The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 339 The world is shocked
Jiaxing City, Misty Rain Pavilion.

Inside a side room, Xu Xingchen, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, Yang Tiexin and his wife, and Li Ping and her son gathered together in a joyful atmosphere.

The table was laden with the signature dishes of Yanyulou, and the wine in the pot was a ten-year-old vintage. Everyone ate, drank, and chatted.

As Guo Jing recounted his experiences on Peach Blossom Island, aside from the Nine Yin Manual, some of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan laughed with delight, some shook their heads and sighed, some were astonished, and some patted Guo Jing on the shoulder, comforting him that there was no need to worry.

Li Ping said, "I'm just a woman, I don't understand any grand principles, but since that girl hasn't been betrothed by her father, you still have a chance."

Guo Jing said in a simple voice, "Mother, of course I know. I will marry no one but Rong'er, and Rong'er will marry no one but me!"

Yang Tiexin's weathered look had lessened considerably, and he looked much more energetic, as if he had become more than ten years younger.

Bao Xiruo wore the clothes of an ordinary woman, and no longer wore rouge or lipstick on her face, presenting a simple and unpretentious image.

The couple sat together, talking with others. Sometimes, when they talked about their son Yang Kang, who had once again left without saying goodbye, their faces would show some anxiety and sorrow.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan were all rough men. Apart from the taciturn Nan Xiren and the seventh sister Han Xiaoying, the others had no words of comfort. They just cursed Yang Kang as "not a human being".

Xu Xingchen ate some food and drank some tea, watching the joyful and sorrowful scene before her, smiling silently.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they returned to their lodgings.

Yang Tiexin and his wife, along with Li Ping, left.

Xu Xingchen had just told the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan about his plans.

Sure enough, when the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan heard the explosive news that he was going to compete with all the heroes of the world for the title of the greatest in the world at the top of the Song Dynasty palace, their eyes widened and their eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.

The seven of them grew up in the Jiangnan region and had a deep affection for the Song Dynasty. They both respected and feared the Song court and the Song emperor.

I never imagined that one day, martial arts masters would go to the roof of the palace to compete in martial arts and vie for supremacy.

What an utterly ridiculous and absurd thing to do!

For an ordinary person in the martial arts world to do this is like going to the toilet with a lantern in hand—it's suicide!
But Hong Qigong, Ouyang Feng, and Huang Yaoshi are different; they are all unparalleled masters whose martial arts skills are unmatched in the world.

If these people were to actually do such a thing, it would be an absolutely earth-shattering piece of news.

Therefore, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning, unable to utter a word for a while.

This time, it was Xu Xingchen's turn to reassure them: "Don't worry, the reason we're going there to compete in martial arts is simply to inspire the fighting spirit of the Song Dynasty court, so that they can actively resist the Jin and fight their way back to the north!"

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan looked at each other, their eyes filled with complex emotions. They wanted to offer some advice, but they didn't know where to begin.

In the end, the seven were persuaded by Xu Xingchen.

A few days later, rumors began to circulate among the people and quickly spread throughout the martial arts world, rapidly reaching other cities and markets.

Ten days to half a month later, all martial arts practitioners in the Song Dynasty and even the Jin Dynasty received a shocking message.

"Among the Five Greats of the World, Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine, passed away many years ago."

"The other four masters have been diligently practicing their martial arts for many years, and recently, having reached a point of exhaustion, they are eager to reunite and compete for the title of the world's best."

"At that time, anyone who feels they have good martial arts skills can go and participate; perhaps, they can become one of the new Five Greats."

The news caused an uproar throughout the martial arts world.

The already chaotic martial arts world became even more turbulent.

Many people are inquiring everywhere about where the four martial arts masters will compete in swordplay, and whether it will still be held at the original site: Mount Hua!

Some people could no longer contain their excitement and began to call on their friends and family, setting off in groups towards Mount Hua.

The Song and Jin dynasties remained completely indifferent to this news.

In the eyes of those scholars, the Four Great Martial Arts Masters, the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, and the World's Number One were all farces that made those crude martial artists in the martial arts world laugh at them.

It has nothing to do with them!
But soon, when another piece of news spread throughout the martial arts world, this time it wasn't just the martial arts world that was shaken, but the entire world was shaken, and the Song Dynasty court and the Jin Dynasty court were also shaken.

"On the night of the full moon, atop the imperial palace, heroes vie for supremacy, vying for the title of the greatest under heaven!"

These sixteen words, once uttered, were like sixteen resounding slaps to the faces of the Song and Jin dynasties, striking with tremendous force.

As a result, the princes and ministers in the courts of both countries became indignant, and all the scholars in both countries were filled with righteous indignation, condemning those few unscrupulous and hateful fellows with their words and writings.

On the other hand, the people in the martial arts world, while shocked, cheered and applauded!
Some people have long been disgusted by the contemptuous looks that scholars gave them, regarding them as uncouth savages.

Some people, however, felt that being arrogant towards high-ranking officials and kings was something that made them proud.

Some people are just there to watch the drama unfold and enjoy the spectacle.

Some people felt that such actions were too audacious and would surely enrage both governments, even those with exceptional martial arts skills like the Four Great Masters of the Martial World would meet a tragic end.

Some people think that the Four Masters of the Martial Arts World acted absurdly and should not have mixed up the affairs of the martial arts world with those of the imperial court.

Opinions were divided, with all sorts of arguments emerging. When the third piece of news, namely the sixteen-character declaration that the "imperial palace" specifically referred to the Song Dynasty's imperial palace, was released, the entire world was once again shocked.

The emperor and his officials of the Great Jin Dynasty breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to gloat.

The emperor and his ministers in the Song Dynasty court were even more furious.

This time, they felt more than just the humiliation of being slapped in the face; they felt as if the Four Great Martial Arts Masters had taken off their shoes and were using the soles to brutally slap their faces.
The immense humiliation enraged the Song emperor, his ministers, and the scholars, who jumped up and down, hurling insults.

Many people, filled with shame and indignation, unleashed their inspiration for poetry and lyrics like a raging spring, producing a variety of poems and lyrics, each with its own unique tone, wild handwriting, and specifically designed to insult others.

For a time, paper became scarce in Lin'an!
In the martial arts world.

Those martial arts practitioners who had walked halfway towards Mount Hua turned back, cursing and swearing.

More and more martial arts practitioners came from all over the country, and even from the Jin Dynasty and beyond the Great Wall, converging on Lin'an as if on a pilgrimage.

The sixteen-character declaration did not specify a particular time.

But as soon as the phrase "night of the full moon" was uttered, everyone in the world knew that the day must be the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August.

Because on that one day of the year, the moon is the roundest, the biggest, and the brightest!

Moreover, we are now in the long summer season, and there are only a little over three months left until mid-August.

If the news is released at this time, what other day could it be if not the Mid-Autumn Festival?
In just over ten days, the number of people practicing martial arts in Lin'an City increased dramatically.

In the streets, alleys, restaurants, teahouses and other places, you can see all sorts of tough guys with knives and swords.

Lin'an City was already weak and short-armed, and now, facing so many martial arts practitioners, the pressure has increased exponentially.

The captains guarding the city's defenses and the patrolmen maintaining order on the streets had to carefully watch over this unstable group during the day and keep a close watch on them at night to prevent them from causing trouble or fighting.
Busy during the day, busy at night.

People who work overtime are the most irritable; they're all glaring and cursing loudly.

The Song Dynasty court was also thrown into turmoil, and troops began to be mobilized.

Except for the officers and soldiers who were stationed in the direction of the Jin Dynasty, skilled personnel were transferred from other cities and towns to Lin'an to be at their disposal.

The palace was heavily guarded, and many powerful bows and crossbows were deployed there.

During this period of upheaval and turmoil throughout the world, the instigator vanished without a trace.

Xu Xingchen came to the mountains outside the city alone. During the day, he observed the mountains and rivers and walked around. At night, he looked up at the stars and looked for patterns.

Cultivate your mind and character amidst green mountains and clear waters, and find peace of mind under a sky full of stars!

Now that he has made the announcement, he must make final preparations for the martial arts competition that day.

On this day, he came to a waterfall.

Look up at the waterfall cascading down the cliff, and look down at the bottomless pool below.

I found a flat, dry rock nearby and sat cross-legged on it.

Outwardly active but inwardly calm; outwardly agitated but inwardly pure.

Amidst the thunderous roar of the waterfall outside, Xu Xingchen's heart gradually calmed down.

The contents of the Nine Yin Manual flashed through my mind one after another.

Then, it started playing back slowly.

Each word and phrase is carefully considered; each paragraph and sentence is slowly savored.

The sky is filled with the rising and setting of the sun, moon, and stars, and the endless cycle of day and night.

Before we knew it, three days had passed.
As Xu Xingchen carefully savored the contents of the Nine Yin Manual, the mysterious thing that was being conceived within his body became increasingly perfect and began to stir, eager to break free.

Xu Xingchen suppressed the urge to act and began searching his martial arts knowledge base.

Nine Yang Divine Skill, Qiankun Great Shift, Star Absorbing Skill, Sunflower Manual, Crane Cry Nine Heavens Divine Skill, and even the outdated version of One Yang Finger and Orchid Finger Acupuncture Technique, plus his own Yin Yang Qi Gong, which combines the strengths of various martial arts.
He extracted all the knowledge about Yin and Yang from these divine manuals and gradually arranged it into a constantly rotating compass.

Then, all other martial arts knowledge dissipated, leaving only a compass about ten feet in size spinning endlessly in his mind.

The compass is divided into twelve layers, some rotate counterclockwise, some clockwise, and some rotate counterclockwise and clockwise at different times.

The rotation speeds are also different!

Click!Click!Click!
The continuous clicking sounds were a sign that the knowledge points above and below had successfully connected.

In the rotation that is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, sometimes left and sometimes right, some useful knowledge is preserved, while some unusable knowledge disintegrates, collapses and disappears.

As time slowly passed, the compass gradually shrank from about ten feet in size to eight feet, seven feet, six feet, five feet, four feet, and three feet.
The content concerning the changes of Yin and Yang has been continuously simplified, and the remaining martial arts principles have become increasingly profound, while the mysteries of Yin and Yang have become increasingly deep.

When the compass was only three feet in size, Xu Xingchen could no longer merge or shrink it.
This seems to be the limit of what he can reason out!
(End of this chapter)