Film and Television World Life Record

What do eunuchs yearn for most? "Yang." So this martial art was named the Sunflower Manual. After a series of modifications, the martial art practiced by women became the martial art practiced by eunuchs.

This reminded Li Mu of the sword qi dispute within the Huashan Sect, which originated from the Sunflower Manual.

Two senior members of the Huashan School, Yue Su and Cai Zifeng, once visited the Shaolin Temple in Putian, Fujian. They spent their days discussing martial arts and Buddhism with Abbot Hongye, and got along very well. One day, they overheard Abbot Hongye talking about martial arts in the world, mentioning a particular martial art. He said that this martial art was exquisite and unparalleled, rarely seen in the world, and was written by a top master from the imperial palace of the previous dynasty. No one could master it.

The two were obsessed with martial arts, and the mere mention of such a skill made them eager to try it. During their conversation, they sensed that Zen Master Hongye seemed to have comprehended this skill, so they took note of it. Once, Hongye led the two to visit his meditation chamber. During the tour, Hongye had to leave briefly for some important business. The two were overcome by greed and couldn't resist peeking at the manual. Since time was limited, they had to secretly circulate their internal energy and force themselves to memorize it. Each of them memorized half of it in half an hour.

After bidding farewell to Zen Master Hongye, they hurriedly departed. They found a market, bought pen and ink, and meticulously copied down everything they had written. Upon returning to Mount Hua, the two men pieced together their notes to verify their understanding. The seeds of future trouble were sown at this time, as their records were completely incompatible. Each believed their own record was correct, and that the other had either misremembered or concealed information, leading to discord between them.

Subsequently, based on their respective understandings, the two split into the Qi and Sword factions, thus beginning the Qi and Sword factions.

Li Mu was somewhat puzzled by this. The Sunflower Manual must have been seen by more than one person and more than one sect before. Why didn't other sects split up or have any conflicts over sword energy, but the Huashan Sect split up just because of a martial arts manual that they only glanced at briefly? The chemical reaction it produced was too great.

Furthermore, the idea that two people could each memorize half of the Sunflower Manual in such a short time seems a bit exaggerated. Is it possible that the Sunflower Manual is more compatible with the martial arts of the Huashan School, making it easier to remember?

If the Sunflower Manual is indeed the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, then the answers to these two questions can be found.

Mount Hua inherited the Quanzhen School's Taoist tradition, and Quanzhen's martial arts were created by Wang Chongyang. Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying, as once close lovers, were extremely familiar with each other's martial arts.

After his love turned to hatred, all the martial arts he created for the Ancient Tomb Sect were secretly designed to counter the Quanzhen Sect.

Of course, it wouldn't be accurate to say she was restrained. Lin Chaoying always thought about living happily ever after with Wang Chongyang. When they were enemies, it was restraint, but when they were living happily ever after, they complemented each other.

For example, Yang Guo's Quanzhen swordplay and Xiaolongnu's Jade Maiden Heart Swordplay can be combined naturally without any coordination, which shows the deep connection between the martial arts of the Quanzhen and Ancient Tomb sects.

On the other hand, Mount Hua inherited part of the Quanzhen School's Taoist tradition, which naturally aligns with the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

This is one of the reasons why the two of them were able to memorize the Sunflower Manual so quickly.

In Li Mu's opinion, the so-called conflict between sword energy and martial arts was a natural fit between the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and the martial arts of Mount Hua, which then produced a chemical reaction and split into two different philosophies.

In a sense, the so-called Sword Qi Sect and the Sword Qi Sect are simply two factions: one that agrees with Wang Chongyang's martial arts philosophy, and the other that, under the influence of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, agrees with Lin Chaoying's martial arts philosophy.

The clash between sword qi can also be seen as a coincidence, a clash between Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying's martial arts philosophies.

……

With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Li Mu stayed in the ancient tomb for another day, memorizing all the words on the stone walls, before deciding to go back.

Before leaving, Li Mu arrived at the stone chamber containing the stone coffins and bowed deeply to the numerous coffins within: "Having borrowed the martial arts from the ancient tomb, you should also receive my bow. I wonder who will be the next to open this stone door, and how many years later!"

Chapter 527 The Nine Skills of Mount Hua, Zixia is First

After leaving the ancient tomb, Li Mu spent several more days moving many stones from the mountain and sinking them into the pool at the tomb's exit.

Li Mu stopped when the pile of stones was half-exposed above the water, letting the ancient tomb remain buried deep underground, undisturbed!

Upon returning to the town, Li Mu did not linger. He led his men directly back to Mount Hua, fearing that his return to Fujian would have to be postponed.

……

Two days later, in the secret chamber of Mount Hua, after listening to Li Mu's account, Yue Buqun, despite his exceptional composure, couldn't help but feel his fingers tremble as he looked at the stack of Xuan paper in his hand.

Looking down at the text above, "The Book of Changes: The Chapter on Strengthening Bones," my fingers trembled even more violently.

After flipping through a few pages, I looked at the "Soul Transfer Technique," then a few more pages of the "Nine Spiral Shadows," followed by the "Breath Holding Secret Technique," the "Solution Secret Technique," and the "Healing Chapter."

After quickly flipping through the stack of Xuan paper, Yue Buqun could no longer contain himself, his face flushed red with excitement.

After a long while, he took a deep breath. Decades of cultivating his inner strength had helped him recover his composure and gradually calm down.

"Were these all found in ancient tombs?"

Huashan, after all, inherited the entire town's Taoist tradition. Many of the sect's classics record a lot about the Quanzhen Sect, and the Ancient Tomb Sect is also mentioned. Li Mu had read a lot of records about this when he was browsing through the sect's books before, and Yue Buqun was naturally no stranger to it either.

Li Mu nodded: "Yes, I memorized the martial arts techniques inside, sealed the exit, and rushed back to the mountain."

Yue Buqun nodded, looked at the stack of Xuan paper again, and solemnly instructed, "This matter is of great importance. Don't tell anyone. If it gets out, Huashan will inevitably attract spying."

Li Mu replied earnestly, "Understood, Master."

Yue Buqun breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softened, and he picked up the Xuan paper in his hand.

"These six extraordinary skills and secret techniques are extremely profound, involving a large number of Taoist classics and concepts. They cannot be fully comprehended in a short period of time. In the future, you, your master, and your master's wife will study them together."

Li Mu replied happily, "Yes, Master."

Li Mu himself had this idea. Just look at what Mei Chaofeng did after she obtained the Nine Yin Divine Claw and mastered it. She was also Huang Yaoshi's disciple, and Huang Yaoshi was known for his extensive knowledge. It's not that Mei Chaofeng was uneducated, but she still managed to master it wrong.

After obtaining these six extraordinary martial arts manuals, Li Mu did not hesitate and immediately planned to hand them over to Yue Buqun.

Firstly, with these extraordinary skills and secret techniques, Yue Buqun's martial arts would advance even further. By then, the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique might no longer hold any appeal for him, and he would be less likely to pay such a huge price to cultivate it and stray onto the evil path.

With higher martial arts skills, the Huashan Sect can be revived openly and honestly, without having to resort to any more schemes and tricks, since those were just desperate measures when strength was insufficient.

On the other hand, Li Mu knew that it would be very difficult for him to fully understand these six extraordinary skills and secret techniques on his own. Not only would it take a lot of time, but he might also end up practicing them incorrectly.

Where is Yue Buqun?

He was already very learned and talented, with no doubt about his scholarship. He had a deep understanding of Taoism, and if he were to lead the way in comprehending it, it would be much faster than if Li Mu were to do so, and it would be less likely for him to go astray.

Yue Buqun gave a few more instructions, thinking that with these martial arts, especially the Yi Jing Bone Forging Chapter, his martial arts would surely reach a higher level, and even his wife Ning Zhongze's martial arts would reach a higher level. He still couldn't help but feel a little excited.

He glanced at Li Mu again, noting that these extraordinary martial arts manuals had all been brought by his disciple, and couldn't help but say, "Pingzhi, you have made a great contribution this time, which is of great significance to the entire Huashan Sect. You must reward us. Do you have any thoughts?"

Li Mu suddenly had an idea; this was a rare opportunity: "Master, anything is fine?"

Yue Buqun said, "As long as it doesn't violate the code of the martial world, and as long as I can do it!"

Li Mu's eyes lit up and he said, "This disciple lacks nothing. Now I just want to practice martial arts properly. I heard that once you reach the third level of the Embracing Yuan Skill, you will reach the threshold for cultivating the Purple Cloud Divine Skill."

"This disciple has now reached the third level of the Embracing Yuan Technique, could you...?"

Yue Buqun instantly understood his meaning and agreed without hesitation.

Although only the future leader of the Huashan Sect can cultivate the Zixia Divine Skill, the rules aren't unchangeable. Who says a few disciples in a generation can't cultivate it? If Linghu Chong's martial arts aren't up to par and he can't manage the overall situation, it's hard to say who will be the future leader of the Huashan Sect.

Furthermore, Li Mu's talent for cultivating internal energy is the best among the Huashan disciples, and he seems to be the most suitable to learn the Zixia Divine Skill. Now that he has made great contributions, it is just right to pass it on to him.

Li Mu was overjoyed. The Purple Cloud Manual was the top-tier mental cultivation technique in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, which he had long wanted to learn. He never expected to learn it so easily.

Handing over the extraordinary skills and secret techniques obtained from the ancient tomb is indeed a win-win situation.

……

Three days later, in the quiet room, Yue Buqun carefully took out a yellowed manual and said, "Of the Nine Skills of Mount Hua, Zixia is the first. Memorize it here first, and then I will explain it to you slowly. This internal skill is extremely difficult to cultivate, so you should be prepared."

"Yes, master."

As he spoke, Li Mu took the ancient book and looked up at it. Four large characters were written on it: "The Purple Cloud Manual." He dared not be negligent, immediately opening his learning card, turning to the first page, and reading: "Of all martial arts under heaven, cultivating inner energy is paramount. Righteous inner energy is originally bestowed by Heaven, but ordinary people do not know how to cultivate it, instead using their temper to suppress it. The dangers of martial artists lie in their violent, arrogant, cruel, and treacherous natures."

"Violence disturbs the spirit and disrupts the vital energy; arrogance alienates the true self and makes the vital energy superficial; cruelty leads to the loss of benevolence and the loss of vital energy; thievery results in a ruthless heart and a rapid, hurried breath. These four things are all knives and saws that cut off the vital energy... Abandon these four natures, return to gentleness and kindness, restrain your violence and cruelty, cultivate your righteous energy, sound the heavenly drum, drink the jade nectar, stir the celestial pool, knock on the golden beam, and put these practices into action; you will then achieve some success..."

Using the learning cards, Li Mu spent an entire day memorizing the entire martial arts manual, which contained tens of thousands of words.

As expected of one of the Nine Skills of Mount Hua, this internal skill is indeed profound and extensive. Li Mu could understand a little of the first few thousand words, but the further he went, the more obscure and difficult it became. By the end, he was completely lost and could not understand anything.

That evening, Yue Buqun came to the quiet room to retrieve the secret manual. He was very pleased to learn that Li Mu had already memorized it.

For the next period of time, Yue Buqun came every day to explain the Zixia Manual to Li Mu word by word, and Li Mu studied it very diligently.

Every day after Yue Buqun left, he would analyze and ponder the content of what he had said, sentence by sentence, and ask questions about anything he did not understand.

Yue Buqun was also very outspoken and spoke his mind freely.

After more than ten days, Li Mu finally gained a basic understanding of the Zixia Manual. If he wanted to make further progress, he could only gradually comprehend it through cultivation.

Now he could begin his formal cultivation. Having experienced so many worlds, Li Mu was already well-informed and had an incredibly solid foundation. He had also reached the third level of the Embracing Yuan Technique. The Embracing Yuan Technique was a legitimate branch of the Xuanmen school, emphasizing a strong foundation, and his internal energy foundation was also extremely solid.

The Purple Cloud Divine Skill is profound and mysterious, but the two skills are inherited from the same lineage. There is no risk of the skills being incompatible, the power being impure, or going into demonic possession when switching from the Embracing Yuan Skill to the Purple Cloud Divine Skill.

However, even so, not everyone who cultivates the Baoyuan Gong well can cultivate the Zixia Gong.

To be precise, the Baoyuan Gong is a universal martial arts technique, not greatly limited by natural talent. Anyone with a talent for martial arts can learn it, progressing steadily and surely, making it the most reliable method. The Zixia Manual, however, has extremely high requirements for temperament and aptitude. Those without exceptional talent will find it useless!

This is also why the more advanced the martial arts, the stricter the qualification requirements.

If an ordinary person were to obtain a peerless secret manual, their innate talent and comprehension would be far from meeting its demanding requirements. Without sufficient comprehension, they would struggle to grasp the essence of the manual.

If one's foundation is insufficient, forcing oneself to cultivate will only deplete one's potential and damage one's foundation.

Without extraordinary encounters, let alone reaching a high level, even getting started is difficult. It's actually better to have a martial art style suited to one's own aptitude. However, with great perseverance and wisdom, one's achievements can rival those of those with exceptionally high natural talent.

Of course, this applies when one's martial arts skills are shallow. When one's martial arts skills reach an extremely high level, the constraints of aptitude on a person are greatly reduced. Even if one's aptitude is ordinary, it is not an obstacle to cultivating profound techniques. At that time, it depends more on a person's character.

……

The Purple Cloud Divine Skill is a top-tier internal energy cultivation method in the martial arts world. In its initial stages, it is subtle and ethereal, like drifting clouds, yet it accumulates immense power with remarkable resilience, eventually becoming overwhelming and unstoppable. When practicing, the face is enveloped in a purple aura, as if purple clouds are rising from the east, radiant as the morning glow, hence the name Purple Cloud Divine Skill!

The method of practicing this skill is also quite particular. When first learning this skill, one must practice at sunrise, breathing in and out the purple mist between heaven and earth, and absorbing the essence of the rising sun.

He collected energy daily and practiced diligently without ceasing until he reached the fifth level. When he circulated his energy, a misty purple aura naturally arose, and there were no more strict rules for cultivation after that.

Speaking of which, the most suitable place to cultivate the Zixia Divine Skill is Chaoyang Peak of Mount Hua. Yue Buqun often practiced the Zixia Skill there. However, with Li Mu's current internal strength and lightness skill, it would be a bit difficult and too time-consuming for him to travel back and forth to Chaoyang Peak every day.

So he chose a blue stone nearby and got up every morning at the crack of dawn to sit on it, breathing and regulating his breath, trying to capture the purple mist and essence of the rising sun.

They practiced diligently every day without fail.

Hard work pays off. A month passed quickly. On this day, Li Mu sat cross-legged on the bluestone, facing east, breathing deeply. After more than half an hour, the sun finally showed a glimmer of hope. At this time, the sky was filled with rosy clouds and purple clouds came from the east.

Li Mu focused his mind on his dantian, slowly breathing in and out, his breath flowing gently and continuously, seemingly present yet absent, gradually returning to non-action, first preserving and then forgetting, knowing but not clinging to.

Slowly, the mantra of the Purple Cloud Divine Skill rose in his heart: "True intention flows without ceasing, knowledge is not guarded; intention becomes no intention, purpose becomes no intention; with a clear and calm mind, one can reach a state of no thought and no desire."

The purple aura on the horizon grew thicker and thicker. Li Mu entered the aura, the aura merged with his spirit, and his spirit and intention became one.