Chapter 91

As Yue Fangxing saw Qu Feiyang still standing beside him, pale-faced, he knew she had been keeping watch for a whole day and night. Touched by her dedication, he softly said, "Go back and rest. I'll teach you this sword technique in a few days." He was not good at sweet talk and could only express his gratitude this way.

Qu Feiyang nodded in agreement, and the two of them returned to the wooden house to rest and recuperate.

This time, Yue Fangxing's enlightenment was far more profound than just the Cutting Sword Technique. It was mainly about correcting his sword style, which had been overly defensive, thus clearing the obstacles to his progress. At the moment of his breakthrough, inspiration surged in his mind, and the sword technique he had been pondering over for the past few days finally began to take shape.

In recent times, Yue Fangxing had been thinking about his own sword path and comparing it with the Nine Swords of Dugu, pondering how to counter them. He had sparred with Linghu Chong multiple times recently. Although he could maintain a stalemate with the Mixed Yuan Sword Technique, he knew that in a real fight, he would likely lose, as prolonged defense inevitably leads to failure. After much deliberation, he finally came up with six methods to counter the Nine Swords of Dugu.

The first method was to achieve the realm of no technique, where even without the Nine Swords of Dugu, one would not be inferior. For example, in the original story, Ren Woxing was never defeated by Linghu Chong. However, this supreme level of swordsmanship is only attained by a few in the martial world, and it is not easily achieved.

The second method was to counter with a preemptive strike. However, since Yue Fangxing did not know the Nine Swords of Dugu, he had no idea how to do this. Although the cave on Mount Tai in the Hua Mountain had the Tai Mountain Sect's Tai Zong Yi technique, which theoretically could predict everything and strike with precision, this skill was too mysterious, and without the heart technique, Yue Fangxing had to give up.

The third method was to be relentless like Linghu Chong, but this was a life-or-death approach, which was too dangerous. Moreover, the Nine Swords of Dugu were highly versatile, and he would likely die while the opponent might only be injured, or even unscathed. This method could only be considered in a desperate situation.

The fourth method was the sword momentum technique that Yue Fangxing had been pondering, which involved locking the opponent's strong attack, forcing them to defend, thus gaining the initiative and controlling the rhythm, and then overpowering the opponent with his strength. However, this technique did not have the expected power to force the opponent to defend, so Yue Fangxing had to give up on it.

The fifth method was to use techniques like the Xi Yi Sword or the Thirteen Cloudy Misty Changes, which were unpredictable and thus unbreakable. However, these techniques were not fully developed, and there were still traces to follow. For example, Mo Da had practiced the Thirteen Cloudy Misty Changes for decades, but it could only confuse the opponent. Achieving a completely unpredictable state was extremely difficult.

The sixth method was to practice fast sword techniques, like the Exorcism Sword Technique, where the speed of the sword made any flaws irrelevant. However, speed has its limits, and if one could not reach the level of Dongfang Bubai, it would not guarantee victory. Moreover, in the original story, Linghu Chong could keep up with the speed of the Exorcism Sword Technique and find and exploit its flaws, so this method was not feasible.

After much thought, Yue Fangxing could only think of using a chaotic and fast sword technique. A chaotic sword technique would make it difficult for the opponent to predict, and a fast sword technique would make it hard to exploit any flaws. This would also significantly weaken the advantages of the Nine Swords of Dugu, allowing him to win in chaos.

However, the idea was simple, but the implementation was difficult. Fast sword techniques were relatively easy to practice with diligence. However, there were always traces in the execution of sword techniques, and achieving a level where the opponent could not detect the chaos was extremely challenging. A slight mistake could reveal a flaw that could not be quickly remedied.

Yue Fangxing thought hard until one day, while practicing the Nine Techniques of Hua Mountain, he accidentally used the White Cloud Emerges from the Mountain technique, and his thoughts suddenly opened up: If he could incorporate the essence of the White Cloud Emerges from the Mountain, wouldn't his sword techniques become natural? Moreover, using the ethereal essence of the white cloud to govern various sword techniques and change them at will would be even better than chaos. Furthermore, by using the essence of the white cloud as the foundation and integrating all the techniques he had learned, he could say that he was approaching the realm of swordsmanship, although it was not as versatile as the Nine Swords of Dugu, it would be more effective in application.

In recent days, Yue Fangxing had been practicing this sword technique. The first step, based on the essence of the White Cloud Emerges from the Mountain, was easy to achieve, and he quickly grasped the ethereal essence of the white cloud. However, the second step of integrating various techniques was difficult for Yue Fangxing. Even with the Nine Techniques of Hua Mountain as the foundation, there were many challenges he had not overcome. It was not until he had a breakthrough while understanding the Cutting Sword Technique that he finally captured a spark of inspiration, allowing him to understand the key and have confidence in completing this technique.

With the key understood, Yue Fangxing completed this sword technique in a few days. He named it the Cloud Sword Technique, based on the ethereal essence of the white cloud. This technique could be considered an advanced version of the Nine Techniques of Hua Mountain, but it was not limited to the nine techniques. It could use various techniques he had learned, and the changes were more ethereal and unpredictable. Of course, this technique was still in its initial stages and was far from perfect, mainly depending on the individual's understanding and application. Whether it could counter the Nine Swords of Dugu would only be known after a comparison.

Yue Fangxing reviewed the first five techniques and combined them with the Cloud Sword Technique, naming them the Six Sword Techniques: Draw Sword Technique, Thrust Sword Technique, Intercept Sword Technique, Shock Sword Technique, Cut Sword Technique, and Cloud Sword Technique. After organizing them, he passed them on to Qu Feiyang.

Although Qu Feiyang learned all of them, her sword style was more agile and ethereal, so she focused more on the Draw Sword Technique, Thrust Sword Technique, and Cloud Sword Technique. The Draw Sword Technique and Thrust Sword Technique were easier for her to grasp, but the Cloud Sword Technique was more challenging. Yue Fangxing could only have her start with the Nine Techniques of Hua Mountain and gradually understand it.

After this, Yue Fangxing's sword technique did not progress much. He then experimented with the sound wave technique he had created by combining the Soul Transference Technique. He had gained some understanding of this technique during his last battle and had been learning music from Qu Feiyang for the past few months, so he completed it smoothly. He named it the Soul Subduing Sound, which could guide others with words to assist the Soul Transference Technique. It could also disrupt the enemy's rhythm with changes in pitch or subdue the enemy in a group battle.

Since achieving the Great Completion of the Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, Yue Fangxing's Mixed Yuan Technique had also advanced. He had recently made another breakthrough, which should have been complete. However, he still had the yang-just true energy from the Exorcism Sword Technique in his body, which made it less harmonious and still a bit short of perfection. He considered discarding the yang-just true energy, but it had progressed very quickly and was now about half the strength of the Mixed Yuan True Energy. Discarding it would be a waste and somewhat dangerous. Therefore, he could only put it aside for now and think about combining it with the Mixed Yuan Technique in the future.

Considering that the Heavenly Net Formation, Mixed Yuan Palm, and Heaven-Turning Palm were not very effective against top-notch experts, Yue Fangxing combined the Mixed Yuan Technique to refine three ultimate techniques: Heavenly Net, Heaven and Earth, and Heaven's Dome. The Heavenly Net was derived from the Heavenly Net Formation, instantly delivering dozens of strikes to trap the enemy, accompanied by the Mixed Yuan True Energy, making it very powerful. Heaven and Earth involved one hand striking and the other palm, with the fist being fierce and the palm being substantial, one real and one illusory, changing unpredictably, and leveraging the Mixed Yuan Technique's advantage of mind, intention, and energy to quickly switch between real and illusory. Heaven's Dome was inspired by the opposite direction of the Heaven-Turning Palm, using accumulated power and momentum to deliver a palm strike that enveloped the enemy like a dome, making it impossible to avoid. The longer the fight, the more powerful and overwhelming it became, but it also consumed more true energy, so it could not be used lightly. These three techniques were the culmination of Yue Fangxing's over ten years of martial arts practice, leveraging the Mixed Yuan Technique's advantage of mind, intention, and energy, making them no less than any palm technique in the world.

Seeing his martial arts skills improve, Yue Fangxing heard about Linghu Chong and Xiang Wentian's battle against the righteous and evil factions. He bid farewell to Qu Feiyang. Although she wanted to follow, Yue Fangxing did not agree. She knew her martial arts were not yet complete and would be a burden, so she had to comply with Yue Fangxing's wishes. However, she made him promise to find her when he returned from the south.

Thus, the two parted ways, with Qu Feiyang returning to the ancient tomb to practice, and Yue Fangxing heading south along the canal.