nyslfriends Chapter 44 Cloud Walk and Rain Listening Sword
Chapter 44 Cloud Walk and Rain Listening Sword
Zhou Li put aside his unresolved doubts for the time being and focused on examining the ancient bookshelves.
Randomly picking up a few books, Zhou Li discovered that this collection contained many exquisite martial arts manuals, with rare and unique copies from various schools listed among them.
Although Zhou Li had never practiced martial arts, he still had a keen eye. These ordinary martial arts techniques that could be included in the Scripture Pavilion, though not cultivation methods, all contained ingenious ideas and were by no means ordinary. If they were to circulate in the world, they would be enough to establish a school.
A quick glance across several rows of book spines revealed a book on a common sword technique called "Cloud Walk and Rain Listening Sword".
This sword technique is divided into five forms: Piercing Sword, Collapsing Sword, Leading Sword, Umbrella Sword, and Sweeping Sword. The sword moves are exquisite, especially the "Sweeping Sword" form, which is the most mysterious. When the sword is unleashed, it seems to stir up the surrounding water-based spiritual energy.
According to the note, this sword was created by a martial arts prodigy named Jiang Zhelan. By chance, he obtained a piece of naturally formed cold iron nurtured by a thousand-year-old water vein. After forging it into a sword, it could spontaneously condense the water elemental energy in the air.
With these qualities, he created the "Cloud-Walking Rain-Listening Sword," a sword technique whose power is amplified when it encounters water. His talent was astonishing, and he became famous overnight. However, his mortal body could not withstand the weight of this iron, and he died young.
This cold iron from the water veins is not considered a rare item in the cultivation world, but it is extremely rare in the mortal realm. Without this cold iron divine weapon to assist others, even if they obtain this secret manual, they will hardly retain one-tenth of its power.
Zhou Li initially thought it was just anecdotes from the martial arts world, but then a thought flashed through his mind: this mortal martial artist couldn't absorb the spiritual energy of water, but he himself possessed a spiritual root that allowed him to draw energy into his body. If this sword technique could be combined with the "Misty Heavenly Evolution Wonderful Method," he might be able to perform this technique even more exquisitely.
Therefore, Zhou Li used twenty merit tokens to preserve this sword technique, and then went to meet up with the others.
The four of them left the Treasure Pavilion, and Wu Liang's face was full of smiles: "Congratulations to my three junior brothers and sisters on mastering the techniques. You are on the path to immortality."
"Thank you for your kind words, Senior Brother Wu." Zhou Li returned the greeting with a smile, then asked, "Does Senior Brother know the names of the two elders who were in the pavilion just now?"
Wu Liang pondered for a moment and said, "I have only been in the sect for a short time. I only know that the elder guarding the pavilion is called Jingcang Zhenren. As for the old man burning incense next to me... since I entered the sect, this elder has been cultivating in seclusion deep in this Jingbao Pavilion. He lives a secluded life and has never heard of his name."
Zhou Li cupped his hands in thanks and said, "In that case, I thank you very much, Senior Brother." He then gave Wu Liang fifty merit tokens as a token of his gratitude.
After Wu Liang left, Xia Minghui's expression turned solemn, and he recounted to Zhou Li the whole story of Fan Ru's mysterious death and the investigation by the Discipline Hall some time ago.
"You mean... the people from the Discipline Hall might be after me?"
"That's right. Brother Zhou, have you offended the Discipline Hall?"
Zhou Li stood still, his mind churning like a surging tide.
Everyone knows that the person who offended him on the day of the big exam was Fan Ru. Was this an attempt to silence her, or another scheme against him? Who else had he offended?
Zhou Li recalled Yuwen Ji's sinister gaze, the Valley of Severance his master had mentioned, and the silent killing intent he had felt in the Treasure Pavilion earlier...
Each and every one of them, like countless tangled threads, crisscrosses and weaves an invisible net, making it difficult to unravel.
In my previous life, my greatest love was playing chess. I was captivated by the black and white pieces battling it out on the small chessboard, the battles of offense and defense, all unfolding before my eyes. As long as I focused my gaze, I could always counter any move, whether you played cautiously or took an unconventional approach.
But now, caught in the vortex of the cultivation world, the enemy is elusive, and it is difficult to guard against hidden arrows. There is no way to know where the hand holding the chess pieces is hiding, so how can we talk about countering their moves?
"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it." Zhou Li smiled nonchalantly. "If you can't figure out the intricacies of the cultivation world, just cut them down with a single sword strike. As long as you sharpen your blade, those petty villains will retreat without a fight."
Zhou Li spoke with great ambition, but in his heart he was thinking that one day he would weave a net that would cover the entire cultivation world and completely unveil this mysterious game where the players were not visible!
For the next few days, Zhou Li focused intently on his spiritual practice.
During the day, he practiced the "Mysterious Method of Mist Manifestation in the Heavenly Bamboo Forest," and at night he studied the "Five Elements Crimson Painting Technique" in his cave. Occasionally, he would eat some wild game with his senior sister Qingqing, and his days were quite fulfilling.
Fortunately, Zhou Li's spirit body was strong and healthy. In his spare time, he would practice the "Cloud Walk and Listen to Rain Sword" in the sword corridor with his three-foot-long sword, and he mastered it quite quickly.
After several days of pondering, he increasingly realized that the "Mysterious Method of the Mist and the Evolution of Heaven" indeed had many troublesome aspects.
"Condensing water into mist can confuse the enemy's senses, and can also subtly absorb the enemy's spirit to nourish oneself, slightly increasing the power of water-based spells."
Firstly, while this "confusing the enemy's senses" technique can confuse the opponent and make it difficult for them to pinpoint one's location, it also interferes with the caster's own mental state.
Only by successfully establishing one's foundation and generating spiritual consciousness can one control this mist and discern directions. However, if one truly reaches the Foundation Establishment realm, the enemy's spiritual consciousness will also be formed, greatly reducing the effectiveness of this method in disturbing the enemy, making it practically useless.
Furthermore, while the Soul Devouring Replenishment technique can capture the spiritual energy dissipated during combat, it requires absorbing that dissipated energy before it can be used. In the ever-changing combat, this small amount of replenishment is negligible.
However, the ability to enhance water-based magic, when paired with the "Cloud-Walking Rain-Listening Sword," is quite practical. No wonder the "Mist-Forming Heavenly Evolution Wonderful Method" only reached the Yellow Rank.
However, these thorny problems can be easily solved with the Zhou rites.
This deceptive knowledge, when combined with Zhou Litian's Thunder Eye's ability to dispel illusions and reveal the truth, turns a disadvantage into an advantage and becomes an aid.
Furthermore, the Spirit Devouring Feeding technique, combined with Zhou Li's Five Elements Spiritual Roots, allows it to absorb spiritual energy far more effectively than other techniques of the same level.
From this perspective, the "Wu Xiang Tian Yan Miao Fa" is quite consistent with his Zhou rites.
Today is the second half of this teaching session. Zhou Li is in the teaching hall, listening to Fairy Chiling impart the essentials of supernatural powers, and making deductions in his mind.
It turns out that supernatural powers are more difficult to cultivate than magic. Supernatural powers often require more stringent conditions to enter the field, while magic is relatively simple, as long as the five elements are in harmony.
"...Inner vision and outer perception, the Dao resonates in harmony. A spark of spiritual understanding, and supernatural powers arise spontaneously."
As Fairy Chiling finished uttering her last words of wisdom, these two sermons, specially designed for Qi Refining disciples, finally came to a close.
According to the sect's custom, after the initiation ceremony, there will be a Dharma exchange session among the disciples, which is essentially a contest of magical abilities.
In the world of spiritual practice, the true test lies in one's actions.
At this moment, a young-looking Taoist boy stepped forward and handed Zhou Li a roughly woven straw hat.
"What does this mean?" Zhou Li asked, puzzled.
"My young master said that someone may challenge you at the Dharma assembly in a few days. If you wish to avoid the battle, you may wear this bamboo hat to cover your face." As he spoke, the young Taoist gently placed the bamboo hat at Zhou Li's feet.
"The message has been delivered. Farewell." With that, the boy bowed and turned to disappear into the crowd.
"Outrageous! This is too much!" Shen Qing, standing to the side, shouted indignantly, his face flushed. "This little brat is going too far. Senior brother, don't let him provoke you."
Zhou Li remained remarkably calm: "What's the point of provoking me?"
"Senior brother, you don't know yet?" Shen Qing leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "It's said that several powerful families within the sect have already set their sights on you, senior brother."
"Why are you targeting me?"
"In previous years, these scions of noble families were very arrogant and would not easily participate in the competition," Shen Qing explained. "But now that they have heard of your double-rank talent, they want to humiliate you and make a name for themselves."
Zhou Li suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. It seems I am the protagonist of this Dharma assembly." His gaze fell on the straw hat, his eyes as calm as a still pool.