The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 414 Sword Technique (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Peach blossoms drift leisurely on the flowing water, revealing a world apart from the mortal realm.

Such evocative verses! Zhao Ti pondered them carefully and couldn't help but nod repeatedly in approval.

It seems that the person who created this sword technique was a refined person, who must have been a scholar of poetry and literature, and skilled in both martial arts and literature.

He gently turned to the second page, which contained the general outline of the Peach Blossom Sword Technique. After pondering it for a while, he gained a great deal of insight.

Yang Jian said that this sword technique was somewhat different from the sword techniques of the world, but he had never been exposed to the sword techniques of the world and could not see where the difference was. He only felt that the sword moves he described were wonderful and the internal energy he talked about was infinitely wonderful. It must be a rare martial art.

Turning to the third page, one finds a human figure wielding a sword and dancing, with red lines and dots marking various parts of the body, representing the flow of internal energy through meridians and acupoints.

After observing for a few moments, Zhao Ti felt it wasn't too difficult and became impatient, searching around for something to replace the sword so he could practice immediately.

He took out a ruler from a box by the wall. His father had made it for him when he was a child to encourage him to study hard, but he was very diligent in his studies and didn't need any supervision from adults, so the ruler was never used.

He held the ruler in his palm and gave it a gentle shake. The ruler emitted a buzzing sound, a special change caused by him channeling his internal energy into it.

Zhao Ti thought for a moment, then used the ruler as a sword and swiftly thrust forward the first move of the Peach Blossom Sword Technique.

A sharp "whoosh" sound rang out as the wooden ruler emitted a metallic clang, accompanied by a streak of light, a truly astonishing sight.

At this moment, his body moved with the sword, and in just a moment the two became inseparable. Then, a cluster of pink light bloomed from the tip of the ruler, as if holding up a peach blossom, which was quite beautiful.

Zhao Ti's sword went straight for the wall, and when it was still a little distance from the wall, the chilling sword intent emanating from the ruler directly tore the paper pasted on the wall.

He had intended to stop his sword strike at its end, but he was surprised by how fierce the sword was. He immediately unleashed his full power, and the ruler shot forward with unstoppable force, as if riding the wind and breaking through the waves, emitting a sharp whistling sound. In just one strike, it was completely embedded in the wall.

Zhao Ti was stunned upon seeing this. The wall, which was originally thick and solid, became as soft as tofu under this wooden ruler, and was easily broken.

He then withdrew his strength and tried to pull the ruler out, but he couldn't budge it. The ruler was firmly embedded in the wall, as if it had taken root and died.

Zhao Ti circulated his inner energy again, moving it between his arms and wrists, and then pulled out the ruler again, this time without any effort.

He glanced at the ruler and saw that there wasn't a single scratch or scrape mark. He figured that the moment he applied his internal energy, it made its surface as hard as metal, impervious to the soil and stones in the wall.

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment. The power of this sword was so great. If he hadn't practiced martial arts before, even if he had a real sword, he probably wouldn't have been able to penetrate the wall directly. But now, he could use a wooden ruler as a sword to attack. It seems that the descriptions in the stories of those martial arts heroes who were highly skilled and used wooden knives and swords as weapons to pick flowers and fly leaves are not unfounded.

It's just that I've been practicing too fast. I mastered the Four Illuminations Divine Skill in less than an hour, and I can use the first move of the Peach Blossom Sword Technique with ease after just a few glances. Is this martial arts mind-clear talent really that powerful?

If that's the case, then all I need to do is keep practicing and accumulating experience. After all, no martial art has any barriers for me; I can learn it at a glance and master it with just one practice. This alone will save me a lot of hard learning time compared to others.

As he pondered, he turned to the second page of the Peach Blossom Sword Manual, intending to take a look at the next moves. But in just a few breaths, he had already understood and thoroughly grasped them all.

He then tried to practice with the ruler, but just as he added his inner strength to the ruler, it suddenly made a crisp sound and instantly exploded into countless small pieces, which fell to the ground.

"Is this... the wooden ruler unable to withstand my internal force?" Zhao Ti's body stiffened, and he couldn't help but think to himself. It seems that his experience and cultivation are still insufficient, and he cannot reach the level of effortless mastery described by the heroes in the novels, nor can he truly turn everything into a sword and grass and trees into weapons.

But then he laughed at himself. How many years had those great heroes practiced martial arts? At least ten years, mostly several decades or more, to be able to circulate internal energy at will, to control objects and unleash the power of weapons without destroying them. He himself had only practiced for half an evening, or at most an hour and a half. How could he be so arrogant as to compare himself to those great heroes?

Having obtained it too easily, he had lost his sense of awe. Zhao Ti felt a chill run down his spine and quickly put away his arrogance and began to adjust his mindset.

After a moment, he carefully closed the Peach Blossom Sword Manual. Without anything to use as a sword, he couldn't continue practicing the manual tonight. It seemed he would have to find a sword tomorrow.

However, it would be difficult to find a sword without alerting one's parents, and a sword is quite valuable on the market, costing several times more than knives and spears, so the purchase should be carefully considered.

Although swords are not as large as knives and spears, their forging process is more complex. They have double edges and points, making forging more troublesome and laborious, and therefore they are naturally more expensive.

Moreover, swords differ from other weapons in that they can also serve a decorative purpose. They can be worn when going out, used to ward off evil spirits in the hall, or hung in the study. Many wealthy families would buy one to decorate their homes.

Therefore, they are often made more exquisitely, with more refined materials and more labor, which makes them more expensive.

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment and finally decided that there was no need to buy it. One reason was that he was worried about his parents seeing it, and the other was that swords were expensive. If he was going to buy one, he should buy one that was handy and could be used for a long time. It wouldn't be good to buy one as a temporary measure, as it would cost a lot of money but wouldn't be very useful. And a handy and durable sword would probably not be an ordinary steel sword, which he probably couldn't afford.

If we don't buy a sword, what can we use instead? It can't be something like wood or bamboo, since I can't control my internal energy freely yet, and it might get damaged again in a few moves.

After much deliberation, he decided to visit several blacksmith shops in town the next day. He hoped they would have some newly cast iron sheets or bars and he could buy one from them. He would then make a handle for it, which would allow him to use it as a sword at a lower price. Moreover, even if his parents saw it, it would be easier to explain, since it was so simple that they might not necessarily recognize it as a sword and think he was practicing martial arts.

After thinking it over, I still felt that there were some things I hadn't let go of. I thought of the Four Illuminations Divine Skill, so I practiced it again. I felt my internal strength increase, and then I went to my desk to rest.

The next morning at breakfast, Zhao's mother asked about the bed collapsing the night before. Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "I really don't know who came. I don't recognize any Yang Dian. It was just a masked man in black who smashed the wooden bed and then left."

Mr. Zhao glanced at Mrs. Zhao and snorted, "It must be that kid. He got the news about you and me from Yang Shisan and came here to show off!"

Mother Zhao frowned: "Leaving aside whether Thirteenth Brother will tell Sixth Brother our address, given Sixth Brother's proud and aloof nature, how could he possibly act with his head covered and face hidden?"

"Who knows..." Zhao's father said, "Your sixth son has always been crazy. Although he is proud, who knows what outrageous things he might do when he goes crazy."

Zhao's mother remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "When Thirteen left, I told him not to reveal the news to anyone in the family. He wouldn't disobey..."

Father Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Although I don't like Thirteen, he is still close to you and me. It's not that I don't trust him, but he has a very good relationship with Yang Dian, so it's hard to guarantee that he won't say something out of line."

Zhao's mother hesitated for a moment and said, "This..."

Seeing the suspicious looks on their faces, Zhao Ti's heart skipped a beat. He put down his bowl, stood up, and said, "Father, Mother, I'm going to school."

Without looking at the two of them, he picked up his book bag and hurriedly walked out the door.

(I have a high fever of nearly 40 degrees Celsius and am feeling delirious. This is all I can write. Please forgive me, bosses.)

(End of this chapter)