Chapter 63

Now, in the Huashan Sect, apart from Linghuchong and Yue Fangxing, there are seven male disciples in the inner sect. Tao Jun, Ying Bailuo, and Shu Qi, who joined later, are still in the stage of unblocking meridians and laying the foundation, so they do not need much guidance from Yue Fangxing. Therefore, these days, Yue Fangxing mainly instructs Liang Fa, Shi Daizi, Gao Genming, and Lu Dayou, especially Lu Dayou, who has been in the inner sect for many years but has not yet completed the basic sword techniques of Huashan. It is truly unacceptable, so Yue Fangxing focuses on teaching him the basic sword techniques.

One day, while Yue Fangxing was instructing Lu Dayou in sword techniques, he explained the move "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain" and said, "The name of this sword technique comes from Tao Yuanming's phrase 'clouds emerge from the mountain without intention.' The key to practicing this move is to execute it naturally, as if with intention and without intention. This way, not only will you use it smoothly, but your opponent will also find it difficult to predict your next move."

As he spoke, Yue Fangxing casually demonstrated the move. The sword was wielded naturally, without any trace of force.

Lu Dayou immediately cheered, feeling that it was more exquisite than what his master and eldest brother used.

Hearing Lu Dayou's praise, Yue Fangxing recalled the move and realized that he had unintentionally used a wonderful technique, which seemed much more exquisite than his previous attempts.

Yue Fangxing recalled the movements of the move and tried it again, but he could not recapture the same feeling. He tried several more times, but it was the same.

Yue Fangxing was puzzled and felt that he had touched upon a key point in swordsmanship. He stopped teaching Lu Dayou and continued practicing "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain," trying to understand its subtleties.

Lu Dayou watched Yue Fangxing practice "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain" repeatedly, no longer teaching him. He was curious but also happy to take a break, so he did not disturb Yue Fangxing and just watched.

Yue Fangxing was deeply engrossed in practicing, unaware of his surroundings, and continued to practice "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain," searching for the feeling of the move.

Lu Dayou saw his movements first become casual and scattered, then precise and strict, and then increasingly casual. Later, if he had not been watching from the beginning, he would not have known that Yue Fangxing was practicing "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain."

This went on for a whole day, and the entire Huashan Sect was alarmed. Yue Buqun and his wife also came to see what was happening. They had experienced this before and knew that Yue Fangxing must have reached a breakthrough. They instructed the others not to disturb him.

Another day passed, and Yue Fangxing had not eaten or slept for two days and a night. His face was full of fatigue, but everyone felt that his spirit was increasingly vigorous, and his expression was increasingly joyful, though they did not understand why.

Suddenly, Yue Fangxing let out a long laugh, raised his heavy sword, and once again performed "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain."

To the onlookers, this move seemed to be "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain" but was not; it seemed sudden but also natural. This contradictory feeling was extremely strange.

After performing this move, Yue Fangxing was very pleased and could not help but let out a long howl, which echoed through the mountains. Everyone knew that he had reached a breakthrough and began to speculate.

After two days and a night without rest, Yue Fangxing finally understood the subtleties of "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain" and realized the errors in his swordsmanship. He was overjoyed and somewhat lost control.

Yue Fangxing's previous path in swordsmanship was actually the "sword momentum" theory he had mentioned to Yue Buqun on Si Guo Cliff. The main idea was to use internal energy as the foundation and to understand sword momentum as the key. Although it was called a sword technique, it mainly relied on momentum to subdue the enemy, and the sword moves were more for building momentum. Therefore, Yue Fangxing had always focused on cultivating internal energy and the basics of sword techniques, paying less attention to specific moves and not being enthusiastic about learning new techniques, which was the opposite of Linghuchong.

When Yue Fangxing sensed the residual momentum of Yang Guo in the ancient tomb and understood the sword techniques, he became even more convinced of his sword momentum theory and pursued it as a goal, even practicing by the sea. However, after more than a year of practice by the sea, although he created the "Mixed Yuan Sword Technique," he did not feel any sword momentum. Instead, the more he used it, the more the momentum was internalized, which puzzled him. When he returned to Huashan and saw Yue Buqun's "Yang Wu Sword Momentum," he found the same issue. This made him even more skeptical about the sword momentum theory, as it could not truly harness the power of heaven and earth and was only useful for intimidating the enemy.

Yue Fangxing had been thinking about this for a long time but had no clue, so he turned to teaching others. It was not until yesterday, when he was teaching Lu Dayou "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain," that he unintentionally used the move's subtleties, greatly increasing its power. After two days and a night of deep thought, he finally understood the error in his sword momentum theory.

Speaking of "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain," it emphasizes a light and gentle feeling, which has little to do with sword momentum. But why was the move he unintentionally used so much more exquisite? Clearly, something else was at play. Yue Fangxing thought hard and practiced continuously, finally realizing that he had unintentionally captured the essence of "White Cloud Emerging from the Mountain," which is the sword intent.

Yue Fangxing had always thought that the concept of essence was unreachable and might not even exist, or it might be a higher level than momentum. Therefore, he had never considered the aspect of sword intent. After all, how could the intangible essence be as tangible as momentum? It was only now that he understood his mistake.

Realizing that sword intent was the root, Yue Fangxing's thoughts suddenly became clear. He carefully considered the momentum he had sensed in the stone room, which should actually be governed by sword intent. Only in this way could it last for hundreds of years and be triggered by him. His father Yue Buqun's "Hao Ran Momentum" was more accurately the "Hao Ran Intent" emanating from his heart. Even he himself had already understood sword intent, the round and harmonious intent in the "Mixed Yuan Sword Technique" being the sword intent. This explained why he could create the "Mixed Yuan Sword Technique"!

As for why different sword intents vary so much, Yue Fangxing quickly understood that it was due to the characteristics of different essences. Some essences are more internalized, like the "Mixed Yuan Intent"; others are more externalized, like Yang Guo's "Sea Wave Intent," which has a strong external momentum, which is why he had always mistaken it for sword momentum.

Understanding the errors in his swordsmanship and resolving his long-standing doubts, Yue Fangxing felt greatly relieved and could not help but let out a long howl.

Everyone gathered around and congratulated him. Yue Fangxing was somewhat puzzled. Only after asking did he realize that he had been standing for two days and a night, which was why so many people were alarmed.

Seeing the crowd, Yue Buqun did not ask for details and told Yue Fangxing to rest well.

Yue Fangxing, who had been engrossed in practicing, suddenly felt extremely tired once he stopped. After all, he had practiced for two days and a night, and even with his strong physique, he could not endure it. He was about to rest.

Seeing this, the others in Huashan also dispersed.

The next day, Yue Buqun asked Yue Fangxing about his gains. The last time he saw Yue Fangxing in this state was when he was three years old, and it only lasted half a day. After that, Yue Fangxing's horse stance was perfected, and he even understood the "Twelve Muscle Changing Techniques." He imagined that the gains from two days and a night would be even greater.

Yue Fangxing was somewhat embarrassed, as his swordsmanship theory had been wrong. If not for this enlightenment, he might have strayed further and eventually gone astray. If that happened, it would be a great sin!

However, he would not hide anything from his father. He admitted his mistake and explained the new understanding of sword intent.

Yue Buqun did not blame him, as Yue Fangxing's sword momentum theory was purely conjecture, and it was not surprising that it had flaws. Moreover, the concept of sword momentum was not entirely wrong; it could be seen as an external manifestation of sword intent. Yue Buqun had achieved great success with the "Yang Wu Sword Technique" based on this, and his efforts over the years had not been in vain.

However, Yue Buqun also understood that the reason for his success with the "Yang Wu Sword Technique" was his understanding of the sword intent. He had heard of the concept of sword intent but had never considered it, as it seemed too intangible. He never thought he could understand it! He recalled his years of struggling to understand the "Rising Sun Momentum," which he now realized was the "Rising Sun Intent." Recalling the feeling when Zixia broke through, he had a sudden insight.