Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

In the sixth year of the Xining era, just a few days after the New Year's Day celebrations.

At half past the hour of Yin, the ancient pines and cypresses of Lingze Courtyard stand tall with gnarled branches, and a low table and cushions are placed under the single-eaved, round-cornered pavilion.

The ram's horn-shaped glass lamp under the eaves exudes warmth, reflecting the solitary lamp swaying on the table, highlighting a lonely figure in the quiet courtyard.

A pot of clear wine, a dim lamp, and yellowed scrolls.

Gao Yuan, having closed his book, sat holding a chess piece under the pavilion. He didn't resemble a young swordsman from the martial world; rather, he was as refined as a scholar with ink flowing freely.

He occasionally had a whimsical idea, which naturally kept him awake at night.

As the saying goes, learning martial arts is like forging a sword; the master craftsman shapes the iron, but the key is to infuse his will into the sword.

In the martial arts world, those who wish to master martial arts must endure a long and arduous period of practice and refinement.

Those with exceptional talent and wisdom all emphasize mental techniques and internal strength.

After all, the more advanced the technique, the more it requires profound internal strength to execute.

Otherwise, it shall be enforced.

Not to mention the danger of going astray and becoming possessed by demons, it would also be impossible to use its essential techniques.

However, the vast majority of them are of average talent.

Those who are obsessed with martial arts but lack natural talent will find it difficult to grasp the essence of qi and can only rely on external training methods to generate internal strength.

However, the difficulty of external martial arts is such that only those with strong willpower can master it.

Having the mental techniques, the moves, and the talent, one still needs to constantly enlighten and refine the mind and spirit if one wants to break through and climb the martial arts path.

This is what is known as "integrating one's will into the sword."

The more Gao Yuan improved, the more he understood the difficulties of the martial arts path.

Fortunately, he was fortunate to possess all three, and also had a magical Southern Underworld Cloud Jade.

Unlike ordinary people in the martial arts world who waste their lives and struggle to make a breakthrough.

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the flickering light of the solitary lamp to curl, and the tiny candle flame stirred the pages of a book, "Sun Ce's Edict to Lü Fan on the Chess Game," which reflected in the reader's eyes.

The game of chess is a minor skill; without focused concentration, one cannot master it.

He understands the principle of being greedy for too much and pursuing too few things, and being mediocre at everything.

The purpose of studying the chess scores was twofold. First, he was introduced to the game by Lao Fan and genuinely came to love the nineteen lines of chess.

Secondly, I've read too many Taoist classics in the past ten days.

The Way of Chess is actually deeply aligned with the Taoist philosophy of non-action and non-contention.

The mutual corroboration of martial arts, chess, and Taoist scriptures greatly benefits one's understanding of martial arts.

Suddenly, Gao Yuan's ears twitched, and he couldn't help but look towards the courtyard gate.

Jade emerges bright, water flows eastward, evening smoke dissipates.

A strange figure slowly approached from beneath the hanging flower gate.

All was quiet. Grandma lightly leaped up into the pavilion.

His graceful and elegant movements drew admiration from Gao Yuan, as they both practiced the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique).

When Grandma used it, she looked absolutely ethereal and composed.

Unlike him, who also appears elegant to the untrained eye, he always lacks a certain composure and charm.

"It's not even dawn yet, why are you up so early, Senior Sister?"

"The eye cannot see clearly from two angles, nor can the ear hear clearly from two angles. What do you say?"

Grandma replied with a line from Xunzi's "Exhortation to Learning".

Gao Yuan wore a wry smile.

Grandma must have heard about his obsession with chess classics and was afraid he would ruin himself, so she came to admonish him.

"Junior brother knows his mistake. He failed to share his senior sister's worries and has caused you more concern."

He wasn't prepared to explain to his grandmother.

Women, no matter how old they are, as long as they have a positive attitude and admit their mistakes first, it's always good.

Grandma was slightly taken aback, but the scolding words she was about to say were cut off by the boy.

Her fourth junior brother is good in every way, except that he is so mature and composed that he doesn't seem like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy at all.

"How's your practice of the 'Eight Desolations and Six Directions, I Alone Am Supreme' technique coming along?"

When his grandmother saw him close the chess manual, she asked him a question.

Gao Yuan pondered for a few seconds:

"Yes, the supreme power of the Eight Desolations and Six Directions is unparalleled, and I am the only one who reigns supreme in the universe. This is exactly what it means to stand at the top of the mountain and look down on all the other mountains."

Grandma noticed that his eyebrows relaxed and he seemed to have realized something when he spoke.

really...

"If one's temperament and state of mind are in harmony, the speed of mastering this skill will be far superior to that of ordinary people."

Grandma raised an eyebrow and gave him a slight glare: "Are you implying that your senior sister's character and the essence of this skill are aligned, making you domineering and tyrannical in your dealings with people and matters?"

"The Eight Desolations require that one not seek externally or rely on external objects, but use one's supreme mind to control the ultimate Yang energy and unify it all under one's will."

"It's not about being domineering. How can one be superior if one's will is not firm? Ninety-nine percent of martial artists in the world cannot do it. Senior Sister was taught this method by Master alone, which shows that in his heart, Senior Sister's perseverance in martial arts is far superior to that of the other two senior brothers and sisters."

These words were definitely flattery, but they were uttered smoothly under the guise of explaining the essence of the Eight Directions, making Grandma both angry and amused, and the faint dissatisfaction on her face disappeared.

Gao Yuan suddenly asked, "Why doesn't Senior Sister look at the copy of the Nineteen Forms of Heavenly Mirror Wind Control that Junior Brother gave her?"

Upon hearing this, Grandma's tone changed drastically, and she angrily retorted, "A rotten sword, a broken sword, who wants to see it?"

It turns out that Gao Yuan used the pretext of exploring the Boundless Jade Disc to deceive people about how to find the Langhuan Paradise.

But Grandma isn't stupid.

Inside were jade statues and news of jade discs being practiced together; how could they not know about Wuyazi and Li Qiushui's seclusion at Jianhu Lake?

She was both angry and saddened to think of how Wu Yazi had fallen for Li Qiushui because of her stunted growth and how the two had an affair behind her back.

Gao Yuan was also startled at this moment, and said with some grievance:

"My senior sister taught me everything she knew and guided me in martial arts every day. I only want to show my filial piety."

Grandma hated everything about the house because of the crows in it; she also came to hate the sword techniques that Wuyazi and Li Qiushui practiced together.

Grandma paused, then composed herself and sighed:

"It's nothing, you...your second senior brother, I'm sorry!"

She remembered that Gao Yuan meant well, and a look of relief appeared on her face:

"You do not use the Northern Darkness Qi Sea to contain the Eight Desolations True Qi and store it in your acupoints. You should know that storing Qi in the Dantian is the ultimate goal of all internal cultivation methods. Although the Northern Darkness has a method of dispersing Qi into acupoints, your practice of the Eight Desolations using the Northern Darkness path is extremely dangerous."

"I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then and given you the general principles and inner cultivation method of the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Supreme Technique."

"If serious problems arise, it will be too late to regret it!"

Grandma paused, then continued:

"Fine, if I don't let you practice, it's dangerous for you to practice secretly. It's better to practice openly under your senior sister's nose, so that even if there's a problem, your senior sister can find out in time."

Grandma's expression was serious.

"Senior sister~!"

Gao Yuan was deeply moved and bowed to her.

"Do you understand why your senior sister transferred the Xuan Tian Division to you?"

"Does Senior Sister agree with Junior Brother's words?"

Some time ago, Gao Yuan said that although Lingjiu Palace had many cave masters and island masters, most of them were unorthodox figures in the martial arts world and did not have much influence.

Besides offering advice on collecting martial arts techniques from all over the world, which were then compiled and cataloged by Lingjiu.

He went even further, stating that the focus of control should be shifted to the prestigious and influential families and gangs in the Central Plains.

Since the Shaolin and Beggar Clan are the leaders of the martial arts world, why can't they be carefree?

Grandma nodded slightly, but didn't reply. Instead, she asked, "Qing Shuang has been with you for a while now, hasn't she?"

Gao Yuan didn't know what his grandmother wanted to say.

"Qing Shuang is still a virgin, you're very good!"

Grandma's words were very good; she was saying that he was focused on martial arts and had not fallen into romantic entanglements.

Gao Yuan's expression was somewhat unnatural. He was a normal person, and he couldn't very well tell his senior sister that it was because there was a little tail watching him every day.

but......

Grandma, your focus seems to be off!

"Senior sister, please don't misunderstand. How can I, in my carefree state, be devoted to love?"

Before Grandma could speak again, Gao Yuan immediately changed the subject.

"Senior Sister, I still have many questions about the power generation technique of the sixth form of the Tianshan Six Yang Palm, such as..."

Gao Yuan gradually adapted to the rhythm of the moves, and naturally grasped the essence of the moves. He demonstrated a few key and difficult-to-understand points and asked for clarification.

Grandma was delighted by his progress and naturally gave him personal guidance, gradually forgetting what she had just said.

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Gao Yuan sat under the pavilion and opened the bamboo tube left behind by his grandmother when she left.

There was a letter that had been sent back from Leizhou.

......