From the beginning of Swordsman, he created a legend in the martial arts world.

Just as the gray figure stopped, Linghu Chong, who had been sitting cross-legged in the cave, seemed to be moved and suddenly opened his eyes.

There was no surprise on his face, but a complex expression flashed across it. After a soft sigh, he slowly walked out of the cave.

"You've arrived."

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong bowed respectfully to the gray figure, his demeanor a mixture of reverence and trepidation.

Gray Shadow—is none other than Feng Qingyang, the previous generation elder of the Huashan Sect who lived in seclusion in the back mountains of Huashan and whose swordsmanship was divine.

He nodded slightly, his gaze sharp as lightning, instantly sweeping over Linghu Chong and then glancing at another faint presence inside the cave.

"I have been observing you here for several days now, and it is quite amusing to see you and that boy sparring with swords every day."

Feng Qingyang paused, his tone turning cold: "However, seeing you repeatedly defeated by him, your Huashan swordsmanship, though similar in form, lacks spirit, is rigid in its routines, inflexible, and devoid of the 'anticipating the enemy's moves' and 'no moves' that swordsmanship should possess! You have utterly disgraced the Huashan Sect!"

Linghu Chong blushed and lowered his head in silence. His grandmaster's swordsmanship had reached a state of perfection, and his vision was extremely high. Linghu Chong's own cultivation level was naturally full of flaws in the eyes of his grandmaster.

Seeing that his attitude was still respectful, Feng Qingyang snorted coldly: "Considering that you have some comprehension and are not a dullard, starting tomorrow, I will personally instruct you in swordsmanship for a few days, so that you won't waste your time here and always be suppressed by an outsider."

Having said that, he didn't care whether Linghu Chong agreed or not, and with a flicker of his figure, he disappeared into the vast night.

Linghu Chong stood there, gazing in the direction where Feng Qingyang had disappeared, his heart filled with both excitement and fear.

What excites me is that I have the opportunity to be personally instructed by a peerless swordsman like my grandmaster, which is a once-in-a-lifetime chance; what terrifies me is that my grandmaster has a strange temper and strict requirements, and I don't know if I can handle it.

At the same time, he also had a slight concern in his heart. Meng Fei was still on the Cliff of Repentance. Would the appearance and instruction of his Grand Master Uncle be exposed because of this? After all, his Grand Master Uncle had made it clear that he did not want anyone else to know about this matter.

However, upon further reflection, he understood. With his master's unpredictable cultivation and keen senses, since he knew Meng Fei was also on the cliff, he still chose to show himself and guide him. Clearly, he had considered this beforehand, perhaps with tacit approval, or perhaps with other deeper meaning.

There's no need to worry unnecessarily. Right now, the most important thing is to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and improve your swordsmanship.

From then on, every night, Feng Qingyang would quietly appear at the Cliff of Contemplation and carefully instruct Linghu Chong in swordsmanship.

The sword principles he taught were quite different from what Linghu Chong had learned before. He did not teach fixed moves, but only emphasized sword intent and mental techniques, stressing that "no moves are better than moves", anticipating the enemy's moves and striking first after being attacked.

Linghu Chong is exceptionally talented. Under the guidance of such a renowned master, and with the practical experience gained from daily sparring with Meng Fei, his swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds!

Many of the previously stagnant aspects of swordsmanship have suddenly become clear, and the eye, reaction, and skill in changing moves when facing an enemy are now incomparable to what they were half a month ago.

"Ding ding ding ding—!"

At the top of the Cliff of Contemplation, in the dim light of dawn, two figures in green were locked in fierce combat.

One of the sword lights was swift and sharp, like a leech, striking the slightest flaw in the opponent's moves at the last second, forcing the opponent to change moves repeatedly. This was Meng Fei's Thirteen Deadly Swords.

The other sword light, however, appeared graceful and agile, like a gazelle hanging by its horns, leaving no trace. Each move seemed casual, yet it always managed to break through Meng Fei's ruthless and cunning attacks from seemingly impossible angles, even turning defense into offense and forcing Meng Fei to concentrate.

The two fought swiftly, exchanging over twenty blows in the blink of an eye. Amidst the flashing sword shadows, they began to show signs of being evenly matched, a stark contrast to the situation half a month ago when Linghu Chong was almost completely suppressed.

"Ding!"

With a soft sound, the tips of their swords clashed precisely in mid-air, then separated by the force of the impact, each drifting back several steps.

Meng Fei, who was sitting on a rock nearby meditating, had a look of surprise in his eyes. He casually took the wine gourd that Linghu Chong threw to him and took a small sip.

"Brother Linghu, I never expected that your swordsmanship would improve so much in just a few days. The hesitation between your moves has disappeared, and the transition between offense and defense is now seamless... It is truly remarkable."

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment and attempt to conceal it crossed Linghu Chong's face. He took the wine gourd, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp to calm himself before smiling and saying, "Brother Meng, you flatter me. These past few days, I've been sparring with a swordsman of your caliber every day, and I've gained a lot of insights. I've only managed to get a few things out of luck. If it weren't for Brother Meng's generous guidance, with my limited cultivation, I would never have made this much progress today."

Looking into Meng Fei's calm yet all-seeing eyes, Linghu Chong felt a slight unease, fearing that the other party would continue to press him for answers.

However, Meng Fei only glanced at him before turning his head to look at the sea of ​​clouds outside the cliff, without delving any further.

Meng Fei was incredibly astute. From the sudden surge of sword intent in Linghu Chong's swordsmanship—a intent distinct from the orthodox Huashan style yet profoundly mysterious—and the rapid progress he made, he had already vaguely guessed the master behind him.

But since this was Linghu Chong's opportunity, he naturally wouldn't reveal it. Moreover, Linghu Chong's ability to learn the Dugu Nine Swords would also greatly benefit his honing of the Thirteen Deadly Swords, finding the shortcomings in his own swordsmanship, and exploring the possibility of further improvement.

In the days that followed, the two kept their understanding to themselves.

Linghu Chong continued to receive guidance from Feng Qingyang, while during the day he sparred with Meng Fei to verify his skills, integrating the various subtleties of the Dugu Nine Swords into actual combat, and his swordsmanship became increasingly sharp.

Meng Fei, who initially held a clear advantage, gradually felt the pressure and had to use all his strength to unleash the Thirteen Deadly Swords in order to barely suppress Linghu Chong's increasingly agile, unpredictable, and ever-unexpected sword moves.

On the Cliff of Contemplation, besides practicing swordsmanship and drinking, the two would also talk about interesting stories from the martial arts world and other sights. Linghu Chong always felt that the various strange tales Meng Fei told him were like fairy tales, especially the iron bird that could fly in the sky, which made him exclaim in amazement.

One day, the two accidentally discovered a hidden cave in the mountains.

The two exchanged a glance, then lit torches and carefully entered.

The cave winds downwards, and after walking a short distance, the view suddenly opens up to reveal a rather spacious stone chamber.

What shocked them even more was that the stone chamber was filled with corpses. Judging from the clothes on the corpses, apart from the disciples of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, most of them were demons from the Demonic Sect. What surprised them even more was that the stone chamber was densely covered with countless patterns and characters.

Upon closer inspection, Linghu Chong was surprised to discover that the images were actually exquisite sword techniques from various schools of the Five Mountains Sword Sect!

The accompanying text provides detailed countermeasures to these sword moves! Each move is analyzed meticulously, hitting the nail on the head, as if it had been practiced a thousand times!

"This is……?!"

Linghu Chong held up the torch, his fingers trembling as he traced the sharp engravings on the wall, his voice hoarse.

"This is the secret cave where the ten elders of the Demonic Sect besieged Mount Hua and were trapped and died. These... these are the techniques they painstakingly carved before their deaths, specifically to counter the martial arts of my Five Mountains Sword Sect!"