The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 517 Your Martial Arts Path Has Gone Astray!
The campfire crackled and popped, its leaping flames illuminating an area of ​​several feet in radius.

Xu Xingchen sat cross-legged to the side, meditating quietly, as if she were resting.

Nothing happened all night.

As the sun rose and its rays shone brightly on the mountains and the earth, he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze swept over the ashes in front of him, now extinguished except for a last wisp of ash. With a flick of his sleeve, dust swept up, completely covering and obliterating the ashes.

He stood up, jumped onto the boulder beside him, and came to the edge of the cliff.

The view is as far as the eye can see.

The surrounding scenery was spread out before my eyes.

Rolling mountain ranges, dense green forests, rivers meandering through ravines and valleys, and the Silver Dragon Waterfall hanging on cliffs.
Under the sunlight, these scenes all exude a rich and vibrant sense of life.

Early birds soar above the branches and sky, while wild beasts, hungry all night, let out terrifying roars, signaling another day of thrilling battles and hunting.

Xu Xingchen did not see the scene she wanted to see.

No one knows where Xiao Feng and his son, or Murong Fu and his son, have gone.
He leaped forward and jumped off the cliff.

next moment.

A white aura surged wildly from all the acupoints on his body, and in the blink of an eye, it condensed into a swirling white cloud beneath his feet.

Riding the white clouds, they plunged straight down the cliff, arriving two or three zhang above the branches of the forest below.

With a sudden turn, it began to fly parallel to the ground, while slowing down and quickly scanning the trees and rocks below.

It traced an arc all the way, constantly circling around.

Expanding outwards layer by layer, from small circles to larger circles, and then from larger circles to even larger circles.

In the light of dawn, I search for any possible traces left behind.

Xu Xingchen had no divination skills, so she could only use this clumsy method to see if she could gain anything.

He just happened to be there, so he came to find out what was going on, and it didn't matter if he couldn't find them in the end.

He decided to search for another half day, and if he still hadn't found anything by noon, he would leave and head back to the county town.

Perhaps he was just lucky.

No.
It should be said that Xiao Feng, Murong Fu, and the other three were quite lucky.

Around noon, he actually found a trace.

That was a hidden corner on the back of another majestic mountain, dozens of miles away.

The ashes of the burned fire and the bones scattered to the side all proved that someone had stayed overnight here last night.

Xu Xingchen's spirits lifted, and he stepped on white clouds, soaring into the sky and flying higher and higher.

It climbed higher than all the towering peaks in the vicinity, struggling to maintain its footing amidst the raging winds, and gazed into the distance.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

I saw flashes of lightning in the distant mountains and forests.

"That must be Xiao Feng's power."

Xu Xingchen immediately harnessed the white cloud and flew rapidly in that direction.

After crossing several hills, large and small, when he was still a few miles away, he finally heard the thunderous roar that cut through the air.

They also saw trees falling and collapsing continuously, as well as four figures crisscrossing like gusts of wind, displaying extraordinary skills.

The imposing Xiao Feng, his clothes tattered, his face cold, manipulated incredibly powerful lightning dragons with both hands, which flew and shot through the mountains and fields, bombarding everything in their path.
The thick, sturdy trees were blasted into a flurry of fiery, withered branches.

The bombardment created huge, charred craters in the ground.

It shattered large sections of the mountain rocks into scattered boulders.

Its power is fierce and domineering, and it is invincible.

Murong Fu, who was originally a handsome young man, was now dressed in white clothes that were in tatters and his hair had come off the headband and was draped messily over his shoulders.

He was surrounded by seven fist-sized stars, shimmering with a brilliant blue light.

They sometimes spin like wheels, deflecting the lightning dragons that attacked them back.

At times, it draws its bow like a bow, swiftly unleashing streaks of starlight that blast away any trees or rocks that block its path.

Although Murong Fu's martial arts skills were not as good as Xiao Feng's, he used the Dou Zhuan Xing Yi Divine Skill to constantly deflect Xiao Feng's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, thus keeping himself invincible.

However, as the battle dragged on, he would gradually be suppressed by Xiao Feng, and most of the time he could only passively counterattack, with only a few opportunities to take the initiative to attack.

Murong in the south, Qiao Feng in the north.

These two rising stars, who had been gaining fame in the martial arts world, had been fighting each other to the death countless times, with no clear victor or winner.

Another battlefield not far away.

The two old men fought fiercely, their battle proving evenly matched.

One of the old men looked remarkably like Murong Fu, except that his hair was gray, his eyes were lined with wrinkles, and the refined air he should have possessed was now obscured by weariness and dust.

The other old man, apart from his hair, looked exactly like Xiao Feng. He was tall and strong, with high-arched eyebrows, piercing eyes, and a weathered face, but he still had a fierce fighting spirit.

The martial arts skills displayed by Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan in their fierce battle were diverse and all-encompassing.

Whether it's fists, feet, fingers, palms, or swords and weapons, he has all kinds of techniques and is proficient in them all.

Moreover, every martial art they employ, whether possessing immense power or exquisite variations, is a rare and superior martial art in the martial arts world.

Xu Xingchen even saw the famous finger techniques that Kumārajīva had once used, such as the Flower-Picking Finger and the Leaf-Picking Finger.

"Good heavens, these two must have mastered countless of the Seventy-Two Extraordinary Techniques of Shaolin."

"What's most surprising is that they actually cultivated all seventy-two extraordinary techniques they learned to the point where their internal energy could be manifested externally."

"These two have truly extraordinary martial arts talent."

"However, the martial arts they learned were too diverse, so much so that they only mastered each one to a high level of proficiency, but it was difficult for them to reach the supreme realm of mastery."

Thinking of this, Xu Xingchen couldn't help but smile, feeling that her last few words seemed a bit Versailles-like.

In the martial arts world, mastering a martial art to a high level is something that 99% of martial arts practitioners dream of.

To learn a superior martial art, one needs not only outstanding martial arts talent, but also exceptional intelligence and profound understanding.

Among the monks of Shaolin Temple, those who can master even one of the seventy-two extraordinary arts to a high level are already rare masters.

Only a few exceptionally talented individuals can master several martial arts techniques together.

Among them, the most famous monk mastered thirteen Shaolin martial arts techniques, which shocked the entire Shaolin Temple and are still talked about by later generations.

Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan had mastered almost all of the 72 Shaolin Arts, and had refined each one to a level of consummate skill. What incredible martial arts talent and extraordinary wisdom could have enabled them to achieve this?!
The Murong family originally studied the martial arts of various schools and sects, integrating them into their own style. This is how they earned the reputation of "using their own methods against them," thus dominating the martial arts world for decades.
Therefore, it is only natural that Murong Bo faked his death to escape and hid in the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Pavilion to learn the Seventy-Two Extraordinary Arts.

Because this is the martial arts philosophy of their Murong family.

When Xiao Yuanshan was young, his martial arts skills were no less than those of Xiao Feng today.

He once single-handedly defeated a group of martial arts masters who had ambushed and besieged him, led by the abbot of Shaolin Temple, causing heavy casualties.

Even more so, many surviving martial arts masters are filled with deep fear whenever they recall that fierce battle.

So much so that when they saw Xiao Feng's face, which was extremely similar to Xiao Yuanshan's, they couldn't help but feel fear and their limbs went cold.

Xiao Yuanshan had jumped off a cliff outside Yanmen Pass years ago but survived, and the thought of revenge arose in his mind.

Since you martial arts practitioners of the Great Song Dynasty have wronged me by accusing me of stealing the Seventy-Two Extraordinary Arts of Shaolin Temple, then I will really go and steal them. It would be best if I could bring the Seventy-Two Extraordinary Arts of Shaolin back to the Great Liao Kingdom to fulfill the "wishes" of you martial arts practitioners of the Great Song Dynasty.

This is why Xiao Yuanshan hid in the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Pavilion to learn the Seventy-Two Extraordinary Arts.

Both Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan were renowned throughout the world for their martial arts skills when they were young.

However, despite hiding in the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Pavilion for so many years and studying the Seventy-Two Extraordinary Arts, their martial arts progress has been less than satisfactory.

Their descendants, Murong Fu and Xiao Feng, were able to fight them to a standstill, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

It is clear that the Sweeping Monk was right; they had indeed gone astray in their cultivation over the years.

If they could focus on improving their own martial arts skills instead of being distracted by learning the 72 extraordinary arts of Shaolin Temple.

Their achievements will likely far surpass their current level.
But then again.

These two were young when they had already cultivated their martial arts to a very high level, but it was already very difficult to continue to improve; and it was even more difficult to reach the Heavenly Realm, the highest level of martial arts.

Therefore, their infiltration of Shaolin Temple to secretly learn the 72 extraordinary skills, in order to accumulate knowledge of martial arts and help them climb to a higher level of martial arts, is also a correct path of cultivation.

But as the two walked, they strayed off course.

Or rather, they lack wisdom!
One cannot extract the essence of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Extraordinary Arts and integrate it into one's own martial arts.

They learn the martial arts left by their predecessors step by step, but even if they practice for a lifetime, they can hardly break free from their constraints.

Xu Xingchen was able to integrate and refine the essence of the many divine skills and secret manuals collected from various worlds, creating his own unique Yin-Yang Qi Gong and various martial arts techniques, because he possessed a spirit of scientific research and accumulated years of study, which led to his current achievements.

Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan are astonishing martial arts prodigies, but their ability to innovate is mediocre.

of course.

Xu Xingchen's assessment may be somewhat arbitrary.

But these two people.

A lifelong scheme, a plot to revive the Great Yan Dynasty.

A burning hatred transformed into a vengeful obsession that followed him for most of his life.

Their obsession far surpasses that of others; how can they calm down and delve into the ultimate martial arts techniques and explore the profound mysteries of martial arts?
To have cultivated martial arts to this level and maintained it without regressing is already quite remarkable.

All these thoughts flashed through Xu Xingchen's mind as he rapidly approached the battlefield of the four.

A thousand thoughts and ten thousand ideas can be uttered in a single instant.

The white cloud trailed a long tail as it streaked across the sky and approached the four people.

The four people in the midst of the battle were startled, thinking to themselves, "Where did this expert from the Heavenly Realm come from?"

He immediately unleashed a full-force attack, and with a loud bang of energy, he simultaneously staggered backward and separated.

Let's call it a day!

Then they all looked up at the person who had come.

Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan did not recognize Xu Xingchen, but Murong Fu and Xiao Feng exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.

"It's actually Master Xu?"

"Brother Xu, what brings you here?"

Xu Xingchen slowed down, lowered the cloud, and stopped his white cloud ten feet away in the air.

His gaze swept over the four people first, then he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Murong Fu and Xiao Feng and said with a smile, "Young Master Murong, Hero Xiao, it's been a long time!"

Murong Fu straightened his tattered clothes, cupped his hands, and said, "Master Xu, how have you been?"

Qiao Feng clasped his hands in greeting and said loudly, "Brother Xu, it's been a long time!"

Murong Bo and Xiao Yuanshan's gazes were sharp as they scanned the young figure lifted into the air by white clouds, a look of disbelief flashing in their eyes.

The newcomer is so young, yet he has already cultivated to the highest level of martial arts. What terrifying martial arts talent is this?

It was something I had never seen or heard of before.

Seeing that their sons recognized all the visitors and seemed to have no grudges against them, their vigilance eased slightly.

At this moment, Xu Xingchen looked at them and asked with a smile, "Are you Mr. Murong Bo and Mr. Xiao Yuanshan?"

Murong Bo stood tall, smiled and nodded, maintaining his last shred of dignity: "Indeed, I am Murong Bo."

Xiao Yuanshan's attitude was noticeably worse. He shouted, "You Song man, you are truly hypocritical; I am but a mere warrior, why should I be addressed as 'sir' by others?"

Xu Xingchen said calmly, "Whether you call me a martial artist or a gentleman, with your martial arts skills, you are both worthy of these titles."

At this point, Xu Xingchen saw that the four of them had temporarily stopped fighting and were consciously working to recover their strength, remaining silent about their battles.

Their fierce battle, which lasted for months, had already spread throughout the martial arts world, so there was no need to elaborate further on Xu Xingchen.

Xu Xingchen spoke bluntly, breaking their unspoken agreement: "I've heard so much about the grudges and feuds between the four of you that I'm practically sick of it."

"Yesterday, while traveling in the vicinity, I overheard hunters in the mountains mentioning the fierce battle you four fought. On a whim, I came into the mountains to look for you."

"I can't believe I actually found it."

After explaining why he was there, Xu Xingchen asked curiously, "The four of you have been fighting fiercely in the martial world for several months now. I wonder how much longer you will continue to fight?"

Upon hearing this, both Xiao Feng and Murong Fu fell silent.

Murong Bo stood there, smiling but saying nothing.

Only Xiao Yuanshan spoke, his tone extremely vicious: "I have an irreconcilable hatred for this scoundrel, and I must beat him to death to quell the hatred in my heart."

Murong Bo smiled faintly and said, "You barbarian, you're full of empty boasts."

"Our martial arts skills are similar. Over the years, we have fought several times outside Shaolin Temple, and each time the outcome was evenly matched."

"After months of fierce fighting, they still can't defeat me. How dare they claim to have beaten me to death?"

(End of this chapter)