The wind blows thousands of miles away, and the sword hangs in the north.
The wind blows and the stars fall like rain.
No one in Beicang City dared to speak anymore.
Emperor Wu Xu Su looked embarrassed.
Fortunately, Li Qiubai did not push his opponent too far, but stopped at the right time.
The lone sail disappears into the blue sky.
The big ship gradually went away and disappeared from everyone's sight.
But this scene and this person could not be erased from their hearts.
I will not forget it ten years from now. I will not forget it a hundred years from now.
…
The big ship sails leisurely through the waves.
Li Qiubai seemed to be in a heavy mood at first, but just as he was about to speak, he discovered something.
He turned around and looked.
On the bow of the ship, Lu Qingshan remained silent, closed his eyes slightly, and his mind wandered into the sky.
There was an invisible energy wandering around him.
"Sit on the sword." The sword immortal saw Lu Qingshan's current state.
He thought about it, and finally took away Chuyi and Shiwu, who noticed that Lu Qingshan was not in a good state but did not dare to disturb him easily, and left the bow to avoid being disturbed.
Lu Qingshan's mind was wavering.
After witnessing the Chang'an Sword Immortal returning the sword to Beicang, a mysterious beauty mixed with the sword principles he had previously comprehended began to emerge and touched his mind.
In the original divine text in his soul that represented the Mangcang fighting method, another symbol began to light up and emit golden light.
In his mind, stars were wandering in the sky, and their paths were like flying swords, looming and captivating. Among them was a blood moon in the sky, dazzling beyond compare.
This is the battle method written on the Blood Moon Battle Method Monument.
Lu Qingshan vaguely sensed a vague meaning of the word.
He sat there in deep thought until late at night, when the moon was bright in the sky, and then he slowly opened his eyes.
The red moon in the field of vision turned into a clear moon. Lu Qingshan was stunned for a moment at first.
A mellow voice sounded.
"Good boy, you are about to make the carp jump over the dragon gate. When can you turn into a dragon?" Chang'an Sword Immortal asked Lu Qingshan, who had just come back to his senses from his contemplative state, with great interest.
Lu Qingshan looked back and saw Li Qiubai standing at the curtain of the cabin. He didn't know whether he had just come out or had been waiting here for a long time. In his hand was a moon-lit cup that carried the feelings of a certain woman: "How many men have ever returned from the battles in history?"
“I don’t dare to claim that I am a carp jumping over the dragon gate, but it is indeed fast,” he said happily.
Although he was not in a hurry, he was happy in his heart that he could make further progress so quickly.
Compared to the speed of spring breeze returning, although the sword style he comprehended this time has not yet been fully formed, Lu Qingshan has a clear idea in his mind that this time the sword style will be a sword style that focuses on killing power.
As long as you can leap over this dragon gate and complete the sword style, the state of incarnation will be within your reach.
Li Qiubai looked at Lu Qingshan meaningfully.
He has seen too many younger generations of kendo masters in his life.
However, Li Qiubai also found it rare to find a swordsman like Lu Qingshan who could gain something from every sword strike.
I just don’t know how many times this kid can jump over the dragon gate in the future.
And whether you can jump over the biggest dragon gate.
"Boy, I'm leaving." Li Qiubai finally said.
He traveled with Lu Qingshan for half a month and helped him several times out of consideration for Xia Zhao and because Lu Qingshan was a younger sword cultivator.
But the two are not related after all.
As for the path of kendo, one can be supported, but it is impossible to teach one step by step, hand in hand, like parents teach their children to write. This is absolutely useless. Although it can help one learn to write well, it will also eliminate the possibility of one becoming a "master of calligraphy" in the future.
Li Qiubai, who has reached such a level, naturally understands the reason.
He has taught Lu Qingshan several times, and the rest is up to Lu Qingshan to comprehend and understand on his own, so it is time to part ways.
Lu Qingshan had been prepared for this moment, and all he felt was gratitude.
For a sword master who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, such high-level support is of great significance to him.
"Senior won over Beicang Qingming?" Lu Qingshan asked cautiously.
Although he was roughly certain that Li Qiu would win or lose, guesses were just guesses after all.
"Ten thousand years ago, he was defeated by me. How could he possibly defeat me now?" Li Qiubai said directly, his tone quite calm, as if it was not worth mentioning.
For a genius like him who is seldom seen in a thousand years in the way of the sword, it is only now that he cannot win. It is absolutely impossible that he can win now but cannot win later.
Because other people's progress can never be faster than his.
"Then, Senior, are you still a sword immortal now?" Lu Qingshan hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "Earlier in Beicang City, Emperor Xu Wu said that you, the leader, have lost your power. Is that just empty talk?"
"As a Martial Emperor, he wouldn't be so disgraceful as to speak nonsense." Li Qiubai sneered.
"Then?" Lu Qingshan was shocked.
“However, my situation is rather special. It is true that I have fallen from the realm of Sword Immortal, but it is also not wrong to say that I am still a Sword Immortal.” Li Qiubai nodded, not caring, and just said with a smile.
"I don't quite understand. Could you please help me clear it up, senior?" Lu Qingshan felt confused.
"Do you know the difference between the realms after Lianxu?" Li Qiubai asked, glancing at Lu Qingshan.
"The sixth realm is to become a god, the seventh realm is to merge, the eighth realm is to transcend tribulation, and the ninth realm is to merge with the Tao." Lu Qingshan said.
There is no way he doesn't know these things.
"What does it mean to be in harmony with the Tao?" Li Qiubai asked back.
Lu Qingshan was stunned and stood there in a daze.
The Nine Realms of Integration was still too far away for him. He had never thought about this issue, let alone knew the mystery behind it.
He shook his head and said sincerely: "Please teach me, senior."
Li Qiubai had a blank expression on his face. "The so-called integration of the Dao means finding one's own path from the Dao of Heaven, integrating the Dao, and thus obtaining the power of the Dao of Heaven, which is the Ninth Realm."
"There are three thousand great ways, and each person chooses a different path, with varying degrees of difficulty and strength."
"It's easy to combine the minor paths, but for this kind of ninth realm cultivator, it's basically difficult to make any progress in their lifetime. Giving up the minor path and taking the major path is difficult at every step, but there is a chance to make a further step forward and achieve a noble title."
Among the nine realms, there are also strong and weak realms.
When one first enters the Ninth Realm, he becomes the most common cultivator of the Hedao realm, which is called the One-Step Hedao realm.
There are four steps in He Dao.
When one has mastered the four steps of the Dao and then takes another half step forward, one will be given a noble title.
The Taoist master who practices magic, the Martial Emperor who practices body, and the Sword Immortal who practices sword have all reached this realm.
"You should be able to understand these things," Li Qiubai narrowed his eyes and looked at Lu Qingshan. After a pause, he continued, "However, do you know that there is no so-called Hedao Realm in the Ninth Realm for sword cultivators?"
Lu Qingshan was stunned at first, then his pupils suddenly dilated, "What do you mean, Senior?!"
"Yes," Li Qiubai nodded, "As long as a sword cultivator enters the ninth realm, he will directly skip the four steps of integration and reach the sword immortal, which is the honorable title realm."
There is no distinction between the Dao and the honorific title for sword cultivators!
"Why are sword cultivators so special?" Lu Qingshan couldn't believe it.
"It's actually not hard to understand," Li Qiubai laughed and explained, "The Way of Heaven is actually the innate way. It is the great way that has existed since the birth of this world."
" The Great Way , the Great Way of the Five Elements, etc. are all like this. The most distinctive feature of this kind of Heavenly Way is that there are traces to follow. The cultivators only need to comprehend, pursue, and integrate them. This is why the ninth realm is called the He Dao."
"But you have to understand," Li Qiubai stretched out his voice and said meaningfully, "These great ways existed before the emergence of cultivators. Even if there are no cultivators in the world, these great ways will not disappear."
"The great path that sword cultivators cultivate is the path of the sword."
"But, before the appearance of sword cultivators, how could there be any sword art in the world?" Li Qiubai asked with a smile.
Lu Qingshan was struck by lightning and suddenly had an epiphany.
Sword cultivators cultivate sword skills.
But in fact, the sword is an acquired creation, a magical weapon made by human beings themselves.
At the beginning of the world, there was wind, thunder, the five elements, and all kinds of creations, but there were absolutely no swords.
Among the three thousand great ways of the world, there has never been such a thing as the way of the sword.
"The Way of the Sword is the only acquired Way. It is not an innate Way. There is no trace to be found and no rules to follow. Only sword cultivators like us can explore it with our own strength and wisdom."
“Therefore, there is no such thing as the harmony with the Tao for sword cultivators.” Li Qiubai said calmly.
"How can we combine something that doesn't exist at all?" Lu Qingshan continued.
"That's right. The ninth stage of the other five cultivations is called He Dao, but the ninth stage of sword cultivation should be called Kai Dao."
Li Qiubai revealed the secret of the Sword Immortal to Lu Qingshan, "So, sword cultivators have always been the most difficult to break through to the ninth realm among the six cultivators."
There is no doubt that opening a path is always much more difficult than closing the path.
“Corresponding to the fact that it is extremely difficult to break through the realm, once a sword cultivator breaks through, he will become extremely powerful and can directly become a sword immortal.” Lu Qingshan murmured.
No matter how powerful the Dao is, it is only borrowing the power of others, acting as the spokesperson for the Dao of Heaven, and repeating the words of the Dao of Heaven.
But to pave the way is to become yourself.
Li Qiubai nodded, "Opening up a sword path is about as difficult as taking four steps to a noble title for other cultivators. But other cultivators can proceed step by step, starting from the Hedao and climbing up slowly step by step until they reach a noble title. Sword cultivators can only ascend from the eighth realm to the sword immortal in one step. Therefore, among the cultivators of the six major schools, the number of sword immortals has always been the least."
No wonder sword cultivators are the most romantic and talented, but in Chang'an's 20,000 years, there have only been three sword immortals.
I see.
"Then?" Lu Qingshan was puzzled.
What does this have to do with Li Qiubai's current status as a sword immortal and not a sword immortal?
"I have been practicing swordsmanship on my own and have never encountered a bottleneck. Even at the stage of opening the way, I did not stay there for too long. I opened the sky with one sword and reached the realm of sword immortal." Li Qiubai smiled and said softly.
Lu Qingshan pursed his lips, not knowing how to respond.
"It's just that, because it was too smooth, I realized a thousand years after I reached the Sword Immortal Realm that the sword path I had opened up, although great, had flaws. It was too crude and lacked a kind of soul, making it difficult to reach the ancestral realm."
Li Qiubai paved the way, relying more on his unprecedented talent.
But talent always has its limits. If the road is flawed and not perfect, no matter how talented you are, you will not be able to reach the end.
"There is no turning back on the road. It is impossible for me to turn back and build the road." Li Qiubai explained.
"Unless you destroy your own sword path and start anew."
Lu Qingshan was overwhelmed with emotions and was speechless.
Until now, how could he not understand the meaning of Li Qiubai's words.
This is similar to his act of cutting off his own foundation.
But the problem is that what he killed was only the Dao foundation of the Nascent Soul stage, while what Li Qiubai killed was the sword foundation.
This is like the difference between a middle-class person giving up everything and starting over, and a billionaire donating all his fortune and starting over again from scratch.
The perseverance and courage required in this process is by no means comparable to what Lu Qingshan could achieve by cutting off his own Nascent Soul foundation.
Li Qiubai was already the undisputed leader in kendo at that time, yet he had the courage to make such a decision and did it so lightly.
How could Lu Qingshan not admire him?
"After I destroyed my sword path, my realm plummeted. I indeed fell from the realm of Sword Immortal, and Niu Er was also tarnished because of this."
The sword immortal ignored the shock in Lu Qingshan's heart, looked towards the moon in the river, and said softly.
"But this doesn't mean I'm wrong. On the contrary, this is exactly the only way to go. If I don't take this step, how can I know the true way of the sword?"
"So, senior, have you returned to the realm of sword immortals now?" Lu Qingshan asked tentatively.
It is clearly the means of a sword immortal. Even a true Martial Emperor at the Zun Ti Realm is no match for Li Qiubai. This should be the true realm of sword immortal, right?
“Almost,” Li Qiubai sighed, “Boy, let me tell you one last thing. A sword cultivator is someone who uses force to prove his way. He is someone who forcibly opens a new path in the way of heaven.”
"It's like you're visiting someone's home. There are 3,000 ways to get there, but you insist on shoveling your own way. Would you be happy if it were you?"
"I'm not happy with it." Lu Qingshan said decisively.
"Yes, if you are not happy, then the Heavenly Dao will not be happy either. If a sword cultivator opens the way, the Heavenly Dao will do its best to stop him," Li Qiubai said calmly. "Of course, it is not impossible to negotiate. If your relationship with the Heavenly Dao is good enough, even if you behave in a slightly rude manner, the Heavenly Dao will turn a blind eye."
It's a very simple truth.
If a stranger eats your food, you will definitely be unhappy, but if your girlfriend eats your food, not only will you not be angry, you will even ask her if she wants to eat more.
"So, for a sword cultivator to open the way, he still needs the protection of his own destiny."
"Xie Qingyun used the luck of the Eastern Region and the Sword Sect to protect him and thus became a Sword Immortal. Chu Mushen relied on one-third of the human race's luck to break through. I used the luck of Great Xia to reach the Sword Immortal realm."
Borrowing Daxia's good fortune to protect the way?
Lu Qingshan looked at Li Qiubai meaningfully.
There is no doubt who the person was who lent him the luck of Da Xia.
only……
The Chang'an Sword Immortal is not from Daxia, so how he can borrow this luck is worth pondering.
Li Qiubai ignored Lu Qingshan's thoughts and continued, "When I destroyed my sword path, I also dispersed my Great Xia luck."
"Now my sword path has been restored, and even four or five levels higher than the previous sword immortal realm. However, I just lack the luck that can protect my path, so I have been unable to open up the path again."
This is the reason why Li Qiubai said that he is both a sword immortal and not a sword immortal.
——His cultivation is still at the eighth level, but his sword realm is far beyond the sword fairy realm.
"Thank you for teaching me, senior." Lu Qingshan smiled and clasped his hands.
Li Qiubai nodded slightly.
The reason why he told Lu Qingshan in such detail was to give him some advice.
He saw his own shadow in Lu Qingshan - full of talent and extraordinary gift.
He said so much to Lu Qingshan in order to prevent Lu Qingshan from repeating his mistakes in the future.
Luck.
Lu Qingshan repeated the word in his mind again and felt it was very mysterious.
This kind of thing cannot be seen or touched, it is indeed metaphysics.
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
——He is only at the fifth realm now, and the affairs of sword immortals are too far away from him. There is no need to worry about it. He might as well pay more attention to how to break through the Ten Flower Divine Gate.
"Then, senior, have you found out about the black armor?" Lu Qingshan changed the subject. This was what he cared about most at the moment.
"Xu Su is no match for me, and he has his heart set on Beicang, so of course he dares not hide anything from me," Li Qiubai sneered, "The barefoot are not afraid of the ones wearing shoes, not to mention that the one wearing shoes can't beat a barefoot like me."
"Then?" Lu Qingshan frowned slightly.
"This black armor was wanted by the lineage of Prince Qing. It is said that the weapon refiner of Prince Qing's lineage wanted to deduce the refining method of the divine armor from the finished product." Li Qiubai said expressionlessly.
"As for the affairs of the three cities, he knows nothing about them either."
"Could Emperor Xu Wu be hiding something?" Lu Qingshan hesitated for a moment and asked again.
"No," Li Qiubai shook his head and said firmly, "He wouldn't dare."
"Haha... one thing leads to another." Lu Qingshan frowned, smelling a conspiracy.
The clue of the black armor was found from the three empty cities. This is the first link.
Through the black armor, Shui Yuntai was found again. As a result, the information given by Shui Yuntai pointed to Emperor Wu of the Xu family in Beicang. This is the second ring.
As it turns out, this isn’t the end yet.
There is also a third ring.
The third ring actually pointed to the lineage of Prince Qing, one of the three collateral branches of Da Xia.
The power of the person behind this is so terrifying that he can mobilize so much manpower and material resources.
If it weren't for Chang'an Sword Immortal who discovered this, he wouldn't be able to find out anything even if he investigated it alone, even if he had to tear the sky apart.
"Is it Prince Qing?" Lu Qingshan guessed.
The clues finally pointed to the lineage of Prince Qing, and the first person he thought of was Prince Qing.
He does have the strength and energy.
Li Qiubai stepped forward, leaned against the railing, looked at the moon in the water, stretched out a finger and lightly tapped the railing, raised the moon lamp in one hand to receive the moonlight, and said to himself: "Just go and ask and you will know."
When a person has enough power, he doesn't need too many tricks to investigate something, he can just sum it up in one word.
Just ask, that's all.
Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment, then said, "Senior, there is one more thing I want you to tell me..."
He carefully considered his words and briefly told Chang'an Sword Immortal what he had seen and heard in the Abyss Demon Realm, that is, the existence of human beings in the abyss.
"Trafficking in the human race..."
Li Qiubai slowly took back the moon cup, stared at the wine in the cup, and frowned.
He shook his head and poured the "wine" into the Lancang River without mercy.
The wine was still in the air when a gust of river breeze blew it and it turned into specks of moonlight and dissipated.
He looked at the moonlight transformed from the "wine" and vaguely saw a little red light in it.
"It's turbid."
The Chang'an Sword Immortal sighed.
The next moment, his figure disappeared from the ship like a dream, dew or lightning.
"I know about this. Relax, and work on your sword. I will take care of this matter."
Above the river, one can only hear the voice of the sword immortal, but not see him.