Chapter 43

As the heavy rain poured down, Feng Xiaozong was in the midst of an uneasy discussion. Within the dense forest, however, a slender figure stood before a dozen charred corpses.

It seemed to be a woman, her form ethereal and misty. Her face was delicate, and her star-like eyes were filled with keen interest as she observed her surroundings.

The corpses were completely burned, and apart from some wounds, there was little to discern from them.

However, the outline of the ritual platform was still visible, and the broken branches and fallen leaves around it testified to a fierce battle that had taken place here.

It was evident that whoever had dealt with the traces here and the corpses had not truly put in much effort.

The woman’s gaze, however, remained fixed on a medium-sized corpse. Her eyes sparkled with a faint smile.

"It seems like a soul-severing strike, yet it’s not quite that. Is this a deliberate ruse? Interesting, this time out, I’ve truly seen something intriguing."

The young woman laughed for a moment, then tilted her head, her face full of curiosity and bewilderment.

"It seems to be a先天级 (Xiantian-level) expert, yet it also seems like someone who has just entered the realm of inner breath. Who could this person be—"

※※※※

In the galloping carriage, Zong Shou suddenly sneezed, feeling a chill run through his body, causing him to frown deeply.

Usually, when he had this feeling, it often meant an ominous omen, indicating that something bad was about to happen.

"Could it be that my earlier arrangements have backfired?"

After a moment of deep thought, Zong Shou negated this judgment. The 'Xiantian expert' he had fabricated using the corpses and the scene was meant to scare those people, and if it didn’t, it didn’t matter.

Shaking his head, Zong Shou continued to focus on the task at hand. In front of him was a yellow talisman, with blood-red lines drawn on it, resembling gibberish.

But if one looked closely, they would notice that these lines were strikingly similar to the last character '运' (Yun) of the twelve Heavenly Talismans on Mount Tianfu, to about seventy percent.

However, these strokes were crooked and uneven, worse than those of a three-year-old child.

Zong Shou’s delicate eyebrows were also curved, his eyes filled with surprise.

"This Heavenly Talisman seed can actually help me draw the Heavenly Talisman—"

The talisman had not been successfully completed, failing at the final step. However, in Zong Shou’s feeling, the reason for his failure should have been merely a lack of a bit of soul power.

Without hesitation, Zong Shou took out all the beast soul stones and the sealed hawk.

However, before that, there was something else that needed his attention.

"Wrong! When you step, lean your body another half-inch to the left! Raise your right arm another three inches—"

Beside Zong Shou, Su Chuxue was practicing sword techniques, repeatedly performing a few simple stances. Upon hearing Zong Shou’s words, her movements paused, and her lips curled slightly in dissatisfaction.

"Master, you didn’t even look! How do you know I was wrong?"

Zong Shou didn’t even lift his head, calmly laying out a talisman paper.

"Nonsense! A martial artist must observe in all directions and listen to all sides. If I say you’re wrong, you’re wrong! You were the one who asked to learn sword skills from me, and now you’re not listening to your master?"

Chuxue’s breath caught, and she puffed out her chest. "Then why should this sword strike be tilted half an inch, and the right arm raised three inches? What sword principle is this based on? It’s just a simple 'Pointing the Way of the Immortal,' and everyone practices it this way!"

Zong Shou sighed lightly. He knew this little cat wouldn’t easily back down.

Putting down the brush, he picked up an ordinary fine steel sword and smiled slightly.

"Then watch carefully!"

As Chuxue’s expression turned solemn and alert, Zong Shou’s figure suddenly moved. From stillness to motion, with one step, the sword light already came at an angle.

The movement was almost identical to hers, but with just a slight adjustment, it added a mysterious charm. It was as if a strong wind was blowing, and the sword light broke through the limits of human power, emitting a sharp whistle as it reached her.

The pale green sword reflected several beams of light, blinding her eyes, making it impossible to see the sword’s trajectory clearly.

With a sharp 'clang,' Chuxue retreated several steps. Her face turned as white as paper, and she stared at Zong Shou with lingering fear.

At the last moment, she finally blocked the sword. However, the immense force from the sword made it almost impossible for her to hold it. Her right hand, which held the sword, was still trembling.

If Zong Shou’s inner breath had been stronger and the sword speed a bit faster, that strike could have taken her life!

"Is this really 'Pointing the Way of the Immortal'? Master, you didn’t deceive me?"

Recalling every movement Zong Shou had made, it took Chuxue a while to confirm that the previous strike was indeed 'Pointing the Way of the Immortal.' Her pale face immediately turned red.

"Could this be a lie?"

For some reason, Zong Shou’s expression also changed, and his gaze towards Chuxue was extremely strange. However, he quickly calmed down.

"Do you understand? A slight change in posture can mean a difference in the force applied, and the speed of the sword can increase or decrease accordingly. However, sword techniques are not static. Wind speed, terrain, and even light can all be utilized!"

Chuxue nodded, somewhat understanding but still a bit confused. Her eyes sparkled with admiration and respect for Zong Shou.

Zong Shou smiled inwardly. This sword technique, in this era, was called 'Pointing the Way of the Immortal,' and it had many other names. However, after ten thousand years, it was uniformly known as 'Small Step Oblique Thrust.'

After ten thousand years of time, countless martial artists had verified and summarized, combining human mechanics, and continuously improved this technique, surpassing the so-called 'Pointing the Way of the Immortal' by a great deal.

In terms of sword principles, it far exceeded the techniques of this era, more than enough to impress this little girl.

However, Zong Shou’s face showed no sign of this, and he maintained a stern expression. "Do you understand? Then practice the sword as I told you!"

Chuxue immediately picked up the sword again, practicing 'Pointing the Way of the Immortal' according to Zong Shou’s instructions, not a single detail off.

Sure enough, a sword whistle sounded, and both the speed and power of the sword exceeded Zong Shou’s. At the tip of the sword, a faint aura of qi emerged, making the sword even more formidable.

Chuxue was initially stunned, then her face lit up with joy, and her admiration for Zong Shou grew even more.

Zong Shou nodded slightly, slowly putting down the sword and turning around, picking up the wolf-hair brush again. However, before he wrote, he hesitated. After a while, a bitter smile appeared on his handsome face.

"However, Chuxue, in the future, you only need to learn and practice martial arts techniques. Don’t bother with sword principles, fist principles, or any other martial arts secrets. You don’t need to learn them from me—"

"Eh?"

Chuxue’s sword paused again, truly puzzled. Her face was full of委屈 (grievance), and she looked as if she was about to cry. "Master, you don’t want to teach me anymore?"

"It’s not that I don’t want to teach you, but teaching you would be useless. Do you know what intuition is?"

Seeing Chuxue still didn’t understand, Zong Shou sighed again, recalling the sword strike that, according to his calculations, should not have been blocked.

"Chuxue, did you instinctively know what to do to block my strike? This intuition can also be called combat instinct or combat intuition. In other words, Chuxue, you are even more powerful than those mindless beasts that fight purely by instinct. Sword principles, fist principles, and martial arts secrets are all trivial in front of you—"

Su Chuxue nodded in a daze, feeling a bit of joy at the praise. Then her face turned black. "Master, you must be indirectly calling me dumber than those beasts, right?"

Zong Shou was taken aback, his face full of surprise. "It’s rare, you actually figured it out!"

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