Over the past two days, Jiang Zhufeng, the Peak Master of the Fifth Sword Peak, had already heard all about Ye Ling's various performances from the frequent voice transmissions of Zhao Lin, the Peak Master of the Second Sword Peak.
Zhao Lin marveled at Ye Ling's heaven-defying comprehension and her rapid progress in martial arts.
He had also mentioned that Ye Ling would likely rest for a few days before heading to the Fifth Sword Peak, which made Jiang Zhufeng's heart itch with both envy and anticipation.
He had thought she would recuperate for a few days before coming over, but to his surprise, just as dawn broke, Ye Ling ascended the peak clad in her green robes.
Both surprised and delighted, Jiang Zhufeng stepped forward to greet her with a smile.
“I thought you would rest for a few days to recuperate, but I didn't expect you to come straight here today.”
Ye Ling bowed slightly. “Replying to Peak Master, this disciple only rested for one night, and my physical strength and spiritual energy have already fully recovered.
“I am already in my optimal state for cultivation, and I do not wish to waste any time.”
Jiang Zhufeng was highly satisfied. Without further ado, he immediately led Ye Ling to a quiet, exclusive martial arts stage behind the peak.
Once they stood still, Jiang Zhufeng officially began to explain the signature ultimate technique of the Fifth Sword Peak, the 《Blue Billows Returning to One Sword》.
“My Blue Billows Returning to One Sword is entirely different from the sword paths of the other peaks. Its core essence lies in only two words—inclusiveness.”
Jiang Zhufeng slowly explained that this sword technique did not rigidly adhere to a single style. Instead, it could accommodate, dismantle, and integrate all sword techniques under heaven, turning them to one's own use.
The deeper the cultivator's foundation and the higher their comprehension, the more sword moves they could integrate, and the more powerful the technique would become.
Theoretically, if someone possessed heaven-defying comprehension and could integrate the strengths of ten thousand swords, the ultimate destructive power of the Blue Billows Returning to One Sword could even surpass the orthodox heritage of the First Sword Peak.
Unfortunately, for thousands of years, successive Peak Masters of the Fifth Sword Peak had all been limited by their own comprehension and foundations, and no one had ever reached the true peak of this sword technique.
Hearing this, a sudden wave of emotion rose in Ye Ling's heart.
She recalled her unique Heaven Rewards Diligence talent. No matter how many or how difficult the martial arts of the world were, as long as she was willing to practice them, she could master them to Great Perfection.
Others were shackled by comprehension and bound by foundation, only able to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. But she was different.
In an instant, a firm thought took root in her heart.
She did not need to spend her life replicating the martial arts of her predecessors.
No matter how strong the cultivation methods of her predecessors were, they were ultimately someone else's path and did not perfectly fit her.
From now on, she would not only integrate ten thousand swords and practice a hundred techniques, but she would also create her own exclusive sword techniques and cultivation methods, carving out a supreme path that belonged solely to her.
However, she possessed a steady temperament and knew that her current cultivation, foundation, and experience were still too immature, far from enough to support creating her own martial arts.
What she needed to do most right now was to accumulate knowledge with a quiet mind, study widely from various schools, and absorb the strengths of all the peaks.
When her foundation became profound and she achieved comprehensive mastery, she would break through the barriers and establish her own path.
With her mind made up, Ye Ling calmed her spirit, listened attentively to the Peak Master's explanation, and devoted herself to practicing the Blue Billows Returning to One Sword.
For the next few days, she remained on the Fifth Sword Peak the entire time, practicing bitterly.
The more she delved into it, the more she realized how terrifying and unique this sword technique was.
Among the heritages of the six main peaks, the upper limit of the Blue Billows Returning to One Sword was extremely high, and its threshold was harsh.
Ordinary geniuses found it difficult to even enter the basic level, yet its upper limit was vast and endless, making it the most potent among the sword techniques of the six peaks, with boundless potential.
That others found it difficult to master did not mean the sword technique was weak; it was merely that the practitioners lacked a sufficient foundation.
Ye Ling was absolutely confident that with her talent and accumulation, she could definitely refine this ultimate technique that embraced ten thousand swords into the strongest sword Dao of the six peaks.
Over these few days, Jiang Zhufeng also fully experienced the same shock that Zhao Lin had felt back then.
Ye Ling's speed of comprehension, cultivation efficiency, and the perfection with which she polished her moves were simply incomparable to any ordinary True Disciple.
He could not help but feel a bit of regret that such an peerless genius did not belong exclusively to the Fifth Peak.
But on second thought, such a genius could not be bound by a single mountain peak in the first place, and the power of the Fifth Peak alone could not possibly carry her path.
Thinking this way, Jiang Zhufeng immediately felt relieved, leaving only a heart full of praise and admiration.
After just a few days of bitter cultivation, Ye Ling had completely mastered the core profound meaning and all the basic moves of the Blue Billows Returning to One Sword.
She was only a step away from the Initial Mastery realm and no longer needed any guidance.
The next morning, she bowed to take her leave of Jiang Zhufeng. Knowing that she had already learned everything the Fifth Peak could teach, and that there was no longer any need for her to stay, Jiang Zhufeng readily agreed.
Taking her leave of the Fifth Sword Peak, Ye Ling quietly returned to her exclusive bamboo courtyard halfway up the mountain.
The small courtyard was surrounded by green bamboo, with a clear stream flowing through the courtyard, isolating it from the clamor of the entire sect. It was quiet and serene, making it the perfect place for closed-door cultivation to settle and polish her martial path.
She prepared to enter closed-door cultivation with a focused mind, thoroughly integrating what she had learned from both peaks to make it her own.
The Flowing Cloud Wind-Chasing Sword Technique and Wind-Chasing Movement Technique she had previously learned on the Second Sword Peak were originally a matching pair from the same source—one light and ethereal, the other swift and rapid—possessing excellent compatibility.
Ye Ling quietly reviewed the entire set of martial arts. Combining it with her own insights into the sword Dao, she reorganized the qi circulation pathways, the rhythm of advance and retreat, and the patterns of offense and defense.
She completely shed the rigid original framework of the Second Sword Peak and renamed the sword technique and movement technique.
The sword technique was renamed Flowing Cloud Wind-Chasing Sword, and the movement technique was renamed Flowing Cloud Wind-Pursuing Steps.
In the past, when sect disciples practiced, the sword technique was just the sword technique and the movement technique was just the movement technique. Footwork was footwork, and sword strikes were sword strikes; there was always a gap between them.
But Ye Ling possessed heaven-defying comprehension and was endowed with the Heaven Rewards Diligence talent. She moved back and forth in the courtyard, striking with her sword and stepping to leave trailing shadows over and over again.
At first, she practiced the footwork and the sword moves separately, polishing every detail of how she exerted force.
Afterward, she discarded all division, carrying the sword with her body and letting the sword follow her body. Under millions of repetitions of polishing, the boundary between the sword technique and the movement technique completely dissolved.
As soon as her feet moved, sword light was born of its own accord; where the sword light rose, her figure had already followed.
The momentum of her steps was the momentum of her sword, and the trajectory of her sword aligned perfectly with her footsteps. As she drifted and flowed, her figure was as elusive as floating clouds and as traceless as the wind.
The edge of her sword swiftly chased the breeze and lightly pursued the drifting clouds. Advancing, retreating, dodging, launching surprise attacks, and circling around for the kill integrated seamlessly, without the slightest stagnation.
At this point, the Flowing Cloud Wind-Chasing Sword and Flowing Cloud Wind-Pursuing Steps were completely integrated and understood, truly reaching the Mastery realm of body and sword becoming one, flowing like clouds without any stagnation.
The first four forms were Breeze Brushing Qinglan, Flowing Clouds Thousand Sweeps, Wind-Chasing Instant Thrust, and Floating Rainbow Pursuing the Moon.
Every move was mastered, every step was perfect. Agile, swift, and flawless in both offense and defense, her attainment was already not inferior to the orthodox standard of the True Disciples of the Second Sword Peak.
After thoroughly polishing the martial arts of the Second Sword Peak to perfection, Ye Ling turned her attention to refining what she had gained from the Fifth Sword Peak: the 《Blue Billows Returning to One Sword》.
She in accordance with her own understanding of the sword Dao of "embracing ten thousand swords and integrating a hundred schools," she shed the shackles of the inherited formulas.
Combining it with the newly mastered way of the flowing cloud body and sword, she reshaped her sword intent and moves, naming it Blue Billows Integrating Ten Thousand Swords.
The great path of this sword lay in compatibility. It did not excel in slaughter or fierce power; instead, its core essence was to accommodate ten thousand techniques, integrate a thousand moves, assimilate various strengths, and form one's own path.
Ye Ling stood quietly in the bamboo courtyard, executing her sword moves in succession. The first four forms—Ripples Rising on the Blue Waves, Hundred Rivers Returning to the Void, Thousand Swords Stored Within, and Ten Thousand Techniques Sharing the Same Origin—unfolded layer by layer. Her sword momentum was steady and vast, like the blue sea spreading across ten thousand leagues, embracing all directions.
Even more wonderfully, she could seamlessly embed the light, ethereal, and unpredictable speed of the Flowing Cloud Wind-Chasing Sword into the heavy and inclusive sword momentum of the Blue Billows.
With weightiness as the bone and agility as the function, inclusiveness as the foundation and swiftness as the edge.
The two completely opposite sword Dao systems complemented and integrated with each other, amplifying one another.
This completely bypassed the drawbacks of her predecessors' stiff integration and impure mixtures, forming a complete sword style that belonged uniquely to her.
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