Caught in the Crossfire While Eating Melon Seeds (Continued)
"Linked Mountains? Is that the one that's on par with Returning to the Hidden and the Changes of Zhou?"
Si Ming couldn't recognize Xia Guanxue's Swordsmanship, even though Xia Guanxue used her ultimate move, but after hearing the name, he immediately made the connection.
"The Grand Diviner is in charge of the three methods of divination: the first is Linked Mountains, the second Returning to the Hidden, and the third is Changes of Zhou. Each of these has eight basic hexagrams and sixty-four sub-hexagrams."
"The term 'Linked Mountains' refers to the continuous, endless clouds emerging from mountains. It uses the six seasons and six qi as indicators of prosperity and decline, the six jia zhi fu as coordinates for judging good and bad fortune, and the three yuan and nine yun as the transformation of time and space, which differs from the method of mutual restraint and generation of the five elements."
The Linked Mountains is the first of the three Yi books, also known as the Pre-Heaven Changes or Fuxi Changes. Because it reveres the Gen mountain, believing that "nothing is more powerful than Gen in bringing all things to an end and all things to begin," it takes the Gen hexagram as its first, hence the name "Linked Mountains".
In Si Ming's previous life, both "Linked Mountains" and "Returning to the Hidden" were lost in the long river of history. Only "Changes of Zhou," the Post-Heaven Changes, survived and became synonymous with the Classic of Changes. In fact, "Changes of Zhou" is only one-third of the Classic of Changes and ranks last among the three Yi.
In the Sea Continent, all three Classic of Changes have been preserved. Among them, the Mohist School revered the Linked Mountains version, the Daoist School revered the Returning to the Hidden, and the Confucian School revered the Changes of Zhou version, each pursuing their own school of thought.
The Linked Mountains Sword Art is to the Mohist School what the Taiji Sword Art is to the Daoist School —it holds profound significance. It is itself a Higher Vehicle martial art, but it requires a high level of aptitude from its practitioners.
Taiji Sword Art is easy to understand but difficult to master, but at least it is easy to understand, so anyone can get started. However, the entry threshold for Linked Mountains Sword Art is very high. It requires a deep understanding of the Linked Mountains text and a good grasp of the hexagrams and lines. You can't even learn a single move unless you're a top student.
Being able to learn the "Linked Mountains Sword Art" is itself proof of talent. After the students in the Weiyang Hall discovered this, they discussed it among themselves and couldn't help but admire Xia Guanxue.
At the same time, He Qichang's ability to remain calm and seize the opportunity to counterattack when he fell into the trap, forcibly turning the tide of the battle, amazed everyone. Even those on the opposing side had to admit their admiration.
After a short rest in the fighting arena, the two, whose injuries had stabilized, clashed again, continuing their unfinished battle.
Using his superior lightness skill, He Qichang once again seized the initiative, unleashing a swift and fierce slash that resembled a dragon soaring and a phoenix dancing, its trajectory unpredictable. The "Demon Blade Art" is a sword technique renowned for its unpredictable and ever-changing nature.
Xia Guanxue remained calm and composed. Only after her opponent got close did she slash her One Sword to the lower right, accurately blocking the unpredictable blade. At first glance, it looked as if He Qichang deliberately offered his sword to the blade.
The Linked Mountains Sword Art Technique inherently possesses the power of divination, making it the best counter to martial arts that employ deception and change.
Xia Guanxue understood this, He Qichang, after their earlier exchange, also realized it; therefore, it was entirely expected that this strike would be blocked.
Undeterred, he immediately used the momentum to retreat, stepping on a bamboo stalk. The bamboo bent and then rebounded sharply, sending He Qichang hurtling back at an even faster speed.
Xia Guanxue quickly blocked with her sword, repelling the attack, but found that He Qichang once again used the force to retreat, while using the bamboo to bounce back, making him even faster.
As if the battle were repeating itself, He Qichang once again launched a relentless offensive around Xia Guanxue, his twin swords slashing out from all directions and angles, their paths unpredictable and difficult to discern.
The only difference was that this time He Qichang made use of the bamboo in the field. He jumped around in the bamboo forest, using the elasticity of the bamboo to increase his speed. Each leap made him a little faster.
Even though he knew that his opponent's "Linked Mountains Sword Art" could counter "Demon Blade Art," He Qichang still did not give up his fighting style, because this was his most proficient style, and he would not change it because of the strength of his opponent.
In the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through defenses.
Since the blade's trajectory can be predicted, making a sneak attack impossible, the blade should be made even faster, so fast that even if the direction is accurately predicted, there won't be enough time to parry.
He Qichang's tactics were exceptionally simple, yet remarkably effective. After ten ricochets, his speed became so fast that Xia Guanxue could not keep up. With a flash of light, he broke through the defenses before the blade could block the way, leaving a cut on Xia Guanxue's shoulder.
It can work!
He Qichang overjoyed and planned to target the vital points next time to settle the score in one fell swoop.
However, as he stepped onto the bamboo again for leverage, a sudden, tearing pain shot through his back. Unable to adjust his posture in time, he slid to the ground, scraping off a layer of skin from the back of his hand.
"Foolish! I knew what you were thinking. The reason I didn't cut down those bamboos to stop you is because I knew very well that after taking my ' Stele-Smashing Hand, your body simply couldn't withstand the immense pressure at high speed. It was only a matter of time before the wounds ruptured."
Xia Guanxue scoffed, not launching a preemptive attack, but instead gathering her True Qi into the sword, causing the blade to vibrate continuously and emit a thunderous sound.
"Second Zhen: Startling Frost Thunder!"
The violently vibrating sword was swung out, causing the surrounding bamboo to tremble incessantly, as if it had epilepsy, with bamboo leaves fluttering and falling one after another. Xia Guanxue's One Sword did not have that overwhelming power, but the power brewing within the sword still gave people a sense of oppressive volcanic eruption, just waiting for the moment of collision to unleash its full force.
He Qichang did not admit defeat, but he knew he had no chance of winning. He had no time to gather his strength, and his hasty attack was met with a premeditated strike. The result was that his two swords would be sent flying.
However, he would rather be severely injured and defeated by his opponent than surrender and admit defeat, so he desperately urged his internal True Qi to use the ultimate move with the shortest charging time.
"Demon Blade - Rushing Thunder!"
At the crucial moment, Xia Guanxue's actions inexplicably faltered, missing the opportunity to interrupt He Qichang —not because he intentionally held back, but because the knife wound on his shoulder flared up, making it difficult for him to execute his sword moves smoothly.
Two ultimate moves with "lightning" as their attribute collided, swords clashing against each other, and the force burst forth like waves. The surrounding bamboo seemed to be cleaved by invisible blades, breaking one after another.
Xia Guanxue's tiger's mouth split open, and she was thrown back by the shock. At the same time, the knife wound on her shoulder burst open, and blood splattered everywhere.
He Qichang's single sword flew out of his hand, and the impact of the shock dislocated his entire arm, rendering him unable to continue fighting.
The two fought with their full strength, their minds no longer holding back in their exchanges, only filled with the desire to defeat their opponent. Before the onlookers could even react, they each channeled their remaining inner True Qi and unleashed their ultimate moves.
"Demon Blade - Red Lotus!"
He Qichang gritted his teeth and swung his other arm, unleashing his fiery energy. The chilling blade energy transformed into a red lotus flower, rushing towards him.
"Fourth Li: Melting Calamity Fire!"
Not to be outdone, Xia Guanxue unleashed the strongest move from the Linked Mountains Sword Art Technique she had mastered, also using her True Qi to create flames that exuded an aura of disaster, swirling with faint Sword-Ray as they hurtled towards her.
"This is bad, these two have gone berserk!"
Ke Chajing realized things were going to get really bad, that this was going to turn into a fight that could kill someone, so she rushed into the arena to try and stop it.
The moment the swords clashed, the Iron Refining Hand arrived just in time. Undeterred by the scorching flames, Ke Chajing reached into the flames and pressed her hand against the swords, attempting to forcefully break apart the two's ultimate attacks.
However, in a flash, all three forgot one thing.
Xia Guanxue and He Qichang ironwood as their weapon. Although it has a hardness comparable to steel, it is still essentially a type of wood and is most vulnerable to fire. When used to unleash Fire Element special moves, its structure is already damaged, making it extremely fragile.
The three powerful True Qi clashed with each other, and the swords and blades, unable to withstand the pressure, shattered on the spot, turning into charred wood chips that flew everywhere.
Without a medium to bear the power, Ke Chajing pressed her Iron Refining Hand forward, causing Xia Guanxue and He Qichang's sword and saber Sword Qi to pour out to the side.