Eternal Sword

Chapter 88 Emperor Wu
Chen Tang returned to the inn. After all the trouble he had that night, he couldn't fall asleep.

This world seemed to be very different from what he had originally expected.

All the flying swords came out.

Xu Tong's technique of operating the flying sword was obviously a bit immature and not yet proficient.

If this flying sword skill is cultivated to perfection, he will find it difficult to deal with it.

Unless Xu Tong’s location can be found and subdued in the shortest possible time!
Although Xu Tong had mastered the art of flying sword, he himself was extremely weak.

Chen Tang thought about it and understood.

Everyone wants to practice martial arts and improve their skills, but practicing martial arts is not only costly, but also requires hard work.

Chen Tang had cultivated to this level in more than three months. Of course, he had benefited from the nourishment of Tiger Milk Mountain Ginseng and the instruction of the Mountain Guest, but he himself had also never slacked off and kept practicing hard!

It is this kind of suffering that most people cannot bear.

If one could cultivate a skill like flying sword, with a finger of the sword, the flying sword would be summoned out as easily as moving one's arm, and taking someone's head would be as easy as taking something out of a bag. Why would one still suffer the hardship of practicing martial arts?
In his previous life, Chen Tang once wondered whether the rise of firearms led to the decline of ancient martial arts.

After all, no matter how strong your martial arts skills are, you can’t defeat seven or eight guns.

Flying swords are more powerful than guns in previous lives.

Is it possible that in this world, there really is the kind of means described in the books of the previous life, such as calling the wind and rain, burning the sky and boiling the sea?

If there are even flying swords, is there any secret of immortality?

Besides, he was clearly in the inn, and Xu Tong was standing outside the inn. How could he control the flying sword to chase him?

Logically speaking, Xu Tong should not be able to see him.

Chen Tang lay on the bed, with countless questions in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

Not long after, the fat old man came back.

Chen Tang turned over and sat up, asking, "Is it solved?"

"Ah."

The fat old man nodded and said very easily: "If the master of Xuantian Temple was smarter, he wouldn't come to trouble us."

"What if he is an idiot?" Chen Tang asked.

The fat old man said: "Then kill him and replace him with a smart one!"

That's quite a domineering statement.

Chen Tang was about to praise him, but the fat old man thought for a moment and said, "If it really doesn't work, we have to run away."

Chen Tang: “…”

The fat old man said: "After all, there are few smart people in this world, and there are more fools. If the one I get in return is another fool, it is very likely."

"If we keep changing like this, we may not be able to get a smart person, but some elders or guardians from Xuantian Sect will definitely come. I am not afraid, but with you guys as a burden, it is better for me to leave."

Well, since the fat old man said so, let’s just wait and see. He’s got your back anyway.

Chen Tang asked, "What does Xuanmen's magic say? Xu Tong is outside and can't see me, so how can he control the flying sword to chase me?"

"Xuanmen is another way of cultivation besides martial arts."

The fat old man seemed to have thought of something, and after a pause, he said, "In fact, even in the martial arts, there is more than one way to practice. There are always extraordinary people in the world who can find another way and walk out their own path."

"As for Xuanmen cultivation, it is different from martial arts. The requirements for qualifications are extremely strict, and there is only one in ten thousand."

"Everyone can practice martial arts, but their final achievements are limited by their talents and resources. If you don't have the qualifications, you can't practice at all and can't even enter the Xuanmen."

Chen Tang nodded.

He and Zhiwei had been tested at Xuantian Temple and neither of them had the qualifications.

To be precise, from the time they entered Xuantian Temple to the time they left, no one passed the test, which shows how low the probability is.

The fat old man continued, "The Xuan Sect is also divided into realms. It is said that the lowest level is called the Qi Condensation Realm, and is called an alchemist. Above the Qi Condensation is the Foundation Building Realm, and the Xuan Masters at this level are called sorcerers."

Condensing Qi and building foundation?
This is almost the same state as described in the book of the previous life, except for the change in the name.

Chen Tang asked: "What's next?"

According to the rules, the next ones should be the Golden Elixir and the Nascent Soul.

“The latter ones seem to be called real people.”

The fat old man shook his head and said, "In fact, I didn't have much dealings with Xuanmen. After the rise of Xuanmen and the founding of Emperor Qian, I left Shenzhou. Later, I only came here a few times occasionally."

"It is said that there is a major category in the mystical arts, which is the practice of flying swords. This is also the most important means for the mystical master to fight against the enemy."

"Every Xuan Master must refine a flying sword when he or she becomes a disciple of the Xuan Sect. When forging the sword, they must bite through the tip of their tongue and use their own Yang blood to temper it, thus establishing a preliminary connection with the flying sword."

"After that, every day, they would practice the Xuanmen cultivation method with the flying sword, breathe in and out to the sword, and some people would even use various rare medicinal herbs to wash and feed the sword. Over time, the flying sword would become spiritual, and the connection between it and the alchemist would also deepen."

Chen Tang seemed to be thinking about something.

The practice of martial arts starts with strengthening the body, changing the muscles and bones, and also requires constant training, using various rare medicinal materials to assist in practice.

In a sense, the warrior's body is the flying sword of the master. The fat old man said: "The longer you practice, the deeper your induction with the flying sword will be, and the more tacit understanding between you and the sword will be. Controlling the flying sword is as easy as using your arm and fingers, and it can be operated freely."

"This Xu Tong obviously hasn't practiced in Xuanmen for a long time, and his flying sword is not yet proficient enough. If he really encounters a top-notch alchemist, he will raise his finger and a white light will flash, and even ten of you will die."

Chen Tang couldn't help but ask, "Is it really possible to take someone's head from a thousand miles away?"

If such a method really existed in the world, he would still be practicing martial arts so hard, and he would definitely feel disappointed.

"A thousand miles? Not that exaggerated."

The fat old man shook his head and said, "The range of the alchemist's flying sword is only within ten feet. Beyond this range, it is very difficult for him to control it, and the threat is not great. Otherwise, Xu Tong would not be standing outside the inn, and he could have run further away."

"It is said that the flying sword range of a Foundation Establishment Realm sorcerer is a bit larger, but it will not exceed a hundred feet."

Chen Tang made a rough calculation.

The room he was in was about thirty meters away from Xu Tong's position, just within ten feet.

The fat old man said, "As for what you said, this person can't see you, but can still fly his sword to chase you, it's because you have had direct or indirect contact with him and left a breath mark."

"He uses his flying sword to sense the aura you left behind. Even if he can't see you, he can still follow your aura and kill you."

Chen Tang was secretly shocked.

After mastering this unique skill, the flying sword can almost catch up with the dog's nose.

Chen Tang thought about it.

He had never had any contact with Xu Tong, and the only thing that might have left his aura was the stone he held during the test in Xuantian Temple.

Chen Tang asked again: "Since you can control a flying sword, can't you fly with it?"

"Yes, but not many people can reach this level, and they can't fly too high. The higher you fly, the greater the consumption."

The fat old man said, "If you want to fly with a sword, an alchemist can't do it. Moreover, an alchemist can only practice one flying sword. Once you enter the foundation building stage and become a sorcerer, you will have enough energy to practice two flying swords."

"In theory, one of the two flying swords can be used to fly, but in reality, the energy consumption is too great. Unless they have no other choice and want to escape, no sorcerer would do this."

Chen Tang asked: "Is there any longevity technique in Xuanmen? For example, if you cultivate to a certain foundation-building stage, how much will your life span increase?"

"I haven't heard of that."

The fat old man shook his head and said, "The Xuanmen has only been around for less than a hundred years. Whether it can lead to immortality is still unknown."

Chen Tang continued to ask several questions which seemed a bit beyond the scope of the topic. The fat old man hesitated and was unable to answer some of them.

Seeing that Chen Tang was quite interested in the mystical arts, the fat old man said, "Even if you know more, you can't practice it. Besides, martial arts may not be weaker than the mystical arts."

"Most of the time, a Xuanshi will absolutely suppress a warrior. At least at the same level, a Xuanshi can fight ten or even a hundred of them. But there are exceptions to everything."

"As far as I know, there was a warrior in the previous dynasty who rarely lost to those of the same level. Even a master of the mystic arts would have to avoid him and stay away from him!"

"Oh?"

Chen Tang became interested and asked, "What kind of cultivation does this person have? Is he still alive? What's his nickname?"

The fat old man said: "This person was born into a noble family, but his Dantian was born with a defect. Even if he practiced martial arts, his achievements were limited. He was not valued in the clan. But who would have thought that later he would find another way and reach the pinnacle, and he could be said to be invincible in the world!"

"Is this the strange man you just mentioned?" Chen Tang asked.

The fat old man nodded and said, "I have told you before that this person is the former Martial Emperor who ended the division of Northern Shenzhou and unified all the major tribes."

"It's a pity that he later misjudged the general trend of the world and insisted on marching south. He was defeated by the Xia River and then betrayed. In the end, his country was destroyed and his family was ruined. His body was not found. It's really sad."

Chen Tang couldn't help but ask, "He has reached the pinnacle and is invincible in the world. Is there anyone in Nanxia who can stop him?"

"Yes."

The fat old man nodded and said, "But that one person alone is not enough. When Xia Jiang was fighting, at least one top expert attacked him, and there were even people who assassinated him in secret."

"After the battle of Xiajiang, Emperor Wu was wounded and defeated, which triggered a series of chain reactions. The Far North Frost Region moved southward, intending to take over Pingzhou, and the countries of Xiling invaded Southern Xia. Almost all the strongest people in the world made their moves one after another!"

"After that, the world was in chaos, and Xuanmen took advantage of the situation to rise."

Chen Tang asked, "Old man, where were you at the time? How do you compare with these people?"

The fat old man always liked to show off in front of Chen Tang, but now he smiled and shook his head and said, "I couldn't even get a rank at that time. I was only a little famous in the world."

"After Emperor Wu died, I was entrusted by someone to go to the capital alone. At that time, the capital was in turmoil and chaos, with all forces gathered to fight for the supreme throne."

"Under the noses of many masters, I sneaked into the palace and stole a person out. That's when I became famous and was called 'the world's number one thief' by the people in the martial arts world."

When he was in Changze County, the fat old man once proudly mentioned that he had stolen people from the palace twice.

This must have been one of those times.

Recalling these past events, the fat old man rarely showed any laughter, anger or cursing, and his expression was filled with sorrow.

He looked at the morning light coming through the window, and countless figures and scenes seemed to flash before his eyes. He murmured softly, "But all this happened decades ago."

　Many thanks to a good man, Yuekong Xingcang for the reward of 10,000 book coins. Thanks also to Zhiwen, Xian Siyu, Huang Dengliangle, Xiaowu, Jian hsiao, Yihua Yishijie, Situ Qing, Xia Moxuan Ruoxue, Zipao Daoren and other book friends for their rewards~ Today I will update two chapters with 6,000 words. I am not used to writing 3,000-word chapters, so I need to get more familiar with it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)