evident.

Ding Fan temporarily ignored this and continued reading. The person charged at the Spirit Severing cultivator, with the sword in their hand dancing and slashing, seemingly targeting numerous entities. For a moment, Ding Fan was puzzled. Ding Fan himself had fought against Spirit Severing cultivators.

Thus, Ding Fan had some experience, but he was still unable to comprehend the sword technique depicted and the image that appeared in his mind.

The Spirit Severing cultivator faced this person, directly unleashing his most powerful strike, causing heaven to crumble and the earth to quake, shaking the space violently and menacingly!

But the swordsman remained fearless, courageously charging forward, even surpassing the speed of his sword, causing him to be ahead while the sword was trailing. The Spirit Severing cultivator saw this and couldn't help but scoff, preparing to strike the opponent with all his might.

Suddenly, the swordsman used his two fingers for a point, and the longsword behind them vanished instantly, only to reappear lodged in the Spirit Severing cultivator's chest!

Witnessing this, Ding Fan gasped uncontrollably, astonished by the existence of such bizarre swordsmanship! It was simply unfathomable! For a moment, Ding Fan felt a chill at the back of his neck, his hair standing on end! It was terrifying.

Following this, the Spirit Severing cultivator also appeared panicked, and with a muffled sound, the Spirit Severing cultivator fell to the ground, dead!