Chapter 513: Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate and Man-Sword Unity

As a genius in both sword and magic, Lu Yang's talent was naturally beyond doubt.

In terms of magic talent, he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Yun Zhi.

In terms of sword talent, he faintly showed a trend of surpassing Daoist Bu Yu.

"Originally, I intended to teach you how to correctly execute basic sword moves, but now it seems there is no need to teach you."

Basic sword moves are the foundation of swordsmanship; if the angle is off by even a fraction, the power will change significantly.

"The swordsmanship I have mastered has very high requirements for cultivation, so I cannot teach it to you. 'One Sword Becomes Wan Jian' requires a massive reserve of spiritual power. While your spiritual power reserve is among the best at the Golden Core stage, and few even at the Nascent Soul stage have your level of reserves, there is still a gap before you can execute 'One Sword Becomes Wan Jian'."

"Once you cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, I will be able to teach you 'One Sword Becomes Wan Jian'."

'One Sword Becomes Wan Jian' is actually a sword move that should be executed at the Spirit Transformation stage. With a single swing, ten thousand swords follow like an army, blotting out the sky and sun; it is a move that all sword cultivators yearn to execute.

Considering Lu Yang's talent in the Dao of the sword and his massive spiritual power reserves, he would be able to execute it at the Nascent Soul stage.

"You don't need me to teach you sword-flying either."

"It is too early for you to learn 'No Sword Surpasses Having a Sword'; you are prone to going astray. Besides, you have the Green Edge Sword; no matter what, 'No Sword' cannot surpass 'Having a Sword'."

"The basic requirement for 'Wan Jian Return to the Sect' is the Spirit Transformation stage; you are still far from enough."

"As for my ultimate move, 'Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate', the difficulty is even greater. Don't even think about executing it without reaching the Body Integration stage."

Daoist Bu Yu listed various sword moves, none of which were very suitable for Lu Yang to learn.

"Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate? Did you realize this move yourself, Master?" Lu Yang had never heard of this move.

Daoist Bu Yu shook his head and sighed: "Circumstances forced it; it was not my wish."

This was as good as an admission.

Lu Yang looked at Daoist Bu Yu with envy. There are actually not many sword cultivator moves; moves like 'Man-Sword Unity', 'One Sword Becomes Wan Jian', and so on, have been passed down since ancient times. Sword cultivators follow the rules and learn these sword moves.

For the same sword move, the power displayed differs vastly depending on one's understanding and comprehension of the Dao of the sword.

Someone like Daoist Bu Yu, who creates his own sword moves, belongs to a very small minority.

Another cultivator Lu Yang knew who created his own sword moves was the Supreme of the Sword Tower.

There are quite a few sword techniques in the Cultivation Realm, such as the Falling Rain Sword Technique, the Hundred Flowers Sword Technique, the Dawn-Breaking Sword Technique, the Carefree Sword Technique, and so on. Some sword cultivators are not good at naming things, and there are not a few sword techniques with the same name; Lu Yang knew of at least four types of Carefree Sword Techniques.

"Circumstances forced it?"

Master must have been a Body Integration stage cultivator when he created this move; he should have had very few opponents in the Cultivation Realm.

Could it be that Master offended too many enemies, who took advantage of his lack of preparation to ambush him in the dark? Facing a siege by a hundred or so people of the same level, even someone as strong as Master would find it hard to escape. Under continuous attacks, Master was covered in wounds and hanging by a thread. At the critical moment of life and death, Master had an epiphany and realized a sword move that sees through life and death—Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate.

Once this sword was released, even the sky developed a gap!

Daoist Bu Yu stroked his white beard and said: "That was over a thousand years ago. At the time, I had committed a minor offense, and your Grandmaster locked me in Heavenly Gate Peak, forbidding me from leaving for ten years. You know me; I am a cultivator of the mortal world—how could I not go out?"

"But there was no help for it; your Grandmaster's cultivation was higher than mine, and he was skilled in sealing arts. He sealed the entire peak."

"I looked at that and thought, this won't do. If this continues, wouldn't I really be locked up for ten years?"

"At that moment, I entered a state of enlightenment, sat in meditation on the spot, and my body turned into a furnace. All the insights into the Dao of the sword I had gained in this life were refined, evolved, hammered, and polished in that furnace. Finally, I unleashed a single sword strike and broke the seal of Heavenly Gate Peak!"

"I named this move 'Sword Opens the Heavenly Gate'."

Lu Yang: "..."

Master, why is the process of you realizing a sword move so different from what I imagined?

"Speaking of sword cultivators, I did encounter one before I became an immortal. He was truly the cultivator with the most intense offensive power at the same realm; he was terrifyingly strong and a formidable rival."

The Decayed Fairy, seeing Daoist Bu Yu realize a sword move, recalled a past event.

"Tell me more, Fairy." Hearing about someone of his own kind, Lu Yang became interested.

It was rare to hear about ancient sword cultivators.

"That sword cultivator was named Liu Ningxuan. He was peerless in both zither and sword, and his title was the Zither-Sword Venerable. You know the move 'Man-Sword Unity', right? He was the one who created it."

Lu Yang's eyes widened slightly. 'Man-Sword Unity' is a world-famous sword move that can boost combat power in the shortest time. It is said that this move was passed down from ancient times, but no one knew its origin or who created it. He never expected to get the answer from the Fairy.

"That kid Liu Ningxuan was quite a fighter. Like all sword cultivators, he believed in the sword in his hand. Holding the sword, his entire spirit and energy were different; it was especially intimidating. With a long sword in hand, piercing through space, shattering the void, and slashing through time were all within his capability."

Lu Yang gasped. Piercing through space, shattering the void, slashing through time—these sounded incredibly strong, far beyond what he could do now.

This senior named Liu Ningxuan must have been a standout among ancient sword cultivators, perhaps even the number one ancient sword cultivator.

"When he unleashed a sword strike, even someone as strong as me had to retreat three steps; I didn't want to take it head-on."

"However, he was ultimately inferior to me and fell by my hands."

"You are amazing, Fairy. How did this Zither-Sword Venerable lose?"

"That battle was truly dangerous. At the time, the two of us fought intensely, destroying heaven and earth, causing the stars to tremble. Perhaps he felt a life-and-death crisis from me and felt immense pressure, leading to a higher level of understanding of the Dao of the sword in the dark."

"He also realized that he couldn't win against me with his original moves and had to innovate. Taking advantage of his breakthrough in the Dao of the sword during the battle, he pushed the move 'Man-Sword Unity' to a brand new realm that no one had ever reached before."

"He merged with the sword, turning into an immortal sword, his momentum surging as if he were opening heaven and earth."

Lu Yang listened with glowing eyes, immersed in that cosmic-level battle, and asked eagerly: "And then?"

The Decayed Fairy scratched her head in embarrassment: "And then? There was no 'and then'. After he turned into a sword, he found that he had merged too closely with the sword and couldn't turn back."

Lu Yang: "..."

Fairy, did you never encounter a normal opponent when you became an immortal?

At this moment, Daoist Bu Yu slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering, and interrupted Lu Yang's thoughts as he was listening to the Fairy's glorious history.

"I remember now; there is one move I can teach you."

"Which move?"

"'Man-Sword Unity'. This move is the signature move of sword cultivators passed down from ancient times. It can instantly erupt with incredible power, making it most suitable for overcoming the strong with the weak, a desperate counterattack..."

"I won't learn it."

Lu Yang refused decisively.

Daoist Bu Yu was puzzled, unable to understand why his little disciple refused so decisively and cleanly.

Since he wouldn't learn 'Man-Sword Unity', it seemed that given Lu Yang's realm, he couldn't learn other sword moves.

"Very well, then I will teach you how to comprehend the Dao of the sword."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 514 =====