On the Avenue.

Chapter 636 The Cliff of the Ascent, the Master's Sword
Master Jiao and Qiao Gu were quite excited. The disciples of Jin'ao Island had also studied the ninth move of the Hunyuan Sword Scripture and believed that to learn this move, one not only needed extraordinary talent, but also an exceptional understanding of the Great Dao such as Hongmeng and Xuanhuang.

The first eight moves of the Hunyuan Sword Scripture, namely, "Earth's Qi Warms and Coldness, Heaven's Reversal of Life and Death," mainly encompass the changes of Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) and the four seasons. "Wind's Variation, All Things Wither and Flourish," encompasses the changes of the Way of Wind and the Way of Withering and Flourish.

The flickering blue flames and the endless ashes speak of the Way of Fire and the calamities that precede them. The death of the Azure Heaven and the rise of the Yellow Heaven signify the changing of the Heavenly Way. The dispersing clouds and clearing mists reveal a vast and boundless expanse, representing the shifts in fortune brought about by the changes in the Way of Humanity.

……

Every technique has its own logic. To fully understand it, one must comprehend these principles. Therefore, every move and every style requires immersion in the mortal world and experience its trials.

To cultivate the earth's energy, one must observe the cycle of life and death, from the earth's energy expanding to the sky's cold and the withering of all things. This requires going to the mortal realm to witness the passing of winter and the arrival of spring, the expansion of the earth's energy, the cold of spring, and the withering of all things.

To cultivate the vastness of the clouds and mist, one must seek out the end of a prosperous empire in the mortal realm, and quietly observe the world in darkness, the people suffering, the changes in human nature brought about by the shift in people's hearts, and the change of dynasties.

Each sword technique has its own unique training method, which is both to allow immortals to descend to the mortal world and to comprehend the great Dao hidden in the human world.

Only the ninth move has remained unsolved since the Master disappeared, and no one on Jin'ao Island has been able to comprehend it, no matter how long they have been in the mortal realm or how much they have been trained.

"Uncle Jiao, we must get Chen Shi to join Jin'ao Island no matter what!"

Qiao Gu's eyes were fervent, and he coughed slightly as he spoke, but he forced himself to continue, saying, "His joining Jin'ao Island will surely make Jin'ao Island prosper once again!"

Uncle Jiao shook his head and said, "Whether you can pass the test or not depends on me. I'm useless. Just follow the rules."

Qiao Gu angrily retorted, "Stubborn fool."

Uncle Jiao's face darkened, and he gripped his cane tightly.

Before Qiao Gu could say anything more, Jing Mei quickly pulled him aside and whispered, "Say less. You can't beat your senior uncle anyway."

Qiao Gu had no choice but to endure it.

When Chen Shi was cultivating, he ignored everything outside his world and focused solely on his practice. He used the Hunyuan Dao Scripture and the Hunyuan Sword Scripture to support each other, and his progress in both skills was rapid.

As Jiang Guo said, he studied too many different things and devoted too little attention to the Hunyuan Sword Scripture and the Hunyuan Dao Scripture. This trip to Jin'ao Island, however, allowed him to focus on cultivation, which is why he improved so quickly.

More and more sword energies flew out of the sword-nurturing gourd and were under his control. He was no longer using the same move, but was simultaneously manipulating different sword energies to perform different sword techniques.

This open space was just a tiny area to him, but his swordsmanship remained perfectly organized within that limited space.

It's not difficult to develop great sword energy; the challenge lies in mastering a powerful sword technique within a very small range.

As Chen Shi's Hunyuan Dao Scripture grew stronger, he was able to control more and more sword energy. One day, when he tried to control another sword energy and activate the sword-nurturing gourd, he suddenly found that the gourd was empty.

Chen Shi naturally awoke from his cultivation. One hundred and eight streams of Xuanhuang sword energy swirled around him, gradually slowing down before flying back into the sword-nurturing gourd.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, his internal energy surging, and he felt that his cultivation had greatly increased in the past few days.

"Chen Shi, come with me."

At this moment, a voice woke him up. Chen Shi opened his eyes and saw an old man with a hunched back, leaning on a cane and limping forward.

Senior Sister Jingmei, Jiang Guo, and another tall, thin man looked at him with smiles, without saying a word.

Black Pot stood to the side, holding a large iron chain in his hand. The other end of the chain was tied to a guard dog, Gourd, which was also watching him.

Chen Shi was puzzled and followed the hunched old man.

The hunched old man led him into Biyou Palace and said, “Our lineage was basically destroyed in the war to destroy the Shang Dynasty, and few disciples survived. It wasn’t until the Spring and Autumn Period that our ancestor was reincarnated as Master, who took in three thousand disciples, and that’s how our lineage was revived. Our influence surpassed that of Buddhism and Taoism. At that time, Taiqing Daoist, one of the Three Pure Ones, was also reincarnated as Laozi, and he preached the Tao around the same time as Master. But he still couldn’t compete with Master.”

The two turned onto the Zhu Pavilion, crossed the Wobo Long Bridge, passed through the garden shrouded in clouds and rosy mist, and arrived at a grand hall. In front of the hall was a large incense burner with thick layers of incense ash, indicating that people often burned incense there.

Chen Shi looked into the hall and saw a statue of an old man with a large forehead, a humble and open-minded demeanor, and an air of eager learning.

"This is the Master?" Chen Shi felt an immediate sense of closeness.

"Master's great victory finally made our lineage a prominent school of thought in the ancestral temple. Although we were defeated in the war against Shang, we still won in the end. Until one day, Laozi went west and said to Master, 'You have won in the ancestral temple, but during the time you were fighting for the Daoist lineage in the ancestral temple, the Three Pure Ones had already opened up the Earthly Immortal Realm and ascended to the Earthly Immortal Realm with the Heavenly Court.'"

The hunchbacked old man took a few sticks of incense, lit them, bowed to the statue of Confucius in the hall, and said, "This land of the ancestral court is too small. People no longer care about the ancestral court. Even if Confucius wins in the ancestral court, what good will it do? Isn't it all in vain? After saying this, I left Hangu Pass to the west and ascended to the Earthly Immortal Realm."

He took a few sticks of incense, handed them to Chen Shi, and continued, "After Laozi left, Master also went to the Earthly Immortal Realm. Not long after he returned, he ascended to heaven with Jin'ao Island. He witnessed the vastness of the Xuanhuang Sea and the Dark Sea, and saw countless worlds similar to the Ancestral Court. He realized that if we did not ascend, the enemy would only become stronger and stronger, and in the end, we would still have no place to stand."

Chen Shi held the incense sticks, bowed towards the main hall, and placed the incense sticks into the incense burner.

He gazed at the statue of Confucius in the hall, deeply admiring the choice of this sage.

The hunched old man said, "At that time, all the holy lands in the Earthly Immortal Realm belonged to someone, and Master had no place to stand. In the end, he could only settle in the desolate Penglai West. At that time, not many people followed Master to ascend; most stayed in the ancestral court. My name is Jiao Jinhua, and I was one of the disciples who ascended with Master. However, I was not Master's disciple, but Tongtian Daoren's disciple. Therefore, later, Master's disciples all called me Senior Brother."

Chen Shi withdrew his gaze. The Master was the reincarnation of Tongtian Daoren, and this Uncle Jiao was Tongtian Daoren's disciple, holding a very high position.

Master Jiao said, "After Master arrived here, he looked around and was very happy. He said that this was an extraordinary holy land, possibly one of the best holy lands in the Earthly Immortal Realm. As long as the heretics here are eliminated, the holy land can be restored. The Three Pure Ones abandoned this holy land, and if he restores it, the Three Pure Ones will have no face to ask for it back. At that time, he traveled all over the west of Penglai, searching for a way to eliminate the heretics."

Chen Shi couldn't help but ask, "Has the Master been found?"

Master Jiao shook his head and said, "I don't know either. But Master seemed to have discovered something back then, and was very happy, saying that he had a chance to surpass the Three Pure Ones. He said that back in the ancestral court, in the war to destroy the Shang Dynasty, he was defeated by the Three Pure Ones. That was his first defeat. Later, he was reincarnated as Master, and won with the Daoist lineage. But the Taiqing Daoist transformed into Laozi, openly competing with him, but secretly creating the Earthly Immortal Realm, making him obsessed with the struggle for Daoist lineage and neglecting the Earthly Immortal Realm. By the time he realized it, there was no place for him in the Earthly Immortal Realm. That was his second defeat. But in this third battle, he will definitely be able to defeat the Three Pure Ones."

Chen Shi's eyes sparkled, and he clapped his hands, saying, "If you dare to say that, Master, you must have found a way to deal with the heretics!"

"I don't know. Not long after, the Master disappeared."

Uncle Jiao, leaning on his cane, walked outside and said, “Master is gone, and the Three Pure Ones have also disappeared, never to return. Only I and a few disciples remain on Jin’ao Island. Over the years, Jin’ao Island has barely managed to survive, but our reputation isn’t good. The Three Pure Ones’ disciples are everywhere, holding high positions and wielding great power; our lineage is often bullied.” His face was full of wrinkles, revealing no change in expression, neither joy nor sorrow. He said, “If you want to back out, it’s not too late to leave now. We on Jin’ao Island are not unreasonable people; we won’t force you to stay.”

Chen Shi thought for a moment and smiled, “If it were any other sect, I would definitely turn around and leave, after all, it is not a good thing to be targeted by the Sanqing Sect. But I have been familiar with Confucius’s classics since I was a child, and I consider myself a disciple of Confucius. If I back down just because I don’t get along with the Sanqing Sect, wouldn’t that be a betrayal of all my learning?”

Master Jiao nodded gently and said, "Very good. Follow me."

He walked out of Biyou Palace and led Chen Shi toward a cliff on one side. Before long, they arrived at a natural chasm.

Chen Shi looked and saw that the cliffs on both sides stood side by side, as if they had been cut by a knife and axe.

"This place is called Sandao Cliff."

Master Jiao said, "At the end of the Cliff of Enlightenment is the Master's Ink-Washing Pool, next to which is where he contemplated the universe. As long as you get there, you can comprehend the Master's Dao, and even just sitting there for a while will greatly improve your cultivation. However, since the Master left, no one has been able to reach there. But even if you are not far from the place of enlightenment, you can still gain extraordinary insights. Many people on Jin'ao Island have comprehended the Master's legacy from this Cliff of Enlightenment."

Chen Shi gazed at the deep, secluded cliff of the pilgrimage route, eager to try.

Master Jiao said, "On the cliff walls on both sides of the Path to Enlightenment Cliff, there are the Hunyuan Sword Scriptures engraved by the Master."

Chen Shi felt a slight tremor in his heart. Looking at the cliffs on both sides, he indeed saw some crisscrossing sword marks on the cliffs.

"Anyone who enters this place will trigger the Primordial Sword Scripture left by the Master. The stronger one's cultivation, the stronger the power of the sword scripture. There are very few people in the world who can withstand the Master's divine power. Therefore, forcibly entering this place will only result in being reduced to ashes."

Master Jiao said, "Only by activating the Hunyuan Sword Scripture in the same way, and using the sword scripture to fight against the sword scripture, can we continue to delve deeper. Your senior sister Jingmei walked forty-two steps and comprehended the Three Heavens Arriving at the Saint Method. Senior brother Qiao Gu walked forty-eight steps and comprehended the Golden Spirit Doumu Profound Skill. Jiang Guo walked the farthest, fifty-one steps, and comprehended a Zhuxian Sword Qi."

Chen Shi asked in surprise, "Senior Brother Jiang went the furthest?"

Master Jiao nodded and said, "Although he has only comprehended one Immortal Slaying Sword Qi, he is already no less than others, and may even be stronger. However, to enter the Profound Dao Cliff, cultivating one hundred and eight sword qi is a necessary condition. Without cultivating one hundred and eight sword qi, one will not be able to get very far after entering the Profound Dao Cliff."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi felt extremely grateful to Senior Sister Jingmei.

Without Jingmei's guidance, it would have been difficult for him to master 108 sword energies in a short period of time.

Master Jiao said, "Chen Shi, you may go in now. As for what you can comprehend, that depends on your own comprehension."

Chen Shi cleared his mind of distractions and purified his spirit. A ray of light shone down from above, and the sword-nurturing gourd emerged from the Dao Ruins. With the gourd's mouth pointing downwards, one hundred and eight streams of Xuanhuang sword energy flew out.

He walked into the cliff, and sword marks suddenly lit up on the left and right sides of the cliff. Chen Shi suddenly felt dizzy, as if a great master was wielding 108 sword energies and using the first move of the Hunyuan Sword Scripture to attack him!

Without hesitation, Chen Shi responded with the same earth-based greeting. In an instant, the world inside the cliff was turned upside down, earth energy erupted, and life and death alternated.

The sword shadows clashed and clashed, incredibly dense. Standing outside, Master Jiao could only see countless sword lights surging within.

After Chen Shi blocked the attack, the sword energy on the cliff wall dissipated.

Chen Shi was about to walk forward when, just as he lifted his foot, a corner of his sleeve suddenly fluttered down.

"what?"

He let out a soft exclamation, raised his hand and grabbed the severed corner of the sleeve, his expression somewhat solemn.

"I have the Heavenly Secrets Strategy imprinted in my mind, and I have also taken the Fuluo Village Elixir. I have already thoroughly understood the Earth Qi Cold War technique, so there is no way it could still be flawed."

He carefully recalled his encounter with the sword shadows on the cliff face, and frowned slightly.

Same, exactly the same!
"So, where exactly did I slip up, leading to the loss of a section of my sleeve?"

He pondered deeply but couldn't figure out where his mistake lay, so he put the matter aside and moved on.

Sword marks were scattered on the cliff face, and suddenly the wind and weather erupted in all directions, bringing with it the imagery of the withering and flourishing of all things.

Without hesitation, Chen Shi also unleashed his own unique style, "Wind and Weather Uneven," to counter the sword techniques on the cliff face.

He could see very clearly that his moves were exactly the same as the sword moves on the cliff, and his understanding of the principles behind those moves was also exactly the same!
His movements were as swift as the wind, and even when he controlled 108 sword energies at the same time, he remained perfectly composed, showcasing the flourishing, decay, growth, and death of all things under the influence of winds such as spring breeze, cold wind, warm wind, fierce wind, and killing wind!
The sword strikes vanished in pairs, and tranquility returned to the cliffside.

As Chen Shi was about to leave, the red ball on his purple-gold crown suddenly fell off and landed on the ground.

Chen Shi raised his eyebrows, picked up the red ball, threw it into the Dao Realm, and continued walking forward.

"In what way am I inferior to the sword techniques on the cliff?"

Outside the cliff, Uncle Jiao watched quietly as he went deeper and deeper, constantly activating the sword techniques on the cliff face and using the same techniques to break through their defenses.

"Senior Uncle..." Senior Sister Jingmei walked over with a limp.

Uncle Jiao raised his hand, signaling her to be quiet.

Jiang Guo, Qiao Gu, and others also arrived at the Cliff of the Ascent and looked at Chen Shi.

Inside the cliff, Chen Shi met Li Li Qingyan's attack safely, but a sword mark appeared on his clothes near his chest, almost piercing his heart.

When he encountered the fourth move, "Heaven is Dead," a reddish mark appeared on his neck, but no blood flowed.

Chen Shi frowned, feeling even more uneasy.

His moves were just as perfect as those on the cliff, but for some reason, a slight flaw would always inexplicably appear!
"Where exactly does the problem lie?"

(End of this chapter)