Journey to the West: Starting with becoming an apprentice of the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Patriar

After the important matters were settled, Lu Shanjun suddenly remembered something.

"I've heard that Master Python's swordsmanship is exceptional. With a single swing, wind, fire, and light spontaneously arise. I wonder if this swordsmanship has any origin?"

"Does the mountain lord want to see the sword manual?"

Old Python readily agreed, "Take it. After all, I can't take all these swords with me to the grave."

He untied the long sword from his back, laid it horizontally on the bluestone, and took out a thin roll of old silk from his bosom.

"It's a joke, really."

"When I was young, I tempered my scales using a clumsy method: attracting lightning."

"At the summit of Wushao Ridge stands an ancient oak tree, the tallest on the entire ridge, having been struck by lightning. On stormy nights, this old man climbs to the treetop, risking his wretched life to withstand the thunder. If he survives, his scales harden."

"In ten years, I endured seven trials."

"The seventh bolt was the most ferocious. When it struck, I was half dead, and the ancient oak tree was split in two from top to bottom."

"The heartwood is hollow."

"This piece of wood core lay inside the crack. Underneath the core, there was a rusted iron box. Inside the box was a sword and a manual, wrapped in three layers of oilcloth, completely clean."

The old python stroked the rolled-up old silk, a hint of remoteness shining through its vertical pupils.

"The person who hid the sword sealed it in the heart of a hundred-foot-tall tree. Whether it was to prevent people from finding it or to leave a mark for someone, I don't know. All I know is that he never came back to retrieve it."

"The genealogy has no names or surnames, only two words written on the first page... Qingyun."

"The manual says that this sword has four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. When the sword is drawn, light is produced; that is not concealment, but the sharpness is revealed on its own."

"It's a pity it's a fragment, with only the general outline and the sections on fire and wind remaining. I've practiced for two hundred years and have only mastered the wind and fire techniques, which is barely enough to impress people."

The old silk was handed over, and it sank slightly into my hand.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, a brilliant blue light shone forth.

[Sword Technique: Azure Cloud Sword Technique (Fragment - Beginner Level 0/100)]

[Annotation: The sword contains the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. The fragmentary scroll contains the general outline and the chapters on fire and wind. The sword's principles are grand and righteous, not created by a wandering cultivator. Its origins are extraordinary; cultivate it with caution and show it to others with utmost care.]

Earth, water, fire, and wind.

These four words hit his eyes, and Lu Shanjun's heart skipped a beat.

He must have worn out a copy of "Journey to the West" in his previous life, how could he not remember it?

Among the Four Heavenly Kings, the Heavenly King of Growth, Mo Liqing, wields a blue-light sword with a talisman on it, which has four characters in the middle: "Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind".

Where the sword's edge passed, wind and fire arrived simultaneously, and black smoke obscured the sun.

Azure clouds, azure light.

It's just a difference of one word.

This incomplete musical score is most likely a handwritten copy that was lost to the mortal world by a member of the Heavenly King's lineage!

As for who copied the score, and why it was sealed inside a lightning-struck tree and never returned...

Lu Shanjun suppressed this thought, keeping his expression unchanged.

Having a history doesn't necessarily mean misfortune.

If the sword manual has no owner, picking it up is not considered stealing.

The four demon generals are still serving before the Buddha, but in the mortal world, a fragment of a scroll and a case have long since been lost to witness.

He only knows one thing.

The wolf king's yin spirit fears extreme yang, fierce winds, and thunder and fire.

Now, in his hands lies a demon-slaying stone sword imbued with a century of magical power, a piece of wood core forged by heavenly lightning, and a sword technique that imbues every strike with wind and fire.

All three things were aimed at the old wolf's Achilles' heel.

Lu Shanjun raised his head, looked at the heavy main peak outside the cave, and slowly exhaled a breath of white air.

There are three days left in the ten-day period.

The heavenly fire is already in the box.

All that's missing is a clear, sunny noon.

……

Actually, swords and claws are two different things.

Lu Shanjun grasped the principle in just one night.

The claws are horizontal.

Pounce, scissors, and lifts—in the end, they all revolve around the word "horizontal"—sweeping, pressing, and cutting horizontally, relying on the strength of a bowstring in the waist and back.

The sword, however, was straight.

The general outline of the "Qingyun Sword Technique" begins with only eight characters: "The sword is sharpened by the heart; a straight heart makes for a straight sword."

The text then cites the principles of the I Ching, stating that Qian represents metal, cold ice, and sharpness.

Swords belong to the metal element and represent killing. Among all weapons in the world, swords are the most "upright" and do not tolerate any trickery.

Upon seeing this, Lu Shanjun couldn't help but look down at his own fur.

The White Tiger governs the West, associated with the metal elements Geng and Xin.

The demons practicing swordsmanship nearby use flesh and blood to modify iron.

He practiced swordsmanship, and it was like gold meeting gold—they instantly felt like old friends.

……

In the mossy cave behind the main cave, the tiger's roar was replaced by the sound of a sword.

Lacking a suitable sword, Lu Shanjun first whittled a piece of hardwood and used it as a makeshift sword. He practiced the general principles on the first night, and from the second night onwards, he began to study the "Fire Chapter."

The principle of the Fire Chapter can be broken down into eight characters: Fire is born from friction, and the two energies interact.

In the Book of Changes, the Li hexagram is empty in the middle. Fire is something that doesn't exist naturally in the world; it's all created by "rubbing" or "extracting" it.

You can get fire by rubbing wood together, you can get fire by striking a stone, and you can get fire by thunder when clouds collide with each other in the sky.

Lighting a fire on a sword is just another example.

The true energy split into two streams, one flowing along the spine of the sword and the other flowing back against the blade, moving swiftly and rubbing against each other on the three-foot-long sword.

At first there was nothing, but after rubbing it a hundred or so times, the sword gradually heated up. If you continue rubbing it, it will become bright from the extreme heat.

With a "whoosh," a wisp of bluish-white flame emerged from the spine of the sword.

This fire does not need firewood, nor is it afraid of wind and rain; in Taoist texts it is called Qi Fire.

Every night, the old python Meng Zhang would come over and coil up on the blue stone at the entrance of the cave to watch.

On the first night, he gave some pointers, such as how to keep the wrist flexible and how to make the sword tip "listen". On the second night, he spoke less.

On the third night, as Lu Shanjun thrust out his sword, a flash of fire appeared on the spine of the blade. The old python stared at that bluish-white spot for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"Back in my day, it took me twenty years to train until I could see sparks flying off my sword."

"How many days did the mountain king take?"

Lu Shanjun sheathed his sword, thought for a moment, and answered honestly, "The Fire Training Chapter began last night."

Old Python: "..."

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he simply drew out his old sword as well.

"Come. A sword is something that can be practiced a thousand times in vain, but it is better to be given a chance to practice it once. My sword, which has been around for two hundred years, is coming to an end and needs to find a place to go."

That night, two sword lights appeared in the mossy cave.

A seasoned and savory dish, with its twists, turns, locks, and seals, every part of it embodies the subtlety honed over two centuries.

A raw, untamed force, straightforward and swift beyond reason.

The old one feeds, the new one takes over, swords clash, sparks fly and bounce all over the cave.

The blue shadow in the sea of ​​consciousness stirred several times throughout the night.

By dawn on the third day, Feng Pian had also found the door.

Xun represents wind.

The wind is invisible and can penetrate everywhere, but where does it come from?

As Song Yu aptly put it, "The wind arises from the earth, starting from the tip of a blade of grass."

When the sword reaches a certain speed, the air emanating from the blade will swirl, roar, and chase after the sword's edge.

The saying "the sword summons the wind" doesn't refer to the wind in the sky, but rather to the sword's own internal energy.

[Swordplay: Qingyun Swordplay (Fragment, Lesser Completion 112/300)]

[Annotation: The sword's movement is as fluid and precise as an arm or finger. Fire arises from friction, wind from speed. This sword is light and agile, complementing the powerful and weighty "Three Forms of Subduing the Tiger"—one straight, one horizontal—in perfect harmony. Brilliant.]

The old python sheathed its sword, stared at the cave ceiling for a long time in a daze, and finally shook its head and chuckled.

"In the past, the words 'divinely bestowed' were just polite words in alchemical texts."

"Now I believe it."