Fortunately Meeting Huang Rong, the Dragon Begins to Transform

"First getting the Nine Yin Manual, and now the Quanzhen Swordplay, this trip to Guanzhong was really the right call."

Evening.

In the valley where the secret passage entrance was located, Huang Rong sat on a bluestone by the stream. Her crystal-clear, delicate feet were immersed in the clear water, her snow-white, jade-like toes playfully wiggling, stirring up ripples. Her incomparably beautiful face was full of sweet smiles.

She wasn't interested in Quanzhen Swordplay.

But seeing Lu Chen learn a new sword technique made her even happier than if she had gained some immense benefit herself.

"It's not just Quanzhen Swordplay."

Lu Chen stood beside the bluestone, looking at her exquisite profile, which was outlined with a golden edge by the setting sun, like a heavenly immortal descending to the mortal world. He smiled slightly:

"The Ancient Tomb Sect's swordplay has also been completely deduced during the battle with the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader."

He had learned the sword stances long ago while practicing with Li Mochou, but for high-level sword techniques, stances alone weren't enough; one also needed the mental cultivation method for applying force.

Without the mental method, the sword stances were merely superficial, looking good but useless in practice.

Lu Chen's biggest gain from the battle with the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader was completing the deduction of the Ancient Tomb Swordplay's mental method.

Although he hadn't practiced the Ancient Tomb Sect's internal energy, as long as he understood the mental method for applying force, with his "Sword Dao True Qi"'s compatibility with swordsmanship, he could fully unleash the power of any sword technique, even surpassing its original form.

"Maiden of Yue Swordplay, Falling Blossom Swordplay, Heavy Swordplay, White Rainbow Swordplay, Ancient Tomb Swordplay, Quanzhen Swordplay..."

Huang Rong counted on her long, fair fingers one by one, then turned her head and smiled brightly at him:

"That's six sword techniques! And besides the Maiden of Yue Swordplay, they are all first-rate, high-level sword techniques."

Lu Chen nodded and then sighed with emotion:

"The source of the Maiden of Yue Swordplay is actually stronger; it's a sword technique that can be called extraordinary and transcends the mundane. Unfortunately, the version of the Maiden of Yue Swordplay passed down in the martial arts world is tens of thousands of miles away from its source and can only be considered a common sword technique."

The true essence of the Maiden of Yue Sword was only in A Qing's hands.

But A Qing didn't know how to teach swordplay, so the Yue Kingdom swordsmen who learned from A Qing only learned the shadow and superficial aspects of the Maiden of Yue Sword. After enduring the long history from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Great Song Dynasty, even many of the shadows were lost, and later generations added their own interpretations into it. The current Maiden of Yue Swordplay is no longer what it once was.

Even with Lu Chen's sword dao comprehension, at most, he could only make the Maiden of Yue Sword continuously approach the "shadow" that the Yue Kingdom swordsmen learned. It was almost impossible to deduce A Qing's original Maiden of Yue Sword.

Even if he were to unlock more of the Sword Intent of Extermination of Immortals in the future and gain deeper insights into sword principles, pushing the power of the Maiden of Yue Sword to approach or even surpass A Qing, that could only be considered his own "Maiden of Yue Sword," and it wouldn't have much to do with A Qing's original Maiden of Yue Sword.

"After learning the Quanzhen Swordplay, will we leave?"

"Yes. After learning the Quanzhen Swordplay, we'll go to Shaolin. After that, it'll be time to find the Black Wind Double Fiends."

"With your current martial arts, capturing the Black Wind Double Fiends should be no problem."

Lu Chen smiled faintly:

"Although I really want to be humble... I can't find a reason to be humble."

With his current martial arts, even if Chen Xuanfeng were alive, he would be confident in defeating them both, let alone with the "Black Wind Double Fiends" now reduced to just Mei Chaofeng?

"You are not yet twenty, still an eighteen-year-old youth, yet you possess such skill. It's perfectly fine to be spirited and even a little arrogant," Huang Rong said with a sweet smile, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lu Chen.

"I think, with your current martial arts, if you had participated in the last Mount Hua Sword Conference, you might have even earned a title."

Lu Chen nodded and smiled:

"I think so too."

Although his tone was calm, there was a sense of confidence and spirit in his words.

He didn't think he was being arrogant.

The last Mount Hua Sword Conference was more than twenty years ago.

The Five Greats at that time had a considerable gap in their martial arts compared to today – Hong Qigong hadn't even fully practiced the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, his palm power hadn't reached its peak, and he hadn't mastered the Dog Beating Staff Technique either.

Yideng hadn't become a monk then, nor had he practiced the "Innate Skill." His attainment in the "One Yang Finger" was also twenty years less seasoned than it is today.

Huang Yaoshi also hadn't created techniques like "Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm, Whirlwind Sweeping Leg, Five Turns of Qimen," and was still using 'youthful' martial arts like "Falling Blossom Swordplay, Green Wave Palm Technique, Orchid Point Striking Hand."

Although Ouyang Feng had mastered Toad Style, he hadn't created unique techniques like Spirit Snake Fist Technique or Serpent Cane Technique.

Lu Chen was confident that with his current martial arts, even if there was still a slight gap compared to the Five Greats during the first conference, it wouldn't be significant.

While the Five Greats were all exceptionally talented, his sword dao comprehension was also recognized by Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong as that of a rare genius.

He didn't know what fortuitous encounters the Five Greats had when they were young.

But he himself had the fortuitous encounter with the Bosiqu Snake and had practiced the "Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter," which none of the Five Greats had practiced.

Even though his training time was short and his martial arts age was far from comparable to the Five Greats at the first conference, he believed that his internal energy wasn't much different from theirs at that time.

Adding to that several high-level sword techniques and the unique skill of "Sword Aura," which could barely be called a special move, he should be able to compete with the Five Greats from the first conference with little difference.

And to have achieved this, he certainly couldn't have done it without Huang Rong.

His entry into swordplay was entirely guided by Huang Rong.

The Falling Blossom Swordplay was also obtained after Huang Rong sought permission from Huang Yaoshi.

That Condor Brother favored him, gave him snake gallbladders, presented him with a heavy sword, and even sparred with him, Rong'er's barbecue skills were also indispensable.

The White Rainbow Swordplay was also a reward Rong'er fought for from Seventh Master. The more than ten days of dedicated sparring and guidance that followed were also because Rong'er spoke sweetly and had amazing cooking skills, which kept Seventh Master there.

It was also Rong'er's doing that he easily found the secret passage in the Ancient Tomb. After finding the Chongyang's Legacy Inscription, it was also thanks to Rong'er that he was able to interpret the manual.

Otherwise, even if Lu Chen had found that part of the Nine Yin Manual, he wouldn't have understood many of the Taoist terms within it. He would have had to find a way to secretly learn from Quanzhen Sect, and who knows how much trouble that would have caused.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen suddenly realized with a start, the Sword Intent of Extermination of Immortals throwing him in front of Rong'er's boat back then really wasn't random.

Instead, it had deliberately found him a benefactor.

Reflecting on Rong'er's support for him along the way, a sudden impulse welled up in Lu Chen's heart.

He couldn't help but step onto the bluestone, squatting down beside her, and gently embracing her.

"Huh?" Huang Rong was startled, her pretty face slightly flushed, and she playfully chided, "Why are you suddenly hugging me?"

Lu Chen gazed at Rong'er's bright eyes with tender affection and smiled slightly:

"Thank you, Rong'er."

Saying this, he gently kissed her forehead.

This time, Huang Rong's cheeks turned even redder, her pretty face looking as if it had been painted with rouge, and even her crystal-clear earlobes took on a layer of pink.

Her eyes were misty with emotion, her heart pounding, and she lay in a daze in Lu Chen's arms. It was quite a while before she finally came back to her senses.

"You big dummy, why did you suddenly kiss me again?"

She bit her lip shyly and gave Lu Chen an annoyed look. Then, the corners of her lips suddenly curved up, and a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. With one hand on Lu Chen's shoulder and the other pushing his waist, she used a tripping technique. Lu Chen, who was completely off guard, instantly fell for it, flying up as if on clouds and mist, and plopped into the stream with a splash, sending up a large spray of water.

Hahahaha...

Rong'er's delicate and adorable white feet kicked the water happily, laughing so hard she doubled over.

Lu Chen stood up from the waist-deep stream, wiped the water from his face, and grinned at her. Suddenly, he lunged forward, reaching out to grab one of her soft little feet. With a gentle tug, he pulled her into the stream as well, amidst Rong'er's startled cry.

"You big bad Lu Chen..."

Rong'er surfaced, yelled, and pounced on Lu Chen with bared teeth and claws, playfully wrestling with him in the water.

The setting sun descended, the red clouds like fire, and the evening breeze gently blew.

Above the babbling clear stream, the air was momentarily filled with the girl's exclamations and laughter.

Gurgle gurgle...

On the mud stove, a cast iron pot was bubbling with water. Whatever was boiling inside was frothy and emitting a strange smell.

The little Dragon Girl sat on a stool carved from a tree stump, resting her chin on her hands, curiously watching the iron pot. In a voice that still held a hint of a childish lisp, she asked Huang Rong, who was adding things to the pot:

"Sister Rong'er, what are you cooking?"

Huang Rong smiled brightly:

"I'm cooking shampoo."

She was indeed cooking shampoo, the ingredients being soapberry, arborvitae leaves, fleeceflower root, and others.

The first time Lu Chen saw her cooking shampoo and lathering her hair with foam, he was slightly surprised, seemingly not expecting that "mortal world" also had such effective shampoo.

Little Dragon Girl blinked her bright, sparkling eyes:

"Shampoo... is it for drinking?"

Huang Rong nodded seriously:

"Yes."

"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 the medicine I drink when I'm sick. It definitely doesn't taste good."

Huang Rong failed to fool the child, puffed out her pink cheeks, and then burst into laughter:

"I was kidding, shampoo isn't for drinking. It's for washing your hair. Haven't you ever used it, Long'er?"

"Washing hair? Master, Senior Sister, and Granny Sun always helped me wash mine. I think they used soap beans?"

"Soap beans are fine too. Like this, adding some arborvitae leaves, fleeceflower root, and other herbs to boil it can make your hair even cleaner and shinier. If you don't like the smell, you can also add some 'rosewater' or other floral perfumes. After washing your hair, you'll smell like a flower..."

Floral perfumes were first introduced by Arab merchants.

Merchants from the Great Song Dynasty had long started imitating Arab merchants, using distillation to make floral perfumes from roses, jasmine, and other flowers.

The literati class of the Great Song Dynasty, in particular, loved to scent their clothes with floral perfumes. The poet Liu Kezhuang even used the line "drips onto silk clothes, fragrant until death" to describe the longevity of its scent.

Huang Rong's father came from a scholar family and lived by the East Sea, so she naturally used all sorts of floral perfumes from a young age.

While the two young girls, ten years apart in age, discussed shampoo,

On the open ground by the stream not far away, the Ancient Tomb Sect leader was teaching Lu Chen Quanzhen Swordplay.

Li Mochou wasn't here today; her confinement hadn't ended yet. After the events of yesterday were over, she went back to her confinement.

The Ancient Tomb Sect leader's talent also seemed quite remarkable.

Yesterday, Huang Rong had just explained Daoist terminology to Lu Chen, resolving years of confusion. Today, she could already meticulously break down Quanzhen Swordplay and teach its essence to Lu Chen without holding anything back. Her teaching level was quite good, completely deserving of being called an Enlightened Master.

One was skilled at teaching, the other adept at learning. The two complemented each other perfectly. In just one hour, Lu Chen had already learned the complete set of Quanzhen Swordplay. The next step was continuous practice to achieve mastery.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior," Lu Chen said, cupping his hands in a bow, expressing sincere gratitude.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader looked at Lu Chen, her expression slightly strange:

"Little Friend Lu's sword talent... is truly astonishing."

She had originally thought it would take at least several days to teach Lu Chen.

She hadn't expected that in just one hour, he would have already completely learned it. After practicing it a couple more times, his proficiency was already like someone who had practiced for half a year.

Such astonishing sword talent, even her young mistress Lin Chaoying, and Wang Chongyang, who was known as the greatest in the world, were probably inferior.

"If Little Friend Lu had been born several decades earlier, the title of 'greatest in the world' probably wouldn't have had anything to do with Wang Chongyang," the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader mused inwardly.

Next, she continued to guide Lu Chen for a while and even sparred with him twice before returning to the Ancient Tomb with Long'er.

In the following days.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader brought Long'er over every day. Long'er played with Huang Rong, while she instructed Lu Chen in Quanzhen Sect sword techniques.

Well, calling it instruction was actually more like progressing together, as the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader herself had only just mastered Quanzhen sword techniques.

And Lu Chen's sword talent was far above the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader's. His Quanzhen sword techniques improved visibly every day. In just a few days, in the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader's opinion, his proficiency in Quanzhen sword techniques was already not inferior to any of the Seven Freaks of Quanzhen.

So later on, it was actually Lu Chen who was in turn guiding the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader in Quanzhen sword techniques.

Thus, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader gave him something in return. She taught him the Quanzhen Sect's movement technique, Golden Wild Goose Technique, and also taught him a set of palm techniques that Wang Chongyang was most proud of back then, the Treading Frost Breaking Ice Palm Technique—

The Ancient Tomb was originally built by Wang Chongyang. In one of the tomb chambers, he had inscribed almost all of his martial arts except for the Innate Skill. Therefore, the Ancient Tomb Sect possessed the complete set of Quanzhen Sect martial arts.

The Ancient Tomb Sect was also the one in the world that understood Quanzhen Sect martial arts the most. After all, in addition to having the complete set of Quanzhen martial arts, Lin Chaoying had also created the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which was specifically designed to counter Quanzhen Sect martial arts.

It was just that she didn't understand Daoist terminology before and couldn't fully grasp the Quanzhen Heart Sutra, so the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader couldn't practice the second stage of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Now that she had learned 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 dual cultivation, she would have to wait until Long'er grew up. Although Li Mochou was the eldest disciple and was of a suitable age, her personality didn't fit, so she truly couldn't practice the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Lu Chen put some effort into cultivating the Golden Wild Goose Technique movement technique, as safety comes first when traveling the martial world.

As for the Treading Frost Breaking Ice Palm, he just learned it and didn't delve deep into it.

His hand techniques were indeed somewhat lacking. It seemed he couldn't fight without a sword. But...

Who said you couldn't use sword techniques just because you didn't have a sword in your hand?

As early as when he was consuming snake gallbladders in the snake valley to increase his inner strength, he could already infuse his fingers with true qi and pierce through tough, hard wood with a single finger.

Now that he had practiced the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, his inner strength had greatly increased, and he had even developed Sword Aura. His hand techniques were already not to be underestimated, absolutely no less formidable than Mei Chaofeng's Nine Yin White Bone Claw.

It was late autumn when they arrived at Zhongnan. After cultivating in the valley for more than ten days, winter had arrived without them knowing.

Early this morning.

Huang Rong, as usual, slept until mid-morning before getting up. Pushing open the wooden house door, she felt a chill rush towards her.

Looking closely, the plants and trees in the valley were all covered in a layer of white, like a silver dress. On both sides of the clear stream, and on the stones in the stream, there was also an inch-thick layer of white snow, making the stream water appear even clearer and more pristine.

"So beautiful..."

Huang Rong gave a soft laugh and floated out the door in her light clothing.

She had improved her inner strength by eating snake meat in the snake valley, and her physique had also become stronger. Now, after practicing the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter for more than ten days, her inner strength and physique had increased significantly again. Even though her clothes were thin, the chill of early winter and light snow could no longer affect her.

Like a cheerful little deer, she skipped lightly in the snow, her skirt fluttering, and quickly arrived at a clearing in the forest.

In the clearing, the wind was biting. Lu Chen was already practicing his swordplay. The dazzling sword light reflected off the snow, making it seem even colder. The sharp sword wind was like a biting gale.

Seeing the sweat on Lu Chen's forehead, the white steam rising from his head, and the wet marks on his clothes, which were either from snow or sweat, one could tell that he had been practicing for at least an hour, perhaps even before dawn, while the snow was still falling, he had already been practicing his sword here.

Huang Rong stood gracefully under a tree with her hands behind her back, watching Lu Chen practice his sword with a smile.

She herself wasn't diligent in practicing martial arts, but admiring Lu Chen's sword practice had become her hobby. His figure, sometimes as agile as a dragon, sometimes as ethereal as a crane, when he danced his sword, seemed more beautiful to her than the best plays and dances in the world.

After watching for a while, she saw Lu Chen's sword momentum suddenly change. He thrust nine times in a row. Halfway through each thrust, his wrist suddenly vibrated, and the sword tip instantly flickered and split, the sword light instantly dividing into three. It seemed as if he was simultaneously thrusting three swords, capable of attacking three targets at once.

Thus, these nine consecutive thrusts turned into twenty-seven thrusts.

Huang Rong knew that this was the advanced killing move in Quanzhen Swordplay, "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones," where each thrust could split into three.

However, splitting into three was not that easy. At least, neither she nor the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could do it.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could only split one thrust into two swords, and her sword momentum was far less sharp and swift than Lu Chen's.

Huang Rong also knew that the power of Lu Chen's "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" was probably even more formidable than when the most skilled among the Seven Freaks of Quanzhen, Qiu Chuji, personally performed it.

This was because "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" was precisely a thrusting technique, and as long as it was a thrusting-type move, Lu Chen could integrate the essence of "Sword One" into it, greatly increasing its power.

Anyway, even from a bystander's perspective, watching Lu Chen perform those nine consecutive thrusts, which then split into twenty-seven, the "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones," Huang Rong didn't know how she would parry it. It seemed that other than fully utilizing her movement technique to flee and evade, there was no other way?

And this was with her excellent movement technique.

For ordinary martial artists, facing Lu Chen's "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones," even fleeing and evading would only be a luxury.

After watching quietly for a moment, Huang Rong went back to prepare breakfast.

She was Lu Chen's best assistant.

With her there, Lu Chen could focus on practicing martial arts without any worries, and one day, he would surely reach the peak of Mount Hua and spar and discuss swordsmanship with the Five Greats of the World.

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