Zhu Tian: Starting from the World of Zongwu

Maybe he was just overthinking it?

......

Jiangcheng County.

The county magistrate looked at the corpses placed in the yard with a cold look in his eyes as if he wanted to choose someone to devour.

His son had just gone to the county town below for a few days of sightseeing. When he brought him back, he found that he was a corpse.

The old man dies before the young. Even though he holds a high position, the pain of losing his son still makes him tremble all over.

"Have you found out anything?" After wiping his tears, he turned and asked the captain behind him.

"Sir, it rained heavily that day and washed away all the traces. We couldn't find anything at the scene."

The captain continued, "This time, the young master and his guards are all dead. Even masters like Old Zhou died under the sword. The perpetrator is definitely a famous master in the martial arts world.

Sir, this matter is beyond the scope of our Yamen's response. This matter must be reported to the Xuanyi Guard for handling!"

The county magistrate clenched his fists and angrily said, "It's the jianghu people again! The knights-errant are using force to break the law. The emperor is too merciful. Those lawless jianghu people should be killed completely!"

Taking a deep breath, he ordered, "You will record the situation you have found out. I will report it to the Xuanyiwei Yamen tomorrow."

"Those gangsters, I can't do anything to them, someone else will take care of them!"

Chapter 43 Song Xuan Discusses Swordsmanship

After eating and drinking, several people dispersed one after another.

When Song Xuan was about to return to the cabin to rest, Lin Daiyu suddenly called out to him.

"Is there something wrong?" Song Xuan turned around and asked.

"Nothing." Lin Daiyu looked at him with eyes as bright as stars and smiled faintly, "Cousin, do you seem to have a good impression of Lin Pingzhi?"

Song Xuan nodded, "I have some good feelings towards him. Since I was a child, I have met many people. Many of them consider themselves gentlemen, but most of them are hypocrites.

As for Lin Pingzhi, considering his sincere character now, he can be considered a gentleman.

Of course, I am only talking about the present, as for the future, that is unknown."

"So, cousin, are you a gentleman?"

"I?"

Song Xuan laughed heartily, "Have you ever seen a gentleman who would kill an entire family at will?"

Lin Daiyu thought for a moment and did not continue the topic. Instead, she asked, "Cousin is different from the warrior I imagined. Does he like reading on weekdays?"

Song Xuan recalled the ancient books in his house and nodded slightly, "I do read some in my spare time."

Hearing this, Lin Daiyu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she hurriedly asked, "I wonder what books does my cousin usually read?"

"I read a wide variety of books. I'll pick up any book that comes my way and read it if I have time. I'm not particular about any particular type."

Song Xuan really liked reading. In his previous life, when he was bored, he could read with great interest for half a while even if he found the instruction manual of a screwdriver.

In this feudal era where entertainment options were much scarcer than in previous lives, reading, practicing martial arts, and listening to music in brothels were considered his few entertainment activities.

"Cousin, do you have any research on poetry, songs, and essays for the imperial examinations?"

Song Xuan waved his hand and said, "My Song family is a hereditary Xuanyiwei family. I have never been able to take the imperial examinations since I was born, so I have always studied purely based on my interests.

"As long as I've read it, know it, and understand it, that's enough. As for nitpicking about words, phrases, and studying eight-part essays, that's meaningless to me."

As he spoke, Song Xuan seemed to have thought of something and smiled, "I can't remember where I read it, but someone once said that those who have achieved great things and great knowledge in ancient and modern times must have gone through three stages.

"Last night the west wind withered the green trees. Alone I climbed the high tower and gazed at the end of the world." This is the first realm.

"Even though my clothes are getting looser and looser, I will never regret it. I am becoming haggard because of her." This is the second realm.

"I searched for her among the crowd for a thousand times, and when I turned around, she was standing there in the dim light." This is the third realm.

At first, you can understand the meaning of the text and memorize it by rote, which will give you some success.

Jin is able to apply things flexibly, is eloquent, and has a lot of advantages.

Only when you can finally explain things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, integrate knowledge and action, can you achieve great success.

Of these three realms, I wonder which one you have reached, cousin?"

Lin Daiyu stood there in a daze, without any reaction for a while. It was not until Song Xuan yawned and was about to leave that she woke up from her dream and shouted.

"Cousin, where did you read about the three realms of reading?"

"Can not remember."

"Who wrote the line 'Last night the west wind withered the green trees. Alone I climbed the high tower and gazed at the endless road to the horizon'?"

"I can't remember everything I said."

"But I've never heard of the three realms of reading you mentioned, cousin. The three lines of poetry you recited are considered classics in the literary world. If anyone were to circulate them, they would surely become famous lines that would be hailed by the world.

But I have never seen these in poetry books, nor have I ever heard anyone talk about them.

So...cousin, these poems were all written by you, right?"

Song Xuan paused slightly and said calmly, "People can't be too idle. If they are too idle, they will think too much, and if they think too much, it will be difficult to feel happy.

Tomorrow I will remind your cousin that the time you need to do the horse stance should be increased from one hour to two hours."

Ignoring Lin Daiyu who was pursing her lips and looking aggrieved, Song Xuan returned to his room. As soon as he got back, Song Qian came in.

"Brother, were you on a blind date with your cousin just now?" Song Qian's curious big eyes blinked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Sometimes I really want to pry open your head and see what you've been thinking about all day!" Song Xuan said speechlessly: "Which eye of yours saw me on a blind date?"

Victoria Song curled her lips and said, "Isn't a blind date just about talking about your preferences and habits to each other?

You just talked about the realm of reading, poetry, and songs, and you were concerned about her martial arts progress, asking her to add an extra hour to her martial arts practice every day. Isn't this considered a blind date?"

Song Xuan stared at her for a long while before he sighed, "Sometimes I really feel that you were born in the wrong era. In another era, with your imagination, your achievements would definitely be limitless."

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

Victoria Song sat aside with a smile and said, "You just told your cousin about the three realms of reading. What about martial arts training? Do you have any insights?"

Song Xuan pondered and said, "When it comes to martial arts training, the routes of internal energy circulation can be learned from secret manuals, and the techniques can also be taught from others.

However, secret manuals and moves can only be regarded as the foundation for becoming a strong person. If you want to achieve great success in the martial arts and become a master of martial arts, you still need to understand it yourself. Simply relying on others to explain is of no use.

My insights may not be useful to you."

"Is it useful? Tell me first!"

Song Xuan patted the long sword placed at the head of the bed and said, "You and I have both been practicing swords since we were young, so let me tell you about my understanding of the way of the sword.

It does not involve any specific methods of practice, but is simply a comprehension of the artistic conception of Kendo.

In my opinion, the path of swordsmanship can be divided into five realms: sharp sword, soft sword, heavy sword, wooden sword, and no sword."

"Five realms?"

Victoria Song suddenly became interested, "Brother, tell me in detail."

Song Xuan poured himself a cup of tea and told the story while drinking it.

"The first realm is the sword without intention. This realm is about leveraging the sharpness of the sword to maximize the use of the moves, using the moves and the sharpness of the sword to injure the enemy."

"The second realm is the Unpredictable Soft Sword. At this realm, the sword must be swift and fierce, while also using every move, every form, and even every sword strike to continuously attack the opponent through the unpredictable and unpredictable methods of the soft sword.

The so-called "soft sword's inconstancy" is the pursuit of extreme change after the moves have already been fully developed. Through the manipulation of physical strength and internal energy, the soft sword's attack forms can be changed and transformed at will according to the user's will.

Reaching this level is basically reaching the pinnacle of skill."

“The third realm, the heavy sword has no edge, the great skill is not elaborate.

At this level, one no longer pursues the complexity and changes of moves and techniques, but begins to overwhelm the opponent with force.

Regardless of the opponent's moves or whether there are any flaws in his martial arts, a single swing of the sword will achieve the remarkable effect of overcoming ten obstacles with one force."

Chapter 44: Planning Swordsmanship

“The fourth realm, the wooden sword is unrivaled.

If the heavy sword without an edge belongs to the stage of making light of heavy things, using internal force, physical strength and the power of the heavy sword to overwhelm the opponent, then the fourth realm is to make heavy things light and overwhelm the opponent with force.

The light wooden sword in your hands can unleash overwhelming power. With a wave of your hand, you can mobilize the momentum of heaven and earth and overwhelm others with your force.

I estimate that if one can cultivate the sword to this level, he or she will basically be at the level of a martial arts master, and thousands of troops will be no match for him or her."

“As for the fifth realm, the swordless realm.

This realm is just my guess.

In this state, one’s mind is no longer obsessed with whether one has a sword in hand or not, nor is it obsessed with sword moves and techniques. Instead, one learns from nature and keeps the mind focused.

Simply put, when a sword is swung, it can mobilize the power of heaven and earth, which is beyond human power to resist.

I don’t know if a Grand Master can reach this level, but what is certain is that once they reach this realm, it is not an exaggeration to call them land immortals.”

These five realms were finally summarized by Song Xuan based on his own experience in cultivation, combined with some records of warrior cultivation by the Xuanyiwei, and the lifelong swordsmanship experience of Dugu Qiubai in Jin Yong's novels.

Song Qian was stunned when she heard this, "Brother, is this really something you realized on your own?"

"I guess so. I haven't even reached the Xiantian realm yet, so this is just something I figured out on my own. As for whether it's correct or not, it still needs to be improved and revised as my cultivation level improves.

Just listen to what I said. As for whether it is correct or not, you will have to figure it out yourself later.

The further you advance in the martial arts path, the more you have to rely on yourself. The experiences and insights shared by others may not be of any use to you.

Victoria Song exclaimed: "But it still sounds amazing."

"At most, I will study how to break through to the Xiantian realm, and then think about how to continue to improve my cultivation after reaching the Xiantian realm.

I didn't expect that you have planned the path of kendo to the level of a martial arts grandmaster!

Brother, I am becoming more and more confident that you will become the best in the world.

By the way, which of the five realms of swordsmanship are you in now?"

Song Xuan thought for a moment and said, "At most, the second realm. This realm pursues moves and even more so the ultimate changes in moves. I'm currently lacking a powerful sword technique."

"Powerful swordsmanship..." Song Qian frowned, "This is indeed a bit difficult. You and I are not far from breaking through to the Xiantian realm. Ordinary swordsmanship is no longer useful to us. However, most of the powerful swordsmanship in the martial arts world is owned by someone.

Basically, it is in the hands of the imperial court and the major factions, and it is not easy to obtain."

She tapped her fingers unconsciously on the table, as if she was thinking about which soft persimmons she could exploit.

Finally, Victoria Song said helplessly, "After thinking about it, the easiest thing to master is actually Lin Pingzhi's family's Exorcism Sword Technique.

But unfortunately, I saw Xiao Linzi practicing swordsmanship a few days ago, and this swordsmanship is not worthy of its reputation. Its reputation in the martial arts world is really exaggerated."

Song Xuan shook his head, "It may not be exaggerated. It is more likely that there is something wrong with the training method of the descendants of the Lin family."

As a sword technique that can compete head-on with the Dugu Nine Swords, the Exorcism Sword Technique has almost reached the pinnacle in terms of skills and changes in moves, so it is naturally impossible to be weak.

Song Xuan, you have also been studying how to acquire top-level swordsmanship recently.

The two sword techniques that are easiest to master now are the Exorcism Sword Technique and the Dugu Nine Swords.

The Exorcism Sword Technique is easy to learn. You just need to go to the Lin family’s old house.

However, to practice this sword technique, one needs to castrate oneself, otherwise the body will continue to generate heat, giving rise to lustful thoughts and evil fire, and it is very easy to go astray.

This really made Song Xuan feel puzzled. He didn't know whether his Pure Yang Wuji Boy's Skill could suppress the evil heat in his body if he didn't castrate himself and practiced directly.

As for the Dugu Nine Swords, it is a little more difficult to obtain. You need to go to Mingzhou Shaanxi and Gansu Prefecture and wait for Linghu Chong, the eldest disciple of Huashan Sect.

I don’t know whether Linghu Chong has learned the Dugu Nine Swords from the Huashan Sect’s hidden boss Feng Qingyang. If he has, it would be easier to use.

With Linghu Chong's playboy character, he definitely cannot stay in the mountains and will go down the mountain to wander around as soon as he gets the chance.

As long as the plan is good and a suitable opportunity is found to tie up Linghu Chong, one can try to force the formula of Dugu Nine Swords out of him.

But it’s hard to say whether it can be forced out.

Although Linghu Chong has no sense of responsibility in the affairs of the Huashan Sect and is unruly and cannot be restrained, he is sometimes extremely stubborn in keeping his promises.

This guy promised Feng Qingyang not to reveal the Dugu Nine Swords. Song Xuan estimated that even if he tied him up or beat him to death, it would be difficult to get the sword secrets from him.

Now, Song Xuan can only make two preparations for the time being.

It would be best if the Lin family's evil-repelling sword technique could be practiced. If not, then he could only use some despicable means to find a breakthrough from Linghu Chong and try to plan the Dugu Nine Swords.