Jiang Hai practices the Wudang Nine Palaces Sword. Although it is a sword technique, its main focus is on cultivating internal energy and strengthening the internal organs. Its techniques are comparable to Pure Yang Strength and Toad Fishing Strength. When wielding the sword, he uses his breath to drive his movements. He swallows the entire movement in one breath, making his body move like a swimming dragon. The sword light flashes, and with each thrust and parry, killing someone is as simple as eating and drinking.
Given the sharpness of swords and other weapons, they are certainly several times more powerful than fists. The power of divine weapons is incomparable to that of the human body; a single thrust or pull can take a life. No matter what kind of Iron Shirt, Hemp Armor, or Thunderous Tendon and Bone Technique you possess, you'll be guaranteed a hole and a line of blood.
Nine out of ten people would lose if they fought bare-handed against powerful weapons, and they could even fight opponents of higher levels.
However, those who practice martial arts have easier control over their bodies, reaching a level where they can manipulate qi and blood, breaking through the limits of the human body—something those who practice swordsmanship cannot achieve. One serves only the purpose of fighting and killing, while the other strives to break through to a higher level of life; the difference in their abilities is immediately apparent.
Everything in time has its advantages and disadvantages!
Suddenly, Jiang Hai charged forward, his longsword about to be drawn. His body seemed to spin in a circle, yet his steps remained square. Jiang Liu possessed the true teachings of the Yi Family Bagua, so this footwork was naturally very familiar to him—it was indeed the Bagua Step, but with some subtle variations. The Nine Palaces Sword Step was originally the precursor to the Bagua Step; Dong Haichuan's master was a reclusive Taoist priest. Undoubtedly, his movements were fast, but still somewhat inferior to Yong Xiaohu's tiger-shaped pounce attack.
The tiger-shaped pounce attack covered a distance of 39 meters in an instant, a deadly move. Jiang Hai used his Bagua footwork and dodged rapidly, but it was too late.
Having dodged Yong Xiaohu's attack, Jiang Liu's strength had greatly increased, so he was naturally no longer afraid of Jiang Hai's Bagua Steps. His blood and qi surged, his dantian bulged, and the intent of the Turtle-Snake Coil suddenly appeared. The Turtle-Snake's movements were as still as a virgin and as swift as a rabbit; with this movement, he pounced like lightning, his entire body shooting out like a cannonball, arriving before Jiang Hai in the blink of an eye.
This movement was even faster than Yong Xiaohu's tiger pounce, possessing both the spirit of a tiger pounce and the dynamic energy of a tortoise and snake.
If it were to take Jiang Hai's life, this one move would be enough to kill him with a single blow. But Jiang Liu simply raised one hand and pressed it against the other's wrist. With a spiraling, winding force, the half-open sword in Jiang Hai's hand suddenly returned to its sheath with a "whoosh".
Jiang Liu followed up with a Tai Chi push, a spiraling force surged forth, and in the blink of an eye, he snatched Jiang Hai's sword, while Jiang Hai was thrown three zhang away.
In a flash, he snatched the sword and threw the man aside, leaving Yan Qing, who was watching from the sidelines, utterly astonished. She had thought that no matter how powerful Jiang Liu was, Jiang Hai should be able to fight him for several rounds with his sword even when he was unarmed.
But it turned out to be so simple; the outcome was decided in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Liu stroked the scabbard, its surface covered in fine scales made of sharkskin, giving it an ancient feel. Then, with a "whoosh," he drew the sword.
"Clang!"
The sword hummed, like a dragon's roar. Under the moonlight, a shimmering blue light flashed, and a chilling aura emanated from it. The blade was pure blue, adorned with delicate cloud patterns. Jiang Liu touched it with his fingers, and his skin trembled from the prickling sensation.
"Turtle-Snake Sword! What a fine sword! It's already reached the superior grade of a mortal weapon!"
Jiang Liu stroked the two ancient seal script inscriptions on the sword. He had been practicing Taoism for more than ten years and had read all the Taoist classics. He could even read ancient seal script.
"Whoosh!"
The sword was immediately planted beside Jiang Hai, and he said, "Try it with your sword!"
"I can't even draw my sword? I can't even draw my sword?" Jiang Hai's mind was completely blank.
Jiang Liu snorted coldly and said, "I have already crossed the threshold of the Core Formation stage, so naturally you are no match for me! There are only a handful of people in this world who can fight me, so what are you so upset about!"
"Embracing the Core Formation? Aren't you just at the Transformation Realm?" Not only Jiang Hai was surprised, but Yan Qing, who was not far away, was also surprised. Then she took out her phone and dialed a number.
“That’s because your information sources are outdated. A person should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation. When fighting someone, you can’t just look at their past.” Jiang Liu then turned to Yan Qing and said, “Tell Zhou Liang that my value has increased. As for the price, he can decide for himself!”
"Alright, a bet's a bet. I'll show you how to sword dance! Watch closely!"
Jiang Hai gripped the sword, then flicked it, producing a clear and melodious sound, like water gushing out of a silver bottle!
"Indeed, excellent swordsmanship! Even a master at the Core Formation stage would have to be careful."
Jiang Liu had just learned the "Secret Manual of Wudang Turtle and Snake Sword" and naturally understood some of the killing techniques in swordsmanship. After watching Jiang Hai's sword dance, he gained some insights.
Holding a tree branch, he began to dance.
The Thirteen Postures of Swordsmanship—drawing, guiding, parrying, striking, thrusting, pointing, collapsing, stirring, washing, pressing, and chopping—are the foundation of swordsmanship, and no swordsmanship can be separated from the variations of these thirteen postures.
Moreover, the techniques of applying force in swordsmanship are similar to those in fist fighting! Master one technique, and you'll master all techniques!
Jiang Liu's divine sense covered Jiang Hai's body, and he pointed at him with a withered branch, making the same movements as Jiang Hai.
At that moment, Yan Qing produced a sword from somewhere and threw it over, scabbard and all: "Catch this!"
With a clang, the iron sword was drawn. Jiang Liu, with the sword in hand, became increasingly skilled with the Nine Palaces Sword.
Jiang Hai watched as his swordplay became increasingly impressive, his brows furrowing deeply. He said, "You've practiced swordsmanship? And Wudang Nine Palaces Sword at that! No, no, you've never practiced swordsmanship. You're not even proficient in many of the basic sword techniques. Could it be... could it be that you learned it on the spot? Impossible, how could that be? I've been practicing swordsmanship for fifteen years, never without my sword since I was six, practicing for more than ten hours a day, wearing out over a thousand steel swords, before I developed this deadly swordsmanship. How could you possibly learn it after watching me just once!"
"Take this!" Jiang Liu roared and thrust out his sword, using the "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun" move from the Nine Palaces Sword.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Wudang Fist and Sword (Part Two)
"Take this!"
Jiang Liu thrust his sword forward, using the "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun" move from the Nine Palaces Sword.
This move is as fast as lightning, like a dragon emerging from the water. In the movement, the hands divide into yin and yang, the body contains the eight trigrams, and the steps tread the nine palaces. It is like a swimming dragon, like a white rainbow. It has already reached eight or nine parts of the Taoist skill of Jiang Hai.
Jiang Hai's eyes lit up, and at the same time he turned his sword. In that instant, he suddenly dodged to the side, twisted his waist, took a short step, and with a flash of sword light, the Turtle-Snake Sword flew out from behind him. His whole body seemed to be attached to the sword, and in an instant, he changed from holding it with one hand to holding it with both hands. He only touched the sword once, without even making a sound, and the steel sword in Jiang Liu's hand was cut in two.
Chop the sword!
Lift up, flip over, and chop!
After severing the steel sword from Jiang Liu's hand, Jiang Hai's expression remained calm and composed, showing no change whatsoever. It seemed this strike was entirely within his expectations. He took a step forward, but without pausing, thrusting the sword tip forward and advancing swiftly, accurately aiming for Jiang Liu's throat.
Jiang Liu smiled, took a step back, and fine cracks appeared all over the cement ground. He was propelled backward by the force of the step, as if he were teleporting. In the midst of this teleportation, he flashed away, escaping Jiang Hai's attack range.
"It seems you really are learning by stealing my skills!"
Jiang Hai sheathed the Turtle-Snake Sword and then said, "I cannot pass on the true teachings of the Wudang Nine Palaces Sword without my master's permission, not even if you try to learn them by stealing them."
"So you're going to back out?" Jiang Liu raised his eyes, his gaze cold and ruthless.
Not wanting to kill doesn't mean he's afraid to kill. Following his heart is his principle. Even Wu Wenhui, the "King of Beheadings," took half a billion of his wealth before he would fight Yong Xiaohu, even when Wu Wenhui displeased him.
The victor is king, the loser is villain; Jiang Liu has already been very lenient with him. The challenge was Jiang Liu's idea; he merely added a wager and didn't harm Jiang Liu in the slightest. A wager must be honored. If just anyone could act so arrogantly in front of him, he might as well become a Buddhist monk or a Bodhisattva. Since Jiang Hai has made things difficult for him, he'll make things difficult for him first; that way, his own mind will be at peace.
The ways of Heaven are ever-changing, and the river flows according to its own will. Living according to one's own will, slaying demons and monsters is permissible, as is killing and arson. As long as one's mind is clear, anything is permissible!
You can choose not to be a ruthless tyrant who says, "I'll leave and the world will be flooded," or you can choose to be a wicked and evil person who will stop at nothing to conquer the world, or you can choose to be a saintly figure who saves the world and delivers all living beings...
Everything depends on one's own heart!
Looking into Jiang Liu's eyes, Jiang Hai sensed a deep killing intent, something that hadn't appeared during their earlier exchange. When Jiang Liu's gaze fell upon him, Jiang Hai felt goosebumps rise on his skin, as if a sword were about to pierce his heart.
Seeing Yan Qing constantly giving him meaningful glances, Jiang Hai gritted his teeth and said, "I can't pass on the secrets of the Nine Palaces Sword, but I can demonstrate the basic sword techniques one by one. You'll see how much you can learn!"
As he spoke, he continuously changed his grip on the Tortoise-Snake Sword, displaying eight different ways of holding the sword before saying, "There are eight ways to hold a sword: Yin grip, Yang grip, Shun grip, Ni grip, Nei grip, Wai grip, Lie grip, and Pincer grip. Among them, the Lie grip is the only one that can be held with both hands. In Japanese Kendo, the two-handed grip is just one Lie grip; the variations are too simple, leaving too many openings when thrusting at someone."
Then, he demonstrated the thirteen stances of swordsmanship one by one. Jiang Liu used his divine sense to comprehend them and mastered all the techniques.
Jiang Hai had been practicing swordsmanship for three or four hours and was already exhausted, while Jiang Liu was full of energy, even though he hadn't had a proper rest for two days. However, he had been using meditation instead of sleep for ten years in the Journey to the West world, and was already used to it.
Having gained over a decade's worth of insights into swordsmanship from Jiang Hai, Jiang Liu finally felt at peace. Without taking a break, he immediately picked up the "Secret Manual of Wudang Tortoise and Snake Swordsmanship" and began studying it again.
Within his sea of consciousness, the information on basic sword techniques had reached a level of "consummate skill." When he looked at the Turtle and Snake Sword Manual again, many things that were previously difficult to understand became clear one by one.
Then, with a thrust, a flick, a slash… slowly, a set of Tortoise-Snake Swordplay was executed. The movements of the tortoise and snake, the sword intent of the tortoise and snake as one, were perfectly conveyed. Legend has it that Taoist priests of the Wudang School practiced qi cultivation on the mountain, observing tortoises and snakes, and based on the stillness and movement of these two animals, they created their own figurative boxing and swordplay. Even the statue of Zhenwu the Great enshrined in Wudang is a deity depicted as a tortoise and snake intertwined.
"This sword technique is indeed quite skillful, but unfortunately, it is ultimately just a mortal's martial arts move, unable to escape the essence of martial arts. Even if one cultivates it to the point of oneness with heaven and man, it is still just a hand-to-hand combat sword technique! Although cultivation is the foundation, no matter how high one's cultivation is, it is useless without offensive methods. Only by combining the two can one unleash true power. The same goes for fist techniques! However, it is already quite good to have mastered the basics of sword techniques, and to have also comprehended a fist-sword and finger-sword attack technique, adding a few more variations to one's fighting style!"
Jiang Hai and Yan Qing had already fallen asleep, so Jiang Liu stood in the courtyard, adopting a coiled-up posture resembling a tortoise and snake.
An ancient text says: "The moon hides the jade rabbit, the sun hides the crow, and the tortoise and snake intertwine. Intertwined, their life is strong, and they can even grow a golden lotus in fire."
The true form of the True Martial Emperor is the Black Tortoise, a creature entwined with a tortoise and a snake. Jiang Liu's posture possesses a certain Black Tortoise-like quality. If he were to coordinate with his vital energy and gather it all into his dantian, he could even conjure up an illusion of a tortoise and a snake. Unfortunately, his curse has not yet been lifted, and he cannot mobilize any vital energy.
This sudden coiling of the tortoise and snake not only concentrated the center of gravity in the dantian, but also caused all the essence, energy, and spirit to shrink inward in an instant. It was as if, in the instant of sitting and embracing, one's entire being truly shrunk into a tiny speck of dust, so fine that it was almost nonexistent.
This tortoise-snake coiled up until sunrise, swallowing the rising sun's energy into its belly, as if a golden elixir was rolling in its throat before settling into its dantian.
"I have already stepped into the threshold of Dan Jin. In the terminology of Dan Dao, this realm means that I have formed the Golden Core. I gather all my mind, intention, form, essence, qi, and spirit into one place. I am like an ordinary person in normal times. Only when I make a move do I unleash my true power. This is called Embracing the Core!"
"The curse is gradually collapsing under the impact of the mind, will, form, essence, energy, and spirit. It seems that it won't be long before the vital energy is restored!"
Jiang Liu performed a set of Tai Chi under the morning sun, moving slowly like an old man stretching his muscles in a park, showing no sign that he was a grandmaster of Dan Jin martial arts.
Like monsters in novels, when they first transform into human form, they are definitely full of demonic energy. But as their cultivation level increases, their demonic energy is hidden. Only when they devour people do they reveal their true form and show their demonic energy.
Even when those top-tier demons are devouring people, they don't exude any demonic aura; they're like monkeys who have attained Buddhahood. At that point, the demon is Buddha, and Buddha is demon.
Jiang Liu's boxing skills had reached this level: when he didn't make a move, everything was calm and still, but when he did, the earth shook and the sky and earth changed color.
Chapter Thirty-Three: Wang Chao
"...If any of you masters and instructors feel you want to test my skills further, you are welcome to spar with me anytime in the future, or you can send your apprentices to spar with me. I will accept all requests."
Jiang Liu stood outside the Yiquan gym, listening to a young man speaking inside. His voice was powerful and arrogant. A group of men and women in uniforms had gathered at the entrance, clearly members of the National Security Bureau and other departments who had come to see what was happening.
“I have no interest in keeping your and your partner’s files. What happened today was indeed a personal matter, but I can still distinguish between public and private matters.” This was Ma Huajun’s voice.
He is the director of the 18th Division of the State Security Bureau. Wang Chao killed Du Guochao, the top officer of the State Security Bureau, and is currently under investigation. His file is with the State Security Bureau.
"If Jiang Liu were here, you wouldn't have a place to act so recklessly!" someone said.
“Jiang Liu is Jiang Liu, and we are us… It’s the young people’s world now, we’re old! Master Wang, don’t be so pushy. Maybe when you reach our age, our apprentices will ask you to spar with them.” Wang Lianyun’s voice came over.
"I'll be waiting!" The young man was arrogant and didn't take the seven or eight boxers in front of him seriously.
"Jiang Liu?! You've arrived."
As the river flowed slowly in, everyone turned their gaze toward it, including Wang Chao.
Wang Chao looked at Jiang Liu, and Jiang Liu was also sizing up Wang Chao; this was their first meeting. Jiang Liu secretly praised him in his heart: "This is Wang Chao? What a chosen one! Truly a peerless genius, a devoted child obsessed with martial arts!"
Jiang Liu secretly compared himself to him and couldn't help but feel inferior. If he hadn't spent more than ten years in the Journey to the West world constantly cleansing his body with spiritual energy, refining his form day and night, he would never have been able to master such a profound fist technique in such a short time.
Wang Chao, an ordinary middle school student, by chance encountered Tang Zichen, who was practicing martial arts in the park, and studied under her for less than a year. After Tang Zichen left, he practiced martial arts on his own and became a martial artist at the peak of Ming Jin (明劲). Under the guidance of Li Jinshu, a senior Baguaquan (八卦拳) master and veteran Red Army soldier, he retraced the Long March, cultivating a martial arts spirit of "a heart as pure as a child and a will as strong as steel." Later, through continuous life-and-death trials, he further comprehended the martial arts spirit of "dragons fighting in the wild, their blood black and yellow."
Fifteen years of life-and-death trials, 107 martial arts competitions, guidance from 87 people, enlightenment from mountains, water, sun, and moon, finally reaching the ultimate evolutionary realm and the pinnacle of the human body.
If one takes another step forward, it is to enter the Dao through martial arts and reach the realm of refining essence into qi.
The chosen one, the chosen one of the planes! Although his military uniform was shattered in the fight, making him look almost like a beggar, and his shoes were all broken, leaving him barefoot and looking quite disheveled, his spirit and energy were highly concentrated, almost soaring into the sky.
Wang Chao was also watching Jiang Liu, his mind churning with turmoil. In his perception, Jiang Liu seemed like an utterly ordinary person, showing no sign of practicing martial arts whatsoever. But that was impossible. He had learned about Jiang Liu through many channels; he couldn't possibly be just an ordinary person.
The most recent call was from Zhao Xinglong, who said that Jiang Liu had been practicing boxing in the sea all day while holding a large ball of lead and mercury, and that he had arrived riding the waves at dawn.
Wang Chao had witnessed Tang Zichen's ability to walk on water up to her knees; that was the strength of a peak-level Transformation Realm expert.
These directors of the State Security Bureau, instructors of the Central Guard, and instructors of the Armed Police Headquarters seemed to follow his lead without question.
At the peak of the Transformation Realm, the next step is the Core Formation Realm. Wang Chao already understood that there was only one possibility for why he couldn't sense Jiang Liu's strength: Jiang Liu's strength had already exceeded his perception, reaching the Core Formation Realm where one could control their Qi and blood with their will.
"You injured my friend!" Jiang Liu said calmly.
Wang Chao frowned, his expression changing slightly, but he remained unfazed and said, "In martial arts sparring, injuries are inevitable!"