Chapter 89: Manuals obtained

Zhang Jie sighed at the reality of the Jianghu while multitasking, explaining to the curious baby Zhou Zhiruo:

"It is rumored that one only needs to strike the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber together to obtain the secret manual."

"Then let me help you." Zhou Zhiruo volunteered.

"Alright."

With a beautiful woman to assist him, Zhang Jie naturally would not refuse.

"Zhiruo, catch the sword."

Zhang Jie handed the Heaven-Dependent Sword to Zhou Zhiruo.

Hmm, a delicate beauty like Zhou Zhiruo really doesn't match the Dragon-Slaying Saber!

After giving the Heaven-Dependent Sword to Zhou Zhiruo, Zhang Jie also pulled up the Dragon-Slaying Saber he had been carrying and had just stuck into the ground.

"Sister Zhiruo, come on."

Zhang Jie raised the Dragon-Slaying Saber and encouraged Zhou Zhiruo, who was still a bit apprehensive.

Zhou Zhiruo, gathering her confidence, injected her internal energy into the Heaven-Dependent Sword and swung it fiercely.

"Clang!"

The Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber collided violently in the air, sparks flying everywhere.

"Eh? Why is there no change?"

Zhou Zhiruo was somewhat puzzled.

"Perhaps the number of times is not enough?"

Zhang Jie said casually: "Let's continue."

Clang, clang~

One strike, two strikes, three strikes—the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber were safe and sound!

At this point, Abbess Miejue could no longer watch and reminded them:

"Zhiruo, your internal energy is insufficient; you haven't reached the threshold to cause the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber to change."

"Brother Zhang Jie, did you already know? Why didn't you say so!"

Zhou Zhiruo, having guessed the truth, looked at Zhang Jie with puffed-up cheeks.

"Haha, I only found out after the Abbess reminded us."

Zhang Jie, knowing he couldn't reveal the truth, laughed it off.

He had actually been mentally prepared for this:

The Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber were two divine weapons mentioned in the same breath by people in the Jianghu.

They must have collided before; if they broke at the slightest touch, the secret of the Wu Mu Legacy would have been exposed long ago.

It seems that when Guo Jing and the others forged the sword and saber, they had already considered this aspect.

Only the infusion of internal energy from at least a first-class master could reach the threshold to break the blade.

And although Zhou Zhiruo was gifted and regarded by Abbess Miejue as her closing disciple, carefully nurtured,

she had only been practicing for a few years; her time in martial arts was too short, and she was far from having the internal energy of a first-class master.

"Hmph! I'm ignoring you!"

Zhou Zhiruo, feeling she had lost face, stomped her foot, turned her head away, and stopped looking at Zhang Jie.

However, the corner of her large, rolling eyes remained fixed on Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie, understanding that Zhou Zhiruo was just being tsundere, stepped to her side:

"Alright, alright, it's all my fault. I sincerely apologize here; Heroine Zhiruo, please forgive me!"

"I'll forgive you this time."

Having received the apology, Zhou Zhiruo's face immediately cleared up, and she smiled beautifully.

"Brother Zhang Jie, am I very useless?"

Suddenly, Zhou Zhiruo said in a low voice, tears welling up in her eyes:

Zhang Jie could already defeat her master, yet she couldn't even master the Heaven-Dependent Sword.

"How could that be? In my heart, you have always been the best."

Facing the tearful Zhou Zhiruo, Zhang Jie gently stretched out his arms and pulled her into his embrace.

The experience of Shui Hu Zhang Jie told him that at times like this, one should take stronger measures!

"Ahem!"

Abbess Miejue, who had been forcibly fed one mouthful of dog food after another, coughed deliberately,

reminding the two that there was still a third person here!

And this third person was Zhou Zhiruo's elder!

"Master."

Zhou Zhiruo stuck out her tongue in embarrassment but showed no intention of leaving Zhang Jie's embrace.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Zhou Zhiruo's devoted appearance toward Zhang Jie, Abbess Miejue was helpless,

and could only snort coldly to vent her inner dissatisfaction.

"Does the old woman need to help?"

The matter was already settled, and Abbess Miejue could only suppress her inner dissatisfaction.

"Let me try first."

Zhang Jie politely declined Abbess Miejue's offer.

"Brother Zhang Jie, the Heaven-Dependent Sword."

Zhou Zhiruo stepped out of Zhang Jie's embrace and gave the Heaven-Dependent Sword to him.

Zhang Jie stood leisurely, the Heaven-Dependent Sword in one hand and the Dragon-Slaying Saber in the other.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and began to inject internal energy into the two divine weapons.

Under his powerful and vast internal energy, the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber emitted a "humming" sound.

Under the sunlight, the two divine weapons began to shimmer with brilliant light, and fierce sword and saber Qi permeated from them.

Clearly, beneath their beautiful appearance, deadly danger was hidden!

"So beautiful!"

Looking at the two divine weapons, which seemed to be surrounded by rainbows and were breathtakingly beautiful,

Zhou Zhiruo's bright, watery eyes sparkled with wonder.

Her beloved was indeed a great hero surrounded by seven-colored auspicious clouds!

Abbess Miejue, on the side, also stared fixedly at the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber;

the hundred-year wish of the Mount Emei Sect lay in this, and she did not want to miss any detail.

A moment later, Zhang Jie's narrowed eyes suddenly opened:

"Start!"

*Sshh! *

The Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber, permeated with sword and saber Qi, collided instantly.

There was no violent collision or thunderous sound as Zhou Zhiruo and the others had imagined;

there was only the tearing sound of cloth being ripped.

*Crack. *

Both the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber snapped in two.

Zhang Jie waved his sleeve, his internal energy swirling, and the broken tips of the saber and sword fell from the air into his hands.

"Hmm, it's not in here."

Zhang Jie glanced at the mirror-smooth tip of the saber and reached a conclusion.

*Clang. *

The tip of the Dragon-Slaying Saber, which held no secret manual, was discarded by him like worn-out shoes.

Picking up the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Saber, Zhang Jie immediately discovered an intermediate layer.

He pinched it with his fingers and took out the contents of the layer,

and upon closer inspection, discovered it was dozens of sheets of Mystic Iron paper as thin as cicada wings!

"Hmm, this also fits the logic of putting the secret manual inside the Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber."

Zhang Jie rubbed his chin and thought to himself.

The Heaven-Dependent Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber were cast as a single piece, not held together by mechanical latches,

so putting a paper secret manual inside was unrealistic.

After all, the high temperatures during casting would have ignited any paper in the Heaven-Dependent world.

Only 'paper' made of the same Mystic Iron could remain safe and sound.

He peeled back the top layer of Mystic Iron paper used for protection,

and four large characters came into his view: Wu Mu Legacy!

Below were countless small characters as tiny as ant heads, yet clearly visible.

Interspersed among the small characters were various equally small but lifelike illustrations.

Zhang Jie flipped through it casually and discovered that the content of the Wu Mu Legacy was extremely detailed:

It included recruiting soldiers, training soldiers, marching, setting up camp, battle formations, etc.,

almost recording the entire method of how to build a legion.

At the same time, it also recorded the manufacturing and usage methods for various armors, flags,

and weapons like knives, spears, swords, and halberds.

Even a person who had never had experience leading troops,

as long as they followed the diagrams, could train an elite force.

"Good stuff."

Zhang Jie nodded with satisfaction.

Although he couldn't use this right now, Shui Hu Zhang Jie, who had thoughts of overthrowing the Great Song, needed it extremely badly.

'Speaking of which, using the military strategy of Yue Wumu, who intended to save the Great Song, to overthrow the Great Song,

I wonder what expressions Song Huizong and Song Gaozong would have if they knew?'

Zhang Jie couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

However, using the Wu Mu Legacy to overthrow the Great Song could also be considered avenging the wrongly executed Yue Wumu.

Next, Zhang Jie repeated the same operation and pulled a stack of Mystic Iron paper from the body of the Heaven-Dependent Sword,

which recorded secret manuals like the "Nine Yin Manual" and the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms."

"Abbess, shall we go find paper and a brush now to copy a set of the manuals?"

Zhang Jie asked calmly.

Although he had already memorized the manuals, he did not intend to hand over the originals to Mount Emei;

after all, what if there were other secrets hidden inside?

Even if there were no secrets, these manuals made of Mystic Iron were also very valuable for collection.

At worst, they could be melted down to cast new divine weapons. "Then let's go."

Abbess Miejue, who could no longer wait, didn't even have time to regulate her breathing and headed toward the main hall of the Mount Emei Sect.

Hmm, the place where Zhou Zhiruo practiced sword was relatively remote,

so even though Zhang Jie and Abbess Miejue had fought, it hadn't alerted the other Mount Emei disciples.

Who told Abbess Miejue to be so fragile; the battle ended in just two or three palms.

Abbess Miejue's expression grew even gloomier: I'm really sorry I didn't let you have your fill...

"Master, let me support you."

Zhou Zhiruo walked quickly to Abbess Miejue's side,

intending to support the Abbess, who was walking somewhat unsteadily.

"This... alright."

Abbess Miejue, who didn't want to appear weak in front of outsiders, had wanted to refuse,

but looking at the smiling Zhang Jie, she knew there was little point in continuing the act.

Abbess Miejue and Zhou Zhiruo walked in front, while Zhang Jie followed behind, carrying the broken saber and sword.

They walked a considerable distance before arriving at the solemn and majestic Mount Emei Sect building complex.

'This Mount Emei Sect is worthy of being a major sect; it really is opulent.'

Looking at the Mount Emei Sect, which was even more expansive than Wu Dang and resembled a small palace complex, Zhang Jie clicked his tongue in wonder.

As soon as they reached the entrance, Mount Emei Sect disciples spotted the three of them.

And when they saw Abbess Miejue, whose face was still somewhat pale,

and who appeared extremely weak, they were shocked:

"Master, what happened to you?"

"Master, did Junior Sister Zhiruo cause some trouble?"

A disciple dressed in light green robes, pretty in appearance,

with only thin, long eyebrows that gave her a somewhat mean look, looked at Zhou Zhiruo and asked.

Although her tone wasn't heavy, the questioning of Zhou Zhiruo was self-evident.

"Minjun, this matter has nothing to do with Zhiruo; it was a mishap in my cultivation."

Abbess Miejue explained briefly.

'This must be Senior Sister Ding.'

Zhang Jie glanced at Ding Minjun a few times and discovered that Senior Sister Ding was also quite beautiful!

"Yes, Master."

Although she was unwilling in her heart, since Master Miejue had already said so,

Ding Minjun could only give up this opportunity to strike at Zhou Zhiruo.

"You all may disperse."

Abbess Miejue waved her hand.

"Yes, Master."

Seeing that Abbess Miejue was indeed fine, the other Mount Emei Sect disciples dispersed one after another.

After finding brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, Zhang Jie, who had outstanding calligraphy skills, personally copied the manuals,

and once again received many admiring glances from Zhou Zhiruo, which I will not mention for now.