The Great Martial Saint!

Chapter 676 You gave me a hairpin, now I give you a sword (Seeking monthly votes~)

"grown ups."

Outside the Gu family gate, Xiong Sanrang bowed respectfully.

Chen Ping'an nodded slightly and boarded the carriage with the black jade ornaments.

The carriage slowly started moving, heading towards the residence located in the inner city, following Chen Ping'an's instructions.

We've had quite a bit of interaction at the Gu family's house, and judging by the time, the little girl should be getting out of class soon.

He should have a lot of free time this time he returns to Canglong, and he should be able to spend a good amount of time with the little girl.

Time really flies.

Previously, I thought there was still a long time before the school recommendations and the academy examinations took place. Now it seems that not much time is left.

Well, once Xuanling and his group return, it will be time to dedicate our energy to dealing with this matter.

With the little girl able to go to the academy for further studies, he can say that one of his worries has been put to rest.

Whether from a safety or development perspective, sending the little girl to the academy is the best choice.

However, it's still necessary to carefully analyze which of the two imperial academies to choose.

Whether the little girl can pass the assessment is still unknown. Thinking about this now seems like overthinking things.

Chen Ping'an smiled, his gaze softened, and he gently raised his hand.

hum~
In a flash of inspiration, a wooden box appeared in front of him.

This was a gift from Gu Qingcheng. He had suppressed his curiosity and hadn't looked into it while he was at the Gu family home.

Now that I'm sitting on the frame, I can finally take a good look at it.

With a slight thought, Chen Ping'an opened the wooden box.

"This is."

The wooden box has several layers, and the first thing you see is a neatly arranged array of pastries.

The pastries were colorful and very pleasing to the eye.

As the lid was opened, a pleasant fragrance wafted out.

"Did Gu Qingcheng make this?" Chen Ping'an's gaze sharpened slightly.

He reached out, picked up a piece of pastry, and examined it carefully.

He became more and more lost in thought as he looked at her, finding it hard to imagine what Gu Qingcheng looked like as she used her delicate hands to prepare these pastries for him.

"Maybe you're overthinking it. It's just a gift for me to try; it might not have been made by Gu Qingcheng."

Chen Pingan smiled and shook his head.

Despite this, his heart was still like water, rippling as if a small stone had been thrown in, making it difficult to remain as calm as before.

Chen Ping'an stared at the pastries in front of him for a long time, then couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm really getting more and more like a child. A little bit of pastry makes me restless and my mind wanders."

Chen Ping'an regained his senses, calmed the turmoil in his heart, and opened the second layer of the seal.

Seriously, could Gu Qingcheng really be a tea girl?

He rushed over to see her excitedly, only to be told that she was in seclusion.

Just as he was about to leave, someone called him back, saying they had something to give him.

Then they sent this box of pastries that evokes all sorts of thoughts, without explaining anything.

Giving other gifts wouldn't cause such unease, but these pastries just happen to touch people's hearts.

There's a feeling of mutual affection, a heartfelt longing for a vibrant and exciting life, and a hope for the future.

These emotions were captured with exquisite precision.

But Gu Qingcheng didn't offer any explanation, and whatever she thought was being interpreted unilaterally by him. The other person might not have meant it that way.

In other words, no matter what he interprets it in his mind, the final interpretation right is in the hands of the other party.

The initial low mood followed by a dramatic turn of events—this emotional turmoil and skillful maneuvering are definitely the work of a high-level player.

Who can withstand this constant back and forth?!
If Chen Ping'an hadn't possessed a strong will and been able to maintain rational thinking in this situation, he probably would have fallen into their trap immediately, given the groundwork laid beforehand and the methods employed.

"No wonder, no wonder." Chen Ping'an's face showed recollection, his mind wandering.

No wonder I kissed him like that, I was so inexplicable. With that kind of skill, who could resist?

Finished!

A master tea lady!
Chen Ping'an's emotions shifted, and in a short instant, he imagined a grand drama unfolding in his mind.

What?! The aloof fairy is actually...?
My wife is a tea lady.

On the advantages of tea tasting.

Chen Ping'an's eyes shifted, and he smiled gently.

As I thought about it, the ideas got more and more outlandish, and all sorts of strange and bizarre things started popping into my head.

Chen Ping'an quickly gathered his thoughts, opened the lid, and saw what was on the second layer below.

Looking at the contents before him, Chen Ping'an paused for a moment, then blurted out, "Excellent tea!"

On the second floor, there was a warm jade box, and inside the jade box was none other than the cultivation spiritual item that Chen Ping'an had been longing for: the Snow Spirit Leaf!
Snow Spirit Leaf, Snow Spirit Tea – Top-quality tea produced in the Snow God Palace Great Snow Mountain!
The translucent and exquisite Snow Spirit Leaf, in Chen Ping'an's eyes, was like a beautiful fairy, shyly beckoning to him.

"Excellent tea! Excellent tea indeed!" Chen Ping'an exclaimed repeatedly.

Xue Ling Tea is guaranteed to be of the highest quality and is absolutely a top-grade, exquisite tea.

It is not only beneficial to the body and mind, but also helpful for spiritual practice.

As the jade box was opened, a white mist rose around it, carrying a faint sense of coldness.

This is the unique icy spirit and ethereal beauty of the Snow Spirit Leaf, imbued with the distinctive flavor of the Great Snow Mountain.

"A pillow delivered to someone who's sleepy!"

With a thought, Chen Ping'an sealed the jade box completely, and the surrounding icy white mist quickly dissipated.

Gu Qingcheng knows how to give gifts!
This gift is very much to my liking.

Although the number of Snow Spirit Leaves in this jade box was not as many as the Gu family had previously acquired, there were still thirty or forty leaves, which should be enough for him to use for more than a month.

Taking into account his current reserves, it wouldn't be a problem for him to gain another two or three months of cultivation.

Okay, I take back what I just said. This Gu Qingcheng is different from ordinary tea girls; she knows how to be considerate of others.

Chen Ping'an smiled inwardly and joked.

He truly hadn't expected Gu Qingcheng to go to such lengths for him. He also wondered how much effort she had put into obtaining those Snow Spirit Leaves.

Regardless of the circumstances, he has to acknowledge this relationship.

He may be a future Daoist partner, but he must remember all that Gu Qingcheng has done for him.

Even between close lovers, accounts must be kept clear. Besides, isn't this already the case? There are still a few embellishments in front.

Chen Ping'an understood the principle of reciprocating kindness with kindness.

Chen Ping'an felt a slight sense of gratitude and opened the last layer of the seal.

then
He then saw a sword-shaped jade pendant, its entire surface warm and white, like a miniature jade sword.

"This is..." Chen Ping'an's gaze changed, a flash of light appeared on his brow, and his spiritual senses immediately went to investigate.

With his spiritual perception, a thought arose in his mind.

"You gave me a hairpin, now I give you a sword."

Chen Ping'an was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

"My lord, we've arrived." Xiong Sanrang's respectful voice came from outside the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Chen Ping'an snapped out of his reverie, lifted the curtain, and stepped out.

"master."

A large crowd had already gathered in front of the mansion, welcoming Chen Ping'an's return.

Peony, dressed in a red dress, stood gracefully at the door, gave a gentle bow, her eyes sparkling, and called out, "Young Master."

As an old friend who followed Chen Ping'an, Peony had a unique way of addressing him.

"Peony," Chen Ping'an called out gently.

The peony has grown into a beautiful young woman, no longer the little girl she was when we first met.

Over the years, not only he has changed, but also the people around him.

The carriage was moving quite fast, and he returned relatively early; it should still be a while before the little girl's class ended.

Needless to say, after a warm welcome, Chen Ping'an gave a few instructions and returned to his room after chatting with Shaoyao for a while.

"Call me when Zhaoheng returns."

"Yes, young master." Peony gave a graceful bow, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

hum~
Inside the room, Chen Ping'an sat cross-legged, a miniature jade sword appearing before him.

As his inspiration flashed, a subtle artistic conception emerged on the miniature jade sword, spreading outwards.

"The essence of swordsmanship!"

This miniature jade sword is none other than a relic that carries the legacy of swordsmanship.

"You gave me a hairpin, now I give you a sword."

Chen Ping'an kept his eyes closed, and this sentence kept echoing in his mind.

His thoughts kept replaying, as if he had returned to that night by the Moon Reflection Lake.

Under the hazy moonlight, amidst the dazzling fireworks, he gently brushed aside the beauty's hair and tucked a wooden hairpin into it. As he did so, gazing upon her flawless face, he impulsively kissed her.

hum~
Surrounded by true essence and flowing with spiritual light, a series of inherited artistic conceptions containing sword intent emerged.

As the essence of inheritance emerged, Chen Ping'an cleared his mind of distractions, focused his spirit, and comprehended its profound mysteries. The path of inheritance is incredibly complex.

The higher the grade of the cultivation technique, the more pronounced this is.

Even a grandmaster of martial arts will encounter bottlenecks when comprehending some profound techniques.

One may not be able to fully understand it after just one attempt; one may only remember its mysteries and leave them for later careful contemplation and study.

But these things obviously won't happen to Chen Ping'an.

As he focused his mind on comprehending, cultivation experiences began to appear on the panel located in the void.

+1!

+1!

+1!

Clearly, as he gained insights, the Golden Finger panel was undergoing a crazy transformation.

A series of inherited messages surfaced in his mind.

"The sword is the king of all weapons. When it rises, its cold gleam is as sharp as flowing frost."

"The sword unites with the body, the body with the will, the will with the qi, the qi with the spirit, and ultimately, humanity and nature become one."

"With intention reaching the profound and mysterious, the spirit roams the vast emptiness. By controlling the sword with intention, the sword follows the heart; when man and sword become one, and the spirit is concentrated, the sword energy is unstoppable, invincible, and capable of destroying anything."

"."

A stream of information kept appearing, and more and more cultivation experiences flashed before my eyes.

A realization gradually dawned on Chen Ping'an.

As time went on, the accumulated experience in cultivation seemed to have reached a critical point.

Chen Ping'an was filled with a sense of enlightenment, and with his thoughts, the cultivation experience on the Golden Finger panel began to stir wildly.

Tiny points of starlight appeared, disappearing into Chen Ping'an's brow and entering his spiritual realm.

Within the spiritual platform, a spiritual fruit had split open, riddled with ravines, and deep within it, a divine soul was being nurtured. As the starlight entered, strange changes occurred within the spiritual fruit.

Those two insignificant strands of divine soul power seemed to have received some kind of boost, and began to gradually change, then two new strands of divine soul power separated from them.

In addition, thanks to the Golden Finger Panel, Chen Ping'an's true essence also received a slight boost, taking a small step forward compared to before.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Ping'an slowly opened his eyes.

"What kind of sword technique is this?" Chen Ping'an asked with a puzzled expression, sensing the changes within his body.

The sword-shaped jade pendant does not embody a complete lineage of swordsmanship. It only records three sword moves.

These three sword techniques are extremely profound, and Chen Ping'an has never seen them before.

Although Chen Ping'an was not particularly proficient in swordsmanship, his understanding of swordsmanship, based on the Seven Absolute Divine Skill, was above that of most grandmasters.

Although this sword technique is not complete, judging from these three sword moves alone, it is definitely not something that ordinary supreme skills can rival.

Even the most supreme divine skills might not be able to compete with it, and it even seems somewhat inferior.

Although we don't know exactly how many sword moves and secret techniques this sword technique has, based on the information we have, we can judge that it is definitely a supreme sword technique that is no less powerful than the True Skill Scroll.

However, Chen Ping'an had limited information about the specific rank, making it difficult to make a judgment.

The strength of a sword move is one of the criteria for judgment, but the number of sword moves is also important.

These two secret techniques are roughly equal in power, but one is the ultimate secret technique of a martial arts method, while the other is merely an introductory technique.

The difference in the quality of the two techniques is obvious at a glance!
However, without knowing this crucial information, it would be extremely difficult to deduce the difference in rank between the two.

And now, Chen Ping'an is facing exactly this situation.

When comprehending the essence of the technique, there was no description of the sword technique's name within the inherited knowledge. Therefore, at this moment, the cheat interface only displayed an unnamed sword technique, with the word "incomplete" marked after it.

Clearly, the sword technique was not fully inherited, and this was something he recognized when he gained insight into it.

"The Nameless Sword Technique?" Chen Ping'an's eyes flickered, wondering how Gu Qingcheng had acquired this sword technique.

If it was a coincidence, the names of these three sword moves were also quite coincidental.

But if it is said
That seems a bit too far-fetched.

Chen Ping'an focused his mind slightly, putting aside the miscellaneous thoughts in his heart.

"The sword technique is divine and extremely profound. If it were called the Nameless Sword Technique, it would be a waste of its talent. Perhaps..." Chen Ping'an's thoughts sharpened, and the image of that aloof figure by the Moon Reflection Lake appeared in his mind, like a goddess descending from the heavens.

"Let it be called the Guanghan Sword Technique!"

hum~
A light screen appeared before Chen Ping'an's eyes.

Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Late stage of Jade Balance - Breakthrough three stages (Nurturing the Divine Soul)
武学：青阳血炼法入门（0/5760）颠鸾倒凤·阴阳枢入门（0/8640）、广寒剑法（残篇）入门（0/2880）太虚御风步小成（0/5760）七杀天罡拳小成（3155/3840）、霸刀圆满、七绝神功圆满、万魔铸身诀圆满
"2880 point."

The transmission of the Guanghan Sword Technique is incomplete. The "entry level" marked on it is not the entry level of the complete technique, but only the entry level of a fragmented technique, and there is still a certain gap between the two. Therefore, it is difficult to judge the grade of this technique solely based on the breakthrough experience required for the technique.

However, one thing is certain: even if the cultivation technique is incomplete, it will not affect the benefits of the Golden Finger panel for breaking through realms. As long as the progress is clear, all the necessary assistance will be provided.

A complete cultivation technique has its advantages, and a fragmented one also has its own cultivation methods. This time, his comprehension of the artistic conception and his entry into the incomplete Guanghan Sword Technique have allowed him to advance further in his martial arts realm.

Although we haven't broken through the pass yet, we're not far from breaking through the third level.

Perhaps with another boost, he will be able to take this crucial step, truly break through the shell barrier, and enter the third stage of the breakthrough realm.

Previously, Chen Ping'an had calculated that once he mastered the Seven Killing Heavenly Fist, he might be able to break through to the third stage of the breakthrough realm in one fell swoop. However, despite this calculation, he wasn't entirely confident that he could actually achieve it.

But now, he is certain of this.

With this boost, his cultivation level improved significantly, taking a step forward compared to before. He was not far from breaking through to the third stage.

To be honest, getting these three sword moves was a pleasant surprise.

Although it is only a fragment of a technique, its power should not be underestimated if used.

Okay, I take back what I said earlier.

perhaps
Chen Ping'an's thoughts were like wisps of silk, and the names of three sword moves appeared in his mind.

"Moonlight reflected, raft suspended, misty rain."

hum~
A flash of light appeared in Chen Ping'an's hand, its texture warm and smooth, like the delicate, boneless skin of a young girl. A small string of pearl and jade bells dangled from the end of the hairpin, adorned with tassels.

When a girl reaches the age of marriage, she wears a hairpin to signify that she has come of age.

The act of giving hairpins as gifts has carried a unique meaning since ancient times. When a woman gives a hairpin, it signifies her hope for a suitable husband to whom she can entrust her life, her wish to be together with him, and her anticipation for the future.

Gu Qingcheng

Chen Ping'an stroked the hairpin in his hand, his expression wistful, his heart rippled with emotion, like waves that were hard to stop.

Inside the warm building, a woman was playing the zither, dressed in a moon-white long dress, exuding an ethereal charm.

“I gave him the item.” Xi Yue walked behind the woman and picked up the sword from the table.

Since she first took up the sword, she has rarely put it down. This is the first time she has done so.

Especially because a man laid down his sword.

The woman responded with a light strum of her zither.

Looking at the stunning woman before her, Xi Yue's blush had faded considerably, but a rosy glow still lingered on her fair skin. She wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

At this point, it's no use saying anything.

Now that a decision has been made, it must be carried through to the end.

“Son-in-law? Or perhaps…” Xi Yue’s expression was complicated as Chen Ping’an’s image appeared in her mind.

She was conflicted, feeling both anticipation and trepidation.

Inside the building, the melodious sound of a piano lingered.

Gu Qingcheng sat quietly at the table, her fair hands, as white as jade, gently caressing the long zither, her moon-white dress spreading out like flowing clouds.

I don’t know when it started, but the sound of metal, like the clanging of swords, began to be heard in the music.

The girl stood to the side, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

In ancient times, there was a divine sword that vanquished all evil. A great master once observed the sword, comprehended its divine power, and mastered its techniques, traveling the world and being revered as the Emperor of the Sword.

now
The girl's eyes grew brighter, her expression revealing an indescribable brilliance.

Sword One, Reflecting the Moon.

Sword Two, Suspended Raft.

JX3, Misty Rain.

Sword 4, Jade Spring.

Sword Five, Floating Light.

The sound of the zither resonated like the clash of metal, echoing through the long river of history.

Sword Thirteen, Guanghan.

Sword XIV.
world!

Inside the warm building, a woman plays the zither, her long, flowing black hair cascading down like moonlight spilling onto the earth. A wooden hairpin hangs askew, as if a goddess has descended to the mortal world to experience its vicissitudes and witness the fleeting beauty of life.

In the bustling world, the path to enlightenment is truly boundless!
The resounding notes of the zither and the clanging of metal echoed endlessly within the warm building.

Outside the warm building, all was quiet, like a pure land.

The image freezes on the wooden hairpin in the woman's hair.

When a girl reaches the age of marriage, she wears a hairpin to signify that she has reached adulthood and is of marriageable age.

Therefore, when a man presents a hairpin, it signifies his affection and desire for the woman to be his principal wife, the wife with whom he has a long and happy marriage.

Sword Fifteen, all is well!

The music suddenly stopped, the strings ceased to play, and in that instant, it seemed as if a celestial realm had descended.

It vanishes in an instant, disappearing without a trace.

(End of this chapter)