Chapter 7: Sword Techniques (Part 2)

  Changchun is located in the central part of Jilin Province.

  Li Yuanbai had just finished explaining the theory of swordsmanship, the four levels of sword techniques. After a slight pause, he said: "Your understanding is also correct, but it's easy to know and hard to do. It's not easy for you to reach the level where people are not limited by sword moves."

  Moreover, in the practice of swordsmanship, it is emphasized that one should progress gradually and cannot be impatient.

  "Take it easy." Li Yuanbai's tone was quite calm, he had gone through countless storms and rains, so naturally he was extremely calm.

  Lu Yuan listened in his heart, thinking secretly that he also knew that the practice of swordsmanship was a gradual process. When it reached a certain level, it would naturally come together, but unfortunately, there wasn't much time left for himself, only six months.

  You must set a plan for practicing swordsmanship, so that your skills can be quickly improved.

  ——————

  The wind is howling through the willow forest.

  This is one of the less famous places on Beifeng.

  There are two major features here.

  One is the strong wind, almost twelve hours a day, non-stop gusts. If it were an ordinary person in such a place, survival would be extremely difficult. However, even cultivators need to expend some magical energy to solidify their physical form; otherwise, they fear that their bodies would be blown away by the wild winds.

  The second is willow trees, this place is almost all willow trees, with willow leaves connected.

  Here, the wind often rises, and the willow leaves are blown about wildly, with waves undulating.

  However, although there are some characteristics, they are not particularly large. The North Peak is vast and has many famous scenic spots, such as Zhenwu Temple, Jiao Gong Stone Room, Changchun Stone Room, Yunu Window, Xiangu Cave, Shentu Cliff, Yiyun Pavilion, Laojun Hanging Plow Place, Tie Niu Tai, Baiyun Xianjing Stone Archway and so on. As a result, there are not many people coming to this place.

  It's rare for someone to come here.

  And at this time, the wind is strong.

  A youth in a green robe, somewhat slender and wiry, with a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, is entering the room.

  What a wild wind in the willow forest! Indeed, the wind is very strong and indeed there are many willows. Being among them, I feel as if I have entered an ocean of willows.

  Lu Yuan secretly thought in his heart.

  As for how I ended up here, it's actually quite simple - I came here to practice sword fighting.

  At that time, I thought of a place to practice sword, thinking and thinking, this place is not bad.

  The wind is howling through the willow forest.

  Innumerable willow leaves blown about by the strong winds can serve as targets for my sword practice. At that time, I was thinking of making a plan to practice my swordplay and before I knew it, I thought of this place.

  Since you've thought of it, it will naturally come.

  Straining in the midst of a gusty wind, he spotted his own figure and at the same time, spotted a willow leaf. This ceaselessly floating willow leaf was quite an eyesore. Now, he took this willow leaf as his opponent and began to practice his swordplay.

  "Clouds come and winds disturb"

  "The wind passes over the mountains, leaving no trace"

  "The clouds lock in the deep mountains, the wind does not blow"

  ..."The cloud's intention is endless"

  "The wind cannot be pursued"...

  One sword move after another, stabbing at the leaves, quickly stabbing away one leaf and then searching for the next, one by one, but sometimes the leaves were too fast in the strong wind, and there were too many other willow leaves as cover, so it was often the case that some were not stabbed.

  Gradually, gradually, Lu Yuan discovered that the 108 Wind Cloud Swords were indeed quite mysterious, but sometimes the sword moves required too much time. Sometimes, by the time you finished your move, the leaf you had been eyeing had already been blown away by the strong wind. Sometimes, half a move was enough.

  Previously, when competing with Ye Fang in a sword fight, Lu Yuan had already realized the second realm of swordsmanship: Sword techniques are dead, people are alive. People don't need to be bound by sword moves. Of course, wanting to and being able to do so are two different things.

  Now, start practicing this state.

  Clouds come and winds disturb, use only the first half of the move, Clouds Come.

  The wind locks the rivers and mountains, using the previous section.

  Clouds and wind hide deep in the mountains, using the next section afterwards.

  I'm working hard, practicing sword fighting with the floating willow leaves non-stop, again and again, day after day. I've been struggling to master the sword. Normally, Lu Yuan would never be in such a state, but now that Sima Changbai and Sima Hao have humiliated me so much, I must strike back fiercely. No matter how lazy I was before, this time I must make an effort.

  At first, it was impossible to do even a simple half move, but after using the half move, it was difficult to smoothly connect to the next move.

  "Huff... I'm so tired." Even if each swing of the sword isn't tiring, after thousands of swings in a day, it's exhausting to the extreme. However, at this moment, one can only persevere. If one doesn't make an effort even when being bullied to this extent, then one can only say that they're a complete waste, and that they're just lazy, not a waste.

  Sweat, continuously flowing down from his forehead.

  From daybreak till nightfall.

  In this desolate and uninhabited willow forest.

  When practicing sword fighting, basically, I sleep for about two or three hours a day.

  Time passed in endless sword practice.

  In just one month, Lu Yuan had already gotten used to using only half of the sword moves. The 108 sword styles of Fengyun could all be used with only half of the moves, either the first half or the second half. This set of sword moves had been broken down into pieces, but ironically, breaking them down made them feel more natural, more effortless, and more comfortable to use.

  At this time, the crazy wind willow forest is even more practical. Lu Yuan now also understands that he has reached the second realm of swordsmanship. The sword moves are dead, but people are alive. People should not be bound by the sword, but instead control the sword.

  The original purpose has been achieved.

  The second heavy boundary of swordsmanship, people are no longer bound by sword moves, and finally reached by themselves.

  However, at this time, he still wanted to practice for a while longer. After all, there were still five months until the North Peak Grand Competition. If he went out now, there would be nothing to do, so it was better to continue practicing his sword skills. Who knows, maybe he could even make some breakthroughs? Although Master said that the third realm of Sword Intent was a realm that not even ten people among the ninth generation elders had achieved, he still wanted to give it a try.

  People always have ambitions.

  ……

  It's already been two months since he arrived at Windy Willow Forest. During these two months, Lu Yuan had been practicing his swordsmanship here.

  At this time, Lu Yuan faintly felt it.

  In the midst of a whirlwind willow forest, practicing swordplay. Sometimes, it's necessary to pierce the whirlwind willow leaves, sometimes not even half a move is needed, and sometimes just one action is enough. And gradually, I discovered that all 108 moves of the Wind Cloud Sword Style are composed of some basic actions: chopping, slashing, smashing, sweeping, blocking, washing, intercepting, stabbing, stirring, pressing, hanging, and clouding.

  If there are no other actions, then the so-called 108 swords of wind and cloud should actually be these basic actions plus a certain intention, such as the intention of cloud, the intention of wind. Then what is the intention of cloud? What is the intention of wind?

  The whirlwind blows through the willow forest, in the fourth month.

  Lu Yuan was casually drawing his sword, and at the same time, he was pondering the meaning of the clouds and the wind. At this moment, the meaning of the wind had already become clear in general, after all, it had been four months since the Crazy Wind Leaf, constantly being influenced by the crazy wind, constantly being blown by the crazy wind. What is the wind? A gentle breeze that leaves no trace is the wind.

  What is wind? The fierce gusts of wind are also wind, and these are all wind.

  Naturally, there was a hint of wind intent, which merged into the sword moves.

  In fact, this is still thanks to Lu Yuan's practice of the Hundred and Eight Styles of Wind and Clouds. The sword moves contain too many styles that imply wind intent. If one practices other sword techniques, even if they practice in the midst of a stormy gale, unless they are a prodigy, it would be impossible to comprehend the intent of the wind, let alone infuse it into their sword moves.

  But what is the cloud? Lu Yuan suddenly found himself in a vast ocean of clouds, and it had been four months since he was there. No mistake, his willow leaf had been blown by the wind for four months without stopping. This was actually the ocean of willow leaves, the sea of clouds, being between the wind and clouds for four months, feeling and receiving at all times.

  Lu Yuan understood what was wind and what were clouds.

  There were some epiphanies, but more often it was just a natural understanding.

  What is wind, what is cloud.

  A gentle breeze that leaves no trace is the wind, a fierce gust that ravages the land is also the wind, a warm breeze that intoxicates people is also the wind. Clouds gathering in the sky are clouds, turbulent seas of clouds are also clouds, and even the slightest movement is also clouds. The meaning of wind and clouds has already entered my mind. Now, I will begin to merge the essence of clouds and wind into the 108 Wind-Cloud Swords.

  Split, chop, collapse, swing, cut off, wash, intercept, stab, stir, press, hang, and cloud are the basic movements. With the meaning of cloud and wind, they form the 108 Wind Cloud Swords.

  A set of exquisite sword moves appeared in Lu Yuan's hands.

  "Clouds come and winds disturb"

  "The wind passes over the mountains, leaving no trace"

  "The clouds lock in the deep mountains, the wind does not blow"

  ..."The cloud's intention is endless"

  "The wind cannot be pursued"...

  This is still the 108 Swords of Wind and Cloud.

  However, Lu Yuan knew that his Wind and Cloud 108 Swords were now completely different.

  In the past, sword moves were dead. People were bound by sword moves and used complete sword moves. That was seeing mountains as mountains and water as water.

  Then, the sword move is dead, but the person is not bound by the sword move. The person is alive. At that time, only half a move or some broken moves are used. At that time, looking at mountains is not seeing mountains, and looking at water is not seeing water.

  Now, with the most basic chopping, hacking, smashing, sweeping, blocking, washing, intercepting, stabbing, stirring, pressing, hanging and cloud-like movements, plus the intention of the cloud and the sword of intention, I have mastered the 108 Wind Cloud Sword moves, one by one, to the point where mountains are still mountains and waters are still waters.

  I have grasped the intent of the sword by myself.

  There was a thread of enlightenment, plus more inevitability, and I understood the sword intent of the 108 Swords of Wind and Cloud.

  Lu Yuan now looked at his own hands, looking at the long sword in his hand. Master Li Yuanbai had said that among the ninth generation of Beifeng, not even ten people had comprehended the intent of the sword, including the six sword immortals of Beifeng. And yet, no one in the tenth generation had comprehended it either. But unexpectedly, he himself had actually comprehended the intent of the sword.

  To this day, Lu Yuan still couldn't believe it, but he also understood that he had indeed grasped the sword intent and reached the third level of swordsmanship, the Sword Intent Level. He was only one level away from the highest level of swordsmanship, the Ultimate Sword Intent.

  Sword intent, sword intent, sword intent!

  Still can't believe I've grasped the sword intent like this.

  He stood there in a daze for a long time before coming back to his senses, clapping his hands. At this moment, he had grasped the sword intent of the 108 Wind and Cloud Swords. It was time to head back. For four months, he hadn't had a taste of game meat or a sip of wine; his throat had been parched for far too long.

  Ascetic practice, complete.

  With a clang, Lu Yu sheathed his sword and slung the scabbard over his shoulder, striding out of the Crazy Wind Willow Forest where he had been cultivating for four months.

  ——————

  Lu Yuan did not know that even at this time, the North Peak of Mount Hua had no record of it. The second-generation ancestor of the North Peak, who created the Cloud Dragon Heart Method and the Wind and Cloud 108 Swords, and was invincible in the cultivation world of the Great Jin Dynasty at that time, had an epiphany here in this windy willow forest and created the Cloud Dragon Heart Method and the Wind and Cloud 108 Swords.

  Of course, there are also some lucky factors, sometimes, being lucky is just being enlightened.

  This chapter is quite thick, with over 3,000 words.