Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 10 Learning Martial Arts
"Master!"

Azi and Jiang Mingzhe cheered in unison.

Azi looked at Jiang Mingzhe—

She was raised by the Starry Sky Immortal since childhood and they had a deep bond. It was one thing for her to be so excited, but Jiang Mingzhe had only been a disciple for a few hours. How could he make such a sweet and cloying sound?
Jiang Mingzhe didn't even glance at Azi, but looked at Ding Chunqiu standing at the door with genuine joy in his eyes.

"Disciple congratulates Master on successfully capturing the Six-Winged Iron Centipede. With the help of this divine beast, Master's immortality will surely reach new heights."

Ding Chunqiu asked curiously, "You've seen the Six-Winged Iron Centipede? How can you say it's a divine beast?"

Jiang Mingzhe decisively said, "How could a mortal like me possibly see such a divine beast? But since Master is a dignified immortal, and he can see it, it must be a divine beast without a doubt."

Azi blinked and chimed in, "Master has taken a liking to a divine beast? What about the clothes Master is wearing?"

Jiang Mingzhe declared decisively: "Divine Robe!"

"Where is Master's fan?"

"The Divine Fan?"

"And what about your senior sister?"

"Disciple of God, Fairy!"

The two engaged in a rapid-fire exchange of questions and answers, with Ding Chunqiu laughing heartily and A Zi giggling in return.

Jiang Mingzhe's eyes were filled with rapture, and he sighed deeply: "The Immortal Venerable's smile is full of infinite meaning. When I heard this laughter, I seemed to see a divine dragon soaring through the clouds, full of heroic spirit and awe-inspiring power. I also seemed to see a purple swallow flying up and down, its voice like silver bells, as if singing a song to amuse the divine dragon."

The Xingxiu Sect was corrupt, and everyone scrambled to flatter Ding Chunqiu. Ding Chunqiu had enjoyed this for many years and was used to ordinary flattery. But when he heard Jiang Mingzhe's flattery, he found it refreshing and laughed even harder: "In ancient times, Zhong Ziqi heard the music of Bo Ya and felt as if he saw high mountains and flowing water. Today, you little brat, you hear the laughter of my master and me and feel as if you see a divine dragon and a purple swallow. Hahahaha, good disciple, I never expected you to be my soulmate."

While laughing along, Azi couldn't help but feel happy: Da Shengjiang has this skill of flattery, so there's no need to worry about Master not doting on him. I just don't know how talented he is in martial arts. If he has half of Da Shengjiang's looks, no, even just a quarter, given time, he would be enough to be my right-hand man!

Hehe, this bet of mine wasn't a complete waste.

His eyes darted around, and he deliberately said, "Junior Brother Jiang, your judgment and eloquence are truly first-rate. But since you've made Master so happy, he'll definitely teach you extremely powerful kung fu. Hmph, but the more powerful the kung fu, the harder it is to master. If you don't master it well, Master won't like you anymore."

Ding Chunqiu glanced at Azi and laughed, "Interesting, interesting. Young Jiang and little Azi seem to get along well. She's even willing to help you carry the sedan chair. That's rare, very rare."

These words revealed Azi's thoughts, and Azi was clearly flustered. She quickly said in a coquettish tone, "Master, who would be so fond of this big ginger? I just want to see him make a fool of himself. People say that a clever face has a stupid belly. He looks so clever, but he might be one in a hundred stupid."

Jiang Mingzhe smiled, but inwardly he was wary: Sure enough, Old Master Ding wasn't a fool. He knew perfectly well what was going on with our flattery and sycophancy; he just loved listening to praise and was deliberately fanning the flames. Hmm, he was a master-level figure after all. I'll have to be careful in the future, lest I truly mistake him for a fool—that would be the real folly.

Ding Chunqiu waved his hand with an extremely elegant posture and said in a melodious voice, "Hehe, 'Spring outing, apricot blossoms fill my hair, on the roadside whose young man is so dashing? I intend to marry him, for life, even if I am heartlessly abandoned, I will not be ashamed.' Wei Duanji's few lines perfectly capture the thoughts of a young woman. Little Azi is growing up, and it would be strange if she didn't fall for a handsome man. Even I, your teacher, once made countless women yearn for me."

Azi blushed, tugged at Ding Chunqiu's sleeve and twisted it into a pretzel, saying coyly, "I didn't, I'm not tempted at all, and besides, how can this piece of ginger compare to Master?"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded repeatedly: "Master is not only exceptionally handsome, but also possesses profound immortal techniques and a wealth of knowledge. Such a person is rare in the world, and it has already exhausted the spiritual energy of the past five hundred years. How can I compare to him?"

His awkward praise made Ding Chunqiu laugh for a long time before he waved his feather fan and said, "If I were to say that I was a handsome young man in my prime, unparalleled in the world, I might not be wrong to say that..."

Jiang Mingzhe and Azi said in unison, "Of course they deserve it!"

Jiang Mingzhe immediately rushed back to the house, brought out a chair, gently placed it down, and said with a smile, "Master's past must have been incredibly fascinating. Please sit down and tell us slowly, so that my senior sister and I can broaden our horizons." Ding Chunqiu laughed heartily, spread his sleeves, and sat down, feeling that he hadn't been so happy in a long time.

His special favor towards Azi stemmed not only from a hidden scheming within him, but also from Azi's beautiful appearance and eloquent speech, unlike many of his disciples who only uttered a few dry, uninspired phrases, appearing utterly insincere.

Old Ding had his own reasoning: if others truly loved and respected him, they would rack their brains to come up with many unique and nice things to please him; otherwise, they were not trying hard enough.

Unexpectedly, now that he has taken in Jiang Mingzhe, whose words are as sweet as honey, far surpassing those of A Zi, and whose appearance is also extremely outstanding, reminiscent of his own former glory. How could Old Monster Ding not be delighted?
"Hahaha, alright, alright, there's no rush to talk about the past. You're new to our sect, so mastering your skills is the most important thing."

Ding Chunqiu waved his feather fan more and more lightly, and suddenly pointed at Jiang Mingzhe: "Since Xiao Azi has gone to such lengths to please you, how can I let her down? Hmm, take this, memorize it carefully and return it to me. If there is anything you don't understand, you can also ask me for guidance."

As he spoke, he pulled out a thin booklet from his sleeve. It had a brocade cover and a line of rather bold characters on it: "The Scripture of Crossing Tribulations of the Celestial Constellations".

Jiang Mingzhe quickly said, "Thank you, Master, thank you, Senior Sister."

He respectfully offered the book with both hands, but Ding Chunqiu snatched it away, his expression turning serious: "Azi should have already told you the rules of our sect. This internal skill is profound and extensive, and it is not taught to anyone who is not a registered disciple. If I find out that you have privately taught it to someone else..."

"If my disciple ever commits such heinous acts, I am willing to suffer the torment of being devoured by the five poisons," Jiang Mingzhe resolutely swore.

Ding Chunqiu scoffed and said disdainfully, "What kind of punishment is the Five Poisons Devouring the Body? My good disciple, you underestimate your master's methods."

Only then did he hand over the book. Jiang Mingzhe took it with great care, wanting to praise the excellent calligraphy, but worried that it might not have been written by Ding Chunqiu and that he might make a fool of himself.

So he stared at the cover for a moment, as if he was amazed by the calligraphy.

Ding Chunqiu watched this with amusement: "After all, they are disciples from the land of Confucius and Mencius, much more intelligent than those barbarian disciples. They can even see the subtlety of my writing."

Before Jiang Mingzhe could reply, his smile vanished, and he said seriously, "You are a clever boy, far more intelligent than most. But you must remember that while it is acceptable to be clever in dealing with people, there are no shortcuts when it comes to martial arts, especially internal energy. If you are not careful, your skills will be lost and your soul will perish. You must not be careless."

Jiang Mingzhe felt a chill run down his spine and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Disciple will respectfully follow Master's teachings."

Ding Chunqiu nodded in satisfaction: "Internal strength is a skill that takes time and perseverance. I am in the mood today, so I will teach you a set of Three Yin Centipede Claws. If you master it, you will be able to dominate the martial arts world."

Jiang Mingzhe was overjoyed. This skill was one of the few unique skills that A Zi had specially marked. Although he believed that poison was the most important skill, since he had the opportunity to learn it, he would learn it first.

He immediately held his breath and focused intently, afraid of missing a single word.

Unexpectedly, Ding Chunqiu hesitated for a moment, then looked at A Zi and said, "Little A Zi, go back to your own place."

Azi knew the rules of passing on skills within the sect, so she obediently responded, gave Jiang Mingzhe a "work hard" look, turned around and walked out of the courtyard, not forgetting to close the gate behind her.

Once only master and disciple remained in the courtyard, Ding Chunqiu stroked his beard and slowly said, "The skills of our sect, regardless of strength, mostly fall into three categories: first, power; second, technique; and third, poison! Hehe, most sects in the world emphasize the first two, but our sect stands out from the rest, creating a unique landscape for martial arts. This is like two begetting three, and three begetting all things, unfolding endless possibilities. This great path was created by me, and a thousand years from now, people will know the name of Ding Chunqiu. You juniors, to have entered my sect is truly a once-in-a-lifetime destiny! You should remember this deeply in your hearts."

Jiang Mingzhe clasped his hands and said, "Disciple remembers: Confucianism has Confucius, who is called a sage; martial arts has Master, who is proven to be a god!"

Ding Chunqiu, who had been speaking with a straight face, twitched a few times upon hearing this, but ultimately couldn't help but burst into laughter, repeatedly gesturing with his feather fan towards Jiang Mingzhe: "That makes sense, that makes sense. Confucianism has Confucius and Mencius, and martial arts also have your master and Bodhidharma, who complement each other."

Feeling smug and indulging in daydreams: Confucius was the great master of Confucianism and Taoism, hence the name Confucius. I, Ding Chunqiu, am also a great master of martial arts, carrying on the legacy and opening up new horizons. How can I not be called Ding Zi? Hmm? Nail?

Ding Chunqiu was slightly disappointed, and for the first time in his life, he felt somewhat dissatisfied with his own surname.

(End of this chapter)