The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 348 The Great Song Dynasty, Are You Ready?
The little river flowed gurglingly.

The wooden bridge, which had collapsed in the middle, stood upright on the left and right sides, supported by a few wooden piles.

On the opposite bank of the river, the grassy area between the trees became uneven and pitted.

Qiu Qianren's steel body was in one of the deep pits.

Hearing the lingering echoes in the air, Qiu Qianren snorted angrily and struggled to pull his legs out of the mud at the bottom of the pit.

He leaped and landed on the grass beside him.

Amidst the crackling and popping sounds of bones and muscles, the body shrank and returned to its original form.

The dark, metallic sheen has also quietly faded away!
Wearing tattered shorts, Qiu Qianren stared at the direction where Xu Xingchen disappeared for a long time, his brows furrowed.

He murmured to himself, "His half-black, half-white body can make the surrounding environment feel as heavy as a mountain or as light as a feather."

"This person should be the one who caused such a ruckus in the mansion of Wanyan Honglie, the sixth prince of the Jin Dynasty."

"The Sixth Prince of the Great Jin Kingdom once approached me, wanting my Iron Palm Clan to pledge allegiance to his Great Jin Kingdom; I was still considering it. Unexpectedly, I encountered the Sixth Prince's enemy before he even got there."

"This young man possesses unfathomable martial arts skills; it's simply unimaginable how he cultivated them."

"I wonder if this person has broken through to the fourth realm?!"

"If not, I can still beat him; if I break through..."

Thinking it over, Qiu Qianren's expression became uncertain. He felt that even if he went, he would probably miss out on the "Five Greats" position if this person participated in the Lin'an Grand Gathering.

A few miles away from the river
Xu Xingchen, now back to his tattered underpants, strolled leisurely along the mountain path, carrying his Dragon-Slaying Sword in one hand.

"Qiu Qianren's Iron Sand Palm is indeed domineering and unparalleled. Its power may not be much weaker than Hong Qigong's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. It's just that the name is too common, which is why it wasn't taken seriously by those readers in the first life."

"With this person participating, this grand event will certainly be more enjoyable."

"However, if he wants to become one of the new Five Greats, it's only possible if Master Yideng doesn't participate."

"Speaking of which, since I came to this world, I have already witnessed the martial arts of three of the Four Great Masters of the Martial World; now there is only Master Yideng's One-Finger Divine Skill that I have not yet seen, and I wonder how different it will be from the One-Finger Divine Skill in the world of Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."

He continued forward while pondering Qiu Qianren's Iron Sand Palm technique.

As the sun was setting, he passed through a village and used the small amount of silver he had hidden to exchange for a piece of clothing from a farmer.

Take your clothes first, pay later, then knock on the door to notify the homeowner!
In this way, the two sides completed a secret transaction without ever meeting.

Happy to everyone!

Xu Xingchen spent the night in the mountains.

They lit a campfire, cleaned and gutted the two prey they had caught along the way, and roasted them over the fire.

At the same time, they drew drinking water from the nearby stream.

During this time, he noticed two or three groups of travelers passing by the place where he was sleeping.

Fortunately, since they were both people from the underworld, and adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble," they tacitly and quietly avoided each other.

Two days later, Xu Xingchen returned to Jiaxing and found the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan and Guo Jing.

The group sat in a room, drinking, chatting, and discussing world affairs.

The short and stout Han Baoju, his face flushed from drinking several bowls of wine, said with a smile, "Young Master Xu, you've seen it all along your journey back, haven't you? More and more martial arts figures are heading to Lin'an; this grand event is destined to be famous throughout the world and last forever."

Zhang Asheng drank a cup of wine, but his expression was somewhat serious: "Young Master Xu, there are too many martial arts figures gathered in Lin'an; the Emperor and the court officials seem to be overwhelmed; if this continues, will there be a major upheaval?"

Xu Xingchen took a sip of tea and said calmly, "If the princes and ministers of my Great Song Dynasty can't even handle this small trouble today, how will they deal with the war with the Jin Dynasty and the Mongols in the future?"

The shrewd scholar Zhu Cong, fanning himself with his tattered black folding fan, frowned and said, "Young Master Xu is right; however, the princes and ministers in the court are suddenly faced with such a chaotic situation, and they may be flustered and unable to sort things out; shouldn't we give them more time to prepare?"

Xu Xingchen shook his head and said, "How many years has the government moved to Lin'an? How many years have they been preparing? The longer they delay, the more their ambition to move north will be eroded; now, even if they are given enough time to prepare, they can forget about being fully prepared."

After much discussion, the group decided to play it by ear.

We can't let those wandering martial arts figures from the north and south, those who come from the Jin Dynasty, the grasslands, the deserts, the Western Regions, and other places, really take advantage of the chaos and loot, making a complete mess of the order in Lin'an City!
The discussion is over.

Ke Zhen'e, the usually taciturn flying bat, suddenly said, "I just received a message this morning, but I don't know if it's true or false?"

He sensed that everyone's eyes were focused on him.

He continued, "I heard that the government has dispatched a group of experts specifically to deal with the troublemakers in Lin'an."

"I heard that those people were all eunuchs from the palace, of varying ages, but each and every one of them possessed unbelievably high martial arts skills."

"Some have incredibly sharp claws, indestructible and unstoppable; some have godlike fist techniques, subduing demons and monsters; some spin like tops, leaving countless afterimages; and some possess astonishing whip skills, appearing and disappearing like ghosts."

After hearing Ke Zhen'e's account, everyone's faces showed surprise.

A thoughtful look flashed in Xu Xingchen's eyes!
Zhu Cong asked curiously, "Boss, is the information you received accurate? Are there really so many experts in the Emperor's palace? And they're all eunuchs?" Ke Zhen'e nodded and said, "The information should be pretty accurate. It won't be more than two days before the news spreads throughout Jiaxing."

The crowd couldn't help but gasp in amazement; the Emperor truly did possess some hidden methods!
The party is over.

Xu Xingchen was temporarily at ease and began teaching Guo Jing martial arts.

He lived in a secluded courtyard in the suburbs.

It was built by bricklayers and carpenters hired by the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan.

A simple three-room house and a small fenced yard.

Surrounded by mountains and water, with a tranquil environment, it is truly a wonderful place.

However, only martial arts masters like Xu Xingchen would live in such a place.

Normal people living in this area never know when they might lose their lives!

This is an ancient world where life is cheap, and the desolate outskirts and wild mountains outside the city are often places where murder for money occurs.

Guo Jing's martial arts skills have evolved from basic fist and foot techniques to the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

He has mastered all eighteen of the Dragon Subduing Palms, but his skill is still lacking. He can only show off among the younger generation in the martial arts world. Compared to Xu Xingchen, Hong Qigong, and others, he is still far behind.

Although Xu Xingchen learned the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms much later than Guo Jing, his understanding of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms far surpasses that of Guo Jing.

In the days that followed.

Every day, Xu Xingchen would guide Guo Jing in practicing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms in her small courtyard.

The various key points and secrets are explained in such detail that they are far more comprehensive than those of Hong Qigong.

In terms of teaching martial arts, Hong Qigong was indeed no match for Xu Xingchen.
Guo Jing possessed profound internal strength and spent twelve years building an incredibly solid foundation in martial arts. The internal energy cultivation method he practiced was the Nine Yang Divine Skill, a top-tier martial arts manual in the world of Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

With so many buffs stacked together, practicing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms would result in incredible, rapid progress.

Day by day passed.

As Xu Xingchen watched Guo Jing unleash the power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, growing stronger and more astonishing, he knew that his disciple was not far from breaking through to the third realm.

Sometimes, he also thought
With both the Nine Yang Divine Skill and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, two unparalleled martial arts techniques, combined in Guo Jing's possession, will his future achievements surpass those of Hong Qigong? Will he even surpass himself in the world of the book?

I think it should be possible!
However, that's a matter for the future. Xu Xingchen has already stayed in this world long enough, and he probably won't live to see his disciple's future extraordinary skills and overwhelming power.

Besides instructing Guo Jing in martial arts, Xu Xingchen would also frequently spar with him.

A good opponent is also a key element for a person's martial arts skills to improve rapidly.

When Guo Jing saw his master display a different style of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, he was truly astonished.

His movements were as swift as a dragon, as fast as the wind, and his power was subtle and restrained, yet it would explode upon contact.
Its power was astonishing and unparalleled, completely on par with his other master, Hong Qigong!

A different style of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms not only broadened Guo Jing's horizons but also dealt him a severe blow.

He tried his best to unleash the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, but still couldn't stop Xu Xingchen's attack.

During the sparring sessions, Xu Xingchen would hold back; but when it came to the final moments, the outcome was often decided in a single move.

Guo Jing was tenacious and unyielding, and he remained unperturbed even when easily defeated by his master.

While diligently practicing martial arts, he also pondered how to last longer under his master's tutelage.
Besides
Every few days, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan would come over to report to Xu Xingchen on the latest developments in Lin'an City.

As August drew near, renowned masters from all over the land had gathered in Lin'an City.

The order in Lin'an City is becoming increasingly chaotic and complex, with hundreds of fierce battles occurring every day.

The government, seeing that it couldn't manage the situation, could only let those martial arts practitioners fight and compete, as long as they didn't harm the common people, scholars, or high-ranking officials in the court!

Even in order to bring order to the chaotic fights among those martial arts figures.

The government also erected numerous arenas in open areas, allowing martial arts practitioners with grudges to settle their scores on their own.

There are as many as thirty-six such arenas.

Every day, countless people go to the ring to hone their martial arts skills, engage in life-or-death duels, and strive for fame and fortune.

Every day, quite a few people are killed or maimed.

Lin'an City today
A large number of martial arts practitioners gathered, a large number of masters lived in the same city, and a large population was concentrated in one place.
Whether it's day or night, the bustling and vibrant atmosphere is almost abnormally intense!
Like a powder keg filled with gunpowder, a reservoir with a high dam blocking the flow of the river.

We'll just wait for the fifteenth of August to arrive before detonating it.
Who knows how chaotic the scene will become?

I don't know
Whether the Song Dynasty could suppress it.
(End of this chapter)