Comprehensive Martial Arts: My Master is Huang Rong

After several days of seclusion, he not only cultivated the pure "Innate Qi" like Wang Chongyang, but also forged a new path.

Using the Yin Yang Deficit Supplementation Technique as a furnace, he forcefully refined the mixed True Qi within his Dantian, using the methods of the Innate Technique as a guide.

The total amount of internal energy may not have surged, but its "quality" was now worlds apart. The True Qi flowed through his meridians without the slightest obstruction, as controllable as his own limbs, perfectly smooth and unimpeded.

More importantly, the world appeared different in his eyes. Martial arts techniques were no longer individual moves, but a flowing "principle," a natural rhythm that existed between heaven and earth.

At this moment, his aura was contained to the extreme. He simply stood there, like a deep, ancient well, undisturbed by ripples, unfathomably profound.

To someone unfamiliar with martial arts, he would appear as a handsome young man with an upright posture and an ethereal aura. However, to true masters, he was like an ancient well with no bottom, the calm surface hiding unknown surging undercurrents.

Lin Xuan strolled out of the stone chamber, casually draped in an outer robe. Beneath the open collar was his well-defined, firm chest. His footsteps were light, yet carried a peculiar rhythm, as if each step landed on the beat of a heartbeat.

In another stone chamber, Li Mochou, who had been meditating cross-legged, suddenly opened her eyes.

A flicker of surprise and caution flashed in her sharp phoenix eyes.

It wasn't a sound she heard, but a primal sense of a martial artist. The aura in the air, which filled her with both hatred and fear, had become even more contained, and... more dangerous.

"Mochou."

Lin Xuan's voice came from outside, gentle and calm.

Li Mochou was silent for a moment, forcefully suppressing the turmoil in her heart. She adjusted her apricot-yellow Taoist robe; the loose garment could not conceal her curvaceous, graceful figure. She straightened her back and walked out with the unique cold beauty and pride of the Crimson练 Fairy.

"What is it?"

She stood several paces away from Lin Xuan, her voice clear and cold, deliberately maintaining the distance as if an invisible barrier lay between them.

Lin Xuan, however, seemed not to notice the distance in her eyes. Instead, he smiled slightly, "After several days of seclusion, I've made some progress in martial arts, but I've also encountered many difficulties. I'd like to invite you and Miss Long to discuss and verify them together. Would that be possible?"

This caused the sharp prickle in Li Mochou's heart to subside slightly. She was a martial arts fanatic, and the word "martial arts" was ultimately irresistible.

She let out a cold snort, which served as her tacit consent, and turned to walk towards Little Dragon Girl's stone chamber.

A moment later, in the largest stone chamber of the Ancient Tomb, the three stood facing each other.

Little Dragon Girl was still dressed in plain white, unstained by dust. Her skin was like snow, delicate and flawless. Her long, dark hair cascaded down like a waterfall, highlighting her stunningly beautiful and cold face, making her appear like a fairy from the Moon Palace, untouched by the mortal world.

Her pure eyes were curiously observing Lin Xuan. She could sense that this man was different from before, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

"Miss Long, Daoist Priest Li," Lin Xuan bowed again, his posture upright, "I shall offer my humble skills."

He first looked at Li Mochou, his gaze intense. "Daoist Priest Li, shall we spar a few rounds first?"

Li Mochou had the same intention. Without a word, she flipped her wrist, and her long sword was already in her hand, its tip pointed diagonally at Lin Xuan, a murderous aura emanating from her.

This time, Lin Xuan did not act carelessly and also picked up a long sword.

"Please."

Before the words fell, Li Mochou's figure turned into a streak of light, her long sword like a viper's tongue flicking out, piercing forward with a piercing sound! Her swordplay was imbued with hatred in every move, ruthless and deadly.

Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed, and his long sword struck out, arriving before hers.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sounds of metal striking metal were crisp and rapid, echoing in the spacious stone chamber.

The more Li Mochou fought, the more alarmed she became. Lin Xuan's swordsmanship was like an invisible net, always anticipating her attacks and neutralizing them in the most skillful and effortless way. Her weakness, an abundance of ruthlessness but a lack of variation in her swordplay, was infinitely magnified by her opponent.

After more than thirty moves, Li Mochou, growing impatient, revealed a flaw.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. His sword body coiled around her sword's spine like a nimble snake, and with a guiding pull!

Li Mochou felt her wrist go numb. A subtle force was applied, and her long sword flew out of her hand, landing with a clang in the distance.

Lin Xuan's sword tip, however, had already stopped steadily three inches from her fair throat.

A faint sword energy emanated, causing her skin to shiver with a fine tremor.

"Daoist Priest Li," Lin Xuan retracted his sword, his tone sincere, "Your sword is trapped by your heart. The malevolent energy is too strong, losing the agility that the Ancient Tomb Sect's martial arts should possess."

Li Mochou's face turned pale, her lips bitten tightly. Her chest heaved with rapid breaths. She had lost, defeated convincingly, yet felt immense shame and indignation.

"Miss Long, please." Lin Xuan then turned to Little Dragon Girl.

Little Dragon Girl nodded silently. Her body moved slightly, her white sleeves fluttering as she unleashed the Ancient Tomb sword technique.

Her swordsmanship was truly like her person, cold and elegant, incredibly agile, like a fairy dancing under the moon, breathtakingly beautiful, yet without any flaws, defending flawlessly.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan's swordplay suddenly changed.

His swordsmanship was all improvised, wild and unrestrained, not adhering to any fixed pattern.

Little Dragon Girl encountered such an opponent for the first time.

No matter how exquisite her swordsmanship was, it had a fixed system. But Lin Xuan's style completely broke the mold, causing her perfect defensive circle to begin to falter.

Finally, Lin Xuan created an opening, luring her to attack, but midway, he abruptly changed his move. With an unbelievable movement technique, he circled behind her and lightly tapped her smooth, jade-like nape at the "Yuzhen" acupoint with his sword hilt.

Little Dragon Girl's delicate body trembled, her entire body went numb, and the long sword in her hand slipped.

"Miss Long's swordsmanship is already unparalleled in the world," Lin Xuan praised sincerely. "But it is too pure, like a still pool. If it encounters a turbid current that plays by different rules, it will be at a disadvantage."

Little Dragon Girl stood there blankly, her cold eyes filled with contemplation for the first time.

Lin Xuan looked at the two defeated women and then revealed his true purpose. He sighed, with a hint of well-placed regret, saying:

"Both of your sword styles have their merits, but you're still a bit lacking when fighting me one-on-one. How about you two team up and spar with me?"

He proposed that they join forces to fight him.

As expected, Li Mochou and the less talkative Little Dragon Girl exchanged glances subconsciously. In their eyes, there was surprise, confusion, and a hint of ignited fighting spirit.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan struck while the iron was hot: "This humble Lin is not talented, but I'm willing to be your sparring partner. Shall we spar?"

With words spoken to this extent, refusing would make them seem like they lacked conviction in their martial arts.

Li Mochou's face turned cold, and she nodded very slightly. Little Dragon Girl also gave a slight nod, her usually serene face devoid of any expression, but it was an implicit agreement.

And so, the battle of the two beauties joining forces began, naturally.

However, the ideal was plump, but reality... was skinny.

Their first attempt at coordination was nothing short of a disaster.

Li Mochou attacked aggressively, her swordplay like fire, while Little Dragon Girl instinctively retreated to defend, her swordplay like ice; Little Dragon Girl executed a precise defensive move, but Li Mochou's sword struck from the side, completely disrupting her rhythm.

Instead of forming a combined force, they hindered and interfered with each other at every turn, their sword lights crossing in a perilous dance.

Lin Xuan moved with ease within their net of swords. He stopped attacking proactively, instead acting like a touchstone, precisely testing every loophole in their coordination.

At times, he would directly block a sword strike from Li Mochou, skillfully redirecting the force towards Little Dragon Girl; at other times, he would use elusive footwork to force Little Dragon Girl to change her move, thereby disrupting Li Mochou's offensive.

He wasn't handling it with ease either; fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his movements, evasive and agile, seemed quite "flustered," yet he always managed to find the single opening in their seemingly seamless coordination at the most crucial moments.

Finally, he seized an instant when they were once again interfering with each other, lunged forward, and his palms, transforming into two streams of soft energy, landed on their shoulders respectively.

Li Mochou and Little Dragon Girl both trembled and retreated several steps, panting. A captivating blush appeared on their fair faces, and their hair was slightly disheveled.

"Stop."

Lin Xuan shook his head, lamenting:

"A pity, such a pity. I originally thought one plus one would at least equal two, but I never expected it to be less than one. Your martial arts interfere with and weaken each other. Where exactly does the problem lie?"

He didn't criticize or mock, but rather posed it as an interesting "martial arts puzzle."

He looked at the two of them, who were lost in thought, and continued, "Perhaps... the key isn't with an outsider like me, but with yourselves. You are the true inheritors of the Ancient Tomb Sect's martial arts. Only you can find the key to perfectly merging these two ultimate sword styles."

With that, he cupped his fists towards them: "Thank you both for your guidance today. This Lin has benefited greatly. I will go and meditate for a while, and you two should also think carefully."

He turned and left, leaving the space and the puzzle to the two sisters with a complex relationship.

They'll be family in the future, they can't act like enemies. They must improve their relationship, Lin Xuan thought to himself.

Silence fell once more in the stone chamber.

But this time, the atmosphere was no longer so awkward. Both of them were preoccupied with the "martial arts puzzle" Lin Xuan had presented.

After an unknown amount of time, it was Li Mochou who spoke first. She looked at Little Dragon Girl and questioned stiffly, "You shouldn't have used that move, 'Drawing the Ground as a Prison,' just now. It blocked my attack and also blocked your own variations."

Little Dragon Girl heard this and merely raised her clear, cold eyes, looking at her quietly without a word.

Her pure, unruffled gaze annoyed Li Mochou somewhat, and she pressed on, "What, can't you speak?"

Only then did Little Dragon Girl slowly stand up, walk to the weapon rack, and retrieve the Lady Sword.

Without a word, she flicked her wrist and fluidly demonstrated Li Mochou's "Poisonous Snake Emerging from its Hole" in the open space.

Her sword moves were lifelike, but at the peak of her momentum, she abruptly stopped.

Then, she extended her fair, slender left index finger and gently pointed towards her left rib, below her sword-wielding wrist.

One action spoke louder than a thousand words.

Li Mochou's face instantly turned red! How could she not understand? Little Dragon Girl was telling her that her seemingly sharp move had left a fatal opening. And Little Dragon Girl's "Drawing the Ground as a Prison" was precisely to compensate for that flaw!

"I can change my moves!" Li Mochou argued stubbornly, but her voice was a little weaker.

Little Dragon Girl retracted her sword, her cool gaze falling on her again.

This time, she finally spoke, her voice ethereal, uttering only three words:

"He's faster."

Simple words, yet they struck Li Mochou's heart like a heavy hammer.

Yes.

He's faster.

In the face of Lin Xuan's discerning eyes and ghost-like speed, any momentary flaw was fatal.

Li Mochou was speechless for a moment, unable to refute.

Chapter Thirteen: Descending the Mountain

The days in the Ancient Tomb were like a stagnant pool, cold and eternally unchanging.

Lin Xuan had stayed in this "secluded from the world" tranquil place for over ten days.

His heart still yearned for the gentle and obedient Shuang'er at the inn below the mountain.

It had been quite some time since he had last seen her. That girl was simple-minded and devoted to him. Alone in an unfamiliar town, she must have been gazing out with longing, filled with unease and missing him.

It was time to go down the mountain and check on her.

Lin Xuan's departure did not cause much of a stir in the Ancient Tomb.

His explanation to Little Dragon Girl was simple: "There's something I need to attend to down the mountain. I'll be back in a few days."

Little Dragon Girl merely nodded lightly, her clear, cold eyes holding a hint of disappointment that she herself hadn't noticed.

She had grown accustomed to having this man around, accustomed to his occasional insightful comments on martial arts, accustomed to the masculine aura that inexplicably made her feel safe and comfortable.

With him gone, the dead, silent Ancient Tomb seemed destined to return to its former cold solitude.

Meanwhile, Li Mochou stood by, saying nothing, as if indifferent to Lin Xuan's comings and goings.

However, her slightly narrowed phoenix eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Lin Xuan, a complex emotion hidden deep within them that no one could comprehend.

Down the mountain in the small town, the night grew deeper.

In a guest room on the second floor of an inn, candlelight flickered like a bean.

Shuang'er sat by the window, using the faint light to diligently mend something on a blue man's long robe.

Her slender, fair fingers held a small embroidery needle, her movements gentle and meticulous.

What she was mending was a tiny, almost imperceptible tear on the inside of the cuff, caused by a weapon.

These were Lin Xuan's clothes.

During the days the young master was away, she would take out all his clothes, carefully wash them with soap, dry them in the sun, iron them perfectly flat, and then meticulously fold them, placing them by her pillow.