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

Chapter 90, page 105: The Dugu Nine Swords can't break through this move! [Seeking monthly votes!]

Mount Hua, Cliff of Repentance.

Today, there are no Huashan disciples meditating on the Cliff of Repentance.

Two outsiders, however, followed the narrow and treacherous mountain path and arrived at this barren cliff.

"Brother Lu Chen, do you think there is such a cliff on Mount Hua in my world?"

"I don't know. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We'll have to go and see for ourselves."

"So you're going to participate in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament?"

"If Rong'er wants me to participate, then I will participate."

"Of course I hope you'll participate! If you win the title of the best in the world and claim the title of 'Central Sword God,' then together with my father's 'Eastern Heretic,' our Peach Blossom Island lineage will be able to occupy two of the five great masters of the world—east, west, south, north, and center..."

"Does that mean I can beat my father-in-law without holding back? Would that be a bad idea?"

"Hmm, that was a bit too much. Here's what we'll do: after we get back to Peach Blossom Island, you should have a private spar with Father and let him know how good you are. Go easy on him during the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, give him enough face, and Father should be more inclined to promote you. Also, let's find Master Qi in private first..."

"Doesn't this seem like a secret transaction? It feels like they're bullying the honest Southern Emperor..."

"Oh dear, didn't the Southern Emperor become a monk? Since he's a monk, he certainly has no desire to compete..."

Amidst laughter and conversation, Lu Chen and Huang Rong entered the cave at Siguo Cliff hand in hand.

"Hey, Feng Qingyang's name is here."

Upon entering the cave, Huang Rong noticed the three characters "Feng Qingyang" carved on the left side of the stone wall. She immediately smiled and said:

"It seems that this senior Feng was quite mischievous in his youth and was once punished by being made to stand here and reflect on his mistakes."

Lu Chen smiled faintly:
"Who hasn't been young and impetuous? Senior Feng is no exception."

As he spoke, he wandered around inside the cave, slapping the stone wall with his palm.

After striking more than ten times, he finally received the unique feedback from striking a hollow cavity in a certain spot on the stone wall.

"It should be here."

Lu Chen pressed his right hand against the stone wall, forcefully channeling his true energy and unleashing a powerful shock.

Bang!
With a muffled thud, a surge of air caused the stone walls around Lu Chen's palm to crack and then collapse, revealing a tunnel with walls covered in marks from sharp weapons.

Lu Chen waved his sleeve to clear away the billowing dust, and he and Huang Rong looked inside. They saw a skeleton lying in the tunnel, its clothes decayed, and two large, gleaming axes lying beside the corpse.

"What a pity, he was just one step away from completing the tunnel..."

Looking at the skeleton, Huang Rong shook her head and sighed.

On her way to Mount Hua, she had already heard Lu Chen tell the story of the ten elders of the Demonic Sect challenging the Five Mountains Sword Sect to a duel at Mount Hua. She also knew that the ten elders were eventually tricked and killed in a secret cave in Mount Hua. Before their deaths, they even came up with a way to break the Five Mountains Sword Technique.

"I was really unlucky."

As Lu Chen spoke casually, he picked up a torch he had prepared beforehand, lit it with a tinderbox, and stepped into the tunnel first.

Huang Rong also lit a torch and followed him inside. They went down the tunnel and saw two more skeletons along the way.

After walking for a while, at the end of the tunnel, a huge stone cave, large enough to hold a thousand people, suddenly appeared ahead.

There were seven more skeletons in the cave, some sitting and some lying down. Together with the three skeletons in the tunnel, they made up the total number of the ten demon gods of the Demonic Cult.

Besides the skeletons and weapons of the ten demon gods, the cave is also scattered with the distinctive longswords of the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

Huang Rong, carrying a torch, rushed straight to the stone wall and, sure enough, saw two pairs of human figures dissecting martial arts moves on one of the walls. Next to the drawings was an inscription: "Zhang Chengyun and Zhang Chengfeng have completely broken the Huashan Sword Technique."

Lu Chen approached Huang Rong, looked at the drawing on the stone wall, and asked:
"Rong'er, do you think the Huashan Sword Technique has been broken?"

Huang Rong looked at the pictures on the stone wall and said with a smile:
"Are you testing me? If Yue Buqun and his disciples were to use the Huashan sword technique, they could easily break through the techniques on this stone wall, completely dismantling every move."

"But if it were you... well, that's too unfair. Even if it were me, using the Huashan Sword Technique, it wouldn't be easily broken. Because I simply can't be so rigid in my moves."

The Huang family father and daughter on Peach Blossom Island are characterized by their quick wit and lack of rigidity.

If martial arts don't work, then change your approach.

They would never be like Yue Buqun and his disciples, whose moves were rigid and inflexible.

When Lu Chen first learned swordsmanship, he modified the Yue Nu Sword and Luo Ying Sword according to the sword principles he comprehended from the "Sword Imprint". He freely disassembled and connected the moves of the two sword techniques, using whatever was practical to execute the moves.

When Huang Yaoshi was practicing swordsmanship with him, he saw his skillful application of techniques and was not angry at all. Instead, he thought he was a genius in swordsmanship with extraordinary talent and was full of admiration.

But if you were to encounter Yue Buqun, you'd definitely turn pale, get a furious outburst, and might even get slapped, beaten, or forced to face the wall in punishment.

Lu Chen nodded with pleasure:

"That's right. Techniques are static, but people are dynamic. If you stick to fixed moves and routines and dare not break out of the mold, if you follow the rules in every move and dare not overstep them in the slightest, and you don't even dare to actively make up for the existing flaws in your moves, then naturally all your sword moves will be broken."

"But when it comes to something spiritual and capable of change, this method of breaking the spell becomes useless. It's not that it's completely useless, but its usefulness is far less than what is shown on the stone wall."

Huang Rong smiled and said:

"Nevertheless, we can still learn from others. The sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, as well as the counter-moves of the Ten Great Demon Gods, can greatly enrich our martial arts foundation."

"Yes. There are also many lost superior sword techniques from the Five Mountains Sword Sect here, which will indeed be of great help to my swordsmanship foundation."

"We can also bring back some local specialties for Father," Huang Rong said with a smile. "Father will be very happy to see so many different styles and unique sword techniques."

Huang Yaoshi just likes to have too much and want to try new things.

With so many different styles of swordsmanship from the Five Mountains Sword Sect, it's no wonder that Master Huang was pleased.

The two of them were in this secret cave, watching the sword techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and how to counter them by torchlight.

After watching for a while, Huang Rong picked up the ready-made longsword from the ground and challenged Lu Chen to a duel.

Lu Chen then used the "Flat Sword" technique to spar with Master Rong, helping her to deepen her understanding.

This is a gift for my father-in-law, so it can't be taken lightly.

After practicing for a while, the torches were about to burn out, so the two prepared to go out and find some firewood. Just as they returned to the meditation cave, they saw an old man in a green robe standing in the cave with his hands behind his back, looking at the three characters "Feng Qingyang" carved on the cave wall.

The old man was thin, with white beard and hair, a depressed expression, and a face as pale as paper; he didn't look well at all.

Upon seeing the old man, Huang Rong raised an eyebrow, gently tugged at Lu Chen's sleeve, and pointed to the inscription on the stone wall.

Lu Chen smiled and nodded.

Huang Rong smiled and said in a crisp voice:
"Senior Feng?"

The old man turned his head to look at the two of them:
"Why are you so certain that my surname is Feng?"

Huang Rong certainly wouldn't mention the old man on the Cliff of Contemplation; who else could it be but Feng Qingyang? She simply smiled and said:

"When you looked at the inscription on the stone wall just now, you seemed to have a sense of nostalgia. This is the Cliff of Repentance on Mount Hua, so I made this guess."

Feng Qingyang remained noncommittal and said:

"You call me senior, so it seems you are not a disciple of Mount Hua."

"We are indeed not disciples of Mount Hua."

Lu Chen finally spoke:
"My purpose in coming to the Cliff of Repentance is not only to witness the lost sword techniques in this secret cave, but also to have a martial arts demonstration and swordplay with you, senior, and to learn from your Dugu Nine Swords."

A look of surprise flashed in Feng Qingyang's eyes.

He never expected that these two young juniors not only knew about the secret cave on the Cliff of Contemplation and about him, Feng Qingyang, but also about his "Nine Swords of Dugu".

Where did this junior come from?
How did they know these secrets?
Just as he was wondering, he heard Lu Chen slowly say:
"This junior has also received some of the legacy passed down from the legendary Dugu Qiubai." Feng Qingyang was even more astonished:
"You also received the inheritance from Senior Dugu?"

"good."

Lu Chen nodded:

"However, what I obtained is a different path, which is not the same as Senior Feng's Dugu Nine Swords."

Feng Qingyang became interested:
"If that's the case, I'd really like to see it for myself."

Huang Rong took down two three-foot-long, finger-thick green bamboo poles hanging from her waist, handing one to Lu Chen and the other to Feng Qingyang.

"It seems you two young friends were well-prepared."

Feng Qingyang took the bamboo pole and said with a smile.

"Indeed, I had long intended to seek advice from Senior Feng."

As Lu Chen spoke, he turned and stepped out of the cave, onto the platform outside, and bowed respectfully to Feng Qingyang.
"Senior Feng, please!"

Feng Qingyang, carrying a bamboo pole, slowly walked out of the cave and nodded:
"Please, little friend!"

Lu Chen raised the bamboo pole and, following the custom of competing with others in Hengshan City, slowly thrust out a ceremonial straight thrust.

Although the speed of the thrust was slow enough that any Huashan disciple who had studied swordsmanship for a few years could see the sword's path, the light bamboo pole was surrounded by a swirling aura as it thrust out, faintly emitting the sound of wind and thunder, giving people an extremely heavy sense of oppression.

Upon seeing this sword strike, Feng Qingyang's expression tightened slightly, and he also channeled his energy into the bamboo pole, raising it one level.

The Dugu Nine Swords technique is all about offense and no defense, only advancing and no retreating, and has no inherent method of parrying or blocking.

However, Lu Chen's initial sword strike was purely out of courtesy, and also intended to demonstrate his skill. Feng Qingyang, of course, would not take advantage of his seniority and directly attack his weakness. He had to politely parry and at the same time test his skill.

Snapped!
The two bamboo sticks struck each other, producing a sharp, crisp sound and a powerful shockwave that made their robes flutter and kicked up the dust beneath their feet, which then spread out in all directions.

Feng Qingyang raised an eyebrow and exclaimed in surprise:
"Young friend, your skill is profound!"

As he spoke, he swung his sword backhand and thrust it toward Lu Chen's chest.

Lu Chen flicked his wrist, and the bamboo pole slashed diagonally towards Feng Qingyang's bamboo pole. The sound of it cutting through the air was like thunder and lightning, as if what he held in his hand was not a light bamboo pole, but a heavy steel sword.

Feng Qingyang already knew that his skill was profound, and this strike was even more powerful than before. This seemingly light but heavy, extremely powerful and fierce blow, if it hit his bamboo pole, would probably break it in two.

He then used mysterious footwork to move swiftly, dodging Lu Chen's powerful slashes, while simultaneously thrusting his bamboo pole at Lu Chen in a series of attacks.

Lu Chen also stepped on the Sword Shadow Step, his body moving in sync with Feng Qingyang. He used the bamboo pole in his hand to perform simple and concise basic sword techniques such as straight thrust, vertical slash, diagonal slash, and reverse sweep.

Although his moves were simple, he struck with lightning speed, each blow wielding a thin bamboo pole with the force of a heavy sword!
This is precisely the principle of strength and gentleness, lightness and heaviness that he comprehended through his understanding of the "Sword Two Imprint".

With his current skill and swordsmanship, the power of the bamboo pole he wields, though not quite as great as a real Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, is not far off!
The Dugu Nine Swords are adept at countering moves.

But Lu Chen didn't use any sophisticated sword techniques at all.

All the attacks are just combinations of basic sword techniques, without any fixed patterns, and there is no way to break them.

The Dugu Nine Swords are also adept at spotting weaknesses.

However, Lu Chen was constantly in rapid motion. Even if there were occasional flaws, those flaws were constantly changing, just like a rapidly flowing river where it was impossible to find a fixed eddy on the surface.

Given his reaction speed, unless Feng Qingyang could instantly appear at the opening without any "attack or displacement" process, it would be impossible for him to attack the opening.

But how could Feng Qingyang possibly do that?
Even though the old man had mastered the Dugu Nine Swords to the bone, and could point his sword at the opening without thinking, the process of his sword "attacking and shifting" still required time.

Even in the blink of an eye, with Lu Chen's current speed, that instant is enough for his weaknesses to change.

With his mastery of the Dugu Nine Swords and his profound martial arts foundation, Feng Qingyang could actually "predict" things.

Based on the details of the opponent's starting move, one can "predict" the timing of the opponent's weakness before the opponent makes a move, and attack the weakness that will appear in the next instant.

But as mentioned before, Lu Chen's sword style has no fixed form. Every sword strike is spontaneous and unrestrained, yet it absolutely conforms to the principles of swordsmanship and is absolutely threatening. Moreover, the changes are astonishingly fast. Feng Qingyang's "prediction" is also ineffective against him.

In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged over a hundred blows.

After a brief exchange, Lu Chen had already grasped the meaning.

With his current swordsmanship skills, even the "Nine Swords of Dugu" cannot break his moves.

Because he was already on the path of "no moves".

Since there are no moves, even the Nine Swords of Dugu cannot break it.

As for finding the flaws...

Lu Chen's martial arts skills are naturally not yet perfect and without any flaws.

But if you want to catch and exploit his weaknesses, or force him to reveal his weaknesses with a "no defense" offensive approach, then you have to be a whole level higher than him in martial arts.

Feng Qingyang naturally understood this as well.

The Dugu Nine Swords' techniques of "breaking moves" and "attacking enemy weaknesses" were no match for Lu Chen.

To defeat him, you can only rely on your basic skills.

The only way to win is to be faster and more accurate in your movements and sword strikes.

Alternatively, one could use the legendary palm strikes or sword energy that can strike from a distance of several feet and inflict powerful damage, relying on one's own strength to overpower him.

But Feng Qingyang couldn't do any of these things.

In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged three hundred blows.

Lu Chen did not stop this time.

He was still exchanging blows with Feng Qingyang.

However, after three hundred moves, his sword style changed drastically. It was no longer the extremely simple heavy sword technique, but became more complex, with sword moves becoming extremely complicated, like a spider spinning silk or a silkworm spinning a cocoon.

As the moves became more complex, so did the openings, but Feng Qingyang discovered that almost all of those openings were traps.

Once he actually attacks those weaknesses, he will be like a small insect caught in a spider's web, trapped in a snare, getting more and more entangled, unable to extricate himself.

This made Feng Qingyang even more shocked.

If Lu Chen had previously used a different sword technique passed down from Dugu Qiubai across generations to fight Dugu Nine Swords to a standstill, I could understand it. But now, Lu Chen has actually found a way to counter Dugu Nine Swords.

Yes, Lu Chen's extremely complex and varied sword moves are precisely aimed at the Dugu Nine Swords.

The Dugu Nine Swords are all about offense and no defense, focusing on exploiting weaknesses. So I will deliberately use these sword moves that are full of weaknesses, and see if you can resist attacking!

Attack! Every weakness I have can be turned into a deadly trap at any time, like a spider web or a silkworm cocoon, binding you tightly, devouring your space, and robbing you of your life.

No attack...

If you don't attack, is it still the "Nine Swords of Dugu" that "only attacks and has no defense"?
Feng Qingyang was caught in a dilemma.

In the next dozens of moves, he had to withdraw his sword halfway through each attack.

Because if he continued the attack, he would fall into a trap.

They fought for dozens more rounds.

Feng Qingyang finally sighed and stopped fighting.

"Young friend, your swordsmanship is beyond human comprehension... Even my Dugu Nine Swords cannot break it!"

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(End of this chapter)