Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Lu Wushuang sniffed and turned to rummage through her luggage.

"I'll find some liniment for you to apply."

Yang Guo called out to her.

"No need. The muscles will relax once the medicine is applied. You have to rely on this pain to endure when practicing external martial arts."

"My dear husband, you really are forcing yourself to endure hardship!"

Cheng Ying sat by the fire, poking at the flames with a twig in her hand.

The firewood burned white, and the sparks that landed on the damp, cold stones were quickly extinguished.

"Brother Yang, you're too impatient. The cold pool's water vapor has entered your body, and the external injury is just the surface. The real problem lies in your meridians."

She looked up and glanced at Yang Guo.

"You just used your internal energy to resist the waterfall, and your blood and qi were all concentrated in your shoulders and back. If you use brute force to push the sword, your internal organs will also be affected."

Yang Guo took a bite of snake meat and mumbled indistinctly:

"Butler Cheng, what you're saying is unbelievable. If Brother isn't in a hurry, are you expecting that serpent to recover from its injuries and personally deliver an invitation to us?"

Lu Wushuang, who was rubbing her leg beside her, snorted when she heard this.

"Husband, don't be stubborn. Your back is so swollen that it hurts to turn over in bed at night."

Yang Guo glanced at her and smiled:

"You care whether I toss and turn in my sleep or not? Who was it that shoved their feet into my lap in the middle of the night last night?"

Lu Wushuang's cheeks flushed, and she grabbed a twig and threw it over.

Cheng Ying didn't reply, but instead drew a few lines on the ground with a twig.

She painted slowly, first drawing the mountain wall, then the mouth of the pool, and finally adding three stone positions below the waterfall.

"Senior Dugu chose this place to practice his swordsmanship, definitely not just to use the weight of the waterfall to hone his muscles and bones."

Cheng Ying explained:

"The underground water veins here split into two streams: one flows in from the crevice in the rocks on the left, and the other flows back from the bottom of the pool."

"You're standing in the middle, which means you're bearing the force from three places at the same time. If you keep taking the force head-on like you did just now, the longer you practice, the deeper the damage will be to your foundation."

Yang Guo put down the snake meat and leaned closer to examine it carefully.

The lines on the mud are not complicated, but the placement is extremely precise.

The water flows outward on the left, is hydraulically recovered on the right, and the downward momentum is strongest in the middle.

This corresponded perfectly with the force he had felt in the water earlier.

"Peach Blossom Island's skills are indeed quite remarkable."

Yang Guo touched his chin.

"Butler Cheng, did you specialize in studying how to manage men before? You draw a water flow like an accountant doing bookkeeping."

Cheng Ying paused her wrist movement, her expression remaining gentle.

"I'm just afraid you'll die too young."

Lu Wushuang chuckled to herself.

Yang Guo pointed at her and said:

"What are you laughing at? Your cousin is showing you high-level care. In layman's terms, it means: 'Brother Yang, take care of yourself. I'm doing this for your own good.'"

Cheng Ying's ears felt slightly hot as she raised her hand to complete a line on the ground.

"Stop talking nonsense, look here."

"After the waterfall falls, the water force does not come down all at once. When the water flows into the sword, it splits into two layers."

"If you use the blade to block first, your body will be under pressure, and your arm will quickly give way."

"If you keep the spine of the sword close to the water's surface, wait for the receding force to lift the blade, and then exert force accordingly, you can save at least 30% of your strength."

Yang Guo stared at the lines, and his previously agitated thoughts gradually subsided.

A heavy sword has no edge, and a heavy sword has no skill.

Of these eight words, he had only grasped the meaning of the word "weight" before.

The Xuan Tie Heavy Sword weighs nearly 100 jin (50 kg). If you rely on your arm to forcibly lift it with every strike, you'll only be a reckless brute even if you train until your tendons break and your bones crack.

True "weight" might be letting the sword sink on its own, and then letting the water propel it upwards.

Yang Guo picked up a wet stone from the ground and casually tossed it into the pool.

After the stone fell into the water, it was swept away by the undercurrent on the left, drifting half a foot before sinking.

He threw a second stone, this time landing on the right. The stone spun after entering the water and was swept back below the waterfall.

"interesting."

He stood up and grabbed the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword.

Lu Wushuang quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"You just sat down and you're going to go again? Husband, your hand hasn't recovered yet."

Yang Guo looked down at her.

Although Lu Wushuang's words were fierce, her fingers were gripping tightly.

Having been oppressed by Li Mochou since childhood and accustomed to fleeing for her life, she became even more afraid of losing Yang Guo, who was injured, the more she saw him.

Yang Guo raised his hand and ruffled her hair.

"Okay, I won't go head-to-head with the waterfall this time. If things don't go well, I'll retreat immediately."

"You keep an eye on the fire, make sure the snake meat doesn't turn into charcoal."

Lu Wushuang still refused to let go.

Cheng Ying began to speak:

"Let him try it once. The medicinal power of snake gall is still in the meridians. If it is not absorbed into the muscles and bones while it is still hot, it will instead stagnate in the liver meridian."

"But Brother Yang, you must not use too much internal energy."

Yang Guo looked at her and smiled:

"Butler Cheng approved it? Then I can go to work with peace of mind."

Cheng Ying replied:

"If you misbehave, I'll have Wushuang pour all the liniment into your bowl."

Lu Wushuang nodded in agreement:

"I'll add salt too."

Yang Guo was quite exasperated by the two sisters' back-and-forth banter, so he shouldered his heavy sword and stepped into the icy pool once more.

As the water flowed over his waist and abdomen, a chill crept in along the old wound.

He did not use the Nine Yin True Qi to forcefully suppress it, but only left a layer of protection at his heart meridian.

Previously, the red and black energy beads were spinning rapidly, but now they have slowed down. The remaining medicinal power of the snake gall spreads into the limbs, which is just enough to support the wear and tear on the body.

He stood on the outside of the waterfall, not rushing to enter the center line.

The loud sound of the water drowned out the voices of people on the shore.

Yang Guo closed his eyes for a moment, then completely relaxed his arm, letting the tip of his sword sink into the water.

As soon as the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword entered the water, it was immediately pulled by the undercurrent, and the blade veered to the right.

Instead of pulling back immediately, he followed the force and let the sword move with the current.

The first time, the hilt of the sword grazed the wound on his palm, causing him to clench his teeth in pain. The sword slipped half an inch from his hand and slammed heavily onto the stone.

Lu Wushuang's shout came from the shore:

"Husband, don't force it!"

Yang Guo did not turn around, but simply raised his heavy sword again.

The second time, he changed his foot position, gripping the crevice firmly with his left foot and stepping back slightly with his right foot, giving his waist and hips room to maneuver.

The water flowed heavily on the spine of the sword, causing it to sink before being violently lifted up by the recoil from the bottom of the pool.

That initial momentum is extremely brief; once missed, you have to start all over again.

He resisted the urge to draw his sword, letting it travel half a circle with the current.

The third time, the fourth time.

Each time, it was just a half-beat off.

Yang Guo's breathing gradually calmed down, and the pain in his shoulders and back receded to the edge of his consciousness.

He could already distinguish which stream of water came from above and which stream returned from the bottom of the pool.

Waterfalls are inanimate objects, but the force of the water follows a specific path.

Once that path is found, the greatsword can travel along it.

Cheng Ying stood on the shore, the branch in her hand had stopped moving.

She didn't say anything to remind him, afraid of disrupting Yang Guo's rhythm.

The mark of the Qiankun Technique gently heated up inside her body, creating a certain attraction between it and the energy Yang Guo was circulating.

Her fingers tightened slightly inside her sleeve, but she ultimately remained silent.

Yang Guo suddenly opened his eyes.

The moment the sword was lifted by the backflow, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, his waist and back turned first, and his arms followed closely behind.

Instead of forcefully pushing upwards, he pulled the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword half a foot to his side, allowing the sword's weight to create an arc on its own.

Immediately afterwards, the heavy sword slashed upwards diagonally.

This sword strike did not release the Nine Yin Manual energy, nor did it utilize the power of the One Yang Finger.

He relied solely on his muscles, waist, hips, and the weight of his sword, along with the force of the backflow at the bottom of the pool.

The sword's spine sliced ​​through the water curtain.

The sound of water stopped for a brief moment.

A gap was cut in the middle of the waterfall, the water falling above was deflected by the sword's force, and the water below split to both sides.

The sound of the water only lasted for two breaths before it was filled by the newly falling water, and the sound of the water was suppressed again.

Yang Guo stood in the water, his arms aching and numb, his chest heaving violently.

But he did not back down.

It became.

Although he didn't completely sever the waterfall, he had already gotten to the point.

Compared to the previous forceful sword strike, this strike consumed far less stamina.

More importantly, the recoil force did not rush into the shoulders and back, but was instead discharged through the waist and hips onto the stone surface underfoot.

If you master this kind of power, when facing the Snake King's charge, you will have the opportunity to deflect its force and then find the old wound under its abdomen.

Yang Guo looked down at the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword in his hand, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"It turns out that it wasn't me who split the water, but the water that helped me split the water."

He looked up and shouted towards the shore:

"Butler Cheng, Wushuang, did you see that? That move of mine just now, if it were on the short video charts, it'd definitely trend!"

Lu Wushuang didn't understand what trending topics were, but she could hear the excitement in his tone. She lifted her skirt and ran to the shore.

"Husband, you really split it open! All the water has moved aside!"

Yang Guo shouldered his heavy sword and walked towards the shore, his steps much more steady than before.

"Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. The leader of the Quanzhen Sect was just showing off his skills. Don't spread the word, or young women in the martial arts world will line up to throw themselves at you, and then I'll be in a very difficult position."

Lu Wushuang spat:

"You won't put me in a difficult position."

Yang Guo said in a very serious tone:

"What do you know? This is called taking responsibility for all the beauties in the world."

Cheng Ying watched him come ashore, first handing him a dry cloth, then pushing the snake meat that was warming by the fire closer.

"That sword strike just now could only be considered as borrowing the rebound force from the bottom of the pool."

"You were too slow to sheathe your sword. If the enemy were right in front of you, your opening would be exposed immediately."

Yang Guo took the dry cloth, wiped off the water, raised an eyebrow, and asked:

"Butler Cheng, do you have to stab me in the back before praising me?"

Cheng Ying said calmly:

"If you want to hear nice things, Wushuang will say them. If you want to defeat the Serpent King, then listen to what I have to say."

Lu Wushuang crossed her arms and chimed in:

"My cousin is right. Husband, you were indeed slow to sheathe your sword just now. Even I could tell."

Yang Guo looked at the two women blocking his way from both sides and sighed helplessly:

"Okay, my status in the family has dropped too fast. I've only just mastered half of it, and you two are already criticizing me in a meeting."

Cheng Ying made another modification to the water level map on the ground.

"It's not half a move, it's half a technique."

"Only when you can use the falling water to press down your sword, and then use the backflow to raise your sword, without damaging your meridians between the release and withdrawal, can you make a move against the Snake King."

Yang Guo picked up the snake meat, took a bite, and nodded in agreement:

"Then let's do it your way. We'll practice three more rounds today, each round lasting half an hour."

"Wushuang, you watch the fire. You watch me."

Lu Wushuang glared at him:

"Why should I watch the fire?"

Yang Guo looked down at her legs and chuckled teasingly:

"Because you haven't finished your squats for today."

Lu Wushuang turned around angrily to rummage through the meat skewers, but did not argue further.

After Yang Guo finished eating a skewer of snake meat, his shoulders and back ached terribly, but he felt much more at ease than before.

He knew very well that he was still far from reaching the level of Dugu Qiubai, who was a master of heavy swordsmanship.

Today's sword strike was at most a step that had only half-stepped in from outside the door.

But with this half foot, you can see the road as you walk forward.

He planted the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword beside him and looked up at Cheng Ying.

"Butler Cheng, does my brother's swordsmanship meet your standards?"

He tilted his chin up and asked with a smug look on his face.

Cheng Ying gently pulled her clothes tighter around herself.

"I guess you've barely made it into the basics, Brother Yang. Take care of yourself and don't get arrogant or complacent."

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, let's go eat meat!"