Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

This is only natural. I guess Yan Congke said the same thing to Chen Xiaodao, which emboldened him.

Meng Zhao pondered for a moment, then said,

Where is Yan Congke now?

Chen Xiaodao's mind raced. Although he outwardly bowed his head and admitted defeat, he didn't really mean it. Instead, he harbored the idea of ​​provoking Yan Congke to deal with the boy in front of him.

In his view, he lacked natural talent and his studies were mediocre. The young man in front of him must have an extraordinary background and a remarkable lineage. It was understandable that he was no match for him.

Yan Congke was once known as the best swordsman in the county, with extremely high swordsmanship. Coupled with his internal strength honed over two or three decades, he could definitely defeat the young man in front of him.

This person is now actually asking about Yan Congke's whereabouts. Could it be that he also has the same idea? This is too arrogant and shows too little respect for Yan Congke!
"Yan Congke usually either rests at home or goes to the gambling den. It's late now, so he's already at home."

Meng Zhao smiled.
"You're the one who brought this all on. Perfect, take me to meet him and see what he's thinking!"

Chen Xiaodao was not surprised at all; on the contrary, he was overjoyed, as this was exactly what he wanted.

After instructing the two women beside him to take good care of the child, he then led the way, guiding Meng Zhao toward Yan Congke's residence. As for the members of the Little Knife Society he encountered along the way, he dismissed them with words.

Chen Xiaodao was completely unaware that in Meng Zhao's eyes, he was already a dead man. As for his wife and children, without his martial arts skills to rely on, their future would be difficult, and even their survival was uncertain.

After all, Chen Xiaodao wasn't a good person in the past. He offended countless people. When he was at the height of his power, things were fine, but after his accident, everything will be punished on his family.

In the darkness of night, the two walked quickly and soon arrived at a quiet courtyard.

Outside the courtyard wall, a type of vegetation resembling a snake climbs densely, while around the courtyard wall, there are large piles of dilapidated and scattered debris, making it look like a garbage dump at first glance.

Meng Zhao didn't take it to heart. According to his understanding, Yan Congke only returned to his home for a short period of time each year, and spent most of the rest of the time living in other counties. It was inevitable that this place was dilapidated and dirty.

Chen Xiaodao stepped forward, opened the door, and invited Meng Zhao inside.

Meng Zhao did not enter the house, but remained calmly in the courtyard, observing the surroundings.

My gaze finally fell on a thick wall that had been specially built, made of some unknown material.

It is attached to the wall covered with green plants, and is more than ten feet high, with an unknown thickness and a width of two feet.

The surface was covered with a dense array of scratches that appeared chaotic, yet Meng Zhao glimpsed astonishing swordsmanship within them.

Meng Zhao stepped forward, closed his eyes, and gently stroked the scratches on the thick wall. In his mind, sharp and terrifying sword lights shot through the air.

One sword, ten swords, a hundred swords, a thousand swords, ten thousand swords...

The sword light was endless, and the sword momentum was continuous. In the end, it transformed into a towering giant sword, which was imprinted in Meng Zhao's heart.

"This sword technique seems to have been deliberately left behind; it's both a sword practice manual and a sword manual?"

Meng Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, two beams of light shooting out from them, extremely conspicuous in the dim night sky.

To be honest, at first glance, the scratches on this thick wall look like a child's random scribbles, completely irregular.

However, if one has considerable skill in swordsmanship, one can glean a superior sword technique from it.

But why would Yan Congke do this?
According to Meng Zhao's understanding, Yan Congke was never a generous person. He was meticulous in his actions and would not rashly leave behind a sword technique for outsiders to admire. Perhaps, this was left specifically for someone.
However, according to the information he received, Yan Congke had never had any close friends, and his only disciple was Chen Xiaodao.

This was Chen Xiaodao's hard work and effort to receive special treatment from Yan Congke. Of course, the reward was not much; it was just an ordinary sword technique.

"Perhaps this was a test left by Yan Congke for Chen Xiaodao. If he cared about his master, came here often to clean, and practiced swordsmanship diligently, he should be able to inherit this sword technique. However, Chen Xiaodao is ultimately not a person who respects his master. The relationship between the two is more about conflicting interests. What a pity!"

Considering the various miscellaneous items and garbage piled up around the courtyard, it was clear that Chen Xiaodao paid little attention to Yan Congke's residence, allowing others to arbitrarily arrange it, and naturally, he was unlikely to receive any gifts from Yan Congke.

However, this is normal. If Chen Xiaodao were truly a respectful and virtuous person, he would probably not have won Yan Congke's favor.

Perhaps this is just the perverse sense of humor of Yan Congke.

He clearly intended to teach swordsmanship, but he deliberately set up a test. Based on his personality and understanding of Chen Xiaodao, he knew for sure that Chen Xiaodao would not pass the test. It was full of wicked humor.

If Meng Zhao were not a grandmaster of unparalleled martial arts with a profound understanding, even if he had a flash of inspiration upon seeing those scratches and sensed the presence of swordsmanship, he would probably have found it difficult to comprehend their mysteries.

At this moment, the two walked slowly out of the room on the north side of the courtyard, one in front of the other.

The latter, with his head bowed and eyes lowered, and a slight hunch in his back, was undoubtedly Chen Xiaodao.

The former, on the other hand, was a middle-aged man in his forties.

He wore a magnificent blue robe with gold-threaded python patterns embroidered on the cuffs, a crown on his head, and his long hair was neatly arranged.

He was slender and not very tall, but his gait was quite imposing.

Although his steps were slow, it was as if he were a dragon roaming the world or a tiger traversing the mountains.

He also had a sword hanging from his waist.

The scabbard is pale gold, inlaid with pearls and jade, and at the center of the hilt is a ruby ​​the size of a thumb.

At first glance, it exudes an air of wealth and luxury; it doesn't look like a weapon of murder, but rather a treasure symbolizing wealth.

The man, holding the hilt of a sword in his left hand, strolled leisurely into the courtyard.

Under the cover of night, his expression appeared gloomy, and his gaze was sinister.

When it swept towards Meng Zhao, it was as if countless sword energies were attacking, which was both terrifying and frightening.

As the former number one swordsman in the county, this title was not given with empty boasts, but earned through countless battles and sacrifices.

As the most renowned master in the county, Old Master Fang had also fought with Yan Congke and even given him pointers.

According to Mr. Fang's evaluation.

Yan Congke was a man of exceptional swordsmanship, with an arrogant temperament and fierce, decisive swordsmanship, making him a master swordsman.

If one day one can restrain one's sharpness, conceal one's true nature, and transform the ferocity and decisiveness of swordsmanship into a state of effortless control and perfect refinement, then one can truly reach the ranks of the strongest swordsmen.

Yan Congke once made a wild statement regarding this evaluation.

To put it bluntly, this was a group of powerful figures in the county using Old Master Fang's words to put pressure on him, trying to turn him from a fierce and daring wolf into a subservient dog.

In his view, a sword is for killing; a sword must be fierce, wild, and ruthless; to draw a sword is to kill.

However, since Old Master Fang had given him guidance, he never targeted or extorted money from the Fang family.

As for whether he was merely afraid of the Fang family and using this as an excuse to avoid attacking them, there were rumors circulating, but none of them amounted to anything significant. Yan Congke, a ruthless man, was never afraid of anything. No matter how powerful the Fang family was, they couldn't contend with all the major and minor powers in the county, yet he dared to extort them, demonstrating his audacity and ferocity.

Yan Congke carefully examined Meng Zhao, and seeing the sword intent emanating from him, he exclaimed in surprise, "..."
"Unexpectedly, you obtained what I left in this courtyard, something that no one else has seen. You are indeed a talented young man with exceptional abilities."

Meng Zhao's guess was absolutely right. The messy sword marks on the thick wallpaper were deliberately left by Yan Congke when he was practicing swordsmanship.

However, unlike other things, Yan Congke is not simply left to Chen Xiaodao, but to someone destined to receive it.

What does it mean to be a destined person?

In a strict and demanding mindset, this destined person must possess many qualities.

Firstly, he possesses extraordinary talent, especially in swordsmanship and the way of the sword, where he has a keen sense of perception beyond that of ordinary people.

Secondly, I visited his courtyard, saw the sword marks on the thick wall, and thus formed a connection with him.

Thirdly, and most importantly, it allows one to comprehend the mysteries hidden within the sword marks.

It is extremely difficult; even the best-in-a-million or best-in-ten-thousand selections are insufficient to describe it.

This is indeed due to his perverse sense of humor.

He enjoys gambling; in fact, this is a bet he made with someone.

If someone can deduce the sword technique he left behind from these sword marks, then he wins and that person loses.

Conversely, the same applies.

Of course, that was two years ago. Unfortunately, the person he made the bet with had died in the martial arts world, so the bet was naturally void.

However, he did not damage the thick wall or the scratches on it.

He noticed the lingering sword intent surrounding Meng Zhao, which was identical to the sword technique he had left on the thick wall. He naturally understood that Meng Zhao had grasped the essence of that sword technique.

Meng Zhao nodded, his fingers forming a sword shape as he danced in the air. Countless fine, stretching sword energies transformed into seal script characters in the void, which was the name of the sword technique: Soaring Sword.

The sword intent soars to the sky, unstoppable and fierce, carrying the essence of a superior swordsmanship.

Compared to this sword technique, the sword technique Chen Xiaodao learned was utterly inadequate.

Yan Congke's expression tightened for a moment, then relaxed, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Excellent comprehension, excellent skill. What do you think of my Lingxiao Sword Technique?"

Yan Congke could see that Meng Zhao was truly a genius. He had a basic understanding of swordsmanship, and his sword energy was soaring. He had already grasped the essence of it. Such talent was something he had never seen before in his life.

Yes, in his eyes, this was simply a manifestation of talent.

After all, Meng Zhao is only fifteen or sixteen years old. Even if he has been practicing swordsmanship since childhood, how many years can he practice for?
Moreover, Meng Zhao's hands were empty, so he was probably not fully committed to the way of the sword.

Meng Zhao nodded, then shook his head.

"It's interesting. The sword techniques are decent, with only seven flaws. However, through refinement and practice, these seven flaws can be completely eliminated, bringing it to a state of perfection."

Unfortunately, this sword intent is somewhat impure; it has plenty of ferocity but lacks depth and breadth. Its reputation for soaring to the heavens is undeserved!

Although Meng Zhao did not specialize in swordsmanship, his martial arts skills and swordsmanship were absolutely top-notch in the world, and it was even unknown whether anyone could compete with him.

In his view, the Soaring Sky Sword Technique has three major advantages and three major disadvantages.

The three advantages are: first, the sword techniques are mature and the routines are appropriate; second, the sword energy is sharp and fierce; and third, the sword momentum is extraordinary, cruel and decisive.

The third shortcoming is that although the sword moves are ingenious, they rely too much on the swordsman's own skill, leaving seven flaws and failing to be considered as refined through rigorous training.

The second shortcoming lies in the fact that although the sword intent is mature, the essence is to soar to the sky, which means to integrate life's emotions into the sword technique. However, in addition to the ambition to soar to the sky, there is a bit of ferocity and ruthlessness, which makes the sword intent mixed and impure. It seems to be very powerful, but in fact it lowers the lower limit of the sword technique.

The third shortcoming lies in the fact that the sword moves and sword intent are not in harmony. The sword moves seem complicated, but they conflict with the soaring sword intent. Only by simplifying the sword moves and making each move match the sword intent can it be called a top-notch sword technique.

When Meng Zhao explained the three advantages and three disadvantages, Chen Xiaodao was dumbfounded.

In his eyes, his master's swordsmanship was like that of a ghost or a god, something that seemed impossible in the mortal world.

Unexpectedly, in the eyes of the mysterious young man in front of him, what seemed so unbearable was actually not so unbearable, but rather the best of the best, and slightly rough.

Even in the face of strict scrutiny, there are many brilliant moments.
"Are you really just a young boy, and not some old monster who has become young again?"

It's no wonder Yan Congke had such doubts; Meng Zhao's words hit the nail on the head regarding the essence of the sword technique. No matter how arrogant and unreasonable he was, he was powerless to refute it at this moment.

This Soaring Sword Technique was a fragment of a sword technique that he obtained by chance, and it was of extremely high quality.

Through his own swordsmanship skills and years of experience, he devoted himself to research and improvement, but naturally, he could not achieve perfection.

After all, although he was known as the number one swordsman in the county, he was only a county-level swordsman and not a master-level swordsman who could create great achievements.

The sword intent of this Soaring Sword Technique is extremely pure. The sword energy soars into the sky, vast and far-reaching, representing the ultimate explosive display, pure and passionate.

However, Yan Congke's own temperament was somewhat incompatible with this sword technique. When he was supplementing the sword technique, he naturally poured his own will into it, which made the sword intent seem mixed and impure.

Furthermore, that sword move was also something he completed based on his own knowledge, and it was already the most perfect version of what he knew.

This is the limit of his ability.

However, precisely because of this, the flaws in the seven sword moves are particularly obvious.

The seven flaws are his shortcomings in sword techniques.

However, Yan Congke has been constantly refining his skills over the past two years, and has made some progress in mastering this sword technique. He has already reduced and modified many of the sword moves, making it closer to what Meng Zhao described: sword intent matching sword moves, using intent to control the sword, overwhelming and unstoppable.

As for the flaws in the sword moves, Yan Congke felt that his swordsmanship had improved remarkably, but he only managed to fix one move, leaving only six flaws.

The remaining issue isn't that he doesn't want to improve, but rather that he's limited by his abilities and can't do it.

In fact, he was able to discover these seven flaws only when he truly understood the sword technique and perfected it.

The fact that the young man in front of him could speak so accurately suggests that his vision and knowledge are probably even greater than Yan Congke's.

He's truly a prodigy, an eccentric genius, a maverick. (End of Chapter)