Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 183 Zhang Sanfeng: Zhaoting, I will pass on the Tai Chi Sword to you!

Wudang Mountain, a sacred site of Taoism, is also known as Taihe Mountain, Xieluo Mountain, Canshang Mountain, and Xianshi Mountain.

The area boasts numerous grottoes and blessed lands, including seventy-two peaks, thirty-six cliffs, twenty-four streams, eleven caves, three pools, nine springs, ten ponds, nine wells, ten rocks, and nine platforms.

Originally, Wudang was primarily a place for Taoist cultivation, but with Zhang Sanfeng establishing his sect there, martial arts flourished.

The Wudang Sect is not a sect in the traditional sense, but more like a religious alliance, with nine sub-sects.

In addition to the main branch, Zixiao Palace, there are eight branch temples: Yuxu Palace, Zhenwu Temple, Baiyun Temple, Nanyan Palace, Taihe Temple, Yuzhen Palace, Fuzhen Temple, and Qiongtan Temple.

Different schools of thought inherit different traditions.

Some believe in the Quanzhen Longmen School, some like self-cultivation, some like alchemy, some do not prohibit marriage and funerals, while some prohibit their disciples from getting married.

What was Zhang Sanfeng's opinion on this?
Of course...we strongly support it!
In Zhang Sanfeng's view, the more the lineage of Daoist traditions, the better. He wanted the Seven Heroes of Wudang to pass on their own lineages. As long as there were enough lineages, there was no need to worry about their extinction.

Even if disaster strikes along the way, and some lineages of Wudang are wiped out by powerful enemies, as long as one lineage survives, the Wudang School can continue to be passed down to future generations.

Who does this best?
Of course it's... Zhang Songxi!

Shaolin and Wudang are known as the two pillars of the Central Plains martial arts world. One is a white jade pillar supporting the sky, and the other is a purple gold beam spanning the sea. However, in terms of profound heritage, Wudang is far inferior to Shaolin.

The Wudang Sect was founded too recently, and its current prestige is mainly due to Zhang Sanfeng. If Zhang Sanfeng were to break through the void, who could uphold the Wudang lineage?
The foundation of a sect cannot be made up for in a short time.

The best approach is to cast a wide net and take on many apprentices; don't put all your eggs in one basket.

In fact, Shaolin also does the same thing.

Besides the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, there are also the Shaolin Temple in Putian and the Shaolin Temple in the Western Regions, each with its own unique lineage.

The various branches within Shaolin each inherit different philosophies; some are responsible for annotating scriptures, some for studying the integration of Zen and martial arts, and some for recording profound sayings.

There is no absolutely perfect sect.

We can only keep trying, correcting, and improving.

For example, the Sword-Unraveling Stone at the foot of Wudang Mountain.

Outsiders bringing weapons to Wudang must put them down at the Sword-Unsheathing Stone to show they have no hostility. However, the concept of "weapon" is too broad and should not be rigid or inflexible.

The disciple guarding the mountain was Zhang Songxi's apprentice. He was the most clever and agile. As long as the weapon was not exposed, he would pretend not to see it. For example, Li Zhaoting's Ziwei Soft Sword was wrapped around his waist and temporarily served as a "belt".

The "sword-untying stone" is not the same as the "belt-untying stone".

There's no need to make him take off his belt.

Furthermore, for Li Zhaoting, both the folding fan and the jade flute are weapons; should he simply put them all down?
As long as they weren't openly carrying swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks, the disciples guarding the mountain never interfered.

To put it simply, it's about "principles" and "execution".

It's not allowed in principle, but if you don't see it, then you don't need to follow the principle. A person with a sound mind wouldn't force a disciple guarding the mountain to make an exception.

Those who hold up cameras, start live streams, and insist on getting others to "do them a favor" in order to generate traffic are either stupid or malicious, both stupid and malicious.

Upon arriving at Wudang, Zhang Cuishan completely lowered his guard and couldn't wait to visit Zhang Sanfeng. Zhang Sanfeng had recently had some insights and was in seclusion in the back mountain to study his profound martial arts.

Li Zhaoting, Feng Suzhen, Cheng Huaixiu, and the others naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity and went to the back mountain together.

……

As soon as you step into the back mountain, the feeling that hits you is neither the terrifying pressure of a terrestrial deity nor the artistic conception of Tai Chi Yin and Yang, but the harmony of man and nature. Every corner of the back mountain reveals a carefree and joyful feeling.

Negative emotions such as depression, anger, sorrow, worry, murderous intent, greed, and jealousy are silently dispelled by the gentle, nurturing energy of spring.

Like a spring breeze caressing his face, like the warm sun shining down, and with the excitement of a traveler returning home and feeling apprehensive about getting closer to home, Zhang Cuishan was deeply moved and at a loss for what to do.

It was already the sixth day of the fourth lunar month, and the day after tomorrow was his 100th birthday. Zhang Sanfeng originally planned to come out of seclusion the day after tomorrow, but suddenly he felt several unusual auras coming from outside the door.

It possesses the purest and most refined sword intent, a boundless and righteous spirit, a pure and gentle heart, the unrestrained nature of a demonic sect's enchantress, and the direct lineage of Wudang...

How can it be?

Could it be that Cuishan has returned?

When Yu Daiyan's limbs were broken, Zhang Sanfeng, in a fit of rage, picked up his brush and wrote a piece that blended his thoughts and martial arts system with compassion. Afterwards, he never felt that way again, nor could he write the same calligraphy.

Zhang Cuishan comprehended the Heaven-Slaying Dragon-Slaying Skill from it, which is unique to Wudang and cannot be imitated by anyone else.

Ten years later, Zhang Sanfeng felt that familiar yet unfamiliar aura again. His mind was shaken. He waved and opened the door. When Zhang Cuishan saw his master, he knelt down with great emotion, tears streaming down his face. They looked at each other speechlessly.

"Master, I'm back!"

"It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!"

Zhang Sanfeng helped Zhang Cuishan up.

For Zhang Sanfeng, the Seven Heroes of Wudang were like his sons, and he was overjoyed to see them return home.

"These friends are..."

"Junior Li Zhaoting pays respects to Master Zhang."

"Junior Feng Suzhen pays respects to Master Zhang."

"Junior Cheng Huaixiu pays respects to Master Zhang."

The three of them stepped forward together to pay their respects.

Zhang Sanfeng glanced at it.

There was a familiar sword intent emanating from Li Zhaoting, clearly indicating that he was a descendant of an old friend. My old friend was really lucky to have found a disciple with extraordinary talent and innate sword skills.

Feng Suzhen possessed profound knowledge and a clear mind. She was a successor of Confucian swordsmanship and was also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Cheng Huaixiu's aura is the most obvious. His Cihang Sword Manual has a clear sword heart, ranking at least in the top five among the successors of Cihang Jingzhai, and even qualified to rank in the top three.

Li Zhaoting looked up at Zhang Sanfeng.

He wasn't the ethereal, slender figure of my imagination, but rather a rather adorable, chubby old man who was always smiling and had the air of a playful old man.

"Zhaoting, your master and I... had some history back then. Did your master teach you a few sword techniques?"

"My master taught me three sword techniques: the first is using bamboo and willow branches as swords, the second is sword energy, and the third is Drunken Sword. Drunken Sword is a secret technique passed down in our sect and cannot be used casually."

"The Eight Drunken Immortals or the Drunken Arhats?"

"Drunken Arhat!"

"Just as I thought, he still can't forget! This old man, after all these years, still remembers so clearly, hahahahahahaha..."

Zhang Sanfeng laughed so hard he almost fell over.

When martial arts reached Zhang Sanfeng's level, he could laugh, swear, and curse as he pleased. He could cry or laugh whenever he wanted, and he genuinely found it very interesting.

Li Zhaoting thought to himself, "My master hasn't forgotten, and neither have you. You two are really old frenemy friends!"
"Zhaoting, did your master ask you to challenge Bai Yujing to a sword duel? Isn't that your debut mission?"

"Uh...that's true!"

"Did your master send you to offer birthday wishes?"

"Master Zhang's eyes are as sharp as lightning."

"He's here to ask you for a red envelope. Fine, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you a big one!" Zhang Sanfeng's hands came together and apart, and a black and white Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram condensed between his palms. With a snap, he broke off a tree branch, which slowly transformed into a wooden sword.

Zhang Sanfeng compressed the Tai Chi diagram with both hands and slowly attached it to the sword's jaw, leaving a Tai Chi pattern. In an instant, the ordinary wooden sword became imbued with a chilling sword intent.

Zhang Sanfeng, holding a wooden sword, drew an arc in the air.

Starting stance, Three Rings Encircling the Moon, Great Star of Kui, Swallow Skimming Water, Left Blocking Sweep, Right Blocking Sweep...

The fifty-four forms of Tai Chi sword were performed one after another.

The moves flowed smoothly and continuously. As Li Zhaoting observed the sword techniques, inspiration struck in his mind, leading him into a state of complete concentration and self-forgetfulness, a moment of sudden enlightenment.

Feng Suzhen and Cheng Huaixiu exchanged a glance.

Cihang Jingzhai specializes in sword manuals and has very little need for martial arts manuals. Otherwise, with the charm of the "most beautiful woman in the world" throughout history, she would probably have collected 720 unique skills long ago, making her martial arts collection far superior to Shaolin and Wudang.

Feng Suzhen has just mastered two unique skills, the Holy King Sword Technique and the Sitting Meditation Mind Method. Trying to learn too much at once will only lead to failure. If she wants to learn the Tai Chi Sword Technique, she can consult Li Zhaoting.

The two women had many doubts.

While Zhang Sanfeng's Tai Chi sword is undoubtedly a pinnacle of swordsmanship, martial arts emphasize purity and refinement. Being greedy for martial arts techniques can lead to being a jack of all trades and master of none. Li Zhaoting's most proficient swordsmanship does not align with the Wudang martial arts.

With Zhang Sanfeng's level of expertise, how could he not see Li Zhaoting's true abilities? Why would he teach him Tai Chi Sword?

Li Zhaoting's moves are usually lightning fast, with horizontal and vertical slashes, and his sword flashes are like rain. He is a master of fast, domineering, and killing swords. Why did he enter a state of enlightenment after seeing the Tai Chi sword, and why did his energy become more and more ethereal?
Feng Suzhen did not understand what she meant.

Cheng Huaixiu couldn't understand it at all.

Only through the unspoken understanding between husband and wife, and the clear understanding of the sword heart in the Cihang Sword Manual, could they perceive that Li Zhaoting's sword intent was not chaotic, but rather like a towering tree that rose from the ground, its roots becoming increasingly solid, its trunk increasingly robust, its branches increasingly vibrant, its branches covered with vines, blooming flowers, and bearing fruit.

"Crack!"

Zhang Sanfeng planted the wooden sword in the ground.

"Such enlightenment is rare and hard to come by. Let's not disturb his sword comprehension. Let's find another place to talk. Cuishan, you've been away for so long, and you've even got a wife!"

“Master, I was bold to fail to inform you when I married. Please forgive me.”

"Cuishan, of the seven of you fellow disciples, you were the most dashing. How have you become more rigid and pedantic than a pedantic scholar? That girl and you went through life and death together on that deserted island for ten years. You have a deep bond with her. Are you going to inform this old geezer of your marriage before you go and get married? Let me see! You even have a child! You've got some speed!"

"Susu is a member of the Sky Eagle Cult..."

"So what if she's a demoness from the Demonic Sect?"
There are plenty of heroes who marry demonesses!

As long as the wife has good character, she is a good match. Even if she has bad character, can't we teach her?

Cuishan, one should not be too narrow-minded. Don't consider yourself a righteous hero and look down on everyone else.

The concepts of good and evil are inherently difficult to distinguish.

A righteous disciple with impure intentions is a wicked person.

Disciples of evil sects who repent and reform become heroes.

To take a recent example, take Guo Bujing, the God of Catchers. His wife is a demoness from the Demonic Sect. I was the matchmaker. Back then, I beat up the Demonic Sect leader twice because of this.

There's also Yu Luosha, the leader of the Demonic Sect. His wife comes from a respectable family. In order to marry her, he disguised himself as a traveling scholar and wrote hundreds of pretentious poems.

Unfortunately, medicine cannot cure a fatal disease, and even the unparalleled martial arts of the Ten Thousand Demons Unlimited could not prevent a pregnant woman from having a difficult childbirth…

Zhang Sanfeng sighed deeply.

These bizarre stories, which seem like fantastical tales to those in the martial arts world, were Zhang Sanfeng's daily life in his youth. Many of his grudges and affections have long been lost to the torrent of history, and of his old comrades, only two or three are still alive.

Everyone: (!!!-ω-)-ω-)-ω-)
Is this an enlightened immortal, a terrestrial deity?
This must be a "street eccentric," right?

“Master Zhang, I have heard that Murong Longcheng, the ancestor of the Murong family of Gusu, possessed unfathomable martial arts skills and once fought against the Emperor Taizu for the throne. Have you ever fought with him?”

"Murong Longcheng? We fought once. The 'Shifting Stars' technique is quite good at deflecting force, but its drawback is that it requires a strong foundation and the internal energy cultivation method is not compatible. I exchanged a few blows with him, and Murong Longcheng took the initiative to admit defeat."

Was he the original wielder of the Dragon-Slaying Saber?

"The Murong family's martial arts are mainly based on swordsmanship; they don't know any saber techniques at all. It's a pity that the Northern Overlord Spear technique created by Murong Chui has been lost!"

Which opponent impressed you the most?

"The Twelve Girls Band of the Western Regions Demonic Cult is extremely skilled in playing the zither and singing. Judging from the time, the current successor of the Twelve Girls Band should have already made his debut."

"She is now the fourth princess of the Demonic Sect."

"The four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting?"

"Playing instruments, singing, dancing, and being erudite!"

"The evil cult always likes to play tricks."

Since Zhang Cuishan had returned from overseas, Zhang Sanfeng was in high spirits and took the initiative to tell everyone about the stories of the martial arts world from decades ago, as well as many personal experiences that were not recorded in history. Everyone listened with great interest.

……

Li Zhaoting snapped out of his daze.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and all around was quiet except for the occasional chirping of crickets. Li Zhaoting shook his neck and felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and energy.

Tai Chi swordplay acts like lubricant, thoroughly smoothing out one's martial arts system, essence, blood, and internal strength foundation, making the cold, hard, stagnant, and dry parts smooth and rounded, and clearing away the fog of ignorance, confusion, and uncertainty.

A sudden enlightenment in martial arts, a breakthrough in realm, should logically cause one's blood and energy to surge forth, and one should be unable to help but let out a long roar, startling the birds on half a mountain, making everyone feel it.

Li Zhaoting didn't want to roar to the sky. His restless blood and qi instantly calmed down, and his arrogant aura dissipated. The blood qi, baleful qi, killing intent, and murderous aura surrounding his body completely vanished in the evening breeze with this sudden enlightenment.

Li Zhaoting reached out and grabbed the wooden sword that Zhang Sanfeng had stuck in the ground. The sword was engraved with the Tai Chi sword intent left by Zhang Sanfeng. It looked like rotten wood, but it was actually a divine weapon that could be used three more times.

It was both a gift of divine weapons and a test.

Li Zhaoting broke off a tree branch, rubbed it a few times, and shaped it into a scabbard. He then used his sword energy to hollow out the inside, put the wooden sword back into the scabbard, and completely subdued his Tai Chi sword intent.

An uninformed person seeing this wooden sword would think it's a children's toy and wouldn't give it a second glance.

"Snapped!"

Li Zhaoting carried the wooden sword on his back.

With a slight movement of the feet, it leaped into the air.

The protective aura condensed by the Void Step formed the shape of a flying sword beneath his feet, soaring down from the mountaintop. The mountain wind howled past, and the sound of the wind rustling in his ears.

A pot of starlight hangs at my waist.

The vast mountains and clouds are contained within my sleeve.

Drunk, I wandered through the green sky, completely forgetting myself.
The sword's gleam felled the exquisite moonlight.

Li Zhaoting was inspired to write poetry. He pointed his fingers like a sword and carved verses on the mountain wall, with two questions in his mind.

Where are the guest rooms?

Where will you sleep tonight?

(End of this chapter)