Martial Arts: After ten years of sword-drawing, the Sword God must bow his head when he sees me

Chapter 199 If you hear the Tao in the morning, you will die in the evening.
Seeing that the others had noticed the marks on the ground, Dugu Qiubai shook his head and said, "In the fight just now, although I tried my best to control myself, it was inevitable that my energy and sword intent would dissipate and leave traces."

"On the other hand, young friend, your moves are as fast as lightning yet as light as a feather. From beginning to end, you did not let your strength and sword intent dissipate even a little bit."

"This alone is enough to show how strong your control over your own strength has become."

"Moreover, how could one achieve this level of skill without deliberately holding back?"

"Let alone using the same cultivation level, even if I controlled my cultivation at the first level of the Celestial Realm, I'm afraid it would be difficult to achieve the same level as you did in the fight just now."

"If we were to fight with all my might, I fear I would not be able to withstand ten moves from you, young friend."

At this point, Dugu Qiubai shook his head and said, "A hundred years is vast, but I only seek one defeat. Decades ago, I traveled to various countries in search of a defeat but could not find one. I never thought that I would be defeated by you, my friend, in the Ming Dynasty today."

What should have been a sigh of regret was instead tinged with satisfaction and joy, not a hint of dejection in Dugu Qiubai's voice.

After the group returned to the small courtyard, Dugu Qiubai, who had downed his tea in one gulp, asked, "May I ask, young friend, what level has your swordsmanship reached?"

With a slight lift of his gaze, Shen Ping'an slowly spoke: "The fifth realm of swordsmanship."

Upon hearing this, both Ximen Chuixue and Gongzi Yu were shocked, and their surprise deepened when they looked at Shen Ping'an.

Clearly, both Gongzi Yu and Ximen Chuixue knew about the fifth realm of swordsmanship.

Shen Ping'an took in the two people's reactions out of the corner of his eye, but he was not surprised.

Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi were both members of the Green Dragon Society.

As the head of the Azure Dragon Society, it wouldn't be too easy for Gongzi Yu to learn about the six realms of swordsmanship that Shen Ping'an mentioned that day through the two of them.

As Lu Xiaofeng's friend, Ximen Chuixue naturally learned about the six realms of swordsmanship from Lu Xiaofeng.

Only Dugu Qiubai's eyes flashed as he pressed on, asking, "What are the five realms of swordsmanship?"

Shen Ping'an said calmly, "Above the fourth realm of swordsmanship is the Swordless Realm, and then the Earth Sword Realm."

Dugu Qiubai's heart skipped a beat, and his expression became more solemn as he said, "Please enlighten me, young friend."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ping'an did not rush to respond, but instead looked at Ximen Chuixue.

"You haven't even reached the third realm of swordsmanship, the state of oneness between man and sword. Knowing too much will only be harmful to you. Are you sure you want to listen?"

Ximen Chuixue's expression was solemn and resolute: "If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening. I hope Young Master Shen will enlighten me."

Seeing this, Shen Ping'an said no more, and gently raised his right hand, bringing his two fingers together to form a sword.

Even though he hadn't mobilized any true energy, as the sword intent gathered, wisps of shimmering yellow energy were drawn towards Shen Ping'an's fingertips.

In just a few breaths, dozens of shimmering yellow sword-shaped energies condensed above Shen Ping'an's fingertips, moving swiftly like fireflies.

Looking at the energy at Shen Ping'an's fingertips, a hint of doubt flashed in Ximen Chuixue's eyes.

This is because these energies are neither true qi nor sword qi.

But the energy it exuded carried an inexplicable sense of heaviness.

Dugu Qiubai, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes and exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually the power of heaven and earth?"

Not only that.

Unlike Ximen Chuixue.

In Dugu Qiubai's perception, this power of heaven and earth was different from the power of heaven and earth that he or other Heavenly Realm martial artists usually mobilized and gathered.

Within the power of heaven and earth that Shen Ping'an gathered, there was also a profound sword aura.

Besides, what puzzled Dugu Qiubai even more was that the power of heaven and earth was formless and shapeless. Even the power of heaven and earth gathered by these martial artists at the ninth level of the Celestial Realm was in the form of mist.

Unlike the power of heaven and earth at Shen Ping'an's fingertips, which had a clear sword shape, Dugu Qiubai slowly raised his hand after a moment's thought. He used his own true energy and sword intent to condense a three-inch-long sword shadow, which swept towards the power of heaven and earth above Shen Ping'an's fingertips.

However, as soon as the sword shadow gathered by Dugu Qiubai touched the power of heaven and earth mixed with sword intent and special sword momentum on Shen Ping'an's fingertips, it was instantly shredded into smoke by this power of heaven and earth.

Even Dugu Qiubai couldn't help but change his expression upon seeing this scene.

It was at this moment that Shen Ping'an's voice slowly rang out.

"Those who have stepped into the fifth realm of swordsmanship, the Earth Sword Realm, have already formed their sword lineage, and the sword path is no longer as ethereal as before."

"By merging the sword veins with the earth's primordial chaos, one draws the earth's energy into the Baihui point, transforming turbid yin into the true qi of the Yellow Court."

"Those who enter this realm will take root on the spot, and their bodies will form an immovable boundary within a three-zhang radius. No matter how much force is applied to them, it will be like an ant trying to shake Mount Tai."

Ximen Chuixue stared at the power of heaven and earth gathering at Shen Ping'an's fingertips, constantly murmuring Shen Ping'an's description of the Earth Sword Realm. Sometimes his gaze was fascinated, sometimes confused, and sometimes excited.

After Shen Ping'an dispersed the power of heaven and earth gathered at his fingertips, Dugu Qiubai couldn't help but sigh, "To use the sword to draw upon the power of heaven and earth, and to be able to gather terrain within this power, truly worthy of being a level above the Swordless Realm, the Earth Sword Realm. I am far inferior to him."

Then, Dugu Qiubai changed the subject and asked, "May I ask, young friend, what realm follows after the Earth Sword Realm?"

Shen Ping'an replied, "After the Earth Sword Realm, the next step is naturally the Heaven Sword Realm."

Dugu Qiubai continued to ask, "What is the Heavenly Sword Realm?"

Shen Ping'an did not rush to respond after the question was raised.

After all, it involves the Heavenly Sword Realm, the sixth realm of swordsmanship, which even Shen Ping'an has not yet reached.

However, with Shen Ping'an's current sword cultivation, he can roughly deduce the situation of the Heavenly Sword Realm.

After organizing the vocabulary and descriptions in his mind, Shen Ping'an said softly, "Those who are at the Heavenly Sword Realm use wind and clouds as swords, yellow sand as swords, the heavens as swords, and the nine earths as swords. Wherever their gaze falls, the sword is the target. They are supreme because of their swords."

Upon hearing these words, Dugu Qiubai was startled, seemingly intimidated by Shen Ping'an's description.

The swordsmanship of Gongzi Yu, Zhang San Niang, and Yao Yue, who were standing nearby, was far from sufficient to understand the deeper meaning behind Shen Ping'an's words.

Just listening to Shen Ping'an's description, the group felt a sense of awe and wonder.

He unconsciously murmured Shen Ping'an's description of the Heavenly Sword Realm.

Ximen Chuixue repeatedly murmured Shen Ping'an's description of the sixth realm of swordsmanship, the Heavenly Sword Realm, in his mind before staring intently at Shen Ping'an.

When he challenged Shen Ping'an before, Ximen Chuixue knew that there was a huge gap between him and Shen Ping'an in swordsmanship.

However, Ximen Chuixue never knew exactly how big the difference was.

However, after the challenge ended, every time Ximen Chuixue recalled the scene of his fight with Shen Ping'an, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Only now, after clearly understanding Shen Ping'an's level of swordsmanship, did Ximen Chuixue realize the difference between Shen Ping'an and himself in swordsmanship.

The difference in their swordsmanship was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.

This also made him understand why, even though he tried his best, he could only take three difficult steps toward Shen Ping'an before he could not make any further progress.

After a short while, Dugu Qiubai exhaled a breath of turbid air and said with a sigh, "I never expected that you, young friend, would have already reached such a level on the path of swordsmanship."

"Not to mention the Great Ming Kingdom, looking across the entire land of Kyushu, in the art of swordsmanship, I'm afraid there is no one who can compare with you, young friend."

Shen Ping'an looked at Dugu Qiubai and said, "Senior has already entered the Swordless Realm, and now he knows the realms beyond the Swordless Realm. Given time, he will surely be able to enter the Earth Sword Realm or even the Heaven Sword Realm. The path of the sword is not lonely."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Qiubai murmured as if reminiscing, "Yes! The vast path of the sword, with no one to accompany me, how lonely it is."

Then, Dugu Qiubai looked at Shen Ping'an with a smile on his face: "For the past hundred years, no one has been able to rival you in your pursuit of the sword path. Now, on the path of the sword, we have a peerless genius like you, who was born for the sword, as our goal. From now on, the path of the sword will indeed not be lonely."

(End of this chapter)