Chapter 72

Yue Fangxing didn't want to say too much, so he stopped talking about it and said, "Although Tian Boguang's character is despicable, his lightness skill is quite remarkable. He kept me running around Huashan a few days ago. Now that my junior brother has obtained this lightness skill from him, let's all three of us study it so we can use it on the journey."

Linghuchong and Yue Lingshan, of course, also knew that Tian Boguang's lightness skill was extraordinary. Hearing that Yue Fangxing had obtained it, they were both delighted. Yue Lingshan had been learning the lightness and sword techniques of the Ancient Tomb School from Ning Zhongze recently, and this would be a good reference. Although Linghuchong couldn't use his internal energy and thus couldn't practice lightness skills, his injuries were stable, and there would be a time when he could use it. It was good to study it now.

Not only did Yue Fangxing obtain Tian Boguang's lightness skill, but he also asked for his cultivation experience, insights, and other key points. Controlled by the Soul Transference Technique, Tian Boguang naturally told everything he knew. Yue Fangxing didn't doubt that he would deceive him, so he had already mastered this skill in his heart. Now, he just needed to teach it to Linghuchong and Yue Lingshan, which is why he suggested they all three study it together.

After a while, they saw Yue Buqun enter the room and said, "What are the three of you doing? Hurry up and pack your things and get ready to leave the mountain."

Yue Lingshan said, "My brother has obtained Tian Boguang's lightness skill, and we are studying it."

Yue Buqun was surprised. This was Tian Boguang's foundation in the martial world, and he didn't expect Yue Fangxing to have obtained it. He felt a bit pleased, but since they were about to leave the mountain, it wasn't the time to study. He said, "Hurry up and pack. We'll leave early tomorrow morning. You can study on the way."

Hearing this, the three of them went to pack their things. After all the commotion, it was already late, and there was no time left. Fortunately, they were all martial artists and didn't have much luggage, so it didn't take long.

The next morning, the Huashan group, led by Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze, set off down the mountain. The dozen or so outer disciples and servants left behind were sent to a villa at the foot of the mountain, leaving the mountain empty.

This time, the Huashan Sect was sending eighteen people to Fujian, including Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, Yue Lingshan, and nine inner disciples. There were also six outer disciples, including Laodenuo and Lin Pingzhi, who accompanied them. Laodenuo and the other five were second-rate experts who had joined in recent years and could be of some help in the martial world. Although Lin Pingzhi's martial arts were not strong, he was now no different from an inner disciple and was from Fujian, so he also accompanied them. This way, among the eighteen people, except for Lu Dàyǒu, Tao Jun, Ying Bailuo, Shu Qi, and Lin Pingzhi, the rest were second-rate or better experts. Although the number was not large, they were a formidable force.

At the foot of the mountain, Yue Buqun ordered Laodenuo to hire two large carts. One was for Ning Zhongze and Yue Lingshan, and the other was for Linghuchong to rest in. They headed east, planning to go through Luoyang to Fujian. They had taken this route once before when they went to Hengshan, so they were familiar with it.

Yue Fangxing, thinking of the night attack on the Huashan Sect in the original story, though he didn't know if it would happen again, discussed with Yue Buqun the idea of taking turns to keep watch at night and teaching the disciples the combined attack techniques to avoid being caught off guard and losing their lives.

Given the recent events on Huashan, Yue Buqun naturally agreed. Thus, the Huashan group spent half a day traveling and half a day practicing. The journey to Fujian was long, and it would take at least a few months to return, so they couldn't afford to delay the disciples' martial arts progress.

For the long journey, Yue Fangxing naturally offered Tian Boguang's lightness skill. Yue Buqun, disliking its reputation, renamed it "Meteor Chasing the Moon" to relate it to the "Bright Moon and Stars" in Huashan's lightness skills, and incorporated it into the Huashan tradition. However, since the disciples' cultivation was not sufficient, it was not advisable to practice it on the journey, so he only taught it to his wife Ning Zhongze, and the others would be taught later.

Seeing that some of the outer disciples practiced saber techniques, Yue Fangxing, after discussing with Yue Buqun, taught them the fast saber techniques he had obtained from Tian Boguang, which greatly excited them. They felt that this adventure was worth it, as they would never have the chance to learn such high-level martial arts otherwise. Moreover, Yue Fangxing promised that if the journey went smoothly, he would teach them a set of saber techniques called "Thirteen Forms of Sand and Stone" upon their return, which made them even more excited.

Unlike the Huashan disciples who needed steady improvement, these few had already formed their martial arts styles, and daily practice didn't significantly improve them. Therefore, Yue Fangxing taught them the fast saber techniques to increase their strength. As for how well they would practice, he didn't care much, as in a few years, his junior brothers would grow stronger, and they wouldn't be needed. He also didn't neglect the other outer disciples, promising to teach them advanced techniques upon their return to boost their confidence.

Linghuchong was taken care of by Lu Dàyǒu on the journey, with Yue Lingshan occasionally helping. In his free time, he discussed martial arts and sword insights with Yue Fangxing and others. Having learned the Nine Swords of Dugu, his sword skills had greatly improved. Although he couldn't use his internal energy, it didn't affect his understanding of sword techniques, and without internal energy, his pure sword skills were even more profound.

Since he had comprehended sword intent and created the Nine Forms of Huashan, Yue Fangxing had already touched the door to high-level sword skills, and his progress in recent times had been significant. Even though they were just practicing with swords, they both gained something.

Thinking of Linghuchong's situation in the original story when he lost his internal energy, Yue Fangxing said, "Senior Brother, since you can't use your internal energy, if you encounter an enemy, you should look for their weaknesses and even fight to the death. This will force the enemy to protect themselves, ensuring your survival."

Linghuchong agreed. Although he was with the Huashan group, if they encountered an enemy, they might not be able to protect him, so he needed some self-defense skills. Fortunately, he had been practicing the Twelve Postures of the Yi Jin Jing and the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang, making his body strong. Once he recovered, using a sword would not be a problem, and with the sharp Huashan long sword, he could pose a threat to the enemy.

Despite this, Linghuchong sighed, "I never thought I would become a burden to everyone." As the eldest disciple of Huashan, he had always protected his junior brothers, but now he had become a liability.

Yue Fangxing consoled him and then asked, "Senior Brother, why were you injured by Cheng Buyou that day?" He already knew the answer but was just asking to prompt Linghuchong.

Linghuchong smiled bitterly, "I didn't have a sword at the time, so I used a broom to break his sword technique. He knocked the broom away and suddenly struck me, which is how I was injured."

Yue Fangxing said, "Senior Brother, weren't you alert at the time? I had you practice this specifically a while ago. If you had blocked it, you wouldn't have been injured."

Linghuchong was embarrassed, "I didn't expect him to use that move. I wanted to block it but didn't know how, and I ended up getting injured."

Yue Fangxing sighed inwardly: This was the downside of rapid progress in a single martial art. Linghuchong's sword skills had greatly improved, and if his internal energy hadn't been injured, it would have been fine. However, his boxing and combat awareness were far behind. If he had just been weak in boxing before, now it was a significant flaw.

Actually, Linghuchong's boxing skills, though not strong, were still acceptable. After learning the Heavenly Net Formation created by Yue Fangxing, he could handle ordinary second-rate experts. But now that he had reached the first-rate level, his opponents were mostly first-rate experts. Facing these people, his boxing skills, which were only slightly weak before, became a major weakness, as evidenced by Cheng Buyou's palm strike. Cheng Buyou was from the Sword Sect and was not proficient in boxing, but even so, his sudden palm strike severely injured Linghuchong.

Why didn't other first-rate experts have this weakness? This was due to the pace of their martial arts improvement. Counting the first-rate experts in the martial world, which one had not spent decades honing their skills? During this time, while they specialized in one area, their other skills also improved over time and did not fall far behind. For example, if Linghuchong had followed a normal cultivation path, it would have taken him about ten years to reach the first-rate level, making him around thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, a rare young talent in the martial world. But after learning the Yi Jin Duan Gu Zhang, his talent improved, and later, he learned the Purple Mist Divine Skill, which greatly accelerated his internal energy progress. Even so, it would take him two to three years to truly reach the first-rate level, during which time he would address his weaknesses and improve them, so they wouldn't become significant flaws.

However, after learning the Nine Swords of Dugu, Linghuchong's sword skills improved dramatically, and even against first-rate experts, it was like cutting through melons and vegetables. Seeing his strong sword skills and weak boxing, enemies would naturally take advantage of this. Even if it wasn't a weakness, it became one in comparison, especially since Linghuchong's boxing was already weak.

Yue Fangxing couldn't immediately improve Linghuchong's boxing skills, so he said, "Senior Brother, you have also learned the Huashan Iron Finger Technique. In the future, practice using your fingers as a sword. This way, you can use the Palm-Breaking Technique in the Nine Swords of Dugu to deal with experts proficient in boxing. Otherwise, if you don't have a sword, you'll be at their mercy, and something like what happened last time might occur again."

Linghuchong nodded. He had no talent for boxing, but using his fingers as a sword was a good method. However, since he couldn't use his internal energy, using a sword still posed a threat to the enemy, but using his fingers was powerless unless he hit a vital point, which was useless.

Yue Fangxing could only practice with Linghuchong frequently to help him become familiar with using his fingers as a sword. He also gave him a short dagger for close combat protection.

Yue Lingshan, hearing that Linghuchong needed a sharp sword, offered her Bishui Sword. To avoid embarrassing Linghuchong, she said they would exchange swords.

The Bishui Sword was obtained by Yue Buqun three years ago in Longquan, Zhejiang. Not only was it beautiful, but it was sharper than the swords forged by the Huashan Sect, capable of cutting through metal and stone. Yue Lingshan fell in love with it at first sight and begged her father several times. Yue Buqun, worried that she would neglect her sword skills, only gave it to her as a birthday gift when she turned eighteen, making her cherish it even more.

Linghuchong couldn't refuse and gave his own sword to Yue Lingshan. Knowing how much his junior sister cherished the Bishui Sword, he was deeply moved by her willingness to give it to him without hesitation. He resolved to protect the sword and keep it with him at all times.

---

End of the page.