Arhats Subduing Demons: Starting with The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than thirty blows, with Shi Lingwei fighting more fiercely and faster.

He circled around Yun Changkong, slashing left and right, his blade never leaving Yun Changkong's side.

Seeing this, Dan Qingsheng couldn't help but feel a chill for Yun Changkong. Even Shi Lingwei himself was confident of victory, believing that he could defeat his opponent in three or four more moves.

But little did he know that Yun Changkong was a truly worldly man. He could imagine the narrow-mindedness of a frog in a well, and he could also understand all the arrogance, vanity, pride, and inferiority complex that lay within him.

Because all beings have their own reasons for their diverse behaviors. Just like Linghu Chong, who seems carefree and unrestrained, he is extremely inferior in front of Lin Pingzhi. This is not due to his personality, but because of Yue Lingshan's change of heart. He loves Yue Lingshan, so naturally he feels inferior to the person she chose, feeling that he is not as handsome or rich as her, etc., without ever considering that his swordsmanship is exactly what Lin Pingzhi desires.

Therefore, Yun Changkong knows the vastness of the world, knows his own insignificance, and understands that gain, loss, and retention are all normal occurrences.

Therefore, he never sought fame, nor did he deceive others.

Now that he has arrived at Plum Manor, he has never thought of defeating them to make a name for himself, nor has he thought of taking their lives. Even when he needs to rescue Ren Woxing from his predicament, he has never thought of killing anyone.

Therefore, when facing Shi Lingwei, even though he knew that Shi Lingwei seemed to have a great reputation in the martial arts world, he was no match for him. However, he did not despise his kung fu and wanted to see the style of this "Bagua Saber".

Many people don't understand, like Ren Yingying. She doesn't realize that martial arts skills at Yun Changkong's level can't be improved through hard work alone; what he needs to do is broaden his horizons.

This insight does not necessarily require choosing someone whose martial arts skills are similar to or better than one's own.

Because in his eyes, anyone's martial arts skills, once displayed in front of him, have no secrets left, and he can return to their origins.

Therefore, although Yun Changkong appeared to be fighting against Shi Lingwei, it was actually equivalent to sparring with the founder of the "Bagua Sect". So he thrust out his sword one by one with great skill, making it seem like he was evenly matched with Shi Lingwei, but in reality he was observing Shi Lingwei's footwork.

Every step he took followed the pattern of the Eight Trigrams, swirling around in the vast sky, while his icy blades also moved in all directions, slashing and hacking.

The swordsmanship itself was insignificant, but Yun Changkong could see that the footwork was extremely profound, with each step containing hidden secrets. Clearly, the Bagua School's kung fu did indeed possess unique and specialized aspects, and its great reputation was by no means accidental.

Take Shih Ling-wei's "Eight Trigrams Knife Technique" as an example. The knife is fixed in eight directions, covering all aspects, and the knife's momentum is like a surging wave.

Unfortunately, he failed to use stillness to control movement and seize the initiative, and did not truly bring out the essence of Bagua School martial arts.

Yun Changkong appeared to be sparring with Shi Lingwei, but in reality, he was constantly rehearsing Shi Lingwei's moves in his mind. However, Shi Lingwei launched several more attacks, and Yun Changkong was fully expecting to force him to abandon his sword and admit defeat. But to his surprise, every strike missed its mark, and Yun Changkong skillfully dodged them all.

Hei Baizi and Dan Qingsheng exchanged a glance. Both of them were highly skilled in martial arts and vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Because Yun Changkong's longsword only contained basic sword moves such as "thrust, parry, and slice," and they couldn't discern the origin of his swordsmanship, the variations in his sword moves combined with his movement were beyond their expectations. It was as if these sword moves, when used by Yun Changkong, could transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, and their power would be greatly enhanced. They all thought to themselves, "Could this Brother Zhao really be a hidden master of swordsmanship?"

Turning to look at Ren Yingying, they saw her casually pour a glass of wine and put it to her lips. Seeing her so nonchalant, the two of them both felt ashamed: "We really misjudged her; we didn't even have the discernment of a young girl."

In fact, Ren Yingying knew that Yun Changkong's martial arts were far superior to Shi Lingwei's based on his past performance. If the two had not known each other, she would have thought that Yun Changkong's martial arts were about the same as Shi Lingwei's.

Simply put, even though everyone knew Yun Changkong was acting, he acted so convincingly that no one could tell there was anything wrong with it.

Suddenly, he ordered Wei to retreat from Dui to Kan, then step into Li Palace, and rushed forward, unleashing a flurry of slashes with the Bagua Blade, three strikes in the Qian direction and six strikes in the Kun direction. This is the most powerful technique of the "Bagua Blade Method," the "Nine Strikes of Qian and Kun."

This is also Shi Lingwei's proudest sword style. Each strike is incredibly fast, moving with a swaying motion, and the sword's momentum creates a dazzling cold light. It is both swift and sharp.

This move often allows the opponent to catch three strikes, but they cannot catch the six strikes that follow.

However, he encountered Yun Changkong.

Seeing that he had run out of tricks, Yun Changkong neither dodged nor avoided, but instead thrust his sword diagonally upwards.

Dan Qingsheng, Hei Baizi, and Ding Jian were all taken aback.

It was only because Shi Lingwei's slash had clearly sent his own wrist into the blade of Yun Changkong's sword.

Hei Baizi wanted to launch a hidden weapon, but then he thought that if he made the move, it would be two against one, and what kind of hero would that be? The reputation of Plum Manor would be ruined by his own hand.

Just as this thought crossed Ding Jian’s mind, he suddenly cried out in alarm. Yun Changkong’s sword was already slicing towards Shi Lingwei’s wrist, but at this critical moment, Yun Changkong’s sword slightly tilted, and with a snap, the flat surface of the blade struck Shi Lingwei’s wrist.

Shi Lingwei suddenly stepped back, retreating with his sword drawn, and bowed deeply to the ground, saying, "Master Zhao's swordsmanship is astonishing, and I admire it greatly. I am deeply grateful for your mercy, young master."

At this moment, cold sweat poured down his forehead. He knew that if Yun Changkong hadn't changed his move at the last minute, his wrist would have been broken, and all his decades of martial arts skills would have been wasted. This feeling of gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.

Yun Changkong's victory was brilliant, and Black and White Pieces, Danqingsheng, and Ding Jian all responded with enthusiastic applause.

Dan Qingsheng poured a glass of wine and handed it to Yun Changkong: "Brother Zhao, your swordsmanship is superb, I'd like to toast you."

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "My swordsmanship is far from perfect. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so surprised."

He wasn't being modest; he had a wide variety of martial arts skills, but compared to others, his swordsmanship couldn't be described as refined.

Dan Qingsheng poured another glass of wine and said, "You saved Shi Lingwei's right hand, which shows your kindness and compassion. It also embodies the spirit of 'knowing when to stop' and 'making friends through martial arts.' I toast you."

Yun Changkong smiled and accepted the drink, downing it in one gulp. He said, "We have no deep-seated hatred for each other; we are merely exchanging sparring tips. If Brother Shi can master this Bagua Steps to its pinnacle, using stillness to control movement, seizing the initiative and not being controlled by others, then it would truly be an invincible martial art."

Shi Lingwei was both surprised and delighted to hear this.

What was astonishing was that he could recite the essence of Bagua School's martial arts in one breath. He had heard his master say that the school had an inner Bagua technique, which could not be mastered without first achieving the pinnacle of the outer Bagua technique. However, if one could master the inner Bagua technique to its highest level, one would be invincible. How did he know this?
The good news is that he has already won, but he said it like this, which does not damage the reputation of the Bagua School.

Dan Qingsheng poured another glass of wine and said with a grin, "I won't toast you this time, Second Brother. I'm getting a little excited. I'll have a little competition with Brother Zhao first."

Those who practice martial arts are either competitive or eager to hunt, so once they encounter a skilled opponent, no one can resist the urge to stay still.

Hei Baizi snorted coldly and said, "Then you come. Anyway, you're always the first to come when there's something good."

Dan Qingsheng laughed heartily: "Who told me to be the youngest?"

As he spoke, he raised his right wrist, drew Ding Jian's longsword with a clang, flashed forward, pointed the sword tip, and said, "Brother Zhao, please make your move!"

Yun Changkong laughed and said, "Take this!" The sword thrust towards Dan Qingsheng's chest.

Dan Qingsheng was very knowledgeable, and he knew about seven or eight ten of the secrets of sword techniques from various schools and sects. He was puzzled that he hadn't figured out the origin of Yun Changkong's sword technique, and he never expected that he would thrust straight at his chest.

The saying goes, "The sword moves with white, the saber with black," meaning that swordsmanship emphasizes lightness and agility, unlike the hard, forceful slashing of a single saber. Therefore, it often involves sideways attacks. Yun Changkong's sword strike, however, appeared quite arrogant, as if he didn't take Dan Qingsheng seriously at all.

Dan Qingsheng said that his swordsmanship was the last of the three great skills, but he only used the word "great" to describe his skill, which clearly showed that he thought highly of himself. His handsome face turned red, and he shouted loudly. He shook his sword and the sword light flashed like silver snakes, bursting out a sky full of sword flowers, which were scattered straight into the sky.

His sword strike was indeed extremely powerful, its cold light flashing, its sharpness radiating, its brilliance dazzling, making it unpredictable and its speed like lightning.

Dan Qingsheng's attack was swift, while Yun Changkong's was much slower in comparison. However, although the sword's momentum was extremely slow, he merely flicked the blade with his index finger, causing the tip to tremble, like a cloud emerging from a cliff.

The specks of silver light that appeared from the painting were immediately drawn into the sword cloud. Everyone heard a series of clear, melodious "ding-ding" sounds, like jade chimes, which rang out ten times in a row.

The silver light that swirled and flowed across Dan Qingsheng vanished without a trace with a soft tinkling sound, while Yun Changkong's longsword remained piercing straight towards Dan Qingsheng's chest.

Everyone was stunned. Dan Qingsheng had no way to stop him. In the midst of the crisis, he quickly changed his move, leaped back about ten feet, and shouted, "Good swordsmanship!" Without stopping, he rushed forward again.

His series of movements were truly graceful as a startled swan and fierce as a lion, with a hissing sound emanating from where the sword flashed.

Seeing the flashing sword light of his sword as he launched a rapid attack, Yun Changkong thought to himself, "This man is a straightforward person; I don't need to make him look too bad."

He had already realized that although Dan Qingsheng's attacks were fierce, he lacked self-defense and had too many flaws. If they were to truly fight, he could be defeated with a single sword strike.

While pondering, his figure floated back five or six feet, and only then did his longsword tremble in mid-air, roaring like a dragon's cry, as a streak of azure light flew straight toward Danqingsheng's sword light.

The two swords clashed with a clang, sparks flying, like a rapid, complex stringed instrument, or rain pattering on a palace clock. Yet, Yun Changkong's sword still thrust straight at Dan Qingsheng's shoulder. Yun Changkong's quick movement left Dan Qingsheng's shoulder wide open, almost impossible to defend against.

Dan Qingsheng was indeed skilled in swordsmanship. This move should have been the last one he had used, but with a flick of his wrist, his longsword, accompanied by a soft whistle, suddenly thrust into the ground from the point of contact.

Using the force of the backlash from underground, he performed a hollow somersault and landed steadily two zhang away.

Although he wasn't injured, Dan Qingsheng felt he had greatly lost his status as a master, and his face flushed red. However, he was a magnanimous and bold person, and he would never get angry out of embarrassment. Instead, he laughed and gave a thumbs up with his left hand, exclaiming, "What excellent swordsmanship!"

Suddenly, he brandished his longsword, unleashing a move called "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun," followed by "Spring Breeze and Willows," and then "Soaring Dragon and Rising Phoenix," executing three moves in quick succession.

This was his ultimate skill, powerful and exquisite. The swordsmanship was incredibly refined, with flashes of light. It was as fast as lightning and wind, so fast that you couldn't even see his footsteps. The sword light was like a bolt of lightning, arriving in an instant.

Upon seeing such a display of power, Ren Yingying couldn't help but let out an "Oh".

Just from Dan Qingsheng's sword strike, one can see that his swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary.

Yun Changkong remained calm and unhurried, taking a half-step to the side with his right foot and thrusting his longsword out. With a "ding," the sword struck the tip of Dan Qingsheng's sword.

Dan Qingsheng felt a great force strike the sword, and he and the sword were knocked back two steps.

This passage sounds like it's been quite a long time, but in reality, both sides moved with lightning speed, it was just a matter of blinking an eye.

Yun Changkong deflected his longsword, a flash of cold light, and the sword then pierced Dan Qingsheng's chest.

This sword strike was powerful and vigorous, the wind from the sword carrying a soft whistling sound.

Dan Qingsheng had no choice but to sway and dodge to the side.

For decades, he had been forced back by a single thrust many times, but this was the first time he had broken through. He roared, "Watch out!" His voice was like thunder. He drew his sword with his left hand and rushed straight towards Yun Changkong, while his right hand slashed down with his sword. This was his most proud move, "Jade Dragon Hanging Upside Down".

Yun Changkong wanted to see just how skilled this Fourth Master was at swordsmanship. Seeing the imposing slash of his longsword through the air, a chilling sword wind responded to the attack. He thought to himself, "His internal strength is indeed remarkable, but his swordsmanship is nothing to write home about."

Why do I say this? It's because Yun Changkong didn't move his body, but simply raised his longsword. This move was clear and straightforward, without any fancy tricks, but as Danqing grew the longsword, the blade swept diagonally upwards.

If Dan Qingsheng continued to strike, his own fingers would be cut off first. He couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart: "He is so young, yet his swordsmanship is so profound. He broke my Splashed Ink and Hemp-Clad Sword Technique so easily?"

Dan Qingsheng had practiced swordsmanship all his life, so his reaction was naturally extremely fast. He changed his sword gesture with his left hand into a palm and slammed it down onto the ground.

With a loud thud, a palm strike landed on the ground, sending the body leaping backward, already more than ten feet away.

Before he had even settled into his stance, he took a half-step diagonally with his left foot, and as he turned to the left, a silver circle appeared effortlessly.

He spun around and unleashed his sword, creating several halos of light in front of him. He then strode forward.

Yun Changkong stood motionless, sword in hand, to his chest.

Danqing's long sword drew circles, flashing with light, and leisurely attacked in an arc.

He has already used all his best killing techniques.

Ren Yingying, Hei Baizi, Ding Jian, and Shi Lingwei all stared intently at Yun Changkong, watching how he would respond as the sword light swirled and the chilling, flowing sword aura seemed to form a crisscrossing sword shadow that pushed towards him.

Seeing that his swordplay was extremely slow, a stark contrast to his previous powerful and fierce style, Yun Changkong secretly praised, "This move is not bad, but unfortunately, it can be easily broken by a master swordsman."

Because he realized that this was the same principle as the Wudang School's unparalleled "Tai Chi Swordplay." It was not about fierce attacks and ruthless thrusts, but about using the principles of innate movement, with the intention preceding the sword, turning the real into the unreal, using softness to overcome hardness, and using stillness to control movement.

Unfortunately, the Book of Changes says that when Taiji moves, it gives rise to Yin and Yang.

"Tai Chi Swordplay" was created based on the innate operating principle. To put it more clearly, Tai Chi generates Yin and Yang through movement. It inherently contains the element of "movement" rather than stillness. Isn't it already an acquired movement? But if it doesn't move, how can it defeat the enemy?
To put it more plainly, although it imitates innate qualities, it has actually fallen into the trap of acquired traits.
Therefore, even though Zhang Wuji possessed the Nine Yang Divine Skill and understood the profound meaning of Tai Chi Swordplay, it would still take him hundreds of moves to defeat the Beggar Clan elder. Chongxu Daoist had cultivated Tai Chi Swordplay for decades, but it was still inferior to Linghu Chong's one year of Dugu Nine Swords.

Because Tai Chi generates Yin and Yang from movement, Tai Chi swordplay has traces to follow and forms to seek. If it is used for defense, it is naturally flawless, but if it is used for offense, its power is really lackluster.

At this moment, Dan Qingsheng drew dozens of large and small light circles that attacked Yun Changkong simultaneously. This was the pinnacle of his swordsmanship, combining dozens of sword techniques into one.

Each of these dozens of sword techniques has a killing move, and each move has variations. When combined, they are incredibly complex, just like the strategy used by Daoist Chongxu when he pressed Yun Changkong.

After his encounter with Yun Changkong, on his way to Hangzhou, he had considered the so-called "using softness to overcome hardness" and "using stillness to control movement."

It is only when the opponent is strong that you can overcome them with gentleness, and only when the opponent is active that you can overcome them with stillness.

What if one's swordsmanship is not fierce and powerful, but rather gentle and yielding, not fluid and flowing, but rather still and serene? Wouldn't the "Tai Chi Swordplay" then be unable to counter it and instead be countered by the enemy?
Thus, Yun Changkong lightly thrust out his sword, seemingly pushing and pressing, with unparalleled lightness and agility—the softest of the soft, the stillest of the still.

Everyone saw a pale blue streak suddenly fly into the flowing sword circle of Danqingsheng, like the wind pushing the blue clouds, flowing slowly.

This sight nearly made Ren Yingying gasp in surprise, and Dan Qingsheng was even more terrified. Yun Changkong's sword technique shifted nine times, seizing every opportunity to strike, leaving him no way to entangle or parry. The sword light was about to engulf his chest.

Dan Qingsheng let out a loud cry, stopped in his tracks, and transformed into a rainbow, shooting away.

This time he retreated too suddenly, and was about to crash into the pavilion pillar. This was extremely inconsistent with his status as a master. Hei Baizi, Ding Jian and the others were surprised, but they did not dare to make a move.

As an outsider, Ren Yingying immediately slapped Dan Qingsheng on the shoulder.

Dan Qingsheng stumbled from the force of the blow, taking three steps forward without crashing into the pillar. His face flushed red and then paled, and he murmured, "Such swordsmanship exists in the world?"

Danqing was extremely arrogant in his swordsmanship, believing that few in the world could rival him. Yet, his swordsmanship was broken by a mere young man, which was simply unbelievable.

Hei Baizi stared wide-eyed, frozen in place. He thought that Yun Changkong could never withstand ten of his moves.

But the other party actually broke his fourth brother's decades of hard-earned skill with a single sword strike. How could he not be shocked? Thinking of what he had just said about how many moves you could withstand, he felt his face burning!

Isn't that just being incredibly arrogant?
Ren Yingying's face also showed a look of astonishment. She had been worried that Yun Changkong would not be able to withstand this move, but she did not expect him to break Dan Qingsheng's sword move so easily. She thought to herself, "He has so many secrets!"

Dan Qingsheng was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and laughed, "Brother Zhao, your swordsmanship is far superior to mine. Come, come, come, let me toast you three times."

Yun Changkong waved his hand, and his longsword flew out. With a clang, it returned to the scabbard in Ding Jian's hand. He smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "You flatter me."

Dan Qingsheng shook his head and said, "Actually, my 'Jade Dragon Hanging Upside Down' was useless, so I lost. The rest was superfluous. My elder brother said I lacked grace, and he was right!"

However, after witnessing your sword strike today, I am delighted with my defeat; it is truly a great comfort in my life. He laughed heartily from the bottom of his heart.

Yun Changkong came under an alias, and was an unknown person. Dan Qingsheng was defeated by an unknown person, but he was not angry at all. Such magnanimity is truly first-class among people.

Yun Changkong couldn't help but think, "This kind of person shouldn't be tortured by Ren Woxing with the Three Corpse Brain God Pill. No matter who comes to save him, I have to protect him."

Dan Qingsheng then looked at Ren Yingying, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Miss, you are also extremely skilled. My elder brother said that your zither playing is even more amazing. You and my brother Zhao are truly a match made in heaven. Why don't you get married here at my Plum Manor!"

Ren Yingying blushed and thought, "This man is really talking nonsense, but how does he know I'm not married to him?" She bit her lip and said, "You drunk old man, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll smash up your tavern."

"Oh dear!" Dan Qingsheng was shocked and bowed repeatedly, saying, "My good girl, my good young lady, this is unacceptable, this will cost me my life! I apologize to you."

He assumed that Yun Changkong and Ren Yingying were a young couple, and he had even witnessed Ren Yingying slap Yun Changkong. Knowing that this girl was not to be trifled with, he quickly apologized, fearing that this unruly girl might really ruin his fine wine.

At this moment, a servant boy came over and reported: "My lords, the banquet has been arranged. My lord, please invite Master Zhao and Master Yun to take their seats."

Dan Qingsheng said to everyone, "Let's go, we've been fighting for so long, we're all hungry. I'm especially happy today, let's drink until we're drunk."

Hei Baizi wasn't in a hurry to spar with Yun Changkong, and the group headed towards the flower hall. (End of Chapter)