vstars Chapter 9 Nine Heavens Sword Technique
Chapter 9 Nine Heavens Sword Technique
Three years.
Behind Shenxiao Temple, on the cliffside bluestone, the autumn wind whistles, and the branches are withered and yellow.
Song Quyou stretched out his palm, and each of his five fingers was entwined with the energy of the five internal organs: red for rising, yellow for harvesting, white for transformation, black for smoothing, and green for curvature.
"It's good that the Qi of the five internal organs can be manifested externally, which means that the five organs in the body have been completely refined."
Song Quyou stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I have made such progress thanks to the guidance of my master and senior brothers."
True Immortal Chixiao's face turned serious, a stark contrast to his usual gentle demeanor, and he sighed softly:
"Go away from worries, you have awakened your innate wisdom and inherited the Crimson Sun Flowing Elixir. In the eyes of others, you are a great medicine. A medicine that everyone wants to take."
With a wave of his right hand, the Crimson Cloud Immortal summoned a long, azure-colored sword and a thread-bound ancient book that floated to Song Quyou's side.
"As the saying goes, 'Without a three-foot sword, one cannot roam the world.' If you want to live, you must have a sharp weapon by your side, so that those who want to eat you will think twice before they even consider it."
"Although you have now refined the Five Elements, you are still far from being able to transform into lightning."
Time waits for no one. This Nine Heavens Sword Manual is easy to learn but difficult to master. From this day forward, you shall focus solely on cultivating this method. Once you have mastered sword energy, you may continue your cultivation of thunder techniques.
Song Quyou bowed and said, "This disciple will follow Master's arrangements."
……
Standing on the cliff edge, Song Quyou looked at the Nine Heavens Sword Manual in his hand, his feelings complicated.
The first page of the book contains an inscription by the founder of Shenxiao Temple: "The teachings will not be passed down to anyone but the legitimate heir." He knew that his master had broken the rules for his sake.
Song Quyou sighed softly, carefully reading page by page until he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and closed the book.
This sword technique is divided into internal and external methods.
The internal method is similar to the thunder method, both based on the Qi of the five internal organs, which converge and unite at the Yellow Court. The difference is that this method does not require the five Qi to be transformed into thunder, but directly unites them. This step is called the Five Qi Returning to the Origin in this method, and the resulting elixir is not called the Thunder Elixir but the Elixir Mother.
Condensing the elixir mother is equivalent to condensing primordial qi. The primordial qi rises and returns to the Niwan point to condense into a flower, thus completing the initial stage of the method. From this point on, one can unleash sword qi with a sword. If one wishes to advance further, one must use essence to create flowers and spirit to create flowers within the Niwan point, until three flowers are formed, achieving the gathering of the three flowers at the top. At this point, one can attain sword intent, and each wisp of sword qi will possess the will of the practitioner.
As for the realm beyond sword intent, it is also intent. The book describes that realm as ethereal and difficult to grasp and comprehend, but it can be summarized in two words: "divine intent".
The external techniques consist of nine sword moves, each linked together and repeated in a cycle. Once mastered, they can be combined with internal techniques to unleash a sword that can shatter the heavens.
Song Quyou put down the sword incantation in his hand, picked up the long sword from his leg, and slowly drew it. The sword immediately emitted a blue light, and the two characters "Azure Heaven" in seal script were revealed under the cloud-patterned hilt. He continued to draw the sword, and the true form of the blade was gradually revealed. It was blue-green all over, with a white blade that was sharp enough to cut and make one's skin feel cold.
With his sword sheathed, Song Quyou looked down at the golden hues below the mountain, listened to the rustling of leaves in the mountain wind, and saw wild geese flying south in a line, chasing the autumn chill to escape the cold.
Distracted thoughts, calm the mind.
"When the eyes do not see, the soul resides in the liver; when the ears do not hear, the essence resides in the kidneys; when the tongue does not speak, the spirit resides in the heart; when the nose does not smell, the vital essence resides in the lungs; when the limbs do not move, the intention resides in the spleen. Hence it is said that the five energies return to their origin."
Song Quyou closed his five senses, stopped his four limbs, and did not consume his energy externally, so that his Qi returned to its root.
Everything was in order. The five vital energies hidden deep within the body's internal organs converged at the Yellow Court, transforming into a blazing white energy ball that continuously expanded and contracted.
Unaware of the time, Song Quyou suddenly found himself in a calm and tranquil sea of clouds. The sun shone gently in the sky, and the sea of clouds below was serene. He was unaware of himself, had forgotten himself, and was in a state of perfect harmony and stillness, a unity of man and nature.
When the imagery faded and Song Quyou awoke, there was already a blazing white elixir within his Huangting, its size fluctuating greatly, quite miraculous.
The elixir mother has been formed; all that remains is to accumulate merit through quiet cultivation, continuously strengthening the elixir mother until it breaks through and blossoms. Song Quyou intended to regain his senses and open his eyes.
Suddenly, before Song Quyou could even open his eyes, the blazing white elixir separated a breath, which grew upwards like a seed sprouting, finally settling in the Niwan Palace and giving birth to a white flower.
This white flower is unlike any other flower in the human world. It has three petals with a golden stamen inside, and under the bright sun of the Niwan Palace, it takes on a touch of crimson.
Song Quyou opened his eyes, picked up the secret manual and longsword beside him, ran to the temple, and found the True Man Chixiao, saying:
"Master, after I achieved the Five Qi Gathering, I should have nurtured it further before the Qi Flower could appear in my Niwan Palace, but it seems I did it in one go."
Master Chixiao stepped forward, grasped Song Quyou's wrist, closed his eyes slightly, and gradually relaxed his tightly furrowed brows. He laughed and patted Song Quyou's shoulder, saying:
"The state of being in harmony with nature and in stillness, in unity with heaven and man, and to have such a vision and opportunity during cultivation is enough to show that your resolve to follow the Dao is unwavering."
Don't panic. The formation of air bubbles in the mud ball in one breath is a good thing.
……
In the mountains and forests, the fog was thick. Inside, a bluish light shimmered, and withered yellow leaves moved with the sword, like forest serpents, churning and spewing mist.
Song Quyou, practicing his sword, had his sleeves billowing and was enveloped in sword energy. He thrust forward with a sharp blade wrapped in sword energy. The sword arrived first, followed by the wind. The thick mountain mist was pierced by the dragon-like wisp of withered leaves and could not gather for a long time.
"Kid, after practicing for so long, your 'Breaking Clouds and Startling Wind' move is finally starting to look decent."
Song Quyou sat down on the ground, looked at the old man leaning on his cane in the distance, and said with a faint smile, "Senior didn't go to sleep."
"I'm not sleeping anymore, I'm not sleeping anymore. The scenery in these mountains is so beautiful, I can't get enough of it. I don't want to go to sleep."
"Have you ever been outside the mountains, senior?"
The stone statue of the old man gazes at the barren mountains and forests, his eyes fixed on the clouds in the sky.
A sudden autumn breeze rustled the old man's robes and stirred his thoughts.
"Of course I've been there. I used to be a local deity outside the mountains."
"How did you get to this mountain forest, senior?"
At this point, the old man's expression suddenly darkened, but a smile still lingered on his lips as he reminisced:
"I don't remember the exact date, but I do remember that it was a time of war and chaos. The villagers who worshipped me were massacred by a band of bandits. I intervened, which violated the heavenly rules, so I was punished by heaven. I was saved by your Shenxiao Temple's former master and came to this Xuantai Peak."
"So that's how it is. What about those bandits?"
"Of course he's buried."
"I never expected you to be so kind, senior."
The old man laughed loudly: "Hahaha~, what's there to be temperamental about? Anyone with a heart would have done the same back then."
"but……"
The old man's brow suddenly hardened, his voice deepened, and as he slowly turned around, a chill emanated from his lips:
"I was too late and too slow in killing them back then, otherwise a few people from that mountain village might have survived."
Song Quyou looked at the old man, watching him quietly.
The old man didn't turn around; instead, he waved his hand behind his back, breaking the tranquility of the forest, and, leaning on his cane, walked deeper into the woods, shouting:
"Young man, practice your swordsmanship well. When you leave the mountains, you'll be able to protect your own territory. Don't be like me, hesitating and indecisive until I'm old and realize my mistakes too late."
Song Quyou understood the old man's helplessness, stood up, took his sword, and amidst the falling leaves, streaks of chilling sword energy pierced through the fog in the forest.
The old man, who had long since departed, looked at the surging sword energy in the forest with a kind smile on his face. He searched for pretty stones in the clear stream, but none of them seemed to be very pretty.
Finally, he found a piece of ordinary bluestone the same color as himself and about the size of a fist by the stream. He took out the golden needle from behind him and began to carve it little by little into his own image, reflecting his image in the stream.