Chapter 135: 130 Free-Will Gang

"In the Jianghu, those who practice martial arts are always called Strongmen; those who have achieved success in both internal and external arts are called Knights-Errant; and those who have mastered Mysterious Techniques and cultivated Gang Qi are called Loose Practitioners. Once one reaches the level of a Loose Practitioner, the realm seems to have no further distinctions, only differences in combat strength. One's own cultivation has reached its end, waiting only for a Treasure Sword to embark on the path of a Sword Guest. But not everyone has the Inspiration to become a Sword Guest. Although Mysterious Techniques are becoming more refined today and the possibility of triggering Inspiration after cultivation is increasing, there are still those who lack this fate. Having cultivated to such a point, who would be willing to stop and not move forward? The path of exploring the Martial Dao upward will never stop."

"The Heavenly Gang, which lies above the Pure Gang, was born from this. Heavenly Gang is the mixing of natural forces into the Gang Qi, merging them into one. Those who achieve Heavenly Gang are called Martial Venerables."

"Heaven and Earth possess all natural phenomena, and theoretically, there are thousands of types of Heavenly Gang. There is the freezing cold of ice and frost, the scorching heat of flames, and natural lightning. But these are, firstly, rare, and secondly, difficult to reconcile with Gang Qi. Today, it is generally accepted that the best things to integrate into Gang Qi are Yin Qi and Yang Qi—that is, the essence of the sun and the moon. Therefore, Heavenly Gang is also called Yin-Yang Evil. Among them, Yin Qi is particularly dense in the Demon Cave, and its texture is easy to mix with Gang Qi. People long ago summarized a set of fixed methods, so there are the most Yin-Yang Venerables in the Jianghu."

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi nodded one after another upon hearing this. For a Talisman Sword Master, it is easier to explain—it is simply mixing fire-quality materials into the Gang Qi. Forced mixing is not difficult for a Sword Smith, but a Martial Artist is not a Sword Smith, so it tests the compatibility between natural Qi and Gang Qi. The two Qi of Yin and Yang have the strongest compatibility; Yang Qi is widely distributed, and Yin Qi has high concentration, so they have always been the most popular.

Among them, Yin Qi is easier to collect than Yang Qi. If it weren't for the fact that Yin Qi is taken from the Demon Cave and carries a bit of "incorrectness," the Yin-Yang Venerables could have unified the world of Loose Practitioners.

However, for a Talisman Sword Master, mixing Heavenly Gang is not difficult, especially since Tang Zhao has already mastered the Sword Casting Art, and the Gang Qi he cultivates already carries its own directional properties. Cultivating the Yang Evil Heavenly Gang is already a matter of course.

But Tang Zhao does not care. The reason he has been diligently practicing martial arts is to protect himself before becoming a Sword Guest. Talisman Sword Masters, especially junior and intermediate ones, are severely lacking in combat capability. It can be said that ordinary Art Tools cannot be used for combat without the coordination of martial arts. But he will eventually become a Sword Guest, so rather than spending time and effort seeking Yang Qi to practice Heavenly Gang, it is more important to hurry up and cast his sword.

Jiang Shenyi, on the other hand, is very interested. He seems to have a rejection of Sword Guests and does not study the Sword Casting Art seriously. Apart from fiddling with his pair of wings, he only practices martial arts, and he also has the intention of cultivating Heavenly Gang. But he certainly looks down on Yin Qi and will most likely seek the Wind and Thunder Qi.

"With Gang Qi, a Martial Artist can defend against the Sword Art of frontal attacks. With Heavenly Gang mixed with natural forces, a Martial Artist can launch attacks against a Sword Guest. But once the distance is opened up, the Martial Artist has no power to fight back against the Sword Guest at all. My Free-Will Gang is to add some extra means for the Martial Artist."

"The so-called Free-Will Gang is to mix one's Spirit and will into the Gang Qi, allowing the Gang Qi to leave the body or even remain in the outside world for a long time while still being continuously controlled. This line of thought is not strange. I imagine there must have been genius Grandmasters among our predecessors; how could they not have thought of it? It is just that it is difficult for the Spirit to persist for long after leaving the body. Therefore, I believe the flaw of the predecessors lies in valuing the Spirit while slighting the will. Will is more powerful than Spirit and more stable than emotion. The inspiration for my method comes from obsession."

Tang Zhao let out an "Ah," feeling somewhat enlightened.

Spirit is a type of wind-quality material, and Tang Zhao has also studied it, but there is a series of similar materials surrounding the Spirit, such as emotion, consciousness, thought, desire... and so on. These materials can be subdivided into infinite possibilities, and can even become a specialized field of study to research for a lifetime.

Sword Smiths also have subdivisions; one can study a tiny field infinitely. Xue Laiyi does not research this direction, and Tang Zhao is still in the stage of broad learning, not being able to be called "researching" in any field. At this moment, hearing these words, he immediately perceived the subtle mysteries within.

He couldn't help but think: being able to distinguish the subtle differences between Spirit, will, and emotion on one's own has already touched upon the realm of a Talisman Sword Master. If this Zhang Xiansheng were a Sword Smith, he would surely be very formidable as well.

Just like that, riding his little donkey on this dirt road in the suburbs, Zhang Rong imparted all his methods for cultivating his world-renowned "Free-Will Gang."

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi listened attentively while occasionally asking about parts they didn't understand, and Zhang Rong answered them carefully. Both youths were geniuses with outstanding comprehension who could draw inferences and understand things by analogy. That Zhang Rong was even more of a prodigy with near-heaven-sent talent. Both sides were like famous teachers meeting high-caliber students; it was what is called teaching and learning benefiting each other. They learned joyfully, taught happily, and only felt they had met too late.

The three of them walked slowly for a day and rested at a post station in the evening. The two performed the rites of Disciples to help Zhang Rong serve tea and water. The next morning, they set off again, still chatting as they walked. By the time the teaching of the Free-Will Gang was mostly finished, they discussed astronomy, geography, and the customs of various places, remaining very compatible. Tang Zhao even thought it would be good to talk all the way to Jianzhou.

However, there is no banquet in the world that does not come to an end.

On the morning of the third day, Zhang Rong asked the postman at the station, "It's only a day's journey to Xun City, right?"

The postman was startled and said, "If you want to go to Xun City, you can't go there. The road ahead is cut off, the route toward Xun City is blocked, and no one is allowed to pass. You should take a detour."

Zhang Rong frowned, and Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi also became concerned; Xun City was also a necessary path for them to head south.

Jiang Shenyi asked, "What, is there a flood ahead? Did the mountain rocks collapse?"

The postman shook his head and said, "I can't say. There is an official document posted outside. Everything that can be said is written on it; I won't say what cannot be said."

The three came to the front of the post station and sure enough saw a notice posted, stating that the road ahead was blocked, no travelers passing through were allowed to go to Xun City, all must take a detour, and violators would be heavily punished.

Looking at the date, it was fresh from yesterday.

This was truly extremely unfortunate.

Tang Zhao glanced at it, understood in his heart, and said in a low voice, "Xiansheng, it is better not to go ahead."

Zhang Rong's eyes showed inquiry, and Tang Zhao pointed to the official seal on the document below, saying, "It is the seal of the Land Inspection Department."

Now even Jiang Shenyi understood and said, "Yin Calamity."

There is a Yin Calamity ahead, so the road and city are blocked to isolate the inside from the outside. This is a routine operation. Tang Zhao had experienced it once, but that time he was completely ignorant and somehow slipped into the blockade, which led to a series of events. Now, Tang Zhao is naturally no longer what he used to be and realized it immediately.

Jiang Shenyi said, "Since it has reached the point of blocking the road, it certainly isn't just a matter of one or two Fierce Beasts or one or two Phantoms; it's most likely a Demon Cave descent. I have actually never seen a Demon Cave descent."

Tang Zhao said, "I have seen it once."

That time changed his destiny. However, he had only seen it that one time until now. Later, not to mention the time he spent studying at Jiugao Mountain, in the past year he had achieved success in his studies and occasionally went down the mountain, where he connected with the Land Inspection Department of Jichun City and followed them on missions as a loose member of the Land Inspection Department. The Yin Calamity in Jichun City was not intense, and there were not many missions, mostly cleaning up Fierce Beasts, or at most dealing with one or two Phantoms; he had never seen such a big battle as a Demon Cave again.

Jiang Shenyi was eager to try and said, "I heard there are many good things in the Demon Cave, all kinds of materials, and even Sword Seeds. As for Sword Seeds, since the Land Inspection Department has taken over, there is certainly no share for us, but can't we harvest some of the other materials?" He remembered that Tang Zhao seemed to be trained by the Land Inspection Department and most likely did not want to disrupt the order of the Land Inspection Department, so he added, "We certainly wouldn't sneak in, but we could follow to help. Talisman Sword Masters can do many things that Sword Guests cannot; perhaps we might be useful?"

Tang Zhao recalled the situation at that time and didn't feel there were any materials produced in the Demon Cave. He only remembered the Phantoms that shattered at a touch and the Heavenly Demon that caused him to die once and finally turned to ash. The Demon Cave later had its source cut off and turned into a wave of floodwater. It was Xing Ji who dug out the valley on the spot and diverted the flowing water, forcibly creating a barrier lake to resolve a flood disaster. The entire Xue Daxia Mansion was pressed under the lake.

Anyway, in the end, apart from being covered in injuries, everyone got nothing.

However, he wasn't a Talisman Sword Master at that time and didn't understand anything; perhaps he missed out on billions?

After thinking about it, he shook his head and said, "Even if the local Town Guardian really needs Talisman Sword Masters, we wouldn't make it in time. The time and place of a Demon Cave descent are calculated by Qingtian Temple. Once a sign is calculated, the Land Inspection Department is notified immediately, and they begin to set up the blockade. It usually happens one or two months in advance. Since the notice was only issued today, the Demon Cave is at least more than a month away, and by then, the Mid-Spring Gathering will be over."

Jiang Shenyi was greatly disappointed. He thought for a moment and said, "Can we ask for the specific time? Maybe we can catch it on our way back?"

Tang Zhao said, "We could ask..."

But it wouldn't have much meaning; the time of the Demon Cave descent cannot be changed. If we can catch it on the way back, we catch it; if we can't, asking won't help. Tang Zhao did have the heart to help, even if it was just to contribute a meager effort, but since he was not a Sword Guest, the role he would play would probably be no more than that of a Si Liyu. Whether he was there or not made no difference. As for Talisman Sword Masters, they are mostly used for logistics and are not much of a help.

Just as he was pondering, Zhang Rong sighed, "Two little friends, we are about to part ways."

Tang Zhao was startled and said, "Could it be that you, Xiansheng..."

Zhang Rong nodded and said, "I still have to go to Xun City."

Tang Zhao wanted to say something but stopped. Zhang Rong said, "Zhang is not going to cause trouble, but I have a reason why I must go to Xun City. I am very compatible with you two little friends, and I think our fate is not yet exhausted. After this parting, there will be a day to meet again in the future."

Tang Zhao sighed. He was also an official martial officer of the Land Inspection Department and had the responsibility to stop others from causing trouble for the Land Inspection Department, but Zhang Rong was both a teacher and a friend to him, and since he had declared he had no malicious intent, Tang Zhao had no heart to stop him.

Just looking at his sword, one could tell that Zhang Rong was a person who valued affection. Who knows what ties he had in Xun City? Even if it were a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, he would have to press forward, right?

With this Zhang Xiansheng's status as a Sword Guest and a Grandmaster of the Martial Dao, Tang Zhao couldn't stop him even if he wanted to.

Therefore, Tang Zhao just remained silent and bowed to say goodbye to him along with Jiang Shenyi.

Zhang Rong returned the bow, led the donkey over, and smiled, "Actually, this donkey of mine is very good. It has been stifled these past few days. Well then, little friends, until we meet again." After saying this, he flipped onto the donkey, gave a shout, and the green donkey's four hooves flew like wings, rushing forward like a wisp of smoke, actually faster than a fine horse, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Shenyi and Tang Zhao looked at each other, their melancholy mixed with amazement, and besides the sadness, there was also some amusement. Jiang Shenyi laughed, "This donkey is not bad. I didn't even notice. Xiansheng is not kind; he has such a divine mount, yet he let us buy two ordinary donkeys and teased us."

Tang Zhao cast aside his sorrow, looked at the two plain, two-silver-tael-each donkeys tied to the shed, and suddenly felt a surge of childlike playfulness, saying, "We didn't get such a good donkey, but we are Talisman Sword Masters."

Jiang Shenyi understood immediately, raised his eyebrows, and smiled, "That's right, we are Talisman Sword Masters who turn decay into magic."

The two looked at each other, no need for more words, each led one out, took out their talisman-practicing tools, and began to tinker with the donkey's hooves.