The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 672 Refining the Immortal Sword on the Mountain, Killing the Emperor on the Descend!

Shen Le was enveloped in light for the first minute.

Professor Han: "It doesn't seem like we'll be swept away by the silver light. It's probably just a light effect. Let's sit down and watch it slowly."

Special Affairs Bureau guy: "Spiritual energy index rising... rising..."

Shen Le was enveloped in light for five minutes.

Professor Han: "Why is the person frozen in the light? Has something happened? Could you please come and take a look?"

Special Affairs Bureau guy: "The spiritual power index has reached four digits! Go over there! I want to go over there, but I can't get close at all! If I get within two meters, my skin feels like it's being pricked with needles!"

Shen Le was enveloped in light for an hour.

Professor Han: "He should be alright... Please be alright... Why did he suddenly freeze there? He hasn't moved an inch, this isn't normal!"

"Alas, why am I not a cultivator? Why can't I even go in and take a look at this moment!"

Special Affairs Bureau clerk: "Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet? Is it so hard to get them to come and take a look? Mr. Shen is an important member of the Special Affairs Bureau; his safety must be guaranteed!"

Shen Le was unaware that someone was frantically searching for his safety. At this moment, his mind, carried by the silver light on the silk scroll, had already flown back to thousands of years ago:
"I won't burn these soul-suppressing figurines." Watching the porcelain figurines sink one by one into the Zhang River, the churning black mist in the river suppressed and no longer rising to the riverbank, Shen Le clenched his fist fiercely:
"I'll never burn it again!"

"Don't worry, I won't let you burn it." Lou Yun stood beside him with his hands behind his back, looking down at the porcelain figurines that were faintly visible in the river, and then looking back at Ye City not far away.

At the city gate, one after another, large carts were being pulled out, each covered with a thin roll of reed mats to barely conceal the contents of the carts.
The uneven material piled on the cart was dripping liquid down the edge of the cart.

After traveling a distance, the wheels rolled over a pothole, causing the entire cart to shake. The reed mat tilted, and something dangled down from the gap between the mat and the cart, hanging below the edge:

Lou Yun's expression changed slightly. Even Shen Le, who channeled warmth around her eyes from a distance, also frowned.

What was hanging down was clearly an arm, a slender, smooth arm that had been fair and delicate just a few days ago...

"We'll leave after we've put the things away. I said before that as long as you burn the Soul-Suppressing Puppet, I'll recommend you to the Immortal Sect—don't worry, I'll keep my word!"

The wind whistled through his ears. The moment the last Soul-Suppressing Terracotta Warrior sank into the Zhang River, Shen Le felt a force supporting him under his arm, pulling him upwards at high speed:
He tried to open his eyes wide to discern the direction of flight and estimate its speed, but even a slight opening of his eyes caused his eyeballs to be stung by the fierce wind and tear up.

There was no other way but to squint and keep one eye open while trying to seize every opportunity to observe the mountains and rivers and determine the location of the immortal sect:
"You want to know where the mountain gate is?" Amidst the howling wind, Lou Yun's voice, tinged with a slight smile, seemed to find it quite amusing.
"It's alright, I'll just tell you directly—it's located north of the Taihang Mountains, at the highest peak. Don't even think about running away; your cultivation isn't complete, so you can't escape!"

After saying just a few words, Shen Le leaned back, and the two of them accelerated once again.

The fierce winds high in the sky were like knives on his face. Every time Shen Le tried to speak, the wind would fill his mouth, forcing him to be unable to utter a single word.
He could only complain inwardly: You did this on purpose! You must have done it on purpose! I don't believe that you would fly on your sword with a young child, like Hulü Guang's youngest son, without activating a protective shield!
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Shen Le squinted and shut his mouth, counting his breaths one by one. He quickly lost count and started counting again.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but it was probably as if the sun had moved a notch in the sky, when he finally saw a somewhat familiar mountain peak appear at his feet:
"We've arrived. —Come, stay here for now. This is the sword manual, the beginner's guide. There's food in the house over there, and you can fetch water from the stream next door..."

Once you've mastered the basic sword techniques and can apply them comprehensively, I'll ask my master to allow you to join the inner sect!

"Hello!—Hello!"

Shen Le looked up and shouted twice, only to see a white light shoot through the air and disappear. Looking around, he saw that he was standing on a gentle slope, with a dense thicket of mixed trees stretching all the way to the bottom of the ravine.

On the left, a silver dragon hangs down, and the sound of flowing water is gurgling. There is probably a waterfall and a deep pool, so there is no problem getting water.
To the right was a thatched hut, low and half of its thick thatch was moldy. If Shen Le hadn't experienced the living conditions during the kiln firing period, he really wouldn't want to live in this dilapidated hut.

Upon entering, one finds a stove—an earthen stove; a rice jar—half full of rice; and cured meat—hanging from the beam, dark and grimy.

There were no vegetables, no vegetable garden, no oil, salt, soy sauce, or vinegar, only a few earthenware bowls and an earthenware jar, and nothing else...

"Well, at least it's better than living in the mountains with monkeys and eating peaches with them every day..."

Shen Le sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and began tidying up his living quarters. He fetched a bucket of water, chopped some firewood, and at least managed to cook some rice so he wouldn't go hungry.

Then, he pondered the sword manual that Lou Yun had given him:

"Four fingers grip the sword, tiger's mouth is rounded... wrist turns yin and yang, elbow sinks like mountains and rivers... feet step on the meridian stance, qi flows to the sword tip..."

Shen Le tried to strike a pose, and in just a few breaths, he managed to generate power from his dantian, flow through his entire body, and reach straight to the tip of the sword.

Following the instructions in the sword manual, he thrust, slashed, pointed, and stirred, his feet treading in a seven-star pattern, moving swiftly in a circle. He paused, then, as the manual showed, thrust his sword at fallen leaves in the forest, and at swimming fish by the waterfall…

"It's not too difficult! I've practiced before, so I have a foundation and can clear it quickly! Let me see what the next section is..."

The next section suddenly becomes much more difficult. It involves things like the connection between man and sword, meditation, and sharing the same breath and fate with the sword.

It's somewhat similar to the sword immortal's technique of controlling a sword for a hundred steps that Shen Le learned in the Tang Dynasty, but there are also very obvious differences...

"Ah, this sword technique is somewhat similar to the one I found on the silk before, the one I practiced!" Shen Le recited it several times, his eyes lighting up.
No, no, it's not just similar; it should be a lower-level version of the sword technique on silk!
That phrase, "Embracing the sword at noon, the primordial energy gives rise to purple smoke, golden essence moistens the jade blade, the Yellow Court cultivates the sword field, stepping the Dipper and treading the Gang's path, the sword points to the Xun Palace, the lungs exhale golden Qi, transforming into a rainbow piercing the blue sky"...

It emphasizes the simultaneous cultivation of swordsmanship and weaponry, using one's own "golden fluid" to nourish the sword; it also emphasizes nourishing the "golden energy" and circulating it through the lung meridian. This line of thinking is consistent!

Once his mind was clear, the subsequent cultivation went very smoothly. Shen Le held the introductory longsword given to him by the immortal sect, facing the sunrise, sunset, and moonlit night, and slowly breathed in and out.

Half a month later, Lou Yun went down the mountain again to check on Shen Le's progress. To his astonishment, he found Shen Le sitting upright in front of the mountain stream, pointing his fingers, and his long sword flew two zhang away, accurately slicing off a tree branch.
One, one, and another. Shaving evenly down close to the treetop, across the mountain stream, it shaped the willow tree opposite into a perfect yin-yang head.

Clearly, Shen Le was practicing sword control with a tree, and he was doing quite well, already possessing considerable proficiency… “I wasn’t wrong about you, you really are a cultivation genius!” Lou Yun’s eyes lit up. He took off a jade pendant from his waist and slapped it to Shen Le:

"Take this, I'll go report to my master, and then I'll take you up the mountain to cultivate!"

Go up the mountain!

Go up the mountain!

Learn the orthodox sword-wielding techniques of the immortal sects!
Being able to fly on a sword is wonderful! Being able to wrap yourself in sword energy and fly quickly is much cooler than riding the wind!
Lou Yun indeed held a certain status and position within the immortal sects. He could introduce people to the sects if he wanted to, and he could also lead people up the mountain if he wanted to.

He vanished in a flash of light, less than half an hour later, he turned back, reached out and lifted Shen Le's elbow, then quickly withdrew.
"Oh, right, you now know martial arts. How about it? I'll lead the way, can you come up with me?"

"Absolutely!" Shen Le gripped his longsword, nodded firmly, and followed Lou Yun into the air. Lou Yun, enveloped in silver light, hovered close to the treetops, rapidly flying towards the mountain.

Shen Le gathered his energy, lightened his body, gripped his sword, and moved like a large bird, leaping several meters in a single bound. Following Lou Yun, he climbed step by step, ascending a wild slope, and went directly to the ridge, then charged north along the ridge.

The lush wild grass and rugged rocks spread out under his feet, and the mountain shape and terrain looked more and more familiar until Lou Yun crossed two mountain ridges and suddenly jumped off the cliff!

"Sigh, I knew this would happen." Shen Le looked down at the flowing clouds below the cliff, surprisingly without the slightest panic or surprise.

He sheathed his longsword behind his back, tightened his clothes, and re-tied his cuffs, belt, leggings, and shoelaces. He grabbed a handful of sand, rubbed it in his palm, gathered his energy, and began to climb down.

As I recall, this cliff, though deep, wasn't too steep, and there were many footholds along the way. It was a test for newly initiated disciples; which disciple couldn't withstand such a trial?

He silently circulated his inner energy, constantly tapping the ground with his toes, and occasionally slapping and grabbing the rock wall with his palms to stabilize his body and descend quickly and accurately.

After falling about thirty or forty feet, his feet suddenly gave way and the cliff below him caved in. Shen Le was not alarmed. He grabbed the stone edge with his backhand, twisted his waist and abdomen, and swung inward!
"it is good!"

A cheer rang out from afar. Shen Le didn't have time to look around in the direction of the sound. He focused his inner energy, and a faint silver-white light appeared at his fingertips. He inserted the stone wall as if it were rotten soil.

Swing once, then again, and soon he was pressed against the inner section of the cliff face, sliding down it. This time the slide was even shorter, just a flash, and Lou Yun flew over, carrying him down:
"Come, come with me. — Your kung fu has improved so quickly! I never expected you could cross this cliff!"

With this appearance, when Shen Le descended to the cave entrance, the disciples on both sides looked relaxed and even a little happy.

At the very end of the line, a tiny little boy popped up, looking up at him, almost reaching out to hug his leg:

"Little brother!"

Shen Le: "..."

Who is this?
Ah, it's the youngest son of General Hulü Guang. He's grown quite a bit; I almost didn't recognize him...

Fortunately, the little guy is doing quite well. His face is fair with a rosy glow, and he looks so tender and lovely. It's a miracle in this rocky cave.

Shen Le smiled and patted his head, then strode forward and, under Lou Yun's guidance, bowed respectfully.
"Disciple pays homage to Master!"

"Not bad, not bad, very talented." The old man smiled, stroking his beard as he looked at him, reaching out to take his hand, yet showing no signs of weakness, he firmly grasped his wrist:
"Come, come, I have a new sword technique here, why don't you try it out?"

Upon entering the inner gate, Shen Le finally escaped the thatched hut and moved into a stone house—a cave. The caves where the disciples of the immortal sect lived were somewhat similar to the passageways Shen Le had walked through in modern times, but much more spacious.

As you walk through the passageway, it opens up in all directions, and each person has their own private cave. Although it doesn't look very big, perhaps only five or six square meters, it is surprisingly spacious once you step inside.
Lou Yun also pointed out to him that the cliff face outside was dormitories carved out by the disciples themselves. Some were only half a person high and just deep enough for a person to meditate, while others had been carved out to have three rooms and a living room.

"Once your swordsmanship is fully mastered, you can choose a location you like up there and manage your own living quarters. For now, stay in the mountains; the tranquility there is good for your cultivation!"

The cave deep within the passageway was indeed extremely beneficial for cultivation. Although the sword technique my master gave me differed from the version on the silk scroll, the underlying principles remained the same.
Shen Le sat cross-legged in his cave. With just a slight inhalation, he could feel a sharp aura surging in, entering his lungs with each breath. It swirled, condensed, and transformed into a speck of silvery-white energy—

This is condensing sword energy!

According to the sword manual, once the sword energy is condensed to a length of three inches and can be exhaled from the lungs with each breath, one can find a precious sword, resonate with it, and prepare to fly through the sky on a sword!

...Of course, a usable sword isn't so easy to find. The practice sword Shen Le used before could only be used for sword control for a hundred steps; to use it for sword escape, he would need at least a hundred more years of training.

Lou Yun said to him apologetically:
"With so many disciples in the sect, we've always been short of precious swords—the sword I use was something I found myself when I went down the mountain..."

Shen Le: "..."

As for the Legend of Sword and Fairy, you know. In "The Legend of Shushan Swordsmen," not every disciple of Shushan carries a sword. The sect distributes them, and each has their own destiny, so there's no point in envying others. They possess swords from all sorts of sources, from heaven to earth.

So, does this mean I should also go down the mountain to find the sword?
"Once you've mastered all these spells, it wouldn't hurt to go down the mountain and take a walk." Lou Yun handed him a thick notebook:
"With your magic protecting you and the ability to fly a hundred steps on your sword, we'll feel at ease letting you go down the mountain—it's alright, we all have to go through this, no one will laugh at anyone else!"

Time stands still in the mountains, and the passing of winter's chill makes one unaware of the years. Shen Le didn't know how long it took, but in any case, he learned all the spells in the book:
Actually, there aren't many; they're mostly for controlling fire, repelling water, eliminating plagues and diseases, exorcising demons and ghosts, and so on.

Then, carrying a long sword, he descended the mountain and headed straight for the nearest major city.

How long has he been on the mountain?
What's the situation down the mountain?

If we get rid of that mad emperor, the world should be a little more peaceful!

(End of this chapter)