I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 49 Learning Skills at Mount Hua
Pei Ju now knows that once a person meets certain onboarding requirements, they can choose to enter a spiritual realm to complete the actual onboarding process.

"What truly represents a swordsman's ability is Qi Gong. You have already attained Qi, which, broadly speaking, can be considered as having rudimentary Qi Gong. However, your grandfather said that in the spiritual realm of 'Mount Hua,' you have the opportunity to acquire superior Qi Gong."

"The abilities gained from practicing superior Qigong can grant you more and more powerful talents," Master Pei said.

"But to enter the Spirit Realm, don't we need a corresponding spirit? Do we need to go to Mount Hua?" Pei Ju asked.

He asked if it was necessary to go to Mount Hua to communicate with the spirit of 'Mount Hua'.

Master Pei said, "Your maternal grandfather said that Mount Hua is too heavy and profound, and you cannot bear it. So you can use some other 'spirits' to replace it. As long as there was a 'Mount Hua' in the era in which that spirit existed, this spiritual realm can be formed, because your maternal grandfather also left behind a 'story' book."

Upon hearing this, Pei Ju understood. He had learned the structure of spirit communication rituals from Han Yitong, and he had also compared it with the spirit communication rituals in his own home and asked questions to Teacher Han Yitong, so he naturally had a thorough understanding.

The Three Elements Spirit Communication Ritual, also known as the Triangle Spirit Communication Ritual.

The so-called triad or triangle refers to: medium (spiritual medium), scene, and guidance.

The medium, or spiritual medium, here refers to an object that contains spiritual energy.

The communication methods of each medium are different, so this is something that needs to be tested in the certification exam; it's a knowledge point that needs to be memorized.

However, some spirits are vengeful spirits, naturally carrying their obsessions from their previous lives, forming their own spiritual realms. Entering such a spiritual realm is also called entering the realm of life. For example, there are spirits like those in the psychic mirror, which can set up certain scenes through stories. When people enter the spiritual realm, they will find that they have entered the scene they have set up.

This kind of pre-set scenario is also known as a "spirit realm script".

In addition, there is the step of clearly identifying the person entering, also known as the guide.

There are many ways to guide someone, such as touching the medium with your fingers, reciting the relevant triggering incantation together, burning your birth date and name, dripping blood, or applying hair or nail polish.

"Take this 'Mount Hua' storybook with you to the hut, light a lamp, and read the storybook over the lamp. Before you start reading, first offer incense and communicate with the gods Shen Tu and Yu Lei in the normal order. But at the end, you must add the following sentence: 'This disciple begs the stars of the Big Dipper to have mercy on this traveler who has traveled through time and space...' Then you can sit at the table and read the book aloud as you read."

“These are all spirit communication rituals left by your grandfather, and the Big Dipper constellation in that small house was also set in by your grandfather.”

Pei Ju had heard a lot about his maternal grandfather recently, and the grandfather, who was originally distant and unclear, was slowly taking shape in his mind.

Mysterious, powerful, and a Taoist priest who has lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for many years, detached from worldly affairs.

This is his impression of his maternal grandfather.

He followed his grandfather's instructions, memorized the spirit communication ritual, and then entered the small house. His grandfather did not follow him in, perhaps out of trust in his maternal grandfather, or perhaps because he had experienced too many such incidents. After Pei Ju entered the small house, he went alone to the octagonal table and slowly lifted the black cloth covering the shrine.

Inside, there was a jade statue, which had turned somewhat black.

In that brazier, there was a lot of ashes, which were the ashes produced every day after Pei Ju's human-shaped cloth doll was placed inside and then taken out and burned.

Deeper inside the shrine, behind the jade statue, there was a small altar. On the altar was a tiger's paw, which was wrapped in gold, forming a golden tiger's paw.

But Master Pei knew that beneath the gold was a tiger's claw, covered in fur and skin.

According to the oral tradition passed down from the first De Gong who came here, when De Gong obtained this shrine, it was in a deep mountain in Xijiang. In the deep mountain, there was a small mountain god temple carved from stone, which was only as tall as a three-year-old child, and this shrine was placed inside.

He had wanted to get rid of the evil tiger enshrined in the shrine back then, but three out of the five people who went in died. Over the years, a portion of the money he earned was actually sent to the descendants of the three people who died there, which was a source of guilt in his heart.

Recently, he has felt that his health is not so good at times. He often feels mentally exhausted and wants to doze off. Every time he dozes off, he has a dream in which he enters a cave and a huge, terrifying tiger walks out of the darkness from the depths of the cave.

At this moment, he would wake up again, but even when he was awake, he could still faintly hear the deep roar of the ferocious tiger.

He knew that he didn't have much time left.

……

Pei Ju entered the small house, where there was a lamp that was always lit, all year round.

He began to follow his grandfather's instructions, placing a black-covered book on the table under the lamplight, lighting incense, and saying, "Disciple Pei Ju respectfully invites the Ancestral Master to partake of this incense."

Since the last time he was here, when Master Pei respectfully informed the patriarch, which was equivalent to entering the sect, he has been able to vaguely sense the presence of two deities in the darkness every time he offers incense.

That time, he seemed to see two images of gods on a huge door, looking down at him.

And there were no more scenes like that after that.

However, this time, he added one more sentence: "This disciple begs the stars of the Big Dipper to have mercy and allow this traveler who has traveled through time and space to pay homage! With the shift of time and space, the book becomes a world of its own."

Upon hearing this, the enormous door reappeared in his mind. Even more incredibly, he felt as if the door had opened a crack, and light was shining through it.

He looked up at the jeweled stars embedded in the ceiling above him, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but they all seemed to be glowing.

But he remembered his grandfather's words, composed himself, and picked up the black-covered book on the table. He opened it, and in the middle of the first page was written: "Human life has an end, but good stories can be passed down through time, and can even travel through time and space. Transcribed by Mei Tingsong, a mountain man."

Pei Ju understood that the book was not written by his maternal grandfather, but was copied from another source.

He remembered his grandfather saying that studying would lead to success, so he recited it aloud.

This is also part of the ceremony.

In a dark and secluded room, a dim lamp illuminates only the person reading aloud, but not the surrounding darkness. Reading aloud is tantamount to speaking to ghosts and spirits.

He began to recite.

At first, it felt a little awkward as he read word by word, but as he gradually became immersed in the story, that awkwardness disappeared, and slowly, he felt as if he had become one of the characters.

On Mount Hua, there once stood a martial arts sect called the Huashan Sword Sect, a force to be reckoned with, capable of rivaling the Demonic Cult. However, internal strife erupted, leading to infighting and near-total annihilation. Only a brother and sister remained to inherit the sect. Overnight, its members dwindled, its reputation plummeted, and its power vanished.

The new leader of the Huashan Sword Sect is recruiting disciples from all over the country in an effort to revitalize the sect.

Pei Ju opened his eyes and saw a roof beam and a spider web hanging on the wall.

A memory surfaced in his mind.

Pei Ju was from Huayin County. His family owned a restaurant. They weren't particularly wealthy, but they were doing alright. However, as the second son in the family, he had no right to inherit the family business. So, when he reached a certain age, he was sent to Mount Hua to learn martial arts.

If I achieve something in the future, I can find a job at a security escort agency in the city. After all, being a disciple of the Huashan Sword Sect is a very useful title, and I can earn a decent annual salary no matter which security escort agency I go to.

Even if you don't go to a security escort agency, you can still work as a bodyguard in a wealthy family.

Even if things don't go well, they can at least build up their strength, which will make them more capable of doing farm work in the future and prevent them from being bullied when competing with others for water.

Today is his third day since joining the Huashan Sword Sect. He can hear the breathing sounds beside him; they are his senior brothers.

This room is a large dormitory-style room, where four people live.

Daylight broke quickly, and everyone got up, washed up, and started learning the basics today. Yesterday we officially began the course, and today we'll begin teaching the fundamentals.

Those who started at the same time as him all started learning around the same time. Even those who had learned earlier didn't study for very long. They were taught standing meditation and breathing exercises.

Aside from the initial soreness from his physical body, Pei Ju quickly mastered the breathing techniques.

A few days later, he was able to stand on a low stake for half an hour. His master stroked his beard and watched with great surprise, saying that he would personally teach Ju'er internal strength and swordsmanship.

Originally, beginners like them were taught by the senior disciple.

So Pei Ju began to learn the basic swordsmanship of Mount Hua from his master, also known as the Mount Hua Sword Technique. In just five days, he had mastered it to perfection, as if he had been practicing for more than ten years.

Master was overjoyed and said to his junior sister, "Ju'er's talent is no less than Chong'er's, and may even be better. It is truly a blessing from heaven for Mount Hua. In ten years, Mount Hua will produce a first-class master."

Of course, besides teaching him Huashan swordsmanship, his master was more concerned with teaching him internal energy cultivation.

My master taught me the "Baoyuan Jin" (抱元劲).

The Baoyuan Jin (抱元劲) method combines internal and external cultivation, emphasizing the integration of the body's energy into a unified whole, encompassing both the physical strength and the internal energy.

He spent three months mastering the basics of Baoyuan Jin and developed his own internal energy. The moment he completed it, he discovered that the power in his sword had increased twofold, the speed of his sword movements had increased by at least 30%, and his leaps were much lighter.

Next, he began to learn Huashan lightness skill.

The Huashan lightness skill is called the Golden Goose Skill.

He loved the Golden Goose Skill so much that he practiced it every morning and evening. At first, he only practiced on the nearby mountain wall. As his internal strength improved, his lightness skill also got better and better. He began to practice in dangerous places, running on the mountain wall every morning and evening.

The master saw this and was pleased. He said to the other disciples, "You should learn from your ninth junior brother, Ju'er, and practice more. Chong'er, you shouldn't always be secretly drinking."

If the master had only said it once or twice, it would have been fine, but if he said it too often, it would have attracted the jealousy of others.

However, Pei Ju didn't care.

Because of his excellent swordsmanship, he was also taught the Yangwu Sword Technique.

This sword technique can even stimulate the internal energy flow while practicing swordsmanship, making it both sword practice and energy cultivation.

He loved it.

Because he was envied and didn't want to be disturbed, he practiced swordsmanship in the forest every day.

Under the setting sun, the sword in his hand spun almost against his body, and as his body turned, the sword light in his hand could be seen flickering, almost never leaving his body more than three feet away, somewhat like he was constantly twirling the sword.

He moved swiftly through the forest, using his light-footed skills, like a large bird.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

He had turned eighteen. That year, the eldest brother began to venture down the mountain into the martial world and made quite a name for himself. Every time he returned, he would tell his junior brothers stories of the martial world, which aroused their envy.

Pei Ju would also listen in the crowd. He also longed for the martial arts world, but he felt that his martial arts skills were not good enough.

However, among all the disciples of the Huashan Sect, only his senior brother could defeat him.

Time continued to slip by, and on this day, his master once again called him into his room.

"Ju'er, you have been practicing the Yangwu Sword for three years now, and your sword practice and internal energy cultivation have reached a certain level. In addition, you have been diligently practicing the Golden Goose Skill, and your lightness skill is already quite good. Therefore, your master would like to pass on another set of sword techniques to you."

"This sword technique is called Xi Yi. The better one's talent, the more one can bring it to its full potential. In the end, it becomes unrestrained and free, with every move becoming a style. You have a good talent for swordsmanship, so I hope you will practice diligently and carry it forward in the future."

"Thank you for your instruction, Master. I will practice diligently."

And so, the sect leader began teaching Pei Juxi the sword technique in the room.

Pei Ju also liked this set of sword techniques very much.

If the Yangwu Sword Technique is a defensive sword technique, then this sword technique is a sword technique specifically designed for offense.

The Yangwu Sword Technique greatly enhanced his sword sense. The sword moved around his body, and the two blades never hurt him. It was like his own arm. The long sword was close to his body and could be turned around with him. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't even see the sword in his hand.

If Yangwu Swordplay is a close-quarters, subtle swordplay, then Xiyi Swordplay is a wide-ranging, dynamic swordplay that involves thrusting, parrying, and leaping, giving it an ethereal and unpredictable feel.

Furthermore, this sword technique is aimed at the throat, eyes, and armpits—vulnerable areas—and almost always results in death if struck.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The eldest brother's reputation in the martial arts world is growing.

He continued to practice swordsmanship on the mountain, practicing alone on a secluded peak every day.

There are clouds and mist in the mountains, and every day in the morning light, you can see the sword light flashing on the mountain.

He also wanted to hone his martial arts skills and venture into the martial world.

On this day, I sat in meditation under a tree on the mountaintop, and I seemed to hear a faint sound of bells in my ears.

"Pei Ju, wake up, Pei Ju, wake up."

In a daze, he opened his eyes and found himself lying face down on the table. Looking up, he saw a lamp lit in front of him.

He was a little dazed.

"Who am I?" At this moment, he suddenly did not understand who he really was.

But soon, even stronger memories flooded back.

“I am Pei Ju, Pei Ju from Luoshahai City.”

(End of this chapter)