The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 18: Heavy sword without edge, great skill but no workmanship

White fog covers the dark valleys, while red clouds help bring in the morning light.

Floating Cloud Mountain, Seeking Truth Temple, and Sutra Repository.

It's freezing cold outside and the ground is covered with autumn frost.

It was warm as spring inside, and the aroma of tea was wafting in the air.

The natural fragrance refreshes the mind, and the scent of books refreshes the heart.

The white-haired Taoist priest was bending over his desk, reading Buddhist scriptures with a focused gaze, oblivious to everything around him, and he sat there for two hours at a time.

After thoroughly understanding the Taoist scripture in his hand, he stood up to stretch the muscles of his hands and feet, walked to the window, looked into the distance, relieved his fatigue, and relaxed his body and mind.

See the mountains from afar and listen to the sound of water nearby.

Looking at the sword cliff on the west side, he stroked his beard lightly.

More than two months have passed since the opening of Jianya. It is late autumn now, the autumn wind is howling, everything is bleak, the grass and trees on Fuyun Mountain are withered, only the pine, cypress and bamboo forests are still green, demonstrating strong perseverance and vitality.

As full of vitality as them are the disciples of Qiuzhen Temple. Even in the freezing cold, they remain enthusiastic and often stay under the Sword Cliff.

Some would sit cross-legged on the ground, concentrating on observing the sword marks; others would practice swordplay on the spot, hoping to resonate with the sword marks.

Either practice alone or practice in a duel.

The atmosphere for practicing sword-fighting is strong and the disciples are in high spirits.

There were also disciples brandishing swords or practicing other weapons under the Sword Cliff. The young people had divergent thinking and were full of ideas. In their words, no matter how things change, they still remain essentially the same, and weapons always have something in common. They practiced martial arts under the Sword Cliff, and perhaps they could draw inferences from one instance and gain some insights.

Some disciples even read scriptures under the Sword Cliff. They felt that the Sword Cliff was conducive to their practice, the noisy voices were conducive to their mind training, and the competitive atmosphere could stimulate their fighting spirit.

These were what he heard from the disciples who had entered the pavilion talking to each other in between his meditation sessions. He was a little surprised by this.

I didn't expect Jianya to have such a function.

It is not only a great place to practice swordplay, but also another place for practicing Taoism.

However, Xuanming and other three generations of Taoists did not stop it and were happy to see it happen.

Hundreds of boats are racing against each other, and it is the right time to ride the wind and waves. The disciples are still young, and it is the time for them to make great efforts and make progress.

As long as they make progress, everywhere can be a place of practice.

Moreover, the richer the atmosphere of cultivation under the Sword Cliff, the more beneficial it will be to the disciples and the more conducive it will be to the inheritance of the Truth Seeking Temple.

Xuanxu even took the opportunity to order people to build a pavilion for enlightenment, a sword-discussing platform, a fighting field and other places under the Sword Cliff, with the idea of building the Sword Cliff into a holy place for practicing the Truth-Seeking Temple.

When it comes to seizing opportunities and handling miscellaneous affairs, Xuanxu is worthy of the title of headmaster. He is indeed very good and has outstanding abilities.

---

The mountain breeze blows gently, and the white hair flies.

Xuanming stood by the window and looked at Jianya for a while. His ears moved slightly and his eyes fell on a figure on Zangdao Peak.

On a steep mountain road, a young Taoist priest was hiking with an old log as thick as a millstone on his back. His sweat soaked the ground, veins bulged on his forehead, and his Taoist robe stuck to his body.

Despite being exhausted, he never stopped to rest, nor did he give up, and he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Climb the mountain slowly and with firm steps.

It was not until he climbed up the marble square in front of the Sutra Library, put down the heavy object on his back and piled it together with other huge trees that he sat down on the ground without caring about his image, panting.

After recovering some strength, the young Taoist gritted his teeth, stood up, and began to carry the huge tree down the mountain again.

The young Taoist who was carrying a heavy load was none other than Chang'anzi.

Looking at this kid, Xuanming smiled with satisfaction. Under his almost strict training, Chang'anzi did not use any magic power every day. He carried water, chopped wood, carried weights to exercise his body, and wielded a heavy sword.

At first, he was covered in wounds, too tired to talk, his arms ached, his body swollen, and he cried in his bed every night. But the next day, he showed up at the foot of the Cangdao Peak, carrying water and things to practice swordsmanship. He went up and down the mountain, over and over again.

The heavy objects became heavier day by day, and the heavy sword became heavier day by day, but he remained steadfast in his determination and never slacked off.

Because of this, his appearance changed drastically in just half a year. His fat turned into strong muscles, and he became tall and strong with tough facial features, becoming a tough Taoist priest.

Looking at the busy Chang'anzi, Xuanming sighed softly: "Without going through the bone-chilling cold, how can the plum blossoms smell so fragrant? You stinky boy, it's not that easy to be reborn, just bear it slowly."

After expressing his feelings, he turned around and sat down again.

As he raised his hand, a Taoist scripture flew up from the bookshelf and landed in front of the table. Xuanming had read all the 800 scriptures on the first floor.

There were originally a hundred volumes of precious Taoist scriptures on the second floor. Last time, he received a reward from the court, and gained more than two hundred volumes. Now there are more than three hundred volumes, enough for him to continue reading and comprehending for some time.

After you have comprehended all the more than a thousand volumes of Taoist scriptures in the Sutra Tower, it will not be too late to find a way to obtain other Taoist scriptures.

there's always a solution to any problem.

By that time, he should have achieved the status of a Qi-cultivating True Man, which would make it much easier for him to do things.

---

Read the sutras to gain enlightenment, practice the art of swordplay, gather energy and breathe in, study the mysteries of formations, practice calligraphy and drink tea, train Chang'an, express your feelings for the mountains and rivers, and learn from nature...

Xuanming's life is busy and fulfilling. Besides being well organized, he combines work and rest, and fast and slow. His Taoism, magic power, and physical body are all growing steadily. His Taoism heart is clearer and his foundation is deeper.

There is a kind of tranquility and freedom that feels like "no matter how busy the world is, the day is as busy as fire, but the clouds are floating without worries."

Thousands of mountains are covered with white snow, and ice is thousands of miles long.

In a blink of an eye, the mountain was covered with snow.

At Zangdao Peak, a figure was walking forward with a heavy load.

Looking at the Sutra Repository looming in the distance, Chang'anzi took a deep breath, looked determined, and continued to climb the mountain.

Carrying three huge logs as thick as millstones on his back, he walked slowly and forcefully with steady steps. His fair face turned dark and his expression became firm and calm.

After moving the hundred huge logs, he ran down the mountain and came to a hundred-foot waterfall. In the cold winter, he gritted his teeth and stood under the waterfall, letting the wind and snow bit his bones and letting the water wash over him.

This was the additional practice assignment that his uncle had given him after the beginning of winter. At first he didn't know what it was for, but out of trust, Chang'anzi just followed his orders and practiced hard. Even though he was frozen all over, his internal organs were damaged, and he kept coughing up blood, he never complained or doubted, and he persisted to the end.

Because he knew:
Uncle Master won't harm me!
Because he knew:
I want to find out the truth behind my master's death!
He will never relax before completing this obsession. Even if a strong wind blows up from the ground, I will ride on it and travel thousands of miles.

When encountering mountains, we cut them; when encountering rivers, we cut the rivers; when encountering waves, we cut the waves.

To this end, I am willing to accept any training, bear any price, and have a determination as strong as iron and never give up.

Besides, Chang'anzi is not stupid.

After practicing in this self-abuse way for several months, combined with the body-building method taught by his uncle, he clearly felt his own progress, and today he can smash a thousand-pound rock with one punch.

An hour later, Chang'anzi finished his body training, pulled out the heavy sword stuck in the stone, stepped into the pool, and began to swing the sword.

A heavy sword has no edge, and a heavy sword has no skill.

This is the essence of swordsmanship taught by my uncle.

Although Chang'anzi's understanding was shallow, he could use the stupid method to hone his skills by practicing sword over and over again.

The heavy sword in his hand also grew with his strength, from thirty kilograms to fifty kilograms and then to over a hundred kilograms.

Practicing sword skills in water is also a trick taught by my uncle.

There are only half a year left until the Daoyuan Conference. If he wants to stand out, he must work harder.

　I am not feeling well, so I will update once today and make up for it later. I will try to update three times tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)