I Have Infinite Skill Points

Though it happened in a flash, Xie Sisi's arms invaded Wang Lan's chest like a pair of agile snakes, moving rhythmically as Star Power flowed around them. Suddenly, Wang Lan's saber began moving uncontrollably, as if caught in a strong undercurrent underwater.

"CRACK—"

With a crisp sound, Wang Lan's saber was instantly snapped by Xie Sisi.

"CLANG—"

The broken saber blade hit the ground, and Wang Lan looked at Xie Sisi in astonishment.

She had done it. She had not only overcome her fear of death but also… managed to perfectly utilize Star Power in her basic physical movements?

Moreover, Xie Sisi's demeanor just now was strange. When his saber was about to strike, Wang Lan clearly felt that Xie Sisi's expression wasn't fear, calmness, or restraint, but... Freaking excitement?

She could get excited about this?

Surprise crossed Xie Sisi's face, followed instantly by ecstatic joy. A radiant smile bloomed on her face. "Wang Lan... I succeeded... I really did it! I'm not afraid anymore... I..."

Suddenly, Xie Sisi pounced on Wang Lan, crushing him beneath her like Mount Tai toppling down, and then leaned down to kiss his face frantically.

"COUGH, COUGH—"

A soft cough sounded, startling Wang Lan and Xie Sisi apart instantly.

Jiang Xinyu walked over with an indifferent expression.

"Xinyu... I... It's not what you think... Wang Lan and I..."

"I've seen it all!" Jiang Xinyu's tone was somewhat strained, although she had indeed seen everything.

Xie Sisi had pounced on Wang Lan in her excitement, and the kiss was merely an outlet for her ecstatic joy. However, if Jiang Xinyu hadn't appeared, things might have escalated into Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Fire.

"I was wondering why your combat skills had improved so abnormally. It turns out you've got a private coach." Jiang Xinyu walked over to the edge of the sparring platform, resting her chin in her hand while looking at Wang Lan. "You two are crazy. One really dares to chop, and the other actually lets him? What if there had been an accident?"

"It's okay, Wang Lan can heal..." Xie Sisi quickly tried to make excuses for Wang Lan.

"Healing isn't omnipotent. If you had dodged even a fraction of a second later and your head was chopped off, what good would healing do? Can a severed head be reattached?"

"That... was just an accident..." Wang Lan also felt that the earlier situation had indeed been a bit dangerous, but his method had worked. It was the right call.

"Sisi, take a rest," Jiang Xinyu said to Xie Sisi as she slowly unzipped her jacket and climbed onto the platform.

The implication was clear. Wang Lan, however, felt somewhat apprehensive.

During school practice sessions, it was just sparring, and Wang Lan had been able to easily suppress Jiang Xinyu. But now, Jiang Xinyu's stance clearly indicated she wasn't just aiming for practice.

Wang Lan had witnessed before just how terrifying a serious Jiang Xinyu could be. Moreover, his impression of her had always been of a formidable character, one who attacked fiercely—the kind of person whose presence in a home would make ghosts and gods flee.

Jiang Xinyu went to the weapons rack and selected an Octagonal Han Sword for herself. She gave it a light flick, indicating it felt suitable.

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Uh... Xinyu, shouldn't I also take a break for a bit?"

"You don't look like you need a break. Stop wasting time. Use Ghost Wail."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious! If you don't fight with the intent to kill me, I'll kill you!"

In an instant, a chill shot up Wang Lan's spine. In his eyes, Jiang Xinyu's Octagonal Han Sword was no longer just a sword but a gleaming, ice-cold cleaver.

"You can fight like that with Sisi? Why the hesitation with me? Do you think I can't even dodge your attacks properly? That you could kill me with a single strike?"

"That's not what I meant... Alright, fine!" Wang Lan resigned himself, took out Ghost Wail, and slowly drew it. If I don't go all out with her today, she probably won't let this drop.

WHOOSH—

Suddenly, Jiang Xinyu's figure flashed. She appeared in front of Wang Lan and thrust her sword toward his heart.

Wang Lan reacted instantly. Ghost Wail emitted a ghostly howl as it deflected Jiang Xinyu's sword.

Swordsmanship and sword skill differ fundamentally. Swordsmanship is not as aggressive as sword skill; it stresses technique over power. Swordsmanship is more elegant and dazzling, and mastering it is several times more difficult than mastering sword skill.

In many aspects, learning swordsmanship is much more challenging than learning sword skill.

Sword skill is easy to practice, with simple moves. Learning swordsmanship, however, requires insight and talent.

Although practicing swordsmanship is difficult, once mastery is achieved, its potential for growth is incomparable to that of sword skill. To put it simply, sword skill is easy to learn but hard to master.

When using a saber to kill an enemy, if you strike a vital area, all's well. But if not, you might have to strike ten times before they're subdued. However, being pierced by a sword once can cause instant death.

If you have the aptitude and talent to learn swordsmanship, and can wield a sword well, then swordsmanship is definitely superior to sword skill. In the simplest terms, the harder something is to learn, the more useful it becomes once mastered.

The sword, from its very inception, abandons defense. The sword, from its very inception, is designed to kill with a single blow.

Therefore, the fight between Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu wasn't as overtly fierce as the one with Sisi, but the degree of danger was several times greater.

Xie Sisi, watching from the sidelines, finally understood the feeling Jiang Xinyu must have had when she spied on them from the shadows. Fear, trembling. I wish I could just close my eyes and not watch. But I'm so worried! She could only stare wide-eyed, unblinking, as she watched the two narrowly escape death time and again in their exchanges.

Before Wang Lan, it felt as if he were facing a true enemy intent on killing him. In Jiang Xinyu's eyes, Wang Lan's saber also showed no mercy. But only such a merciless opponent could expose the flaws in her swordsmanship.

Wang Lan thrust out his saber in an instant, his body also closing the distance immediately.

This moment was precisely when Jiang Xinyu was transitioning between moves, leaving Wang Lan a roughly 0.2-second opening.

When Jiang Xinyu intended to withdraw her sword for defense, Wang Lan's saber was a fraction faster.

Blood blossomed. Ghost Wail pierced Jiang Xinyu's shoulder, half an inch deep. This was only because Wang Lan had promptly pulled back his strike.

Wang Lan quickly withdrew his saber and placed a palm on Jiang Xinyu's shoulder. Meanwhile, Jiang Xinyu frowned deeply, continuously replaying the scene of Wang Lan's thrust in her mind.

This move has a flaw, an unavoidable one! She had never noticed it before, but today it was revealed in actual combat. Only by discovering flaws can one mend them. At this moment, Jiang Xinyu felt incredibly grateful that her previous combat experiences hadn't involved a true swordsmanship master.

Otherwise, the flaws in her swordsmanship could have led to her utter downfall.

By the time these thoughts had passed through her mind, Wang Lan had already healed her wound.

"Are you alright? You're not angry, are you?" Wang Lan asked cautiously.

Jiang Xinyu came back to her senses and shook her head. "It seems this kind of sparring is indeed necessary. I've practiced this move for so many years and used it countless times, never realizing that particular motion was actually backward or had been altered. If you hadn't discovered that flaw, I would have eventually died because of it."

"Ancient martial arts have been passed down through generations. Some are refined, while others are corrupted or altered. The swordsmanship techniques you've learned may not all be correct. However, remember that while techniques are created by others, you are the one who wields them. I still believe the highest realm of swordsmanship is 'No Technique.'

Pure instinct, instantly subduing the opponent. I've never formally trained in swordsmanship. All I know are basic sword forms, but these basics didn't put me at a disadvantage against you. Can you predict whether my next move will be a thrust or a parry? My sword moves are simply the methods I use to defeat an opponent.

Certain sword techniques can sometimes be very crafty and indeed achieve the unexpected, catching people off guard, but this can only be considered treading a heterodox path. I prefer the grand and righteous way."

"'No Technique?'" Jiang Xinyu savored these two words, her eyes flickering with thought. The more she contemplated them, the more profound their meaning seemed, yet she couldn't fully grasp their essence.

"Explain it to me in detail. What is 'No Technique'?"

Wang Lan had forgotten that in this world, due to the existence of Star Martial Warriors, wuxia novels didn't exist. Instead, novels about Star Martial Warriors were popular, narrating the rise of legendary Star Martial Warriors from obscurity.

This was a difference in cultural context. In his previous life, almost anyone could recite the three great realms of the Sword Dao, but to the people of this world, such concepts were unheard of, let alone considered.

Thinking this, Wang Lan slowly turned his back and gazed into the distance.

"Swordsmanship has three great realms. The first is the Realm of Sword Moves. One diligently practices sword moves, striving for perfection, training arduously alone, enduring heat and cold, achieving mastery after ten years. With mastery, one can challenge the world.

But people's fortunes are not constant, and water has no fixed form. No matter how skillfully, ingeniously, or fluidly you execute them, sword moves will always have flaws. There are no perfect sword moves in the world; any techniques can be deciphered and countered.

Thus, the second realm of swordsmanship emerged: No Technique! First, one masters all existing techniques and comprehends the Sword Dao. Then, one forgets all the techniques learned. Forgetting doesn't mean truly forgetting, but rather disassembling the techniques entirely until they become instinct.

One faces different situations and encounters different enemies, adapting spontaneously. There are no fixed moves, no predetermined routines. When even you don't know your next move, how can the enemy?

This realm is like unarmed combat. Doesn't unarmed combat also emphasize having no set moves, only methods to defeat the enemy? As long as it can defeat the enemy, anything can be a technique.

And the third realm is the Realm of No Sword.

With no sword in hand, everything in heaven and earth can be a sword. To walk the path of the Sword Dao for a lifetime, the emphasis is on sword intent. Intent precedes the sword. Upon reaching this realm, you yourself become an unsheathed sword.

Whether you hold a saber, a spear, a sword, a halberd, or even a brick, all can be used as a sword to slay the enemy. However, this realm is very profound, and even I cannot fully comprehend it. You are likely also very far from this realm.

But your swordsmanship has already reached a certain level. You can start considering the realm of No Technique. Once you thoroughly grasp the core of No Technique, all techniques in the world will appear full of openings to you."

Jiang Xinyu stared at Wang Lan in utter shock. If she hadn't understood, she would merely have been confused. But precisely because she understood, she was profoundly shocked.

No master had ever spoken of such theories. As a seasoned Swordsman with eight years dedicated to the Sword Dao, if there were a foundational theory, a veritable general principle of swordsmanship, she would have no reason not to know it.

There was only one explanation for Jiang Xinyu's ignorance: this theory had never been revealed to the world before.

"These three realms... did you comprehend them yourself?"

"How could that be possible!" Wang Lan immediately shook his head. "I haven't even reached the Realm of Sword Moves. How could I possibly comprehend these things?"

Jiang Xinyu's eyes shimmered; she thought she understood. This theory... it might be a comprehension of the Lord Flame Emperor! Although I've never heard that the Flame Emperor used a sword, she *is* the Flame Emperor! Shouldn't the Flame Emperor be versed in everything, a master of all arts?

Instantly, Jiang Xinyu's gaze towards Wang Lan filled with gratitude. Wang Lan actually shared such a precious, unreservedly passed-down family secret with me! This invaluable theory... He truly doesn't see me as an outsider...

"Don't worry," she declared, "I won't betray your kind intentions."

"My kind intentions? Wait, Xinyu, have you misunderstood something?"

"I say it is, so it is! No arguments accepted."

Her Majesty is mighty! What else could Wang Lan do? With that temper, she's destined for a life of solitude with a blue lamp and an ancient Buddha.