Heading to the Central Plains

Winter passed and spring returned. Time flew by quickly, and the date set for the martial arts duel between Guo Jing and Yang Kang arrived. The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan prepared to take Guo Jing to the Central Plains to fulfill the appointment.

Wang Ming also proposed to go along. He had no choice as he did not know the way and was too lazy to ask directions all the way himself; following them made things much easier.

Originally, they had no wish to bring Wang Ming along, feeling he would be a burden, yet they could not bring themselves to refuse outright. After all, they had spent so many years together.

In truth, Wang Ming had no wish to accompany them either. The main reason was that Ke Zhen'e had such a foul mouth and loved to meddle in other people's business, making him prone to attracting trouble. Still, compared to finding his own way to the Central Plains, enduring Ke Zhen'e was simpler.

Upon reaching the Central Plains, Wang Ming parted ways with Guo Jing's group and found a blacksmith to forge several weapons for himself.

There was a Tang saber, a long sword, and a sixty-pound heavy sword, followed by a custom-made sword case to hold them all together.

Wang Ming sought out a torrential waterfall, intending to practice Dugu Qiubai's heavy swordplay.

Heavy swordplay.

Wang Ming had analyzed the moves for a long time in the desert, and this swordplay was not complicated at all.

The core actually came down to just two things:

First, strength. This single hurdle weeded out ninety percent of people. Yang Guo's mysterious iron heavy sword weighed around eighty-one catties; how many people could wield it single-handedly? Yang Guo's strength had been enhanced by the snake bile of the Bosi Qu Snake.

Second, the training method. First, get used to the weight of the sword; next, practice swordplay beneath a waterfall; then, practice inside a mountain torrent; and finally, practice amidst ocean waves. This was actually a process of growing accustomed to momentum and borrowing force.

Wang Ming had confidence he could master it through self-study, primarily thanks to the Indestructible Vajra Body. Although he could not yet transform into a golden figure, the strength bonus that came with this martial art allowed Wang Ming to meet the requirements for practicing the heavy swordplay without needing the snake bile of the Bosi Qu Snake.

Deep in the mountains, Wang Ming initially used the heavy sword to practice basic sword techniques, but after practicing, he discovered that many moves were unsuited for this set of swordplay. The simpler the sword moves, the more appropriate they were, while techniques relying on wrist strength were completely useless.

The usage and force application of ordinary swordplay relied primarily on the wrists and elbows, making them nimble and variable. Heavy swordplay relied mainly on the arms and the inertia driven by the heavy sword body, making it grand, open, unconstrained, simple, and brutal.

After growing accustomed to it, Wang Ming pulled out the Mount Song Swordplay and began comparing and pondering his own heavy swordplay. The Songshan Sect used giant swords—which could also be called heavy swords—except they lacked the exaggerated weight of the mysterious iron heavy sword, nor were they as heavy as the one Wang Ming had forged.

Even so, they still held a little bit of reference value, and he could extract some variations from them.

A few days later, Wang Ming entered the waterfall and began practicing his swordplay. Here beneath the waterfall, he clearly felt the weight of the water, which prevented his swordplay from being executed properly.

The water pouring down from a height served as the standard answer for heavy swordplay: any move that could not be smoothly completed was unsuitable. Postures where the application of force was not smooth should be changed.

After a month's time, Wang Ming initially mastered the heavy swordplay, reaching a level roughly comparable to when Yang Guo first ventured out into the world with the mysterious iron heavy sword to avenge his father.

That manual of Mount Song Swordplay moves was now reduced to just three: the vertical chop, the oblique slash, and the horizontal sweep.

Added to these were body rotation and tumbling.

At first, Wang Ming had not incorporated these into his swordplay, and the resulting swordsmanship had been quite sluggish—even inferior to ordinary swordplay. One had to understand how difficult it was to make a sixty-pound heavy sword add inertial force and change direction.

Wang Ming was capable of doing it, but it was an ungrateful and laborious task that temporarily stalled his deductions, to the point where he even considered going to the Sword Tomb to seek out the divine condor.

One day, he suddenly recalled that the swords used by people during the Pre-Qin period differed from those used by martial artists of the present day. The swords of the Pre-Qin period were bronze swords and extremely heavy.

He remembered that the sword techniques used by those swordsmen in The Legend of Qin basically involved endless aerial rotations and tumbles.

He gave it a try, and sure enough, it proved remarkably useful.

Ordinary swordplay adjusted directions by shifting left and right, but heavy swordplay directly spun a full circle following the direction of inertia.

In this way, not only did he avoid expending effort to counteract inertia in order to change direction, but he also increased the might of his sword moves.

His current heavy swordplay was a tool for bullying weak opponents, sweeping away large groups with a single stroke. Against opponents of the same rank, he held a slight advantage. Against someone stronger than himself, it was an immediate kneeling defeat. After all, this swordplay was not yet complete; once Wang Ming practiced to the stage of the ocean waves, it would be just about ready.

Its ultimate form should be the style of Wei Zhuang and Sheng Qi in The Legend of Qin!

"Rong'er! This is the gentleman who teaches me reading and literacy, Mr. Wang."

Guo Jing introduced Wang Ming to Huang Rong. Wang Ming looked at the young girl before him, who was around fifteen or sixteen years old. Her skin surpassed snow, her exquisite beauty was peerless, and her appearance was exceptionally gorgeous.

Huang Rong could be considered the woman of the best looks Wang Ming had currently seen among these three worlds. If this had been the very first world Wang Ming had transmigrated to, he definitely would have poached her right out from under Guo Jing.

Aside from his first life, this body of Wang Ming's was now forty years old; toward such a young girl, he simply could not bring himself to make a move. Furthermore, Guo Jing had shown him kindness, so he could not commit such an act.

Wang Ming had originally come down the mountain to the town to buy some daily necessities, but ended up running into Guo Jing. Guo Jing had been too warm and impossible to refuse, dragging him over here on the pretext of inviting the teacher to a meal.

"Rong'er greets the gentleman." Huang Rong put down the task at hand and came forward to greet Wang Ming.

Huang Rong was actually very polite and at the same time respected her teachers and valued the Dao, yet she happened to encounter Ke Zhen'e, who spoke of women the moment he opened his mouth, and babbled on about a betrothal with Yang Tiexin's family at every turn. It would be a wonder if Huang Rong did not talk back.

"Ah! You are the friend Jing'er met when he came to the Central Plains, right? No need for such formal courtesies. I am not all that particular; just be at ease."

"Alright. You and Brother Jing go ahead and catch up on old times first. Rong'er will go prepare the meal."

"Very well, go ahead with your work and pay me no mind."

Wang Ming was led by Guo Jing into an adjacent room, where Wang Ming saw an elderly man sitting at the table wearing patched, ragged clothes. Although the garments were worn, they were very clean.

This old man glanced at Wang Ming, who was dressed in a scholar's robe with a long sword at his waist, and lost interest, returning to nibble leisurely on the pastries Huang Rong had prepared for him. Jianghu folks and scholars walked different paths and could not get along, each holding the other in contempt.

Wang Ming respectfully saluted and asked, "May I ask if Your Excellency is the Beggar's Sect leader, Senior Hong?"

Wang Ming had already known the plot, and then upon discovering that the unkempt old man was missing a finger on one hand, his identity was naturally confirmed.

Hong Qi ate his food and offhandedly replied, "Oh! I never expected a scholar like you to know about an old beggar like me. Not bad at all!"

Wang Ming replied, "How could I not know the renown of the Five Greats?"

Guo Jing, that honest fellow, abruptly chimed in, "What are the Five Greats?"

The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan were too proud to save face and had never told him about these matters.

The circles Guo Jing contacted upon coming to the Central Plains were too low, and no one had ever mentioned the Five Greats. Huang Rong, wishing to conceal her identity, naturally would not speak of it. Hong Qi lacked the thick skin required to blow his own horn, so naturally, Guo Jing remained ignorant.

"The Five Greats are simply the five people with the highest martial arts in the contemporary world. The Eastern Heretic is Huang Yaoshi, master of Peach Blossom Island. He is well-versed in astronomy above and geography below, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, the Qimen Dunjia, the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and even agriculture, water conservancy, economics, and military strategy—there is nothing he does not know and nothing he has not mastered. One could say he is an all-around talent, and his signature martial arts are the Blue Sea Tide Song and the Finger Flicking Divine Skill.

The Western Poison is Ouyang Feng, Villa Lord of the White Camel Mountain Villa in the Western Regions. He excels at using poison and controlling snakes, with his signature martial arts being the Toad Skill and the Spirit Snake Staff Technique.

The Southern Emperor is Duan Zhixing, emperor of the Dali Kingdom, and his signature martial art is the One Yang Finger.

The Northern Beggar is the Beggar's Sect leader, which is the senior before your very eyes; his mastery of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the Dog Beating Staff is executed to perfection.

The Central Divine is Wang Chongyang, leader of the Quanzhen Sect, and his signature martial art is the Innate Skill." Seeing Hong Qi's demeanor, Wang Ming grasped the situation in a flash and immediately educated Guo Jing.

"I never imagined Senior Seven was so formidable," Guo Jing said.

Hong Qigong ate his pastries as if nothing were the matter. Seemingly devoid of emotional fluctuations, there was still a trace of smugness deep in his heart.

Before long, Huang Rong brought out the dishes. Wang Ming had initially felt little interest in them.

What sort of delicacies could ancient people whip up?

Many seasonings had not yet been transmitted from foreign lands.

Yet after tasting them, he had no choice but to voice his praise.

This prompted Wang Ming to mentally admire Huang Laoxie.

Without having to think much, he knew Huang Laoxie must have used other ingredients to substitute for the seasonings of later generations.

No wonder Hong Qigong was so reluctant to leave.

After the meal, Hong Qigong pulled Guo Jing outside to the courtyard to begin teaching him new martial arts, and after finishing the instruction, he made Guo Jing punch a tree trunk.

Hong Qigong carried his wine gourd and walked toward Wang Ming.

"You carry a sword with you everywhere; do you know martial arts?" Hong Qigong walked over and found a spot to sit down.

"A little."

"What does 'a little' amount to? Scholars are always so beating around the bush. Rong'er, go spar with him."

"Offense taken, Senior." Although Huang Rong's expression showed a deep unwillingness to fight, she held back none of her force when she struck.

Facing the palm attack that Huang Rong suddenly launched, Wang Ming showed not the slightest panic. With a gentle flick of his right hand, he dissolved Huang Rong's attack.

Huang Rong turned back and discovered that Wang Ming's finger was only an inch away from her throat. In an instant, she realized she had lost, and furthermore that their martial arts differed by a vast margin, so she immediately conceded defeat and stepped down. Yet judging by her expression, she was no doubt plotting something once more.

Hong Qigong, sitting to the side, wore an expression of 'I knew it would be like this'. From Wang Ming's breathing earlier, he had already discerned that Wang Ming possessed superior internal energy, which was why he had let Huang Rong test him out.

"Not bad. Would you mind exchanging pointers with an old beggar?"

"Since Guild Leader Hong has this inclination, this junior will naturally accompany you."

Hong Qigong put down his wine gourd, raised his dog beating staff, and struck toward Wang Ming.

In truth, Wang Ming also wished to exchange blows with Hong Qigong to figure out what level his own martial arts occupied in this world.

As soon as they engaged, Wang Ming deployed the Five Peaks Swordplay. All sorts of exquisite sword techniques genuinely dazzled Hong Qigong; this was the most complex and changeable set of swordplay he had ever witnessed in his entire life. At times the sword qi was stern and rigorous, while at other times it was nimble and unfathomable. To observe it was to see something dense and meticulous, yet in the blink of an eye it became fiercely perilous, and the next moment heavy and steady.

After roughly fifty moves, Hong Qigong no longer purely vied for the exquisiteness of the moves.

The development of martial arts moves in the Swordsman world was a kind of savage growth, and in terms of exquisiteness, they were no less than the Dog Beating Staff.

Hong Qi simply resorted to cheating, using his formidable internal energy to crack Wang Ming's swordplay.

Illusion Sword.

Wang Ming employed the Illusion Sword, once again fighting Hong Qigong to a standstill and leveling the gap.

"Fine swordplay! Try my palm technique: Dragon Ascending to Heaven!"

Discovering that he could gain no advantage by matching moves and finesse with Wang Ming, Hong Qigong resorted to the formidable and fierce Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

Wang Ming thrust his long sword into the ground, raised his hands to match palms with Hong Qigong, and instantly his face flushed with a purple haze.

Purple Haze Divine Skill.

The moment they made contact, he felt an immensely fierce and violent internal force surge over him, and Wang Ming knew at once that the Purple Haze Divine Skill and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms were not martial arts of the same tier.

Thus he sidestepped to evade a palm strike and immediately returned a blow.

"This martial art is interesting—frigidly cold to the extreme, capable of forming ice out of thin air. Too bad it does too much damage to the viscera."

Wang Ming was utilizing the Ice True Qi, one of the few attribute-based martial arts in the Jin Yong world.

This martial art could be used to cultivate internal energy, and the resulting inner force was chillingly cold and possessed astonishing lethality, but it was extremely harmful to the body. Alternatively, one could simply cultivate the pathway of Qi transformation and use it as an offensive method, though the power would not match the former approach, it reduced the strain on the physical body.

Hong Qigong was indeed widely read and experienced; this martial art truly was harmful to the body. Although the Ice True Qi was peculiar, once Hong Qigong grew accustomed to it, Wang Ming once again began to fall into a disadvantageous position.

Wang Ming unleashed the Qi of the Indestructible Vajra Body, beating Hong Qigong back several paces in an instant.

"Not bad internal power. You took six tenths of my full strength—come, try seven tenths of my strength."

"What! Only six tenths?" Wang Ming was startled.

Once Hong Qigong employed seven tenths of his strength, the Indestructible Vajra inner force was no longer adequate, and Wang Ming could only barely parry.

"Eight tenths."

Wang Ming was instantly driven back seven or eight steps, and he knew there was no need to continue fighting.

"Not bad, not bad. If you put in a bit more effort for a few years, you won't have no chance at all of contending for supremacy at the Mount Hua Sword Debate." Having thoroughly enjoyed the fight, Hong Qigong said in high spirits.

"I wouldn't dare!" Wang Ming said modestly.

In reality, it was not that he could not continue fighting, but rather that there was no need.

Wang Ming had not utilized all of his abilities—for instance, the Nine Swords of Dugu.

This battle did not involve any interests to begin with, so there was no need to risk his life.

Those were all trump cards, and the fewer people who knew one's trump cards, the better.

Wang Ming's study of martial arts was never for the sake of dueling and challenging people, but rather for prolonging life and self-preservation.

The reason he had agreed to spar with Hong Qigong was primarily because the man's character was respectable, running no risk of being ambushed and killed, and defeat carried no mortal danger.

Wang Ming was not surprised by this battle record. What deeply puzzled him, however, was why the current cultivation speed of the Indestructible Vajra Body was so agonizingly slow.

This martial art was formidable, but Wang Ming was still a long way from reaching grand completion and being able to transform into a golden figure. Being able to fight to this extent was enough to demonstrate the might of this skill.