The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 233 Zhang Sanfeng: There is still a way ahead

The sky is high and the mountains are undulating.

A figure dressed in a gray Taoist robe passed through the mountains and forests, jumped over the wide streams, walked on the cliffs, and flew over the grass and trees.

Her sleeves fluttered as she walked leisurely.

After just a dozen breaths, they arrived at the mountain where Xu Xingchen was.

"What a young old immortal with white hair!" Xu Xingchen's eyes lit up, and he quickly bowed and said, "I am Xu Xingchen, a newcomer in martial arts, and I am honored to meet Master Zhang!"

Zhang Sanfeng, who was over 100 years old, had an upright figure, broad arms, white hair and a youthful face, and bright eyes. Seeing the young man in front of him bowing respectfully, he couldn't help but laugh, revealing a row of neat white teeth: "No need to be polite, young friend, I have known you for a long time."

Xu Xingchen didn't expect Zhang Sanfeng to be so gentle, and couldn't help but smile: "I have heard of Master Zhang for a long time."

Zhang Sanfeng laughed loudly and said, "Let's stop flattering each other."

"Let's not talk about the fact that you led the Ming Cult and the six major sects to defeat the Yuan army and kill Wang Baobao, which was a world-famous event. Let's just talk about your kindness to my Wudang Sect."

"Whether it's planning a strategy or preserving Cuishan's reputation, they can return to Wudang Mountain safely with their family of three."

"Two years ago, I taught my disciple Sun Wuji the Nine Yang Magic Skill, which was a unique skill in the world, to save his life."

"He even told me about the Wudang Sect and the Black Jade Ointment of the Western Regions Vajra Sect."

"All of these are worthy of our Wudang Sect inviting you to the mountain and holding a grand banquet to express our gratitude!"

"It's a pity that Cuishan's family of three is away from the mountain to take care of the White-browed Eagle King's funeral. Otherwise, they would be very happy to see you, little friend."

Xu Xingchen's eyes flashed with nostalgia, and he said with emotion: "Brother Zhang Wu and sister-in-law, I hope they are always safe. Wuji is a good child."

Then, he put away his nostalgia and said seriously: "I want to travel far away, continue to travel around the world, and see more cultural landscapes."

"So, I won't go up the mountain. Sorry for bothering you all!"

Zhang Sanfeng said, "You even resigned from the position of leader of the Ming Cult and left at will. I think you must be a free-spirited person like me."

"Well, if that's the case, it would be a good thing for the two of us to just chat here for a while!"

"Please wait for a moment, Master Zhang!" Xu Xingchen smiled, turned around and walked to a nearby big tree. He drew his Dragon Slaying Sword, and the sword light was like falling snow, flying and circling around a huge rock.

Choking!

The Dragon Slaying Sword was sheathed, and with a flick of his sleeve, countless broken lime chips flew out. In a blink of an eye, the jagged boulder turned into a stone table and two stone benches.

"Master Zhang, please take a seat!"

Zhang Sanfeng walked over with a laugh, sat down on the stone bench, and said to Xu Xingchen who also sat down, "This stone table and stone bench are smooth and round, without any edges or corners. My friend, your swordsmanship has reached the pinnacle."

Xu Xingchen said modestly: "How dare I say the four words 'reaching the pinnacle' in front of Master Zhang?"

Zhang Sanfeng shook his head helplessly, stroked his beard, and said, "My friend, you are too formal. This kind of life is very boring."

Xu Xingchen frowned, knowing that the old immortal in front of him would not speak without a purpose, and asked in confusion: "Master Zhang, what do you mean by this?"

Zhang Sanfeng said leisurely: "Children are well-behaved, teenagers are passionate, young people are cool and unrestrained, middle-aged people are calm and steady, and old people are not bound by etiquette."

"Every stage of life has its own fun. My friend, you are still young, but it is not time for you to be calm and steady. Why don't you be more carefree and casual?"

Xu Xingchen pondered for a while, but still couldn't understand what Zhang Sanfeng said. He stood up and bowed solemnly, saying, "Please give me some advice, Master Zhang!"

"Hey, hey, hey, sit down, sit down, don't be so serious." Zhang Sanfeng pressed his palm lightly, and waited for Xu Xingchen to sit down again before saying: "What I mean is actually very simple, enjoy a different life more, and you will experience completely different fun"

"Fun?" Xu Xingchen said, "I often study the Taoist scriptures and study martial arts with fascination. Isn't that also a kind of fun?"

Zhang Sanfeng laughed and said: "No wonder you are so young but your martial arts skills have reached such a high level. It turns out you are a martial arts fanatic."

"However, when it comes to martial arts, you must be strict and cautious when laying the foundation, and practice diligently without any slacking off."

"When you reach a certain level of cultivation, you need to read books to understand the truth and gain wisdom."

"When we reach a state like you and me, no matter how much we read in the Daoist Canon or Confucianism, it will be useless. At this point, what we need to do is to realize the principles in the books in our daily lives."

“Go watch the sun rise and set, watch the flowers bloom and fade, experience different life experiences, see more beautiful scenery, feel the laws governing the operation of the universe, and observe the natural wonders of the rotation of the four seasons.”

At this point, Zhang Sanfeng suddenly laughed, as if thinking of a very happy past event: "You know, when I was a Taoist, I could not find an opponent in the world. One day, I went into the mountains and saw a snake and a turtle fighting. Suddenly, a wonderful feeling arose in my heart."

"After that, I lived like a madman in the mountains for more than ten years. People called me Crazy Zhang and Sloppy Zhang."

"But you don't know that it was during those ten years that I, the Taoist priest, innovated my martial arts, broke free from the cage, and realized the martial arts truth of using softness to overcome hardness." "After that, the Wudang Sect was established."

These words were said clearly and plainly. If Xu Xingchen still didn't understand them, he would be a fool.

He thought that he was spreading martial arts all over the world and explaining martial arts knowledge to everyone. Isn't this also a stage of enlightenment? !
However, after several military lectures, he also discovered the great limitations of all living beings.

Many novel ideas proposed by sentient beings could only deepen his understanding of the basics of martial arts, but were of no help to his future path.

It seemed as if there was a dangerous cliff ahead and I couldn't see the way forward.

At this moment, after hearing what Zhang Sanfeng said, Xu Xingchen's heart moved and some new ideas emerged.

This time, Xu Xingchen did not stand up. He just bowed and said, "Thank you Master Zhang for your advice. I will keep it in mind."

After chatting for a while, both parties could feel each other's profound knowledge and deep understanding of Taoist Canon. They became so excited that they forgot the time.

During this time, Song Yuanqiao brought a tray and a teapot and served tea to the two of them. After filling the cups and bringing them to the two of them, he stepped aside and listened attentively.

After listening for a long time, he suddenly came to his senses, and hurried back to the mountain gate in front to call several other brothers.

Even Yu Lianzhou and Yu Sanxia were carried up the mountain by a fellow disciple.

The six people stood under a big tree nearby, no one dared to make a sound, just listened quietly to the conversation between the two.

Xu Xingchen is a top student, and Zhang Sanfeng is a famous martial arts master.

The two sat and discussed Taoism. Because of their different understandings of Taoist scriptures, countless sparks of inspiration collided and the light of wisdom flashed non-stop.

Later on, the content gradually shifted from Taoist scriptures to martial arts.

Xu Xingchen was not a stingy person. He talked about whatever was on the topic and revealed a lot of martial arts knowledge during the conversation.

Talk about the evil of "Star Absorbing Art", the extreme of "Sunflower Manual", the strongest sword of "Crane's Cry of the Nine Heavens", and the marrow cleansing and tendon cutting of "Nine Yang Magic Skill".
For the first two martial arts, in order not to bring harm to the martial arts world, he only briefly explained them, without any specific practice methods, and only discussed the taboos of practice and the final effects that could be exerted.

Even so, the six Wudang heroes were still shocked and amazed.

The last two martial arts did not have those restrictions, but they explained a lot of content, which allowed the Six Heroes of Wudang to gain a lot.

Zhang Sanfeng was also amazed at the number of magical skills that the young man in front of him knew, and each of the magical skills had unique characteristics, which really opened his eyes.

However, his realm was extremely high, and no matter which magical skill Xu Xingchen mentioned, he could give suggestions for modification and improvement after a short period of contemplation.

Very insightful and thought-provoking!
The wisdom of a great martial arts master is displayed vividly and incomparably.

Zhang Sanfeng and his six disciples acquired a lot of advanced martial arts knowledge from Xu Xingchen, but Xu Xingchen also got a lot of things he wanted from Zhang Sanfeng.

It is hard to say who suffered a loss and who benefited from this discussion on martial arts and philosophy.

Each of us has our own scale in our hearts to measure the gains and losses.

This discussion lasted for three days and three nights, until Xu Xingchen's smooth train of thought was interrupted by the feeling of anxiety that arose in his heart again.

In fact, after talking for such a long time, both of them had already enjoyed themselves, and it would seem a bit redundant to continue.

So, on a moonlit night, Xu Xingchen drank a cup of boiling hot tea and asked seriously, "Master, where is the future of martial arts? Is there any way forward for the martial arts god?"

Zhang Sanfeng laughed loudly and said, "If there is a way, there is a way!"

"Really?!" Xu Xingchen stood up suddenly, unable to control the joy on his face.

This problem has been tormenting him for some time. He has been unable to find a direction to move forward and has been unable to let it go.

Now, hearing the sincere answer from the number one man in the world, it was as if a person who had been in darkness for a long time had finally seen the first ray of light. He was overjoyed and overjoyed.

Zhang Sanfeng stood up and walked towards the flat forest not far away, laughing and saying: "Come on, let's fight each other, and you will know where the road ahead is."

Xu Xingchen followed behind, feeling both happy and worried, and said, "Master, you are already old, will you be at a disadvantage if you fight with a young man like me?"

It's no wonder that he has such thoughts, because his martial arts have reached the level of divine enlightenment. Even if he faces the real Vajra Subduing Demon Circle of the three old monks from Shaolin Temple, he is confident that he can defeat them.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, he was aware that with his martial arts skills, he would never find an opponent.

Even if he was the best martial artist in the world, Zhang Sanfeng, no matter how profound his skills were, the long years would still make his bones and muscles old, his physical strength decline, and his reaction slow down.
This is the law of nature, an unchangeable fact!
However, Zhang Sanfeng, who was walking in front, laughed and scolded: "I am a virgin for a hundred years, my friend, you can rest assured."

(End of this chapter)