On this night, around the hour of the Ox (1-3 AM), the door curtain of the Humble Prudence Studio was drawn, but the white dog was not guarding the entrance.
Inside the studio, the white dog sat on its hind legs, its front legs upright, its head held high, and a talisman arrow blank clamped horizontally in its mouth.
Sparks occasionally flew from the arrow blank, and upon closer inspection, the source of the sparks was the tip of a three-foot-long sword, carving restrictions onto the thin arrow casing!
The long sword moved like a brush, the arrow casing like paper, swift and fluid.
As the sword danced, cold light radiated, and sparks flew from the tip as it touched the arrow casing.
It was unclear whether the sword's owner was practicing restriction techniques or sword techniques.
The white dog didn't know; it thought its master was playing a game with it.
Its large, simple head remained motionless, its pink nose twitching, and its tail wagged happily, slapping the ground with a loud pat pat, drowning out the sound of the carving.
Four feet away, Yun Qi stood tall and straight, like a pine or bamboo, his body unmoving, his right arm extended, relying solely on the movement of his wrist to swirl the sword tip into a blur of white flowers.
He was carving restrictions while also practicing his swordplay.
At this moment, on this winter night, a spark of inspiration naturally arose in his mind.
In the future, he would seek a magical sword, using it as a brush, his spiritual power as ink, and the void as paper, drawing a talisman in mid-air.
When his spiritual power was abundant, his sword energy could span a thousand miles, forming a talisman in the sky from a thousand miles away.
Wouldn't that be magnificent?
His mind brimmed with ideas, yet his hands remained steady until he finished carving the talisman arrows to be sold the next day.
Then, he lifted the door curtain and stepped outside.
The moon hung high in the sky, and the ground was covered in pure white snow.
The snow reflected the moonlight, seeming to glow itself, blending with the moonlight to make the night less dark.
The snow fell lightly, turning green leaves white as it landed on branches, turning yellow earth white as it fell to the ground, but disappearing into the river, making the water appear deep black in the night.
The snow was too light, falling silently.
Even as it fell ceaselessly, turning green mountains and blue waters into white mountains and black waters, the process was so quiet, without a single sound.
Often, it was only after a night had passed that people would open their eyes and suddenly realize:
"Oh! The snow has grown thicker."
But often, after a few more days, on a night like this,
Crack!
A branch, unable to bear the weight of the snow, snapped and fell to the ground with a loud crash, startling those at rest.
People might then suddenly realize:
The snow falls so continuously, and after falling, it can become so heavy!
Yun Qi watched quietly for a while, observing the lightness of the snow, its weight, its transparency, its cold light, how it melted into water, how it broke branches, how it turned the mountains white, how it bowed the forests.
There was meaning in it, there was power in it.
He came to a deserted spot by the riverbank and drew "Autumn Water."
He began to dance with his sword, moving in the moonlight and snow.
His sword reflected silver light, blending with the snow and moonlight, like snowflakes, like moonlight.
His sword danced, scattering like snow, filling the space between heaven and earth.
But if you tried to see a single piece clearly, it was as difficult as seeing the sword's blade—only a blur, never landing in one place.
His sword danced, the tip turning into cold sparks, like snow falling from the sky.
If you stood in the open, where could you hide?
This was the sword's momentum.
This snow annoyed the sects of Miaojiang, but for Yun Qi, it was just right.
A few days ago, Yun Qi had traded talisman arrows for a copy of the Water Intent Four Phases Sword Scripture.
This sword scripture wasn't particularly valuable, but it served as a good introduction for Yun Qi to cultivate sword momentum.
The sword techniques in the scripture were mediocre, but the ideas behind the sword momentum were decent.
In sword practice, as long as you understood momentum, the techniques would follow naturally.
This scripture divided water intent into four phases: heavy snow, torrential rain, surging river, and giant waves.
Heavy snow took the momentum of lifting heavy things as if they were light, covering the sky and earth.
Torrential rain took the momentum of being continuous and penetrating everywhere.
Surging river took the momentum of flowing a thousand miles, unstoppable.
Giant waves took the momentum of churning water, forming clouds that covered the sky.
The footwork Yun Qi used to match the heavy snow momentum came from the Heavenly Pivot Agile Body Step Technique of the Azure Dragon Cave.
The Heavenly Pivot Star is located at the boundary between the handle and the bowl of the Big Dipper, governing balance and excelling in the changes of advance and retreat.
The Jin Dynasty Astronomical Records state that the Big Dipper lies north of the Supreme Palace, with the Pivot as heaven, the Jade as earth, the Pearl as man, the Balance as time, the Harmony as sound, the Opening Yang as law, and the Shaking Light as stars.
The Balance is time, and time is change.
The young Daoist's steps followed the curves and straight lines of the Big Dipper, while his sword formed the momentum of heavy snow.
"Autumn Water" joyfully sang like a dragon!
But heavy snow, after all, is man-made.
How could it defy the natural order?
The stars shifted without regard for human affairs.
When the handle of the Big Dipper pointed to the Tiger position, spring arrived, and the heavy snow melted, turning into small streams that flowed into the river.
First, the east wind thaws the ice; second, the hibernating insects begin to stir; third, the fish swim under the ice.
And when the handle of the Big Dipper pointed to the Water position, the rains came.
The east wind thaws the ice, and the first water of heaven turns into rain.
The spring rain fell continuously, softly and freely.
Still by the banks of the Seven-Mile River, in the midst of the heavy rain, the young Daoist continued to dance with his sword.
This time, his sword was not as light as winter snow.
It was so swift, the sword thrusting and changing countless times in an instant.
This sharpness and change were so continuous that if you didn't see it with your own eyes, who would believe that just drawing and sheathing a sword could be so beautiful?
"I didn't really believe in genius before," said a one-armed man with red hair in a thatched hut not far from the riverbank.
He was one of the wounded lying on chairs, chatting but all eyes on the Daoist practicing in the rain.
He was the one who had traded the sword scripture for talisman arrows on the day the Humble Prudence Studio opened.
Back then, his hand was still intact.
It was unclear when he had returned from the front lines missing an arm.
"Take the Daoist son of the Hong Immortal's family, the only Daoist son of Redwood Ridge! He's only in his teens and already at the second realm. But at the Thirty-Six Villages' Autumn Festival two years ago, I saw him perform. He was so stiff! The way he controlled his treasure, his opponent could have killed him ten times over. It was pitiful how the other guy had to struggle to act under the Hong Immortal's watchful eye. Not easy."
Since then, I stopped believing in natural genius.
Spiritual power and realms can be built up, but real combat skills? You have to go through fire and water, survive long enough, and only then can you truly master it.
Just reading books and practicing a bit, can you really learn?
""And now?
"asked a one-eyed man sitting across from him, smiling."
Now I believe,"the one-armed man sighed." Studio Master Cheng only started practicing the sword last winter.
I remember it clearly—that sword scripture was the one I traded for talisman arrows.
Studio Master Cheng even joked with me, saying that after practicing with the sword scripture I traded, his sword finally stopped being just for show.
""It's only been a few months!
At first, we were kindly asked by Studio Master Cheng to spar with him.
But now, no one can keep up! Old Blind Man, don't tell me you held back when you sparred with Studio Master Cheng? I didn't believe it at first.
I gave it my all, except for risking my life.
But the fights got shorter and shorter, and in the end, I couldn't last half a quarter-hour! And that was half a month ago.
Now?
I don't even dare to think about it!
"The one-eyed man nodded."
He's good at drawing talismans, good with fire, and now he's good with the sword.
What kind of person is this? Held back? I held back nothing! I saw him move, and before I could think of a counter, his sword was already at my neck."
Everyone laughed, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.
Today, we've reached the Three Rivers! Thank you all for your support!
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(End of Chapter)