Chapter 45: Selection of Bladesmanship
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Light and shadow floated, smoke dimly discernible, a beam of light shone on Meng Qi between his eyebrows like the touch of a finger.
The monk, full of bitterness emerged again in Meng Qi’s mind. He plodded tediously, back slightly bowed, like he was heavily bound by chains; but around him was only peace and tranquility.
With a flash of the blade light, various changes leaped vividly before eyes. Greed, anger and obsession, love, dislike and hatred, all the transformations came down, changing the peaceful and quiet place into a secular world.
With a splintering crash, the invisible chain was broken. All obstacles were ruined, a boundless sea of woes came forward. His whole body was floating, through suffering, bearing, burning. But there were both bitterness and bliss, a heart newly alive and active. Know the joy of family, understand the happiness of love, gain the faith of friends and pursue the content of fame. Though misery was increasing, it was too hard to stop.
The illusion disappeared, the sections of Peace Quietude Split were fully imprinted in Meng Qi’s mind. But only remembering changes of bladesmanship was not enough. And it would be another hard practice if he wanted to truly use it with body and mind together and use it freely at any time or place.
What should be known was that in mainstream martial arts, the script’s moves were best to be detailed. Besides allowing disciples to carefully read them, there were educators exhibiting them, though this was not as effective as the Gist of Trueness. But even such, the disciples who could truly master the essence of the moves were few. Most disciples could not manage both knowledge and action as one.
Meng Qi then thought that he had known a little about Peace Quietude Split through understanding the heritage of the Gist of Trueness, but it had been at least a year and a half before he could initially exert this bladesmanship, and this was a huge return for his hard work.
He replayed the bladesmanship in his mind, and after memorizing it repeatedly, Meng Qi opened his eyes. Just as expected, he found that the Storm Pear Needle floating before his eyes had already finished filling. And there was a page of “instructions” telling how to open the trigger and load the poisonous needles after shooting as well as one more thick Eight Divine Steps script, which was now the Lightning Changes script.
“110 Karma points consumed for completing the first move, ‘Peace Quietude Split’ of Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship.”
“The Storm Pear Needle has been completed, consumption is fifty Karma points. A special reminder, this Storm Pear Needle has been used once, thus now it can be used up to twice. Reparation will require four hundred Karma points. Currently, you can exchange it for three hundred Karma points. After the reparation, you can exchange it for 500 Karma points.
“‘Eight Divine Steps’ upgraded to ‘Lightning Changes’. Forty Karma points consumed.”
The unemotional voice of the Dominator of Samsara in the Six Realms came. Meng Qi could not help cursing inwardly. The reparation of Storm Pear Needle is way too expensive! I can exchange for a new one. The Dominator is an utterly dishonest trader!
The Storm Pear Needle which could be used once needed four hundred Karma points. The triple-use one needed eight hundred Karma points, while the one with more uses was more than two thousand. But the effect of the Storm Pear Needle on masters from the Exterior was limited, it would be worthless even if he could use it frequently. So, the most worthwhile thing to do was exchange the drawings and study how to create it himself. The Storm Pear Needle’s drawing was only five hundred Karma points.
Meng Qi finished cursing and then swiftly put everything away. Though the Storm Pear Needle could be exchanged with considerable Karma points to exchange with other techniques, right now it would be the most important way to save his life!
After exchanging, Meng Qi had only fifty Karma points, so he had to walk out and read the jade book to find an adequate bladesmanship.
Shamefully even the Blade Art of Five Tigers Cracking the Gate was worth thirty Karma points, while the bladesmanship worth fifty Karma points, of course, did not have essential progress. It would be better to carefully mull over the Blade Art of Five Tigers Cracking the Gate than to exchange for these bladesmanships.
“Actually, the Blade Art of Five Tigers Cracking the Gate is not bad. Moves are easy but effective, and heroic manner is naturally shown in the great openings and closings. It’s not much worse than delicate bladesmanship, if you can master it.”
Zhang Yuanshan stopped here, and started to joke. “Zhen Ding, if you have a bladesmanship talent, in which you can know the bladesmanship’s true meaning from the fundamental ones, then you may dominate the world with just the Blade Art of Five Tigers Cracking the Gate. Just like Master Lu in Huamei Heights. He has practiced the Six Direction Sword Art exclusively for his entire life, while he literally earns a name as the First Sword in the World.”
“Talent I may have, but it needs years of hardship to understand the true meaning. And I have to take the Samsara mission as a priority. Alas, time has passed by, destiny has made fun of me, and the hero is being discouraged!” Meng Qi also answered with a joke. With melancholy, he stared into the distance, like a peerless master in distress. Suddenly he remembered something, “First Sword in the World?”
It was a huge name, not that easy to undertake!
While Xuan Xin was telling Jianghu stories, currently he had only introduced the schools and showed off his personal experiences. So Meng Qi knew little about the various famous persons of Jianghu, and he could only vaguely remember the words Huamei Heights and Master Lu.
When it came to the First Sword in the World, Jiang Zhiwei had a keen interest in sharing, “Master Lu was a descendant of an unknown armed escort, and he came from an ordinary family.
“Six Direction Sword Art and Geng Jin Mind Tactics. For decades, he never distracted his attention to other techniques. After experiencing numerous dangers and crises, he eventually understood the essence of swordsmanship. He promoted these two into matchless martial art, thus proving Geng Jin’s Immortal Body and created the school of Huamei Heights. Based on his experience, he had been given a nickname, ‘One Heart Sword’.
“My Master never admires others in his life, but he often speaks highly of Master Lu. He praises his full absorption and gain of the swordsman’s essence. My Master just wishes to prove Dharmakaya as quickly as possible and have a fair sword fight with him.”
Freak! Evil! Hearing Jiang Zhiwei’s description, Meng Qi’s mind only flashed these two words, for no others could express his shock inside. His experience might not be imitated by other people. Meng Qi himself definitely did not have the determination to do this.
Unrelated to the pressure of Samsara missions, Meng Qi clearly knew that he could not manage, at least right now he couldn’t. His nature of mind had not reached this level, maybe in the future after hardships, he could get close.
“What is Master Lu’s rank in Celestial Rankings?” After being “informed” of the Ranking List of Young Masters in the World, Meng Qi subconsciously asked this question.
Jiang Zhiwei’s look brightened up. With desire, she said, “Fourth. It’s not that he is worse than Master Kong Wen, but that he has left Jianghu for thirteen years, so the fight record is rare.”
“Thirteen years out of Jianghu?” Meng Qi asked with confusion.
Zhang Yuanshan nodded his head slightly, full of esteem. “Master Lu and Ms. Lu were deep in love. Since Ms. Ye passed away in an accident, he has built a cottage in front of the grave and buried himself in drawing and calligraphy, no longer troubled by the secular world.”
“So it’s heard that Master Lu’s power is in a slump. Alas, maybe his rank is going to be lower.” Qi Zhengyan was also from the sword school, so he really looked up to these leaders in swordsmanship.
Meng Qi grinned. “But how can I compare with Master Lu? I’d better choose a nice and good bladesmanship.”
Zhang Yuanshan nodded his head, “The Blade Art of Five Tigers Cracking the Gate is heroic, basically as an exact direction. If you want to exchange, choose a strange bladesmanship, then you can succeed with its peculiarity.”
“What Senior Brother Zhang said makes perfect sense,” Jiang Zhiwei agreed.
Hearing about the strange bladesmanship, Meng Qi was struck by a thought. He went through the Jade Book, and found a bladesmanship of which he had a memory.
Blood Bladesmanship!
This was a bladesmanship from the Blood Blade Sect in “A Deadly Secret”. Blood Blade ancestors ran wild with it, and it was famous for its peculiarity. Every cut was from an unbelievable direction.
“Eighty Karma points… ” Meng Qi read out the Karma points needed, and started to consider what he had that he could exchange for Karma points.
Jiang Zhiwei took a look at the description in Meng Qi’s Jade Bood, and laughed, “This bladesmanship is indeed suitable. Little monk, want to borrow some Karma points? I’m a good person, and I won’t ask for more points when you return. You just remember to practice with me by using Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship next time.”
“Sure.” Meng Qi answered without hesitation. For he’d found that unless he exchanged Storm Pear Needle, he would have no way to get enough points. Borrow and return could also improve team cohesiveness, as long as there was no repudiation.
“Junior Brother Zhen Ding, your suggestion just now is so priceless. I won’t ask for more points in return. I am lending you twenty Karma points. You can return them after the next mission.” Zhang Yuanshan said with a smile.
Qi Zhengyan said without any expression. “Ten points borrowed and twelve points to return, I can lend you thirty points.”
As the points from Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan were enough together, he said so.
Meng Qi was deeply moved by their good intention. But he said with a superficial exaggeration, “Senior Brother Qi, when did you become so generous?”
“Next mission, if you die because of your lack of bladesmanship, the Storm Pear Needle may be picked up by enemies, which is very dangerous.” Qi Zhengyan said seriously.
“This time you may break through the Enlightenment, right?” Zhang Yuanshan suddenly asked.
Qi Zhengyan nodded his head. “I’ll exchange for one Ganoderma Elixir of Restoration, and after one month I will try to break through with a Heavenly Acumen Pill. At that time, I’ll find an opportunity to go out on business with seniors, and use an encounter in the way as an excuse.”
His plan was thorough. After all, as a most normal disciple of the Huanhua Swords Sect, he’d never had any exceptional advantage at ordinary times. It would be easily suspected (that he’d been bought over by enemies and given the breaking-through elixir) if he suddenly broke through Enlightenment without depending on outside things. So he planned to create an encounter excuse. Anyhow, as such a big sect, one encounter of a Heavenly Acumen Pill was just a minor matter.
“If you succeed in Enlightenment, you may be taught the Sword Art of Afterglow and Autumn Water, right? Then there will be no need for you to exchange for other sword arts.” Zhang Yuanshan slightly nodded his head.
“Yes. But after I learn the Afterglow Knack and Autumn Water sword, I’ll exchange them to the Dominator of Samsara in the Six Realms.” Qi Zhengyan did not hide this time.
As a big sword sect, most of the Huanhua Swords Sect’s sword arts were power sutras. Like the Sword Art of Afterglow and Autumn Water, which included the Afterglow Knack and Autumn Water Sword. And the Long River Sword Art also included Sunset heart sutras.
Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan had their own insistence, but they never wanted to take charge of others’ business. Moreover, the Huanhua Swords Sect was not their sect. It would be fine as Qi Zhengyan was not betraying his companions.
Meng Qi had already gotten the Blood Bladesmanship with the Karma points borrowed from Zhang Yuanshan and Jiang Zhiwei. Hearing their words, he said in surprise, “Senior Brother Fang, will you exchange some secret technique?”
Even the Sword Art of Afterglow and Autumn Water was going to be exchanged to the Dominator of Samsara in the Six Realms. What Qi Zhengyan wanted must be something big!