Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 96 The Great Battle of Wanjie Valley (Part 1)
When Duan Zhengchun extended the invitation, Duan Yu was overjoyed.

He grabbed Jiang Mingzhe, excitedly saying, "Big brother, learn it! We classmates have been practicing swordsmanship together all our way. When we travel the world, our twin swords will be perfectly combined. I've even thought of a name for it: 'Twin Swords That Sever the River.' Wait, no, you're the eldest brother, your surname should come first. Jiang, Duan, hmm..."

Duan Zhengchun said helplessly, "Think about it slowly later. We still need to rescue your sister, and we don't have time to waste with you."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself that this was truly the heartache of parents everywhere. Duan Zhengchun was obviously afraid that his son's enthusiasm would only last for a short time and that he would revert to his old ways, so he took advantage of the moment to strike while the iron was hot.

He then said, "Brother, don't rush for a title, learn swordsmanship first."

Duan Yu listened to him, took the two swords from Duan Zhengchun's hand, gave one to Jiang Mingzhe, and became serious.

Duan Zhengchun didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "The name of my Duan family's One-Finger Divine Skill is renowned throughout the martial arts world. In comparison, the Duan family's swordsmanship is not so famous. But you must remember that the founding emperor was the number one master in the world. How could the swordsmanship he created and passed down be ordinary? One-Finger Divine Skill and Duan family swordsmanship are the foundation of my Duan family in Tiannan!"

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself that they really treated him like a son, and he and Duan Yu nodded obediently.

Duan Zhengchun continued, “When the sons of the Duan family learn martial arts, they first learn swordsmanship and then finger techniques. This is because finger techniques require a high level of internal strength, and the cultivation of internal strength cannot be rushed. At the same time, swordsmanship and finger techniques have something in common. Therefore, the founding emperor set this rule. Although you two have the potential for internal strength, you still have to follow the rule and learn first swordsmanship and then finger techniques.”

Jiang Mingzhe was secretly surprised. He thought to himself, "Old Duan said he would teach me martial arts. I thought it was just swordsmanship, fist and palm techniques. But it seems he's willing to teach me even the One-Finger Divine Skill."
He could vaguely guess Duan Zhengchun's thoughts. First, he believed that Duan Zhengchun was the son-in-law of Azi and felt guilty towards his daughter. He loved his daughter and his son-in-law. Second, Duan Zhengchun probably recognized his abilities and talents.

At this moment, straighten your posture and listen attentively to Duan Zhengchun's instruction on swordsmanship: "The Duan family swordsmanship is derived from battle formations, with wide and sweeping movements, pure Yang and extremely strong. Lesser Yang is seven, Greater Yang is nine, and seven times nine equals sixty-three, totaling sixty-three moves. When the swordsmanship unfolds, it is like a gust of wind or a torrential rain, with the power to shatter the heavens and the earth. This is the essence of the swordsmanship, and you must remember it firmly."

Having said that, he began to demonstrate the moves. He made a sword gesture with his left hand and thrust the sword out with his right, saying, "This is the starting stance of the Duan Family Sword. You see, as I thrust the sword with my right hand, the speed and power of the strike are greatly increased by pushing with my left hand. It's like two brothers working together to fight an enemy, hence the name 'Its Sharpness Can Break Gold.' The key to this move is that the power can be combined..."

He explained with words and gestures, clearly illustrating the details of footwork, waist, legs, and arms. Jiang Mingzhe immediately grasped the essence and imitated it with Duan Yu.

He secretly thought to himself: Old Duan said that this combination was a combined force formed by the left hand and the right hand, but I think his sword technique is very sophisticated. It is not just for show. I'm afraid that the real power of this move lies in the mastery of the One-Finger Divine Skill, where the finger and sword are combined. For example, if the enemy blocks the sword, the One-Finger Divine Skill immediately changes from an auxiliary to the main attack...

A series of figures flashed through his mind, and he deduced various possible changes based on what Duan Zhengchun had told him.

After Duan Zhengchun taught them this move, he had them practice it once. He immediately noticed that Duan Yu's movements were a complete copy of his own, almost exactly the same. This showed that he had an excellent memory and his body was quite coordinated. However, he did not truly understand the purpose of each subtle change. He was just imitating what he was doing very well.

If it were only Duan Yu, Duan Zhengchun would be overjoyed, because such a performance is already considered to be of exceptional talent. When he first learned swordsmanship, he didn't do as well as Duan Yu.

Those insights into the details are the result of daily practice and contemplation, even fighting and battling with enemies, to gradually understand them. If you could grasp all the key points just by listening to him say it once, wouldn't you be a monster?
But at that very moment, there happened to be a monster.

Jiang Mingzhe's movements were not only standard, but his sword strikes were also fast and steady, clearly demonstrating that he had mastered many details. He not only resembled Jiang Mingzhe in form, but also in spirit, truly embodying both form and spirit.

Duan Zhengchun was deeply shocked, but he didn't say it aloud. He then began to teach the next move. He taught five moves in a row before stopping, sheathing his sword, and saying, "The worst thing in martial arts is to try to learn too much at once. Yu'er, practice these five sword techniques carefully, and pay close attention to every movement of your body. My dear nephew Mingzhe, your comprehension is truly amazing. In the future, you can familiarize yourself with the moves as much as you can, until you can perform them effortlessly and without conscious thought, so that you can defend yourself against an enemy."

After saying this, he told Duan Yu to find a secluded place to practice his swordsmanship, while the rest of them set off immediately.

Jiang Mingzhe and the four guards went ahead. These four guards were Duan Zhengchun's closest subordinates. Jiang Mingzhe only remembered that the one who used the judge's pen was surnamed Zhu, and was the ancestor of Zhu Ziliu in The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Zhu Changling in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. He could not remember the names of the others.

But it didn't matter. Jiang Mingzhe used the same cold-calling technique he used back then, and chatted with the four guards in a lively manner. Before long, they were like old friends, and he also learned their names.

Chu Wanli wielded an iron fishing rod, Gu Ducheng wielded a broad axe, Fu Sigui wielded a bronze cudgel, and Zhu Danchen wielded a judge's pen.

The five chatted animatedly, but their steps were not slow at all, and they arrived at Shanren Ferry.

Jiang Mingzhe gazed at the iron chain bridge before him, recalling his first encounter with the Crocodile God of the South Sea here. The other party had killed many people with a single move, displaying an invincible arrogance. He never expected that not long after, the Crocodile God would die at his hands. At the time, he hadn't even dared to imagine the various twists and turns that had occurred.

After crossing the suspension bridge and walking for about half an hour, a vast, dark forest came into view. The towering trees stood tall and their trunks were closely packed together, with many vines and shrubs growing in between, forming a very thick wall of plants, indicating that we had arrived at the edge of the forest.

Zhu Danchen, who loved reading and painting, had a nickname "Pen and Ink Master" and was considered the strategist among the four guards. He glanced around and said loudly, "These trees were planted by humans and have grown so big. It seems that Wanjie Valley is the ancestral property of the Zhong family. Old Gu, why don't you cut down a few trees to make a road?"

To the left of this high wall formed by giant trees, there are nine pine trees standing side by side. Zhong Wanchou had already instructed that, counting from the fourth pine tree from the right, one could find a tree hole by parting the tall grass. Go inside, part the withered grass, lift the wooden plank, and you would find the entrance to the tunnel. Following the tunnel, one could pass through the tree wall and enter the entrance to Wanjie Valley.

However, if they entered from this point, they feared exposing Zhong Wanchou and also feared an ambush by the enemy. Therefore, they pretended not to know and forced their way through.

Gu Ducheng nodded, walked to the tree wall, picked out a paulownia tree, patted it and laughed, "I was afraid that the Zhong family only planted hard wood, which would require a lot of effort. Hehe, I didn't expect there to be paulownia trees. Although this tree grows fast, it is not sturdy."

After saying that, he spat into his palm and rubbed it together, then pulled out an axe, held it with both hands, and swung it down. Jiang Mingzhe stood aside, silently providing the voiceover in his mind: Eighty, eighty, eighty...

It took several thousand dollars of effort to cut a large opening about a meter deep, wider on the outside and narrower on the inside.

Gu Ducheng put away his axe and walked to the side. Fu Sigui stepped forward, inserted one end of the copper rod into the crack, carried the other end on his shoulder, held it firmly with both hands, and pushed forward with all his might. A series of cracking sounds were heard, and the large paulownia tree crashed down, smashing over countless bushes, as if a single log bridge had been built.

Jiang Mingzhe exclaimed, "You two have quite the skills!"

With a light leap, he was the first to jump onto the log and then moved forward.

　This is the first chapter of the day. I'm too tired to write anymore. I'll post the rest during the day.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)