The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Yue Buqun revealed a kind and pleasant smile.

"Passing by this auspicious place, I took the opportunity to pay a visit to Headmaster Yue. It is said that swords emerge from Mount Hua, and today is the perfect occasion. I am but a humble person, and I have recently gained some insights into the way of the sword. I wonder if Headmaster Yue would do me the honor of discussing swordsmanship with me?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun's mind raced.

[A sword duel? Lin Mu just saved me, and now he's proposing a sword duel. If I refuse, it would make the Qi Sect seem cowardly and tarnish the reputation of Mount Hua.]

But his martial arts skills are unfathomable; I am no match for him. To be defeated in front of so many disciples—how could I save face?

He looked slightly embarrassed and was trying to come up with an excuse.

Lin Mu seemed to see through his thoughts and added, "I have long heard that Linghu Chong of Mount Hua has superb swordsmanship and is the best among the younger generation. If it is inconvenient for Sect Leader Yue, please ask Senior Brother Linghu to give me some pointers."

His words seemed to be giving Yue Buqun a way out, but in reality, they were a way of turning his attention to Linghu Chong.

Linghu Chong was already feeling a bit uneasy because of his junior sister's admiration for Lin Mu. Now that he was called upon, his youthful spirit was stirred. In addition, he was naturally open-minded and unrestrained, and did not care much about winning or losing. Instead, he longed for a duel between masters. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Master, since Young Hero Lin has such an interest, this disciple is willing to fight in your place. Please give me your guidance!"

Yue Buqun breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement: "Chong'er, be careful and don't be impolite."

He thought to himself that although Linghu Chong's swordsmanship was a true inheritance from him, his internal strength was far inferior to his own, so it wouldn't matter if he lost.

After all, neither Zuo Lengchan nor Feng Buping were a match for Lin Mu, so saying it out loud wouldn't have any impact on Mount Hua.

"Brother Linghu, please."

Lin Mu casually picked up Feng Buping's longsword from the ground, stood holding it with an air of nonchalance.

"Brother Lin, I'm sorry!"

Linghu Chong's spirits lifted, and with a flick of his longsword, he unleashed a brilliant move from the Huashan Swordplay, attacking Lin Mu.

His swordplay was agile and skillful, demonstrating a deep understanding of the "Xi Yi Sword Technique," far surpassing his peers.

This sword technique embodies the idea of ​​profound yet subtle beauty; one must possess a broad mind to achieve twice the results with half the effort in its practice.

Lin Mu simply smiled slightly, turned his body slightly to the side, and casually flicked his long sword.

With a soft clang, Linghu Chong felt a strange force coming from him, causing his sword move to go astray and almost causing him to lose his grip on the longsword.

He was startled and quickly changed his tactics.

No matter how his swordsmanship changed, Lin Mu always struck first after being attacked later, and each time he used a very simple thrust, a flick, or a parry to neutralize his exquisite sword moves.

Lin Mu's swordplay was skillful yet seemingly effortless, reaching a state of perfection, as if he had already seen through all the changes in Lin Mu's sword techniques.

After only ten moves, Linghu Chong was already struggling to keep up and was covered in sweat.

Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the others were increasingly alarmed as they watched; Lin Mu's swordsmanship was far beyond their imagination.

"Brother Linghu, be careful."

Before Lin Mu finished speaking, his sword strikes suddenly accelerated, like a gentle breeze, yet penetrating every nook and cranny.

Linghu Chong felt a blur before his eyes and a numbness in his wrist. With a clang, his longsword fell from his hand and landed on the ground.

This time, Yue Buqun and the others were not surprised.

With Lin Mu's strength, defeating Linghu Chong would be a piece of cake. If he could even exchange more than ten blows, it would be giving face to the Huashan Sect.

Lin Mu sheathed his sword, but his gaze did not fall on Linghu Chong. Instead, he turned to the deep corridor behind the main hall and said loudly, "I have heard that there is a senior living in seclusion in the back of Mount Hua. His swordsmanship is divine, reaching the realm of defeating moves without moves. Now that you are here, I wonder if you would like to show yourself today and give me some pointers?"

Yue Buqun's expression changed drastically: "The senior from the back mountain? Young Hero Lin is referring to..."

Before he finished speaking, an old yet clear voice seemed to ring out from all directions, carrying a hint of surprise and appreciation: "Young man, you have such profound skill that you were able to detect my presence. What's even more remarkable is that your swordsmanship, at such a young age, has already reached the threshold of 'no moves,' which is indeed stronger than the brats of the Huashan Sect."

Before everyone's eyes, an old man in a gray robe appeared silently in the main hall. His hair and beard were all white, his face was thin, and his eyes were as clear as a child's, yet as deep as the starry sky. He was none other than Feng Qingyang, the Sword Saint of Mount Hua.

Feng Buping, Cheng Buyou, and Cong Buqi were disciples of the Sword Sect. Upon recognizing the newcomer, they were all shocked and immediately bowed, saying, "Uncle-Master Feng!"

"It really is Uncle Feng! You're not dead! That's wonderful!"

"Uncle-Master Feng, what exactly happened during the sword qi dispute back then?"

Twenty-five years ago, the Huashan Sect was the leader of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects. However, due to the struggle for sword energy, it suffered heavy casualties and was eventually overtaken by the Songshan Sect.

During that battle, Feng Ping was only a teenager and was assigned to the rear, so he did not participate in the battle and therefore did not know the true situation.

Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, and the other disciples of the Qi Sect were taken aback.

They never expected that there was another master of the Feng generation on Mount Hua.

Especially Yue Buqun, who had heard his master talk about what happened back then.

Feng Qingyang was a prodigy of the Sword Sect, with superb martial arts skills and a high reputation in the martial arts world.

Knowing they were no match for the Sword Sect, the Qi Sect devised a plan to increase their chances of winning. They arranged for a prostitute to impersonate a lady and send Feng Qingyang to Jiangnan to get married. Then, the Qi Sect clashed with the Sword Sect. By the time Feng Qingyang returned from Jiangnan, the Sword Sect's experts had already been defeated and killed.

After that, there was no further news of Feng Qingyang.

Some say Feng Qingyang died in despair, others say he withdrew from the martial world out of shame…

I never imagined that he had been living in seclusion on Mount Hua all this time.

Just thinking about Yue Buqun makes me shudder.

Fortunately, Feng Qingyang, mindful of their kinship, didn't hold it against this junior.

Feng Qingyang ignored them, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Mu: "Boy, you forced me out here because you want to duel with me?"

Lin Mu cupped his hands and said, "This junior has overheard that you once learned the Dugu Nine Swords of Dugu Qiubai. I admire it greatly and would be grateful if you would be so kind as to teach me!"

A glint flashed in Feng Qingyang's eyes: "You actually know the Dugu Nine Swords?"

He scrutinized Lin Mu closely, growing more and more astonished with each look: "Excellent! Excellent! I've lived in seclusion for decades, never expecting such a figure to emerge in the martial world. Very well, let's stretch our muscles!"

He casually picked up Linghu Chong's sword and said, "Kid, come on."

Lin Mu's expression was solemn; he held Feng Qingyang, the Sword Saint, in high esteem.

He held back, his pure Yang energy surging within him, his sword intent rising, and the longsword in his hand emitting a soft hum.

"Senior, be careful!"

The sword flashed, like a startled swan, like a swimming dragon.

Lin Mu's sword strike embodied all his understanding of swordsmanship, combining speed, accuracy, ruthlessness, and unpredictability, far surpassing his earlier encounter with Linghu Chong.

Feng Qingyang praised, "Well done!"

The longsword in his hand was casually pointed out, seemingly slowly, but with exquisite precision, targeting the only subtle gap in the force conversion of Lin Mu's sword move.

Lin Mu's sword momentum faltered, but he reacted with lightning speed, his swordplay ever-evolving, and he immediately changed his attack to strike again.

Chapter 35: The Gate of All Heavens

The Nine Swords of Dugu are divided into: General Formula, Sword-Breaking Formula, Saber-Breaking Formula, Spear-Breaking Formula, Whip-Breaking Formula, Rope-Breaking Formula, Palm-Breaking Formula, Arrow-Breaking Formula, and Qi-Breaking Formula.

It emphasizes the principle of defeating opponents with no moves, focusing solely on offense and avoiding defense, striking first after the opponent has moved, and requires immense comprehension to master.

Feng Qingyang moved swiftly, his longsword striking, thrusting, parrying, or drawing Lin Mu's swordsmanship with incredible speed, always managing to break through Lin Mu's defenses at the last second.

The two exchanged sword blows, their movements becoming increasingly rapid. Eventually, all the people in the hall could see were two blurry figures and crisscrossing sword energies; they couldn't discern the specific moves at all.

The sword energy surged, causing everyone's clothes to flutter and forcing them to retreat.

Yue Buqun was deeply shocked and broke out in a cold sweat, only then realizing how vast the gap was between himself and a true master.

Linghu Chong was completely mesmerized.

The two were too fast and their swordsmanship was too fast. He could only see the flashing sword light and sparks flying everywhere. He felt that if he were in the middle of it, he would be torn to pieces in an instant, and he couldn't help but feel frustrated.

As the battle intensified, Lin Mu let out a long roar, and the sword in his hand suddenly blazed with intense heat, like a ball of flame hurtling towards him.

Feng Qingyang's expression hardened, and the long sword in his hand conjured countless afterimages as he unleashed the essence of the "Nine Swords of Dugu"—the Sword Breaking Style and the Qi Breaking Style.

"Ding!"

With a soft sound, the tip of Lin Mu's longsword was precisely struck by Feng Qingyang's longsword, and a unique energy emanated from the longsword.

This energy is extremely condensed; if one were to search for true energy, it might be dispersed.

However, Lin Mu's pure yang true qi was more condensed and also had high temperature properties.

Lin Mu felt the force coming from the sword and immediately understood that it was the Qi-breaking technique. He grasped the key to it in an instant, and with a burst of energy, he shattered the long sword in Feng Qingyang's hand.

[Such profound internal strength! How did this young man cultivate such profound skill at such a young age? And that energy just now was... a Qi-breaking technique!]

Feng Qingyang used the momentum to retreat, looked at the broken sword in his hand, let out a long sigh, and his face was not frustrated, but rather full of joy.

"Good lad, you've even learned my Dugu Nine Swords. With such monstrous talent, I, Feng Qingyang, am willing to call you the strongest."

"I admit that I have only grasped three-tenths of its true meaning!"

Lin Mu bowed deeply in sincere respect.

After fighting Feng Qingyang, Lin Mu, with his extraordinary comprehension, did indeed learn some of the essence of the "Nine Swords of Dugu".

Feng Qingyang admired Lin Mu quite a bit. Thinking that he was getting old and didn't have many years left to live, and that no one would inherit his skills, he said, "Young Lin, if you have nothing else to do, you can go to the Cliff of Contemplation on the back mountain and keep this old man company. Let's exchange ideas more."

"It would be disrespectful for a junior to refuse an invitation from a senior."

Lin Mu was quite interested in the "Nine Swords of Dugu," and since Feng Qingyang was willing to teach him, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

After that, Lin Mu stayed at Mount Hua for a period of time, sparring and exchanging techniques with Feng Qingyang, and learned the complete "Nine Swords of Dugu".

During this time, Lin Mu took the opportunity, under the guise of sparring, to have a one-on-one match with Yue Buqun, and defeated him.

[Ding! Side quest: 'Mount Hua Sword Tournament' has been completed. Reward: Ten years of lifespan!]

【Do you want to receive it? 】

Lin Mu silently said, "Receive."

The next moment, a surge of life energy flowed into Lin Mu's body.

The ten-year lifespan reward from the system can either maintain Lin Mu's current age or make him ten years younger.

Lin Mu is now twenty-six years old. If he wants, he can go back to when he was sixteen.

However, Lin Mu only regressed by one year, remaining at the golden age of twenty-five.

It feels really good, I'm full of energy.

The next day.

"Sect Leader Yue, I have troubled you for many days. I shall take my leave now."

Lin Mu cupped his hands in greeting to Yue Buqun.

This trip to Mount Hua was quite fruitful.

As for the internal energy of the Huashan Sect, Lin Mu did not absorb it. Yue Buqun may be a hypocrite, but he did good deeds for half his life, which was genuine.

So what if I'm a little hypocritical?

A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. At least before Yue Buqun obtained the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, he did not do anything immoral or immoral.

The people living near Mount Hua are clearly living much better than those living near Mount Song.

This alone puts him ahead of most people in the martial arts world.

After leaving Huashan, Lin Mu went to Hebei.

Another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Blackwood Cliff.

The headquarters of the Sun Moon Cult is located in a strategically important and heavily guarded location.

However, for Lin Mu, who possessed the ultimate movement technique of "Phoenix Dance Six Illusions" and had a master-level cultivation, these guards were practically useless.

He moved in as if he were in an empty place, silently sneaking into the core area and absorbing some of the people's internal energy along the way.

Before long, Lin Mu found the villa where Dongfang Bubai lived.

Before they even entered, they heard a voice that was neither male nor female coming from inside: "Brother Lian, what do you think of my dragon embroidery?"

Lin Mu kicked the door open and entered.

The room was luxuriously furnished yet strangely eerie, filled with embroidered brocade.

A figure dressed in a bright red robe and heavily made up is holding an embroidery needle, her posture alluring; this is probably Dongfang Bubai.

The man beside him was naturally Yang Lianting.

"court death!"