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Looking again at the staff-wielding figure, he was curled up in a very unsightly posture, looking helpless and vulnerable to attack. Linghu Chong's confidence grew even stronger. This move, Boundless Falling Leaves, was profound and mysterious; he had mastered it to a very high degree and was confident that it wouldn't be easily broken.

He immediately said to Li Mu, "Junior brother, let's try this move. I don't believe he can break my Huashan sword technique."

Li Mu looked at Linghu Chong with considerable sympathy, knowing that in his heart, the Huashan Sword Technique was almost the most powerful in the world, and it was hard to accept that it had been broken by someone else.

But there is no such thing as perfect martial arts in the world.

The two men posed and stood facing each other. Linghu Chong saw that Li Mu was curled up in a very unsightly posture, which was very similar to the one on the stone wall, making him feel a little amused.

But the next moment, he could no longer laugh, and a pang of sorrow gripped his heart. Looking at Li Mu's bronze staff, he felt more and more that the staff's placement was truly ingenious.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his restless thoughts, Linghu Chong shouted loudly, and his long sword conjured up countless sword shadows as he thrust towards Li Mu.

Li Mu pointed his bronze staff diagonally, and with a series of clashing sounds, every sword was blocked by the staff and pierced by it. At first glance, the staff seemed extremely clumsy, but the angle was extremely ingenious. It appeared weak, but in fact it was extremely strong!

It truly reached the pinnacle of "using stillness to control movement, and using clumsiness to control skill."

Linghu Chong dropped his longsword, feeling utterly desolate. He said sadly, "Junior brother, could it be that our Huashan swordsmanship has truly been broken?"

Li Mu countered, "Senior brother, if it had been Master wielding the sword just now, would he still have been able to break it?"

Linghu Chong was taken aback and said, "Master's martial arts are profound. If Master had used that technique just now, it would have been impossible to break it."

Li Mu laughed and said, "Could it be that Master is not using the Huashan Sword Technique? Then how can you say that the Huashan Sword Technique has been revealed?"

Linghu Chong was taken aback, feeling that his junior brother's words were very problematic, and retorted: "Junior brother's martial arts are not as good as Master's, so naturally he cannot break it."

Li Mu laughed and said, "Since we can't break through the defenses of those with higher martial arts skills, we can only break through the defenses of those with lower martial arts skills."

Linghu Chong opened his mouth, feeling that Li Mu was wrong, but he didn't know where to refute him.

Li Mu countered, "Senior Brother, what is the essence of our sect's martial arts?"

Linghu Chong glanced at Li Mu with surprise, wondering why he had asked such a question. He then said loudly, "Our school's martial arts take internal energy as its foundation and the sword as its application. Internal energy is the primary element, and the sword is secondary; internal energy is the framework, and the sword is the details. Without mastering internal energy, even the best swordsmanship is useless..."

Linghu Chong suddenly realized, "Ah, that's right. Our sect focuses on cultivating internal energy. If one's internal strength is more profound than his, one's moves will naturally be extremely powerful. How could he possibly break through them?"

Li Mu said, "As long as your internal strength is higher than his, you can overcome any technique with sheer force. No matter how varied or exquisite his moves are, you can break them completely. But that's only one aspect."

"Secondly, even if we don't have the advantage in internal strength, our Huashan swordsmanship is exquisite. He only counters deadly moves. These counter moves seem ingenious, but they are all tricks with many flaws. Are we going to deliberately use these moves to let him break through, instead of changing our moves midway and attacking his weaknesses?"

Linghu Chong was a master swordsman. He had panicked when he suddenly saw the Huashan sword technique broken. Now that Li Mu had explained it to him, he understood perfectly.

He felt a sense of relief and cupped his hands in greeting to Li Mu, saying with a smile, "Junior Brother understands better. These counter moves only break one sword technique at a time, and the swordsman cannot change his move midway, waiting for him to break it. Although our sword techniques are divided into individual moves, they can be combined and used together in combat."

“If I use the Phoenix Comes to Court, he will attack according to the counter-method; if I change my sword move halfway through and switch to the Pine Tree Welcoming Guests, he will switch back to the counter-method; if I switch to the Boundless Falling Leaves, before he can use the counter-method, I will have already pierced several transparent holes in him.”

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong's worries vanished, and his face lit up with joy.

Seeing Linghu Chong's animated expression, Li Mu couldn't help but laugh and say, "Senior Brother is right. The people of the Demonic Sect have unusual ideas. Even before they die, they want to leave behind a way to break the curse. It seems they are afraid that people will think they died because they were not skilled enough."

Linghu Chong sighed, "Yes! If they hadn't depicted these martial arts moves, but instead assisted the elder wielding the double axes in clearing the mountain, they might have had a chance to survive. Otherwise, how could they have ended up as this pile of bones?"

Li Mu said, "In that case, we won't be able to see the exquisite techniques that fill this cave."

Their gloom vanished instantly, and they each took torches and looked around the cave.

After his travels, Li Mu recently practiced the basic sword techniques of the Four Sacred Mountains, as well as seven or eight other popular sword techniques in the martial arts world, and his perspective has broadened considerably.

He not only knew a little about the sword techniques of the various sects of the Five Sacred Mountains, but also grasped some of their essence. He also had a good understanding of sword techniques from all over the world.

As he walked and looked around, he discovered many exquisite techniques inside the cave that he had never seen before. Knowing that these were the lost secret techniques of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, he was delighted.

Among the Five Sacred Mountains sword techniques, the Huashan sword technique combines orthodox and unorthodox methods, the Songshan sword technique is majestic and imposing, the Taishan sword technique is ancient and simple, the Hengshan sword technique is fantastical and ever-changing, and the Hengshan sword technique is rigorous and meticulous.

After more than half a year of honing his skills in various schools of swordsmanship, Li Mu had already developed a solid foundation and reached a high level of proficiency. Now, suddenly seeing so many exquisite moves from the Five Mountains Sword Schools, he was deeply moved and became completely absorbed in them. Time passed, and when the two of them met again after completing their rounds, it was nearly noon.

Li Mu suddenly snapped out of his reverie, slapped his forehead, and said to Linghu Chong, "Senior brother, this matter is of utmost importance and must not be revealed. We should hurry and invite Master up here!"

Linghu Chong also snapped out of his reverie while looking at the stone carving and nodded in deep agreement.

“Junior brother is right. We should report to Master quickly. We hope Master won’t be angry when he sees those insults on the stone walls.”

Li Mu laughed and said, "Don't worry, senior brother. Master is very good at maintaining his composure. He wouldn't get angry over such a small matter."

Chapter 540 A Gentleman Aren't Mighty

Without delay, one of them stayed behind while the other went down to report.

Yue Buqun arrived quickly, and within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had already entered the cave at Siguo Cliff. Looking at the densely packed Five Mountains Sword Techniques on the stone wall, he was filled with emotion. Li Mu had a fortuitous encounter near the ruins of the Quanzhen Sect, and Chong'er had casually revealed such a secret place with a single sword strike.

Could it be that our ancestors have manifested their power to protect Mount Hua? The revival of Mount Hua is just around the corner.

Yue Buqun was instantly invigorated, and the gloom that had been lingering over the past few days vanished.

He looked around and saw the words on the stone wall: "The Five Mountains Sword Sect is shameless and despicable, unable to win in martial arts competitions, and resorts to underhanded tactics to harm people." He didn't take it seriously.

He was no longer a hot-blooded youth. After experiencing so many ups and downs over the years, he had seen all sorts of conspiracies, tricks, and treacherous acts in the martial arts world.

Looking at the withered bones of those demonic sect elders shimmering in the torchlight, I couldn't help but sigh. This is the fate of the defeated. They were once the ten elders of the demonic sect, renowned and highly skilled in martial arts, all outstanding figures of their time, yet they were trapped and died in a mountain cave. Alas... the victor is king and the loser is villain. Who can truly distinguish right from wrong?

At that moment, Yue Buqun put aside his thoughts and walked to the stone wall engraved with the Huashan Sword Technique. He saw that the wall was covered with dense patterns, with simple lines that only roughly outlined the appearance of people performing martial arts moves. The specific moves still needed to be identified one by one.

But each image is vigorous and powerful, with a depth exceeding an inch.

Yue Buqun observed carefully and found that it was indeed the authentic swordsmanship of Mount Hua, with very few mistakes. Many of the moves were ones that even he had never seen before, probably sword techniques that Mount Hua had lost.

He was secretly puzzled. How could someone from the Demonic Sect know so much about my Mount Hua Sword Technique, as if they had practiced it themselves?

Could it be...? Yue Buqun recalled the records in the handwritten notes of his elders that from the time the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Demonic Sect agreed to a sword duel, to the start of the sword duel at Jade Maiden Peak, many skilled members of the Five Mountains Sword Sect suddenly disappeared in the intervening years.

Were these people all captured by the Demonic Sect, tortured and interrogated, or forced into battle, in order to probe the profound mysteries of the Five Mountains Sword Technique? After succeeding, did they gather the sect's experts to study a solution, and then have the ten elders learn it one by one?

Otherwise, why would they be so proficient in my Five Mountains Sword Technique? If it were said that they could learn almost all the martial arts moves of a sect after just one sword fight with few mistakes, Yue Buqun would not believe it.

Moreover, after a sword fight, he not only learned the sword techniques of an entire sect, but also devised ways to counter every single move. This is simply unbelievable.

If the ten elders of the Demonic Sect truly possessed such talent and innate abilities, they would have long since become top masters in the martial arts world, and the Demonic Sect would have effortlessly unified the martial arts world. They would not have ended up in such a state.

With that thought in mind, he stopped worrying and focused his attention on the swordplay before him. He carefully examined the diagrams and pondered the martial arts moves within.

At first glance at those counter-moves, his heart skipped a beat. After pondering for a moment, he smiled knowingly and didn't care at all.

These methods, which specifically target rigid techniques for breaking down individual moves, are useful for those with shallow skills and poor swordsmanship.

If you encounter a master, you might achieve some success by taking them by surprise, but that's about it. In a battle between masters, adaptability is key. If you see that your opponent has a move that counters yours the moment you make a move, you will immediately change your strategy. Why would you foolishly rush in head-on?

Moreover, for a master, a sword technique, once mastered to a high level, allows for seamless and continuous transitions between moves. In contrast, these counter-techniques, applied mechanically and without any coherence, not only leave numerous openings but also make it difficult to keep up with the opponent's moves, leaving the user always a step behind. This not only prevents victory but also puts the user in danger.

If used in a friendly sparring match, it might be acceptable to use it unexpectedly, but if you intend to use it against an enemy in a real fight, it would truly make you a laughingstock.

It seems that although the ten elders of the Demonic Sect are experts, their level of understanding is not necessarily high, otherwise they would not be unaware of these principles.

They left behind these methods of breaking the spells, which might frighten the younger disciples if they saw them. If martial arts masters saw them, they might find the methods of breaking the spells novel, but they would look down on these elders of the demonic sect who claimed to have broken all the sword techniques of a sect.

There's no other reason than that anyone who has such thoughts has clearly not yet reached the highest level of martial arts.

Upon realizing this, Yue Buqun's worries vanished. He immediately cleared his mind of distractions and focused on studying the moves on the stone wall, gradually becoming immersed in them.

……

The next day, Ning Zhongze, the teacher's wife, also came to the Cliff of Contemplation.

From that day on, the four of them stayed together in the secret cave of the Cliff of Contemplation to watch the Five Mountains Sword Technique being practiced. However, although Yue Buqun and his wife valued these stone carvings, they only stayed at the Cliff of Contemplation for three months. Afterward, they made rubbings of all the sword moves on the stone wall, told the two of them to practice hard, and then never came back.

Clearly, the Yi Jing Bone Forging Chapter is more important than these Five Mountains Sword Sect stone carvings.

The couple was already quite old, and compared to external techniques, internal strength was more important to them. After practicing the Yi Jing Bone Forging Chapter, they had already felt changes in their physical constitution and improvements in their internal energy. Internal strength is the foundation of a person's martial arts.

As for the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings, they spent three months studying them, learning what they needed to learn and seeing what they needed to see. It certainly broadened their horizons, and they learned many lost martial arts techniques, as well as some ingenious methods to counter these techniques, which greatly increased their combat power.

Further research could yield some additional benefits, but compared to the changes in the calcaneus and the increase in internal strength, it would be insignificant.

Li Mu originally thought that after Yue Buqun and his wife went down the Cliff of Contemplation, they would send other disciples up to study sword techniques and increase the Huashan Sect's combat strength.

Unexpectedly, not only did no one come up, but the two were also instructed to keep the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings a secret and strictly forbid any disciples other than the two of them from going up the Cliff of Contemplation.

In Yue Buqun's words, among the disciples of Mount Hua, only he and Linghu Chong had truly mastered the Mount Hua sword technique and glimpsed the realm of superior swordsmanship. They needed to broaden their knowledge and horizons, and it was just the right time for them to view these Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings.

The remaining disciples of the Huashan Sect haven't even mastered the sect's swordsmanship. Some haven't even grasped the basics; they haven't even learned to walk, let alone run.

Unless the Huashan Sect faces a major crisis and urgently needs to improve its combat strength, other disciples will not be qualified to view the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings for the next seven or eight years.

Otherwise, if you get distracted, you won't even be able to master the Huashan School's sword techniques properly, which will do more harm than good.

Thus, only Li Mu and Linghu Chong remained in the cave at Siguo Cliff.

With the Five Sacred Mountains Swordplay as a foundation, Li Mu had a good understanding of the essence of the swordplay of each school in the Five Sacred Mountains. In addition, he had traveled outside and had many sparring experiences, so he was already familiar with many swordplay techniques.

Upon seeing these exquisite moves, he felt like a fish in water, learning them with ease. Things he didn't quite understand before gradually became clear, and his swordsmanship improved remarkably. He felt that his trip down the mountain was indeed worthwhile.

Several more months passed, and Li Mu had learned all 581 moves of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Technique in the secret cave. However, he still came here every day to study and practice them without interruption.

They lived a life of going between Huashan Main School, Chaoyang Peak, and Siguo Cliff, a life that consisted of only three points.

During this time, the cave at Siguo Cliff has also changed its appearance. The skeletons and weapons inside have long been cleaned up, and more than a dozen giant tallow candles have been placed in the middle of the cave. The entrance to the cave has also been cleverly concealed.

Under the blazing firelight, a green figure could be seen darting back and forth, twisting and turning. The long sword in its hand seemed to be a serpentine snake, flashing with cold light. A circle of silver light swirled around its body, and the sound of sword energy cutting through the air was deafening.

Li Mu wielded his sword without pause. At times, the sword in his hand was unpredictable and ever-changing; at other times, it was a perfect blend of strength and gentleness, balanced and peaceful; at still other times, it was sharp and ruthless, swift as the wind; at other times, it was continuous and intricate, clear and transparent...

The sword techniques he used were ever-changing, sometimes Yangwu, sometimes Xiyi, sometimes Hengshan Wanhua Sword Technique, sometimes Taishan Wudafu Sword...

He unleashed the sword techniques of all the sects and schools of the Five Sacred Mountains, seemingly endless, with no two moves alike.

Finally, Li Mu let out a clear shout, and the long sword in his hand seemed to transform into a cloud of mist, drifting and ethereal, moving without fixed pattern, going without direction, penetrating everywhere, unfathomable, and extremely strange and unpredictable. It was the Heavenly Pillar Cloud Mist move from the Five Divine Swords of Hengshan.