The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapters 41, 43, and 44: Let's go to the ancient tomb to retrieve the Chongyang Inscription! [Two-in-One]

What is the happiest thing about being someone's mentor?
Nothing surpasses the disciple's astonishing comprehension; he grasps things instantly, learns them quickly, and can even apply what he's learned to other situations.

Hong Qigong is now experiencing this kind of joy.

In less than an hour, Lu Chen had learned the entire White Rainbow Sword Technique and could perform it quite well.

Huang Rong and Li Mochou learned the White Rainbow Sword Technique in just one morning.

This level of understanding even made Hong Qigong consider taking him as a disciple.

Unfortunately, all three children—one being Huang Yaoshi's daughter, one being Huang Yaoshi's last disciple, and the other being the grand-disciple of the heroine Lin Chaoying—were already taken, leaving Hong Qigong quite distressed.

He originally intended to leave after teaching this sword technique, but the talent of Lu Chen and the other two made him a little reluctant to leave.

While she was hesitating and struggling with her decision, Huang Rong personally cooked a big meal at noon to repay Qi Gong for passing on his skills.

Hong Qigong originally thought that Rong'er was too young and, being the eldest daughter of Huang Yaoshi, would be spoiled and pampered and wouldn't know anything about cooking.
But before the dishes were even served, the aroma was already making his mouth water.

When he tasted it himself, Hong Qigong was both surprised and delighted.

He has tasted delicacies all his life, experienced the skills of famous chefs from all over the world, and even tasted the skills of imperial chefs. He claims that there is no food that can move him anymore.

But today, Rong'er's culinary skills actually surpassed those of all the famous chefs, leaving Hong Qigong completely captivated. He savored each dish slowly and carefully, finally offering a four-word comment:
Unparalleled in the world.

Because of Rong'er's culinary skills, Hong Qigong was reluctant to leave immediately, so he stayed to continue teaching her.

Lu Chen's talent lies entirely in swordsmanship; his other martial arts skills are somewhat lacking.

Furthermore, how vast is the "Sword Intent of Immortal Slaughter"?
With just "Sword One," Lu Chen gains new insights every time he comprehends the sword intent imprint. In the future, when he unlocks more sword intents, he will definitely have to devote all his energy to studying and researching them. He doesn't have much energy to spare for other things.

Regarding other martial arts, even the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," his attitude was that they could be explored, but there was no need to spend time and effort studying them.

Therefore, Hong Qigong's guidance was more significant to him in broadening his horizons, increasing his knowledge, and serving as a sparring partner to improve his combat skills.

Having a sparring partner of the Five Greats level is no ordinary opportunity.

Back in Shaoxing Prefecture, Huang Yaoshi only sparred with Lu Chen a few times, and Lu Chen's combat ability improved by leaps and bounds. In his first battle, he was able to kill a bandit leader who had dozens of lives on his hands, was extremely experienced in combat, and whose skill was far superior to Huang Yaoshi's.

At that time, Huang Yaoshi only used swordsmanship and didn't use his other martial arts much.

Now, thanks to Huang Rong's culinary skills, Hong Qigong was even more dedicated than Huang Yaoshi when he served as a sparring partner. He used a variety of weapons and martial arts techniques, including swords, spears, whips, clubs, fists, palms, fingers, claws, and light footwork, to give Lu Chen a good glimpse into the profound knowledge of the Five Greats.

Of course, although Hong Qigong has a wide variety of martial arts skills, his martial arts philosophy is the same as Lu Chen's, which is to master one thing.

He truly devoted his heart and soul to practicing only the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog-Beating Staff Technique passed down by the Beggars' Sect. Unlike Huang Yaoshi, he did not devote his heart and soul to studying every martial art and had to master it to the extreme.

Even so, with Hong Qigong's martial arts prowess, his other martial arts skills besides the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog-Beating Staff Technique were all top-notch in the martial arts world.

If he were to use his true skills, even without using the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms or the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, he could easily defeat any master below the Five Greats level.

With such a comprehensive and powerful top expert in this world as his sparring partner, Lu Chen's horizons were greatly broadened, and his experience in using swordsmanship to deal with various weapons and fist and foot techniques was greatly improved, and his combat ability once again made leaps and bounds.

By the seventh day, when Hong Qigong had suppressed his power to the same level as Lu Chen, and instead of using the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog-Beating Staff, he fought Lu Chen with only other martial arts, he was no longer able to defeat him within five hundred moves.

Even if they used the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, it would take about a hundred moves to defeat Lu Chen.

After this improvement, Lu Chen felt that no matter what extraordinary skills he encountered in the future, as long as they were not at the level of the Five Greats, he should not be caught off guard.

Several more days passed.

this day.

After another fight, having suppressed his power, Hong Qigong fought for a full 150 or 160 moves before finally disarming Lu Chen with the Dog-Beating Stick Technique. He sighed with emotion:
"In just over ten days, young Lu has mastered the newly learned 'White Rainbow Sword Technique' to perfection, and his 'Falling Blossom Sword Technique' has even surpassed his master, surpassing Huang Yaoshi in his youth. He has even mastered the 'Yue Maiden Sword Technique,' a common sword technique, to a certain degree of profundity. He is truly a sword prodigy. It's just that his skill is still lacking, but that doesn't matter. You are still young, and you have plenty of time to catch up."

Huang Rong's eyes lit up, and she asked:

"Seventh Master, from what you're saying, if my brother Lu Chen's skill level were to reach your level, wouldn't that be enough to rival the Five Greats?"

Hong Qigong laughed heartily:
"That's not enough. Young Master Lu still knows too few sword techniques. The strength of the Five Greats lies in the fact that almost any martial art, as long as it cannot defeat them once, and they have seen it once, they can think of a way to deal with it or even break it on the spot."

"Therefore, if you want to truly rival the Five Greats, skill alone is not enough, and Lu boy's current sword techniques are far from sufficient. You need to develop a sword technique that the Five Greats cannot break."

"Just like the old beggar's 'Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms,' the moves are ordinary and anyone can understand them at a glance. But the old beggar can boast that even if I practice the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms a hundred times, the other Five Greats will not be able to break my Subduing Dragon Palms. At most, they can only contend with it."

"Of course, the old beggar can't crack the signature skills of the other Five Greats either; he can only contend with them. And that's what we call 'standing on equal footing.' Young Lu, now, besides your skill level, all you lack is a unique signature skill."

Actually, Brother Lu Chen also has some special skills.

Huang Rong muttered to herself.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that he was not yet fully proficient in his signature move, "Sword One," and that he only had one sword strike. Therefore, it could not yet be considered a unique skill that could rival the Five Greats.

Lu Chen was also thinking.

The Yue Maiden Sword Technique, the Fallen Flower Sword Technique, and the White Rainbow Sword Technique are not considered unique skills by the Five Greats.

In terms of heavy swordsmanship, his skill level is not as high as Yang Guo's, and it cannot be considered a unique skill.

Even if "Sword One" can be mastered in the future, it will only be one sword.

The move is still a simple and straightforward thrust. It can only be used when facing a master, after creating the most suitable opportunity with other martial arts. After all, a true master will not stand still and wait to be stabbed. Therefore, this move can only be considered a decisive killing blow, not a complete set of martial arts that can rival a master.

At least for now, and for a long time to come, he may not be able to instantly cast Sword Strike 1 and make it impossible for the enemy to avoid it under any circumstances, leaving them with no choice but to take the hit.

So how can one develop their own unique skill at this stage?
In fact, he had already thought about this for a long time.

That is to integrate the essence and spirit of "Sword One" into the current sword techniques to enhance their power.

He has already put this idea into practice.

The Yue Maiden Swordplay, Fallen Flower Swordplay, Heavy Swordplay, and even the newly mastered White Rainbow Swordplay all incorporate some elements of "Sword One." Any move related to "stabbing" is exceptionally powerful.

Otherwise, Qi Gong would not have praised his swordsmanship as "perfectly refined" or even "surpassing his master."

However, simply incorporating a few "further details" is not enough.

At least not in the face of the Five Greats.

We need to gain a deeper understanding of the "Sword Imprint" and comprehend more sword principles, integrating the essence and spirit of "Sword Imprint" into our swordsmanship.

Only in this way can a complete set of sword techniques be developed.

"Then, Seventh Master, where does my brother Lu Chen rank in the martial arts world?"

"In the martial arts world... if it's a one-on-one fight, Lu boy's skills are probably unmatched except for a few old guys. But you never know. After all, anything can happen in a real battle. If someone is arrogant, overconfident, or careless, even a master can be defeated unexpectedly. On the other hand, if the weak are good at seizing opportunities, it's not impossible for them to defeat the strong."

"Understood! My brother Lu Chen's martial arts skills are now only able to be suppressed by you older generation like Seventh Master!"

Huang Rong selectively ignored the warnings that followed, and only listened to the first sentence spoken by Qi Gong, which made her so happy that her eyebrows and eyes turned into crescent moons.

That evening, she prepared another delicious meal, which Hong Qigong thoroughly enjoyed.

After finishing his meal, Seven wiped his mouth and laughed heartily.
"Young Lu is making rapid progress, and Rong'er and Mochou have also made progress. This old beggar has nothing more to teach you. Goodbye!"

After saying that, he flashed up the wall and was about to fly away.

Lu Chen and Li Mochou quickly thanked them loudly:

"Many thanks to Master Qi for passing on his skills!"

Huang Rong cupped her hands into a megaphone and called out to Qi Gong's back, "Qi Gong, you haven't taught me the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms yet!"

Hong Qigong stumbled, turned around, and laughed as he cursed:
"Rong'er is so greedy, wanting to learn the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms? Tell that boy Lu to become my disciple and join the Beggars' Sect first!"

Having said that, he drifted away.

Well, actually, he taught Lu Chen one move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "Divine Dragon Swings its Tail".

The reason for teaching this move was so that if Lu Chen were caught in a pincer attack in the future and was unable to cope with it all at once, he could still find time to defend against a sneak attack from behind.

For Lu Chen, one palm strike was enough.

After all, he was going to specialize in swordsmanship, and he really didn't have the energy to practice the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," a seemingly ordinary but powerful palm technique that could be studied for a lifetime and evolved into countless unique ways of exerting force.

Therefore, learning a move called "Dragon Tail Swing" to deal with attacks from behind, and practicing it in his spare time during his daily sword practice, was just right for him.

With Qi Gong gone, and unlikely to return, Huang Rong and Li Mochou both felt a sense of loss.

Lu Chen also felt a little regretful.

He felt that his current potential had not yet been fully exploited. If Master Qi provided him with more training and guidance for another month or so, and put him under greater pressure, his unique sword technique, which incorporated the essence of "Sword One," would take shape even faster.

Unfortunately, Master Qi was just a restless person who loved to travel around.

I was able to patiently train him for about ten days this time, which is already thanks to Rong'er's cooking skills.

At this moment, Li Mochou suddenly said:

"Brother Lu, would you be willing to spar with me at full strength?"

These past few days, she not only learned the White Rainbow Sword Technique, but also sparred with Hong Qigong several times and received a lot of guidance from him. She felt that her combat skills had improved by leaps and bounds, so she wanted to test her current skills and see how much of a gap there was between her and Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was praised by Qi Gong for her superb swordsmanship. The only difference between her and the Five Greats was her skill and a unique technique. In the martial arts world, only a few elders like Qi Gong could suppress her. If she could fight Lu Chen to a standstill when she went all out... well, a standstill is unlikely.

But if she can fight for a hundred or so moves, does that prove her strength and that she has a place in the martial arts world?

Seeing Li Mochou's eager expression, Lu Chen didn't refuse and picked up the wooden practice sword.
"Going all out?"

Li Mochou also picked up the wooden sword for practice and nodded affirmatively:
"Attack with all your strength!"

"it is good."

Lu Chen smiled slightly and, without any politeness, thrust his sword straight forward. Although it was just a wooden sword, this thrust, imbued with the essence of the sword, made Li Mochou feel a chill between her brows, and the hairs on her body stood on end. She had the illusion that she might be killed by his sword at any moment.

Fortunately, she had indeed made great progress in this period of time. At the critical moment, she suddenly raised her wooden sword to block Lu Chen's sword. She intended to deflect Lu Chen's wooden sword, but unexpectedly, Lu Chen just flipped his wrist and pressed the wooden sword down lightly. At the same time, the blade burst out with a powerful force, which knocked her wooden sword away and left her wide open.

Lu Chenmu swiftly advanced with his wooden sword, striking Li Mochou squarely in the heart.

Although the sword was only touched and then withdrawn without harming Li Mochou, it still made her eyes widen in disbelief.

Despite his own martial arts skills having improved significantly, he was defeated in just two sword strikes by Brother Lu's all-out attack.
Huang Rong comforted her from the side:
"Sister Mochou, don't be discouraged. This time, Brother Lu Chen struck first, catching you off guard. In another match, you'll strike first and be able to hold out for a few more moves."

Rong'er's comforting words...

Li Mochou glanced at Huang Rong speechlessly, then rallied her spirits and struck first. With a hiss, her wooden sword pierced out swiftly. Midway through its flight, she flicked her wrist and unleashed a series of rapid strikes, targeting several vital acupoints on Lu Chen's chest and abdomen.

Lu Chen smiled slightly, his wrist spun rapidly, and with a casual flick of his wrist, the wooden sword transformed into an impenetrable phantom, intercepting Li Mochou's several thrusts. The force of the sword even made Li Mochou's fingers and palms go numb and her wrists tremble.

Before she could dissipate the recoil, Lu Chen's longsword suddenly drew a graceful arc, slashing straight at her neck.

She hurriedly took graceful steps and dodged away, but Lu Chen followed the sword like a shadow. No matter how she used her lightness skill, she could not create distance. She had no choice but to use all her strength to parry. But at the moment the two swords clashed, Lu Chen's sword released its internal energy and snapped her wooden sword in two. After that, Lu Chen's wooden sword had no further obstruction and gently grazed her neck.

"..."

Li Mochou was taken aback again. She hadn't expected that even though she had made the first move, she still couldn't stop Lu Chen's three or two moves.

Seeing Li Mochou standing there, her face pale, Huang Rong couldn't help but ask with concern:

"Sister Mochou, are you alright?"

Lu Chen also offered his concern:

"Miss Mochou, are you hurt?"

"No, no."

Li Mochou shook her head and touched her neck:

"Brother Lu didn't even use his full strength in that sword strike, so how could it have hurt me? I just... never imagined that the gap between us would be so vast."

Huang Rong comforted her:
"Although Brother Lu Chen's skill level is not comparable to the Five Greats, it is still among the top in the martial arts world. His swordsmanship is also highly praised by Master Qi. It is only natural that Sister Mo Chou cannot compare to him, so there is no need to be too discouraged."

Lu Chen also offered words of comfort:

"Miss Mochou's swordsmanship is actually quite good, but her skill level is still shallow. But there's nothing we can do about it. After all, internal energy cultivation cannot be achieved overnight. I have such skill level because of a fortuitous encounter."

"Hmm." Li Mochou nodded, composed herself, and smiled brightly: "I'm fine. Being defeated by Brother Lu in a few moves is better than overestimating myself and being defeated and killed by the enemy in a future life-or-death battle."

Huang Rong said with a smile, "It's good that you think that way!"

Li Mochou took a deep breath, glanced at Lu Chen and Huang Rong, hesitated for a moment, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes, but still resolutely said:
"Rong'er, Brother Lu, I plan to return to my sect."

"Huh?" Huang Rong was taken aback. "Why? Didn't you say you were going to travel the world with us?"

Although Li Mochou returned to the mountain and she could play freely with Lu Chen again, she and Li Mochou had also developed a deep friendship over the past few days. When she suddenly heard that Li Mochou was leaving, Huang Rong was really reluctant to part with her.

Besides, Lu Chen hasn't even learned her Ancient Tomb Sword Technique yet.

Li Mochou laughed:
"Since I know that my skill level is a weakness, I should try to make up for it. My sect has a treasure that can help people quickly improve their skill level. I didn't like to suffer before, so I didn't use that treasure often, and my progress in skill level was just average. Now that I know that skill level is important, I should go back and cultivate hard to make up for my weakness."

She paused, then said with a smile:
"It is my great fortune to have met Rong'er and Brother Lu during this journey through the martial world. Thanks to you, I was able to receive the teachings and guidance of Master Qi, and it was also with you that I witnessed the true nature of the martial world. Now that I am back on the mountain, I will work hard to cultivate, and when my skills are good enough, I will come out of the mountain to meet you again."

Hearing her heartfelt words, Huang Rong felt even more reluctant to part with her. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"Sister Mochou, where is your sect?"

"In Zhongnan Mountain."

“It’s not far…” Huang Rong looked at Lu Chen. “Brother Lu Chen, shall we send Sister Mochou back to the mountain first, and then go to Shaolin? Anyway, it’s not far from Xiangyang to Guanzhong, and it’s not far from Chang’an to Dengfeng either.”

Upon hearing Rong'er's words, Li Mochou, who had been quite reluctant to part with Lu Chen, suddenly looked overjoyed and filled with anticipation.

Upon hearing Rong'er's suggestion, Lu Chen thought of the "Chongyang Inscription" in the secret chamber of the ancient tomb.

Among the Chongyang inscriptions, there seems to be a "Yi Jin Duan Gu" chapter?
The Yi Jin Duan Gu chapter includes both meditation and external martial arts techniques that work from the outside in. It can not only rapidly improve one's skill level, but also improve one's physical constitution to a certain extent...

Rong'er was naturally active and disliked meditation.

Although Lu Chen's skill is now profound, if he were to cultivate in a regular manner, it would take him an extremely long time to catch up with the Five Greats.

So, going to Zhongnan Mountain and finding the ancient tomb under Li Mochou's guidance seems like a good option.
He smiled slightly at Huang Rong at that moment:
"Alright, we'll escort Miss Mochou back to the mountain."

Li Mochou's face lit up with surprise, and she smiled brightly.

[I forgot to set up automatic updates and overslept again, haha. Another two-in-one update today! Please vote with your monthly tickets!]

(End of this chapter)