Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 20: Learning Sword in the Ancient Tomb
After Wang Chongyang finished his sword skills, he felt fully refreshed and seemed to be even more powerful and vigorous.

"How much do you understand about this Quanzhen sword technique?" Wang Chongyang sheathed his sword and asked Qiu Chuji.

“I understand all the moves, and the circulation of breath is also in harmony with the Quanzhen Dao Song. There is no doubt about it. The only thing I don’t understand is the final unity of man and sword, where man is like a giant elixir.” Qiu Chuji replied.

Wang Chongyang knew that this second disciple was extremely talented, so he was not surprised. He just nodded and said, "This is the way of a teacher. The way is in the heart, which is enlightenment. The way is manifested outside, which is the art."

"When you have mastered the Quanzhen sword technique, I will teach you more advanced sword techniques."

Qiu Chuji clasped his fists and said "yes".

Qiu Chuji, who had already understood some of the principles of swordsmanship, was not in a hurry to pursue the so-called "killer moves" or "unique moves". Instead, he calmed down and practiced the sword techniques in depth, and then gained specific experience from them, and summarized his own principles and rules. He did this for several days, and although it seemed that he had not made much progress, he was actually gradually filling in the foundation that he had previously neglected.

Wang Chongyang was very busy. In addition to caring for Lin Chaoying's illness, he also had to deal with some affairs of the Quanzhen Sect and continue to contact anti-Jin heroes roaming around the north. The time he could actually use to teach Qiu Chuji was very limited.

Fortunately, Qiu Chuji had amazing talent and he often understood things immediately after being told, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Time passed quickly, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Although Huang Yaoshi was not found, Lin Chaoying's injuries had mostly healed with the help of elixirs. At least her life was no longer in danger. She just couldn't circulate her internal Qi to its full potential, and only half of her cultivation remained.

Wang Chongyang went down the mountain again to raise military funds, preparing to launch another uprising next year.

Most of the adult Taoists on the mountain also left, leaving only some hermits, hundreds of Taoist children, and a small number of fire Taoists to continue practicing on the mountain.

With the recommendation of Qiu Chuji, Liu Chuxuan and Wang Chuyi both became Wang Chongyang's Taoist children and were considered registered disciples.

At this moment, Qiu Chuji was teaching them the basic martial arts of Quanzhen Sect.

"The Quanzhen Dao Song may seem basic, but it is a top-notch internal energy method in the world. Progress may be slow at first, but as long as you persevere, you will become stronger and stronger." Qiu Chuji's voice echoed in the woods, and Wang Chuyi and Liu Chuxuan listened with longing on their faces.

"Then how long will it take us to catch up with your progress?" Wang Chuyi asked.

Qiu Chuji raised a finger: "One year! It only takes one year... and you will never think about such stupid questions again."

Wang Chuyi: “…!”

"So you are also learning the Quanzhen Dao Song?" Liu Chuxuan asked.

"Yes, but not entirely!"

"Okay! Ask fewer whys and think more about how to do it. Don't compare yourself with me, but with yourself. Be better than yesterday and make progress every day. That is the best practice." Qiu Chuji gulped down two mouthfuls of the chicken soup.

"When you have finished learning the Quanzhen Dao Song, I will teach you the Quanzhen Sword Technique and Haotian Palm Technique."

Liu and Wang nodded immediately, then each found a place and began to concentrate and sense their internal breath.

After they got into the state, Qiu Chuji soared up, flew to the treetop, stood on one foot, stabbed with the sword, and continued his daily practice.

The practice of Quanzhen Dao Ge is the most moderate and peaceful. There is absolutely no possibility of going astray in the early stages of practice. In the early winter season, the wild beasts in the mountains have already returned to their nests, and Qiu Chuji is not worried about the safety of the two.

Before we knew it, the sun was setting and the increasingly cold north wind was blowing with the dark clouds. It seemed that a heavy snow was about to fall at any time, covering the entire mountain range.

Although he had strong internal strength and was not afraid of the cold, at this moment Qiu Chuji suddenly missed the hot spring water in the nameless valley.

At times like this, taking a dip in a hot spring should be extremely comfortable.

Calming his mind, Qiu Chuji suppressed his desire to be lazy and enjoy himself.

His cultivation has not yet reached the point where every move he makes is a form of cultivation, so restraining the desire for pleasure is also a part of cultivation.

In the past two months, Qiu Chuji seemed to have not made much progress in his cultivation, but he himself knew how big the changes were actually.

It's a pity that although the Yuxu Bell rang twice, he did not meet any "fellow practitioners" again. They just waited for the time to be up and then left the Star Path of the Heavens empty-handed.

However, listening to the sound of the Yuxu Bell is a transformation from the inside out, from the soul to the body, so it is not completely without gain. "What's the point of practicing like this?"

"Boring, tedious, and not good-looking!" Lin Xiaolan's voice came from the side.

Qiu Chuji, who had already noticed her approaching, did not shift his gaze. While continuing to stab with the sword, he asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"It's not me who wants to talk to you, it's Master!"

"She invites you to visit the ancient tomb."

Qiu Chuji glanced at Wang and Liu who were meditating and nodded before putting away his sword.

He jumped down from the treetop, woke up Liu and Wang, told them to go back to the camp and leave some food for him, and then followed Lin Xiaolan to the ancient tomb.

Deep in the ancient tomb, in a stone chamber, Qiu Chuji saw Lin Chaoying again.

She changed into a red dress and wore a pearl crown on her head, which made her look more lively than before and no longer so cold.

"Before your master left the mountain, he asked me to teach you swordsmanship."

"Practice the Quanzhen sword technique for me first." Lin Chaoying did not greet Qiu Chuji and went straight to the point.

Qiu Chuji had never expected that Wang Chongyang would actually come to Lin Chaoying for help. He couldn't help but feel amused and moved.

There was no change on his face. He clasped his hands together, then drew his sword.

The sword flowers swung out in circles, and the Quanzhen sword technique flowed on the sword in Qiu Chuji's hand like flowing water.

At this time, Qiu Chuji had already broken away from the framework of swordsmanship routines and reached the point where the sword came from his heart. That is, the core remained unchanged and the sword moves could be used at will.

With such sword skills, he could be called a big shot in the martial arts world and be known as a "swordsman".

"That's right! When your master was your age, he definitely didn't have the sword skills you have." Lin Chaoying gave a positive evaluation.

"However, the flaws in Quanzhen Swordsmanship still remain in your swordsmanship. You have not yet reached the point where you can break away from Quanzhen Swordsmanship, but surpass it, and eliminate all the flaws in your swordsmanship, so that your swordsmanship may be flawed, but you are flawless."

Listening to Lin Chaoying's subsequent comments, Qiu Chuji seemed to suddenly recall Wang Chuyi's deafening silence not long ago.

"I said before that I would teach you the Kung Fu of the Ancient Tomb School, and now I can fulfill my promise."

"Just wait and see this set of ancient tomb swordsmanship!"

After Lin Chaoying finished speaking, she drew her sword and began to perform the ancient tomb sword technique.

In an instant, a red shadow shuttled back and forth in the narrow stone chamber, like a scarlet dragon.

Qiu Chuji watched it very seriously. Every move of the Ancient Tomb Sword Technique was indeed aimed at the Quanzhen Sword Technique. However, this "targeting" was not absolute. It seemed tit-for-tat, but in fact it concealed friendship and left room for maneuver.

And this room is the basis for the two sets of sword techniques to fit in with each other.

Qiu Chuji couldn't help but think, in this world, there are countless martial arts that restrain and target each other, and how many of them can achieve "mutual promotion and mutual restraint"?
For the next period of time, Qiu Chuji would report to the ancient tomb and learn swordsmanship from Lin Chaoying.

The moves, formulas and mental methods of the Ancient Tomb Sword Technique are not difficult to learn, but what Qiu Chuji wants to learn from Lin Chaoying is not just simple sword techniques. Her experience, her perception and her knowledge are all nutrients that allow Qiu Chuji to grow rapidly.

Just because Lin Chaoying herself is not well-known in the world doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have a lot of experience.

In fact, in terms of knowledge and experience, Lin Chaoying even surpassed Wang Chongyang.

When Wang Chongyang was young, he was a Confucian scholar who studied everywhere. Later, he also organized an anti-Jin movement in the north. Although he was famous all over the world, he was mostly trapped in a corner. Lin Chaoying was born in a merchant family. When she was young, she followed her father to travel all over the country. The farthest they went was Daqin and the Far North. The thousand-year-old ice jade that was polished into an ice jade bed was brought back by her from the Far North after seven years of walking.

Having been to so many places, one can imagine how rich Lin Chaoying's knowledge and martial arts experience are.

(End of this chapter)