"brush!"
In an instant, the entire longsword transformed into thousands of arrows, and sword shadows streaked across the sky, completely covering the top of Li Ling's head.
In just a moment, all the fallen leaves had reached the ground.
If someone observes closely, they will notice that each fallen leaf had been pierced with a small hole.
"The sword strikes are like rain, and the two moves of the 'Heavenly Sword Ten Forms' Water Flow Sword Technique have only been fully mastered today."
Li Ling glanced casually at a large tree nearby, then flicked his longsword, which shot out like lightning.
"puff!"
A wave-like sword aura emanated from the tip of the sword, piercing and killing a caterpillar on the trunk of a large tree from a distance of more than ten meters. However, the tree bark remained completely unscathed.
Clearly, the sword energy stopped the instant it killed the caterpillar; it didn't even touch the bark.
Such precise control over sword energy would likely astound even Grandpa Yi Yun and the others. In their eyes, this level of swordsmanship had reached the point where the sword moved as one with the mind, and the sword and the man were one.
However, in Li Ling's eyes, this was nothing.
"It's true that it takes a lifetime to practice swordsmanship. This sword technique is indeed very difficult! The so-called unity of man and sword is just the foundation of a master swordsman. Once you enter the Innate Realm, most masters can achieve the state of 'unity of man and weapon' where the weapon in their hand is one with themselves."
What's truly rare is the understanding of the essence of heaven and earth after reaching the Innate Realm, which evolves into techniques imbued with the power of heaven and earth.
"In the martial arts world, many martial artists lose their lineage after reaching the Innate Realm and can only create their own martial arts moves. However, my ancestors of the Famous Sword Manor left behind a complete lineage."
The basic sword technique, "Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword," consists of ten sword moves that embody the essence of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The move Li Ling just demonstrated was one of the water-element sword moves.
Water-based swordsmanship can be both forceful and gentle.
The highest virtue is like water, representing the softness of water and its adaptability to external circumstances; while water can also wear away stone by dripping, representing its strength and power.
At Li Ling's current level, his swordsmanship is no longer bound by fixed moves; he pursues the essence of heaven and earth.
Regardless of the martial art, whether it's the Twelve Forms of the Dragon, Xingyi Quan, Shadowless Leg, Tai Chi, etc., at the peak, they all emphasize the artistic conception. When the artistic conception is right, every punch and every kick has immense power.
The same applies to swordsmanship. In "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," Zhang Sanfeng taught Zhang Wuji the Tai Chi Sword, requiring him to forget the sword techniques and only remember the essence of Tai Chi. What Li Ling needs to learn is the Five Elements Sword Intent contained in the "Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword."
The Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword contain the sword intent of the Five Elements, and each sword intent has two moves.
Mastering the ten moves of the Heavenly Sword Ten Styles, which contain profound meaning, is extremely difficult. It took Li Ling three whole years to achieve perfect mastery of these ten sword moves.
It can be said that for three whole years, apart from accumulating internal energy, Li Ling practiced these ten sword techniques. This was only because he was already a master of the Dragon Roar Iron Shirt technique and possessed mental power.
Li Ling pondered in his heart: "Metal is indestructible; water is both strong and gentle; wood is resilient and full of vitality; fire is explosive and has powerful attack power; earth is inclusive and has invincible defense."
These Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword are merely basic sword techniques, containing little profound meaning or artistic conception. Now that you've mastered the Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword, it's time to practice the more advanced Eight Forms of Famous Swords.
Then Li Ling turned and headed towards the manor. It was time to ask his grandfather about the 'Eight Styles of Famous Swordsmanship'.
...
In the basement of the Famous Sword Manor, where eight famous swords are kept, Li Ling and Yi Yunxian stood facing each other.
Yi Yun said to Li Ling, "Feng'er, you have now mastered the 'Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword' and are now able to begin learning the 'Eight Forms of Famous Sword,' the supreme sword manual of my Famous Sword Manor."
Li Ling respectfully agreed and asked, "Grandpa, I want to know the path after the Innate Realm."
Looking at Li Ling's still somewhat immature face and feeling the steady aura emanating from him, Yi Yun's aged face was filled with satisfaction. He smiled and said, "Feng'er, after the Innate Realm comes the 'Innate Grandmaster' and 'Innate Great Grandmaster' realms."
"After you learn the 'Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword' from our Famous Sword Manor, you should know that once you reach the Innate Realm, you must begin to feel the essence of heaven and earth."
Li Ling nodded and said, "Yes, Grandpa, our Heavenly Sword Ten Forms are moves that contain the essence of the five elements of heaven and earth."
“Yes.” Yi Yun said slowly, “At the Innate Realm, one comprehends the essence of heaven and earth, and then creates corresponding moves based on that comprehended essence.”
"My Famous Sword Manor's 'Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword' and 'Eight Forms of Famous Sword' are moves created by our ancestors, imbued with the essence of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements."
"This is the foundation of my Famous Sword Manor. Most martial artists in the martial world lose their lineage after reaching the Innate Realm. Some have no idea about the path ahead, while others are exceptionally talented and can touch the essence of heaven and earth."
However, for them to break through to a higher realm, they must first comprehend the essence of heaven and earth themselves. My ancestors at the Famous Sword Manor, however, had already left behind a path to an even higher level.
Li Ling was also filled with admiration. Other martial artists might never reach such a level in their entire lives, but the ancestors of the Famous Sword Manor had left behind a higher level of cultivation techniques. As long as one followed the path of the sword techniques left by the ancestors, one could steadily improve, making them much luckier than the vast majority of martial artists in the martial world.
Li Ling asked, "Grandpa, how exactly do one achieve the titles of 'Innate Grandmaster' and 'Innate Great Grandmaster'?"
Yi Yun said, "Based on their different levels of mastery of the essence of heaven and earth, innate masters are divided into the Innate True Qi Realm, the Innate True Yuan Realm, the Innate Grandmaster, and the Innate Great Grandmaster."
Li Ling astutely grasped the key point: "How are the levels of artistic conception in the universe divided?"
Yi Yun nodded and said, "The concept of heaven and earth is divided into three realms. The sword technique of the Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword contains the first realm of the concept of heaven and earth with the five elements. This first realm belongs to the sword technique of martial artists in the innate true essence realm."
Ordinary martial artists who break through to the Innate Realm only achieve the Innate level in terms of internal strength and physical constitution. At this point, the Innate Qi within their bodies is loose. Only after they comprehend the first level of the Heaven and Earth Intent, when the power of Heaven and Earth feedbacks back to them, can their Innate Qi become condensed and profound, condensing into liquid, and the Innate True Qi is refined into Innate True Essence.
Yi Yun's gaze was profound. "What is the essence of heaven and earth? Essence is another way of describing the power of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Whether it is wind, rain, lightning, volcanic eruption, or flash flood, these are all the power of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and they are all the essence of heaven and earth."
Between heaven and earth lie numerous great principles such as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. The advancement of a martial artist's realm involves continuously sensing the power of some of these great principles and comprehending a trace of the underlying principles governing the universe.
"The first level of the three realms of heaven and earth is the state of 'knowing what but not why'. It can apply a trace of the power of heaven and earth, but it can only apply it and does not know the essence of this trace of heaven and earth."
"The second level of understanding involves touching upon the essence of this power of heaven and earth, comprehending the principle, but it is merely knowing it."
"The third level of understanding is the state of knowing the principle and being able to apply it, perfectly mastering this power of heaven and earth."
Yi Yun concluded, "The saying, 'Seeing mountains as mountains, seeing water as water; seeing mountains not as mountains, seeing water not as water; seeing mountains as mountains again, seeing water as water again,' perfectly encapsulates this triple realm of existence." (Wish Star of All Heavens and Myriad Realms)
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