Chapter 408: Flying Sword Technique, Not Losing to Nangong, Chen Yu

A small boat sailed down the river.

"The four realms of the First Grade are Vajra, Finger Profound, Heavenly Phenomenon, and Land Immortal. In reality, Vajra focuses on the physique, Finger Profound is a personal supernatural ability, while Heavenly Phenomenon focuses on utilizing the power of heaven and earth to fight."

Holding a Peach Blossom Branch, the plain-looking "Peach Blossom Sword God" Deng Taie, with a warm smile on his face, stood at the bow of the boat, explaining the four realms of the First Grade to Yu Liancheng.

Deng Taie's realm was not high, merely First Grade Finger Profound.

But let alone the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, even a Land Immortal could not last many moves under the sword of this First Grade Finger Profound, Wang Xianzhi.

He had reached a realm in Finger Profound that was difficult for ordinary people to attain.

The "World's Second" Wang Xianzhi once said that among the Vajra realm in the world, only the white-robed monk Li Dangxin grasped its essence; the Heavenly Phenomenon spirit was divided by eight-tenths by Cao Zhangqing; and as for the Finger Profound realm, Deng Taie took the crown.

Experts like this cannot be purely classified by the four realms of the First Grade; cross-realm fighting is truly commonplace for them.

Deng Taie's simple and profound explanation of the mysteries of Finger Profound was even clearer and more lucid than that of the Confucian Sage Xuanyuan Jingcheng, who had only the realm, benefiting Yu Liancheng immensely.

"It seems that after entering the First Grade, the three schools of Buddha, Dao, and Confucianism can leap across realms, but in reality, realm does not equal combat power. The three schools of Buddha, Dao, and Confucianism focus on ideology; if they encounter an expert who specializes in combat power, the Heavenly Phenomenon realm might not necessarily defeat the Finger Profound realm."

"The powerful eunuch 'Human Cat' Han Diaosi realized a Finger Profound Secret Technique that can sever Heavenly Human Induction, effectively forcing a Heavenly Phenomenon expert into the Finger Profound realm. And because Han Diaosi has cultivated the Finger Profound realm to perfection, once a Heavenly Phenomenon expert falls into Finger Profound, he kills them with every strike; below the Land Immortal, he rarely has an equal."

"There is a great difference between the Heavenly Phenomenon realm and the Finger Profound realm. Heavenly Phenomenon emphasizes the body and mind realizing heaven and earth, and mobilizing the power of heaven and earth, so personal Luck becomes a very critical thing. For instance, Han Diaosi's killing is too deep, and he is not tolerated by heaven and earth; stepping into Heavenly Phenomenon is merely a path to death, so he has long remained in Finger Profound."

Since the exchange between Yu Liancheng and Deng Taie at the inn, this was already the third day.

During these three days, Deng Taie taught Yu Liancheng the Flying Sword Technique and his insights into Finger Profound. Yu Liancheng, in turn, reciprocated by explaining his own Sword Dao martial arts.

The two reflected on each other's ultimate techniques, and both made progress.

During the exchange, Yu Liancheng marveled at the mysteries of Deng Taie's Flying Sword Technique. Yet he did not know that Deng Taie was equally amazed by his profound and incredible martial arts.

Especially some novel martial arts concepts he had never heard of, yet they were often self-consistent, giving Deng Taie much inspiration and raising his strength to a higher level.

Perhaps it would not be long before Deng Taie went to Wudi City again to see if he could pull Wang Laoguai off his pedestal.

Looking at the man in front of him who was as handsome as a demon, Deng Taie could not help but sigh in his heart: even if he could not cross that great mountain of Wudi City, he could not block this person in front of him for too long.

That man surnamed Wang loved to act strangely; he clearly possessed the qualifications to be the World's First and look down upon all heroes, yet he styled himself as the World's Second, which caused the popular list of the top ten experts in the Edo to be ranked up to the eleventh, leaving the throne of the number one spot vacant for twenty years.

Perhaps this person before him would one day truly be able to sit on the throne of the number one.

"Stinky Tonghuang, you don't look for your sister now that you have a man." In another cabin, Murong Wuzhu rested her chin on her small, white-jade-like hand, looking at Yu Liancheng, pouting with great dissatisfaction.

"But sister cannot be idle either, otherwise I will completely become a burden; don't think about shaking me off."

Murong Wuzhu turned around, her sleeves fluttering.

The stunning woman sat cross-legged, circulating her True Qi, and the air in the surrounding space seemed to be suddenly drained away. She herself radiated a deep and ethereal aura, as if she were a Ghost emerging from the deep night, which was the sign of having cultivated the "Heavenly Demon Great Art" to a certain level.

During this period, the young girl, harboring her obsession, had also made rapid progress, no longer as lazy as before.

In another cabin, the Sword Boy, who had more airs than his master, was still fast asleep, drool flowing from the corner of his mouth, vaguely dreaming of himself walking the Edo with a Sword worth seventeen or eighteen taels.

After speaking more about the mysteries of the Flying Sword, Deng Taie asked: "By the way, what are your plans next? Perhaps I can travel a stretch of the road with you."

"I heard that a beauty of peerless elegance has appeared by the Luoshui River, and I am planning to go take a look."

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "Then I will go to the Guangling River to watch the tide. The great tide on the eighteenth of the eighth month is an unprecedented spectacle with magnificent scenery. Finally, I will go to the Beiliang Prince Mansion, one of the Wulin Three Forbidden Lands. That Tingchao Pavilion has a thousand aspects and contains ten thousand volumes of books, as vast as the sea; for someone like me who practices Martial Dao, it can be considered a treasure house."

Deng Taie pondered for a long while and said: "Since that is the case, I will travel with you to the Guangling River to watch the tide."

"Good."

Yu Liancheng nodded, his expression calm.

Although Deng Taie did not say it, he knew that the other party had intricate ties with the Beiliang Prince Mansion and would not step into the territory of Beiliang at present.

The "Beiliang Princess" Wu Su came from the Wu Family Sword Tomb and was the previous generation's Sword Crown of the Wu Family.

And this New Sword God was an illegitimate son of the Wu Family Sword Tomb; Wu Su was his distant cousin, and the Prince Xu Fengnian had to call him uncle.

Back then, Princess Wu Su had the grace of a meal, the grace of saving his life, and the grace of teaching him for Deng Taie.

When Wu Su left the Wu Family Sword Tomb, Deng Taie had promised one thing: he would not hesitate even if it meant a mountain of blades or a sea of fire.

Later, for the sake of the Beiliang King Xu Xiao, Wu Su entered the Imperial City alone. Deng Taie did not manage to follow, which led to Wu Su falling ill and passing away early.

Precisely because of this, Deng Taie felt guilty toward the Beiliang Prince Mansion, and coupled with his dislike for the "Beiliang King" Xu Xiao, feeling that the other party was unworthy of Wu Su and feeling it was unfair for his sister, he had never gone to the Beiliang Prince Mansion to claim kinship all these years.

Of course, these things had nothing to do with Yu Liancheng.

He only wanted to go see how beautiful that Chen Yu, who "does not lose to Nangong," was.

Perhaps she was also a chess piece that could be played, who knows.

"It is neither the wind moving, nor the sail moving; it is the heart of the benevolent that moves."

With a long chant, the long sail fluttered, and the small boat's speed suddenly increased, breaking through layers of waves and heading toward the direction of the Luoshui.

……

The river surged, water waves colliding with reefs, splashing with muffled sounds of water; from ancient times to the present, it was just like the moon that had remained unchanged for a thousand years.

By the shore stood a delicate small lodge, hidden among the lush trees; under the reflection of the moonlight, it was even more exquisite and beautiful, showing unique ingenuity.

The bamboo door of the lodge opened slowly, and a beauty with peerless radiance and skin whiter than snow, as if sculpted from translucent jade, stepped out slowly.

Her hair was like clouds, her eyes like water. In a simple dress with a wooden hairpin, wearing no makeup, yet she was beautiful without a trace of worldly dust, like an Exiled Immortal from heaven.

"Bamboo rustles as the washing maid returns, lotus moves as the fishing boat descends. Let the spring fragrance fade at will, the grandson may stay of his own accord."

The young girl named Chen Yu whispered softly, gentle and pleasant, lingering and winding, as if carrying infinite melancholy.

She looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and many emotions arose in her heart. What use was a face that could topple a country? She was merely a chess piece in someone's hand, or perhaps even an expendable, idle piece; it would be better to be a washing maid.

Chen Yu was full of sorrow, unable to sleep in the long night, and walked two steps. The night breeze blew gently, and suddenly she heard a clear and bright voice ring out from the front.

"Rise!"

Chen Yu could not help but look toward the distance, only to see a person sitting under the shade of a green pine by the Luoshui River, ten meters away.

This person was dressed in black, with dark hair hanging down, the whole person seeming to merge with the night; if not for the bright moonlight, she feared she would not have discovered the other party.

Although she could not see the person's face clearly, she could vaguely feel an ethereal and unpredictable aura of being independent from the world. Chen Yu could not help but walk forward two more steps, using the moonlight to look at the other party.

The moment she saw the other party's face clearly, she could not help but be dazed for a moment.

Chen Yu herself was a peerless beauty; looking at that face that could topple a city in the bronze mirror every day, she had thought she would no longer put any appearance in her eyes.

Yet at this moment, she still felt a sense of astonishment, vaguely understanding the meaning of the phrase "peerless elegance."

Chen Yu was not a country girl who had never seen the world, and she had seen many handsome men in her life, but the impact brought by the man in black before her was incomparable.

Logically speaking, there are only so many types of facial features, and even the most top-tier appearances do not differ much; why then could this person before her give her such a stunning feeling?

Chen Yu did not know that when martial arts reach the level of Yu Liancheng, one has already stepped into a very profound realm. With the spirit and body united, the concept of "temperament" is no longer ethereal, but tangible and real.

For instance, the "Yi Sword Master" Fu Cailin of Datang was incredibly ugly in appearance, yet after his martial arts reached perfection, one could discern a strange sense of beauty in him, far surpassing any charm or illusion, as it had become integrated with the person.

This physical vessel of Yu Liancheng was already the pinnacle of the world, and when combined with that aloof, ethereal, and unfathomable temperament, it could cause a lethal effect on the vast majority of women.

Even men, too.

——The Chen Yu before him was no exception.

Yu Liancheng was sitting on a Shitou under a green pine, holding up his fingers, his eyes fixed on two small swords floating before him, a look of excitement appearing in his eyes.

Beside him lay a bamboo pole, with silver thread hanging down beneath it; it looked as if he were fishing, yet he seemed not to care at all.

The two tiny Flying Swords in the air wobbled, then suddenly plummeted from the sky.

"Damn it, motherfucker, failed again."

Yu Liancheng frowned, cursing and swearing.

He was precisely practicing the Flying Sword Technique taught by Deng Taie.

However, Deng Taohua's flying sword required nurturing and feeding the sword; to truly control the sword required a great deal of effort.

Yu Liancheng used this as a foundation, using True Qi mixed with wisps of divine sense to control the sword; it was not yet perfected and had many flaws, so although he could control the sword briefly, he would soon lose control.

"This..."

Hearing Yu Liancheng's words, Chen Yu at the side could not help but pause again, as if something perfect in her heart had shattered.

This man, ethereal as an immortal and peerless in elegance, even if not refined and noble, should at least be graceful, and certainly not full of such vulgar language.

Yu Liancheng seemed to sense something and turned his head to look at Chen Yu.

Moonlight poured onto that perfect face, with a smile that was not quite a smile, peerless and gorgeous; the charm of that instant was something no words could describe.

The things shattered in Chen Yu's heart seemed to slowly mend themselves.

"What a beautiful beauty; if we could be together day and night, I suppose my mood would be much better every day."

Yu Liancheng changed to a comfortable posture, supporting his cheek with his hand, his pair of slightly narrow phoenix eyes unreservedly sizing up Chen Yu.

These were clearly flirtatious words, yet Chen Yu could not bring herself to feel disgust.

Perhaps it was because the other party's eyes were clear, and his words held only appreciation, as if he were saying to a flower, "I like your beauty," which was only natural.

Of course, it might also have something to do with the other party's appearance.

Yu Liancheng sized Chen Yu up and down once more, revealing a satisfied smile: "Little girl, you are full of spiritual energy. How about it, are you interested in following me to practice martial arts and cultivate to become an immortal?"

Chen Yu came back to her senses, her moth-like eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she parted her red lips slightly to ask: "May I ask who you are, Young Master?"

Yu Liancheng smiled: "This seat is the 'Heavenly Venerable' Murong Tonghuang; you may also call me Young Master Yu."

Chen Yu covered her red lips with her fair hand, ripples appearing in her beautiful eyes.

Yu Liancheng smiled: "It seems you have heard of my name; I suppose that old thing Huang Sanjia told you. That old immortal likes to scheme in the shadows and likes to treat people as chess pieces; it is truly a lack of virtue. Of course, the strong dominating the weak is only natural, so there is nothing to criticize."

"How about it, are you interested in joining me? I guarantee you'll have good food and drink, and whoever dares to provoke you, I will go and bleed them one by one."

Chen Yu was momentarily speechless; the originally perfect image seemed to start falling apart again.

She lowered her head and pondered for a long while before slowly saying: "You want to take me as a disciple?"

Yu Liancheng shrugged: "Not quite a master-disciple relationship, just a guide. But how you walk the path depends on yourself."

Chen Yu said: "What if I don't agree?"

Yu Liancheng said: "If you don't agree, then so be it. I'm not so base as to kneel on the ground and beg you to join me."

"Someone wants me to go to the Capital; you cannot stop it."

"Oh?"

Chen Yu bent down to pick up a stone and threw it into the water, saying: "When I was three, my destiny was calculated by both Longhu Mountain and the Qintian Bureau; it is the Moon Laurel Temple Pattern."

Yu Liancheng said: "So you mean you will enter the palace sooner or later?"

"Correct." Chen Yu nodded.

No matter how powerful the "Heavenly Venerable" Murong Tonghuang is, what of it? In the end, he is just a person of the Wulin.

Back then, the Beiliang King Xu Xiao trampled the Wulin, and who knows how many so-called Wulin Holy Lands were destroyed; even Longhu Mountain was almost suppressed.

In the face of the power of the Imperial Court, individual martial prowess is almost not worth mentioning?

Of course, if one could truly be as strong as Wang Xianzhi, that would be another realm entirely.

Under the whole heaven, there is no land that is not the King's, but Wudi City is an exception, because Wudi City has a truly invincible God.

Yu Liancheng was about to speak, but Chen Yu lifted her beautiful eyes, shining brightly: "But Chen Yu wants to become a disciple and wants the 'Heavenly Venerable' to teach me martial arts."

"Oh?" Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow and instead began to advise Chen Yu: "You are someone destined to be the mother of the world; you will be either a royal concubine or an Empress. Practicing martial arts is very bitter; why not choose an easy and comfortable path?"

"Although a canary is safe, it not only lacks freedom, but its life is also held in the hands of others."

Chen Yu's beautiful eyes became firm, and her face, which could topple kingdoms, revealed a look of determination: "By hiding a sword on one's person, at least when facing a desperate situation, one has the strength to fight, rather than waiting obediently for death and being slaughtered by others."

Yu Liancheng laughed: "Good. For the next three days, I will teach you three swords. I hope you practice diligently and do not let me down."

A chess piece thrown into the Capital; who knows what kind of waves it will stir up.