Sunset Swordplay

At the entrance to Miejue's bamboo courtyard, Gu Shaoan clasped his hands and raised them above his head in a deep bow.

"Greetings, Master."

As soon as he spoke, a creaking sound rang out.

The bamboo gate opened, and Miejue stepped out of the bamboo house.

"Come in!"

When her gaze fell upon Gu Shaoan, Miejue's tone unconsciously softened and gentled.

Hearing this, Gu Shaoan straightened and stepped into the bamboo courtyard.

Before a table woven from green bamboo, Miejue pointed to the bamboo chair beside her. "Sit!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Gu Shaoan obediently replied. After sitting down, he immediately picked up the teapot on the table and poured Miejue some tea.

If Senior Brother and I had married back then, our child should be about Shaoan's age now, shouldn't they? And that child should have borne the same grace and bearing as Senior Brother, just like Shaoan.

The thought passing through her mind, Miejue could not help but sigh faintly.

Then she asked Gu Shaoan, "Do you have any difficulties in your cultivation?"

Facing Miejue's question, Gu Shaoan answered truthfully, "In reply to Master, this disciple has not encountered any problems so far. If there is one, it is that my Internal Cultivation Method is progressing somewhat slowly."

Miejue replied, "Internal cultivation is painstaking work, like dripping water wearing through stone and gathering water into a sea. It is normal for it to be slow. Those in the martial world with profound internal strength have all accumulated steadily before achieving a breakthrough. It cannot be rushed."

Gu Shaoan nodded. "This disciple understands."

Seeing that Gu Shaoan still did not show the slightest impatience, Miejue could not help but smile.

Miejue had met quite a few descendants of scholarly families, but in all her life, Gu Shaoan was the only one she had seen who possessed such a calm, unhurried temperament at so young an age.

Setting aside her thoughts, Miejue gestured to Gu Shaoan. "Turn around."

Gu Shaoan did not understand, but he still did as instructed, turning slightly to face Miejue.

Just as Gu Shaoan turned toward her, Miejue suddenly raised both hands and firmly gripped his shoulders.

In an instant, Gu Shaoan felt his shoulders being squeezed by her fingers, along with Miejue's True Qi rushing into both his arms.

Starting from the muscles and bones around Gu Shaoan's shoulders, Miejue's fingers slid all the way to the backs of his shoulders, then slowly traveled downward until she seized both his hands.

Her gaze swept over Gu Shaoan's hands.

The skin at the roots and tips of his fingers was tender, without even a single callus or scar.

They were absolutely not the hands of someone who had practiced martial arts and wielded a sword for years.

Releasing him, Miejue said with a smile, "The muscles and bones in your arms are extraordinary, and even those around your back shoulders are much more robust than those of ordinary people. The unusual areas are precisely those needed to guide the sword. As expected of an Innate Sword Bone—truly beyond comparison with ordinary people."

"Sword Bone?" Gu Shaoan asked blankly, seemingly confused.

Miejue did not suspect anything and answered, "When you were cultivating last night, your three senior sisters and I were nearby. At the time, we noticed that when you drew your sword, your speed far exceeded that of ordinary people, and when you swung it, the sword tip remained steady in midair."

"These traits should have appeared in swordsmen steeped in swordsmanship for years, even decades—not in a newcomer like you, who has only just begun studying swordplay."

"Therefore, I inferred that you possess an Innate Sword Bone, which is why you display such unusual qualities while practicing swordsmanship."

"My examination just now has also proven that I was correct."

After hearing Miejue's explanation, Gu Shaoan understood the reason.

The physical strengthening brought by the [Sword Drawn Like a Rainbow] trait had been mistaken by Miejue for something else.

In response, Gu Shaoan cooperatively revealed an enlightened expression and did not explain further.

It was only that, influenced by memories of his past life, the words "Sword Bone" sounded rather strange to him.

After a pause, Miejue asked, "For other disciples, after cultivating internal strength, they would still need to spend several months or half a year practicing the fundamentals before they could learn swordplay."

"But you possess an Innate Sword Bone. Judging from my bone examination just now, the muscles and bones in your arms and back shoulders are far stronger than those of ordinary people. The methods of training normally required before learning the sword would serve no purpose for you, so that step can be skipped."

"Now that your internal strength has condensed, you may learn the martial arts of our Emei Sect. Although the Willow Catkin Sword Technique is decent, it is ultimately only meant for ordinary disciples beginning their sword training. It is not particularly profound."

"Today, I will teach you the true martial arts of Emei Sect."

As she spoke, Miejue raised her right hand and placed it on Gu Shaoan's shoulder.

Though she merely rested it there casually, Gu Shaoan felt a powerful suction force coming from his shoulder.

Then Miejue leaped into the air, bringing Gu Shaoan with her.

After several swift bounds, they arrived at an open clearing in the center of the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

Gu Shaoan glanced around and saw that the clearing beneath his feet was covered in marks of varying lengths and depths.

Many of the thick bamboo stalks around them also bore numerous marks, likewise varying in depth.

When Zhao Jingxuan and Zhou Zhiruo had shown Gu Shaoan around Emei Sect earlier, they had mentioned this bamboo forest.

According to them, this bamboo forest was where Miejue usually practiced.

Removing her hand from Gu Shaoan's shoulder, Miejue stepped forward. With a sweep of her long sleeve, a straight, emerald bamboo stalk roughly three feet long flew into her hand.

After walking more than ten paces, Miejue raised her eyes to Gu Shaoan.

"Watch carefully!"

As the words fell, Miejue raised her sleeve, and the sword streaked through the sky.

Since she was teaching martial arts, Miejue naturally did not move too quickly. Even Gu Shaoan could clearly see every one of her movements.

"This swordplay has thirty-six forms in total, nine of which are killing moves."

"First form, Golden Crow Patrols the Heavens. Qi rises from the Dantian, travels along the Hand Shaoyang Meridian, passes through the Shoulder Crevice, gathers strength in the arm, runs through the Heavenly Well, enters the Branching Ditch. The sword strikes nine points, like the rising sun, ascending in majestic splendor."

As she described the route of the internal strength, the bamboo sword in Miejue's hand suddenly shifted. It traced a perfectly round golden circle through the air, concealing nine linked thrusts within it.

If there had been an enemy before her, those nine strikes would have enveloped nine vital points—the head, throat, chest, and more.

The opening stance alone carried the resplendent might of heaven, intimidating the enemy's spirit.

"Second form, Thousand Peaks Receiving Radiance. Qi enters the Joining Valley Acupoint. Press the sword down and cleave, forming the stance of 'mountain peaks receiving radiance.'"

"Third form, Molten Gold Boiling Sea. Qi travels through the Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian, passes the Back Ravine, and enters the Yang Pool."

Though Miejue had deliberately slowed her sword moves, in Gu Shaoan's eyes, her sword intent balanced hardness and softness. Her moves brimmed with grandeur, carrying a force of no return, as though its momentum could burn even an abyss dry.

Compared with the Willow Catkin Sword Technique, this swordplay was far more exquisite, and its power was utterly incomparable to the swordplay Miejue was demonstrating now.

A moment later, Miejue placed the bamboo sword behind her back and looked at Gu Shaoan.

"This martial art is called Sunset Swordplay. In her later years, Patriarch Guo Xiang created it after observing the wondrous sunset over Emei Golden Summit, incorporating part of the supreme-yang principles of the Nine Yangs Divine Skill and Buddhism's concept of the cycle of 'formation, abiding, decay, and emptiness.' It may be called the finest of Emei Swordplay; even compared to the Wudang Sect's Two Forms Swordplay, it does not fall short in the slightest."

"Did you see everything clearly?"

Gu Shaoan nodded. "This disciple has remembered it all."

Although she had already been prepared, Miejue's expression still stiffened slightly upon hearing that he had memorized the entire Sunset Swordplay after watching it only once.

Miejue raised her right hand and tossed the bamboo sword in her hand to Gu Shaoan.

"Try it!"