A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

Chapter 101 Tai Chi Listening to Force, Zhiruo Descends the Mountain

Throughout the year, Hengshan Mountain is mostly shrouded in mist and clouds, sometimes for dozens of days, making it seem as if the mountain has turned into mist itself.

Chen Yu and Elder Yuan were hiking in the mountains. One moment they saw a clear scene of towering peaks, solitary peaks, verdant cypress trees, and clear springs flowing over them. The next moment, clouds and mist filled the air, and the once clearly visible peaks were shrouded in fog, making them lose their way.

"Senior, why don't you tell me about Tang Qianhuan?"

Elder Ape sighed and said, "Even if you don't ask, I will tell you. After all, we will be rivals in the future, so it's important to know your enemy and yourself."

"Yes."

"The fourth brother was born into a variety show performer. He wandered from Sichuan to Hengyang. His master saw that he had outstanding talent and intelligence, so he took him under his wing. He lived up to expectations and mastered all the sword techniques of the Hengshan School in just a few years. Later, he observed the clouds and mist of Hengshan and combined some variety show skills to create the 'Thirteen Swords of Hengshan's Hundred Transformations and Thousand Illusions.' In terms of the skill of this sword technique, even my master is not as good as the fourth brother."

Floating clouds parting the sun, light mist and wisps of smoke, dancing lightly in the wind, demons and monsters departing—these moves, executed by the fourth brother, were dreamlike and ethereal, yet possessed a profound depth. His talent extended beyond this; utilizing the "Three Immortals Returning to Their Cave" acrobatic technique, he created his own methods for shifting energy and deflecting hidden weapons. Even a barrage of hidden weapons like the "Rain of Pear Blossom Needles" could be skillfully caught or redirected by him. Without these techniques, the fourth brother would not have been able to escape in Qiantang.

Chen Yu's mind raced. He pondered how, according to Yuan Gong's words, Tang Qianhuan's method of receiving and launching hidden weapons was similar to the Murong family's "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi" (Shifting Stars and Shifting the Universe). Could it be that Chongze and the others stole the Gusu Tomb and truly obtained the Murong family's martial arts? Tang Qianhuan was attracted by the legacy of the martial arts and turned against them. But he had never seen Yunze use this martial arts technique. It was strange.

"Fourth Brother is also skilled in face-changing, fire-breathing, and spitting blood. You used your pulse energy to reverse and spit blood to fake an injury at the Liuhe Pagoda in Qiantang. Afterwards, I jokingly told Fourth Brother about it."

"How does one perform spitting blood?" Chen Yu couldn't help but ask curiously.

Elder Ape swept away his worries and laughed heartily, "Actually, he was just hiding blood plasma. It's just that Fourth Brother was quick, so others couldn't see anything. When you punched Fourth Brother, he spat out blood and seemed to be on the verge of death, but in reality, because of the method of transferring energy, he was completely unharmed."

Tang Qianhuan is talented! Isn't this just a top-tier version of the brilliant scholar Zhu Cong?

How to break through the "Thirteen Swords of the Hundred Transformations and Thousand Illusions"?

"With your swordsmanship skills, even if I used this technique, you could withstand it. But it might not be the case if the fourth brother uses it. The best approach is to listen."

"listen?"

"This is what my master said after the fourth brother created the Thirteen Swords of Cloud and Mist. It is fast and ever-changing, and it is difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. You use the touch of your skin and your internal senses to detect the size, length and trajectory of the sword force, rather than using your eyes to see. What you see may not be the truth."

"After listening to your words, I suddenly understood everything."

"Haha, I am willing but unable, I have only scratched the surface of 'listening,' you lad, you have enough talent and are still young, perhaps you will be able to reach this level in the future."

"This junior will definitely cultivate diligently." Chen Yu said this, but what he was thinking about was the Tai Chi listening energy. However, he had never practiced it before, but he could practice it diligently and perhaps he would gain unexpected benefits.

As they walked, wisps of white mist slipped from their fingertips. A gentle breeze dispersed the clouds and mist, making the distant mountains and nearby ridges clearly visible. Chen Yu felt refreshed and relaxed, and he thought of Mei Chaofeng and Ke Zhen'e again.

The former, in particular, despite being blind, still managed to cultivate a sound-locating skill that even the Seven Masters of Quanzhen dared not underestimate in the world of Condor Heroes. This is probably a kind of listening skill, except that it is listening to external sounds.

After the two descended Mount Heng, Chen Yu locked himself in his room after dinner and blindfolded himself with a cloth.

He sat cross-legged, and some of the sayings about "listening to energy" in Tai Chi that he had learned when he was a stuntman surged up from the deepest part of his memory.

"Listening to the force has a dual meaning: it involves hearing, seeing, and the tactile sensation of the whole body, as well as the perception of the mind and spirit. Listening to the force is an essential step to understanding the force, and practicing listening to the force must begin with learning the sticking force. When using listening to the force, one should first discard one's own rigid and vulgar strength, relax the waist and legs, calm the mind and think, and concentrate the breath and spirit to listen, listening to the undercurrents and the fish stirring the water in the calm sea."

Chen Yu's thoughts expanded, and he recalled the saying from the "Plum Blossom Fist" he had obtained from the Wushan Gang: "When the mind is aroused, the spirit is distracted, and when the spirit is distracted, the six thieves disturb the heart. When the mind is agitated, the spirit cannot enter the qi, so one should silently nourish the mind; when the body is agitated, the qi cannot enter the spirit, so one should concentrate the spirit and forget the form."

If one can let the spirit enter the qi, and the qi then enter the spirit, then the spirit and qi will become one.

The six thieves mentioned in the boxing manual are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

Chen Yu benefited from the Jade Ruyi's assistance in cultivation, which allowed him to quickly clear his mind of distractions and enter a state of complete absorption in the universe. Furthermore, his profound understanding of the general principles of the Nine Yin Manual led him to discover the secrets of listening energy by combining two ancient and modern texts. He suddenly realized the key to understanding the art.

Acupoints that can improve hearing and vision, found all over the face, include Ermen (耳门), Yifeng (翼风), Tinghui (听会), Tinggong (听宫), Xiaguan (下关) and Dicang (地仓).

The acupoints such as Juliao, Chengqi, and Jingming belong to the Yang Qiao Meridian and Yin Qiao Meridian, as well as the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian and Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. Chen Yu had already tempered and unblocked most of these meridians. He used his mind to guide the Qi and slowly guided the Nine Yang Internal Force into the relevant meridians.

The Nine Yang Internal Force, imbued with heat, flowed into the meridians and acupoints, like lighting lamps. Sensations gradually amplified. The autumn wind rustled, and leaves were blown onto the roof tiles, their sound as clear as thunder.

From near to far, the jumbled information from the outside world began to be captured —

Insects chirped and mosquitoes flapped their wings.

Even the sound of stale air flowing into the air.

Chen Yu picked up the bamboo chopsticks from the square table beside him and reached into the air, but felt nothing. He listened intently, then reached out again, still empty-handed.

Each time he missed, Chen Yu gained a deeper understanding of the changes in the surrounding airflow. He could also hear more of the rapid vibrations of mosquitoes. After countless attempts with his right hand, Chen Yu's still arm suddenly shot forward with lightning speed, and he felt the subtle vibrations of objects from one end of the bamboo chopstick.

Chen Yu took off the cloth strip with her left hand and used bamboo chopsticks to pick up a mosquito.

A preliminary glimpse into the power of hearing, specifically the ability to perceive and sense.

The autumn sun casts shadows, suddenly revealing half the forest in crimson. A group of people gathered and stopped in the shade of the trees under the archway of the Hengshan Sect. At a rough glance, there were more than two hundred people.

Looking at the faces filled with excitement, brimming with the spirit of "Hengyang heroes for so many years, I stand at the summit of the mountain and become the peak," Chen Yu sighed. Hengshan Sect had probably never had such a large-scale operation since its founding.

After winning this battle, the Hengshan Sect will have the ability to launch another "Sword Annihilation of the Iron Palm Clan".

Chen Yu looked back and said to Bu Hui beside her, "I'll be home in just half a month. Take care on your journey."

The dozen or so little girls, including Bu Hui, were all escorted to Bashu by a security escort agency run by an outer disciple of the Hengshan Sect, so Chen Yu didn't need to worry about them.

"Take care, big brother."

Chen Yu nodded with a smile, took his sword and walked forward, with Ding Minjun puffing out her chest and following closely behind.

The Wujiang River flows swiftly, flanked by steep mountains. The men, their heads wrapped in white cloth, arms bare, and their bronze skin glistening with sweat, used ropes and anchors to secure one large boat after another to the dock after a series of orderly shouts.

With her slender figure and a light blue dress, Zhou Zhiruo gracefully leaped ashore. Her eyes were bright and clear, and her light blue dress gave her an otherworldly and refined appearance.

-

Then, as she stepped onto the bluestone ground, her expression turned to one of joy and longing. After crossing the Wujiang River, she would soon enter Hunan Province and would soon see her master and her senior brother Chen.

On the large ship, more than a hundred Emei disciples, including Ji Xiaofu and Shi Jinkui, disembarked one after another. Yang An looked at Zhou Zhiruo, who was completely unaware of the dangers of the martial world, and felt a little uneasy. He thought that his senior brother Chen would not blame him for bringing junior sister Zhiruo with him.

Yang An then consoled himself, "For this expedition to subdue demons, apart from a few senior sisters, all the inner and outer disciples were selected through examinations. Junior Sister Zhiruo came in first place, there was no other way. Senior Sister Ji was recently preoccupied and not in good condition, she should have stayed behind to guard the sect, but she volunteered, and we couldn't persuade her otherwise. Senior Brother Chen really had a way, going down the mountain to lead the people, mobilizing the troops, it was clean and efficient, you have to admire him."

Yang An's thoughts returned to him. "Dear senior sisters, junior sisters, and junior brothers, it will take about two days to reach Youyang. The road ahead is mountainous and densely forested, so be careful of snakes and insects."

"Thank you for your advice, senior brother."

Zhou Zhiruo took out a powder to repel snakes and insects, applied some to her body, and, holding a steel sword, walked swiftly towards the majestic and undulating Wuling Mountains in her sight.

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