49, 50: First Master the Ancient Tomb Sword, Then Obtain the Quanzhen Sword

Inside a dim tomb chamber.

Li Mochou sat cross-legged atop a stone bed covered only by a thin mat, silently meditating.

This stone bed was the Ancient Tomb Sect's "Cold Jade Bed."

On this return to the mountain, Li Mochou had first suffered a beating from her master, then been sentenced to a month of confinement. She had even been deliberately locked in the tomb chamber containing the Cold Jade Bed. Her master had said that after one month, she would test Li Mochou's cultivation; if her progress failed to satisfy her master, she would be expelled from the sect.

Li Mochou understood that though her master was somewhat angry, she still cared for her. Otherwise, why would she lock her up here?

The Cold Jade Bed was the opportunity her master had given her.

She had not liked practicing on the Cold Jade Bed before, finding it too arduous.

But on this return to the mountain, she had come to an understanding and gladly accepted her master's punishment.

Practicing on the Cold Jade Bed truly was grueling. She had to keep her Internal Energy circulating at all times to withstand that bone-piercing chill.

Yet it had miraculous effects on improving one's cultivation. Moreover, the Cold Jade Bed could quell the fire in one's heart and ward off inner demons. No matter how boldly and fiercely one advanced, there was no fear of suffering a deviation in cultivation.

Cultivating Internal Energy atop the Cold Jade Bed, one part hardship brought three parts reward.

Thus, since being confined, for more than ten days straight, aside from washing up and using the toilet, she had not left the Cold Jade Bed even to eat. At every moment, she circulated her cultivation method and trained her Internal Energy.

Today was no exception.

After waking on the Cold Jade Bed in the morning and finishing breakfast, she immediately resumed cultivating without pause, savoring amid the hardship the joy of her strength improving bit by bit.

Just as she was cultivating—

A pattering rush of footsteps came from outside.

Then the tomb chamber door flew open, and Little Dragon Girl charged in.

Li Mochou opened her eyes and saw her junior sister's little face flushed red, her breath coming in hurried pants, as though she had run all the way there. Just as she was about to ask what had happened, Little Dragon Girl blurted out impatiently:

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, hurry and help Master!"

As she spoke, she ran over, seized the hem of Li Mochou's clothes, and tugged downward with all her strength.

Naturally, Little Dragon Girl could not budge Li Mochou.

Instead, Li Mochou scooped her into her arms, pinched her plump, soft little cheeks, and smiled. "Senior Sister is in confinement. Without Master's orders, how can I simply go out? Don't panic, Long'er. Tell me carefully—what happened?"

"Bad people broke in!"

Little Dragon Girl waved her little hands and said anxiously, "They're fighting Master right now! Master can't beat them, so I came to find you and Granny Sun to help!"

"Bad people broke into the Ancient Tomb?" Li Mochou's expression changed slightly. "Even Master can't defeat them?"

"There are two bad people, but Master is only one person. Of those two bad people, just one can fight Master to a draw. The other one hasn't even made a move yet. If that other one attacks too, then Master won't be able to beat them, right?"

Hearing Little Dragon Girl say this, Li Mochou dared not delay. She hurriedly leaped off the Cold Jade Bed, put on her shoes, and carried Little Dragon Girl to find Granny Sun.

After finding Granny Sun, they raced under Little Dragon Girl's guidance toward the place where her master was battling the two "bad people."

When they arrived, they saw from afar that Master and the "invading enemy" were locked in a fierce exchange.

The Sword Light of the two fighters crisscrossed and flashed, dazzling the eye. Their two figures darted swiftly about, constantly shifting and turning. Beneath the faint light of the cold pearl lamps, they seemed to become two vague, illusory afterimages. Neither Li Mochou nor Granny Sun could follow them without their eyes swimming, and both felt they had no way to intervene.

After watching only a few moments, Granny Sun found herself unable to distinguish the fighters' Sword Light from their figures. She even felt faintly dizzy, and could not help saying in alarm, "Where did such an expert come from? How can their Martial Arts be so profound?"

Li Mochou was first shocked, then felt that the figure fighting her master—the swordsmanship and movements alike—seemed somewhat familiar. Looking more closely at the person standing by and watching, she saw a petite young girl in blue clothes with a red sash, her hair bound by a gold ring, smiling as she waved at her.

"Rong'er?"

Seeing that the girl was actually Huang Rong, Li Mochou froze. Looking again at the familiar swordsmanship and the tall figure whose speed nearly rivaled her master's, who else could it be but Lu Chen?

Just as she recognized the arrivals, Granny Sun said through gritted teeth, "The invader's Martial Arts are too formidable. We cannot get involved on the Sect Leader's side; forcing our way in would only distract the Sect Leader. Better to seize that little girl first..."

"Wait!" Li Mochou hurriedly stopped Granny Sun and whispered, "Those two are friends, not enemies. There must be some misunderstanding here."

"A misunderstanding?" Granny Sun asked curiously. "You know them?"

"They are friends I met after going down the mountain." Li Mochou was also puzzled. "How did they suddenly get into the Ancient Tomb?"

Though she was puzzled over how Lu Chen and Huang Rong had entered, they were not enemies, and she feared that her master and Lu Chen might truly fight in earnest. Li Mochou had no time to think further and hastily called out:

"Master, they are my friends, not enemies! This is a misunderstanding—stop fighting!"

Yet neither Lu Chen nor the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader stopped at once.

Lu Chen did not stop because this battle felt exceptionally satisfying.

Since learning swordsmanship from Huang Rong, this was the first time he had encountered an opponent like the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader—one who, in every sense, could be called evenly matched and equal in strength—

When he had first sparred with Huang Rong, she had utterly trounced him. By the time his Martial Arts had gradually caught up with Rong'er, she refused to fight him no matter what.

Then he had sparred with Huang Yaoshi, and been utterly trounced.

After that came two real battles: in the first, he defeated a stronger opponent while weaker himself; after that, he utterly trounced the Hanshui Gang.

When sparring with Li Mochou, he had to hold back and could not fight to his heart's content.

When sparring with Hong Qigong, meanwhile, Seventh Master had held back while utterly thrashing him.

In all his time practicing Martial Arts, he had never encountered an opponent like the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader, whose inner strength and swordplay were both evenly matched with his own. At last, everything he had learned could be unleashed to the fullest, and he fought with exhilarating abandon.

Such a thoroughly satisfying exchange was utterly different in nature from an ordinary spar. This was a "real fight" in which neither side held anything back. It also caused his deduction of the Ancient Tomb Sect Swordplay to advance at a tremendous pace. Adding the results from the dozens of previous sparring matches with Li Mochou, he was only a tiny step away from completely deducing the Ancient Tomb Sect Swordplay.

Since that was the case, how could he bear to stop immediately?

If he did not stop, then naturally the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader did not dare stop either.

Though her Movement Technique was slightly superior to Lu Chen's, she held no advantage in either inner strength or swordplay. In such an evenly matched battle, whoever rashly stopped first would be exposing an opening. Falling into a disadvantage would be the least of it; with the slightest carelessness, one could be severely wounded or even killed on the spot.

Thus, the two continued their fierce battle.

After another hundred-odd exchanges, Lu Chen finally completed his dismantling and reverse deduction of the Ancient Tomb Swordplay. The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader's swordplay no longer held any secrets from him. He immediately burst into laughter and launched a rapid offensive. Without even deploying sword radiance, he forced the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader into a full defensive retreat, driving her back again and again.

Yet after gaining the upper hand, Lu Chen did not press his advantage. Instead, he leaped backward, voluntarily withdrawing from the fight.

In an evenly matched battle, unless both sides shared an unspoken understanding, neither dared stop lightly.

But if one side held the upper hand, then that side had the right to call a halt to the battle.

Seeing how Lu Chen seemed to have suddenly gained insight into her swordplay, with every strike in that flurry of swift attacks targeting a point she had no choice but to defend, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader had been secretly frowning. She thought she could no longer defeat this man through Martial Arts alone and would have to rely on the Ancient Tomb's terrain, mechanisms, and traps. Yet she had not expected Lu Chen to voluntarily cease fighting after forcing her back, and inwardly, she let out a sigh of relief.

Remembering Mochou's shout just now, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader turned to glance at the tense-faced Li Mochou, then looked at Lu Chen, who had retreated to Huang Rong's side, and frowned.

"Are you Mochou's friends?"

In truth, she was not afraid of Lu Chen's Martial Arts.

Although Lu Chen seemed to have seen through her swordplay and gained the upper hand, he could not defeat her quickly. If this youth were an enemy, she could hold Lu Chen back while having Mochou and Granny Sun activate the mechanisms and use the traps against him.

Even if they had to pay some price, she was confident they could keep the two within the Ancient Tomb. At worst, they could drive them away.

Furthermore, as a practitioner of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, she did not truly understand what fear was—after practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra for long enough, one's emotional fluctuations would gradually fade, until one eventually viewed life and death with complete detachment.

When even life and death were viewed lightly, what was there left to fear?

The only reason she was willing to speak with them now was because Mochou had called them "friends" just now, and because Lu Chen had shown a measure of goodwill by not pursuing her after gaining the upper hand.

Lu Chen cupped his hands and bowed.

"I am Lu Chen. Greetings, Ancient Tomb Sect Leader. We were in the wrong for rashly entering the Ancient Tomb. I hope you will be magnanimous, Senior."

Huang Rong also grinned and made a bow.

"Huang Rong greets you, Senior. We are friends whom Sister Mochou met in Xiangyang, and we specially escorted her back to Mount Zhongnan this time. The reason we trespassed into the Tomb of the Living Dead was because we discovered a great secret."

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader said blandly, "What great secret?"

"While exploring the back mountain, we discovered a secret passage within an underground river."

Huang Rong said solemnly, "Curious, we wanted to search secluded places and uncover hidden mysteries, so we traveled upstream through that underground river passage. Unexpectedly, we found an underground chamber and obtained a great benefit within it. Afterward, we found another passage in that chamber. Out of curiosity, we entered it to explore, only to discover that it led directly into the Ancient Tomb..."

Hearing this, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader's expression shifted slightly as she asked, "You mean there is a secret passage that leads directly from the back mountain into my Ancient Tomb?"

Huang Rong nodded repeatedly. "That's right. We entered through that secret passage."

This time, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could no longer remain calm. "Where is this secret passage? Can you take me to see it?"

Huang Rong smiled. "Of course. We originally intended to tell Sister Mochou about this so she could inform you, Senior."

So that was why you asked Long'er to fetch Mochou?

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader's expression turned a little odd, but Long'er could not be blamed for this either. The Ancient Tomb's rules were strict to begin with, and outsiders were forbidden from entering. When Long'er saw two outsiders inside the Ancient Tomb, it was perfectly reasonable for her to assume they were ill-intentioned intruders.

Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader followed Lu Chen and Huang Rong to inspect the secret passage.

Li Mochou, still holding Little Dragon Girl, followed with Granny Sun. With her master beside her, she could not conveniently speak with Lu Chen and Huang Rong, so she merely exchanged a few meaningful looks with Huang Rong.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader followed Lu Chen and Huang Rong to the burial chamber containing the secret passage. When she saw that the passage was actually inside a stone coffin, even with her normally muted emotions, she could not help becoming greatly enraged—

This burial chamber was where members of the Ancient Tomb Sect were laid to rest. Her mistress, Lin Chaoying, had already been buried here.

Fortunately, it was Lu Chen and Huang Rong, Mochou's two friends, who had discovered the secret passage. Otherwise, if outsiders learned of it, might her mistress's remains not be desecrated and damaged by them?

The more she thought of it, the more she hated Wang Chongyang.

The Tomb of the Living Dead had been built by Wang Chongyang, so this secret passage could only have been built by Wang Chongyang as well. He had already lost the Tomb of the Living Dead to her mistress in their wager, yet had not told her mistress about this passage. What exactly was Wang Chongyang plotting?

Even as she resented Wang Chongyang, she also felt profound gratitude toward Lu Chen and Huang Rong.

Though they had trespassed into the Ancient Tomb, they had ultimately helped the Ancient Tomb Sect eliminate a hidden danger. She immediately gave Lu Chen and Huang Rong a deep bow.

"Many thanks to you two, young friends. The Ancient Tomb Sect shall forever remember this kindness."

"You flatter me, Senior."

Lu Chen returned the salute. He did not say much else; after all, he was not very familiar with the rules of the Martial Arts World or its etiquette. With Rong'er, who was skilled at dealing with senior figures of the Martial Arts World, by his side, there was no need for him to devote too much thought to such matters.

Huang Rong returned the salute with a smile. "We are grateful that Senior does not blame us for barging into the Ancient Tomb. Oh, and beneath this secret passage lies another great boon. Brother Lu Chen said that we should tell the Ancient Tomb Sect about it, as compensation for our intrusion."

"A great boon?" Li Mochou could not help asking. "What great boon?"

Huang Rong giggled. "Come with me, and you'll see."

With that, she and Lu Chen led the way into the secret passage within the stone coffin.

Li Mochou handed Long'er to Granny Sun, then volunteered to enter first.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader and Granny Sun followed close behind. They emerged from the stone coffin passage into the underground chamber and immediately saw the Nine Yin Manual carved upon the ceiling.

"The Nine Yin Manual is the supreme martial arts tome of the present age."

Huang Rong smiled as she introduced it to them. "Back then, the Five Greats gathered at the Mount Hua Sword Conference to contend for this very tome. Though the Nine Yin Manual here is only a portion, it contains not only the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, a wondrous art that can improve one's innate constitution and raise one's inner power, but also many unorthodox techniques such as the Acupoint Unsealing Secret Art, the Breath Holding Technique, and the Soul Shifting Great Method."

As she spoke, she went on to explain some of the Daoist terminology within the Nine Yin Manual.

While Lin Chaoying was still alive, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader had practiced the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra together with her.

The first stage of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra required one to master all the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect. The second stage required mastery of all Quanzhen Sect martial arts. The third stage was for two people to practice the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra together.

Yet not long after the two had reached the second stage, before the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could fully grasp Quanzhen Sect martial arts, Lin Chaoying had already passed away. Without Lin Chaoying's guidance, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader truly could not make much sense of the Daoist terminology.

On another timeline, Little Dragon Girl had likewise failed to learn the Quanzhen Inner Cultivation Method for this reason. She had even suggested to her master that they go to the Quanzhen Sect and steal the cultivation method, only to be severely scolded by her master, who loathed the Quanzhen Sect beyond measure. Thus, the matter was dropped.

Fortunately, Yang Guo had once learned the cultivation chants at the Quanzhen Sect and happened to understand Daoist terminology. Only then had Little Dragon Girl been able to practice the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra together with Yang Guo.

Now that Huang Rong had explained the Daoist terminology to the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader, several doubts that had plagued her for years regarding the second stage of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra suddenly cleared up. After giving that portion of the Nine Yin Manual a cursory read, she understood that the martial arts inscribed on the stone wall were truly profound and mysterious. Even a faint smile rose on her usually expressionless face. "For Mochou to befriend the two young friends is her fortune, and the fortune of our Ancient Tomb as well."

In truth, that portion of the Nine Yin Manual, though powerful, was not terribly important to her.

What mattered was that she now understood the Daoist terminology and could continue cultivating the second stage of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. In the future, she could even practice the third stage with her disciple and fulfill her young mistress's final wish.

Moreover, she did not roam the Martial Arts World or contend with others for fame and profit. Her martial arts practice was merely a habit she had developed over many years while following her young mistress. Deep down, she did not particularly care whether her martial arts were profound or not.

What truly made her grateful was that Lu Chen and Huang Rong had discovered the secret passage, eliminating the hidden danger that Lin Chaoying's final resting place might one day be disturbed or damaged by outsiders.

Of course, having this portion of the Nine Yin Manual was also a good thing.

Though the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader herself would neither roam the Martial Arts World nor fight others for superiority, her eldest disciple Li Mochou was not one to settle down quietly.

Although Mochou had returned to the mountain this time with the resolve to train hard in martial arts, given her temperament, she clearly would not remain peacefully within the Ancient Tomb for her entire life. Once her martial arts reached fruition, she would likely descend the mountain again.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader disliked Li Mochou's disposition and had no intention of passing down the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to her, because with that temperament, she simply could not cultivate the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. But Li Mochou was, after all, the disciple she had raised with her own hands since the age of ten. Now that they had this portion of the Nine Yin Manual, if Li Mochou descended the mountain again in the future, she would at least possess a true supreme art to rely upon. The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could thus be somewhat more at ease.

After a brief moment of thought, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader said to Lu Chen, "Young Friend Lu, since you are so accomplished in swordsmanship, would you be interested in Quanzhen Swordplay?"

She disliked owing others favors. Since Lu Chen and Huang Rong had rendered the Ancient Tomb such a great service, she naturally wished to repay them.

And for those of the Martial Arts World, the finest repayment was naturally martial arts.

The martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect had been created by Lin Chaoying. Unless one entered the Ancient Tomb Sect, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could not pass them on to outsiders. But she did not care about Quanzhen Sect martial arts—after all, the Ancient Tomb Sect's initiation ritual of spitting at Wang Chongyang's portrait had been created by her. Since she detested Wang Chongyang so deeply, she naturally had no thought of keeping the Quanzhen Sect's martial arts secret for them.

And the Ancient Tomb Sect happened to possess the complete set of Quanzhen Sect martial arts, including its swordplay. They simply had been unable to practice them before because they did not understand the inner cultivation method.

Now, with Huang Rong present—someone who understood Daoist terminology and could even comprehend the Nine Yin Manual—practicing Quanzhen Sect martial arts would naturally be no problem.

Lu Chen had not expected such good fortune. He nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Of course!"

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader smiled faintly. "In that case, beginning tomorrow, I shall teach the two young friends Quanzhen Swordplay."

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