Song Qingshu borrowed the recoil from his palm force to shift several feet sideways in midair, avoiding the sword qi of the five monks below. Taking advantage of the gap while they regulated their breath, he unleashed the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms' Soaring Dragon in the Sky, striking down from above. The monks hastily met it with their palms, but the instant they collided, they suffered considerable internal injuries.
Song Qingshu secretly counted himself fortunate. Luckily, these men lacked sufficient Internal Energy; after each sword attack, they needed several seconds to regulate their breath. Though they could cover one another with their sword formation, he had struck from above, and his palm force had been more than twice as powerful. Their carelessness had allowed him to seize the opening and seriously wound all five. However, his own blood and qi were churning as well, and he hurriedly began to Circulate Qi and Regulate Breath in secret.
"Stop!" Zen Master Kurong finally turned around. Just as the books had described, one half of his face was as smooth as a baby's, while the other was withered and gaunt. "What superb Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Are you Northern Qiao Feng?"
"I have long admired the bearing of King Xiao of the Southern Courtyard. How could my meager skills possibly compare to his?" Song Qingshu spoke the truth. If Xiao Feng had used the same Dragon Ascending to Heaven just now, then under his self-created Dragon Tide Wave, the palm force would have been so swift that Kurong would likely have been unable to evade it and could only receive it head-on. Given such a perfect opportunity, one strike of Soaring Dragon in the Sky would likely have shattered the bones in the five monks' hands, rather than merely inflicting moderate internal injuries.
"That makes sense. Your sudden rise several feet higher in midair must have been Wudang's unique Cloud Ascending Steps. And the way you shifted and flipped across the ground seemed to be the Serpentine Foxing Technique from the legendary Nine Yin Manual." Kurong's expression turned solemn as he pressed his palms together. "At such a young age, you possess so many supreme arts. That is truly rare in this world."
"Master, your knowledge is indeed vast," Song Qingshu said admiringly. "I bear no ill intent in coming here. I merely wished to witness Dali Duan Style's Six Meridian Divine Sword." Yet he sneered inwardly. If they had not seen how formidable his martial arts were, he would likely have been captured and humiliated by now. For all this world's lofty talk, strength still reigned supreme.
"Since you have already obtained what you wished for, please see yourself out." Zen Master Kurong's face was wooden, clearly assuming the manner of seeing off a guest.
"Master already knows that I know the Nine Yin Manual. I trust all of you have heard the legends surrounding it as well. Forgive my presumption, but the Nine Yin Manual's standing in the martial world may be even slightly higher than your sect's Six Meridian Divine Sword. If you masters are willing, I would exchange the Nine Yin Manual for a look at the Six Meridian Divine Sword manual. Rest assured, I will not take it away. I only wish to read it once and fulfill a long-cherished desire." Song Qingshu's voice was full of temptation. If there was any difference between him and the people of this martial world, it was that he would not narrow-mindedly hoard what he had. Besides, the Nine Yin Manual was not his to begin with, so he did not feel the least bit pained by using it in trade.
The monks exchanged glances and saw the same temptation in one another's eyes. The Nine Yin Manual, Shaolin's Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and Blackwood Cliff's Sunflower Manual were collectively known as the four great divine arts of the current martial world. Back then, the Five Greats of the Central Plains had cast aside all regard for status in their struggle for the Nine Yin Manual, even gathering at the Mount Hua Sword Competition to battle for three days and three nights...
When Jiumozhi had offered the Flower Plucking Finger, Doluoye Finger, and Formless Tribulation Finger in exchange, the monks had already been greatly tempted. Now, Song Qingshu's proposal stirred even Zen Master Kurong's heart.
"You may not know this, young master, but not long ago, Great Wheel Ming King Jiumozhi of Tibet harbored ill intentions. In order to prevent Dali Duan Style's unique art from falling into the hands of an evil man, this old monk burned the sword manual. I fear you will be disappointed." Decades of Zen cultivation had not been for nothing; Kurong quickly calmed his mind and firmly refused.
"I know that as well." Song Qingshu smiled, wholly unsurprised. "But did not each of you divine monks learn one sword technique apiece? Surely you can recreate the sword manual from memory..."
Seeing that the monks were still hesitating, Song Qingshu decided to add fuel to the fire. "Masters, how do you believe your Internal Energy compares to mine?"
After hesitating for a moment, Abbot Benyin answered truthfully, "Your Internal Energy surpasses ours by quite a bit. Compared with my martial uncle, I fear it is no weaker."
Kurong shook his head. "Benyin, there is no need to spare my feelings. This young master's Internal Energy is slightly stronger than mine."
"Masters, does this not strike you as strange?" Song Qingshu smiled. "I am still young, and I have certainly cultivated Internal Energy for less time than all of you. Why, then, is my Internal Energy instead greater than yours?"
"Could it be the effect of the Nine Yin Manual?" The monks' expressions shifted, and they could not help asking.
"Correct. The Nine Yin Manual contains a method for transforming the sinews and tempering the bones. It allows those who learn it to cultivate Internal Energy far faster than ordinary people, which is why my Internal Energy is merely passable today." Song Qingshu deliberately paused and studied the expressions of everyone present before continuing. "Just now, I saw that each of you masters cultivated only one branch of swordsmanship. Forgive my bold guess, but your Internal Energy must be insufficient for cultivating all six meridians at once. Am I correct?"
"Correct. The Internal Energy required to use the Six Meridian Divine Sword is beyond what human strength can attain. Thus, several of us decided to cultivate one meridian each," Kurong said expressionlessly.
"The Six Meridian Divine Sword's true mysteries can only be fully unleashed when all six meridians are used together. Though your sword formation is ingenious, its transitions inevitably become awkward and leave openings, allowing me to exploit them... If you obtain the Nine Yin Manual, you will surely cultivate peerless Internal Energy before long. At that time, your use of the Six Meridian Divine Sword will certainly reach perfection... I ask only to view the sword manual. Within the time it takes to burn one incense stick, I will absolutely return it to its owner." Song Qingshu spoke earnestly, and to the monks, it truly sounded like a fine proposal.
"Martial Uncle, since this young master is so sincere, why not let him look for the time it takes to burn one incense stick?" Benyin turned and sought Zen Master Kurong's approval. The other four monks shared the same thought. Though there were many extraordinary people in this world with photographic memories, memorizing the obscure and difficult Six Meridian Divine Sword within such a short time was likely beyond human capability.
Kurong remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head and looking at Song Qingshu. "Young master, you already possess several supreme arts. Among people of your generation, few can rival your martial arts. Why must you still seek Dali Duan Style's Six Meridian Divine Sword?" Though he also did not believe Song Qingshu could memorize the Six Meridian Divine Sword in so little time, he knew there was no such thing as a free meal. Since Song Qingshu had offered a divine art like the Nine Yin Manual, he could not possibly have wanted merely one glance at it. He surely had some method of secretly learning the Six Meridian Divine Sword.
Song Qingshu gave a bitter smile and let out a long sigh. "Leaving aside the senior figures of the martial world, even among my own generation, how do you think my martial arts compare to Xiao Feng, the Khitan Great King of the Southern Courtyard?"
Zen Master Kurong hesitated for a moment and gently shook his head. "King Xiao once swept through the Central Plains Martial Arts World, stirring bloody storms throughout the martial world. With his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, he roamed unmatched beneath heaven. Though your martial arts are impressive, compared to King Xiao, who had nearly returned to simplicity, I fear you still fall short."
"And compared to Zhang Wuji of the Ming Cult?" As Song Qingshu spoke that name, he could not help recalling the tender affection between Zhou Zhiruo and him, and revulsion rose in his heart.
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