The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 411 Stealing the Six Meridian Divine Sword
There was a knock on the gate of Tenryu-ji Temple, and a Tibetan monk dressed in yellow presented a visiting card.

The visiting cards were decorated with gold, silver, and small gemstones, making them dazzling and instantly recognizable as extremely valuable.

The letter inside was pure white, exuding a mysterious and invigorating fragrance, made from some rare and exotic herbs.

The inscription above is written in Sanskrit and roughly translates to: "Kumārajīva, the Great Wheel King of the Great Wheel Temple in Tibet of the Western Regions, has come to pay homage to the temple."

"In the past, I had a very pleasant conversation with an old friend from the Central Plains, Mr. Murong Bo, discussing the martial arts of our time. Mr. Murong Bo spoke highly of your temple's Six Meridians Divine Sword, and I deeply regret that I was unable to see it."

"Upon hearing of the passing of Master Murong, I am deeply saddened. I now wish to request this sutra from your esteemed temple and burn it before Master Murong's tomb."

"Come to collect it tomorrow, and exchange it for a valuable gift; I dare not take it empty-handed."

The invitation was handed directly to Abbot Benyin. The abbot had long heard of the name of the Great Wheel King and dared not be negligent. After reading the letter, his face darkened, and he thought to himself, "The Six Meridians Divine Sword of my Dali Duan family is kept secret and has never been revealed to outsiders. Even the current Emperor of Baoding, Duan Zhengming, and his brother Duan Zhengchun do not know it. How could Murong Bo know it?"

The Tibetan monks were seen off with proper etiquette.
Abbot Benyin immediately took the visiting card and went to the Muni Temple.

After entering, he walked behind the figure who had been sitting quietly facing the wall and whispered, "Uncle-Master, trouble has come; someone is eyeing the Six Meridians Divine Sword."

Elder Kurong, who had been sitting facing the wall in silence, asked calmly after a moment, "Who dares to be so bold?"

Abbot Benyin said, "It is the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva of the Great Wheel Temple in the Western Regions of Tibet. Here is his visiting card!"

As he spoke, he gently raised the visiting card forward with both hands.

call out!
A slender, dazzling beam of light shot up from in front of Elder Kurong, who was sitting facing the wall in meditation. It circled his body in a perfect arc, took the invitation card from Abbot Benyin's hand, and then returned to Elder Kurong's arms from the other side in another arc.

Xu Xingchen, who had followed Abbot Benyin to the temple gate, narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing this miraculous scene.

Although the beam of light appeared briefly, he could clearly sense its immense power and condensed essence, which was in no way inferior to the extraordinary technique performed by Duan Yanqing and Duan Zhengchun: One-Finger Divine Skill.

However, the One-Finger Divine Skill used by those two could only move in a straight line, while Elder Kuru's beam of light could circle in the air, moving with incredible agility.

As expected.
Next, Abbot Benyin exclaimed, "Uncle-Master's skill is profound; this Six Meridians Divine Sword technique has become even more refined than before!"

Elder Ku Rong, who was sitting facing the wall in meditation, sighed softly: "To learn the Six Meridians Divine Sword, one must possess unparalleled internal strength; unfortunately, martial arts have declined in this day and age, and not a single person in my Tianlong Temple, or even in my Dali Duan Clan, has been able to master it; although I am confident in my own strength, I can only barely master two of the six meridians, and beyond that, I am powerless."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingchen thought to himself, "I knew it! The most profound martial arts manual of your Dali Duan family is hidden in Tianlong Temple. It would be strange if the monks there didn't study it; it's just that their skills are insufficient, so they can't master it all."

Elder Kurong opened the visiting card and read the letters inside.

Half a day later, he said coldly, "I have heard that the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva is a renowned and highly respected monk in the Western Regions, often engaging in debates on scriptures and doctrines, citing numerous classic texts, and is invariably victorious."

"Today, a martial arts figure from the Central Plains has come to our door demanding the supreme martial arts manual of the Duan family of Dali. I don't believe his intentions are pure."

Abbot Benyin nodded and said, "I also feel that his intentions are impure. I'm afraid he's using the name of Murong Bo from Gusu to come and spy on the Six Meridians Divine Sword. How should we deal with this? Should we refuse him outright?"

Elder Kurong said, "I'm afraid that Kumozhi is still up to no avail. Even if we refuse him outright, it will be of no use. Moreover, his Buddhist teachings are profound and his wisdom is boundless. If he also practices martial arts, his martial arts skills may not be inferior to his Buddhist teachings. He would be a formidable enemy."

After a moment of silence, Elder Kurong continued, "Summon Ben Guan, Ben Xiang, Ben Can, and you there. The five of us will study the Six Meridians Divine Sword together to deal with this formidable enemy."

Abbot Benyin exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle-Master, isn't this going too far? Besides, the four of us are not skilled enough to learn the Six Meridians Divine Sword."

Elder Kurong said, “This matter concerns the reputation of our Tianlong Temple, so we must be careful. Since the four of you are weak, each of you should cultivate one lineage of the Divine Sword. When the time comes, the five of us can use the Six Lineages of the Divine Sword together, and perhaps we can unleash some of the true power of the Six Lineages of the Divine Sword.”

After thinking it over, Abbot Benying nodded in agreement.

The two then discussed the details further.

The abbot had just left in a hurry!

Xu Xingchen emerged from behind the beams and pillars outside the hall, watching the departing Abbot's back as he walked away. He then glanced back at Elder Kurong's back inside the hall out of the corner of his eye, a smile playing on his lips.

Withdrawing his gaze, he stepped over the threshold of the main hall and walked silently inside, deliberately avoiding Elder Kurong's location. He wandered around the other areas and chose a good hiding place.

Holding onto the massive red beam that would take two people to encircle, he silently darted up to the main hall's crossbeam and sat down in a secluded corner.

This place
Looking down from above, you can see most of the situation inside the main hall.

But those below the main hall who looked up could hardly see him.

Of course, according to normal human logic, it would be difficult for anyone to escape Elder Kuru's notice and hide on the beam.

But then, this extraordinary talent, Xu Xingchen, appeared in the world, capable of concealing his aura perfectly.
Elder Kurong was completely unaware of Xu Xingchen's movements as he walked in the main hall and now hid on the beam.

This shows that although Elder Kurong's skills were profound, they were still far inferior to Xu Xingchen's.

A short while later, Abbot Benyin led his three fellow disciples back to the main hall.

"Meet Uncle Master!"

The four bowed in unison and said.

Elder Kurong neither rose nor turned around, and said calmly, "I should have already told you the reason for your visit; now, all of you, sit down, meditate, and calm your minds. Once your minds are at peace, you may begin practicing the Six Meridians Divine Sword!" "Yes, Uncle-Master!"

Benyin and the other three responded and sat cross-legged on the four nearby prayer cushions.

Silence fell over the main hall once again.

Xu Xingchen sat behind the upper beam, his gaze sweeping over the five people below. He closed his eyes and waited patiently.

Time passed quietly.

As darkness fell outside, the five people in the main hall remained unmoved.

It's almost midnight
Elder Kurong then spoke, "Alright, now that it's late at night and everyone is quiet, you four can all calm down and begin practicing the Six Meridians Divine Sword!"

Upon hearing this, the four of them opened their eyes and looked at Elder Kurong.

Then, six scrolls suddenly flew up in front of Elder Kurong and were thrown towards the four people.

Ben Guan, Ben Xiang, and Ben Can each received one scroll; Abbot Ben Yin received three scrolls.

Elder Kurong instructed, "Hang up all six scrolls, and each of you should find one and begin your cultivation."

The four responded.

Someone walked around the main hall and lit the thick candles around it.

The light shone brightly, illuminating the entire hall!
Some people hung the six scrolls on six nearby beams and pillars.

Afterwards, each person found a scroll, pulled over a cushion, sat down, and began to look at the patterns on the scroll.

Above the crossbeam.

Xu Xingchen, who had been waiting for most of the day, finally opened his eyes. He squinted, concealed his divine light, and looked at the scroll paintings hanging on the beams and pillars below.

Each scroll depicts a man's body, marked with numerous acupoints, acupoints, and the pathways of the twelve meridians and the seven extraordinary meridians.

Black and red lines connect meridians and acupoints, forming diagrams of internal energy circulation.

Beside the pattern, there are also depictions of various complex and ever-changing sword techniques.

Each sword technique and each internal energy circulation diagram on each pattern is different.

Xu Xingchen focused his gaze, carefully examining the energy flow path of the Six Meridians Divine Sword on the pattern. As his thoughts turned, the internal energy in his dantian also moved, rushing up his arm and falling to the five fingers of his right hand.

The Six Meridian Divine Sword: The back of the hand is Yang, and the palm is Yin; the front, middle, and back of the inner side of the limbs are respectively called Taiyin, Jueyin, and Shaoyin; the front, middle, and back of the outer side of the limbs are respectively called Yangming, Shaoyang, and Taiyang.

The six viscera are yin, and the six bowels are yang!
There are six meridians on the hand, known as the six meridians, and they are symmetrical on both sides.

The five fingers of the right hand, plus the little finger of the left hand, form the six internal energy circulation diagrams.

Xu Xingchen's internal energy circulated back and forth in the meridians and acupoints between the five fingers of his right hand and the little finger of his left hand, and his aura surged, but because he had not condensed the talisman of the extraordinary technique, he could not release it.

Even so, it didn't take long for Xu Xingchen to memorize all the Qi circulation methods of the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

These six divine swords are respectively
The first sword technique originates from the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, flows to the right thumb, and originates from the Shaoshang acupoint; this is known as the Shaoshang Sword.

This sword technique is powerful and vigorous; every time it is unleashed, it possesses a terrifying force.

The second sword technique originates from the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming and flows to the Shangyang acupoint on the right index finger, hence the name Shangyang Sword.

Its characteristics are ingenuity, flexibility, and unpredictability.

Judging from the swordplay, Xu Xingchen knew that the sword technique Elder Kurong had used to take the invitation letter from Abbot Benyin during the day must have been the Shangyang Sword style.

The third sword technique involves circulating energy from the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin to the Zhongchong acupoint on the middle finger of the right hand; this is known as the Zhongchong Sword.

Its characteristics are grand and sweeping, with a majestic presence!
The fourth sword technique flows from the Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian of the hand to the Guanchong acupoint on the right ring finger, and is called Guanchong Sword.

Its distinctive feature is its rustic and unpretentious style!
The fifth sword technique flows from the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian to the Shaochong acupoint on the little finger of the right hand, and is called Shaochong Sword.

Its defining characteristic is its lightning speed!

The sixth sword technique flows from the Small Intestine Meridian of Hand-Taiyang to the Shaoze acupoint on the little finger of the left hand, which is called Shaoze Sword.

Its characteristic is that it appears and disappears suddenly, with subtle changes.

Xu Xingchen moved silently on the crossbeam, constantly changing angles, taking in and memorizing all the scroll patterns on the six beams below.

(End of this chapter)