Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 515 Immortal Sword, Heavenly Sword, Demon Sword, Demon Blade
Xiao Qiushui looked at the three of them with a face full of regret.

I know you're here to give away treasures, but is the way you're giving them away really that bizarre?

The Three Talents Swordsman didn't even bother to glance at Xiao Qiushui's complaints. He shoved the manual into Xiao Qiushui's hands and ran away faster than Cao Mengde, as if he had thrown off a burden.

It all boils down to those four words: everyone has their own ambitions.

The three swordsmen were obsessed with music and disdained martial arts secrets. In addition, the entry requirements for the "Book of Forgetfulness" were too high, so the three of them could never master it, even in their wildest dreams.

Ordinary people who acquire extraordinary martial arts skills will study them day and night without rest. Even the two island masters, Long and Mu, were imprisoned for more than forty years by the stone carvings of the wandering knight.

The martial arts practitioners on Xia Ke Island devoted their lives to this, perfectly illustrating the last line of the poem:

—The Great Mystery Classic of White Hair!

The Three Swordsmen are artists, and artists' thought processes are often very different from ordinary people. They were originally there to pray for the souls of the Xiao family's dead, but they accidentally obtained the secret manual.

After obtaining the secret manual, he subconsciously used music to activate the mental techniques and incantations, but no matter what he did, he could not comprehend them.

Not only were they unable to grasp the secrets of the art, but this also led to numerous conflicts among the three, and the carefree joy of harmonious music and music was gone, as they realized they had fallen into a trance.

Forcing oneself to comprehend something is harmful and offers no benefit.

But the secret manual is a gift from heaven and should not be discarded.

The three of them made up their minds to find a young swordsman with extraordinary talent, kindness, and chivalry, and to pass on the Book of Forgetfulness to him. Afterward, they would live in seclusion in the mountains, detached from worldly affairs.

We will not take advantage of your kindness, and you don't need to thank us. From now on, we will never see each other again. Let us forget each other in the vast world, go our separate ways, and wish each other well.

Xiao Qiushui just happens to meet this requirement.

Amid Xiao Qiushui's bewildered expression, the Three Talents Swordsmen fled like the wind. Xiao Qiushui scratched the back of his head, looked at the manual, and thought to himself, "What the hell is this?"
Xiao Qiushui originally wanted to find Xiao Feng and Li Zhaoting to study the Forgetfulness Heavenly Book together, but after reading the opening mental cultivation method, he shrugged helplessly. This thing was not a proper mental cultivation method.

This method can only be practiced by one person. The practitioner must be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and music theory, and possess both deep emotions and a high level of martial arts talent. Xiao Feng meets the latter requirements, while the first two are indeed quite difficult.

Li Zhaoting might meet the requirements, but given his philandering and dissolute nature, he wouldn't be able to completely detach himself from worldly affairs.

The Book of Forgetfulness prioritizes affection above all else.

Only after experiencing love can one forget it.

Only after forgetting emotions can one attain profound emotions.

After reaching a high level of emotion, one integrates one's own will and life into the natural world, into every living thing, every stone, and every piece of wood, using the power of the universe to destroy the opponent.

It has fifteen postures and fifteen methods. Even a stone, an object, a piece of cedar, or a tile can fully exert its power.

It can create moves to the music, and its sword techniques are endless, always creating the future.

When using the Forgetful Sword Technique, there is only one person and one sword in the world. Thousands of mountains and rivers, all kinds of living beings are his sword. He can control all things in the world at will.

It sounds very mysterious, but in essence, it is about seizing the "right time and right place" among the three ways to win.

There are three ways to win: favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships.

The contest among martial artists boils down to: seizing the opportune moment, gaining the advantage of location, and having the support of the people.

The Book of Oblivion specializes in—favorable timing and location!
"Harmony with others" requires the martial artist to cultivate it later in life. It depends on external factors rather than oneself. If one can perfectly control the timing and location of events, one will be the pinnacle of the world.

Mastering the Book of Forgetfulness allows one to enter a state of oneness with nature anytime, anywhere; everything within sight and sound, above and below ground, becomes one's domain.

For example, if a martial artist lives in seclusion in a blessed land for a long time, over time, that blessed land will be influenced and permeated by the martial artist's true martial arts intent.

Fighting within a blessed land can increase a martial artist's combat power by 20-30% out of nowhere; this is the advantage of terrain.

Or perhaps, Chu Liuxiang fights in the water, Wuqing fights in the machine room, Lengxue fights in the jungle, Tieshou has his back to the lights of thousands of homes, and Jackie Chan is in the furniture store.

However, the Book of Oblivion allows martial artists to adapt to all geographical environments. The seaside, mountains, and deserts are all their domains. Even in the cave dwellings of grandmasters who have been in seclusion for decades, they can still seize the advantage of the terrain.

It is even more terrifying in terms of "timing".

It can be simply summarized in ten words:
A smile brings eternal spring, a tear brings eternal sorrow!

In the original story, Xiao Qiushui had mastered martial arts. Even before he arrived, the wind and clouds changed color. A sob and three long howls caused thunder to rumble and rain to pour down.

With the timing in my hands and the terrain in my possession, who under heaven can withstand two or three of my moves?

Can the Book of Oblivion be invincible?
The answer is: No!

Not only are they not invincible, but they are actually vulnerable to enemies.

If one day, there is a person who is himself a high mountain or a vast ocean, or the most respected person, or the parent of the living, or the sage of the sun and moon, then the Forgetful Sword Technique will inevitably be constrained in every way when facing such a person who is completely integrated into the mountains, rivers, grass and trees.

Furthermore, even after mastering the Book of Oblivion and becoming a demigod, Xiao Qiushui still couldn't escape the clutches of Old Madam Tang and was forced to endure a seven-year ordeal.

In the words of Old Lady Tang: Xiao Qiushui, although you possess the ability of seventy-two transformations, extraordinary courage, a spirit of helping others, and merits for all eternity, you absolutely cannot leave the Tang Clan dungeon alive. I will give my old life to accompany you in death, unless the heavens crack, the earth collapses, the Tang Clan is destroyed, the seventy-two disciples of the Sage reappear, and someone is willing to risk their life for your resurrection, only then can you break through the wall and escape...

Another point is that Guan Qi, who has insight into the past and future, once spoiled the plot for the young Wuqing when he met him, saying that Wuqing was deceived and built a trap room to imprison a great hero who was unparalleled in history. Based on this, it can be inferred that the trap diagram of the Tang Clan dungeon may have come from Wuqing.

Xiao Qiushui received a fortuitous encounter, and Li Zhaoting also received a fortuitous encounter. To be precise, it wasn't a fortuitous encounter, but rather a normal master-disciple transmission of knowledge and skills.

Yi Jifeng looked at the distant mountains and chuckled: "Haven't you always wanted to know what kind of sword energy I used to shatter the mountain peaks back then? Now that you have mastered the swordsmanship and your foundation is unfathomable, you can learn this sword technique."

Li Zhaoting said, "Please give me some guidance, Master."

Yi Jifeng laughed and said, "This is called Sword Qi Soaring, or Flying Immortal Sword Qi. When the sword qi leaves the body, it can kill a person at a hundred paces and take a life at a thousand feet. It can take the head of a general in a million-strong army."

"Is this a unique skill you created yourself?"

"My brain is damaged. Creating my own martial arts techniques will greatly damage my energy and spirit, and I will inevitably relapse into my old illness. This is a unique technique left by my uncle, created specifically for geniuses. It is extremely difficult to learn. For sects, it is more useless than a chicken rib, but for geniuses, it is like adding wings to a tiger!"

"The Immortal Sword, the Heavenly Sword, Master, besides these two sword paths, is there also—the Demonic Sword?"

"Of course there is. Yan Shisan is one of them. I met him fifteen years ago and wanted to take him as my disciple. But I didn't expect his demonic nature to be several times stronger than Yu Luosha's. Other genius swordsmen are born with sword bones, but Yan Shisan's innate talent is called Demonic Sword Bone, which is a born world-destroying demonic sword."

"Sword bones are also graded?"

"Originally, there was no distinction, but my grandfather Yi Yun was confined to a wheelchair for decades. When he had nothing to do, he summarized various sword skills and qualifications. This kind of classification is only passed down by the Famous Sword Manor, and most people in the martial arts world would not recognize it."

What is the strongest sword bone?

"Don't worry, it's definitely not you. According to Yi Yun's ranking of aptitudes, the strongest is the Dragon Vein Sword Bone, born with the aura of an emperor. Wielding the Emperor's Sword, he can combine the sword energy of hundreds of millions of people. Under heaven, who can stop him?"

Did such a person exist in history?

"No, it's all the old man's imagination. He just randomly put emperors from different dynasties into the stories."

"Please continue with Yan Shisan."

"Yan Shisan summarized the Thirteen Deadly Swords. I could tell he was a demonic swordsman, but geniuses are hard to find. I couldn't help but give him a few pointers, telling him that the Thirteen Swords are the foundation, the Fourteen Swords are the bud, and the Fifteen Swords are the fruit. Only by comprehending the Fifteen Deadly Swords can one reach the limit of the demonic swordsmanship."

"Does it have the Sixteen Deadly Swords?"

"No! Fifteen swords is the limit. The Demon Sword is the most decisive sword technique. It is decisive towards others and equally decisive towards oneself. Once the Fifteen Deadly Swords are unleashed, it not only severs the life of the enemy, but also one's own."

Yi Jifeng sighed, "The demonic sword is too ruthless, and so is the demonic blade. It can destroy the heavens and the earth, lead to the deepest hell, cause demonic possession, lead to heresy, and kill gods and immortals."

"What if the demonic blade and demonic sword were to merge?"

"No place to bury the dead!"

"Master, where is the Demon Blade?"

"As I just said, Avici Hell!"

"Could you say something I can understand?"

"The Three Blades of Avici Hell! The most demonic of all blades, each strike is followed by a thousand fierce blade techniques, inflicting excruciating pain on the enemy, as if they were falling into the Avici Hell!"
Of course, Avici Hell is for both sides.

Those who try to lead others into Avici Hell will first fall into Avici Hell themselves. All practitioners will inevitably go astray, their demonic thoughts will run rampant, and they will wantonly slaughter others and be brutally killed.

I heard Zhang Lata say that if someone can break through the demonic barrier of the Three Blades of Avici Hell, transform the demon into a Buddha, and make everything turn at will, turning the demonic heart into their own, they can unleash several times the power at any time and place, and their swordsmanship will lead them straight to the pinnacle.

Buddhist sects have conducted experiments and apparently concocted some kind of Buddha-exorcising pill. This pill suppresses demonic nature, and when combined with the Vajra Zen Lion's Roar, morning bells and evening drums, chanting sutras and reciting Buddha's name, the demonic nature within the body can be eradicated after eighty-one days.

The specific effects are currently unknown.

Why are you asking this?
Do you want to learn swordsmanship?
No need!
You have absolutely no talent for swordsmanship.

The title of the best swordsman was originally contested between Long Chengbi and Shen Yumen, but now it seems that the true champion should be Li Xunhuan, whose flying daggers never miss their mark.

A throwing knife is still a knife.

The Six Doors (a government agency) loves to pull off fancy tricks.

They've come up with all those fancy rankings. What exactly is a champion?

Can the leader be ranked alongside others?
Is it possible to share the top scholar title in the imperial examination?

Wen has no first, Wu has no second.

The purpose of creating a bunch of boxing champions, poison champions, and hidden weapon champions is to stir up trouble and make them fight each other.

Guo Bujing, that little bastard.

"You're a sly devil!"

Yi Jifeng complained with considerable dissatisfaction.

Li Zhaoting chuckled twice.

Listing these rankings is just a way to incite conflict.

Fame and fortune are the two most difficult things to deal with.

How many people in the underworld can truly see through the allure of fame and fortune?
The Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends List is the most straightforward representation of fame and fortune.

Once you make it onto the list, you can establish your own sect, occupy blessed lands, seize profits and resources, and even join the imperial court to obtain official positions and titles.

This is an open strategy, a basic requirement of the underworld.

Having a publicly available ranking list to compete for eliminates a lot of unnecessary trouble. While it may seem like it's stirring up conflict, it actually reduces it and keeps it firmly under control.

After learning the truth from Yi Jifeng, Li Zhaoting stopped paying attention to the Azure Dragon Society and the Tang Clan and focused on learning the Flying Immortal Sword Qi. Compared to the bloody battles he usually went out to train, this trip to Dali could be described as a vacation. It was relaxing, pleasant, and uneventful.

At least for Li Zhaoting, this trip was just a vacation, and the trouble caused by Li Chenzhou, Tang Shiwu, and the Qinglong Society was nothing more than a minor disturbance.

It is far less important than "Flying Immortal Sword Qi".

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, Li Zhaoting was pestering his master, trying to steal Yi Jifeng's money for his funeral, when Jiang Yuyan brought news—an internal strife had broken out in the Tang Clan.

Old Mrs. Tang made a ruthless move, slaughtering all of Tang Shiwu's top fighters. It wasn't an attempt to persuade them to surrender; it was a clean and decisive killing. Corpses littered the field, and blood flowed like a river.

Tang Shiwu's three protectors, Tang Ren, Tang Bu'a, and Tang Bingbing, joined forces to fight against Old Madam Tang.

Grandma Tang, in a fit of youthful exuberance, cleaved Tang Ren's head in two with a single stroke of her Ink-Splashing Divine Axe, and then pierced Tang Bu'a's throat with another stroke of her Blank-Leaving Divine Arrow.

Tang Bingbing dared not confront Old Madam Tang and fled swiftly under the cover of Tang Ren and Tang Bu'a. All of her Golden Rank Assassins were killed, including Tang Diansan, Tang Daosi, Tang Shuangfeng, Tang Dongxie, Tang Xidu, and other masters. None of them survived; they all perished at the hands of the Ink-Splashing Divine Axe.

Tang Pili, the leader of the Southern Branch, along with his four subordinates, Ghost Fire, Poison Fire, Evil Fire, and Nameless Fire, were shot into pincushions by Old Madam Tang and then blown to pieces.

When Tang Bu Shuai, the leader of the West Branch, and Tang Man, the leader of the East Branch, tried to escape, they were surrounded by the "Five Heroes of the Tang Clan." Poisonous and hidden weapons filled the sky and blasted the two into pieces of minced meat.

The most arrogant leader of the Northern Branch, Emperor Tang Ming, led his trusted confidants, including Prime Minister Zigu and Bloodthirsty Marquis Ruthless, and gathered all his experts to fight a decisive battle against Old Madam Tang.

They all died in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

This purge was so brutal that, in the end, "Elder Wang," one of the nine elders of the Tang Clan, took the initiative to negotiate with Old Madam Tang, begging for a way out.

Once Old Madam Tang's bloodlust was aroused, how could she easily back down? The two engaged in a fierce battle. Old Madam Tang unleashed three deadly moves simultaneously, her hidden weapon domain obscuring the sky. Elder Wang charged left and right, but could he find even the slightest way out?
A flash of cold light, and Elder Wang's corpse fell to the ground.

With this, the lineage of Tang Shiwu was completely severed.

Only the five elders and the Poison King, who nominally remain neutral but are actually closer to Tang Shiwu, remain.

Old Mrs. Tang did not kill them.

These people are opportunistic and fickle. They used to befriend Tang Shiwu because he was arrogant and domineering, and even tried to bring the world under Tang's control. Now that Tang Shiwu's family business has failed and he is like a stray dog, who would care about him?

Furthermore, these people are skilled professionals; we cannot kill them indiscriminately, otherwise it would be a losing proposition.

The five elders are specifically responsible for guarding the treasure vault.

They are: Tang Rulai, Tang Shang, Tang Chong, Tang Dishou, and Tang Fu, with Tang Rulai as the most respected.

Tang Rulai was the reincarnation of Pixiu, extremely greedy for money. He disliked spending money and enjoying pleasure; he simply loved money and liked to sleep with gold and silver jewels in his arms. With him guarding the treasure vault, Fan Liangji dared not approach.

The Poison King was in charge of researching poison techniques. He had four assistants: Tang Chong, Tang Zhuo, Tang Mei, and Tang Lan. Ninety percent of the Tang Clan's poison formulas were memorized by the Poison King.

If the Poison King is killed, who will be responsible for researching poisons?
Furthermore, among Tang Shiwu's lineage, only Tang Bingbing managed to escape by chance. Even if they were given ten years, they would not be able to make a comeback. Why go to such extremes?

The key is to strike a balance between tension and relaxation.

Old Madam Tang made no attempt to conceal anything, revealing all the information and allowing the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion spies to record it. Her ruthlessness, viciousness, and skill with hidden weapons were truly befitting of the Tang Clan Head and the master of hidden weapons. The three deadly moves were so brilliant that words could not describe them.

To see mountains as mountains and water as water is to return to simplicity and authenticity.

The so-called "freehand ink splashing" is actually the flying axe technique, also known as "ink splashing divine axe," which can create a black and shiny area, making the area covered look like a painting, covered with pitch-black ink.

The so-called "leaving blank space poem" is actually a hidden arrow technique, also known as the "leaving blank space divine arrow". Two arrows, as fast as lightning, are released from the hand, just like the blank space in a poem, giving the enemy endless reverie.

The so-called "mountains and rivers in disarray" is actually a hidden world within a sleeve, covering a vast area, capable of receiving and sending hidden weapons, with a radius of several tens of feet resembling a painting scroll, allowing for free embellishment by the brush.

This battle allowed people in the martial arts world to rediscover this seemingly unassuming old lady who had held the position of head of the Tang Clan for decades, making them realize that the Eight Heroes of the Martial Arts World were all exceptional figures, with no mere imposters.

Old Madam Tang took the initiative to reveal information, and Tianji Pavilion reciprocated by recording the whole story of the Tang Clan's internal strife in a huge section of the Jianghu Monthly, highlighting Old Madam Tang's decisiveness, exquisite skills, and outstanding vision.

With the help of Dali and the Power Gang, Tang Shiwu's lineage, which had once rivaled Old Madam Tang, was swept into the dustbin of history, leaving only Tang Shiwu to wallow in self-pity.

After purging Tang Shiwu's confidants and subordinates, Old Madam Tang convened a grand meeting of the Tang Clan. In front of dozens of branch heads of the Tang Clan, she expelled Tang Shiwu and his siblings from the family genealogy. Even if Tang Shiwu assassinated the king and committed heinous crimes that would lead to the extermination of his entire clan, it would not implicate the Tang Clan.

Of course, whether or not to exterminate nine generations of a family depends entirely on what the investigators say. They might say it's a ruse, a ploy to eliminate dissidents but actually harboring malicious intentions, and that such a family should be exterminated. What can Old Madam Tang do?
Do your best and leave the rest to fate, that's all.

Tang Shiwu's thoughts are unimportant!

Who cares what a stray dog ​​thinks?
Even Tang Shiwu himself didn't care!
All he wants now is to survive.

Struggling to survive!
Only by living can you seek revenge on your enemies!

Old Mrs. Tang, I'll kill you sooner or later!

……

With the internal strife within the Tang Clan over, only one thing remained for this trip to Dali: a visit to Qin Family Village.

Ask Old Chief Qin what that demon among demons looks like? Tall or short, fat or thin, handsome or ugly, it has to have some kind of appearance, otherwise it just feels a bit awkward!
Qinjiazhai is not far from Dali.

If the distance is far, how does Duan Zhengchun pick up girls?
The martial arts passed down in Qin Family Village are swordsmanship, originating from the same source as the Five Tigers' Gate-Severing Saber. Men use nine-ring broadswords, while women use willow-leaf long sabers. Duan Zhengchun once famously said:

—To die under the Asura's blade is to die a romantic death, even as a ghost!

During the transmission process, five sword techniques were lost. These techniques are: White Tiger Leaps over the ravine, Roaring wind, Scissors and pounce freely, Dominating the mountains, and Subduing the elephant and defeating the lion!
Li Zhaoting specially brought Wang Yuyan to visit.

Ask Wang Yuyan to help supplement the sword manual.

Duan Yu wanted to go with them, but considering his relationship with Mu Wanqing, he could only reluctantly refuse. Li Xunhuan, under the guise of an envoy, went to visit her with gifts.

Qin Family Village has two chiefs, a chief and a deputy chief.

The head of the family is named Qin Hao. According to seniority, he is Duan Zhengchun's father-in-law and Mu Wanqing's maternal grandfather.

The second chieftain was Qin Hao's brother. The Qin family village was illiterate and too lazy to name their children, so they simply used the order of seniority (伯仲叔季) and the second brother was named "Qin Zhong".

After Duan Zhengchun ascended the throne, Qin Hongmian entered the palace as a concubine. Mu Wanqing and Duan Yu had a somewhat ambiguous relationship. Fearing gossip, she lived in Qin Family Village and lived a relatively happy life.

Upon hearing of the arrival of the Song Dynasty envoy, Qin Hao personally led the able-bodied men of Qin Family Village to greet him fifteen li outside the village.

Firstly, to show that they valued it, and secondly, to plead poverty to Li Zhaoting, hoping that Li Zhaoting would whisper in his ear and ask the Sichuan salt guild to give some salt to Qin Family Village when they transported it.

To be able to give birth to such a charming and beautiful woman as Qin Hongmian, Qin Hao must be quite handsome, a real old man.

Upon seeing the delegation arrive, Li Xunhuan stepped forward and exchanged pleasantries with them. After a few polite words, Li Xunhuan presented gifts, and the group headed to Qin Family Village.

Along the way, many slaves were seen carrying stones.

These slaves came from other tribes. In such primitive places as Miao territory, people have always been cruel and bloody.

Being spared is considered lucky.

The one who commands these slaves is Azi.

When the Five Poisons Sect was in turmoil, Azi fled and ran all the way to Qin Family Village. With her sweet words, she gained Qin Hao's trust and obtained the position of supervisor.

(End of this chapter)