The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 412 The show begins!
The night was hazy, and the moonlight was dim.

Xu Xingchen hid on the crossbeam of the Muni Hall, moving silently like a dragon.

If Hong Qigong knew that he had used the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, which he had taught him, for such a shady business of "peeping" at other people's martial arts manuals, he would probably be furious.
Well, they might just laugh it off and not take it seriously.
After all, he had also used his martial arts skills to sneak into and out of the palace and steal food from the imperial kitchen.

After walking around the crossbeam and memorizing the qi circulation routes on the six scrolls, Xu Xingchen returned to his original position, leaned against the beam, sat cross-legged, and began to savor the Six Meridians Divine Sword, the supreme martial arts manual of the Dali Duan family.

This set of exercises is closely related to the One-Finger Divine Skill; it can be considered an advanced version of the One-Finger Divine Skill.

However, the One Finger Divine Skill can only be launched from the index finger, while the Six Meridians Divine Sword can be launched from all six fingers, six times more.

Moreover, the sword energy emitted by the Six Meridians Divine Sword is much more condensed than that of the One Finger Divine Skill; therefore, its power is also much stronger.

Because the sword energy can turn and spin at will after being launched, the moves become even more unpredictable and terrifying.

Although Xu Xingchen is temporarily unable to transform his internal energy into sword energy, he has learned far too many divine skills and secret manuals, his own knowledge base is too rich, and his understanding of the ultimate principles of martial arts is too thorough.
Therefore, nowadays, as long as one obtains a divine skill manual, even without personally practicing it or conducting experiments, one can easily deduce its power and effects simply by studying it in one's mind for half a day.

During his research, he also discovered that the One-Finger Divine Skill he learned in other worlds could also serve as the foundational technique for the Six Meridians Divine Sword, allowing him to analyze its various mysteries.
These different versions of the One-Finger Divine Skill, created in different worlds, actually share the same profound martial arts principle, saving Xu Xingchen many steps.

Half a day later.
He came to the conclusion that every sword aura emitted by the Six Meridians Divine Sword was no weaker than the ten-foot-long sword beam he had finally condensed in the last world.

The sword light he conjured could be controlled at will, allowing it to fly, hover, and pierce through the air.

The Six Meridian Divine Sword can control six sword energies with power no less than a sword beam, attacking the enemy simultaneously. One can imagine how terrifying its power is.

After pondering for a long time, Xu Xingchen felt that if Duan Yu were to fully master the Six Meridians Divine Sword in the future and be able to control its changes at will, his martial arts skills would become incredibly powerful.

Even if Xu Xingchen reappears the four types of power he condensed when he broke through the realm four times in his previous life.

A three-inch hill, several feet of red silk, a sword beam about ten feet long, and a magnetic ring.
The outcome of a battle against them is unpredictable!
In fact, he prefers to see himself as the one being suppressed.
Instead of feeling frustrated by this conclusion, Xu Xingchen was overjoyed.

This is because it signifies that this world has elevated the power of martial arts to a new level!
His martial arts skills will also improve accordingly, reaching a higher level.

How could this not make him happy? Unhappy?
Time passed slowly as the six people in the Muni Hall quietly studied and practiced the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

As the eastern sky began to lighten.

The rising sun dispels the darkness and illuminates the entire earth.

The four people in the Muni Hall, Benyin, Benguan, Benxiang, and Bencan, each controlled one of the six divine swords.

Abbot Benyin raised his hand and slowly pointed forward with his right middle finger.

scoff!

A slight tearing sound echoed in the air.

A white sword aura, about the thickness of a finger and ten feet long, shot out and instantly pierced through the wall of the main hall several feet away.

puff!
Wood chips flew everywhere, and light from outside shone through the fist-sized hole.

Abbot Benyin flicked his finger, and wood chips sprayed from the other wall again, creating a hole the size of a fist.

The sword energy that shot out from the center pierced back through the hole and arrived in front of Abbot Benyin.

As Abbot Benyin's fingers turned, the object danced around his body, swirling up and down.

The swordplay was powerful and sweeping, displaying a majestic aura!
scoff!

Another sound of sword energy piercing the air rang out.

Ben Guan, the senior brother of Abbot Ben Yin, was thin and sallow-looking. He raised his right little finger and commanded a green sword aura about ten feet long, which flew back and forth in the air in front of him with lightness and speed.

Hearing the noise, Xu Xingchen opened his eyes, his gaze lowered slightly, looking at the light and agile green sword energy, and then at the monk's raised ring finger, he knew that this was the Shaochong Sword among the Six Meridians Divine Swords.

scoff!

Another burst of energy pierced the air.

Benxiang, who was next to Benguan, extended his left little finger and directed a purple sword aura to circle back and forth around a beam in front of him.

The moves come and go suddenly, with subtle variations.

That sword energy must be the Shaoze Sword from the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

Benyin, the abbot's junior brother and a burly man, raised his right ring finger and slowly pointed forward.

A yellowish-brown energy sword pierced the air and shot forward.

This is the Guanchong Sword among the Six Meridian Divine Swords. Although it has lost the lightness, speed, and exquisite changes of swordsmanship, it has an ancient and simple style and amazing power.

It barely grazed the edge of a beam before exploding with a deafening roar, leaving a semi-circular notch.

Countless wood chips flew into the air and scattered across half of the hall's floor.

The fundamental cause, the fundamental view, the fundamental nature, and the fundamental reference.
The four men's eyes gleamed with a sharp light as they focused intently on controlling the four sword energies, practicing and familiarizing themselves with them on the open ground in front of them.

White, green, purple, yellow
Four sword energies crisscrossed, tearing through the sky, their imposing aura unstoppable!
Occasionally, when it brushed against the ground, it would leave deep and long sword marks amidst the flying stone chips.

Occasionally, a glancing blow against the large red beam that would take two people to encircle would either leave a hole or, in severe cases, blast open a semi-circular gap.

Even though the four of them tried their best to contain the power of the four sword energies, they still caused great damage to the floor and beams of the hall in a short period of time.

However, all four of them possessed high-level One-Finger Divine Skill, and since they were currently only cultivating one lineage of divine swordsmanship, they were able to master it very quickly. In no time, they were able to command the four sword energies with remarkable skill and ease.

Upon seeing the sword energy wielded by the four individuals, Xu Xingchen knew that Elder Kurong, who had not yet made a move, possessed two divine swords: the Shaoshang Sword, which originated from his thumb, and the Shangyang Sword, which had already been revealed yesterday from his index finger.

Xu Xingchen looked at the four high monks who were still practicing their sword energy and thought to himself, "I wonder if the five of them can suppress Kumārajīva's flaming blade without the participation of Emperor Baoding?"

"The battle at Tianlong Temple is a spectacular showdown in the world of Tianlong, and it's definitely not to be missed."

Inside the main hall, sword energy surged, fierce and unparalleled.
Elder Kurong, who had been sitting facing the wall in meditation, suddenly spoke up: "Alright, now that you're all familiar with each other, sit down and recover your inner strength to await our distinguished guest!"

"Yes! Uncle Master!"

With a flick of their fingers, they withdrew their sword energy back into their bodies. The four of them turned around and clasped their hands together in response to Elder Kurong.

Then, he formed hand seals, closed his eyes, and began to recover his depleted internal energy.

Although they had retracted the sword energy they had just used into their bodies, the internal energy they had consumed in controlling that sword energy was still considerable.

Normally it would be fine, but when dealing with the renowned King Kumārajīva of the Western Regions, one cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.

Half an hour later.

The sun rose higher and higher.

A faint, distant sound of a long horn drifted over, and soon after, a powerful chanting of Buddhist hymns filled the hall.

Magnificent and solemn!
The people who were meditating all opened their eyes.

Listen quietly to the solemn and dignified chanting, which gradually becomes clearer and then abruptly stops.

Clearly, a large group of people had arrived outside the gates of Tenryu-ji Temple.

A moment later, a monk hurried into the main hall. He was startled by the mess the hall was in, then put his palms together and said to the five people, "Sect Leader, fellow disciples, Grand Master, the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva has arrived!"

Elder Kurong said, "Benyin, I don't want to move around. Please bring Kumarajiva to the Muni Hall!"

As the abbot of Tenryu-ji Temple, it was only natural for him to go out and greet the distinguished guest. He immediately stood up, replied, "Yes!" and went out.

after awhile.

From outside the main hall, the voice of Abbot Benyin could be heard: "The Dharma King is here, please move to the Muni Hall over here!"

Another voice said, "Thank you for leading the way, Abbot!"

Xu Xingchen listened to the voice, which was kind, humble, and polite, displaying the demeanor of a virtuous monk. The person who came must be Kumārajīva.

Soon, more than a dozen figures arrived outside the main hall.

The others remained outside, while only the two of them crossed the threshold and entered the hall.

These two were Abbot Benyin and a middle-aged man wearing a yellow monk's robe.

Xu Xingchen's eyes dimmed further, and he only glanced at the yellow-robed monk out of the corner of his eye.

The man was not yet fifty years old, dressed in simple clothes and straw sandals. His face was radiant, with a faint glow, like a bright jewel shining naturally.

Especially his eyes, with slightly yellow pupils, warm and lustrous like glass, giving people a sense of great compassion.

Upon seeing such a beautiful, full-moon-like face, even Xu Xingchen couldn't help but praise, "What a virtuous and eminent monk! He truly has an imposing presence and is no ordinary person."

As Kumārajīva entered the hall, his gaze swept over the broken floors and beams, and he was secretly alarmed.

With his martial arts skills, he could see the whole picture from a single glimpse. How could he not know that those marks were made by countless sharp and unparalleled sword energies?!

"Is this... a show of force to intimidate this poor monk?"

As the thought flashed through Kumārajīva's mind, his gaze quickly locked onto the figure with his back to the temple door. He took two steps forward, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "Kumārajīva, a junior from the Tubo Kingdom, pays his respects to the senior master; whether there is compensation or not, whether the two trees wither and flourish, whether in the north, south, west, or east, neither false nor empty."

His words revealed the profound Zen state that Master Kurong had cultivated for decades, causing Master Kurong to shudder and say, "The wise king has come from afar, and this old monk has not been able to greet him properly. May the wise king have mercy!"

The Great Wheel King Kumārajīva said, "I have always admired the majestic name of the Heavenly Dragon. Today, I am overjoyed to see his dignified and precious appearance."

Their words were simply mutual flattery and giving each other face.

Logically, this is a good start.

But the actions of the Great Wheel King today will certainly not allow this meeting to end peacefully.

After a few polite words, Kumārajīva immediately got to the point.

He clasped his hands together again and said frankly, "I have a close friend in my life, a man from Suzhou in the Great Song Dynasty, whose surname is Murong and whose given name is 'Bo'."

"When I met and befriended the venerable Master Murong, we discussed martial arts and swordsmanship. This venerable Master Murong is knowledgeable and proficient in all martial arts under heaven."

"I have benefited greatly from his guidance, and I am deeply grateful for his kindness; I will never forget it."

"Unexpectedly, Elder Murong has passed away peacefully in the Western Paradise."

"This humble monk is deeply saddened, recalling a great regret of Elder Murong, which led to my visit to Tianlong Temple today. I humbly request the compassion of the venerable elders."

(End of this chapter)