Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Chapter 86 Martial Arts

Chapter 86 Martial Arts (Please subscribe!)

Liwu Cliff is located in the southwest of Qingyan Mountain.

The cliff was not high, only about thirty feet high, but the top of the cliff was extremely open. When Chen Jianghe stepped onto the last stone step, the midday sun was blazing.

At the center of the cliff top, Liu Shuling stood with her back to the way she came, empty-handed, slowly coming to an end.

Her arms were as strong as cast iron in the sunlight, her back was broad and straight, and with each breath, a faint blue aura emanated from her body, a refined aura that only those who have mastered the Great Strength can possess.

Chen Jianghe did not make a sound to disturb them; he stood three zhang away and waited quietly.

Liu Shuling finished her practice, turned around, and looked at Chen Jianghe, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Is your injury healed?"

"That's about it," Chen Jianghe said truthfully. "A few more days of rest and he'll be fine."

Liu Shuling nodded without saying anything more.

She walked to a blue stone at the edge of the cliff, picked up the outer robe draped over it, and casually put it on: "Why aren't you resting in the courtyard? What are you doing here in the cold wind?"

Chen Jianghe clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Senior Sister, this disciple wishes to learn weaponry."

Liu Shuling paused slightly as she put on her coat.

She turned her head and her gaze lingered on Chen Jianghe's face for a moment.

"Lingmu Academy only has the inheritance of hidden weapons." She paused, then turned to face Chen Jianghe: "Each of the five academies has its own strengths. Jin Shu's spear, Cangming's sword, Yan Chen's knife, and Hou Tu's staff. The roots of my Lingmu Academy lie in the 'Withered Tree Rejuvenates Technique' and the 'Illustrated Compendium of Herbs,' in the ability to identify poisons and refine elixirs, in lightness skills and hidden weapons, and in finding a glimmer of hope in desperate situations."

"If you want to learn swords, spears, and staffs, Lingmu Academy cannot teach you."

Chen Jianghe listened quietly without arguing.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Liu Shuling sighed first.

"I know what you're thinking." She leaned against the old pine tree behind her, arms crossed. "In the battle at Black Wind Cave, you escaped from Gang Jin's clutches by using the Illusionary Step and the Fluttering Willow Leaves. But you also know that those were just skills for escaping."

"If you had a suitable weapon on the day, if you had practiced the Breaking Formation Spear of the Golden Pivot Academy or the Flowing Cloud Sword of the Azure Sea Academy—" She paused, a knowing look of someone who had been there shining through her light, "you would have had more strength to face the enemy head-on."

Chen Jianghe nodded: "Yes."

Liu Shuling looked at him and suddenly said, "But do you know that weapons can't kill people just by holding them?"

Her voice was calm, without any lecturing tone, simply stating a fact she had only truly understood after more than ten years of practice: "The swordsmanship of Cangming Academy emphasizes guiding the sword with intention and achieving unity between body and sword. If the first three moves are wrong, the remaining thirty-six moves are all useless. Without a master to teach you the moves step by step, you won't even get the hang of it after ten years of practice."

"The swords of Yan Chen Academy are fierce and powerful. But if the angle of the waist and hips twists slightly when exerting force, the sword's power will be completely different."

Figure it out yourself? If the blade snaps back three inches, it'll slice off your own head first.

She looked directly at Chen Jianghe: "Jianghe, without a master to guide you, practicing the weapons of the other courtyard is like sending yourself to the edge of a cliff."

Chen Jianghe remained silent for a moment.

"Senior Sister," he slowly began, "if we have a master to guide us, how long would it take to achieve proficiency in weapon training?"

Liu Shuling was taken aback: "Those with exceptional talent can become experts in three to five years."

"What if one has no master to guide them and has to figure things out on their own, relying solely on the secret manuals?"

Liu Shuling frowned: "That depends on comprehension, aptitude, and how much hard work one is willing to put in. It could take five or seven years, or even ten or twenty years, and one might not be able to master it."

"Senior sister," Chen Jianghe met her gaze, his voice calm, "I want to practice."

Liu Shuling recalled the words "Disciple of Li Chengyue, Xingyi Martial Arts School, Yilin County" on the notice posted at the Criminal Court that day, and thought of Chen Jianghe's use of the Five Elements Root Bone,

His achievements at the age of eighteen, when he had reached the Transformation Realm, reminded me of the claw mark on his shoulder that almost cost him an arm.

She remained silent for a long time.

"The Xingyi Martial Arts Library," she said in a low voice. "Our sect rules prohibit disciples of the five academies from copying the martial arts techniques of other academies. As long as you can afford the price, you can exchange your identity token for any copy of the manuals in the library."

Chen Jianghe looked up.

Liu Shuling continued, "But that's a rubbing. It only has the moves and the incantations for exerting force, but no master to explain it, no fellow disciples to teach you the moves, and no one to wake you up with a slap when you have a side stitch and tell you that your waist is sinking three-tenths of the way down."

"What you've received is a dead book. How much you can glean from it depends entirely on your own abilities."

She paused, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes as she looked at Chen Jianghe, and then helplessly let go: "The Lingmu Academy can't give you what you need, but the Armory can. But I need to let you know how difficult that path will be."

Chen Jianghe clasped his hands and bowed deeply: "I will always remember your guidance, Senior Sister."

Liu Shuling raised an eyebrow: "Does it need fixing again?"

"want."

Liu Shuling remained silent.

After a long silence, she sighed softly, "You're so stubborn."

"Fine. You make up your mind, I won't stop you." Her tone was somewhat annoyed. "Go ahead. The armory is on the northern slope of the Sutra Repository Peak; you can enter with your identification token."

She took out a palm-sized jade token from her bosom and casually tossed it to Chen Jianghe.

"These are the credentials for Lingmu Academy disciples to enter and exit the second floor of the armory. The first floor contains the basic cultivation techniques of each academy, which do not require tokens; you can simply pay to have them copied. For the second floor and above, verification of the academy's identity is required." Liu Shuling paused, "The third floor requires the handwritten token of the academy's head; you don't need to think about that for now."

Chen Jianghe accepted the token and solemnly put it into his pocket: "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Liu Shuling waved her hand: "Go ahead."

Xingyi Martial Arts Arsenal is located halfway up the main peak.

It is a three-story building with blue bricks and black tiles, with upturned eaves and copper bells hanging all over it.

When Chen Jianghe stepped into the main gate of the armory, the first-floor lobby was extremely spacious.

The wooden shelves, reaching to the dome on all four sides, were filled with books and scrolls arranged in categories.

Each scroll was sealed in a transparent crystal box, the surface of which was engraved with intricate restriction patterns, and a faint radiance flowed through it.

In the very center are six individual counters, each with a butler sitting behind it.

At this moment, there are people queuing in front of all six counters.

Chen Jianghe was in the shortest column.

About half an incense stick later, it was his turn.

Behind the counter was a round-faced butler in his forties, with slightly swollen eyelids and a tired expression.

He glanced at the Lingmu Courtyard wooden plaque at Chen Jianghe's waist, his voice flat: "Tracing the cultivation technique?"

"Yes."

"Is this your first time here?"

"Yes."

The round-faced steward took out a thin booklet from under the table and casually flipped it open: "Arsenal rules, only one copy, listen to it."

"The printed booklet must not be distributed, resold, or privately taught to non-Xingyi disciples. Violators will have their techniques confiscated, their cultivation abolished, and will be expelled from the sect."

He paused, then looked up: "Which branch should we expand upon?"

"May I enter and browse first?"

"Alright." The round-faced deacon nodded. "You may browse freely on the first floor, but you must not damage the crystal box's restrictions. The second floor requires verification of the academy's token, and the third floor requires the academy head's warrant. Once you've made your selection, come to the counter to pay."

The first floor of the armory is extremely spacious.

Rows of wooden shelves, reaching to the roof, stretched deep into the space, displaying countless books, scrolls, bamboo slips, and animal hide scrolls, each categorized and labeled with a wooden plaque indicating its type: [Fist Techniques] [Leg Techniques] [Body Techniques] [Stance Training] [Internal Cultivation] [Medical Classics] [Toxicology] —

Chen Jianghe walked very slowly.

His gaze swept over the signs and the densely packed spines of the books on the shelves, not lingering long on the first shelf.

Chen Jianghe climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor is much quieter than the first floor.

The bookshelves here are taller, the restrictions are tighter, and the covers of the books inside the crystal box have a more ancient and dignified feel.

Chen Jianghe walked through the three bookshelves labeled "Cangming," "Yanchen," and "Houtu," and stopped in front of the "Jin" section.

In front of the bookshelf, a gray-blue figure was squatting on the ground.

She was a woman in her early twenties, dressed in the plain robes of an ordinary inner disciple, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her fair and slender forearm.

She was picking up the scattered volumes from the ground, carefully brushing away non-existent dust from the covers, and then placing them one by one back on the temporary shelf next to the crystal box.

The movements were extremely light and slow.

Chen Jianghe stepped forward three times, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Senior Sister. This disciple, Chen Jianghe of Lingmu Academy, wishes to seek the lineage of Xingyi Spear Technique of Jinshu Academy. I humbly request your guidance, Senior Sister."

The woman looked up at the sound, revealing a very delicate face with gentle eyebrows and eyes, a small nose, and a slightly pointed chin.

She looked at Chen Jianghe and spoke, her voice low but clear and gentle: "The Golden Pivot Academy's spear techniques. Which style do you want?"

"May I ask, senior sister, which discipline places the greatest emphasis on practical combat?"

The woman glanced at him, her gaze devoid of any extra emotion; she simply looked at him quietly.

"The Golden Pivot Academy's signature spear technique, the 'Heavenly Pivot Formation-Breaking Spear.'"

She replied in her usual calm tone, "The cost of the rubbing is five thousand taels of silver."

Chen Jianghe didn't hesitate: "Just this one."

The woman nodded.

She turned and took a crystal box from the top shelf of the bookshelf. The box was covered with intricate protective patterns, and a faint dark golden light emanated from it.

She gently placed the crystal box on the temporary shelf, took a black jade token from her waist, and affixed it to the box.

The restrictive patterns spread out like ripples on water.

The scroll in the box had a deep purple cover with four characters written on it: "One Heaven Pivot Breaking Formation Spear".

"The rubbing will take about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn," the woman said. "You can browse elsewhere first. Come back to the counter to pick up your copy after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Chen Jianghe clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Senior Sister."

He turned to leave, but after taking three steps, he suddenly stopped.

"Senior Sister," he turned around, "may I ask if the armory contains any records related to... the Sun Moon Cult?"

The woman paused as she resealed the crystal box.

"The Sun Moon Cult".

She repeated those four words, her voice still calm.

"The armory has three levels, the seventh shelf of the Earth section, the third compartment."

Her gaze returned to Chen Jianghe's face: "Do you have the headmaster's warrant?"

Chen Jianghe remained silent.

"Then you can't get in." The woman's tone was indifferent as she put the black jade token back into her waistband and stopped looking at Chen Jianghe.

"However," she suddenly added, "on the 'Miscellaneous Anecdotes' bookshelf, in the third row of the seventh column, there is a book called 'Records of Good and Evil a Century Ago.'"

The author is Cheng Yuanzhi, a late elder of my Xingyi School. He participated in the battle to suppress the remnants of the Sun Moon Cult.

She paused for a moment, then said, "That book isn't restricted. You can take it and read it yourself."

Chen Jianghe's heart stirred slightly: "Thank you, Senior Sister."

The woman did not answer; she squatted down again and continued to sort through the scattered volumes of ancient texts.

Chen Jianghe found the book "A Record of Righteousness and Evil a Hundred Years Ago" in the third row of the seventh column of the "Miscellaneous News" section on the first floor.

The book is extremely thick, with a dark brown cover and severely worn edges and corners.

He found a corner by the window, sat down on the floor, and opened the book.

The author, Cheng Yuanzhi, was the seventeenth generation elder of the Xingyi School. He was skilled in the Cangming Academy sword technique and killed seven powerful demons of the Sun Moon Divine Cult in the battle between good and evil. Later, he retired due to injury and devoted himself to writing books for twenty years.

The Sun Moon Cult has been established for three hundred years. At its peak, it had more than ten thousand disciples and its influence extended to Yuzhou, Yunzhou, and Qingzhou.

The core of this school's martial arts is called the "Sun and Moon Demon Art".

Its cultivation method—

It does not rely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nor on its own vital energy and blood.

Instead, he used a special mental technique to forcibly refine the internal energy and essence that others had painstakingly cultivated throughout their lives, and then incorporated it into his own use.

Those who are devoured will suffer either complete destruction of their foundation or immediate death, leaving their bodies withered and dry like dead wood, with all their essence, blood, and bone marrow lost.

Volume Five records that years ago, the Sun Moon Cult massacred Beihe Town, and all seven hundred people in the town turned into dried corpses within three days.

Before the righteous alliance's siege, the sect had a system of "raising Gu": every ten years, ten outstanding young disciples were selected from the sect and thrown into the underground cave to fight against the raised strange beasts and kill each other. Only one person could leave the cave.

The survivors were granted the true secrets of the demonic art, which allowed them to devour the life cultivation of their nine fellow disciples, causing their foundations to grow exponentially.

Volume Seven records that the last holy son of the Sun Moon Divine Sect entered the Gang Jin realm at the age of seventeen and achieved the Great Perfection of True Essence at the age of twenty.

In the final paragraph of the book, Cheng Yuanzhi wrote with a heavy touch: "The demonic arts are like a festering sore that cannot be eradicated. Who knows if those who hide in the wilderness today will not be the sparks that ignite a prairie fire tomorrow? I only hope that future disciples who see this record will retain a degree of vigilance and a degree of fear."

Chen Jianghe closed the book.

He recalled the black wolf's crimson eyes, which seemed to glow like a blood moon.

I recall the dense network of red veins beneath his skin, like a spiderweb.

I recall the way he casually mentioned "just broke through," yet his tone was filled with boundless madness.

I recall his last words: "Our religion is flourishing and desperately needs people like you."

Seventeen-year-old Gang Jin.

True essence at age twenty.

What a terrifying progress this is!

Chen Jianghe put the book back in its original place.

He turned and walked towards the counter.

On the west side of Dizi Peak, in the main courtyard.

Three days later.

Chen Jianghe is in his independent courtyard.

He held a long white waxwood spear in his hand. The spear was eight feet five inches long and weighed nineteen catties and three ounces. He had bought it for eighty taels of silver at the military supply shop in Changxi Prefecture at the foot of the mountain. It was not an elite weapon, but just a common standard weapon.

Chen Jianghe closed his eyes.

The first move of the "Tian Shu Breaking Formation Spear" – "Starting Stance: Zhen Yue" – came to mind.

The spear tip dipped to the ground, the spear butt rested against his waist, his figure as imposing as a mountain and as still as a deep pool.

This is the foundation of marksmanship.

He didn't rush to practice the later killing moves.

One shot.

Another shot.

Sunrise.

Sunset.

On the bluestone slabs in the courtyard, the spear tip had dragged out hundreds of marks of varying depths.

The seventh day.

[Destiny: Diligence is rewarded by Heaven; success is inevitable]