The Person and Sword Betrayed by a Friend

As for the Twelve Story Building, Shan Xu took it and opened it. It was in his handwriting.

This was the sword technique he had personally transcribed from memory and given to Ye Qiandeng.

"Does Brother Shi also understand swordsmanship?" Shan Xu suddenly asked.

"No."

"I saw that finger-sword technique Brother Shi used earlier had quite a structure to it, so I thought you understood swordsmanship!" Shan Xu said.

"Just a life-saving method, not worth mentioning," Shi Feizhe said dismissively.

"Indeed, drifting in the Jianghu, one truly needs a little life-saving method!" Shan Xu said with emotion, then threw the Twelve Story Building to Shi Feizhe. "I have nothing of value on me. I have no way to repay your life-saving kindness. I will give this Twelve Story Building to Brother Shi!"

"Oh!" Shi Feizhe took it. He had actually looked at this sword technique manual just now, but he couldn't understand it. It was better to just give it to Shan Xu.

If it were internal cultivation methods or visualization techniques, he could still understand a little.

Swordsmanship, he truly couldn't understand. The terminology for swordsmanship was completely different from the cultivation methods he had learned before!

"Let me regulate my breathing for a bit, then I will explain it to you. The Twelve Story Building requires quite a bit of comprehension and talent. If Brother Shi can't learn it, don't blame me for being stingy!" Shan Xu said with a smile, then began to regulate his breathing.

How is that possible? I am a Martial Arts Genius!

As long as you explain it, there's nothing I can't learn!

Shi Feizhe was very confident in his martial arts talent. It was truly a case of planting a willow and having it grow into shade; he never expected to meet someone who would teach him swordsmanship.

Shan Xu's breathing regulation took a long time, so long that Shi Feizhe had gotten more dry rations, built a fire, and the sky had darkened again. During this time, hot air rose from around Shan Xu's body, his face turned green and then purple, and he ate several pills in between.

Finally, with a "wah" sound, he vomited a mouthful of black blood, and his complexion improved significantly.

Seeing Shan Xu wipe his mouth, Shi Feizhe asked, "Has the poison Brother Shan was afflicted with been forced out?"

"It's not that simple. Bone-Corroding Gut-Severing Powder is a potent poison. I've been fleeing for my life and have already missed the best time to detoxify. The poison has already seeped into my internal organs. Even with an antidote, I would need several days to recover. Without an antidote now, I'm afraid it will take several months to recover," Shan Xu said, shaking his head.

"However, this is already much better. I've probably recovered three to four tenths of my strength!" Shan Xu stood up and said again, "I will now explain this Twelve Story Building to Brother Shi."

"Why don't you rest a bit more? No need to rush!" Shi Feizhe said, looking at his wobbly, unstable stance.

"I also happened to save someone by chance and was taught this set of swordsmanship by him."

"After that, because of the swordsmanship, a rift formed with a friend. Then I was saved by someone else, met a new friend, and after teaching them the swordsmanship, a rift formed with the new friend again!"

"Brother Shi is the sixth friend to save my life!" Shan Xu said slowly.

???

Shi Feizhe's face was full of question marks. What kind of strange swordsmanship was this?

And this kind of karmic bonus from being betrayed by friends?

Similar to the Green Hat Saber?

Listening to Shan Xu, after he was taught the swordsmanship, he was continuously betrayed by five friends and also continuously saved by five friends.

The friends who saved him became the friends who betrayed him, in a cycle.

"Is it possible that it's your own problem?" Shi Feizhe couldn't help but say when he heard Shan Xu say this.

Don't let the swordsmanship take the blame for everything. Maybe it's your own problem!

Can't you people find some reasons within yourselves?

You don't take responsibility for anything!

"Only by truly passing on the Twelve Story Building might I not be betrayed by my friends!" Shan Xu said, lowering his head and muttering to himself.

"It's clearly your own problem with making friends!" Shi Feizhe said. "Friends are for betraying, brothers are for selling out! Can't you make fewer friends!"

"But in this Jianghu, if one has no three or five friends, and no confidant, standing alone, how lonely it is!" Shan Xu said with great emotion. "The world is vast, but in this Jianghu, you are the only one."

"No one cares about you, no one understands you, and no one knows you. It's as if the Jianghu is the Jianghu, and you are you."

"In a lifetime, how lonely am I, Xu!"

"Brother Shi is probably young and doesn't understand this feeling yet."

I understand jack squat! You're clearly just bored out of your mind and feeling empty and lonely!

"Why don't you find a soft girl? Then you won't be lonely!" Shi Feizhe advised. "Stop making friends, the friends you make will all try to kill you!"

To deal with someone who is bored out of their mind like this, besides the 996 blessing, it's to find a woman.

"How do you know I haven't made friends with female Jianghu heroes?" Shan Xu suddenly retorted.

"Then..."

"They cut even harder!"

"..."

What problem with the swordsmanship? Eight out of ten times, it's you who has the problem!

Poor judgment of character, meeting the wrong people, easily trusting others, and yet your swordsmanship is exceptional, making people envious.

It would be strange if others didn't harm you!

"Brother Shi, please listen carefully! The sword is the blade of the heart, and the heart is within the sword..." Shan Xu drew his long sword, explaining and demonstrating the swordsmanship as he went.

Sword techniques are different from general cultivation methods, or rather, sword techniques, spear techniques, and saber techniques are different from general cultivation methods.

General cultivation methods are all about training the physical body to break through the Blood Qi Barrier, and visualizing deities to perfect the Spirit Barrier. Finally, the Blood Qi Spirit merges into Seeing Truth, producing true qi. The true qi will have different attributes depending on the visualized deity.

The martial arts practiced, when empty-handed, are fist and foot techniques, and when holding a weapon, they are weapon techniques, which are very flexible.

If that's the case, why are there separate sword techniques? Because martial arts like sword techniques are different from them.

Taking "Twelve Story Building" as an example, it trains the physical body and breaks through the Blood Qi Barrier through several sets of sword techniques. Then, it visualizes the sword in one's heart, refines the sword in one's heart, and turns the "spirit" in one's heart into a gleaming long sword. In this way, the Blood Qi Spirit merges, the body and spirit merge, and the person and sword merge, which is true "sword technique"!

The person is the sword, and the sword is the person!

True qi is sword qi, and sword qi is true qi!

Different weapons also symbolize different personalities and temperaments, which can fully embody the practitioner's "spirit," no less than a deity.

For example, the sword, a sacred item of ancient times, is supreme and noble, revered by both humans and gods.

Cultivation methods like the Great Sky Demon Saber and Fire Phoenix Weeping Blood Spear also follow this principle.

After understanding this, Shi Feizhe had a new realization when he thought about the True Origin Sword Finger Technique he was cultivating. Could it be that standing in the Sword Stance is about making one's body like a sword, transforming the body into a sword? That's why the true qi within the body can transform into sword qi.

"Brother Shi, come and practice swordplay with me!" Shan Xu was overjoyed to see Shi Feizhe learning with such relish. He decided he had to teach Shi Feizhe!

Only after someone personally taught him did Shi Feizhe experience something different. Before, he had been guessing and trying to cultivate. Many things he didn't quite understand, he just practiced haphazardly.

Now, Shan Xu not only explained the details of "Twelve Story Building" but also guided Shi Feizhe on the details of the sword techniques and movements during his learning process, making Shi Feizhe's sword techniques more standard. This truly benefited Shi Feizhe greatly.

One was willing to teach, and one was willing to learn. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that Shan Xu finished teaching everything.

"Brother Shi, as long as you practice diligently in the future, you will definitely achieve something in 'Twelve Story Building'!" Shan Xu said with satisfaction as he looked at Shi Feizhe.

After teaching "Twelve Story Building" to someone else, he would never be betrayed by a friend again!

Is it the person who has a problem, or the sword technique? It must be the person who has the problem!