Eternal Sword

Chapter 23: The Four Realms of Martial Arts
into the night.

Chen Tang lay beside the stove, wrapped in a thick cotton coat and quilt, and fell into a deep sleep.

Not sure how long it had been before he had a nightmare.

"Why, you want to save her?"

A man in white with his hair loose and his shirt lapel on the left side turned slightly, glanced at Chen Tang mockingly, and asked with a smile.

Chen Tang said: "I hope you will show some mercy."

"You two know each other? Is she your lover?"

"I don't recognize it."

"That's meddling."

"If it's broad daylight and robbing a woman is considered a trivial matter, I, Chen Tang, am only concerned with trivial matters!"

"Just you?"

The man in white sneered and said, "You can save her if you want. If you can take ten of my swords, I will let you go."

"it is good!"

……

"Ten dollars, it's already ten dollars!" The girl's crying voice seemed to linger in Chen Tang's ears.

"Nineteen knives, stop it now!"

"Twenty-five dollars, do you still keep your word?"

"Thirty-two knives!"

Chen Tang fell in a pool of blood.

"Someone, please help and save him, I beg you..."

The girl was still crying and it sounded a little noisy.

Chen Tang forced himself to open his eyes, and in his blurry vision, he vaguely saw a dirty little face with tears in its eyes.

"They... let you... go?"

Chen Tang's voice was intermittent, and blood flowed out of his mouth with every word he spoke.

"Uh-huh."

The girl sobbed and nodded.

"that's great."

Chen Tang was breathing weakly and his eyelids became heavier.

"You, don't die."

"Can't die."

"Big brother, what's your name?"

"My name is Chen Tang, and I'm a swordsman."

It was still dark and the fire in the main room was dying down, leaving only some red-hot charcoal flickering with flames.

Chen Tang suddenly woke up from his nightmare and sat up.

Before I knew it, I was sweating coldly.

The scene just now, the people around, even the face of the man in white, and his playful laughter, all seem as if they happened just yesterday.

To be exact, this was not a dream.

The predecessor died because of this.

Now, this memory has resurfaced in bits and pieces, and the man in white is still lingering around.

Tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, Chen Tang simply got up, went to the courtyard, and practiced Fu Hu Quan.

"what?"

In the bedroom, at some point, the fat old man came to the window and looked through the gap at Chen Tang, who was practicing boxing in the yard, with a look of surprise on his face.

"What's wrong, Master?"

Qing Mu asked in a low voice.

The fat old man whispered, "After only one month of not seeing him, this kid has actually cultivated bronze skin. Judging from the strength of his punches, he must be above the ninth rank!"

"You're practicing so fast?"

Qing Mu was surprised.

A month ago, when Chen Tang left here, he had not yet entered the realm of cultivation.

And she knew very well how difficult it was to cultivate copper skin.

At the beginning, the master collected countless magical herbs and elixirs on Mount Tianshan, and she practiced hard for a whole year before she cultivated bronze skin and suffered a lot.

“This is not the most surprising thing to me.”

The fat old man said in a deep voice: "This boy had already practiced the Subduing Tiger Fist to the level of 'mastering its changes' a month ago. Now, he has gone one step further and reached the realm of 'getting its spirit'!"

Qing Mu opened her mouth slightly, her mind was shocked. Her master once told her that there are four realms of martial arts in the world: form, transformation, spirit, and intention.

Know its form, understand its changes, grasp its spirit, and comprehend its meaning.

Most martial arts are just of lower level. No matter how you practice, the highest you can reach is only the level of mastering the changes.

Only the most advanced martial arts can grasp its spirit and understand its meaning.

"Master, didn't you say that if you want to cultivate to the level of 'getting the spirit', it would be difficult to achieve without more than ten years, or even dozens of years?"

"Normally, that's true."

The fat old man said: "Throughout the ages, most ordinary warriors have remained at the level of 'knowing the form'. They can accurately and completely perform each move, and also know how to counter the moves."

"Some of the best are able to achieve 'mastery of change', and have mastered their moves to perfection, integrating them into their own. When fighting with others, they can adapt to the situation and use their moves effortlessly."

"One step further is to 'get the spirit'. There are very few people who can cultivate to this level."

Qing Mu's best swordsmanship has just reached the level of 'mastering changes'.

I have absolutely no idea what it means to 'get the spirit'.

Qing Mu asked: "What are the characteristics of getting the god?"

The fat old man said: "To put it simply, it means to comprehend the essence and grasp its spirit. Every move and style seems to come alive, vivid and lifelike. When fighting against others, there are often fantastic and ingenious moves."

"Moreover, once you cultivate to this level, you will have the hope of achieving both form and spirit, or even the fusion of form and spirit, and then you can give birth to your own 'momentum'!"

Qing Mu seemed to understand but not quite.

After all, this realm is beyond her understanding.

The fat old man pulled her to the window and whispered, "Now close your eyes, calm down, and feel the situation outside, then you will understand what it means to 'get the spirit'."

Qing Mu followed his instructions, closed his eyes, and listened attentively.

In the courtyard, someone was practicing boxing with great vigor.

Every punch and kick is full of power and momentum.

Not long after, Qing Mu's expression changed!
In her mind, the figure in the yard gradually disappeared, and was replaced by a majestic and murderous tiger!

"This……"

Qing Mu opened his eyes, a look of shock on his face.

Facing such a fierce tiger coming down the mountain, once your mind is taken away by it and your momentum weakens, you will no longer be his opponent. "

"This person's Niwan Palace has been opened, and he has entered the state of meditation. I believe it will be easier for him to cultivate to the divine realm of martial arts. But even so, it is hard to imagine that he has cultivated to this level in just one month."

"There must be a master behind this boy."

The fat old man pondered secretly, and a hint of curiosity arose in his heart.

"How high can it be?"

"Definitely not as tall as me."

……

Chen Tang kept practicing boxing tirelessly until dawn, when he stopped and rested.

He went out and ate something before heading towards the Plum Blossom Martial Arts School.

In the previous dynasty, everyone practiced martial arts, and even some internal skills were circulated among the people.

In this dynasty, apart from the imperial court, only aristocratic families and royal family dignitaries have the opportunity to practice martial arts such as internal strength, and it is forbidden to pass it on to outsiders.

It is said that they are worried about falling into the hands of evil people and causing endless disasters.

Although there are martial arts schools in various places, what they teach are only external skills, and the upper limit is not high.

The same is true for Meihua Martial Arts School.

Mei Nianzhi, the owner of the Plum Blossom Martial Arts School, was once famous for his Plum Blossom Fist and Sword and his Plum Blossom Stance Training to strengthen his body.

Over the past decade, Plum Blossom Martial Arts School has also trained several ninth-grade warriors.

If the children of wealthy families in Changze County choose to learn martial arts, they will send them to the Meihua Martial Arts School.

"My name is Chen Tang, and I want to see Miss Mei Yingxuemei. Please inform her."

Arriving at the Meihua Martial Arts School, Chen Tang greeted the guards at the door.

The guard looked Chen Tang up and down, frowned and said, "Who do you think Miss Mei is? You can see her whenever you want?"

"I'm here to pay back the money, just go and report it."

Chen Tang didn't want to argue with such a person, so he just replied indifferently.

After practicing martial arts on the snowy mountains for more than two months, Chen Tang was completely transformed and his temperament was very different from before.

Although he was still wearing a coarse cotton coat, he had an extraordinary bearing and a sharp gaze. The guards avoided him unconsciously when they looked at him.

"Wait here for a moment."

The guard had no idea of ​​Chen Tang's background, so he said something and ran into the martial arts hall.

　Thank you for the reward of 100,000 book coins, which ranks third among the leaders of this book~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)