Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

Li Chang'an nodded.

At the same time, he also observed himself through the intermediate state (bardo).

When he saw Lu Jin say those words, several mixed thoughts arose in his mind: admiration, aversion, and impatience.

The respect stems from admiring the difficulties faced by the Left Gate Master, while the aversion arises from disliking the act of lecturing itself, and the impatience stems from the same reason.

An ordinary person might not even realize that this thought had arisen.

Even practitioners may find it difficult to distinguish which of these thoughts originate from themselves and which originate from the outside world.

However, Li Chang'an could discern from the feedback, similar to a baby biting its hand, that the respect came from the heart.

However, impatience and aversion to preaching arise from external influences.

The former is the true self.

The latter is the false self.

Li Chang'an silently recited "Amitabha Buddha" a few times in his heart to transform those two delusions.

“Since you’re hungry, go and eat quickly. Because you need to establish your foundation, to avoid depleting your resources, your great-grandfather has arranged some medicinal cuisine for you,” Lu Jin said.

"Thank you, sir!"

…………

…………

After finishing his meal, Li Chang'an did not continue his cultivation.

The body needs time to absorb and digest. Although the previous cultivation did not cause much damage to the mind, it still needs to recover.

The best way to restore physical and mental well-being is to sleep.

While Li Chang'an was sleeping, Lu Jin and Li Shaoyun were talking.

Lu Jin patted Li Shaoyun on the shoulder and said, "I like this child very much. Shaoyun, I plan to take him as my apprentice, bring him to the Lu family, and train him well."

Upon hearing this, Li Shaoyun was overjoyed.

The Lu family is one of the four great families in the world of supernatural beings, and Lu Jin is one of the Ten Elders of the world of supernatural beings, which can be said to be one of the top people in this world of supernatural beings.

If one can become his disciple and receive his full guidance, one's achievements will be limitless.

Li Shaoyun quickly stood up and bowed to Lu Jin:

“Uncle Lu, it is truly a blessing for this child to become your disciple. Please take him with you and teach him however you wish.”

"It is my blessing to find such a suitable disciple and successor in my later years," Lu Jin said.

Although Lu Jin has not yet taught Li Chang'an about reversing the cycle of rebirth, understanding one's true nature is a major hurdle in the practice of reversing the cycle of rebirth.

Since Li Chang'an has already crossed this threshold, and given his excellent talent and cultivation at the third level of Reverse Rebirth, Lu Jin felt there shouldn't be any major problems.

Lu Jin patted Li Shaoyun on the shoulder:

"This child is ultimately a member of the Li family, so you must not neglect your own family's skills. During his Foundation Establishment period, you should properly teach him your family's sword techniques. I have to leave for a few days to attend a meeting at the company. After the meeting, I will come to pick him up."

“Okay, Uncle Lu, I’ll personally teach him later,” Li Shaoyun said.

Lu Jin nodded, then reminded him, "But remember, during the Foundation Establishment period, only teach some techniques. Don't use any special tempering methods yet, as the Foundation Establishment is not yet complete, lest you damage your foundation. Remember that."

"Don't worry, Uncle Lu, I will definitely be careful. I won't let him practice swordsmanship for too long, and I definitely won't let him get tired," Li Shaoyun assured him.

"There's no need for that. You can decide for yourself how much to go about it," Lu Jin said with a smile.

Li Shaoyun nodded, then asked, "By the way, Uncle Lu, was the company meeting about Zhang Huaiyi, a remnant of the Jia Shen rebellion?"

Chapter 18 Family Sword Technique

“Yes!” Lu Jin nodded.

"What's your opinion on this matter?" Li Shaoyun asked.

"Zhang Huaiyi is a long, smelly, and stinky turd. He stirs things up and a lot of dog shit gets caught in the whirlpool. If you go in, you're bound to get covered in shit."

Lu Jin warned, "Shaoyun, I'm reminding you, you absolutely must not get involved in this matter."

Having lived through the Jia Shen Rebellion, he knew how crazy some people could become once it came to the Eight Extraordinary Skills, no matter how virtuous they appeared in ordinary times.

Li Shaoyun laughed and said, "Uncle Lu, don't worry, I know my own limitations. Those who are involved are all the leaders and elders of various sects, all big shots. How could my small frame be qualified to participate? I'm just watching the show and learning about current events."

"It's fine to know, but don't get involved," Lu Jin said.

Actually, when I learned about Zhang Huaiyi's situation...

He had considered whether or not to go, but he didn't intend to do anything to Zhang Huaiyi.

Instead, he wanted to get some information about his sworn brother, Wugensheng, from Zhang Huaiyi.

But after thinking it over for a moment, he still didn't get involved.

Firstly, Zhang Huaiyi was his friend's junior apprentice, and he was an extremely sentimental person who wouldn't get involved in such a mess.

Secondly, he has to teach his apprentices and doesn't have time.

……

……

Li Chang'an slept soundly until dawn.

After getting up, he first did his usual routine of moving his body around.

An ordinary person can only circulate energy eight times in an hour, while Li Chang'an circulated energy thirty times, nearly four times that of them.

Afterwards, Li Chang'an went to have breakfast.

The stage of refining essence into qi requires particular attention to the body's health. Li Chang'an's meals were specially arranged by Lu Jin, consisting of medicinal cuisine that was nutritious but light.

While eating, Li Chang'an noticed that he received several negative feedbacks, such as "it tastes bad."

These thoughts came from the outside world, and he chose to recite "Amitabha Buddha" to transform them.

After Li Chang'an finished eating, he wiped his mouth. The food wasn't very tasty, but his stomach felt warm and comfortable, and he felt an indescribable sense of ease throughout his body.

Afterwards, he went to the classroom and waited for Lu Jin to start the class.

But it wasn't Lu Jin who came; it was his grandfather, Li Shaoyun.

"Grandpa, what brings you here? Where's Great-Grandpa?" Li Chang'an asked curiously.

During the time Lu Jin was teaching Li Chang'an, Li Shaoyun rarely came over.

Firstly, they were afraid of disturbing Lu Jin's lectures.

Secondly, there's the fear that the grandson might feel that he has the support of his elders and become complacent.

Li Shaoyun said, "Grandpa has gone to a company meeting and will be back in a while. In the meantime, Grandpa will teach you the traditional skills of our Li family. When Grandpa returns, you will go with him to the Lu family to cultivate."

"Go to the Lu family to cultivate?"

"Yes! Don't feel reluctant. The Li family and the Lu family are not far apart, and transportation is convenient now. Whenever you miss home, you can come back. Many students live on campus now and come back once a week or once a semester. You have to get used to it."

Li Shaoyun thought his grandson was reluctant to leave home, so he tried to comfort him.

Li Chang'an nodded. He didn't mind leaving home to learn his craft. What he was thinking about was his grandfather's meeting.

At this critical juncture, the only major event in the world of supernatural beings should be Zhang Huaiyi's matter.

If he remembered correctly, Zhang Huaiyi was about to exhaust his innate Qi and his lifespan was running out, so he wanted to make a big splash before he died.

In this incident, he killed many sect leaders, including Yang Lie, the head of the Tang Clan.

Although Grandpa went to a meeting, it seems he wasn't involved in this matter, so there's no need to worry about it.

Li Chang'an looked at Li Shaoyun: "Grandpa, our family hasn't been involved in the recent events in the martial arts world, has it?"

"You also know about things in the martial arts world?"

"My grandfather mentioned it once."

Li Shaoyun had no doubts: "We can't interfere in the major events of the martial world, nor do we intend to. Come, let me teach you the Li family's ancestral technique, the Yuyang Sword Manual."

"Is this a continuation of the sword techniques I taught before?" Li Chang'an asked.

"The sword techniques that your grandfather taught you before were just some basic sword moves. No matter how well you practiced them or how beautifully you danced them, they were just for show and were useless in actual combat. Today, your grandfather will teach you something ruthless."

Upon hearing that something drastic was going to be taken, Li Chang'an became interested: "Then I will definitely study hard!"

"Before I teach you specific sword techniques, let me teach you some common sense: the tip of the sword should always point towards the enemy, and the blade should always be in front of your chest."

Li Shaoyun reminded him with a serious expression: "This is very important. Real swordsmanship is not for show. Those sword techniques in TV dramas that are as graceful as a startled swan and as swift as a swimming dragon will lead to a very ugly death if used in real life."

As Li Shaoyun spoke, he took two swords, holding one in his hand and tossing the other to Li Chang'an.

"Come on, demonstrate. Attack me."

Li Chang'an didn't hesitate and thrust his sword forward.

But as soon as the sword tip was extended, Li Shaoyun casually deflected it.

Li Chang'an twisted his waist, his stance becoming one with his body, and unleashed a powerful and heavy slash.

The old man crouched down like a rabbit, causing Li Chang'an's sword to miss its mark.

The next second, a sword tip shot straight at Li Chang'an's face, stopping less than an inch in front of him.

"Have you forgotten? The sword is at your chest!"

Li Shaoyun said, "You used too much force in that sword strike just now, and the arc was too large. Remember, no matter how you move, the weapon should be in front of your chest, not beyond."

"In this way, you can use it for both offense and defense in any situation. But if the offensive range is too large, although the destructive power is strong, the middle gate will inevitably be wide open. Once the middle gate is open, life and death will be out of your control."

"A move as sweeping and powerful as splitting a mountain is only good-looking, but not practical. Being cautious and meticulous is the real danger, as it can kill both your opponent and yourself."

"Grandpa, I understand!" Li Chang'an nodded solemnly.

"Just remember that. Now, Grandpa will tell you about our family's 'Yuyang Sword Manual'!"

Li Shaoyun said, "Most of the sword techniques passed down in the world are just for show."

"Those like the Flowing Cloud Sword are powerful, but they take a shortcut and use tricks to achieve a so-called unity of man and sword. What's powerful is the sword, not the swordsmanship itself. Although I'm not very powerful, I look down on their swordsmanship."

Flowing Cloud Sword... Li Chang'an recalled that the Flowing Cloud Sword seemed to entrust one's life to the sword, truly making the sword a part of the body. It wouldn't be wrong to say that what was powerful was the sword, not the swordsmanship.

“Our family’s ‘Yuyang Sword Manual’ is an ancient sword technique, the purpose of which is to achieve the unity of man and sword in swordsmanship. However, I am dull-witted and have never been able to reach this level. Your talent far surpasses mine, so perhaps you can glimpse this realm,” Li Shaoyun said.

Li Chang'an listened quietly without making any promises.

Li Shaoyun didn't force his grandson to swear any oaths. He held the sword horizontally in front of his chest, stroked the blade, and said:

"Many people say that swords are ritual objects or accessories, while knives are weapons of killing, but this shows that they don't understand the true use of swords."

"A sword is light and delicate, and its use is very different from that of a knife. If you only use it to chop, it is like using a thoroughbred horse to plow the ground, which is laughable."

Li Shaoyun's voice was slow, each word deliberate and clear, as if carved into stone:

"The first principle of our family's swordsmanship is not in the hands, but in the feet. The sword is an extension of the arm, but your 'world' is the area you create with your feet."

Chapter 19 is easy to understand at a glance.

Li Shaoyun kicked off his cloth shoes, pointed the tip of his sword diagonally at the ground, and then began to move.

He landed barefoot on the cold stone ground, his toes gripping the ground, his soles hollow, like a nimble cat waiting for its chance to strike.

But with this step, his figure strangely "slid" out, as if the stone ground beneath his feet had turned into ice, and he moved three feet horizontally as if skating.

But the sword in his hand remained completely still.

"Our family's swordsmanship excels at using a single sword to break a spear, so there's a mantra for it."

"Long weapons are wielded with wood, while short weapons are wielded with the arm. With long weapons, one's hand must be skillful in advancing and retreating; with short weapons, one's feet must be sharp in advancing and retreating."

Li Shaoyun explained: "Long-handled weapons like guns rely on the two hands to slide along the wooden shaft and rotate the wrists, making them unpredictable."

"But not with a sword. The 'hilt' of a sword is your entire shoulder, elbow, and wrist; it's the sinews and bones of your whole body."

"The movement of the sword depends entirely on your two feet. If your feet are not nimble, the sword is just a lifeless object."

"Therefore, the essence of sword practice is not to make the sword look beautiful, but to train your legs first."

"Many people only care about the beauty of swordsmanship, which is putting the cart before the horse. In the past, they could only become singing girls who danced with swords, not swordsmen who killed people."