Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 256 What is the true meaning of martial arts?

Sun Yanwan gazed at a manor in the distance, the place where the legendary "White Princess" was said to have appeared, but in reality, he would definitely not be met by the Black and White Twins under the command of Wuying Hou.

As for who it is, Sun Yanwan has not yet determined.

After all, neither the Red Lotus Society, nor Shaochan Temple, nor Songyang Sect, nor Tianma Gang had any "spy" talent. Sun Yanwan would not send anyone in just to check who was inside. Anyone who went in could easily lose their life. He wasn't that indifferent to human life.

Besides Wei Yingxiao, Shi Si, Lu Shuangfeng, Wu Zhi, and others, Sun Yanwan was surrounded by hundreds of skilled members of the Tianma Gang.

These people had all studied the second volume of Sun Family Martial Arts Classic. Although their martial arts skills were not particularly high, almost everyone had the strength of a ninth-rank. In an ordinary, established Jianghu gang, they would be qualified to become the backbone of the gang. A few exceptionally talented individuals even reached the eighth-rank, and could become a branch leader or guild master in many small and medium-sized gangs.

Sun Yanwan had no intention of giving the people in the village a chance. With a wave of his hand, more than a hundred people took out bows and arrows, put strips of cloth on the arrowheads, dipped them in kerosene, lit them, and shot them into the village.

In no time, the village was filled with black smoke, flames shot up, and chaos ensued.

Wuyinghou never expected that Sun Yanwan would be so unethical. He initially tried to put out the fire, but as more and more rockets were fired, the fire quickly became uncontrollable. He could only grit his teeth and lead his men out.

Although he knew it wouldn't be very effective, Sun Yanwan still ordered a volley of arrows to be fired. Faced with the rain of arrows, Wuying Hou used his Wuying Sword Technique to transform into countless beams of light, protecting a large area by himself and rendering the volley of arrows ineffective.

Sun Yanwan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "The swordsmanship of Wuyinghou is truly remarkable."

Wuying Hou also saw Sun Yanwan, as well as Wei Yingxiao, Shi Si, Lu Shuangfeng, Wu Zhi and others beside him. He was shocked and shouted, "Why did you come looking for me?"

Sun Yanwan said regretfully, "You are a rare talent in this world, why not surrender to me..."

At this point, Sun Yanwan sighed and said, "Forget it, I can't control you. You'll rebel sooner or later."

Wuying Hou was about to refuse and retort with a few sarcastic remarks when he was angered that Sun Yanwan refused to surrender. He roared, "You little thief, do you dare to fight me?"

Sun Yanwan laughed and said, "I'm only a first-rank official, why would I fight you?"

"You'd better just wait for my Senior Sister Wei and Auntie's combined attack!"

Wuyinghou sneered and said, "I heard that you had already reached the first rank in both internal and external martial arts a few years ago. It turns out that you are still only at the first rank after all these years."

Do you know why?

Sun Yanwan asked curiously, "I'd like to hear the details!"

Wuyinghou stared at Sun Yanwan and said, word by word, "You have been protected too well by Grandmaster Zhang and the Songyang Sect. You have also become afraid of death and put survival first!"

"How can someone like you possibly comprehend the true meaning of martial arts?"

These words resonated deeply in Sun Yanwan's heart, like the sound of a great bell. He suddenly understood why he had been unable to break through to the Innate Realm for so long.

Although Wuyinghou didn't get it right, he was pretty close.

His biggest problem wasn't that he was afraid of death or that he was cowardly! He once risked his life to assassinate the young prince of Northern Yan in order to stop Northern Yan from joining forces with the Demonic Sect. At that time, he really didn't expect that he would survive.

Sun Yanwan's biggest problem is his mentality. He always has a carefree attitude, not caring about anything. Back then, when he met Sun Lingdie, Nan Menggong, and Gu Tuoniang, he happily flirted with them. After all, they were all beauties, and bringing them home was pleasing to the eye. As for whether he liked them or not? That was never important.

People who have never been in a relationship think, "I need to like someone, and the other person needs to like me too."

People who have been in seven or eight relationships think, "As long as I'm happy, what does it matter if it's the best match or not? We might not end up together anyway, so what's important is to be happy during the time we're together!"

Having already "died" once and lived two lives, Sun Yanwan, though his martial arts training was incredibly chaotic, never truly regarded it as just martial arts.

Deep in his heart, he always had this thought: I can easily master martial arts, but I may also inexplicably lose it.

How perceptive was Wuying Hou? Noticing that Sun Yanwan was deep in thought, he immediately called out, "If I were to make a move, it would be considered bullying you. If you have the courage, how about letting my general Hu Tuzhen fight you?"

"If you win..."

Sun Yanwan suddenly said, "No need, I'll fight you."

Shi Si felt a slight panic, reached out and grabbed him, whispering, "Are you crazy?"

Sun Yanwan grasped Shi Si's soft hand in return, gently stroking it, reluctant to let go, and whispered, "Aunt Shi, what Wuying Hou said makes a lot of sense."

"But he doesn't understand that this isn't my question."

"My question is..."

"I have been practicing the Ten Transformations of Xuanhuang, but I have never been able to focus on it."

"I just understood what kind of martial arts essence I should have." Shi Si was slightly surprised. She quickly sensed that Sun Yanwan's aura was overflowing, and there was a will that seemed to be on the verge of exploding at any moment.

She gritted her teeth and let go of Sun Yanwan's hand.

Sun Yanwan laughed loudly, drew the Three Souls Double-Edged Sword, and said to Wuyinghou, "There's no need to talk about who wins or loses. This battle is to the death. If I lose, I will naturally die, and if you lose, you will have nowhere to go either."

Wuying Hou looked horrified, completely unable to understand how Sun Yanwan could break through.

Sun Yanwan certainly knew what was going on!
He has just found his "anchor" in this world.

What is the true meaning of martial arts?

It means to regard martial arts as an inseparable part of one's life.

Shi Si was extremely worried and wanted to rush out to take the duel for Sun Yanwan, but she also knew that Sun Yanwan was about to break through and she absolutely could not interfere with the competition.

Wei Ying smiled and gently patted her friend's shoulder, lowering her voice to say, "My junior brother Sun has unparalleled talent in martial arts, so you don't need to worry about him."

Shi Si ignored her words; she couldn't suppress the fear and worry in her heart. All her true energy was concentrated into one point, ready to strike with all her might if anything went wrong.

Wuyinghou suppressed all the distracting thoughts in his mind, drew his sword, and thought to himself, "Even if that little thief Sun Yanwan has broken through, he is only at the Innate Realm. I am a veteran martial arts master. How could I possibly lose?"

Sun Yanwan slowly walked towards this renowned swordsmanship master who had traversed the world, and asked with a curious expression, "I wonder what the true essence of martial arts that Wuyinghou has condensed is?"

Wuying Hou chuckled and said, "You'll find out soon enough!"

Sun Yanwan chuckled and said, "Stingy! Does Wuying Hou know what martial arts essence I just condensed?"

Wuying Hou asked with slight curiosity, "Can you speak?"

Sun Yanwan said slowly, "Only by reaching the pinnacle of emotion can one reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship!"

This sentence was profound and unfathomable. It made Shi Si's heart flutter, Wei Ying smiled, Lu Shuangfeng and Wu Zhi look shocked, and Wu Yinghou understood it. He repeated the sentence and said decisively, "What a wonderful artistic conception!"

"However, no matter how wonderful the scene is, you will still die by my hand."

Sun Yanwan suddenly closed her eyes, and the Three Souls Two-Edged Sword in her hand seemed to become one with her, no longer separate from her. Then, with a single thrust of the sword, a wondrous feeling arose, as if heaven and earth were transformed and the universe was vast.

Even though Wuying Hou's skill was far superior, he still showed surprise when faced with such a wonderful and unique sword strike. His beloved sword suddenly erupted, transforming into a sky full of silver light that enveloped Sun Yanwan completely.

Although he was arrogant and believed he could escape from the combined attack of Shi Si and Wei Yingxiao, the inevitable consequence would be that no one but himself would survive.

Wuyinghou had already lost three concubines and five generals to the "Great Eagle Monk's" fierce attacks, and he absolutely did not want any more deaths.

Especially Hu Tuzhen, who was a seed he had painstakingly cultivated, and who might even become a grandmaster in the future. He died under siege, and Wuying Hou was determined not to accept it. He only wanted to capture Sun Yanwan alive so that he could force Shi Si to give way. Wei Ying smiled and made way for him.

He refused to believe it, saying that Sun Yanwan was his rival.

In an instant, their weapons clashed twenty-seven times. Wuyinghou's Wuying Sword Technique was one of the fastest sword techniques in the world, but every time he unleashed a sword strike, it was steadily blocked by Sun Yanwan. He couldn't help but be slightly startled and shouted, "Take another sword strike from me!"

Since Sun Yanwan mastered the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Orthodox Meridians, he was finally able to use his sect's Hunyuan Sword Technique in its entirety. The sword strike he had just unleashed had not yet fully displayed its power when Wuying Hou forced him to defend himself. A swirling energy made the longsword appear even more solemn.

The Shadowless Marquis's sword light was dazzling, transforming into endless starlight. When a person was illuminated by the countless sword lights, it was as if they had suddenly disappeared.

Although Sun Yanwan knew, and the onlookers also knew, that Wuying Hou would not actually hide himself, but merely conceal his imposing figure within the sword light that resembled a sky full of stars, everyone still showed surprise.

Sun Yanwan thought to herself, "If I had the Shadowless Sword Technique back then, I would never have practiced the Primordial Chaos Sword Technique."

"This sword technique is so cool!"

His longsword trembled slightly, and he switched from his right hand to his left. Suddenly, the Three Souls Double-Edged Sword generated a blazing sword aura that swirled around his body like a rainbow.

The two longswords clashed thirty-three times in mid-air before the two figures separated. Wuyinghou was slightly surprised and asked, "How did you find my hidden true sword?"

Sun Yanwan smiled brightly and said, "Only by reaching the pinnacle of emotion can one reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship! Only by reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship can one achieve a clear understanding of the sword's essence!"

"Of course I have no way to find Wuyinghou's sword, but my sword can sense that Wuyinghou is hiding a pure and singular killing intent among thousands of sword lights."

"Sword techniques can deceive, moves can deceive, and even the Shadowless Marquis's extraordinary mental skills can deceive, but sword intent cannot."

"Only the intent of the sword never lies!"

(End of this chapter)