Chapter 56

Xu Fengnian mounted the chestnut horse originally assigned to Yu Youwei, looked up at the gray sky, and thought that it would rain heavily tonight as expected. At the current speed, he could stay in Hengshui City by dusk and avoid traveling in the rain. Lu Qiantang, who carried the giant sword Chixia, led the way at the front. Shu Xiu and Yang Qingfeng, who did not carry any weapons, were responsible for the rear. The old Taoist Wei Shuyang, in the middle, spurred his horse and rode alongside Xu Fengnian. These four close attendants all had the strength of Second Rank, and even if they faced semi-immortal figures like Deng Tai'e and Cao Guanzi, who were among the top first-class experts, they still had the power to fight, and at the very least, they could buy time until the old man with crossed eyes in the carriage finished scratching his feet and picking his nose.

Xu Fengnian softly asked, "Grandpa Wei, what exactly is the strength of these top ten experts? Can you explain it in simpler terms?"

The old Taoist Wei Shuyang thought for a moment and slowly said, "This old Taoist once heard a great immortal within the sect reveal some information. Without mentioning Wang Xianzhi, who cannot be measured by ordinary standards, the remaining nine people, the new generation's sword master Deng Tai'e, Wang Mao who uses a broken curved spear, and Cao Guanzi, are clearly a step above the other six in terms of realm. This old Taoist speculates that the so-called top ten experts in the world are just more famous, and there should be many others whose true strength is comparable to these six. This group can roughly be divided into two realms. Thus, the great immortal within the sect mentioned the 'Four Levels of First Rank,' which are Vajra, Finger Pointing at the Mystic, and Celestial Phenomenon. The Vajra realm is considered to have truly entered the hall of martial arts, with a body as indestructible as Vajra. Liu Pu, who guards Li Yuanying in the Listening Tide Pavilion, and Chu Kuangnu, can probably join this rank. The Finger Pointing at the Mystic realm is indescribably wonderful, and as for the deeper Celestial Phenomenon realm, this old Taoist cannot speak rashly. I imagine that the sword master Jian Jiu Huang, who protects the young prince on his journey of six thousand miles, is between these two realms. In the battle atop the Wu Emperor City, his final move, the Ninth Sword, firmly reached the Celestial Phenomenon realm. Deng Tai'e, Wang Mao, and Cao Guanzi, each entered the Celestial Phenomenon realm at different times. Only Wang Xianzhi has been sitting on this realm for half a lifetime, truly unreachable and unattainable."

Xu Fengnian softly asked, "Grandpa Wei, you missed the last realm?"

Wei Shuyang smiled, "The great immortal of the past only said that reaching this realm means becoming a terrestrial immortal. This old Taoist thinks that if there is really someone with such power in the world, it can only be Wang Xianzhi. Tracing back further, perhaps the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Qi Xianzhen and the old Celestial Master Zhao, who changed the fate of the previous emperor, can be counted. However, the Wu family's sword tomb produces a terrestrial sword immortal every hundred years, so it's about time for one to appear. As for the Two Zen Temples, it's hard to say. In the holy land of Buddhism, there might be a golden-bodied arhat sitting somewhere. When this old Taoist was as young as the young prince, there were several high-ranking figures who were famous in all directions, collectively known as the Four Grandmasters. They were more deserving of the title of top ten experts than the current ones. In the south, there was the Red-Armored Talisman General, completely wrapped in a bright red armor, with no face visible. In the west, there was the old ancestor of Fengdu, a woman in a green robe. The third one was in our Northern Liang, the spear master Wang Xiu."

Xu Fengnian sneered, "I've heard some about this. Chen Zhileo learned his spear technique from him, but in the end, this master of spear techniques died at the hands of his disciple."

Wei Shuyang stroked his beard and smiled, "The last one was the most famous. No matter how many people learned sword techniques in the world, they all had to face this peak. As long as he was around, no one dared to claim to be the best in sword techniques, just like how Wang Xianzhi claims to be second and no one dares to claim to be first. The young prince already knows who it is, right?"

Xu Fengnian nodded, "The sword god Li Chonggang, whose wooden horse and ox were broken by Wang Xianzhi's two fingers, then disappeared without a trace."

The old Taoist Wei Shuyang, who had also had a youthful time, sighed deeply, "Each generation has its own outstanding talents. Li Chonggang stood alone for fifty years. It is said that when Li Chonggang roamed the world, his sword techniques were unparalleled, and his demeanor was unmatched. At that time, which woman in the world was not infatuated with Li Chonggang? Even the green-robed woman of Fengdu was willing to be pierced by the wooden horse and ox. When I was a child, I dreamed of meeting Li Chonggang one day and being able to say a word to him, which would be a great satisfaction. When I learned that Wang Xianzhi had defeated him, I was不服气 for a long time, wishing to fight Wang Xianzhi to the death. By then, I had already studied the sword for about ten years, and later abandoned the sword to practice Taoism, largely because of Li Chonggang's retirement. A young man who does not dream of wandering the world with a green robe and a sword is not a man of ambition."

Xu Fengnian was amused by the rare display of youthful sentiment from Grandpa Wei, and the gloom in the carriage dissipated somewhat. He couldn't help but laugh, "Grandpa Wei, did you also dream of being a dashing swordsman when you were young?"

The old Taoist Wei Shuyang squinted and smiled, "Who hasn't been young? To be honest with the young prince, this old Taoist once had a crush on several female heroes. Once, I finally got a chance to meet one of them, but I was so nervous that I just blushed and trembled, unable to say a word. Compared to the young prince, it's like the difference between the Vajra realm and the Celestial Phenomenon realm. Five of this old Taoist combined are not enough."

Xu Fengnian and Wei Shuyang could be considered a忘年交. When he was a child, he had even urinated while riding on the old Taoist's shoulders. In his youth, he was willing to listen to Wei Grandpa's stories about mountain spirits and immortals in the Listening Tide Pavilion. If not for this, with Xu Fengnian's shrewdness and stinginess in certain matters, he would not have handed over the manuscript of the Wudang "Cantong Qi" to the Nine Dous of Wei Shuyang as soon as he got it, and allowed him to transcribe it for future detailed annotations. Does Xu Fengnian really not know the value of the "Cantong Qi"? With the precious "Da Huangting" preceding it, the thin "Cantong Qi" is likely even more valuable.

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Grandpa Wei, even if I have to dig up the earth, I will help you find Li Chonggang."

The old Taoist shook his head, "Even this old Taoist is about to enter the coffin. Li Laoxian might have already passed away. I don't dare to hope, I don't dare to hope."

On the carriage, Jiang Ni, with her sharp ears, heard the words "wooden horse and ox." She was particularly sensitive to this title because it was related to her uncle, the emperor of Western Chu. Before the fall of Western Chu, her uncle spent a fortune to buy half of the wooden horse and ox, i.e., two inches of the sword tip, and tried to forge a dagger that could rival a divine talisman. He even named it "Tianzhen" and intended to give it to his beloved niece, the Princess Taiping, to match the divine talisman. Unfortunately, before the dagger was completed, Western Chu suffered a defeat at Xiluibi, and the entire nation lost heart. Jiang Ni looked over the old man lying and dozing, and asked in a low voice, "Did you mention the wooden horse and ox?"

The old man looked somewhat dispirited and said in a casual tone, "No."

Jiang Ni pouted and said, "I know, you are Li Chonggang, the sword god."

The old man opened his eyes in surprise, "Even the shrewd little brat Xu Fengnian didn't dare to think in this direction. You, a little girl, heard three words and concluded that I am some kind of sword god? Do I look like it?"

Jiang Ni, whose legs were numb from squatting, alternately straightened one of her slender legs and said calmly, "What if you don't look like it? Are you not?"

The old man sat up and looked at the slender girl in front of him, "Since you think I am Li Chonggang, why don't you want to learn sword techniques from me?"

Jiang Ni shook her head, "That's a different matter. I've already given my reasons. The more skilled you are, the faster I will die."

The old man was extremely frustrated and emphasized, "Even if I am not Li Chonggang, I still have at least fifty to sixty percent of my peak strength. Do you believe that if I wanted to kill Xu Fengnian, I could go out and easily take off his head?"

Jiang Ni sneered, "See, I told you, you are good at talking. Go and kill him, I don't believe Xu Xiao would let you do as you please."

The old man had a deep-thought expression.

Jiang Ni picked up the "Qianjian Caogang" that she had read only a few thousand words of and said, "Who you are doesn't matter to me. Moreover, I can