33: Chapter 33 The sword protects the original intention

A month passed in a flash, like a white steed galloping past a crevice.

Life cultivating on Wudang Mountain was as rigid as a sundial's shadow, precise and constant. At the third quarter of the Yin Hour, the first morning bell pierced through the thin mountain mist, and Lu Mingyuan was already standing with his fellow Disciples from the same courtyard in the plaza in front of Zixiao Palace. The dark practice robes absorbed the lingering chill of the night, and the steaming Qi and blood of a hundred people forming a line to practice the 'Hunyuan Stake' condensed into a faint white mist in the early winter morning.

"The essence of Pile Training lies in the roots and the stance," Zhao Shouzhen patrolled with his hands behind his back, his footsteps and words equally steady. "Roots embedded three feet deep can bear a thousand catties; a stance formed can ward off ten thousand evils. We Wudang Disciples should emulate the lone pine on a cliff—our will unyielding against the wind, our integrity unbroken by snow."

Lu Mingyuan closed his eyes and sank his shoulders, imagining his roots penetrating the bluestone slab beneath his shoes, extending downwards along the mountain's Veins. This was different from the tranquil state of "reaching the extreme of emptiness, guarding profound stillness" in the Classic of Purity and Tranquility; it was a tangible feeling of "connecting with the earth's Veins." After a month of arduous cultivation, he gradually understood the Dao of Wudang: not seeking ethereal immortality, but striving for steady, practical steps; not emphasizing Divine Ability transformations, but focusing solely on the reach of one's strength.

After the pile, the sword rose.

Of the thirty-six basic Wudang Sword Arts, Lu Mingyuan had already learned the twenty-fourth form, "Jade Maidens Shuttle." The instructor today was Zhou Yi, the first Disciple of the third generation, a Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, known for his strictness.

"Junior Brother Lu, practice 'Golden Boy Embracing the Moon' a hundred more times."

Lu Mingyuan had no objection and began the stance with his sword. This form was a defensive one, the sword moving with the body in an arc, protecting three feet in front of him. When he reached the seventy-third repetition, Zhou Yi suddenly called a halt.

"In this form of yours, the shape is correct, but the intent is off," Zhou Yi walked into the center of the field and demonstrated with a wooden sword. "Watch carefully—Golden Boy Embracing the Moon, what it embraces is not oneself, but 'the surrounding area.'"

Sword light rose, forming an arc.

Lu Mingyuan's pupils slightly contracted. Zhou Yi's sword, its arc light, subtly enveloped the three feet of space around him, as if that three-foot space had gained substance, distinct like a glass cover.

"The ultimate of defense is not in protecting the body, but in drawing a boundary," Zhou Yi retracted his sword. "If there is no thought of 'this place cannot be invaded' in one's heart, the sword arc is an empty shell."

Lu Mingyuan's heart was shaken. He remembered the "cross" symbol in the True Martial Diagram—with this as the boundary, demons could not cross. It turned out that every defensive move of Wudang swordsmanship was defining a "boundary of protection."

During the Internal Skill class in the afternoon, after Immortal Master Jingxu checked his circulation, her withered hand suddenly pressed on his Dantian.

"You have three streams of Qi in your body," a glimmer of light flashed in the old woman's cloudy eyes. "The foundation of Daoist purity and tranquility, the Noble Spirit of Confucianism, and now the Pure Yang blood of Wudang. It is indeed rare to cultivate three systems simultaneously without chaos."

Lu Mingyuan honestly replied, "This Junior received the Classic of Purity and Tranquility from Senior Xuanweizi on Zhongnan Mountain, cultivated Noble Spirit when comprehending Talisman Dao on Longhu Mountain, and only recently experienced the change in Qi and blood from cultivating the Pure Yang Art."

"Greedy for too much, you'll chew more than you can swallow," Immortal Master Jingxu withdrew her hand, but then changed the subject. "However, if you can integrate them, you might open a path unexplored by predecessors. But the path of Fusion is not about forcing it, but about letting it happen naturally. When you practice sword today, you can try using the Classic of Purity and Tranquility for calming the mind, Noble Spirit for strengthening your intent, and Pure Yang Art for generating power. Let the three pulse each perform its function, do not mix them."

Lu Mingyuan tried as instructed. That evening, when practicing sword, he used the Classic of Purity and Tranquility to calm his mind and Distractions, drew upon Noble Spirit to enhance his "guarding" Sword Intent, and circulated the Pure Yang Art to activate his Qi and blood for power. When he thrust out a sword with "Jade Maidens Shuttle," a faint white glow subtly appeared at the sword tip. Although it was only for a moment, it astonished the observing Zhou Yi.

"This is... the prototype of Sword Qi?" Zhou Yi was incredulous. "You're only in the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!"

"A fluke," Lu Mingyuan retracted his sword and gasped. This one sword consumed thirty percent of his spiritual power, but the feeling of "intent, Qi, and power" uniting allowed him to glimpse another realm.

---

Two days before the end of the month, an unforeseen event suddenly occurred.

That day, at the state Hour, Lu Mingyuan was in the courtyard pondering the possibility of integrating the "True Martial Intent" with Talisman Arts when he suddenly heard nine short and one long bell tolls from the direction of the mountain gate—an alarm bell!

"A Devilish Qi Rift has appeared in the Needle-Grinding Cave in the back mountain!" A messenger Disciple flew past, his voice urgent. "Some patrolling Disciples are trapped!"

Wudang reacted extremely quickly. In less than half a cup of tea's time, Zhao Shouzhen had already gathered fifteen Foundation Establishment Disciples, and Lu Mingyuan was included due to his recent performance.

"The Needle-Grinding Cave was where Ancestral Master Zhenwu once honed his sword and heart. There is ancient Sword Intent remaining in the cave to suppress it, so a Rift should not have appeared," Zhao Shouzhen said in a deep voice as he hurried along. "Such an anomaly must not be simple. Remember, your primary task is to rescue the trapped Disciples, second is to investigate the source of The Rift, and only then is it to suppress the demonic creatures. Do not act recklessly!"

The Disciples solemnly agreed.

The Needle-Grinding Cave is located in a secluded valley in the back mountain of Wudang Mountain, requiring passage through an ancient pine forest. When everyone arrived, a faint black mist already permeated the valley, pine needles fell silently, and the air carried a rusty, metallic smell.

At the cave entrance, three Corpse Puppets were battering a stone door—the giant rock that the patrolling Disciples had used to block the entrance after retreating into the cave. The Corpse Puppets' skin was greenish-black, their nails long like daggers, and their impacts scraped against the stone door with a harsh sound.

"Form the Three Talents Array!" Zhou Yi shouted.

Five groups of Disciples quickly spread out. Lu Mingyuan was in a group with Zhou Yi and another Disciple named Li Yan, heading straight for the leftmost Corpse Puppet.

The Corpse Puppet sensed living beings, roared, turned, and lunged, bringing with it a foul wind. Zhou Yi met it head-on, his sword light like a curtain; Li Yan attacked from the flank, his sword taking an unorthodox path. Lu Mingyuan, however, did not rush to draw his sword. He scanned the battlefield—the two groups on the right had already suppressed the other two Corpse Puppets, but faint sounds of fighting came from within the cave, indicating that more demonic creatures had already broken in.

"Senior Brother Zhou, aid is needed inside the cave!" Lu Mingyuan's shout had not even finished before he rushed towards the cave entrance.

The stone door had been cracked by the Corpse Puppets, and he squeezed in sideways. The cave was dim, with countless sword marks left by Wudang Disciples over thousands of years etched on the stone walls. At this moment, those etchings glowed with a faint golden light—the ancient Sword Intent was spontaneously resisting the Devilish Qi's erosion.

Thirty feet ahead, four patrolling Disciples were fighting fiercely with their backs against the stone wall. They faced an mutated Corpse Puppet: its body was a size larger than ordinary Corpse Puppets, and a secondary mouth full of sharp teeth had split open on its chest, spewing corrosive black mist.

Two Disciples were already injured, their Daoist robes corroded with holes, and their flesh festering.

Lu Mingyuan leaped into the fray.

"Another one seeking death!" The mutated Corpse Puppet could actually speak human words, its voice hoarse like a broken gong. "Wudang's Sword Intent... has suppressed me for a hundred years... today I will use your flesh and blood to break the seal!"

Black mist surged forth.

Lu Mingyuan advanced instead of retreating, drawing an arc with a "Golden Boy Embracing the Moon" sword strike. This time, what he envisioned in his heart was not self-protection, but "with this sword arc as the boundary, the black mist shall not pass." The Classic of Purity and Tranquility calmed his mind's natural aversion to demonic creatures, Noble Spirit augmented his "guarding" Sword Intent, and the Pure Yang Art propelled his Qi and blood into the sword.

The sword arc lit up with a faint white glow.

The black mist collided with the sword arc, scattering like a tide crashing against a reef. The mutated Corpse Puppet was startled, then enraged, its sharp claws tearing at Lu Mingyuan's face.

Lu Mingyuan's sword stance shifted, and "Jade Maidens Shuttle" thrust directly at the secondary mouth on the Corpse Puppet's chest. This sword was fast and precise, the white glow at its tip flickering. The moment it pierced the secondary mouth, Noble Spirit poured in along the sword.

"Roar—!"

The Corpse Puppet howled and retreated, green smoke rising from its secondary mouth. It frantically waved its sharp claws, but its movements were in disarray due to the intense pain. The four patrolling Disciples seized the opportunity to surround and attack it, their sword lights interwoven, finally cutting it down.

The demonic creature fell to the ground and turned into black smoke, leaving only a dark red crystal on the spot.

"This is... a demonic crystal?" an injured Disciple gasped. "Ordinary Corpse Puppets definitely don't have this."

Lu Mingyuan picked up the crystal; it was warm to the touch, with dark red liquid flowing within. He suddenly remembered that Immortal Master Yushu once said, "Demonic creatures that condense demonic crystals must be infected by high-grade demonic thoughts and have become dependents."

The sounds of fighting outside the cave had ceased. Zhao Shouzhen led his people in, and seeing everyone unharmed, his expression relaxed slightly.

"Under the suppression of the Sword Intent in the Needle-Grinding Cave, it was actually able to breed demonic crystal Corpse Puppets..." He examined the crystal, his face grave. "This Rift is not simple. Zhou Yi, take the injured Disciples back to the mountain for treatment. Lu Mingyuan, follow me to investigate the source of The Rift."

The two ventured deeper into the cave.

Deep within the Needle-Grinding Cave, there was a natural stone platform, said to be where Ancestral Master Zhenwu once honed his sword. At this moment, about three feet above the stone platform, a dark red Rift hung in mid-air, about five feet long and less than one foot wide, slowly seeping viscous Devilish Qi. But strangely, the Devilish Qi did not spread; instead, it was drawn, decomposed, and dissolved by the crisscrossing Sword Intent etchings on the stone platform.

"The Sword Intent is automatically purifying the Devilish Qi," Lu Mingyuan observed the anomaly.

"Precisely so," Zhao Shouzhen walked to the stone platform and looked up at The Rift. "The Sword Intent here, after a thousand years of sedimentation, has gained sentience. But for this Rift to open here, it means..."

Before he finished speaking, The Rift suddenly fluctuated violently!

A pale arm stretched out from within, its five fingers like hooks, grabbing at Zhao Shouzhen's throat. The arm's skin was transparent, revealing dark red blood vessels pulsating within, definitely not a Corpse Puppet's arm.

Zhao Shouzhen reacted extremely quickly, flicking his horsetail whisk, and thousands of silver threads wrapped around the arm. But the arm's strength was immense, actually tearing the silver threads of the whisk apart, inch by inch.

Without hesitation, Lu Mingyuan thrust his sword at the arm's wrist. He used ten percent of his full power in this sword, the white glow at the tip blazing brightly—it was the full power strike of the "three pulse Fusion" he had comprehended today.

The sword penetrated three inches, as if hitting decayed leather.

The arm recoiled in pain, an angry roar came from The Rift, which then quickly closed and vanished without a trace. Only a few drops of dark red blood were left on the stone platform, corroding tiny pits upon landing.

Silence returned to the cave.

Zhao Shouzhen stared at the few drops of demonic blood for a long time before saying, "It's not an ordinary demonic creature... it's a 'Demonic General' level existence, a Divided Soul that reached in through The Rift."

He turned to look at Lu Mingyuan, his gaze complex: "Your performance today far exceeded my expectations. That sword strike already captured three-tenths of the essence of True Martial Intent—not in form, but in spirit."

Lu Mingyuan sheathed his sword, only then realizing his palms were covered in cold sweat: "This Disciple just... felt that sword should be struck."

"You felt it should be struck, so you struck it," Zhao Shouzhen suddenly smiled. "This is 'Walking the Dao.' You have passed the third test."

On the way back to the mountain, dusk was falling.

Lu Mingyuan rubbed the dark red demonic crystal in his In my arms, his heart filled with doubts. The Needle-Grinding Cave was suppressed by True Martial Sword Intent, yet a Rift still appeared, and it was a stable Rift capable of allowing a "Demonic General" to reach through...

The demonic calamity in this world might be coming faster and fiercer than he imagined.

And his cultivation must also be faster and more solid.

The mountain wind whistled past his ears, like the ringing of a sword.