The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 258: Breakthrough
In addition to knowing some things about the Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, Xu Xingchen also learned from the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan about the levels of people who practiced martial arts in this world.

Of course, I didn't learn it directly from the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, but rather summarized it from their few words.

People who practice martial arts in this world can be divided into two training modes: external training and internal training.

External training refers to building up strength, practicing hard skills, and practicing martial arts moves, from the outside to the inside, slowly condensing the inner strength of the practice.

Internal training refers to the practice of gaining qi and moving qi through long periods of meditation, thereby condensing inner strength.

Of course, people who practice internal training not only practice martial arts during the day, but also meditate at night to guide their internal force to circulate in the meridians and strengthen their bodies.

Whether it is external training or internal training, it is not an easy task.

Only those who practice martial arts and cultivate internal strength can be considered to have crossed the threshold of a warrior and become a martial artist who is qualified to make a name for himself in the world.

The subsequent path of cultivation is to accumulate internal strength and strengthen the qi of the five internal organs and the five elements. When the internal strength and the qi of the five elements are accumulated enough, one can undergo a transformation of the body, cleansing the marrow and strengthening the tendons, and being reborn.

They gave this change a very simple name, called "breaking the realm", which means breaking through the bottleneck and reaching a higher level.

A martial artist who has achieved a breakthrough once is already a well-known master in the martial arts world.

A martial artist who has broken through twice will be treated as a guest of honor no matter where he goes.

Martial artists who have achieved breakthrough three times are all well-known figures in the martial arts world.

The only martial artists who have achieved breakthrough four times are the legendary Five Great Masters: East Evil, West Poison, South Emperor, North Beggar, and Central God of War.

And after each breakthrough, some different martial arts characteristics will be revealed.

For example, a warrior who has achieved a breakthrough once can instantly put all his strength into launching an attack that is far more powerful than usual, which can achieve amazing results that determine the outcome of the battle.

When a warrior who has achieved the second breakthrough performs certain martial arts, his body will undergo noticeable changes. His strength, speed, reaction, defense, and even endurance will be doubled, making his combat effectiveness unparalleled.

The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan have only had the honor of seeing a warrior who has broken through the realm three times once. The changes in his body are more obvious, and he also gains some incredible magical powers.

As for the five people who broke through the realm four times, they are all masters who are hard to find. Their legends are circulating in the world, but it is rare to see them in person.

When the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan talked about their battle with the Black Wind Devils, they were all extremely grateful.

Among the seven of them, only four completed the first breakthrough and were able to barely defeat the Black Wind Twins who had just completed the second breakthrough.

If the Black Wind Twins stay calm for a while longer, the seven of them probably won't be their match.

They were very suspicious that the martial arts practiced by the Black Wind Twins were extremely advanced, otherwise, it would be impossible for them to make so many people in the martial arts world tremble in fear and avoid them when they broke through the realm once.

If your martial arts skills are not advanced, it is impossible to achieve a second transformation.

In the martial arts world, breaking through a realm once is already the limit that 99% of martial artists can achieve.

A warrior who has broken through twice must have very advanced martial arts skills.

After breaking through the realm three times, not only the martial arts skills become more advanced, but the talent of the person practicing martial arts is also one in a million.

As for breaking through the realm four times, no one except the Five Supremes knew what kind of realm that was.

After Xu Xingchen summarized these contents, he was somewhat surprised: "I have also undergone a transformation and breakthrough, and I feel that my combat power is better than before."

"According to them, I still need to break through the realm three more times before I can compete with the East Evil, West Poison, South Emperor, and North Beggar?"

".No, the first time I met the Black Wind Twins, they were masters who had broken through the realm, but at that time, their martial arts were just so-so, nothing special."

"The second time, I arrived too late, so I didn't see the fight between the Jiangnan Seven Freaks and the Black Wind Twins. When I attacked, Chen Xuanfeng was already seriously injured, so I can't judge him, but I think he would definitely not be my opponent."

"So, my breakthrough is a little different from others."

After figuring out these things, Xu Xingchen hoped that if he had the chance in the future, he would be able to see the situation of the warriors in this world when they broke through, and see how it was different from himself.

As time went by, Xu Xingchen often went out to collect folk songs, and would be away from home for several days or even more than ten days.

Chase a herd of wild horses on the grassland, ride on the lead horse, and enjoy the thrill of leading thousands of horses to gallop across the world.

Lie on the back of a leisurely camel in the desert, listen to the clear and melodious sound of camel bells, and slant your gaze at the red glow of the setting sun in the lonely and cold sand.

On the top of a barren mountain, with the sky as a blanket and the ground as a bed, I watch the stars in the night, looking for the eternal and unchanging laws among them.

He followed Master Zhang's advice, immersed himself in the magnificent scenery of nature, away from the knowledge in books, and went looking for some mysterious insights between heaven and earth that could not be described in words.

The days were carefree and happy, making him forget about his hometown and almost forget about his disciple Guo Jing. The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan were no longer surprised by Xu Xingchen's frequent appearances.

The health of the fifth brother Zhang Asheng is getting better and better. There is no sign of inflammation or infection in his wounds. He is now able to get up and sit on the stone bench at the entrance of the cave. While basking in the sun, he happily watches Han Xiaoying instructing little Guo Jing in martial arts.

Ever since the last time they had a falling out, the affection between the two no longer had to be hidden, and everyone else was happy to see it happen.

So, during this period of time, Zhang Asheng felt both pain and happiness.

Han Xiaoying was a woman of the world with a straightforward and unpretentious personality. Since she agreed to marry Zhang Asheng, she began to fulfill her duties as a wife. She often took care of Zhang Asheng, and feeding him water and food were commonplace.

If Zhang Asheng's body had not yet fully recovered, they would have already entered the wedding night and enjoyed the happiness of being with two wives.

On this day, it was Han Xiaoying's turn to patrol the surrounding area and drive away the approaching wild beasts.

After jumping and bouncing in the wild mountains and wilderness and wandering for a while, he unknowingly came to the vicinity of Xu Xingchen's old cave.

None of her brothers knew the location of this hidden cave, and she was the only one who had witnessed Xu Xingchen entering and leaving.

After patrolling here, she felt an impulse to go in and take a look.

The seven of them often speculated about Xu Xingchen's martial arts skills, but none of them could come to an accurate conclusion.

We can only guess from the Dragon Slaying Sword that can cut through iron like mud that his origins are not simple and his martial arts skills are quite high.

There may be some traces of his martial arts in the old place where the other party once lived.

Thinking of this, Han Xiaoying couldn't suppress her curiosity. She turned around and jumped a few times, came behind a big rock, and found the cave.

The entrance of the cave was square, with some messy rocks scattered around, and it was pitch black inside.

He listened carefully first, and found no animals making their homes there, so he walked in cautiously.

As soon as she entered, she smelled a faint strange odor. She couldn't tell what it was, and didn't take it seriously. She just held her breath and looked around the spacious cave in the sunlight shining in from the entrance.

She glanced over other places and quickly focused her eyes on the stone wall opposite the stone bed.

The flat and wide stone wall is covered with potholes and cracks everywhere, with only some intact places where a small amount of text remains, each of which is as sharp as silver hooks and iron paintings, with a restrained edge.

Although she was just a martial artist, she had read some books in the Southern Song Dynasty court where "literature was respected".

Through the remaining handwriting, she recognized it as "Xia Ke Xing" by Li Bai, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty.

This poem is loved by all martial artists in the world. The line "When the work is done, I will leave, without stopping for a thousand miles" is talked about and regarded as a classic.

At this moment, when Han Xiaoying saw the remaining verses of poetry, it was like iron filings hitting a magnet, and she could not take her eyes away.

In her eyes, what she saw was not the poems, but the sword techniques one after another, which were either fierce and unparalleled, or soft and cunning, or smooth and smooth, or as fast as lightning.
The sword intent therein is ever-changing and all-encompassing; every move and every style is exquisite and mysterious.

Han Xiaoying, who already liked swordsmanship, looked at the various sword techniques contained in these poems. She was like a rookie who had entered the temple of swordsmanship. She was dazzled and inexplicably excited.

As she watched, she couldn't help but draw out her sword and practice the sword techniques according to the poems on the stone wall.

When the drill went smoothly, they showed joy on their faces; but when they saw the destruction and interruption, they could not help but frown.

She just stood in front of the stone wall in a daze, sometimes thinking, sometimes gesturing, sometimes frowning, sometimes happy.
It was not until the sunlight shining through the cave became less and less, and she could no longer make out the poems on the stone wall, that she suddenly woke up.

She stroked the words on it with her fingers with a puzzled look, and murmured to herself in disbelief: "This stone wall is exactly the same as the one in the cave that Master Xu opened up, except that there is no writing on that stone wall, and this stone wall..."

"If these poems were really written by Master Xu with a sword."

"Mr. Xu's swordsmanship must be so incredible and unfathomable."

Seeing that the words on the stone wall were too blurry to see even if she got close, Han Xiaoying could only walk out of the cave reluctantly.

"If I hadn't had to hurry back to tell my brothers that I was safe, I would have wanted to live here forever."

She had not walked far when she suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned around and hurried back, using the scattered stones to block the entrance of the cave tightly. As she did so, she muttered quietly, "Such a treasure cave, how can we not have more protection? Block it, block it, block it all."

Because she returned late, her brothers couldn't help asking about the situation, and she told them about her discoveries in the cave at Xu Xingchen's former residence.

The other people looked at each other in bewilderment. Although some were surprised at how amazing the swordsmanship on the stone wall of the cave was that the Seventh Sister praised it so highly, they all said, "We must ask Master Xu about this matter."

(End of this chapter)