A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

The Wushan Mountains flank the azure sky, and the Ba River flows like this. The Ba River may suddenly run dry, but the azure sky has no end.

Chen Yu looked at the narrow sky, which seemed to have been cut by a knife, and sighed.

After a half-year trip down the mountain, the Wushan Gang was expelled, and he had another opportunity. Now, he has finally mastered the Quanzhen Sword Technique and the Jade Maiden Sword Technique.

The journey from Ezhou to Wushan by riverboat upstream took a long time, but this allowed Chen Yu to focus wholeheartedly on his martial arts training. Not only did he improve his skills in the Ancient Tomb and Quanzhen sword techniques, but with the help of the Jade Ruyi, his Emei Nine Yang Skill had also reached a considerable level of proficiency.

"Junior brother."

"Senior sister."

Chen Yu turned around, and Ji Xiaofu said, "Master summons you."

"Okay."

Chen Yu strode into the cabin of the large ship and saw that Ding Minjun was also inside, in addition to Miejue.

"Please sit down."

"Um."

The three sat on the prayer mats, and Miejue said, "I once taught you the Four Symbols Palm Technique on the mountain."

Ding Minjun's heart skipped a beat. Her master was going to test her, and she hadn't memorized everything.

Ji Xiaofu thought to herself that her cultivation level was too shallow and that her master would be disappointed.

Chen Yu was confident.

"Minjun, as the eldest, please share your feelings first."

"Your disciple obeys."

Ding Minjun stood up and said, "The Four Symbols Palm is derived from the principles of the I Ching. The Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger are symbolic representations. The Eastern Dragon form is used to cultivate spirit and intent..."

Miejue's face turned cold as she interrupted Ding Minjun, "Alright, Yu'er, you come here."

"Understood." Chen Yu explained in detail: "The Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger are symbolic representations."

"Isn't this just what I said?" Ding Minjun pouted, thinking to herself, "Let's see what other tricks you can come up with."

Ji Xiaofu listened attentively.

"The Azure Dragon belongs to Lesser Yang, is located in the East, and belongs to Wood. Therefore, to cultivate the dragon form, one must nourish the liver. In addition to circulating internal energy through the meridians as mentioned by Master, one must also temper the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. The Vermilion Bird belongs to the Sun, is located in the South, and belongs to Fire. Therefore, one must nourish the heart and temper the Hand Lesser Yin Heart Meridian. The White Tiger belongs to Lesser Yin, is located in the West..."

Chen Yu spoke eloquently and eloquently, his expression of admiration undisguised. Ding Minjun was dumbfounded; her master had never taught her these things.

Ji Xiaofu thought to herself, "My junior brother is truly gifted and self-taught. How come I never thought of this?"

Suddenly, Chen Yu paused. A thought flashed through his mind: the Four Symbols Palm and the Seven Injury Fist seemed to share some similarities. It was a pity he had no way to refer to them; otherwise, perhaps reading them would truly be beneficial.

"What's wrong with Yu'er?"

Chen Yu said, "I just had a sudden flash of inspiration, let me continue."

Ding Minjun rolled her eyes. Was she doing this on purpose?

Chen Yu got back to the main topic and explained his personal cultivation experience of the Four Symbols Palm technique in great detail. Miejue listened with great delight and found that she had thoroughly understood it in just half a year. This level of understanding was unmatched by anyone.

"Let me ask you again, why do we need to nourish the five internal organs and temper the connecting meridians?"

"The Qi of the five internal organs rises and falls in an orderly manner, complementing and supporting each other, promoting each other, which can help people preserve their spirit and promote the generation of acquired essence. It is related to Qi and blood and internal strength."

"Well said, Yu'er, why don't you try striking with your palm?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Chen Yu stood up, stepped into the Four Symbols Step, and walked to the Eastern Azure Dragon position to concentrate and gather his strength. The moment his body landed in the White Tiger position, his palms suddenly drew an arc and pushed out fiercely.

Ding Minjun and Ji Xiaofu suddenly felt all the air around them collapse towards Chen Yu's palm.

bang...

The sound exploded like a cracking leather bag; in the sweltering summer heat, both of them could see a ripple in the air.

"My disciple has made some progress in masculine strength, but has not yet grasped the essence of feminine softness and cannot achieve the balance of yin and yang."

"I haven't even grasped the essence of Yang yet, and my junior brother's talent is simply beyond my reach," Ji Xiaofu thought to herself.

Ding Minjun broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to herself, "How could I be so far behind him? My master must have given me some private guidance."

"You have already grasped the basics of Yin and Yang, and the balance of strength and gentleness. Keep up the good work, and let me explain the gentle force."

Chen Yu was overjoyed.

"The soft power referred to in external martial arts usually involves loosening and stretching the joints, allowing for both compression and extension, a state of free movement. The softness in internal martial arts refers to moving from scattered to unified, transforming stiffness into suppleness, and from suppleness comes resilience, with the whole body as one, upper and lower body moving in unison, hands and feet connected, and internal and external forces harmonizing..."

Isn't this the inner three harmonies and the outer three harmonies? Chen Yu thought to himself, "Intention is the harmony of mind and will, qi and strength, and tendons and bones."

"intelligent."

"The key to practicing soft strength lies in relaxation; however, if the foundation is not solid and the strength is insufficient, one will stagger and fall."

"Master once mentioned whole-body strength. Now he says that cultivating soft strength is about moving from scattered to whole. So if you want to reach the pinnacle of soft strength, you must first cultivate whole-body strength to the extreme."

"That's very good at applying what you've learned to other situations."

The master and disciple exchanged questions and answers. Ji Xiaofu tried hard to memorize and comprehend, and many of the key points that she had previously failed to grasp in her practice of the Four Symbols Palm suddenly became clear.

Ding Minjun's mind was in complete turmoil. For the first time since joining Emei, she began to doubt her own talent during a debate-like exchange between Chen Yu and Miejue.

Chen Yu benefited greatly from this conversation with Miejue and continued to cultivate the Four Symbols Palm technique. By the time the team arrived at Mount Emei, he had already grasped the essence of the palm technique's yin-yang balance.

……

It was autumn, and Chen Yu and his companions, who had traveled by boat, disembarked in Jiading Prefecture. Yang An gave them a large sum of money, and the boatman was overjoyed, constantly expressing his gratitude. After traveling for half a day, a majestic green mountain range gradually came into view.

"Junior Sister, we've arrived," Su Mengqing said.

Looking at Mount Emei, half green hills and half clouds, Zhou Zhiruo's eyes shone brightly. "Once I pay my respects to my grandmaster, I will be a formal disciple of Mount Emei," she thought. With that thought, she felt the dust from half a day's hike vanish, and her steps became lighter.

Instead of entering the county town, the group proceeded from the back mountain, passing by Leiyin Temple, where they happened to meet Abbot Faqiu, a man with a thin face and long arms and legs. Miejue led Chen Yu to pay their respects and exchanged a few pleasantries.

The two moved again, now at the back of the group. Miejue suddenly said, "In Hanyang, I taught you that courage is the backbone of Emei disciples. Courage and the Way are both indispensable. Everyone has their own Way, whether it's quiet inaction, saving the country and its people, or sacrificing oneself for righteousness. Yu'er, which Way do you think you have?"

Without hesitation, Chen Yu replied, "It doesn't belong to any of the paths Master mentioned. I seek my own path and prove it through martial arts."

"Could you elaborate?"

"I will repay kindness with gratitude and seek revenge for even the smallest grudge."

"Very well, a true man who distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, do you dare to inherit my mantle?"

Although Chen Yu had expected the extinction statement, he was still taken aback by the other party's bluntness.

"I'm willing, a thousand times willing," Chen Yu said, regaining his senses. "I dare."

"Very good. I will follow you down the mountain to test you. Over the past six months, I have observed your behavior and your understanding of martial arts and leadership skills have never disappointed me. In the past, I hesitated and wavered about who should succeed me. Now, my mind is as firm as iron. I will make a decision as soon as possible so that our Emei Sect can be united and of one mind. After we go up the mountain, I will take advantage of the opportunity when Zhiruo pays respects to our ancestor to establish you as the successor of the sect leader."

"Thank you, Master."

"From now on, unless it is a major incident, Yu'er will be in charge of all decision-making."

"Yu'er understands."

"Let's go."

The first time Miejue led Chen Yu up the mountain, it was springtime, and she took him to Mount Emei.

Spring blossoms and autumn fruits.

Miejue led Chen Yu up the mountain a second time, intending to establish his mantle.

……

Surrounded by mountains and water, familiar scenery unfolds one after another. When they finally reach the narrow gorge, Jingxuan, who has received the message, has been waiting for a long time.

"Master, junior brother is back."

"Um."

"Greetings, Senior Sister."

"Has anything happened inside?"

"Half a month after Master went down the mountain, a junior brother came back and told me about some things concerning the Wushan Gang and the Five Poisons Sect."

"Hmm." Extinction knew about this. "Anything else?"

"A junior sister has perished in the Medicine King Cave of the outer sect."

Extinction has been halted. "How so?"

"He must have fallen off a cliff; he was already lifeless when they found him."

Chen Yu felt that something was amiss. Although the junior sister from the Medicine King Cave had only ordinary cultivation, it would be understandable if she had fallen off a cliff in other dangerous mountains. But this was Mount Emei, and the junior brothers and sisters who gathered herbs and refined pills knew the terrain like the back of their hand. How could they have fallen to their deaths?

"Senior sister, what was the weather like that time?"

"A thunderstorm passed by."

Chen Yu inquired about the location of the fall and then stopped asking questions. In his heart, he thought to himself, "My master was about to make me his successor, and now something troublesome has happened."