Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 37: Immortal Sword of Immortality (I)

It would be a very painful thing if one's own strength could not match one's desires. Although Lu Cheng was far from reaching the state of "I would be willing to die in the evening if I heard the truth in the morning",

But he did reach the point of "loving Taoism as much as he loves sex". He came to this world accidentally, learned Taoism from the memories of his previous life, gained strength, and gradually developed a strong interest in this world which was very different from the technological civilization of his previous life, and then he became fond of reading Taoist books.

That night, when Lu Cheng saw the incomplete copy of "Blood Nerve" at the Liujin Antique Artifact Auction, he really wanted to read the contents of the book.

Appreciate the level of understanding of the nameless Taoist who has ascended to the upper realm and the way of blood and even the great way.

However, he allowed himself to be sad for two nights, and then Lu Cheng started to meditate, visualizing the desire in his heart.

No longer letting it go or suppressing it, but watching it.

When it comes to one's own desires, the devil emphasizes indulgence while the righteous emphasizes observation. Therefore, the devil cultivators indulge in their desires to the extreme. In the era when Lu Cheng lived, there were quick-formed couples who would flirt in a bar and then go to get a room. This is indulgence, and once you get into it, it is difficult to turn back.

There were also those who, in that era, stayed with a couple for their entire lives. They might have experienced temptations in the process, but they looked at their hearts and themselves and did not take a single step of indulgence. This is observation.

It is not that righteous monks do not have dual cultivation, sexual love, or lovers. As long as they can restrain themselves from wantonly indulging desires and not sinking into the boundless sea of ​​desire, they are considered to be righteous. Even many monks have many wives and concubines, but they are still righteous monks without any violation of their moral principles.

Lu Cheng meditated and observed his own desire for the blood nerves. This time, he did not rely on the power of the Ice Silkworm Taoist robe, the Pure Heart Jade Pendant, or the Purple Core Grass Cushion, and he did not even call out the statue of the Red Heart God. He just observed with his own heart of cultivation.

Gradually, as time passed, this strong desire seemed to be refined by his will, gradually decomposing and dispersing, and was subdued by Lu Cheng and replenished into his mind and spirit, like taking a powerful medicine, strengthening his mind.

You can feel that your mind and spirit have grown significantly in this process.

After seven days and seven nights, Lu Cheng woke up from this meditation. In a trance, he seemed to feel that the world in front of him was a little more vivid.

He walked to the window of the inn room, stretched out his hand and pushed it open, only to see that the sky outside was bright, and the red sun's rays just shone on his body, making him warm and comfortable.

At this time, the entire city that never sleeps has revived, and there are dense crowds of people coming and going below.

They do this either to have enough food to eat, to provide tuition for their children, to take in a beautiful concubine, or to earn a few more spirit stones.

Lu Cheng, who had just refined his desire, looked at the crowd below, and a thought naturally came to his mind:
"The world is the furnace, nature is the worker, yin and yang are the charcoal, and all things are the copper. All living beings are trapped here, suffering from the deep water and fire, and are in the midst of endless suffering... I am also in it, and I may not even be fifty steps away. How can I laugh at others who are a hundred steps away?"

I didn't leave the room in the inn for nine days. Fortunately, this kind of seclusion is common for cultivators.

After Lu Cheng washed up, he pushed the door open and walked out, wandering around the city, thinking that it was time to consider the entry point for this trip.

Lin's Trading Company is quite famous in the city that never sleeps. During the days in the teahouse, Lu Cheng already knew its approximate location. One day, he walked over to the vicinity to observe it.

Knowing the location of Ranmu Mountain's shop in the City That Never Sleeps is quite far from the goal of obtaining Ranmu Mountain's core skills.

However, Lu Cheng was not in a hurry. His previous life was not liked by his master and was sent away from the mountain gate to protect a relative who had nothing to do with Chi Shen Zi. He basically had no chance to return to the mountain gate in this life.

Now, County Magistrate Han Zhi has been promoted to Shao Yin of Nanling City, and Shiyuan County has been developed into an increasingly prosperous and wealthy place.

The mission assigned to him by the sect has been completed. Apart from the title of a disciple of Huoyun Mansion, Lu Cheng is basically no different from an independent cultivator, so he has plenty of time.

After entering Lin's store, Lu Cheng wandered around under the enthusiastic introduction of a clerk, bought some useful spiritual items, and then left the store. This continued for several days.

On this day, Lu Cheng also visited Lin's store. When he returned after buying a few items, he happened to see a young, ordinary-looking man in old clothes being chased and beaten in the street by a group of people.

He had a sword in his hand, but he did not draw it at this moment. Instead, he held his sword tightly. After he could no longer run, he curled up and protected his sword.

"Alas, the Lin family is so overbearing. The kid from the He family just asked their young master for advice, but they humiliated and beat him like this. The kid from the He family is a nice person. He even helped me fetch water before. But it's a pity that he only wants to cultivate immortality and learn swordsmanship. What kind of immortality can a child from a poor family cultivate? It's really a daydream."

"Yes, his family has never had good luck since they got the incomplete sword manual. His father died because of it, and his mother died early due to illness caused by overwork. Now he is like this too, all because of Xiuxian."

Two passers-by who were selling vegetables on both sides of the street didn't dare to intervene, but they couldn't help but mutter a few words so that Lu Cheng could hear clearly.

In the city that never sleeps, the servants of the Lin family did not dare to actually beat anyone to death and cause trouble for their master. After kicking, beating and humiliating them to vent their anger, they left cursing.

"Cultivate immortality? Practice swordsmanship? Are you worthy of that? The broken sword manual in your house is so worthless that no one would pick it up if you threw it on the street. My young master gave you some advice out of kindness, but you actually dared to talk back. Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? You are born with a lowly bone. Sword immortal? You can dream of this after practicing for another ten lifetimes!"

When the servant leader finally left, he was still angry and kept shouting and scolding.

The boy from the He family who was lying on the ground did not say anything, but just held his sword tightly. This was a magic sword that his mother had accumulated for his whole life. He could die but the sword could not be contaminated or damaged.

"cough, cough"

After a while, the pain on his body was not so severe anymore. The He family boy slowly got up and knelt there to carefully wipe off the stains on the magic sword in his arms.

"What's your name?"

Just at this moment, he heard these words.

Hearing the voice, I looked up and saw a young man in Taoist robes standing there with a bright smile and a gentle temperament.

"Master, what have I done wrong?"

He Guo quickly stood up and saluted.

The mortals in the City That Never Sleeps have lived with immortal cultivators for a long time, so they can still distinguish the immortal cultivators, unless they encounter a veteran con man.

"He Guo, but it means 'correct your mistakes'? It's a good name. Why do you have to learn swordsmanship?"

"...I, the villain, want to stand out."

Obviously, He Guo hesitated for a moment. He also knew that his ideas were inconsistent with the philosophy of the orthodox Xuanmen cultivators. The orthodox Xuanmen cultivators emphasized peace of mind and tranquility. But looking at the immortal master in front of him, he still spoke out his true thoughts.

"People who practice swordsmanship should have the courage to be the first in the world."

Seeing that He Guo was sincere in his pursuit of swordsmanship, Lu Cheng wanted to give him some pointers. So he walked forward while asking questions.

He Guo was seriously injured, but he also knew that he had encountered an opportunity. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, following the young Taoist's seemingly slow but actually fast pace.

But as he ran, the bruises on his body gradually became active. After all, he had practiced Qigong before, although his performance was not very good without anyone to guide him.

During the conversation along the way, Lu Cheng gradually learned about He Guo's life. His family was a resident of the City That Never Sleeps. Although their life was not rich, they lived a peaceful and happy life. However, his father He Mo accidentally obtained a fragment of a sword manual. Although it was a bit damaged, it was still a treasure for the poor family.

However, the four elements of Dharma, Earth, Companion, and Wealth are not in vain. How can poor people support their practice? Moreover, the skills that He Mo obtained are still mostly incomplete.

A few years later, He Mo died from practicing martial arts forcibly. When he sought medical treatment for his illness, he left his family with a lot of debt. In the end, he only left his son He Guo with that incomplete score and some experience.

He's mother had always been in poor health, but fortunately she was good at sewing and could earn some money for the family. After this blow, she barely managed to survive for a few years before passing away.

She knew that her son also loved swords, so she spent all her money to buy a first-grade inferior magic sword for her son.

However, He Guo had no money to buy jade slips and could not enter the sword hall to seek advice from the lecturer, so he wrote down a few sentences every day and shamelessly went to various sword halls and outside of aristocratic families. When he saw a monk who looked like a master, he would go over and beg for guidance. Nine times out of ten, he was treated coldly or ignored. Sometimes, like today, he would get into trouble and be beaten in the street.

"In a few days, the sword-fighting competition will be held. I have accumulated enough mana. I must fight for a title and let everyone see that my father and mother did not die in vain."

When Yan said this, veins popped up on the boy's cheeks. "Swordsmanship competition?"

Lu Cheng had never heard of this term, but he could roughly understand the connection between them.

"Master, don't you know? All cultivators under the age of 20 in the Never-Sleeping City can participate in the sword-fighting competition held every ten years. At that time, all the sword halls with a little strength in the Never-Sleeping City will participate. Because of the great influence, various sects and families will send people to watch the competition and select outstanding people from them to become disciples of their sects or to practice in aristocratic families and serve as guest officials in the future."

"I see. This sword fighting competition gives commoners a promotion rank, which is a great merit."

Lu Cheng nodded and understood.

This sword-fighting competition not only provides an opportunity for the many sword halls in the City That Never Sleeps to compete, exchange ideas, and arrange seats, but it also provides mortals with a path to move forward. Even if the gap in this path is extremely narrow, it can greatly alleviate the resentment of mortals.

The present time is different from the time before the great catastrophe and destruction in ancient times. In ancient times, the great way was like mercury pouring out of the ground, penetrating every pore. The first requirement for cultivators is spiritual root qualifications. If you have the qualifications, you can cultivate immortality, and if you don't have the qualifications, you cannot cultivate immortality. Even the offspring born from the union of high-level cultivators only have a higher chance of having spiritual roots, and there are many who do not have the qualifications of spiritual roots. Parents are destined to watch their children die of old age before themselves.

Although there is a legend that practicing martial arts can advance one's spiritual roots and thereby purify one's spiritual roots, even if it is true, there are very few mortals who can advance to the innate level on their own by practicing the best internal skills and the best martial arts since childhood. Once there is a little interference, and after using elixirs to advance to the innate level of martial arts, the effect of purifying spiritual roots will be ineffective.

One must throw himself into the world of martial arts, risk his life and practice on his own to see results. This path is no different from not having it.

But after the great catastrophe in ancient times, this world seemed to have returned to its original state to a certain extent, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was greatly enhanced. In this era, anyone with the slightest qualification could practice Taoism.

In this situation, aristocratic families emerged and resources accumulated over generations, but they could not completely close the door to spiritual practice for mortals.

Otherwise, the resistance will never stop, and it is impossible for the immortal cultivators to really kill all mortals, as that would be tantamount to digging their own graves.

While thinking, Lu Cheng suddenly reached out and grabbed.

Of course He Guo in front of him was caught without any ability to resist. He was turned upside down and Lu Cheng grabbed his neck and pressed his spine.

"uh uh"

As Lu Cheng exerted a little force, He Guo's face turned red. He couldn't bear the severe pain and groaned slightly.

"You have reached the third level of Qi training. With your aptitude, without a teacher or elixirs, it is not easy for you to reach this level at this age. Do you mind reading out your skills and sword techniques to me?" Lu Cheng asked after letting go of his hand.

He Guo hesitated for a moment when he heard this, but he knew in his heart that he had encountered an opportunity and was unwilling to let it go. He gritted his teeth and recited the skills he had practiced since childhood.

The incomplete sword manual that his family obtained was the sword manual that included the Qi training method. Although there were some omissions, He Guo's father had already risked his life to create a rugged path with several fatal omissions.

"The way of heaven is to reduce the excess and replenish the deficiency. Therefore, the void overcomes the full, and the deficiency overcomes the excess. Its meaning is broad, its principle is profound, and its interest is deep. The images of heaven and earth are divided, the signs of yin and yang are listed, the causes of change are shown, and the signs of life and death are clear..."

While speaking, He Guo also used his hands as a sword to demonstrate sword techniques.

This incomplete manual of sword techniques in his family had been stolen and looked through by someone a long time ago, but it was too damaged and did not seem to be very advanced, so He Guo was able to keep it.

"Well, the atmosphere is quite good. This set of skills is called sword skills, which is actually very different from most of the sword skills circulated in the Never-Sleeping City. It focuses on controlling the sword with qi and guiding the sword with spirit. It is actually a superior way of refining spirit and controlling qi, and it is the orthodox Taoist inheritance."

Hearing this, the young He Guo showed excitement. After so many years, a master finally affirmed the He family's sword skills.

But when he said this, Lu Cheng stopped and looked at He Guo beside him, and then said:
"But it's not suitable for you. With your aptitude, you will never be able to practice this Taoist orthodox tradition in your lifetime under the current circumstances."

The orthodox Taoist inheritance aims at ascension, and the most important thing is the disciple's innate qualifications. If the innate qualifications of the person seeking the Tao are too poor, the master will ask him to go down the mountain in most cases.

He Guo's aptitude is of this kind, so there is no problem with his sword skills, but his problems are quite big.

"If you want to stand out, you have to take the extraordinary path, relying on the sword as the main thing and using the sword to nourish your qi. This path is difficult, dangerous, and extraordinary. Practitioners have a high risk of death, so you should just forget it. It would be a blessing to go back and live a peaceful life as a mortal."

They had already arrived in front of the inn. Lu Cheng turned sideways and said this to He Guo sincerely, and then he was about to go upstairs.

Just at this moment, the sound of someone kneeling and begging came from behind.

"Master, please help me. Even if it's a near-fatal death, I'm willing to give it a try!"

Hearing the sound, Lu Cheng turned around and looked at the young man who was kowtowing continuously. He was kowtowing so hard that bloodstains appeared on the stone slab.

"One spirit stone, I will teach you for three days. If you are willing, I will stay here until the sword fighting competition."

The Dharma cannot be taught lightly. Lu Cheng knew that even a spirit stone would make things difficult for He Guo, but if He Guo could not produce it, Lu Cheng would not teach him.

He Guo, who was kowtowing continuously, thought for a moment after hearing these words. Then he stood up shakily and ran in one direction.

In Lin's business shop, a young man in brocade clothes was wandering around with a few servants.

At this moment, He Guo, who had just been beaten by them, ran over and said to the young man in brocade clothes: "Mr. Lin, I will let you beat me up. As long as you don't kill or maim me, I will never report it to the City Patrol Department. All you need is a spirit stone!"

The young man in brocade clothes was feeling bored, and when he heard He Guo's words, a hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes.

"You dog, I want to beat you up, why do I need to give you spirit stones?"

Shouting and cursing, the young man in brocade clothes kicked He Guo forward. He was kicked back and used his arms to block the opponent's heavy blows, but did not fight back.

Seeing this, the young master of the Lin family found it even more interesting, and shouted to the servants behind him: "Stay still, and watch how I beat him into submission."

Those who practice martial arts must practice martial arts to lay a foundation. Although the purpose is to strengthen the body, it also includes some boxing and kicking.

He Guo refused to fight back, and was knocked down by the young master of the Lin family in just three or five moves. However, He Guo gritted his teeth and said nothing, allowing the fists and humiliation to fall on him.

Half an hour later, in Yuelai Inn, room number 2.

The young Taoist was originally reading a book in the room. Suddenly he felt something and looked up. Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

"come in."

The waiter came in upon hearing the voice, bowed and said:
"Master, this person said he knows you."

As the waiter was talking, He Guo, with scars all over his face, walked in holding a spirit stone tightly.

Then he came to Lu Cheng, knelt down respectfully, and presented the blood-stained spirit stone with both hands.

"Very good. I hope you will always remember how difficult it is to seek the truth today. Don't slack off after achieving a little success."

Lu Cheng knew clearly that after learning his swordsmanship, with the swordsmanship skills that He Guo had practiced hard since childhood, he would definitely be able to achieve some success in the sword-fighting competition in the City That Never Sleeps.

But after that, if he took this opportunity to join a small family or sect, although it was also his personal choice, Lu Cheng would feel that it was a waste of their fate today.

He took out a pill whose value was far higher than a spirit stone, gave it to He Guo to heal his internal injuries, and then Lu Cheng began to explain the key points of the changes in sword techniques.

What he has learned is much more profound than that of people in this world. Lu Cheng dare not say much about the profound skills and orthodox methods, but just in terms of sword moves, sword techniques, and rich experience in sword fighting, the millions of cultivators in the entire Tongxuan Realm combined may only be able to match him.

(End of this chapter)