"First the Nine Yin Manual, then Quanzhen Swordplay. This trip to Guanzhong was definitely worth it."
Evening.
In the valley where the secret passage entrance lay, Huang Rong sat on a bluish stone beside the stream. Her crystal-clear little feet soaked in the clear water, her snow-jade toes playfully curling and uncurling, sending ripples across the surface. Her peerlessly lovely face was filled with sweet delight.
She had no particular interest in Quanzhen Swordplay.
But seeing Lu Chen learn a new sword technique made her happier than if she herself had gained some tremendous benefit.
"Not just Quanzhen Swordplay."
Standing beside the stone, Lu Chen looked at her exquisite profile, edged in gold by the sunset and lovely as an immortal descended to the mortal world. Smiling, he said:
"I also fully worked out Ancient Tomb Sect swordplay during my battle with the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader."
He had long learned the sword forms through sparring with Li Mochou, but superior sword techniques required more than forms. They also required the method for channeling force and exerting power.
Without the cultivation method, sword forms were merely pretty on the surface and useless in practice.
Lu Chen's greatest gain from his battle with the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader had been completing his deduction of the cultivation method behind Ancient Tomb Swordplay.
Though he had never practiced Ancient Tomb Sect internal cultivation, as long as he understood the method of channeling force, his Sword Dao True Qi's affinity with swordsmanship allowed him to fully unleash any sword technique's power. He could even surpass its original masters.
"Maiden of Yue Swordplay, Falling Blossom Swordplay, Heavy Swordplay, White Rainbow Swordplay, Ancient Tomb Swordplay, Quanzhen Swordplay..."
Huang Rong counted them one by one on her slender, fair fingers, then turned to him with a radiant smile.
"That makes six sword techniques! And aside from Maiden of Yue Swordplay, every one of them is a first-rate superior sword technique."
Lu Chen nodded, then said with a sigh, "The origin of Maiden of Yue Swordplay was actually even more powerful. It was a sword art that could be called transcendent and saintly. Unfortunately, the Maiden of Yue Swordplay passed down through the martial world has drifted a hundred thousand miles from its source. It can only be considered a commonplace sword technique now."
The true essence of the Maiden of Yue Sword was known only to A Qing.
But A Qing did not know how to teach swordsmanship. Thus, the Yue Kingdom swordsmen who learned from her had only acquired the shadow and outer trappings of the Maiden of Yue Sword. After the long passage of time from the Spring and Autumn period to the Great Song Dynasty, even much of that shadow had been lost. Later generations had added their own interpretations, and today's Maiden of Yue Swordplay no longer resembled its former self.
Even with Lu Chen's comprehension of the sword, he could at most bring Maiden of Yue Swordplay ever closer to the "shadow" learned by the Yue Kingdom swordsmen. It was almost impossible for him to deduce A Qing's original Maiden of Yue Sword.
Even if he unlocked more Sword Intent of Extermination of Immortals in the future and gained insight into deeper sword principles, eventually raising the power of Maiden of Yue Swordplay close to or even beyond A Qing's, it would only be his own "Maiden of Yue Sword." It would have little to do with A Qing's original version.
"Will we leave after you learn Quanzhen Swordplay?"
"Yes. Once I've learned Quanzhen Swordplay, we'll go to Shaolin. After that, it'll be time to find the Black Wind Double Fiends."
"With your martial arts now, capturing the Black Wind Double Fiends should be no trouble at all."
Lu Chen smiled.
"Though I'd like to be modest... I really can't find any reason to be."
With his current martial arts, even if Chen Xuanfeng were still alive, he was confident he could defeat both of them at once. Much less now, when only Mei Chaofeng remained of the Black Wind Double Fiends?
"You are not even twenty yet, still an eighteen-year-old youth. With such skill, what is so terrible about being high-spirited, even a little proud?"
Huang Rong looked at Lu Chen with sparkling eyes and said with a lovely smile:
"I think that with your martial arts today, if you had taken part in the last Mount Hua Sword Conference, you might even have earned yourself a title."
Lu Chen nodded with a smile.
"I think so too."
His tone was calm, but his words carried an air of confidence and ambition.
Nor did he think himself arrogant.
The last Mount Hua Sword Conference had taken place more than twenty years ago.
At that time, the Five Greats' martial arts had truly been far below their current level—Hong Qigong had not even mastered all the moves of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, nor had his palm force reached perfection. He had not completed the Dog Beating Staff Technique either.
Yideng had not yet become a monk, nor had he practiced the Innate Skill. His mastery of the One Yang Finger was also twenty years less refined than it was now.
Huang Yaoshi had yet to create such arts as Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm, Whirlwind Sweeping Leg, and Five Turns of Qimen. He still used his youthful versions of martial arts, such as Falling Blossom Swordplay, Green Wave Palm Technique, and Orchid Point Striking Hand.
Though Ouyang Feng had mastered the Toad Style, he had yet to create such ultimate arts as Spirit Serpent Fist and the Serpent Cane Technique.
Lu Chen believed that, with his current martial arts, even if he still fell a little short of the Five Greats from the first conference, the gap would not be large.
The Five Greats were all supremely gifted, certainly, but Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong had both acknowledged Lu Chen's sword comprehension as the talent of an age.
He did not know what fortuitous encounters the Five Greats had experienced in their youth.
But he himself had encountered the Bosiqu Snake and practiced the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, which none of the Five Greats had ever cultivated.
Though he had practiced martial arts for too short a time and his accumulated cultivation still lagged far behind the Five Greats at the first conference, he believed his internal power should not be much weaker than theirs had been.
With several superior sword arts at his command, along with the unusual technique of Sword Radiance—which could barely count as a signature move—he should not be much inferior to the Five Greats from the first conference in a contest.
And naturally, Huang Rong had been indispensable to all these achievements.
His introduction to swordsmanship had relied entirely on Huang Rong's guidance.
He had only been taught Falling Blossom Swordplay because Huang Rong had secured Huang Yaoshi's permission.
Condor Brother's favor, the snake gallbladders, the heavy sword, and even the sparring sessions—all of it had been helped by Rong'er's grilling skills.
White Rainbow Swordplay had also been a reward Rong'er secured from Seventh Master. And Seventh Master had stayed to diligently spar with and guide him for more than ten days only because Rong'er's words were pleasant and her cooking astonishing.
Finding the Ancient Tomb's secret passage so easily had also been Rong'er's doing. After they found Chongyang's Legacy Inscription, it had been Rong'er who interpreted the manual.
Otherwise, even if Lu Chen had found that portion of the Nine Yin Manual, he would not have understood many of its Daoist terms. He would have needed to find a way to secretly learn from the Quanzhen Sect, and who knew how much trouble that would have caused?
At that thought, Lu Chen suddenly realized that when the Sword Intent of Extermination of Immortals had thrown him before Rong'er's boat, it had not done so casually.
It had deliberately found him a benefactor.
Thinking of Rong'er's support throughout their journey, Lu Chen suddenly felt an impulse rise within him.
He stepped onto the stone, crouched down beside her, and gently drew her into his arms.
"Huh?" Huang Rong froze. Her lovely face reddened slightly as she reproached him, "Why are you suddenly hugging me?"
Lu Chen gazed softly into Rong'er's bright eyes and smiled.
"Thank you, Rong'er."
As he spoke, he gently kissed her forehead.
That made Huang Rong's cheeks redden even more. Her lovely face seemed painted with rouge, and even her crystal-clear earlobes were tinged pink.
Her eyes grew misty, her heart pounding wildly. She lay dazed in Lu Chen's arms for quite some time before finally recovering.
"You... why did you suddenly kiss me again?"
She shyly bit her lip and shot Lu Chen an irritated glare. Then the corners of her lips lifted, a sly smile flashing through her eyes. One hand pressed against Lu Chen's shoulder while the other shoved at his waist. Using a tripping throw, she caught the utterly unguarded Lu Chen off guard. He flew up as though riding clouds and mist, then fell into the stream with a splash, sending water spraying everywhere.
Hahahaha...
Rong'er's delicate, adorable little white feet happily kicked at the water as she laughed so hard she bent forward and back.
Lu Chen rose from the waist-deep stream, wiped the water from his face, and grinned at her. Then he suddenly lunged forward, grabbed one of her soft little feet, and gave it a light tug. Amid Rong'er's cry of surprise, he pulled her into the stream as well.
"Lu Chen, you big bastard..."
Rong'er surfaced with a shout, pounced on Lu Chen with claws bared, and began splashing about with him in the water.
The sun set in the west, crimson clouds blazing like fire as the evening breeze drifted gently by.
For a time, the air above the babbling stream was filled with a young girl's startled cries and laughter.
Gurgle, gurgle...
A pot atop the earthen stove bubbled with boiling water. The contents foamed and gave off a strange smell.
Little Dragon Girl sat on a stool carved from a tree stump, chin resting in both hands. She curiously watched the iron pot and asked Huang Rong, who was adding things to it, in a slightly childish voice:
"Big Sister Rong'er, what are you cooking?"
Huang Rong smiled brightly.
"Shampoo."
She really was making shampoo. Its ingredients included soapberries, Chinese arborvitae leaves, fleeceflower root, and more.
When Lu Chen had first seen her making shampoo and then working up a head full of foam, he had been a little surprised. It was as though he had not expected even the "mortal world" to possess such useful shampoo.
Little Dragon Girl blinked her sparkling eyes twice.
"Shampoo... is it for drinking?"
Huang Rong nodded solemnly.
"That's right."
"Then... is it tasty?"
"It's very tasty. Would Long'er like to try some?"
Long'er shook her head like a rattle drum.
"No. It smells strange, like medicine people drink when they're sick. It definitely isn't tasty."
Having failed to fool the child, Huang Rong puffed out her pink cheeks before bursting into laughter.
"I was teasing you. Shampoo isn't for drinking. It's for washing your hair. Has Long'er never used it before?"
"Washing hair? Master, Senior Sister, and Granny Sun always wash Long'er's hair. I think they use soap pods?"
"Soap pods work too. But if you add medicinal ingredients like Chinese arborvitae leaves and fleeceflower root, as I do, it will make your hair even cleaner, darker, and shinier. If you dislike the smell, you can also add floral perfume, like rosewater. Then after washing your hair, you'll smell as fragrant as flowers..."
Floral perfume had first been spread by merchants from the Western Regions.
Great Song merchants had long been imitating them, using distillation to make floral perfumes from roses, jasmine, and other flowers.
The Great Song's scholar-official class particularly loved using floral perfume to scent their clothes. The contemporary poet Liu Kezhuang had even used the line, "A drop on silk robes leaves fragrance until death," to describe how long its scent endured.
Huang Rong's father had been born into a family of scholars, and they lived in the Eastern Sea. Naturally, she had used all kinds of floral perfumes since childhood.
While the two girls, ten years apart in age, discussed shampoo,
The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader was teaching Lu Chen Quanzhen Swordplay in an open space by the stream not far away.
Li Mochou had not come today. Her confinement had not yet ended, and after yesterday's events, she had gone back to continue it.
The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader seemed quite gifted as well.
Only yesterday, Huang Rong had explained Daoist terminology and resolved her long-standing confusion. Yet today, she could already break down Quanzhen Swordplay in detail and teach Lu Chen its essence without holding anything back. Her teaching was quite good, fully worthy of being called that of a renowned master.
One knew how to teach, while the other excelled at learning. They complemented each other perfectly. In merely one hour, Lu Chen had learned the complete set of Quanzhen Swordplay. All that remained was continued practice and refinement.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior." Lu Chen cupped his fists and bowed, sincerely expressing his gratitude.
The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader looked at Lu Chen with a slightly strange expression.
"Little Friend Lu's talent for swordsmanship... is truly astonishing."
She had originally thought she would need at least several days to teach Lu Chen.
Yet in only one hour, he had already completely learned it. After practicing it twice more, his proficiency looked like that of someone who had trained for half a year.
Such astonishing sword talent was likely beyond even her young mistress Lin Chaoying, or Wang Chongyang, who had been known as the world's number one.
If Little Friend Lu had been born several decades earlier, the title of world's number one might have had nothing to do with Wang Chongyang.
The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader thought to herself.
Afterward, she instructed Lu Chen for a while longer and sparred with him twice before taking Long'er back to the Ancient Tomb.
Over the following days,
The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader brought Long'er over every day. Long'er would play with Huang Rong while she instructed Lu Chen in Quanzhen Sect swordsmanship.
Well, calling it instruction was not quite accurate. In truth, they were improving together, since the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader herself had only just learned Quanzhen swordsmanship.
And Lu Chen's talent for the sword was far above that of the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader. His Quanzhen swordsmanship changed with every passing day. In just a few days, she felt that his mastery had already become no weaker than that of the Seven Freaks of Quanzhen.
So in the end, Lu Chen was the one guiding the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader in Quanzhen swordsmanship.
Thus, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader repaid him by teaching him the Quanzhen Sect movement technique, the Golden Wild Goose Technique, as well as Wang Chongyang's most prized palm art, the Treading Frost Breaking Ice Palm Technique—
The Ancient Tomb had originally been built by Wang Chongyang. In one of its chambers, he had carved nearly all of his martial arts except for the Innate Skill. Thus, the Ancient Tomb Sect possessed the complete set of Quanzhen Sect martial arts.
No one in the world understood Quanzhen Sect martial arts better than the Ancient Tomb Sect. After all, not only did the Ancient Tomb Sect possess the complete Quanzhen arts, but Lin Chaoying had also created the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra specifically to counter Quanzhen Sect martial arts.
It was only because they had not understood Daoist terminology and could not grasp the Quanzhen Inner Cultivation Method that the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader had been unable to practice the second stage of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.
Now that she had learned the Daoist terminology, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader had already begun cultivating the second stage of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.
As for the third stage, which required two people to practice together, she would have to wait until Long'er grew up—Li Mochou was the eldest disciple and of suitable age, but her temperament was incompatible. She truly could not practice the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.
Lu Chen spent some effort cultivating the Golden Wild Goose Technique. After all, when traveling the martial world, safety came first.
As for the Treading Frost Breaking Ice Palm, he merely learned it and left it at that, without studying it deeply.
His hand techniques were indeed somewhat lacking. It seemed that without a sword, he could not fight, but...
Who said one could not use swordsmanship without a sword in hand?
Back when he had eaten snake gallbladders in Snake Valley to increase his power, he could already infuse his fingers with true qi and punch through tough hardwood with a single finger.
Now that he had practiced the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, greatly increasing his power, and had even developed Sword Radiance, his hand techniques could no longer be underestimated. They were absolutely no weaker than Mei Chaofeng's Nine Yin White Bone Claw.
When they had arrived at Mount Zhongnan, it had already been late autumn. After more than ten days of cultivation in the valley, winter had arrived without anyone noticing.
One morning.
As usual, Huang Rong did not wake until midmorning. When she pushed open the wooden cabin's door, a chill immediately rushed over her.
Looking closely, she saw that the valley's grass and trees were all covered in silver and white. More than an inch of snow had accumulated along both sides of the stream and atop the stream stones, making the water appear even clearer and purer.
"So beautiful..."
Huang Rong smiled softly and drifted out in her thin clothes.
After eating snake meat in Snake Valley, Huang Rong's internal energy had increased and her constitution had grown stronger. Having practiced the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter for more than ten days, her cultivation and physical strength had risen sharply again. Even in light clothing, the cold of this early winter snow could no longer affect her.
Like a happy little deer, she lifted her skirt and leapt lightly through the snow. Soon, she arrived beside a clearing in the woods.
Within the clearing, the wind whistled sharply. Lu Chen had already been practicing his swordsmanship there, dazzling sword light casting a cold gleam across the snow, while his fierce sword wind was like a freezing gale.
The sweat on Lu Chen's forehead, the white vapor above his head, and the damp patches on his clothes—whether soaked by snowmelt or sweat—showed that he had been practicing for at least two hours. Perhaps he had begun before dawn, while snow still fell.
Huang Rong stood beneath a tree with her hands behind her back, smiling as she watched Lu Chen practice his sword.
She herself was not particularly diligent in martial arts, but watching Lu Chen practice his sword had become one of her hobbies. To her, his figure as he wielded the blade—at times vigorous as a dragon, at times graceful as a crane—was more beautiful than the finest opera or dance in the world.
After watching for a while, she saw Lu Chen's sword momentum suddenly change. In one breath, he stabbed nine times. Halfway through each thrust, his wrist abruptly shook, and the sword tip suddenly flicked and quivered. The sword light instantly split into three, as though three swords had thrust out at once, capable of striking three targets simultaneously.
Thus, those nine consecutive thrusts became twenty-seven.
Huang Rong knew this was the superior killing move from Quanzhen Swordplay, One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. Each thrust could divide into three.
And dividing one into three was not easy. At least, neither she nor the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could manage it.
The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could only turn one thrust into two, and even then, her sword momentum was nowhere near as fierce or swift as Lu Chen's.
Huang Rong also knew that Lu Chen's One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones was likely more formidable than when personally performed by Qiu Chuji, the strongest of the Seven Freaks of Quanzhen.
That was because One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones was a thrusting technique, and whenever Lu Chen used thrusting sword moves, he could incorporate the essence of Sword One, greatly increasing their power.
In any case, even as an observer, Huang Rong had no idea how she could defend against Lu Chen's nine consecutive thrusts, each turning into three, for a total of twenty-seven strikes. It seemed that aside from desperately using her movement technique to flee and evade, there was no other way?
And that was only because her movement technique was exceptional.
For an ordinary martial artist, even fleeing and evading would be a vain hope against Lu Chen's One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.
After quietly watching for a while, Huang Rong went back to prepare breakfast.
She was Lu Chen's best helper.
With her around, Lu Chen could focus on martial arts without any worries. One day, he would surely climb to the summit of Mount Hua and exchange martial arts and swordsmanship with the Five Greats of the World.
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