Chapter 55 — The Peerless Sword Art Under Heaven
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 2
The Village Head nodded slowly and said in praise, "When Imperial Preceptor Jingping gathered the realm's masters of the sword, he truly produced something remarkable. The Red Heart Art's sword-controlling technique does indeed hold unique secrets.
" The Young Patriarch across from him also sighed in admiration. "Imperial Preceptor Jingping was a rare genius. " "Tell me how Pei Wujiu explained the Red Heart Art to you," said the Village Head. Shen Mu recounted Pei Wujiu's explanation.
The Village Head mused for a moment, then smiled.
"Pei Wujiu held something back. " He pointed out the errors in it.
Shen Mu at once tried the corrections, then used his qi to command a flying sword, and found it far easier to control and faster to draw. He was filled with admiration.
The Young Patriarch's eyes lit up. "Pei Wujiu did not hold anything back," he said with a smile. "It is merely that his comprehension was limited, far beneath our brother of the Dao.
You heard it once and fathomed every mystery of the Red Heart Art, while he cultivated his whole life and still practiced it wrong. " "Brother of the Dao, you flatter me. " The Village Head looked at Shen Mu and said, unhurried, "I will not teach you swordsmanship. I will teach you a single, simplest movement: the thrust.
" "The thrust?
" Shen Mu was taken aback. What was so hard about a thrust?
Direct one's vital qi through the sword and stab forward — did that need teaching?
"Thrusting with a sword is not as simple as you imagine. You do not know swordsmanship, but once you master this single movement — the thrust — there will be precious few sword masters of the Spirit Embryo Stage in all the world who can defeat you.
" The Village Head said, "Take an ordinary sword, command it with your qi as a flying blade, and try to pierce the butcher shop's pillar. " Shen Mu activated the Red Heart Art. A tendon of vital qi as thick as an arm coiled around a treasured sword from the sword pouch on his back and thrust at the butcher shop pillar in the village. Thud.
Shen Mu pierced the pillar through with one strike, the tip of the sword emerging from the other side. Then the cowherd boy turned and looked at the Village Head.
The Village Head's face stiffened. He coughed once.
"Try piercing this stone.
" Shen Mu's vital qi coiled and drew the sword from the pillar. Again came a ringing ding, and the blade pierced through a mountain stone before the Village Head.
The cowherd boy turned once more, looking at the stiff-faced Village Head with innocent eyes. The Young Patriarch was both astonished and amused, and could only force down his laughter to avoid being rude.
"I forgot — this boy's vital qi cultivation is unimaginably deep. His swordsmanship is dreadful, but his vital qi is boundless, and with vital qi to reinforce it, its power doubles. " Embarrassed, the Village Head coughed repeatedly to cover it. "Now try piercing your Cattle-Slaughtering Saber.
" A crisp ding rang out — this time Shen Mu failed to pierce the Cattle-Slaughtering Saber. "Thank goodness it did not pierce through, or there would have been no way to teach him.
. . " The Village Head breathed a secret sigh of relief and guided him patiently.
"When you thrust that sword, what did you feel? " Shen Mu pondered carefully, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"I felt that my vital qi is not strong enough.
When I use qi to command a flying sword and the tip meets the slightest obstruction, my vital qi can no longer sustain it — as if I had a body's worth of strength yet struck with a single strand of hair.
The strands of vital qi are too soft; they cannot bear my full strength. "