I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 191: Yunshan Sword Qi Jue, the miraculous health-preserving skill
Inside the servants' compound.

Many menial disciples surrounded the vast courtyard in three layers inside and outside, almost filling it up, leaving only a small open space in the middle where a few people stood.

Xie Yuan stood in the center of the courtyard, enjoying the silent gaze of the servants in the courtyard;
In front of him was the chief steward of the outer gate, looking at him with a smile.

"Zhang Shan, your performance has been outstanding since you came up the mountain.

"The fine wood carved by the Firewood Room is deeply loved by all the peaks and halls. Now the Firewood Room has taken the firewood you pioneered as the standard and is ready to continue in the future.

"Later, when the main hall of the main peak was being renovated, you were always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Even the elder teachers and inner disciples of the main peak were impressed by you and praised your diligence.

"After that, you were in charge of the guest house, busying yourself inside and outside, getting up early and going to bed late, and even coming back from the house less often. You managed the guest house in an orderly manner, and the guests all praised you..."

With every word the steward spoke, Xie Yuan felt the eyes of the servants around him grow darker, and he could only give an awkward but polite smile.

Needless to say, chopping wood was a piece of cake for him, but for other chores it was just adding to the workload and was very troublesome.
When the main hall was being renovated, he often went there early just because he had practiced all night and went there early. As a result, he was alone a few times, so the manager asked others to come early as well.

As for staying in the guest house every day to serve guests——

Between the sweet and soft Situ Qin and the sweaty and smelly courtyard of servants, everyone knows what to choose; if possible, Xie Yuan is willing to stay with Situ Qin for twelve hours a day, but two certain masters may not agree.

"The sword fight between the two sects has just ended. Everyone has worked hard. Now is the time to reward them, and the first one is Zhang Shan.

"Our Sword Sect has always been open to recruiting talents regardless of their background. As long as you are willing to endure hardships and practice, the Sect will give you the opportunity to practice.

"Zhang Shan has been doing his job diligently since he came to the mountain. He has also been practicing as hard as anyone. His Yunshan sword style has reached the level of 'practice makes perfect, and you can use it with ease'. The fact that you have been able to reach the second level in the Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyard in such a short period of time is enough to prove your talent.

"Zhang Shan, are you willing to become a formal disciple of the outer sect?"

"Disciple is willing!"

Xie Yuan certainly wouldn't disagree, and bowed deeply. The Yunshan sword style he showed to the public was just at the level of proficiency.

"very good."

The chief steward smiled:
"Everyone should congratulate Zhang Shan! If you can be like Zhang Shan, you can enter the outer gate and even the inner courtyard, and it won't be far away!"

There was sparse applause in the courtyard. The steward was a little surprised and frowned.

The errand disciple coughed smartly and whispered:
"Let's celebrate his passing..."

The applause suddenly became much louder, like thunder.

The chief steward nodded in satisfaction, and ordered his attendants to come forward and hand Xie Yuan a white robe that symbolized an outer sect disciple, as well as a long sword with a silver tassel.

These two things are the symbols of the outer disciples of Yunshan Sword Sect.

Xie Yuan took it with great dignity. At that moment, he was no longer an insignificant servant of the Yunshan Sword Sect, but a formal outer sect disciple of the Yunshan Sword Sect.

No matter what the servants thought of Xie Yuan, their eyes were all complicated at this moment.

Perhaps outer disciples do not have a very high status in the entire Yunshan, but at the foot of Yunshan, being a formal disciple of the number one sect in Yunzhou and the top sword sect in the world is a golden sign.

Even if the outer disciples' cultivation has not yet reached the stage of blood and qi transformation, if they travel in Yunzhou, their words will definitely be much more effective than the former chief escort of Longteng Escort Agency.

As for these disciples who do menial work, how many times have they been woken up by the snoring in the big bunk bed, or scolded by the steward during their heavy chores, or looked at the small courtyards upstream of the stream after getting up at night? Who has not dreamed of moving there?
They watched this scene with envy, jealousy, deep thought, or secret resolution. Maybe Zhang Shan was a little out of tune with the crowd, but he didn't deliberately cheat people, and his sweat paid off.

The chief steward looked at the expressions of the errand disciples with a deep gaze, and felt that he had achieved the effect he wanted.

He suddenly had an idea and decided to add fuel to the fire.

The chief steward gestured, and a disciple took out two booklets and handed them to him.

After the chief steward took it, he handed it to Xie Yuan personally:
"Zhang Shan, this is the complete copy of [Yunshan Sword Style]. The later levels you are missing are all here. This one is [Yunshan Sword Qi Jue], which is the entry point for cultivation."

The errand disciples' eyes widened instantly, especially when they heard the second book, many of them looked extremely excited.

Xie Yuan took it respectfully, feeling somewhat puzzled:

"I have to take formal classes with them later to learn..."

"Originally, it's a bit early to give you these two manuals. But considering your calm performance, I think you can make good use of them if I give them to you now. Our outer sect has never been pedantic, and it's common to promote menial disciples to practice. Those who perform well like Zhang Shan can even get extra rewards."

The chief steward explained it and struck while the iron was hot, encouraging the menial disciples before leaving with his hands behind his back.

Xie Yuan packed up his things under the silent and complicated gazes of the servants. He didn't have much stuff to begin with.

After saying hello to those he was familiar with and some of the servants who had gathered around him eagerly, he broke away from the crowd and finally left the smelly servants' compound, walking along the stream to the upper level of the slope.

A chor disciple led the way in front. Although he worked for the chief steward, he was still a chorman. At this moment, he said to Xie Yuan with envy:

"Brother Zhang, these courtyards are still short of one disciple to move in..."

Naturally, this person entered the mountain many years before Xie Yuan, so Xie Yuan had to call him senior brother before that.

However, according to the rules of Yunshan, menial disciples must call outer disciples "brothers or sisters" regardless of their age difference.

Xie Yuan knew that the Yunshan Sword Sect had been growing rapidly in recent years and was planning to build a new outer courtyard. In the current outer sect, formal disciples were all housed in pairs.

He listened to the introduction and found that most of those who were still available had their own quirks.

Either he was sleepwalking and dancing with swords in his dreams, or he was talking in his sleep and reciting sword techniques all night, or he had practiced the sword energy techniques very well and his internal energy was full, so his snoring sounded like real thunder...

There was even one person who lived alone not voluntarily, but because no one dared to live with him, even though he was very eager to have a roommate.

Everyone knew that this disciple had a homosexual relationship, but it did not violate the sect rules, so the other disciples kept their distance from him. The male disciples did not dare to inconvenience the female disciples, so they let him live alone.

When Xie Yuan heard this, he felt a little gloomy and quickly jumped over.

"... and this senior brother, he has been in the mountain for a short time, but he has already outlasted three of his roommates. It's nothing, he just practices sword too hard, and some people around him can't stand it."

When Xie Yuan heard this, he raised his eyebrows and became interested.

Are there any experts?

The errand disciple obviously felt that this man was an equal opponent to Xie Yuan, and whispered:

"This senior brother is called Lin Cheng. He is not very talented, but he has just broken through to the second level of training with his hard work. I heard that he has a great grudge against him, so he works so hard..."

“Lin Cheng…?”

Xie Yuan was stunned for a moment, then paused:
"Okay, then I'll go to this courtyard."

"Eh? Okay..."

The errand disciple took two quick steps and led the way, muttering in his heart:
"Why are you so decisive all of a sudden?"

Xie Yuan walked to a small courtyard at the edge of the house. Before he got close, he heard the sound of a sharp blade breaking through the air from the courtyard.

He stood at the door, listened for a while, shook his head slightly, and then knocked on the door.

The sound of practicing stopped, and the door creaked open, revealing Lin Cheng's much thinner and tired face.

He looked at Xie Yuan, stunned for a moment, and then asked:

"Junior Brother Zhang? Why are you here?"

"I'm here to find Senior Brother Lin to keep me company. I'm sorry to bother you later."

Xie Yuan smiled and bowed.

Lin Cheng also noticed the white robe and sword in his hands, and immediately smiled:
"So Junior Brother Zhang has officially entered the outer sect! Congratulations, oh, welcome!"

He made way for Xie Yuan to carry his luggage into the house.

A small courtyard, two side bedrooms, and a main hall in the middle with a panoramic view.

Xie Yuan found the empty bedroom, put his things away, and nodded secretly:
"Although the house is small, it has everything. At least I have my own private room, which makes it much more convenient for me to practice!"

He tidied for a moment, then heard Lin Cheng knocking on the door:
"Junior Brother Zhang, do you need help?"

Xie Yuan had heard his footsteps long ago, walked to the door, opened it, and said with a simple smile:

"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin! I don't have much stuff, I've packed it all."

"Oh, I see. You just came here. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me!"

Lin Cheng was very enthusiastic. After he finished speaking, he said:
"If not, I will practice swordplay in the yard first."

Xie Yuan watched Lin Cheng walk into the yard and start practicing swordplay again, thinking silently:

“You really work hard…”

He remembered that Lin Cheng used to be a slightly plump scholar, but after not seeing him for some time, he looked extremely thin now, and there was no bookish air on his face at all, instead he had the tenacity of a martial artist.

However, Yunshan was rich in spiritual energy, the food was nutritious enough, and outer disciples were given the assistance of Yunshan Sword Qi Jue. Yet, Lin Cheng was still becoming increasingly thinner, indicating that he had been training too much.

But even with such hard work, Lin Cheng had only started the second training session. Not only had he been left far behind by his younger sister, but he was also barely not at the bottom among the outer disciples who had joined the sect this year.

He looked at Lin Cheng's awkward sword-swinging movements, and at his suddenly difficult but unwavering expression. His face still vaguely resembled the generous Mr. Lin.

Xie Yuan sighed and took out the book "Yunshan Sword Style" from his pocket.

This booklet was no longer of any use to him, but he was very interested in the book "Yunshan Sword Qi Jue". After all, there were limits to health-preserving exercises, and different methods of preservation had different ideas. Yunshan's internal energy was obviously more suitable for kendo.

But the Sword Qi Technique can be studied later. Xie Yuan looked down at the Yunshan Sword Style and coughed:
"Brother Lin, there are a few things I don't understand about this Yunshan Sword Style. Can you give me some advice?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Cheng put away his sword and walked over and said:
"Junior Brother Zhang, what don't you understand? Let me take a look."

“Well, here…”

Xie Yuan casually flipped a page and pointed at the pictures and words on it and said:
"This, this is a forward thrust, right? When I practice this move, I always feel that my hands and feet are not coordinated. Either the sword is ahead of the foot, or the foot is ahead of the sword. I can never achieve unity between the man and the sword."

When Lin Cheng heard this, he said thoughtfully:

"The question you mentioned..."

He thought for a while and said honestly:
"I didn't think about it."

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment, thinking to himself, you are so confident?

From the way you practiced just now, I can tell that you have never thought about this problem!
However, Lin Cheng touched his chin and smiled:
"But I think it's like this. The sword must be fast and powerful, so it must be in front of the body. The sword will lead the person, and only then can you gain the upper hand!"

"Oh, what if the enemy dodges it? You...should we just give ourselves up to them and let them kill us?"

Xie Yuan shook his head secretly.

You really dare to think this, but what you think is completely wrong.

Lin Cheng was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment, and slapped his forehead:
"It seems there is such a risk! Hey, Junior Brother Zhang, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have thought of going here. So what should I do..."

"I happened to hear a formula, called 'The sword is ahead of the steps, the sword controls the man; the steps are ahead of the sword, the man controls the sword.' But I don't quite understand it. Can Senior Brother Lin explain it to me?"

Xie Yuan patiently and kindly persuaded him.

Lin Cheng's eyes fixed, and he murmured again:
"'The sword is ahead of the steps, the sword controls the man; the steps are ahead of the sword, the man controls the sword...' "I understand, I understand!"

He showed an excited look and said to Xie Yuan excitedly:

"Hey, that's exactly what you said. If the sword leads the person and we can't control it, and if we miss the strike, we'll be exposed. That means the sword is controlling the person, which is naturally not good. But if we lead the sword with every step, grasp the sword moves in our hands, and use 70% of the moves and keep 30%, then we can truly control the sword!

"That's right, that's it! Junior Brother Zhang, do you understand?"

"Well, after Senior Brother Lin said that, I now understand a little bit... There is also this trick..."

"Oh, I think this move should be like this..."

"...I think what you think is a little wrong. I heard there is a mantra like this..."

"I heard there is such a saying..."

"Hey, isn't this better?"

"I dreamed of this move last time..."

Half a day passed, and Lin Cheng gave Xie Yuan "instructions" many times, and he gained a lot.

After all, Xie Yuan's Yunshan sword style was perfect, and it was expected that there were not many teachers in this outer sect who could reach his level. Just a glance and a few words made Lin Cheng feel like he had been enlightened, and his mind was buzzing:

"So this is how you should practice... Zhang, Junior Brother Zhang, where did you hear these formulas?"

"In the servants' compound."

"Do servants know this?"

"The servant knows everything except how to practice martial arts."

Xie Yuan saw that it was almost time for today, and if he continued to talk about Lin Cheng's brain, it would explode, so he nodded slightly:

"Brother Lin, thank you for your advice. I feel like I have learned a lot. Hey, I didn't understand these formulas and explanations, so I didn't dare to practice blindly. Thanks to you, Brother Lin, for clearing up my confusion!"

Lin Cheng came back to his senses and nodded hesitantly:

"Oh, you're welcome, Junior Brother Zhang. You really can't practice on your own... Come to me if you have any questions."

Seeing Xie Yuan close the door, Lin Cheng scratched his head and said inwardly ashamedly:
"It seems that I have never really solved Junior Brother Zhang's doubts, but I have learned a lot myself! Junior Brother Zhang's cultivation is low, but he has a lot of experience. He has hit the mark unexpectedly. He is really a lucky star! It's great that he came to live here!"

Lin Cheng clenched his fists, picked up the sword, and started practicing in the yard again.

Xie Yuan heard the sword wind outside the house and shook his head silently:
"He is indeed a hard-working fellow. Well, this rumor sounds more right now."

He sat at the table, took out the Yunshan Sword Qi Jue, and opened the first page with great interest:

"I have practiced a lot of techniques, but this is the first time I have come into contact with other methods of cultivation. Let me see what's going on..."

Accompanied by the faint shouts and the sounds of swords breaking through the air outside the window, Xie Yuan lit an oil lamp in the house and read quietly.

After a while, he roughly glanced over the internal skills, and then read the general outline and the first level carefully, and his eyes blurred.

[Yunshan Sword Qi Jue·First Level: (1/100)]

Xie Yuan laughed and said:

"Is it difficult to say that we must wait until the teacher teaches us before we practice? It is not difficult at all."

He closed the book slightly, his eyes sparkling:

“It’s quite interesting. This Yunshan Sword Qi Jue is obviously paving the way for the Sword Sect’s more advanced internal skills, just like the Yunshan Sword Style.

"It itself is not weak either. As an entry-level internal skill, it has sharp characteristics and is consistent with the artistic conception of the Sword Sect's sword moves. It is a perfect match. The power of the moves is greatly increased. At a high level, it can even amplify the sword energy and sword light.

“If you can cultivate a sword energy technique, your internal energy will be sharp and your killing power will be greatly increased. Even if it is not for the future, it is worth practicing just to increase your strength.”

The Golden Bell Cover can reach the third level of Qi and blood, so there is no rush; but the health-preserving skills given to him by the Taoist priest can only reach the fifth level, which is roughly the level of the second level of Qi and blood. He is about to reach the top, and it is time to consider the future development of the fundamental method.

Xie Yuan looked at the "Yunshan Sword Qi Jue" in his hand and was quite satisfied with this skill and the subsequent skills that were passed down from generation to generation. He just thought:

"I wonder if this will conflict with the health-preserving exercises? Logically speaking, two kinds of internal energy cannot flow in one meridian, but according to the introduction of the health-preserving exercises, it is neutral and peaceful, has no gender or affiliation, and embraces everything. It is what Taoists use to lay the foundation for people..."

He nodded and decided to try the first level of Yunshan Sword Qi Jue. If there was anything unusual, he would stop. With his current cultivation and physique, he could afford this risk.

He sat cross-legged on the bed with his five hearts facing the sky. According to the records in "Yunshan Sword Qi Jue", he breathed in and out, guided the spiritual energy, and cultivated the first trace of true spirit in his abdomen.

Perhaps because he already had quite a good health-preserving skill, Xie Yuan's practice went very smoothly. Soon, a trace of internal energy different from that of the health-preserving skill was generated in his dantian, which carried an imperceptible sharpness.

He nodded secretly, and then came the most critical moment.

Xie Yuan carefully guided that sharp internal energy to escape through his meridians, and it "met" with the internal energy from the health-preserving exercises that was constantly flowing in one of his meridians.

The health-preserving exercise was like a stream of water, which directly washed away the sword energy. After that, there was no conflict or pain, as if it was water without nature or quality, which could blend with all things.

As expected! This way, you can practice the Sword Qi Technique——

Xie Yuan was just feeling delighted when suddenly something strange happened to him.

The wisp of inner energy that washed over the sword energy inexplicably carried a hint of sharpness, just like the sword energy, but it also had the richness of a health-preserving skill.

"This……"

Xie Yuan was stunned. It seemed that the internal energy of the health-preserving exercise could be transformed into sword energy? !
He tried it, spent some time on it, and actually succeeded!
Looking at the sword aura that had become much stronger, Xie Yuan's eyes lit up.

Is this the special feature of the Sword Qi Jue? No, the Yunshan Sword Sect's entry-level training method is not like this, it should be the special feature of the health-preserving exercise!
The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without contention; no one in the world can contend with it… Although health-preserving exercises embrace all things, unexpectedly they can also transform all things!

Not only does it not conflict with other techniques, it can even directly transform into other techniques, thus promoting other techniques!

Xie Yuan couldn't help but think that if he could convert all of his health-preserving skills into sword energy, wouldn't his sword energy skills instantly reach an extremely high level?

Then the power of his swordsmanship will be raised to a higher level!
And...Xie Yuan felt it and looked surprised.

The sword energy that has been transformed can actually be transformed back.

What is the principle?
Xie Yuan was greatly shocked. It was understandable that the attributeless health-preserving skill could be transformed into a sharp sword aura, but since it already had a sharp aura, how could it be converted back and forth at will?
This health-preserving exercise is so strange?
Xie Yuan instantly recalled the scene when he met the Taoist priest in the back mountain of Xiaoshi Village.

He said that he just made up this health-preserving exercise...

Who is this Taoist priest who can easily create such a miraculous technique? Which great master is he?
Xie Yuan frowned and thought hard. He was no longer an ignorant man and had learned a lot about this world. He had also heard of some of the top martial arts masters. However, he had thought about it several times but could not find anyone who matched his name.

He sighed. If he had known that he was so powerful, he would have knelt down and begged to be his disciple... But this was just a joke. Whether such a mysterious master would accept a disciple or not probably depended on his own wishes, not on whether you were willing to beg him.

What's really a pity is that I've only reached the fifth level of the Health Training Technique. I'm almost at the top, and I don't know how to find the next step...

Xie Yuan shook his head.

Without comparison, I would not know. Once I practiced the Yunshan Sword Qi Jue, I found that the health-preserving exercise was such a top-notch technique.

I wonder when I can meet that Taoist priest again?

A few days later, Xie Yuan officially joined the outer sect of the Yunshan Sword Sect, and began to practice sword skills with his master, learning the martial arts heritage of the sect.

The outer disciples knew that a new disciple had arrived, but was living with Lin Cheng, the martial arts fanatic, and they were all wondering when he would move out;
As a result, they didn’t expect that this new junior brother was not Lin Cheng, but better than Lin Cheng!

"Zhang Shan is really hardworking. He came to practice early in the morning. Not bad! And look at you. You slept until dawn before getting up! You are so lazy!"

"Well, although Zhang Shan came late, his sword skills are quite good, and he has even mastered the sword energy technique. You brothers, you have to work harder."

"Hiss, your sword skills have almost reached the level of 'mastery and familiarity', right? How come such talent is assigned to the menial service department?"

The outer disciples soon realized that something was wrong. When they asked a familiar servant, they learned that this guy had a long-standing reputation, and that what they were experiencing had already been experienced by their predecessors.

"Damn it, who asked him to practice swordplay? Can he please go back to the servants' quarters..."

"It's bad enough that Lin Cheng asked the teacher to work hard, but now there's Zhang Shan, and the two of them are living together. It's true that people from the same family are like one family!"

The sun had just risen, and the outer disciples, who had been practicing sword skills for a long time under the supervision of their instructor, stared at the dark circles under their eyes, looking at Xie Yuan and Lin Cheng who looked serious, and muttered to themselves.

Xie Yuan didn't care what others thought. He practiced martial arts on Yunshan Mountain, and his efficiency was extraordinary. Even if he practiced the Yunshan Sword Style, which had already been perfected, the progress had reached the top, but the merit of tempering blood and qi still existed, and it was even very good because the technique was perfected. It was the best substitute when he couldn't practice the Golden Bell Cover in public!

In the past few days, he has been "asking" Lin Cheng for advice, helping him to hone his swordsmanship and improve his progress. Although Lin Cheng's physical talent and understanding of martial arts are a little lacking, he is worthy of being educated, with a bright mind, and he can always understand what he is saying.

Xie Yuan can slowly cultivate one’s understanding of martial arts, but there is no way to improve one’s talent, so one’s cultivation can only be improved slowly.

Fortunately, Lin Cheng's diligence and determination in practicing martial arts could rank first in the outer sect. If he couldn't succeed once, he would try ten or a hundred times. Without Xie Yuan, he could still maintain a lower level. Recently, his cultivation and swordsmanship have increased rapidly, which made the teacher look at him with admiration and praise.

In the process of teaching Lin Cheng, Xie Yuan also often gained something. Practicing by yourself and teaching others are two completely different experiences. Even if you have a deep understanding, you often gain new insights in the process of speaking to others. Therefore, although it took time to teach Lin Cheng every day, Xie Yuan's martial arts and swordsmanship realm also rose.

In terms of blood and energy realm, internal sword energy, and Yunshan swordsmanship, Xie Yuan has made great progress in the past few days in the outer sect, so he is naturally diligent in practicing.

Visible progress is right before our eyes, and no matter how much sweat we put into our practice, we cannot bear to stop.

Standing in the morning light, Xie Yuan was practicing swordplay meticulously. The only difficult part was that he had to find a way to pretend that his swordplay was imperfect and make it look natural.

Suddenly, the disciples saw a pair of immortal-like men and women floating in front of them. They had extraordinary aura and extraordinary looks, like a pair of wall figures.

But it was Luo Shuang and Song Qingping.

The instructor quickly led the outer disciples to salute the two masters:
"Greetings to Elder Luo, and to Grandmaster Li!"

Luo Shuang nodded slightly, indicating that there was no need to be polite, and then said with a hint of resentment:

"Qingping, I told you long ago why you have to look closely? You are disturbing my disciple's martial arts training."

"Sister Luo, as long as they are disciples of your sect, I want to take a closer look."

Song Qingping did it effortlessly.

Xie Yuan couldn't help rubbing his arms, feeling a chill.

Song Qingping waved his hand:

"You guys continue to practice, Senior Sister Luo and I will just watch."

The instructor nodded and asked the disciples to continue. After all, it was just the outer disciples practicing the Yunshan Sword Style, so there was no prejudice against sects.

Song Qingping walked among the disciples like a serious teacher, giving instructions here and comments there, which greatly surprised the disciples he was teaching.

The advice of the Grandmaster of the Flying Dragon Ranking, even if it has traces of performance, is not empty words; listening to his words is better than working hard for a long time, and it can even make you suddenly enlightened.

Song Qingping looked back and saw Luo Shuang standing on the periphery with a smile on her lips. She nodded slightly, and immediately held her head high and puffed out her chest, becoming even more motivated.

Xie Yuan took in all of this and silently felt that Aunt Hong’s explanation was probably correct…

Elder Luo really cares about the sect. Not only did he win a game, he also found a free grandmaster to work for him.

Song Qingping walked and stopped, gradually coming in front of Xie Yuan. Suddenly he frowned and looked at him carefully.

Xie Yuan's mind tensed up when he was being watched, and then he heard Song Qingping ask in a deep voice:
"What's your name?"

(End of this chapter)