Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 303 Fist and Sword

"Did you just come from the Ruins of the Five Elements?" In the darkness of the night, the two strolled hand in hand. Dugu Qingli didn't seem to notice anything amiss and asked the question quite naturally.

"Yes, I was trying to understand the meaning of water."

"Then...why don't you take the fragment of the magic weapon? Since the elder allowed you to comprehend it, it means he recognized you, and you are allowed to take the magic weapon with you."

"I don't want to take the items buried with my ancestors."

"You weren't polite when you stole someone else's cave."

"Is Tianyao Holy Land someone else?"

Upon hearing this, Dugu Qingli felt a surge of sweetness in her heart at first, but then her anger flared up again.

The Tianyao Holy Land is not because of Dugu Qingli, but because of her master.

What kind of situation is this?

Sensing that the little white-haired creature suddenly wanted to pull its hand away, Lu Xingzhou quickly tightened his grip: "Don't move, I'm cleaning you."

Dugu Qingli was both annoyed and amused: "You think you can seduce my master with this shamelessness?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Before I met your master, Tianyao Holy Land was already no one else."

Little White Hair's hand went limp, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

A cold wind swept by.

Neither of them felt the chill; it was because the surrounding graves were unbearable.

The fact that people can talk like this in a graveyard and stroll hand in hand as if they were in a romantic setting is something that even the big shots of Tianyao Holy Land have probably never seen in all their years, whether they've been human or ghost.

However, their identities were actually awkward. Dugu Qingli definitely didn't want to develop anything with Lu Xingzhou, and Lu Xingzhou couldn't be with Ye Tinglan at the same time while launching an offensive against Xiaobai Mao. He was already racking his brains to say something that was even remotely related to the topic.

So most of the time they remained silent, simply leading each other slowly.

"Why would your sect set up the Tomb of Ten Thousand Swords and the Ruins of Five Elements?" Lu Xingzhou started the conversation by making conversation. "When I first heard about the Tomb of Ten Thousand Swords, I thought it was just a place to bury swords, including the swords of enemies, and that the remaining sword intent was what people could comprehend. Now that I see it, it's not only a dedicated burial ground, but also has special formations that prevent the remnant souls from easily dissipating. It's not just the sword intent that remains."

Dugu Qingli said calmly, "I don't know why it was set up this way in the first place, and I'm not as curious as you are."

"..."

"However, I later realized that this was very helpful in increasing the disciples' sense of belonging to the sect, their respect for their predecessors, and their inheritance of knowledge. After the passing of their predecessors, they all considered it an honor to be buried in these two places, believing it to be a kind of immortality. Even if their remnant souls were to dissipate in the future and only their sword intent remained, their descendants would still be able to comprehend it. Even if they did not take on disciples, they could still pass on what they had learned in this life in this way."

Lu Xingzhou nodded, but he also had a small question in his mind that was not quite appropriate to ask in this setting.

After all, not everyone passes away peacefully.

As a heretical cultivator of the Soul Banner, he was more sensitive to this matter. Now, having inherited this fortune and continued to control the Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame, his senses were even more acute. Once someone dies with intense resentment, neither the Tomb of Ten Thousand Swords nor the Ruins of Five Elements would remain so peaceful. They would either frantically kill all who came, or they would take advantage of the fact that remnant souls could be left behind to try and possess others.

Therefore, either the Tomb of Ten Thousand Swords itself harbors such risks, or those deceased are buried elsewhere. The latter is more likely, and it would most likely be a forbidden area of ​​the Tianyao Holy Land.

For some reason, Lu Xingzhou always felt that forbidden areas of sects were more interesting, while places like these open to everyone for enlightenment weren't really that meaningful. If everyone is trying to gain enlightenment together, the chances of you being the only one who can do something different from everyone else are slim.

However, it can be used to systematically refine a path that suits oneself step by step.

While he was pondering, Dugu Qingli led him to a tombstone: "This is the ancestor who was famous for his physical training and fist and foot skills. His name is Zhan Wuji, and he roamed between five hundred and one thousand years ago. His cultivation is different from yours, but there must be something to understand about his fist techniques. You might as well give it a try."

Lu Xingzhou then went to the tomb, lit three incense sticks, and respectfully paid his respects.

Dugu Qingli's expression was somewhat strange.

Lu Xingzhou asked in surprise, "What, you're not going to offer incense?"

“We don’t practice the incense-burning ritual, it’s meaningless.”

"...No, it's just a token of my appreciation. Never mind, it doesn't make sense to reason with your pragmatic, unconventional cultivation philosophy." Lu Xingzhou sat down cross-legged and pulled out a bottle of wine: "Senior, since you're a hero who fights with bare hands, you must be drinking, right? This is homemade from Lingquan Mountain, please try some..."

After saying that, he poured a glass on the ground.

Dugu Qingli turned her face away speechlessly.

The next moment, a cold wind howled, and a thought echoed in his mind: "Get out of here! I absolutely will not pass on my will to those who are talking about love in front of their ancestors' graves. Do you want us to keep watch for you?"

Dugu Qingli: "?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I've already treated you to drinks."

"I can't even get a drink, are you fucking tempting me? Get lost."

"And this?" Lu Xingzhou sat cross-legged and casually threw a punch into the sky.

It may seem casual, but there's actually a lot of skill involved.

It wasn't the newly learned Fiery Prison Remnant Sun, but rather the Taiji Heavenly Gang Burst Technique from the Yin-Yang Ultimate Skill. It emphasizes the violent burst generated by the collision of Yin and Yang spirals. This move had helped Lu Xingzhou defeat stronger opponents many times before and was one of his signature skills.

At this moment, the energy spun and shot straight up a mile into the sky, where it exploded like dazzling fireworks.

It's very powerful and has beautiful visual effects.

Dugu Qingli looked up and thought it was pretty good, but it seemed to be missing something... "It stinks to high heaven!" The voice that had just been yelling for her to get out roared angrily: "You're offering me this cheap wine?"

Yes, a fist without its own "intention" is no different from a crudely made, inferior wine; it may burn the throat, but it is far from being a fine wine.

Before Lu Xingzhou could answer, a sudden wave of oppressive power descended upon him.

Even though it had no real power and was just a lingering, malevolent intent, Lu Xingzhou's mind was still blown apart.

It was as if an extreme sense of destruction and death was approaching. Even the soul sea that had just broken through to the third rank and begun to solidify was shattered in an instant, and not even a single thought could be formed.

The power and destruction it contains are beyond words.

If I had to find a description, it would be like witnessing a star explode before my eyes—the fear and awe-inspiring shock of that instant.

What's even more memorable is that this attack simulated the power level that Lu Xingzhou had just used. It didn't exceed the limit, but the feeling it gave people was like heaven and earth.

"Using the interplay of Yin and Yang to unleash damage exceeding the sum of the two is indeed a good technique, but a technique is ultimately just a technique. You're already at the third rank, yet you're still honing your skills at the technique level. What do you spend your time doing? Chasing women? You're a piece of trash!"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

I only had books, no one to teach me, so what else could I be learning but techniques...?

As if sensing his dissatisfaction, the voice cursed again: "I don't think you should sit here and try to understand. Your level isn't high enough, you won't understand anything! Because this thing you have to fight, fight countless people, fight for a hundred years, fight thousands upon thousands of opponents, fight until your fists are bruised countless times, before you can understand, before you can have your own style. With your current combat experience, what kind of shit can you learn from me? Get lost!"

Lu Xingzhou scratched his head, this time suppressing his initial resentment.

Indeed, my actual combat experience is far less than that of such outstanding seniors, and even less than that of ordinary people.

Dugu Qingli wanted to test what kind of martial arts everyone they met practiced. This was undoubtedly because she was questioning whether her personality was influenced by the martial arts she practiced, and she wanted to know if other people's martial arts would affect their temperament. What distorted and wrong conclusions she would ultimately draw is unknown...

But her main motivation for doing so was her constant need to study others' weaknesses as a swordsman, and her eagerness to take on challenges.

This is the heart of the sword.

This feeling, though I wouldn't say it doesn't exist, is extremely rare.

No one has ever cultivated in this way. In the end, I still ended up becoming a pill refiner, not a fighter.

With this level of skill, trying to learn from predecessors who have honed their martial arts skills for hundreds of years and fought countless battles is utterly futile.

Lu Xingzhou remained silent for a moment, then finally stood up straight and bowed deeply to the ground: "I have learned a lot. I will strengthen my practical training and take your punch as my goal, constantly studying it."

The voice stopped cursing.

A gentle breeze blows, and the wine in the glass ripples slightly, as if it were a gift from you.

Lu Xingzhou turned to Dugu Qingli: "Then let's go..."

Before he could even utter the word "ba," Dugu Qingli suddenly drew his sword and sent it hurtling into the sky.

The moment the sword was drawn, it brought with it a thunderous roar, causing the surrounding air currents to tremble.

Countless ancient swords, broken swords, and rusty swords in front of the graves trembled and hummed softly, as if they were rejoicing over this one sword strike.

"Buzz!" The sword tip pierced the point where Lu Xingzhou's fist force had just erupted. The yin and yang energies that had not yet dissipated in the air seemed to be attracted to the sword tip like a magnet with this sword strike, and the dissipating energy condensed back into a single point.

It then exploded again, emitting a deafening roar.

Lu Xingzhou was dumbfounded.

Was that the power I just used?
How did it disperse only to be reassembled by the little white hair, unleashing a power far exceeding its previous strength?
What I just learned was the intent of fist, not the intent of sword... So Little White Hair was able to draw inferences from one instance to another and comprehend her own intent from that punch just now?

Yes, this sword strike had no icy chill; it was simply a sword strike.

She discarded her innate icy aura and used the purest form of swordsmanship to unleash her power.

That voice just now was like fine wine: "This is true martial arts cultivation. One who understands one thing understands everything, and can learn the sword from the fist. Watch carefully, learn well, so you don't end up losing to your wife and making a fool of yourself."

Lu Xingzhou looked up at the white-haired girl in the sky, her sword energy soaring. The melancholy that had been weighing on her body these past few days seemed to vanish with that sword strike, as if she had undergone some kind of transformation.

Can't beat your wife? So what? I've beaten plenty of wives... What do weightlifters know? A wife like that is beautiful.

Dugu Qingli landed back on the ground, held the sword hilt upside down, and bowed deeply to the tombstone: "Thank you, senior. I need to spend two more days meditating before your tomb. Please grant me permission."

"Approved." The voice said, "Hey you, go back to Wushui over there, don't bother my Tianyao Holy Land's promising talents here."

Lu Xingzhou was too lazy to care about the duality between destruction and promising talents in their Tianyao Holy Land. Seeing that Dugu Qingli seemed to be undergoing a complete transformation, he smiled and turned around to go to the place where he had just comprehended the meaning of water.

Anyway, she's my wife. Your holy ancestors gave their word, and I'll remember it.

Dugu Qingli seemed to want to say something, but ultimately held back and didn't, just staring blankly at his back.

Without him, I would still be suffering from qi deviation and getting beaten up; how could I have been reborn and obtained this sword intent?

I clearly shouldn't have any relationship with him anymore, but the more I try to sever our ties, the more inexplicably connected we become, leaving a deep and vivid mark on every breakthrough I make. I don't know why this is happening.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: It's past midnight! Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)