Chapter 65

Yue Fangxing suddenly saw a person appear before him and was greatly startled. Seeing this person with white beard and green robe, looking depressed with a face pale as gold paper, he recalled the person he had seen when he was young. Comparing the two, he recognized it was Feng Qingyang. He hurriedly bowed and said, "It turns out to be Great Uncle Feng. I was young and ignorant last time and did not recognize you. I hope Great Uncle Feng will not be angry!"

Feng Qingyang heard this and waved his hand, saying, "Enough, enough. How could an old man like me quarrel with a little boy? Let's not waste time. Show me the Hua Mountain Nine Postures."

It turned out he had come for this, having overheard Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong discussing sword techniques earlier.

Yue Fangxing did not dare to be negligent. He immediately demonstrated each move, performing hundreds of postures until he felt he could no longer change them, then stopped and recited the mental techniques and incantations.

Feng Qingyang was silent for a long time, then sighed deeply and said, "Once this sword is out, there will be no more contention between the Qi and Sword factions on Hua Mountain."

Yue Fangxing did not expect Feng Qingyang to have such a high opinion of the sword technique, and was greatly surprised. He heard Feng Qingyang continue, "Although your sword technique is quite good, it is still easily broken by me. Do you know why I value it so much?"

Without waiting for Yue Fangxing to answer, he continued, "It is because this sword technique has opened a new path in martial arts. In terms of swordsmanship alone, the Hua Mountain Nine Postures flow like clouds and water, reaching the threshold of supreme swordsmanship, which is the essence of the Sword faction. In terms of internal energy, this sword technique can also assist in cultivating internal energy, enhancing the power of the sword, which is the essence of the Qi faction. In a sense, this sword technique encompasses the essence of both the Qi and Sword factions of Hua Mountain, and integrates them. This is probably the sword technique you mentioned last time, right? Alas! If this sword technique had existed earlier, there would have been no need for the contention between the Qi and Sword factions!" His words were tinged with sadness as he thought of the Hua Mountain disciples who had died in the Qi and Sword faction conflict.

Yue Fangxing knew that he was probably thinking of past sorrows, but since it involved his elders, he did not know much and did not feel it was appropriate to comment, so he remained silent.

After sighing for a while, Feng Qingyang said, "Although your sword technique is quite good, it still seems forced and has many shortcomings." He then casually pointed out several flaws, mostly in the transitions between moves.

Yue Fangxing listened carefully and realized that these were indeed the flaws of the Hua Mountain Nine Postures. He was drenched in cold sweat, grateful that it was Great Uncle Feng who pointed them out. If an enemy had discovered them during a fight, it would have been disastrous! He handed over the heavy sword and respectfully said, "Please, Great Uncle Feng, give me your guidance."

Feng Qingyang casually took the heavy sword, seemingly unaware of its weight, and began to demonstrate the Hua Mountain Nine Postures.

Yue Fangxing watched carefully and noticed that although Feng Qingyang was still using the same nine postures, the transitions were seamless, as if they were meant to be that way. Moreover, each transition seemed different, with subtle changes in the direction and landing points of the sword moves. In this way, although the Hua Mountain Nine Postures were still nine postures, they seemed endless, generating countless variations, unlike his own version, which could only evolve into hundreds of moves.

This might seem simple, but it was actually extremely difficult. Each of the nine postures had been refined to perfection, and any slight change by an ordinary person could reveal a major flaw. Even after mastering the sword technique and understanding the sword intent, Yue Fangxing only dared to add some variations in the transitions, but did not dare to change the postures themselves. However, Feng Qingyang, having just seen the sword technique, could change it at will, clearly having thoroughly understood and internalized it. His swordsmanship was truly awe-inspiring!

After watching for a while, Yue Fangxing suddenly realized that each move seemed to be specifically targeting his own demonstration, effectively breaking down his version of the Hua Mountain Nine Postures. He was even more astonished. If Feng Qingyang had used the Nine Swords of Dugu to break his sword technique, he might have accepted it, but for Feng Qingyang to break his Hua Mountain Nine Postures with the same technique he had just seen, this could only be attributed to the difference in swordsmanship levels.

Thinking about this, Yue Fangxing put aside his pride in creating the Hua Mountain Nine Postures. Seeing Feng Qingyang sheath his sword, he sighed in admiration, "Great Uncle Feng's swordsmanship is truly divine. I am far inferior!"

Feng Qingyang raised his eyebrows at this, but did not say much. Instead, he recited a set of incantations. These were the mental techniques that Yue Fangxing had just recited for the Hua Mountain Nine Postures, but with some variations.

Yue Fangxing tried to circulate the energy according to the new incantations and found that although they were only slightly modified, they flowed more smoothly and naturally, as if specifically created for the Hua Mountain Nine Postures. He was even more impressed, knowing that Feng Qingyang not only had divine swordsmanship but also a deeper understanding of internal energy than himself, even surpassing his father, Yue Buqun.

Thinking about this, Yue Fangxing had an idea and wanted to ask Feng Qingyang for guidance on the still-in-development Dawn Sword Technique. However, Feng Qingyang tossed back the heavy sword, moved, and was gone in the blink of an eye.

Yue Fangxing sighed, knowing that he did not want to see the Qi faction members. If he had not been accidentally discovered, he might not have appeared at all, and it was uncertain when they would meet again.

Yue Fangxing returned to Hua Mountain and told his father about encountering Feng Qingyang, including the time he met him when he was young.

Yue Buqun was greatly shocked to hear that Feng Qingyang was still on Hua Mountain. Seeing Yue Fangxing demonstrate the modified Hua Mountain Nine Postures, he sighed, "Great Uncle Feng's martial arts have become even more divine. He has not appeared on Hua Mountain, probably because he is dissatisfied with me as the leader of the Qi faction. If he had appeared, I would have no problem stepping down as the leader!"

Yue Fangxing said, "Great Uncle Feng probably does not want to get involved in martial affairs anymore, so he has been in seclusion. Moreover, Father has been leading Hua Mountain well in recent years, and he must have noticed. Otherwise, he would have long sought out the Sword faction to take over. Today, when Great Uncle Feng saw the Hua Mountain Nine Postures, he said that the Qi and Sword faction contention was unnecessary. He will not provoke it again. If the Sword faction members come, we can convey Great Uncle Feng's orders to them, which could prevent a conflict and even bring the Sword faction back into Hua Mountain, increasing our strength."

Yue Buqun was somewhat moved but shook his head after a moment, saying, "Although Great Uncle Feng was from the Sword faction, his swordsmanship has a different lineage, and it is quite different from other Sword faction members. Therefore, some of them are quite dissatisfied with him, thinking he should have contributed his swordsmanship to strengthen the Sword faction. Moreover, during the Qi and Sword faction contention, he did not participate, so the remaining Sword faction members may not respect him."

Yue Fangxing thought about it carefully and agreed, but still said, "Regardless, we should try!"

Yue Buqun nodded slightly, and the matter was put aside.

Yue Fangxing thought about the Dawn Sword Technique and asked, "Father, has Great Uncle Feng learned the Dawn One Qi Sword?"

Yue Buqun shook his head, "Before the Qi and Sword faction contention, the gap between the two factions was already deep. As a member of the Sword faction, how could Great Uncle Feng have learned our Qi faction's supreme sword technique?"

Yue Fangxing sighed, "It seems we can only repair it ourselves. I wonder when we will complete it!"

"Father has made some progress recently and is not far from completion," Yue Buqun said with a slight smile.

He had recently heard about Yue Fangxing's understanding of sword intent and obtained the Hua Mountain Nine Postures, which led him to review his own knowledge and gain deeper insights. Especially the Three Green Peaks of Taiyue, which he had developed from the remnants of the Dawn One Qi Sword, had become even more powerful. This progress had given him ideas for the subsequent parts of the Dawn One Qi Sword, and he believed he could complete it in a while.

Yue Fangxing was delighted, "Congratulations, Father!" He then asked, "How is Junior Brother Lin's Dawn Power cultivation going? Has there been any trouble?"

Yue Buqun stroked his beard, "Although there have been some minor issues, there have been no major problems. He is now on the right track and does not need constant supervision. Therefore, a few days ago, I let him practice martial arts with the other senior brothers. You can also take some time to guide him." Lin Pingzhi had completed the Dawn Power cultivation and, although not yet formally admitted to the inner circle, was treated like other inner circle disciples. Yue Buqun was quite satisfied with Lin Pingzhi's efforts in recent times, so he asked Yue Fangxing to guide him more.

Yue Fangxing nodded. He had also contributed to the creation of the Dawn Power and naturally wanted to see how it was working.

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