He stepped forward, picked up a sword from the table, and with a clang, drew it. Li Ling flicked it, and a soft hum resounded.
He placed his index finger on the blade, and a white mark appeared on his finger. Feeling the sharpness of the blade, Li Ling believed that if it weren't for his powerful body forged by the perfected Dragon Roar Iron Shirt technique, an ordinary person would have a deep cut just from lightly touching this sword.
Li Ling placed the sword back in its original position and praised, "A fine sword."
This was Li Ling's first time visiting the Sword Repository. His previous sword had been brought to him by his grandfather, Yi Yun, through a guard. It seemed that his grandfather was now training him to gradually take over the Famous Sword Manor, Li Ling thought to himself.
Yi Yun nodded, maneuvered his wheelchair to the vase placed to the side, reached out and twisted the vase, turning it twice to the left and three times to the right. With a hissing sound of gears sliding, the wooden cabinet in front of him, which contained many swords, moved backward, revealing a secret passage behind the cabinet.
Li Ling looked at the secret passage with slight surprise, thinking it must be some kind of ancient mechanical device.
"Feng'er, come here." Yi Yun, sitting in a wheelchair, waved to Li Ling.
Li Ling stepped forward and pushed Yi Yun into the secret passage.
Upon entering the secret passage, Yi Yun slapped the wall to the side, and the wooden cabinet behind him returned to its original position. Li Ling looked closely and saw that there was a slightly raised button on the wall, which was probably where the mechanism was controlled.
At the same time, as the wooden cabinet closed, oil lamps on the wall lit up, illuminating the secret passage. Watching this amazing scene, Li Ling couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the ancients, which was truly remarkable and ingeniously designed.
Pushing Yi Yun forward, through the secret passage, after a turn, a spacious secret room suddenly appeared ahead.
Under the lamplight, rows of swords were laid out, far fewer in number than those hidden outside the secret chamber. Li Ling estimated that there were only a few dozen, but the scabbards of these swords were even more exquisitely crafted.
These swords must be superior to any swords found outside. (Wish Stars of All Realms)
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Chapter 146 Many Treasures of Swords
Yi Yun pointed to the swords in front of him and introduced them: "Feng'er, there are a total of seventy-two swords here, just like the five hundred and twenty-eight swords outside. Among them, twenty-four swords were forged by the top swordsmiths of our Famous Sword Manor over the past hundred years with painstaking effort."
The remaining forty-eight swords were collected by our ancestors of the Famous Sword Manor over generations; each one was owned by a renowned master in the martial arts world at the time.
As he spoke, Yi Yun pushed his wheelchair forward and took a sword. The sword's hilt was a deep green with exquisite carvings, clearly the work of a master craftsman.
With a 'clang,' the sword was drawn, and the moment it left its sheath, the entire secret chamber seemed to brighten a little.
Yi Yun said in a deep voice, "This sword was the personal sword of Dugu Yun, a renowned swordsman from twenty years ago. Dugu Yun was a master of the Innate Realm who had made a name for himself at the time."
Looking at the exquisite and sharp sword, Li Ling asked, "Grandpa, this sword is now here at our Famous Sword Manor. Does this mean that Senior Dugu Yun has already passed away?"
Yi Yun nodded slightly and said, "That's right. Twenty years ago, the Carefree King of the Western Regions challenged the major figures of the Central Plains, and Dugu Yun died at the hands of the Carefree King."
As he spoke, Yi Yun sighed and touched his crippled legs, saying, "Grandpa was also on the list of those challenged by the Carefree King. When Dugu Yun died, Grandpa was watching from the sidelines. After Dugu Yun died, Grandpa buried him, and this precious sword fell into Grandpa's hands."
Li Ling certainly knew about the Carefree King, and he also knew that Yi Yun's leg disability was caused by fighting with the Carefree King, but he couldn't show it. Yi Jifeng was unaware of this information.
Li Ling asked, "Grandpa, in this competition, who won and who lost between you and the Carefree Prince?"
Yi Yun pointed to his crippled legs and said, "At that time, both Grandpa and Xiaoyao Wang were at the Innate Grandmaster level. Grandpa fought them for seven hours, and both of us were injured."
However, Grandpa was several decades older than Prince Xiaoyao, and before the battle, he had been entangled by Prince Xiaoyao's Silver Guards for seven days and seven nights. Grandpa's physical exertion was far greater than Prince Xiaoyao's.
In the end, the duel appeared to be a draw, but after this decisive battle, my legs were crippled, while the Carefree King, though injured, would recover after a period of rest.
At this point, Yi Yun's tone became low: "To be honest, compared to the Carefree King, Grandpa is still a step behind."
Seeing Yi Yun's downcast expression, Li Ling couldn't help but comfort him, "The Prince of Xiaoyao only had the advantage of being young and having the Silver Guards to delay him. Why should Grandpa belittle himself?"
Yi Yun shook his head and said, "Feng'er, there's no need to comfort Grandpa. Grandpa has lived to such an old age, he can still accept these blows."
Speaking of which, the Carefree Prince was also a martial arts prodigy, reaching the Innate Grandmaster realm at a young age. If he were truly of the same generation as my grandfather, his martial arts skills would likely surpass his grandfather's by a great deal.
Li Ling nodded slightly. He had watched the TV series and knew that Xiaoyao Wang was the big boss in the series. As the biggest villain, his martial arts skills were quite high, only slightly lower than Zhang Sanfeng in the later part of the series.
Yi Yun continued, "Unfortunately, the Carefree King is wicked and has harmed the martial arts world of the Central Plains. In the current martial arts world, apart from the Holy Monk, I think no one is his match."
Now, more than twenty years have passed, and it's likely that the Carefree King's martial arts have improved even further. I wonder if he has now reached the level of a 'Grandmaster of the Innate Realm'. If he has truly reached the Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, then the martial arts world of the Central Plains is in grave danger.
The Holy Monk, born in Shaolin Temple, possessed the Yi Jin Jing martial arts skills and was known as the most skilled martial artist in the Central Plains martial arts world decades ago, along with Yi Yun.
Li Ling said, "Grandpa, why worry? Talented people emerge in every generation of the martial world. There are many talented people in the Central Plains martial world, and there must be someone who can rival the Carefree King. Moreover, I believe that it won't be long before I can reach the Innate Realm."
Yi Yun had explained the division of martial arts realms to Yi Jifeng, so it's not surprising that Li Ling is now mentioning the Innate Realm.
Yi Yun nodded with satisfaction and smiled, "I have confidence in your talent, Feng'er. The revitalization of our Famous Sword Manor depends on you."
Li Ling made a resounding promise: "It is my duty as your grandson."
Then Li Ling asked, "Grandpa, how does one reach the realms of Innate Grandmaster and Innate Great Grandmaster?"
Yi Yun pondered for a moment, then explained, "Feng'er, you must have read the notes of our Mingjian Villa's ancestors and know that the Innate Realm requires comprehending the power of heaven and earth. This power of heaven and earth is also called the intent of heaven and earth. As the saying goes, a sword has its sword intent, and a fist has its fist intent."
The essence of heaven and earth is the outward manifestation of the Great Dao of heaven and earth. The mysteries of heaven and earth are difficult to comprehend; the essence of the Great Dao is ineffable and cannot be described, it can only be understood intuitively. Without reaching a certain level of spiritual attainment, one cannot experience its profound mysteries.
At this point, Yi Yun shook his head and said, "Feng'er, you should focus on accumulating internal energy to break through to the Innate Realm. Once you reach the Innate Realm, then think about becoming an Innate Grandmaster. Knowing too much now will only increase your troubles and easily create 'knowledge barriers,' which will hinder your martial arts breakthrough."
Li Ling nodded. Sometimes, knowing too much without having the corresponding strength can lead to unrealistic ambitions and slow down one's progress in martial arts.
Seeing that Li Ling had heeded his advice, Yi Yun smiled with satisfaction, put the sword in his hand away, and said, "Feng'er, later you can choose one of these seventy-two swords that you like and put your original sword back in the sword storage room outside."
"yes."
Li Ling was pleased, for the swords in this secret chamber were a level above those outside. He scanned the swords displayed there, deciding which one to choose as his personal sword.
Yi Yun then said, "Feng'er, don't rush. You can choose slowly after you're done with your business. Now come with me."
Li Ling immediately composed himself. This time, his grandfather was going to teach him the "Ten Forms of Heavenly Sword" sword technique. He would choose a sword after he learned the technique.