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

Chapter 45, paragraphs 51 and 52: Fortunate Encounter with Huang Rong Leads to the Transformation into a Dragon
"Having obtained the Nine Yin Manual and the Quanzhen Sword Technique, this trip to Guanzhong was truly worthwhile."

evening.

In the valley where the secret passage entrance was located, Huang Rong sat on a green stone by the stream, her delicate, crystal-clear feet immersed in the clear water. Her snow-white toes playfully twitched, stirring up ripples, and her beautiful face was full of sweet smiles.

She had no interest in the Quanzhen sword technique.

But Lu Chen was able to learn a new sword technique, which made her happier than if she had received a great benefit herself.

"Not just the Quanzhen Swordplay."

Lu Chen stood beside the bluestone, gazing at her exquisite profile, edged with gold by the setting sun, making her appear like a celestial being descended to earth, and smiled:
"The swordsmanship of the Ancient Tomb Sect was also completely deduced during the battle with the leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect."

He had already learned the sword techniques from sparring with Li Mochou, but superior swordsmanship is not enough with just techniques; one must also have the mental techniques for channeling and generating power.

Without a mental cultivation method, sword techniques are merely superficial, beautiful to look at but useless.

Lu Chen's biggest gain from his battle with the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader was completing the deduction of the Ancient Tomb Sword Technique and its mental cultivation method.

Although he had never practiced the internal energy of the Ancient Tomb Sect, as long as he understood the mental techniques for channeling and exerting force, and with the integration of his "sword qi" with swordsmanship, he could fully unleash the power of any sword technique, and even surpass his master.

"Yue Maiden Swordplay, Fallen Blossom Swordplay, Heavy Sword Swordplay, White Rainbow Swordplay, Ancient Tomb Swordplay, Quanzhen Swordplay..."

Huang Rong counted them one by one with her long, slender, white fingers, then turned her head and smiled brightly at him:
"That makes six sword techniques! And apart from the Yue Maiden Sword Technique, they are all first-rate, top-tier sword techniques."

Lu Chen nodded, then sighed:

"The original Yue Maiden Sword Technique was actually much stronger, a sword technique that could be called extraordinary. Unfortunately, the Yue Maiden Sword Technique passed down in the martial arts world is a far cry from the original and can only be considered a common sword technique."

The true essence of the Yue Maiden Sword is only in the hands of A Qing.

However, A Qing did not know how to teach swordsmanship, so the Yue swordsmen who followed A Qing to learn swordsmanship only learned the shadow and superficial aspects of the Yue Maiden Sword. After going through a long history from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Song Dynasty, even the shadow was lost in much way, and later generations filled it with their own interpretations. The Yue Maiden Sword technique of today is no longer what it used to be.

Even with Lu Chen's swordsmanship comprehension, at most he could only make the Yue Maiden Sword move closer to the "shadow" learned by the Yue swordsmen, and it was almost impossible for him to deduce the original version of the Yue Maiden Sword by A Qing.

Even if he unlocks more of the Zhuxian Sword Intent in the future, understands deeper sword principles, and even pushes the power of the Yue Nu Sword to be close to or even surpass A Qing's, it can only be considered his "Yue Nu Sword," and it will have little to do with A Qing's original version of the Yue Nu Sword.

"After we learn the Quanzhen Swordplay, shall we leave?"

"Yes. Once we learn the Quanzhen Sword Technique, we'll go to Shaolin. After that, we should go find the Black Wind Duo."

"With your current martial arts skills, capturing the Black Wind Duo should be a piece of cake."

Lu Chen smiled faintly:
"Although I really want to be modest... I just can't find a reason to be modest."

With his current martial arts skills, even if Chen Xuanfeng were alive, he would be confident of defeating both of them, let alone the fact that only Mei Chaofeng remains of the "Black Wind Duo".

"You are not yet twenty, still an eighteen-year-old boy, yet you already possess such skill, and are full of vigor and even a little arrogant. What's so great about that?"

Huang Rong looked at Lu Chen with bright, sparkling eyes and said sweetly:
"I think that with your current martial arts skills, if you had participated in the last Mount Hua Sword Tournament, you might have been able to earn a reputation."

Lu Chen nodded and smiled:

"I think so."

Although his tone was calm, his words carried a certain confidence and self-assurance.

He didn't think he was being arrogant or conceited.

The last Mount Hua Sword Tournament was more than 20 years ago.

The Five Greats of that time were quite different from those of today in terms of martial arts skills—Hong Qigong had not mastered all the moves of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, his palm power had not reached its peak, and he had not mastered the Dog-Beating Staff Technique.

At that time, Yideng had not yet become a monk, nor had he practiced "Xiantian Gong" (a type of martial art), and his mastery of "Yiyang Finger" was more than twenty years less than it is today.

Huang Yaoshi had not yet created kung fu such as "Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm, Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Leg, and Qimen Five Turns". He was still using youthful versions of kung fu such as "Falling Flower Sword Technique, Green Wave Palm Technique, and Orchid Finger Acupoint Hand".

Although Ouyang Feng mastered the Toad Stance, he did not create any unique skills such as the Snake Fist or the Snake Staff Technique.

Lu Chen was confident that with his current martial arts skills, even if he was still slightly inferior to the Five Great Masters of the World, he would not be too far behind.

While the Five Greats were all exceptionally talented, his swordsmanship comprehension was also recognized by Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong as a peerless genius.

He had no idea what extraordinary encounters the Five Greats had in their youth.

However, he himself had a miraculous encounter with the Bodhi Snake and practiced the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (Muscle and Bone Strengthening Manual), which none of the Five Great Masters had ever practiced.

Even though he had only practiced martial arts for a short time and his skill level was far less than that of the Five Greats of the First Tournament, he believed that his skill level was not much worse than that of the Five Greats of the First Tournament.

With multiple superior sword techniques at his disposal, plus the extraordinary skill of "sword aura," he could barely be considered to have a unique skill, and he would not be much different from the Five Greats in a contest.

And Huang Rong was indispensable to his achievements.

He learned swordsmanship entirely thanks to Huang Rong's guidance.

The Falling Petals Sword Technique was only taught to Huang Rong after she obtained permission from Huang Yaoshi.

Brother Diao favored her greatly, presenting her with snake gall, a heavy sword, and even training her in swordsmanship. Rong'er's barbecue skills also played a crucial role in this.

The White Rainbow Sword Technique was also a reward that Rong'er obtained from Qi Gong. The reason Qi Gong stayed for more than ten days afterward was because Rong'er was so charming and had amazing cooking skills.

The easy discovery of the ancient tomb's secret passage was also thanks to Rong'er, and after finding the "Chongyang Inscription," it was also Rong'er who deciphered the true scripture.

Otherwise, even if Lu Chen found that part of the Nine Yin Manual, he wouldn't understand many of the Taoist terms in it, and he would have to find a way to steal the master's knowledge from the Quanzhen Sect, which would cause him a lot of trouble.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen suddenly realized that the "Sword Intent of Immortal Slaughter" had not just casually thrown him in front of Rong'er's boat.

Instead, they specially found him a benefactor.

Thinking of Rong'er's support for him all the way, Lu Chen suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

He couldn't help but step onto the bluestone, squat down beside her, and gently embrace her.

"Huh?" Huang Rong was stunned, her pretty face slightly flushed, and she said reproachfully, "Why did you suddenly hug me?"

Lu Chen gazed tenderly into Rong'er's bright eyes and smiled slightly:
"Thank you, Rong'er."

As he said that, he kissed her lightly on the forehead.

This made Huang Rong's cheeks turn even redder, her pretty face as if it had been rouged, and even her crystal earlobes were tinged with pink.

Her eyes were watery and her heart was pounding. She lay dizzy in Lu Chen's arms and it took her a while to come back to her senses.

"Why did you suddenly kiss me again?"

She bit her lip shyly and gave Lu Chen a sullen look. Suddenly, the corners of her lips curled up, and a sly smile flashed in her eyes. She put one hand on Lu Chen's shoulder and pushed his waist with the other, using a tripping technique. Lu Chen, who was completely unprepared for her, immediately took the hit and was thrown into the stream with a splash.

Hahahaha...

Rong'er's delicate and adorable snow-white feet kicked and splashed water joyfully, laughing so hard she almost fell over.

Lu Chen stood up from the waist-deep stream, wiped the water off his face, grinned at her, and suddenly lunged forward, grabbing one of her soft little feet. With a gentle pull, he dragged her into the stream as well, amidst Rong'er's exclamation.

"The big bad guy Lu Chen..."

Rong'er surfaced, let out a shout, and lunged at Lu Chen with bared teeth and claws, starting to playfully fight with him in the water.

As the sun sets, the afterglow is fiery red, and a gentle evening breeze blows.

The air above the gently flowing stream was filled with the exclamations and laughter of young girls.

……

goo goo goo...

On the earthen stove, water was bubbling in an iron pot, and the contents of the pot were foaming and emitting a strange smell.

Little Dragon Girl sat on a stool carved from a tree stump, her chin resting on her hands, curiously looking at the iron pot, and asked Huang Rong, who was putting things into the pot, in a slightly childish voice:

"Sister Rong'er, what are you cooking?"

Huang Rong smiled broadly:
"Boil the shampoo."

She was indeed boiling shampoo, and the ingredients were soapberry, arborvitae leaves, and fleeceflower root.

When Lu Chen first saw her boil shampoo and then lather it up with lots of foam, he was a little surprised, as if he hadn't expected that there would be such a good shampoo in the "mortal world".

Little Dragon Girl blinked her bright, sparkling eyes twice: "Shampoo... is it for drinking?"

Huang Rong nodded solemnly:

"Yes."

"So, is it good?"

"It's delicious! Would you like to try some, Long'er?"

Long'er shook his head like a rattle-drum:

"No. It smells weird, like medicine I take when I'm sick. It must taste awful."

Huang Rong, having failed to fool the child, puffed out her rosy cheeks and chuckled again.
"Just kidding, shampoo isn't for drinking. It's for washing hair. Hasn't Long'er used it before?"

"Wash my hair? Master, Senior Sister, and Granny Sun always wash my hair for me. I think they use soap?"

"Soapberry works too. Like I do, you can add some arborvitae leaves and fleeceflower root to boil it, and it will make your hair cleaner and shinier. If you don't like the smell, you can add some 'rose water' or other floral perfumes, and after washing your hair, it will smell as sweet as flowers..."

Floral perfumes were first introduced by merchants from large food-producing regions.

Merchants in the Song Dynasty had long since begun to imitate merchants in the Arab world, using distillation to produce floral perfumes from roses, jasmine, and other flowers.

During the Song Dynasty, the scholar-official class particularly enjoyed using floral perfumes to scent their clothes. The contemporary poet Liu Kezhuang even used the phrase "a drop on silk robes lasts until death" to describe the longevity of the fragrance.

Huang Rong's father was born into a scholarly family and lived in the East Sea, so he naturally grew up using various floral perfumes and dews.

Two girls, ten years apart in age, were talking about shampoo.

On a clearing by the stream not far away, the head of the Ancient Tomb Sect was teaching Lu Chen the Quanzhen Sword Technique.

Li Mochou didn't come today. Her confinement period hasn't ended yet. After yesterday's events, she went back to her confinement.

The leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect seems to possess quite remarkable talent.

Just yesterday, Huang Rong explained the Taoist terminology, resolving his long-standing confusion. Today, she was able to break down the Quanzhen Swordplay in detail, teaching Lu Chen its essence without reservation. Her teaching level is quite good; she can definitely be called a wise teacher.

One was good at teaching, and the other was good at learning. The two complemented each other perfectly. In just one hour, Lu Chen had already learned the complete Quanzhen Sword Technique. The next step was to continue practicing and mastering it.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Lu Chen clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.

The sect leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect looked at Lu Chen with a slightly strange expression:
"Young friend Lu's swordsmanship talent... is truly astonishing."

She originally thought it would take at least several days to teach Lu Chen.

Unexpectedly, he had mastered it completely in just one hour. After practicing a couple more times, his skill was as if he had been practicing for almost half a year.

Such astonishing swordsmanship talent was probably unmatched even by her young mistress Lin Chaoying, or even by Wang Chongyang, who was hailed as the best in the world.

“If young friend Lu had been born a few decades earlier, he would have been the best in the world, and Wang Chongyang would probably have had no chance.”

The head of the Ancient Tomb Sect pondered to himself.

Next, she gave Lu Chen some pointers and practiced with him twice before returning to the ancient tomb with Long'er.

A few days later.

The head of the Ancient Tomb Sect brought Long'er over every day. Long'er played with Huang Rong, while Huang Rong instructed Lu Chen in Quanzhen Sect swordsmanship.

Well, while I said I was giving him guidance, it was actually about improving together with him, since the head of the Ancient Tomb Sect had only just mastered the Quanzhen Sword Technique himself.

Lu Chen's swordsmanship talent far surpasses that of the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader. His Quanzhen swordsmanship improves every day, and in just a few days, the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader believes that his mastery of Quanzhen swordsmanship is already comparable to that of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

So later on, it was actually Lu Chen who was instructing the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader on the Quanzhen Sword Technique.

So the leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect rewarded him by teaching him the Quanzhen Sect's lightness skill, "Golden Goose Skill," and also a set of palm techniques that Wang Chongyang was most proud of, "Treading on Frost and Breaking Ice Palm Technique."

The Ancient Tomb was originally built by Wang Chongyang. In one of the tomb chambers, he inscribed almost all the martial arts except for the "Innate Skill". Therefore, the Ancient Tomb Sect has the complete set of Quanzhen Sect martial arts.

The Ancient Tomb Sect is the one in the world that understands Quanzhen martial arts the most. After all, in addition to possessing the complete set of Quanzhen martial arts, Lin Chaoying also created the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra," which is specifically designed to counter Quanzhen martial arts.

It's just that he didn't understand Taoist terminology before, and couldn't figure out the Quanzhen Principles, so the Ancient Tomb Sect Leader couldn't master the second stage of the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra".

Now that he has learned Taoist terminology, the head of the Ancient Tomb Sect has begun the second stage of his practice of the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra".

As for the third stage of two-person training, that will have to wait until Long'er grows up—although Li Mochou is the eldest disciple and her age is suitable, their personalities are incompatible, so she really can't practice the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Lu Chen also put some effort into practicing the "Golden Goose Skill" of lightness skill, because safety comes first when traveling the martial world.

As for the "Frost-Treading and Ice-Breaking Palm," he merely learned it and that was it; he didn't delve into it further.

His hand-to-hand combat skills are indeed somewhat lacking; it seems he can't fight without a sword, but...

Who says you can't use swordsmanship if you don't have a sword in your hand?

Back when he was eating snake gallbladders in Snake Valley to increase his power, he was already able to use his true energy to power his fingers and pierce through tough hardwood with a single finger.

Now that he has practiced the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (a martial arts manual), his skill has greatly increased, and he has even developed "sword aura." His hand skills are no longer to be underestimated, and are by no means inferior to Mei Chaofeng's "Nine Yin White Bone Claw".

When I arrived at Zhongnan Mountain, it was already late autumn. After cultivating in the valley for more than ten days, winter had arrived before I knew it.

This morning.

Huang Rong, as usual, slept until the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) before getting up. Pushing open the door of the wooden house, she immediately felt a chill rushing towards her.

Upon closer inspection, the valley and its vegetation were all covered in a blanket of white snow. On both sides of the stream, more than an inch of snow had accumulated on the rocks, making the water appear even clearer and more pristine.

"What a beauty……"

Huang Rong chuckled softly and gracefully stepped out of the house, dressed only in a thin garment.

She ate snake meat in Snake Valley to improve her internal strength and become stronger. Now, after practicing the "Tendon-Changing and Bone-Forging Technique" for more than ten days, her skills and physique have increased again. Even though she is dressed in thin clothes, the chill of the early winter snow can no longer harm her.

Like a carefree fawn, she lifted her skirt and leaped lightly across the snow, quickly arriving at a clearing in the woods.

In the open space, the wind howled, and Lu Chen was already practicing his swordplay. The blazing sword light reflected off the snow, creating a chilling effect, and the sharp sword wind was like a biting gale.

Judging from the sweat on Lu Chen's forehead, the white steam rising from his head, and the damp patches on his clothes that were either from snow or sweat, it was clear that he had been practicing for at least an hour and a half. Perhaps he had already been practicing his sword here before dawn, when the snow was still falling.

Huang Rong stood gracefully under the tree with her hands behind her back, watching Lu Chen practice his swordplay with a smile.

She herself wasn't diligent in martial arts practice, but admiring Lu Chen's swordplay had become her hobby. His figure, sometimes as agile as a dragon and sometimes as graceful as a crane, was, in her eyes, more beautiful than the best dramas and dances in the world.

After watching for a while, Lu Chen's sword technique suddenly changed. He thrust nine times in one breath. When each thrust was halfway through, his wrist suddenly trembled, and the tip of the sword suddenly flicked. The sword light split into three in an instant, as if three swords were thrust out at the same time, which could attack three targets at the same time.

Thus, the nine consecutive sword strikes became twenty-seven sword strikes.

Huang Rong knew that this was the superior killing move "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" from the Quanzhen Swordplay, where each thrust could be transformed into three.

However, splitting one into three is not so easy; at least neither she nor the head of the Ancient Tomb Sect could do it.

The Ancient Tomb Sect Leader could only counter two swords with a single thrust, and his swordplay was far less sharp and swift than Lu Chen's.

Huang Rong also knew that Lu Chen's "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" was probably even more powerful than Qiu Chuji, the most skilled martial artist among the Seven Masters of Quanzhen, when he personally unleashed it.

Because "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" is a rapier, and as long as it is a rapier-like move, Lu Chen can incorporate the essence of "Sword One" to greatly increase its power.

Even from an outsider's perspective, watching Lu Chen unleash the "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" technique, which consists of nine consecutive sword strikes followed by twenty-seven sword strikes, Huang Rong was at a loss for how to defend herself. It seemed that she had no other option but to use all her movement skills to escape and dodge.

This was only because her lightness skill was exceptional.

For an ordinary martial artist, even escaping and dodging would be a pipe dream in the face of Lu Chen's "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" technique.

After watching quietly for a while, Huang Rong went back to prepare breakfast.

She is Lu Chen's best assistant.

With her by his side, Lu Chen could focus on practicing martial arts without any worries, and one day he would be able to climb to the top of Mount Hua and compete with the Five Great Masters of the world.

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(End of this chapter)