Chapter 189: The Art of Seeking the Truth (2)

"Speaking of the way of the sword, just like the art of martial arts, it can be said to be the proof of our being a Zanxin." The old man on the futon spoke slowly, "It is something very unique. Yes, a one-of-a-kind technique. But outsiders will always be unable to distinguish it.

Question: What is the difference between Zanshin Kendo and Longxiang Fist? Qingye, you answer.

She was called up again, stood up immediately, and answered as quickly as possible: "Yes! Longxiang boxing can prolong life, but Zanshin swordsmanship cannot prolong life!"

The classroom erupted in laughter. Qingye sat down quietly, her face red. The head of the family laughed so hard that his beard trembled.

"To put it bluntly, this is it. The effects of Longxiang boxing are very obvious. If you practice diligently, your muscles will grow, your body will become stronger, and it can also extend the lifespan of ordinary people."

The patriarch flexed his biceps, striking a bodybuilder pose. "But Zanshin Kendo is different. No matter how much you practice, all you really improve is your 'killing efficiency.' Of course, your state of mind will change, and you'll accumulate some knowledge, but it won't benefit your body."

"Why is there such a difference? Because kendo is the practice of integrating oneself into the sword. When you swing the sword, you are constantly 'giving', and those emotions, thoughts, and feelings are integrated into the technique through practice.

Just as a martial cultivator forges a sword of the heart, a person with a broken heart forges their own skills and techniques, which you are familiar with as the 'secret soul'... This is how the different sword styles came into being. The same moves will naturally be different depending on the mood of the person wielding the sword..."

The patriarch drew his long sword, the "Miansheng," and demonstrated it as he spoke, "Our Guangshi family's 'Muxiang Nixinliu' is considered a relatively gentle sword technique. I can't demonstrate it to you right now. Does anyone know why?"

"Because you only have one sword?" Qing Ye whispered. Wuxiang Nixinliu is a dual-sword style.

The scene burst into laughter again, and Qingye wished he could crawl under the tatami.

"Haha, that's true! You can't use one sword twice. Remember this..."

Everyone was busy laughing at Qingye, but only Qingye noticed. At that time, the head of the family was looking at the long sword, but his sight seemed to have drifted across the ocean to a place far, far away.

"A knife won't do the trick," the old man repeated, not knowing to whom he was addressing.

·

Reality, forest.

The short knife slashed at the ice blade, moving straight down along the blade, stirring up snowflakes. Seeing that his five fingers were about to be cut off, Qingye used his left hand to thrust forward, changing the move midway to strike at Longyu's lower arm.

Long Yu extended two fingers, his free left hand pressing down on the blade of the Mian Sheng, maintaining his short knife attack. Qing Ye was unable to react and quickly dropped his knife, withdrawing his hand. At this moment, Long Yu's fingers shifted from pressing to clamping, and with a burst of force, he pulled the Mian Sheng from Qing Ye's hand, as easily as if he were drawing his own knife from its sheath.

Qingye was left empty-handed, and in the blink of an eye, defeat was certain. No, it was a dead end.

Long Yu tossed the Mian Sheng back to her and sheathed his dagger. He lowered his weight slightly, one hand resting on the hilt, poised for a slash. Qing Ye immediately darted sideways, moving in an arc to avoid the attack, forcing Long Yu to turn. Suddenly, the sound of a sword pierced his mind. Long Yu's dagger, still sheathed, slashed down on her forearm with a slashing, ink-like force.

It was the sheathed sword's will! The overpowering sword intent was activated first, disregarding spatial orientation and striking out in a vertical Ichimonji Iai. Qing Ye rolled hastily to dodge, the dark slash brushing her hair. At this moment, Long Yu drew his sword, and the short blade's horizontal slash blocked any room for retreat, intersecting the sword's slash in a cross. He unleashed a double-sword flow with a single blade!

The dagger knocked the defending Mian Sheng away, and Qingye was defeated.

Long Yu put away his stance and returned to sit on the wooden stake. Qing Ye quickly picked up the knife and saluted: "Thank you for your guidance..."

"By competing with each other in the way of the sword, you can know what kind of person the other person is." Long Yu said, "What kind of personality he has and what he is thinking will be clear after a fight."

Long Yu was absolutely right. Different people had different sword styles. The headmaster's sword style was grand and unrestrained, unconcerned with details, his natural and natural sword moves embodying the aura of a master. Mr. Chu's sword style was swift and sinister, unstoppable and unstoppable, a murderous sword that was as unwavering as he was. And Long Yu...

Long Yu's swordsmanship was dull and unfocused, like a sleeping giant brandishing a wooden club. Even the most brilliant moves seemed languid. Such a sword had completely destroyed her, leaving Qing Ye unsure whether to admire Long Yu's strength or reflect on her own weakness.

"You're so confused. Your sword." Long Yu said, "You must have been scolded by Chongming."

"Actually..." Qingye shrank back guiltily as she unpacked the entire story. Only then did she realize it wasn't a big deal. She was even surprised by her own intense reaction. Perhaps after the brawl in Jinye City and the torture in the arena, something inside her was about to break, like a rotten barrel, ready to shatter at the slightest impact.

"Well." Long Yu looked over, his eyes were misty gray, "Then put it another way."

"?"

"Guang Shi Qing Ye, the Heartless One, set out with the tacit approval of the head of the family to seek aid from the Master of Fate. She knew the mission was arduous and impossible, but she still set out on the journey with her determination," Long Yu said. "So what?"

It was the same thing, but the experience was completely different. The protagonist of the story instantly transformed from a reckless little girl who ran away from home to a warrior with awareness and adventure. Qing Ye stood up happily: "Yes! That's it..."

Her tone dropped, and she sat back down on the floor. "No. You can't use high-sounding words to cover up stupid things."

"What a stupid thing." Long Yu repeated meaninglessly, "That is indeed a stupid thing."

"ah?"

But Long Yu didn't answer. He stood up and walked deeper into the forest. Qing Ye realized the man was leaving, and—she instinctively sensed—if she said goodbye here, she would never have another chance to communicate with him. She hurriedly stood up, driven by impulse to catch up.

"Mr. Long Yu, may I ask why you are here?"

"Condolences to a deceased friend."

"Before you reach your destination!" Qing Ye said loudly without thinking, "Can you allow me to go with you?"

Long Yu stopped and looked at her for a while.

"good."

"Thank you very much!"

Qingye felled two large trees in succession, crossing their trunks to mark the area. She quickly carved "I'm going to practice" and followed Longyu's footsteps into the distance.

It was a reckless decision, but she couldn't afford to waste any more time. Chongming, a person from the Mist, couldn't teach her, and she was the only one with a broken heart among her companions. Even if it meant taking risks, she had to become stronger!

·

The Lost Forest was vast, and the fog thickened the deeper they went. After half a day's walking, Qingye was completely disoriented. Blurred shadows of trees surrounded her in all directions, and occasional soft sounds rustled through the mist, like unseen footsteps. She followed closely behind Longyu, not daring to stray, not daring to speak. As night fell, Longyu cut down a large tree, creating a makeshift campsite.

He didn't light the fire, and the two heartless souls sat facing each other in silence in the dark. Qing Ye mustered up the courage to start a conversation.

"Mr. Long Yu...how did you cut it out?"

Long Yu sat there in a daze, seemingly not understanding. Qing Ye gestured with his sword, "That's right, using a single sword to perform a double-sword attack..."

"It's the reverse blade drawing." Long Yu said, "Practice the slashing into the sword, and then use it when needed."

“Is this called exercise?!”

"If it's purely based on whim, it'll take about a year. But you can take shortcuts."

Long Yu placed his hand on the hilt of the sword, and the ink-like black slash appeared instantly, more calm than an attack based on pure will. Long Yu's mind changed, and the slash suddenly turned pale and flashed through the mist.

"Oh, if we use light and shadow!"

"If you take shortcuts, the power will be insufficient and it will just become a trick." Long Yu let go, "Don't rely on techniques. Swordsmanship is the foundation of life."

"The patriarch said that both martial arts and swordsmanship are important. Only those who are strong in both are considered as cannibals..." Qing Ye said weakly.

"Is that your opinion?"

Qingye was speechless. "Well..."

Long Yu offered no definitive answer or advice. This man was always like this: he'd ask questions but never express his stance, leaving the "correct answer" shrouded in a hazy fog. Qing Ye, accustomed to reading the expressions of her elders, found this attitude difficult to handle, unsure how to initiate the conversation.

Seeing that Long Yu was about to become dazed again, she quickly changed the subject: "Mr. Long Yu, what school of thought do you practice?"

"And you?"

"I practice the Wuxiang Nixin Style," Qingye answered proudly. "It's the dual-sword style passed down through generations of the Guangshi family. It's known as one of the three great sword styles of Shura Island! I wonder if this saying existed in your time..."

"What is the key point?" Long Yu seemed very interested. He really liked kendo.

"The key is to go against one's heart." Qing Ye answered meticulously, "The most important thing for a cultivator is to listen to the opinions of others. Insisting on one's own will inevitably lead to extremism, or even to the wrong path."

"Then this sword art should be called Nixinliu." Long Yu's tone suddenly became very harsh. "It's only five words in total, and there are extra words. The head of the Guangshi family should start learning cultural studies again."

"No, no! That's not it! I haven't explained it clearly yet." "What did you learn?" Long Yu interrupted. "Um, the basic Shadow Robe Technique, Super Heavy Sin Technique, Illusion Light Technique, and the Chill Sect's Techniques—"

Long Yu's eyes were full of confusion: "Are you volunteering to join the Spiral Tower?"

I can't stand it! What does this guy think of Zanshinjutsu? Is it Calamity-type magic?! In this swordsman's eyes, are all those who use jutsu a Calamity-type reserve?

Qing Ye puffed up his cheeks in anger. "I've also practiced swordsmanship! The basic moves are no problem at all. I've also learned Duan Jue, Jue Xi, Shuang Feng Sha, etc.... I've also learned Qian Ye Shun Xing!"

"Oh?" Long Yu was obviously interested. "Really?"

"I learned it theoretically..." Qing Ye's voice gradually became lower, "In actual combat... I have never used it once..."

Honestly, it wasn't her fault. Theoretically, "Thousand Nights' Flashing Star" was the counterpart to Longquan Township's "One Qi, Thousand Autumns," a secret technique of equal status. Learning it was no easier than the Longquan Township secret technique, and its effects were even more remarkable. However, in actual combat, One Qi, Thousand Autumns was synonymous with martial arts, while Thousand Nights' Flashing Star was rarely mentioned by those with a lingering interest. This was due to the incredibly difficult nature of this broken secret technique.

——The condition for its use is that the Zanshin remains "unharmed" during the fierce battle.

Neither could he be attacked mentally, nor could he fall, nor could he even get a scratch from a stray bullet. He had to be in perfect, peak condition to use this secret technique. No time was wasted. A serious Longxiang martial artist, with his One Qi Qian Qiu, charged into the enemy formation and simply killed, growing stronger with each blow. But a Shura Island master's secret technique, prepared for so long, only to be caught off guard and have to start all over again.

Everyone's life is precious. There's no reason to fight like a shrewd gait for a theoretically powerful trick. Therefore, among Qingye's peers, no one is willing to invest the time to learn this secret technique...

Only she foolishly spent half a year studying... By the time she finished learning, everyone else had already advanced...

"You have to learn how to use it." Long Yu tapped his temple. "Qianqiu is the heart of a martial cultivator. Shunxing is the soul of a person with a broken heart. If you can't learn it, you will be third-rate."

"But Instructor Ghost Eye specifically told us the practical value of this..."

"Third-rate Ghost Eye. Not fit to be a coach."

Qing Ye was speechless: "The general who was invited to give the lecture also said..."

"A third-rate general." Long Yu declared, "That general will be slaughtered like a chicken by Zhen Ji."

Qingye didn't know what to say, because according to the battle report, the general died in the Toad Light Fortress not long ago and was indeed easily dealt with by the Empire's war commander.

"Think about it." Long Yu emphasized, "How to use it?"

She really couldn't figure it out. Even someone as agile as Chu Hengkong couldn't avoid being injured in battle, let alone a Canxin person like her whose skills were inferior to others. Qingye thought about it over and over again, and felt that no matter how she tried to cheat, it would be useless. This thing was a theoretical secret skill that couldn't be used unless you could guarantee that you were invulnerable to swords and guns, water and fire, and invincible on the battlefield.

She stared at the bottomless fog in a daze.

She thought of it.

(End of this chapter)