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At this moment, Linghu Chong also came in, greeted Li Mu, and then found a stone wall to begin studying sword techniques.

Linghu Chong has made remarkable progress in the past six months. Even after his breakthrough in internal energy, he is still defeated by his junior brother Li Mu. As the eldest disciple of Mount Hua, he is inevitably spurred on and becomes even more diligent in his training. Now, he practices diligently every day, just like Li Mu, and his swordsmanship and internal strength have greatly improved.

Yue Buqun was also delighted by this, and after discussing it with Li Mu, he planned to formally teach him the Yi Jing Bone Forging Chapter soon.

Chapter 541 The Way of Superior Swordsmanship

Another period of time passed, and the end of the year was approaching. On this day, Li Mu was cultivating at the Cliff of Contemplation, just like any other day.

He practiced his swordsmanship for a while, then stopped to study it carefully, comparing it with what he had learned and the moves on the stone wall. At his current level, he no longer needed to practice swordsmanship in a rigid and formulaic way.

There are countless people in the world who practice martial arts, but people are all different. Whether they are tall or short, fat or thin, have thick or thin bones, or even practice different techniques and have different habits, they are all different.

When you first start learning, you should strictly follow the moves and routines, practicing step by step. But once you have a solid foundation, you need to compare them to your own body and gradually understand and explore the subtleties of the moves to make them more suitable for you.

In other words, it means gradually mastering the techniques you've learned and making them your own.

At this moment, Li Mu was pondering how to use the moves to better suit himself, and how to change them so that they would flow naturally and smoothly. He gradually became engrossed in it, and suddenly raised his long sword and began to practice.

His movements were sometimes fast and sometimes slow, constantly changing. Sometimes he would practice a single sword technique dozens of times. At first glance, it seemed like he was just using the same sword technique over and over again. But upon closer inspection, one would find that each time he used it, there were subtle changes, such as the position and angle, or the speed and movement of his body. The sword technique was still the same, but the feeling it gave people was very different.

After practicing for a while, Li Mu carefully studied the methods of countering the moves left behind by the elders of the Demonic Sect. Although these moves were strange and disjointed, they contained many subtleties and even some parts that deviated greatly from the common sense of martial arts. Upon careful study, they were unique and contained the essence of martial arts.

As the saying goes, "stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade." Through his study, Li Mu not only broadened his horizons but also compared them with his own learning, thus improving his martial arts skills.

He was tireless, completely absorbed in his work. Suddenly, a voice came from behind him: "That Yue Buqun is extremely pedantic, yet he has taken on two good disciples."

Li Mu was shocked. The only opportunities at the Cliff of Contemplation, besides the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings, were Feng Qingyang's Dugu Nine Swords.

The Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings are fixed; it's just a matter of sooner or later they'll be discovered. Since he joined the Huashan Sect, he can't escape them. Even if Linghu Chong doesn't discover them yet, he'll find them sooner or later with more exploration.

Feng Qingyang's Dugu Nine Swords is not so easy to learn; location, timing, identity, and aptitude are all indispensable.

Needless to say, aptitude is crucial; without talent, no one can learn the Dugu Nine Swords, and Feng Qingyang wouldn't bother teaching it. Identity is equally important; if someone isn't from the Huashan Sect, even with the aptitude, Feng Qingyang probably wouldn't bother with them.

There's also the location; you must encounter Feng Qingyang at the Cliff of Contemplation on Mount Hua. You won't meet him anywhere else. The timing is also unpredictable, depending on Feng Qingyang's mood and when he might suddenly appear.

This is also why, after Linghu Chong opened the secret cave and discovered the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings, Li Mu came here to practice every day without missing a single day.

That way, if I don't come one day and Feng Qingyang happens to show up, I won't miss the opportunity to learn the Dugu Nine Swords.

Actually, more than half a year had passed since the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings were discovered, and Feng Qingyang had not appeared, which initially puzzled Li Mu. In the original novel, Linghu Chong discovered the Five Sacred Mountains stone carvings and saw that the Huashan sword technique had been broken. Just when he was feeling disheartened, Feng Qingyang appeared, observed Linghu Chong for a while, and then taught him the Dugu Nine Swords.

That day, the two of them opened the secret cave. Two exceptionally talented individuals, why hasn't Feng Qingyang appeared after all this time?

He then figured it out. After they opened the secret cave, they called Yue Buqun and his wife up. Feng Qingyang probably didn't want to meet Yue Buqun, so he naturally wouldn't show up.

As for why it wasn't like in the original story, where, just as Linghu Chong opened the secret cave and saw that the Huashan sword technique had been broken, Feng Qingyang appeared just as he was feeling dejected.

It's understandable, considering that the secret cave of the Cliff of Contemplation was opened two or three years earlier than in the original story. Feng Qingyang wouldn't be watching over it every day, so it's normal that he discovered it a few days later.

If they discover this a few days later, Yue Buqun will have already arrived, so he won't show himself again.

Three months later, during the time when Yue Buqun was not at the Cliff of Contemplation, Feng Qingyang estimated that he would not be coming back, and at the same time observe the two people's aptitude and character to see if they were suitable to be taught the Dugu Nine Swords.

Now, the sudden appearance of a stranger speaking in his ear makes it obvious who the speaker is. Given Li Mu's current level of internal energy cultivation, even Yue Buqun couldn't escape his notice within a few feet. On Mount Hua, only Feng Qingyang possesses martial arts skills superior to Yue Buqun.

Li Mu suppressed his agitation and turned around to look. He saw a man with a white beard and a green robe, looking depressed and with a face as pale as gold paper. Li Mu thought to himself, "Is this Feng Qingyang?"

Suddenly a shout came, and Linghu rushed forward two steps and said, "Who are you? How dare you insult my master in my sacred Huashan Mountain?"

Feng Qingyang wasn't angry after hearing this. He said in a low voice, "You're upset that I insulted your master, but he's also my junior brother. I can call him 'boy' and say a few words to him, which is justified." His expression was desolate as he spoke, as if he was filled with endless sadness, but there was a sense of authority in his tone.

Li Mu replied, "You are Feng Qing... Grand Uncle Feng!"

Feng Qingyang glanced at Li Mu in surprise and said, "You do have some knowledge; you even recognize me."

Linghu Chong was taken aback. His name contained the character "Qing," which meant he was a generation above his master's generation, "Bu." It was perfectly acceptable for him to address his master as "young master." He looked somewhat embarrassed and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Grand Uncle. Please forgive my rudeness."

Feng Qingyang waved his hand and said, "Fine! You've shown genuine sincerity."

He pointed to the Huashan School sword techniques on the stone wall and said, "These moves are indeed the ultimate techniques of our school. Many of them have been lost, and even Yue... Yue... hehe... even your master doesn't know them. It seems that the Demonic Sect really has some brilliant people who can break each of these moves one by one."

Linghu Chong added, "Their methods of breaking these deadly moves seem clever, but in reality, they are not very useful."

Feng Qingyang nodded and said, "You do have some insight. These elders of the Demonic Sect are extremely skilled in martial arts. However, in terms of cultivation level, they have not yet truly grasped the essence of higher-level martial arts. They do not understand that moves are static, but the person making the move is dynamic. No matter how well you counter a static move, if you encounter a dynamic move, you will inevitably be bound hand and foot, and can only be slaughtered at will."

"You two must remember this word 'liveliness' very well. When learning moves, you must learn them flexibly, and when using moves, you must use them flexibly. If you are rigid and inflexible, even if you have practiced thousands or tens of thousands of special moves, when you encounter a true master, you will still be completely defeated."

The two bowed in agreement. Li Mu pondered for a moment: "Grand Uncle, what constitutes the upper level? If one can make each move continuous and unbroken, would that be considered making the move come alive?"

Feng Qingyang laughed and said, "If you want to use your moves flexibly, you must first achieve a state of no moves. Only then can you truly enter the upper realm. No matter how meticulous and precise your sword moves are, as long as there is a trace to be found, the enemy will have an opening. But if you have no moves at all, how can the enemy break your moves?"

"To cut meat, you need meat to cut; to chop wood, you need wood to chop; if your enemy wants to break your sword moves, you need to have sword moves for them to break."

Linghu Chong replied, "Wouldn't that mean we wouldn't be able to move at all, and therefore wouldn't have any weaknesses?"

Feng Qingyang laughed and said, "If you don't move at all, you can move however you want, so it's naturally difficult to find a flaw."

Li Mu said, "From this perspective, doesn't it mean that striking later and arriving first is the true path of martial arts?"

Feng Qingyang chuckled and said, "Everyone else has already made their move, so how can you arrive first?"

Li Mu pondered and said, "Since every move he makes creates an opening, I will seize the opportunity to attack his opening before he can even make a move."

Feng Qingyang laughed loudly, "Interesting, very interesting... You try to attack me with your sword and see if there are any flaws in my move."

As he spoke, a willow branch appeared in his hand without anyone noticing. With a flick of his wrist, it hissed and whistled through the air, as if it were made of steel, leaving no doubt about its power. He pointed at the willow branch and looked up at Li Mu with a half-smile.

When Li Mu heard that Feng Qingyang wanted him to test his skills, he naturally wouldn't refuse. Being able to play swordsmanship with the world's top expert and master swordsman was an opportunity that many skilled swordsmen would beg for.

He raised his longsword, ready to leap into the air and attack. He stopped after taking only a few steps, his brows furrowed.

But Feng Qingyang's stance was extremely clever; if he were to attack with his sword, he would inevitably be stabbed beforehand.

Li Mu quickly changed his position, ready to attack again, but saw Feng Qingyang move his right foot back half a step and his wrist slightly move, causing the direction the tree branch was pointing to to change.

Li Mu's sword strike seemed to have deliberately delivered a weakness into his hands, making it impossible for him to launch another attack.

He had to change his stance again, spotting an opening and attacking with his sword once more. Feng Qingyang moved again, and the direction the tree branch pointed to changed once more. Not only did the opening disappear, but Li Mu actually exposed his own weakness, forcing him to withdraw his attack once more.

After a few more moves, Li Mu kept circling around Feng Qingyang, but Feng Qingyang's slightest movements made it impossible for Li Mu to find a trace of him and not know where to start.

Finally, having exhausted all other options, Li Mu had no choice but to admit defeat. As expected of a grandmaster of swordsmanship, he sheathed his sword, bowed, and said, "Grandmaster Uncle is truly brilliant; this disciple is far inferior to him!"

Feng Qingyang chuckled and said, "Is this what you call skillful? No matter how ingenious my variations were, they were all within the scope of the moves. Very well, today I will show you what true superior swordsmanship is."

Having said that, he still held the willow branch in his hand, casually stood up, and gestured for Li Mu to attack.

Li Mu was taken aback. He saw that Feng Qingyang had completely lost his previous sharpness. He stood there loosely and lazily, no longer giving people the feeling that he was at a loss for what to do. Li Mu wondered, could this be a superior sword technique?

He dared not be negligent in the slightest, after all, Feng Qingyang must have something to back up his boast.

After observing for a moment, Li Mu saw that Feng Qingyang was still standing quietly, with many flaws all over his body. Without hesitation, Li Mu thrust his sword at Feng Qingyang. While he was still halfway there, Li Mu suddenly felt his brow throbbing, as if a chill was coming. Those flaws seemed to instantly turn into a killing move.

Li Mu stopped abruptly, took a few steps back, and let out a long breath. He looked up and saw that Feng Qingyang's figure had not changed at all. He was still standing there lazily, and his flaws were still there. However, he looked at Li Mu with a hint of surprise.

Li Mu stared intently at Feng Qingyang, then swung his sword again. Halfway up, that feeling of imminent danger returned, and Li Mu withdrew his attack halfway through.

This time, Li Mu did not blindly strike with his sword. Instead, he closed his eyes and pondered for a while before continuing his attack, but he still turned back halfway. He continued to attack Feng Qingyang in this manner for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but Li Mu did not manage to strike with his sword even once. For a moment, he was unusually tired and his mind was a little foggy, clearly indicating that he had exhausted a great deal of energy.

Linghu Chong watched from the sidelines with great surprise, not understanding why his junior brother, whose moves were clearly superb and who was about to succeed, repeatedly retreated halfway through!

At this moment, Feng Qingyang smiled at Li Mu and said, "Not bad, not bad. You can actually sense the changes in my aura and the direction of my sword intent. You were able to extricate yourself in time when you were locked on by my aura. It seems that you have already begun to understand the basics of superior martial arts."

He laughed heartily at this point, then without lingering, his figure flashed a few times and he vanished, leaving only the words, "You two must not miss my whereabouts," echoing from afar.

Chapter 542 Dugu Nine Swords

Watching Feng Qingyang's figure disappear into the distance, the two fell silent for a moment. Linghu Chong recalled the three large characters "Feng Qingyang" carved on the cliff face and wondered, "Could he be the senior who carved his name on the stone?"

Li Mu nodded and said, "If there are no surprises, that's right."

Linghu Chong asked in confusion, "His martial arts are so high, how come I have never heard my master mention it?"

Before Li Mu could answer, he said to himself, "That's true. We Huashan people value Qi. He's from the Sword Sect, so why would Master mention him?"

This brings to mind the sword energy dispute from years ago, and everyone fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, Linghu Chong hesitated for a moment and said, "Junior brother, should we tell Master about Uncle Feng's matter?"

Li Mu said, "There's no need to say anything now; there will be opportunities later."

Linghu Chong said, "Alright, before Uncle Feng left, he also told us not to reveal his whereabouts, so we won't say anything then. We'll tell Master later after we get his permission."

……

For the next period of time, Li Mu continued to climb the Cliff of Contemplation every day to study the sword techniques in the secret cave. Now that Feng Qingyang had appeared, he was not far from learning the Dugu Nine Swords. He was not in a hurry, and honed his sword techniques every day, sometimes exchanging ideas with Linghu Chong on how to break down different schools of sword techniques.

During this period, Feng Qingyang would appear every few days to guide the two in swordsmanship, sword principles, and various aspects of their cultivation, from which the two benefited greatly.

Several months passed quickly, and after the New Year, Li Mu was a year older. He was now eighteen, and both of them had made great progress in their swordsmanship.

One day, Li Mu was observing sword techniques when he suddenly sensed something amiss behind him. He turned around abruptly and saw Feng Qingyang standing not far behind him. He secretly thought to himself, "This Uncle Feng is sometimes like an old rascal, too unpredictable."

Feng Qingyang nodded to Li Mu and said, "Not bad, not bad. You were able to detect me as soon as I got close. That's much better than last time."

Li Mu bowed and said, "I must thank my Grand Uncle for his guidance."

Feng Qingyang suddenly asked, "Last time I saw you use the 'Rising Sun One Qi Sword,' have you learned the whole sword technique?"

Li Mu, unaware of Feng Qingyang's question, replied, "There are a total of three hundred and sixty-five sword techniques, and I have learned them all."

Feng Qingyang said thoughtfully, "Among the five swords of Mount Hua, the Chaoyang One Qi Sword is the most difficult, complicated, and profound. It is extremely difficult to master this sword, and back then, there were not many people in the entire Mount Hua who could learn it completely. It is rare for this sword technique to be passed down in its entirety, and it is even rarer for you to have learned it completely."