Immortality starts from the liver proficiency

Chapter 284 Dao Sect Chief, Chu Cangming
Xu Yunfan clasped his hands in a salute and said loudly, "Greetings, Senior Brother Chu! I have long heard of the 'Azure Sky Sword Soul' and today I finally meet you. Indeed, your aura is extraordinary!"

Chu Cangming's expression was indifferent, as calm as an ancient well.

As the mountain wind swept by, a few strands of hair at his temples gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen.

In an instant, his gaze swept across the Crimson Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace on Xu Yunfan's back like a sword's edge.

Under the pull of the energy, the dark patterns on the mace spontaneously lit up with three mysterious patterns, causing the surrounding fallen leaves to swirl without wind.

"Junior Brother Xu, are you heading to the Langhuan Library?"

The voice was like jade falling into a cold pool, each syllable carrying the unique "marrow fire tremor" of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Before the words were finished, the "golden sound and jade vibration" phenomenon caused by the external manifestation of the marrow sea energy traced subtle ripples in the air, causing the dust in the cracks of the bluestone slabs within three zhang to suddenly float.

Xu Yunfan's expression remained unchanged, and his eyes even showed a hint of eagerness.

He had heard of Chu Cangming's name many times: the chief disciple of the Dao Sect, who slayed demons, defeated bandits, and saved hundreds of cities...

The number of positive titles they have received is truly countless.

He remained polite and said, "Indeed, I am currently lacking a special technique and would like to visit the Langhuan Library to take a look."

Chu Cangming pondered for a moment, then with a flick of his sleeve, a wisp of energy rose, dispersing the rising mist: "The Langhuan Library is guarded by elders; without a true order, one cannot move an inch..."

He looked Xu Yunfan up and down and saw that he did not have the true disciple's waist tag hanging on his waist.

"You haven't received the true teachings yet, have you? I'll take you there."

Before he finished speaking, he had already taken to the air, his green robe billowing like a sea of ​​clouds, clearly displaying the "Stepping the Dipper" movement technique from the "Twelve Secrets of the Golden Gate and Jade Lock".

Xu Yunfan's gaze narrowed slightly, and the record of stepping on the Big Dipper in the Twelve Secrets of Golden Gate and Jade Lock immediately came to mind. Having obtained the first few volumes of the Twelve Secrets of Golden Gate and Jade Lock, Xu Yunfan naturally recognized the methods within.

This light-body skill is based on the Big Dipper, with each step subtly corresponding to the changes in the positions of stars such as Tian Shu and Tian Xuan.

Practitioners must reach the Refining Flesh Realm to practice, where spiraling energy bursts forth from the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the foot, emanating from the arch of the foot and condensing into a 'energy ball'.

At this moment, the surging clouds and waves of Chu Cangming's green robe were actually the "Meridian Locking Gale" formed by the outward manifestation of the marrow sea energy. If an ordinary martial artist were to be hit in the meridians by this gale, his blood and qi would immediately become stagnant, which would slow down the enemy's attack, as if he had been given a slowing buff.

Xu Yunfan noticed that with each step his opponent took, three strands of golden light burst forth from his heels, which was exactly what the key to the technique described as "three steps to lock, seven steps to form a force".

Legend has it that when one reaches the highest level of mastery, one can take forty-nine steps in the air without falling, with each seven steps representing an additional layer of power.

Just as Xu Yunfan was about to decline, saying that he had the Tongxuan Token, he saw Chu Cangming use this movement technique to turn around and rush into the sea of ​​clouds without saying a word. Xu Yunfan had no choice but to shut his mouth and follow closely behind.

Halfway there, Chu Cangming suddenly spoke up: "Three days ago, I was at Yanmen Pass and killed seventeen True Blood Nobles of the Great Qian Dynasty."

His voice was as cold as a quenched sword, making one's skin crawl.

"Only upon returning to the mountain did I learn that my master had accepted a new disciple."

He kept walking, but the Cold Dragon Sword at his waist, which was not drawn, emitted a clear and melodious sound. "So... I came here to see. My master has not accepted any true disciples for decades. Now he has accepted one without saying a word, which naturally makes me very curious."

As the last note faded, Chu Cangming suddenly turned around.

The pressure from the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Realm surged like a tide, and the crimson dragon coiling around the mountain pattern instantly appeared on Xu Yunfan's dragon scale armor. The bluestone slab under his feet cracked open with a spiderweb-like fissure.

"but……"

Chu Cangming casually pressed his long fingers against the sword hilt, "It looks..."

His eyes held a hint of scrutiny, and his expression revealed a clear degree of doubt.

"It doesn't seem to be anything special." Xu Yunfan smiled silently. Did he really need to explain what made him special?
Looking around, as the thick fog dissipated, they found themselves on a cloud bridge between two steep mountain peaks.

Twelve thick, dark iron chains stretched across the void, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light in the setting sun.

Thick iron birch planks are laid between the chains. Despite a century of wind and rain, they have not decayed in the slightest. At this moment, they are undulating rhythmically with the mountain wind, making a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound.

Below the bridge lies a bottomless abyss, where the surging sea of ​​clouds is torn into flakes by the gale, and on the occasional exposed rock face, one can see the grooves left by generations of Taoist masters testing their swords.

The iron birch planks creaked and groaned under the fierce wind, and the entire plank tilted sharply at a 30-degree angle around the central rivet, revealing the surging sea of ​​clouds below.

Xu Yunfan's dragon scale armor leaves glowed red in response, and he secretly exerted force in the soles of his feet to stabilize his body.

Chu Cangming's green robe fluttered in the wind, yet he stood as if walking on flat ground on the edge of the swaying wooden plank. The strong wind blew his robes and sleeves wildly.

"Once you cross this bridge, you'll reach the Langhuan Library."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the sword sheath at Xu Yunfan's waist.

"Junior Brother Xu also knows swordsmanship?"

"Actually, I don't really understand."

Xu Yunfan patted the long sword at his waist. He had obtained it from Su Zhenhe of the Xuanzhen Sect in the Small World Secret Realm. It was extremely sharp, but very brittle. With just a little force, it could be easily broken.

A typical example of taking an unconventional approach.

"That long sword at Junior Brother Xu's waist is..."

Xu Yunfan grinned: "I got it from the enemy. I just thought it was nice, so I wore it. It's just a matter of wearing something."

"..."

Chu Cangming was silent for a moment, seemingly not expecting Xu Yunfan to answer so readily. After a while, he asked again, "I wonder which weapon Junior Brother Xu is skilled with, whether it is his fists and feet, or the divine weapon long mace you carry on your back?"

After a somewhat dry opening remark, just as Chu Cangming was about to ask Xu Yunfan if he was proficient in mace techniques, he heard Xu Yunfan's voice.

Xu Yunfan loosely clenched his fists, making a swinging hammer stance: "Actually, I'm better at using a hammer."

"Hammer?" The other party was clearly taken aback.

"hammer!"

His arm muscles suddenly tensed, and crimson light burst out from the gaps in his dragon scale armor. The high temperature that spread with his blood energy slightly distorted the air as his hands traced the trajectory of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique in the air.

The movement seemed simple, but it contained the power generation techniques of the "Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique," and even the surrounding air was compressed into visible ripples.

"The heavy mace is good..."

Xu Yunfan lightly tapped the Crimson Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace on his back with his other hand, and three of the nine mysterious patterns on the mace lit up in response.

"If it weren't for the fact that divine weapons possess their own spirituality, allowing them to easily unleash powerful energy, I would rather use the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer from the Heavenly Craft Cave."

This subtle movement reveals the martial artist's instinctive memory of the weapon, just like his unconsciously slightly bent knuckles, which are still the muscle inertia developed when holding a hammer.

Then Xu Yunfan added with a hint of regret, "Unfortunately, as one's martial arts level improves, hammer-type martial arts become extremely rare."

It's not just rare; as one progresses, the more one's internal energy becomes prominent, especially with the marrow cleansing and organ refining, the more one's internal energy swells and solidifies. With further organ refining into a powerful force, one can wield a long sword or a long saber with such ease that it can unleash power far exceeding that of heavy weapons.

(End of this chapter)