Chapter 16

"Having roamed the rivers and lakes for over thirty years, I have killed all my enemies and defeated all the heroes. There is no one left in the world who can match me. With nothing left to do, I have only hidden myself in a deep valley, befriending the eagles. Alas, I have sought a worthy opponent all my life but could not find one, truly a lonely and unbearable existence."

Below the inscription read: "The Sword Demon, Dugu Qiubai."

Finding a secluded valley, he opened the manual of the Nine Swords of Dugu, and the first page contained these lines. Though the words were few and the characters small, despite having seen them once in the cave, Jiang Chen could not help but admire them: This display of arrogance is truly unparalleled! No wonder, even in the era of *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, the legend of Dugu Qiubai still lingers in the martial world.

A cultured person would not find it difficult to imagine Dugu Qiubai's former glory from these few lines: a sword in hand, sweeping across the world, invincible! What a mighty and domineering presence! To reach such a level, one could truly say that life has been well-lived. How could such heroic and domineering spirit not captivate the heart?

From this, we can draw a conclusion: if one wants to be famous and remembered for generations, one must first think of a name that is both profound and domineering, like Dugu Qiubai; secondly, one must have a domineering epitaph, which Dugu Qiubai also exemplifies; finally, one must leave behind some private treasures, such as a martial arts manual, divine weapons, or at the very least, some gold and silver.

Jiang Chen stared at the scroll for a long time, and after a while, his boiling emotions finally calmed down. Then, he carefully turned to the second page of the manual, which recorded the general principles of the Nine Swords of Dugu: "The hexagram Kui-Mei leads to Wu-Wang, Wu-Wang leads to Tong-Ren, Tong-Ren leads to Da-You. Jia turns to Bing, Bing turns to Geng, Geng turns to Gui. The transition from Zi to Chou, the transition from Chen to Si, the transition from Wu to Wei. The change of wind and thunder, the change of mountain and marsh, the change of water and fire. The stimulation of Qian and Kun, the stimulation of Zhen and Dui, the stimulation of Li and Xun. Three increases to five, five increases to nine..." Though only a few thousand words, they already encompassed the profound and mysterious essence of various sword techniques.

"Hmm? Indeed, this is the most profound and mysterious sword technique of the present age, truly extraordinary. Of course, it is also thanks to my acquisition of Qiu Qianren's martial arts. Otherwise, no matter how advanced and mysterious this sword technique is, if I cannot understand it, it would be useless." Jiang Chen couldn't help but sigh. Then, he began to study and practice this sword technique.

Although the sword technique only has nine moves, each move contains countless variations. When practiced to perfection, it can break swords, knives, spears, whips, ropes, palms, arrows, and finally, qi! Taking the Sword-Breaking move as an example, though it is only one move, it incorporates the essence of sword techniques from all schools and sects. Though it seems formless, it is actually based on the techniques of all the world's sword techniques, thus its variations are no less complex than any intricate sword technique. As for the final Qi-Breaking move, it emphasizes the subtlety and clarity of the mind, and its profundity can only be understood through diligent practice.

Jiang Chen's martial arts were already formidable, not inferior to the most top-tier martial arts masters of the present age. Although the Nine Swords of Dugu have countless variations and profound mysteries, he could grasp them one by one with just a little practice. In just a few days, he had initially mastered this profound sword technique.

However, he knew that although he had learned the Nine Swords of Dugu, he was still very unfamiliar with their application, just like the Iron Palm Technique and the Light Step Technique. Only through long-term diligent practice and life-and-death battles could he truly reach the level of using them with ease.

After thinking about this, he decided not to return to Xiangyang for the time being. Instead, he wanted to thoroughly practice the Nine Swords of Dugu. Even if he couldn't reach the ultimate level, he at least wanted to be able to use them with ease. After all, it was only early August, and the Heroic Assembly of the Beggar Sect was still two or three months away, so he was in no hurry.

Jiang Chen found a secluded valley near the gathering place of the Bosuqiao snakes. The area was lush with trees and had a clear mountain stream, making it an excellent place for cultivation. He didn't fuss over details, simply cutting down a few trees to build a simple thatched hut, and began practicing the sword technique.

Qiu Qianren, as a martial arts master, was most skilled in lightness and palm techniques, but he also had a deep understanding of sword techniques. As the saying goes, "Once you understand one method, you understand all methods." Although he could not reach the pinnacle, his sword techniques were still among the best in the martial world. With this foundation, Jiang Chen's practice of the Nine Swords of Dugu progressed rapidly. Additionally, by constantly hunting Bosuqiao snakes and consuming their gallbladders, his internal cultivation also improved significantly.

Time passed unnoticed in the mountains. One day, as Jiang Chen practiced the sword technique as usual, he did not stick to the forms and routines. He mixed the sword techniques from Qiu Qianren's memory with the Nine Swords of Dugu, breaking them down into various parts. However, his sword movements were not chaotic but rather gave a sense of boundless freedom. Finally, he simplified all the sword techniques, reducing them to a single move.

"Nine returns to one, one sword breaks qi!"

As his practice deepened, Jiang Chen suddenly thrust his sword into the air, his mind clear and focused. This was the final move of the Nine Swords of Dugu, the Qi-Breaking move. The sword tip left a several-meter-long gash on the mountain wall, leaving a striking impression. Even the sword mark seemed to emit a faint sword intent.

"Hmm, after such diligent practice, the Nine Swords of Dugu can be considered fully mastered. In the future, I need to gradually forget all the sword techniques and摆脱独孤求败的剑意影响，方才能够成就属于我自己的剑法。”江晨心中思量着，对自己此番修炼的收获颇为满意。

他的内功修为已经达到四阶中期，比郭靖、杨过、金轮法王等人都要强上一筹。先前因为铁掌功威力不足，即便他的铁掌功造诣已经胜过了原来的裘千仞，却也未必能够胜得过郭靖、杨过、金轮法王这些绝顶高手。但如今他练成了这门独孤九剑，一切就大不相同了！

独孤九剑本身就是一门极高的剑法，已经达到了剑道的一种极境。江晨通过学习独孤九剑，反推出独孤求败当初的武功境界，剑法造诣自然是与日俱增。虽然还未能登峰造极，但已经可以运用自如。再加上破金剑削铁如泥的锋锐，已经足以与杨过、郭靖、金轮法王这些神雕世界的绝顶高手匹敌。

武功剑法修炼有成，江晨此行的目的可谓是已经圆满达成，当即决定返回襄阳。当然，在返回襄阳之前，他也不忘记四处转了一圈。恰好，让他在半路上遇到了一支元蒙大军的运粮队伍，这才知道，元蒙已经灭了大理，还军北上，另一路兵马自北而南，两路大军预拟会师襄樊，一举而灭大宋。

这一次元蒙事先筹划数年，志在必得，北上的大军由皇弟忽必烈统率，南下大军由元蒙皇帝蒙哥御驾亲统，精兵猛将，尽皆从龙而来，声势之大，实是前所未有。

正所谓，三军未动，粮草先行。元蒙数十万大军侵袭而来，所需粮草自然非同小可，所以，运粮队伍早已提前开拔，将粮草运往一些固定地方囤积。对此，江晨没别的话可说，当即拔剑开杀。

剑冢一番奇遇，不仅让他学得了独孤九剑，更让他内功外功大增。再加上破金剑锋锐无比，一支上千人的运粮队伍，不过短短小半天时间，就给他悉数杀了个干净。这批粮草，则被他分给了附近的百姓，让他们逃往南方。比起喜欢屠城灭村的元蒙，虽然南方的宋朝也是昏庸无比，苛捐杂税一大堆，到底还能勉强活命。

“这个该死的时代！”江晨口中感叹着，心中的杀意更甚，手中的长剑更利，索性专门截杀元蒙的运粮队伍。粮草能分发给百姓就尽量分发，不能分发的就当场烧毁。当然如果遇到其他该杀的人，他的剑下，也同样半点不留情面。于是乎，很快，就有无数人在传：黑衣修罗又出现了！

一番大杀，以鲜血铸炼的剑法比先前更利，江晨这才往襄阳返回。因他转道去了趟绝情谷，抓了几只带字的蜜蜂，路上又遇见一些不平之事，回程难免多费了不少时间。直到这一日，他到了岘山脚下，看见了一间山庙。虽然只是一间普通的山庙，而且早已废弃，还布满灰尘，只剩下几块破烂的门板和一尊被蜘蛛网铺满的神像，但这间山庙的名字却引起了他极大的兴趣：

“羊太傅庙。”

江晨站在羊太傅庙前想了好半天，直到好半响之后，他才终于想起，貌似鲁有脚那个倒霉蛋便是在这里丧生于霍都之手的。后来郭襄还到这里来祭拜他，遭遇尼摩星，被杨过大大暗中出手相救，而且，后来化名何师我潜伏丐帮的霍都也是杨过大大一手策划揭穿的，可谓是让杨过做足了人情，抢足了风头。

也不知道鲁有脚那家伙挂了没有？江晨心里嘀咕着来到了襄阳城中，只听见城里传的沸沸扬扬的，说的都是丐帮帮主鲁有脚昨晚被奸人陷害、惨死于“羊太傅庙”的事情。他不禁有些替鲁有脚感到悲哀，本来还想救他一命的，现在看来是用不着了。

不过，话又说回来了，救不了鲁有脚，不还有个郭襄吗？尼摩星，算你倒霉，本大侠新近练成了盖世武功，正好拿你来试剑！

当下，他在襄阳城里吃了个饱，洗了个澡，换了身衣服，又在兵器铺里重新给破金剑配了一副上好剑鞘，这才来到寺庙的神像后面躲了起来，心想：“也不知道，获取尼摩星这家伙的内力，再加倍强化一下，能不能让我再升一级？”