Martial Arts

The procession moved through the night, the carriage wheels creaking. The Imperial Guards were temporarily led by their deputy, and out of five hundred, only four hundred remained. Most of the palace maids and eunuchs accompanying the princess had also been lost. No one had expected so many things to happen in just one day.

What was hardest for everyone to accept was that they still didn't know who had acted from the shadows.

Even why the Eternal Night Divine Cult's Divine Son would appear here was incomprehensible.

Inside the carriage, Sword Enshrined closed his eyes, healing his injuries. Beside him, Ning Chen leaned against the carriage wall, quietly processing everything that had happened that day.

Compared to the assassination attempt during the day, the appearance of the Divine Son tonight was what truly shocked him, allowing him to experience firsthand the terrifying power of martial arts masters.

Defying the heavens with human strength — it seemed it wasn't just a legend.

"How are you?" Sword Enshrined opened his eyes and looked at the silent Ning Chen.

"Unbelievable," Ning Chen replied honestly.

He had underestimated martial arts too much in the past. Whether it was due to his ignorance or his limited perspective, he had never imagined martial arts could impact him so profoundly.

Jun Shaoqing, the Divine Son, truly lived up to his name.

Sword Enshrined nodded. In his opinion, Ning Chen had handled it well enough. The first time he encountered true martial arts, he had been far less composed than Ning Chen.

"He is the Divine Son; he deserves all praise." Sword Enshrined said, then closed his eyes again, continuing to circulate his internal energy to heal.

The path of martial arts was one that had to be walked alone. He could offer a hint, but there was no need to explain it too clearly.

Ning Chen pondered the old man's words carefully. Sword Enshrined's meaning wasn't hard to grasp: the greatest honor of the title "Divine Son" wasn't his status, but the astonishing strength behind it.

In other words, Jun Shaoqing's reputation was earned through battle, built upon the corpses of countless masters.

It was only natural for him to look up to Jun Shaoqing now, because the Divine Son stood too high.

Thinking this, Ning Chen closed his eyes and began to cultivate silently. If he no longer wanted to look up, he had to redouble his efforts in cultivation from this day forward. Otherwise, he would have to spend his entire life looking up at that person.

This change in mindset made Ning Chen shed his usual casual attitude and focus on cultivating the Cultivation Technique from the Scroll of Life.

Since Jun Shaoqing had sensed the existence of the Scroll of Life, he wouldn't just drop the matter. Although Ning Chen had managed to conceal his aura in time after his breakthrough this time, he might not be so lucky next time.

Before a master like Jun Shaoqing, even an army of thousands couldn't stop him. If Ning Chen wanted to truly protect the secret of the Scroll of Life, he had to make himself strong.

Sensing the change in the young man before him, Sword Enshrined's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise. If Ning Chen was previously an unpolished jade, at this moment, that jade had begun to reveal its beautiful luster.

It was true that natural talent was the most crucial factor in the path of martial arts, but once on this path, true importance lay in determination and perseverance. His own talent in his youth wasn't exceptional, yet he had reached his current level through persistence.

The five Xiantian Realm masters who stood high above the world certainly possessed extraordinary talent far beyond ordinary people. However, on the other hand, there were only five known Xiantian Realm masters in the world.

Most martial artists generally had mediocre talent.

Ning Chen didn't know that Qing Ling, Mu Chengxue, and even Xia Miaoyu, whom he had encountered earlier, were rare martial arts geniuses. At only twenty years old, they had already cultivated to the peak of the Ninth Rank, a level others might never reach in a lifetime. In comparison, his own unremarkable aptitude naturally wasn't much.

However, while he had a significant gap compared to geniuses, within the scope of "normal people," he stood out quite prominently.

After all, not everyone was fortunate enough to receive guidance from more than one peak Ninth Rank master.

A Second Rank martial artist, if in the army, would be a master centurion.

The only slight deficiency was that he was indeed not skilled in martial techniques.

Of course, this also had to do with Qing Ling and Mu Chengxue's intentional or unintentional reluctance to teach him techniques.

Excluding these reasons, Ning Chen could now barely be considered a martial artist.

Under the night sky, the procession slowly advanced. Who would have thought that nearly a thousand people rushing through the night was merely because of one person?

In a single procession, there were two peak Ninth Rank masters at the pinnacle of martial arts, yet they still couldn't block the Divine Son's edge. The cold wind blew, bringing with it a chilling bleakness.

The journey continued until noon the next day. The procession left the wilderness and reached a mountainous area before the temporary deputy leader of the Imperial Guards finally ordered a halt for rest.

Xia Miaoyu had been recuperating in her carriage, and no one dared to disturb her. After last night's battle, everyone knew how powerful this seemingly delicate princess truly was.

The procession rested for about half an hour when the heavily armored deputy leader had no choice but to approach for instructions. The path ahead was rugged, and if they continued traveling now, they might have to camp in the mountains by nightfall.

"Keep moving." From within the luxurious carriage, a pleasant voice spoke, calm and undeniable.

The deputy leader clasped his fists in acknowledgment, then walked to the front of the procession and ordered them to resume their journey.

Half a day later, as dusk approached, the exhausted procession finally got a night's rest. Even in the desolate wilderness, no one complained.

Xia Miaoyu had returned to her tent early, ordering that no one enter without her permission. Ning Chen naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to provoke her. He didn't have the servile habit of waiting on people. As long as Xia Miaoyu didn't summon him, he was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet throughout the journey.

When setting up tents, Ning Chen intentionally placed his tent close to Sword Enshrined's. After a campfire was lit and they had a simple meal of dry rations, most of the Imperial Guards, eunuchs, and palace maids, tired from the day, returned to their tents to rest. Only a few Imperial Guards remained on patrol to guard against assassins and wild beasts.

Sword Enshrined sat by the campfire and did not return to his tent to rest. The assassination attempt and the Divine Son's appearance yesterday forced him to be extra vigilant. Everyone knew this journey wouldn't be easy, but they hadn't expected the adversaries to be so formidable.

Once they crossed this mountain range, they would be close to the city where Marquis Buyi was stationed. Before that, he didn't want any more accidents to occur.

With Sword Enshrined not resting, Ning Chen also stayed by the old man's side instead of returning to his tent, quietly cultivating his Cultivation Technique. He didn't open his eyes until midnight.

"Senior, can you teach me cultivation?" Ning Chen asked abruptly. The "cultivation" he referred to was naturally martial techniques. He already had his own Cultivation Technique, and it was no worse than anyone else's.

Sword Enshrined remained silent, neither refusing nor agreeing.

"The princess is more suitable than I am."

After a long silence, Sword Enshrined spoke, his voice hoarse.

Ning Chen understood what the old man meant. Qing Ling had mentioned that his internal true qi was cold, and Xia Miaoyu's previous techniques also carried a chilling coldness. If it was about guiding cultivation, Xia Miaoyu was indeed the best choice.

"She's a princess," Ning Chen said calmly, then said nothing more.

The old man fell silent again, seemingly lost in thought.

Ning Chen wasn't in a hurry, waiting quietly by the side. Although his cultivation time was short, he knew how conservative sectarian views were on the path of martial arts.

This request was a bit rude. If he hadn't had no one else to turn to, he wouldn't have asked the old man.

"One chance. If you don't fall, I'll teach you a move."

About ten breaths later, Sword Enshrined spoke calmly.

"Thank you."

There was no joy in Ning Chen's eyes. After solemnly thanking him, he immediately stood up.

He knew how strong the old man was, so there was nothing to be joyful about.

The old man was only giving him a chance—a chance to teach him, and also a chance to refuse him.

After Ning Chen stood up, the old man also rose. Then, Ning Chen's expression grew even more solemn.

The old man's actions indicated that he wouldn't hold back.

A move for a move, fair and just, yet not fair at all.

The night wind was cold. Even with a bonfire beneath them, the crackling sound of burning branches was clearly audible in the quiet night. The imperial guards on watch nearby seemed to sense something and looked over.

Just as they watched, Sword Enshrined's sword moved. No one saw how it was drawn, but by the time everyone reacted, the sword was clearly out of its sheath.

It was a sword without contention or desire, arriving without warning, carrying not a trace of true qi, nor needing any true qi.

This was the only chance he was giving Ning Chen. If a Xiantian Realm expert's true qi were to move, a ten-zhang radius would be cleaved open, and this would no longer be a chance.

Thus, this unfair battle also seemed quite fair.

The true essence of the sword lay in speed, accuracy, and focus.

Sword Enshrined's sword was fast enough, accurate enough, and focused enough. Originally, Ning Chen had no chance to avoid it.

However, since coming to this world, Ning Chen had developed a fear of death and a cautious nature, especially when facing his eldest grandson, he would instinctively step back half a pace every time.

Facing Sword Enshrined today, he also instinctively took a half-step back.

But he wasn't Sword Enshrined; his half-step back wasn't accurate enough, so Sword Enshrined's sword was no longer accurate enough.

The sword entered his body, and Ning Chen staggered back several steps. He endured the pain, used the movement technique Qing Ling had taught him, and dodged three more steps.

The sword still pierced his body. Ning Chen still hadn't avoided it, but he didn't need to. He wasn't unconscious, he didn't fall—that was victory.

"Starting tonight, I will teach you to use the sword."

Sword Enshrined pulled out the sword, sealed Ning Chen's wound with a finger, then said indifferently.

"Thank you, senior," Ning Chen said, covering his chest and lightly coughing.

"Don't thank me, you earned this yourself."

As he spoke, Sword Enshrined sat cross-legged by the bonfire, placed his sword back on his knees, and closed his eyes to rest.

Ning Chen also sat down to regulate his breathing. The old man's sword had no killing intent; the wound wasn't deep. Compared to this sword wound, yesterday's arrow had been much more severe.

Another hour passed. The old man opened his eyes, and Ning Chen also woke up simultaneously.

"Go swing your sword. Keep practicing until I tell you to stop."

Sword Enshrined moved his hand, and from a carriage not far away, a black iron sword flew over, embedding itself with a clang in front of Ning Chen.

"Yes."

Ning Chen picked up the sword, went to the side, and began to swing it, again and again.

Sword Enshrined's gaze remained unchanged, then he closed his eyes again.

Ning Chen didn't ask any questions either, focusing on swinging the sword in his hand, once, twice...

Simple sword swings, so simple that anyone could do them. However, the more Ning Chen swung, and the longer he swung, he discovered that swinging a sword was truly difficult.

No two swings could follow the exact same trajectory, and no two swings could have the exact same force. Ning Chen swung all night until his arms were almost numb, but he stubbornly persisted.

After daybreak, the convoy resumed its journey. Ning Chen practiced swinging his sword as he walked. His internal true qi came in handy at this point, at least it could timely alleviate the soreness in his arms.

"Tonight, practice thrusting the sword."

As night fell, Sword Enshrined spoke again. He still didn't teach Ning Chen specific moves, but changed the practice method from swinging to thrusting.

Ning Chen nodded, then quietly began to practice, without asking why, without asking for results.

The mountain road was much harder than everyone had imagined. The bridal procession carried too many things, making it difficult for the carriages to move, but they couldn't go without the carriages either. So, the pace of travel slowed down. What should have been a day's journey still hadn't been completed after three days.

In these three days, Ning Chen didn't learn any specific moves, but he learned to swing and thrust...

Sogou Novels' high-speed first release of the latest chapters of "First Rank Eunuch with a Blade," this chapter is, the address is // If you think this chapter is good, please don't forget to recommend it to your friends in your QQ group and Weibo!