With a sword drawn, he laughs proudly, his martial prowess dominating the heavens!

Chapter 13 Receiving the Purple Cloud

A fire was lit again inside the spacious stone cave. Yue Buqun looked at each stone wall until he had completely broken through the Huashan sword technique, his expression becoming increasingly complicated.

It's hard to imagine anyone being happy to see their prized sect's unique skills so easily countered by someone else.

After a long pause, Yue Buqun sighed in a deep voice, "The world is vast, and there are countless talented people. Although these elders of the Demonic Sect deserved to die, their skills are still admirable!"

"Junior sister, look at the Huashan sword techniques on the stone wall. The two of us combined know less than 30% of them. It should be a joyous occasion to have the patriarch's sword techniques recovered, but... alas~"

Ning Zhongze smiled and comforted him, "Senior brother just praised Che'er's theory on sword energy, how come you can't let it go yourself?"

"Hehe, it's not that I'm disappointed, but rather that I feel these treacherous villains have disgraced our ancestor's reputation. The move is a deadly one, but it all depends on who uses it!"

"What Senior Brother says is true." Ning Zhongze pointed to the little figure that used the staff technique to break the Phoenix Comes to Court, and said, "If Senior Brother had used the Phoenix Comes to Court move, no matter if it was a wooden staff or an iron staff, it would definitely be shaken out of his hand by Senior Brother's Purple Cloud Divine Skill. How could he have broken the move then?"

"What Master's wife says is quite right! These days, I've been sparring with my junior sister using sword techniques from other schools. Although the techniques are exquisite, without the power to counter them, they are nothing more than rootless duckweed, strong on the outside but weak on the inside!"

Yue Buqun was quite pleased to hear this. "Yes, Che'er is right. Your teachings have not been in vain."

Yue Lingshan, standing behind, rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Sycophant!"

"Junior sister, what do you suggest we do with these sword moves?"

"Senior brother, do you want to return it to the various sects? I'm afraid that while senior brother has good intentions, others may have bad intentions! If you ask me, we should just copy down the Huashan Sword Technique and destroy all the other sword moves."

The martial arts techniques of this sect are sufficient for disciples to refine for decades. Trying to learn too much at once will only lead to failure, and keeping too much will be of no benefit.

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun nodded silently as if in agreement, and after a moment asked, "Che'er, what do you think?"

Li Che understood perfectly well that Lao Yue wanted to maximize his own interests while maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Master, I believe that the Five Mountains Sword Sects are of the same ilk. Our Huashan Sect has lost many sword techniques, and I imagine that other sects are the same."

But Master's wife's concerns were quite reasonable. Master was upright and honest, and naturally unafraid of others' criticism, but there were too many people in the martial arts world who didn't follow the rules, so they had to find a proper way to handle it.

Yue Lingshan: How come I never realized he was such a good flatterer before!

"Ahem~ Therefore, this disciple believes that the sword move should be returned! However, how and when to return it are matters of great importance."

When weak, possessing a treasure is a crime. When strong, one can use both kindness and force!

A glint of light flashed in Yue Buqun's eyes, Ning Zhongze gave Li Che a rather approving look, while Yue Lingshan rolled her eyes again.

"Senior brother, it was my oversight that led me to this."

"Haha, who doesn't know that Lady Ning is righteous and clear about right and wrong? I'm not surprised at all that you said that, Junior Sister."

However, leaving these sword techniques here would be a disaster. Let's first make copies of them and then scratch the stone wall before we feel at ease.

Shan'er!

"Huh? What's wrong, Dad?"

"What happens here must not be mentioned to anyone else, otherwise, our Mount Hua will likely never have peace!"

Yue Lingshan pouted and replied with a sullen face, "I know! You're so biased, Dad, why don't you say anything about Li Che!"

"No respect for elders! That's your senior brother!"

"Oh~ Senior Brother Li!"

The group stayed in the cave for about 15 minutes before leaving.

As they approached the cave entrance, he said, "Junior sister, take Shan'er down the mountain first. I have some things to discuss with Che'er."

Ning Zhongze subconsciously looked at him and saw her senior brother smiling and nodding. She immediately realized something and simply smiled and nodded in response.

After the others left, Yue Buqun took out an oilcloth package the size of a book from his bosom.

Li Che watched calmly, but his heart was far from at peace.

Waiting for it to open, inside was a yellowed book with four large characters in bold, iron-like strokes on the cover: Purple Cloud Divine Skill!

"Master?"

"Kneel down!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Che immediately knelt down on both knees.

"Of the nine skills of Mount Hua, Zixia is the best. It is quite fitting that she is passing on her skills here!"

"Che'er, do you know the significance of the Zixia Divine Skill to our Huashan Sect?!"

Li Cheqiang composed himself and said calmly, "I only know that Master is the only one in the sect who is good at this skill. I suppose this skill is extremely difficult to master and can only be mastered by someone with exceptional talent and perseverance. I don't know about anyone else."

If someone else had said this, Yue Buqun would have thought it was just deliberate flattery.

But coming from Li Che, he only heard the truth.

Firstly, Li Che's age was too deceptive, and secondly, he had been engrossed in martial arts training for three years and paid little attention to other matters.

Most importantly, his remarks inside the cave have already garnered him an overwhelming amount of goodwill.

Yue Buqun smiled and glanced at his beloved disciple, saying in a gentle tone, "What Che'er said is not wrong!"

I have studied this skill for thirty years, but I have not yet grasped its full extent. Your great master once said that if you can master the Zixia Divine Skill, your Ren and Du meridians will be connected, your internal energy will be continuous, and weapons will be hard to get close to you. Even if you do not deliberately exert your strength, your internal energy in your dantian will circulate continuously, making it extremely difficult for others to hurt you!

But! This divine skill can only be inherited by the sect leader's lineage. Che'er, do you understand what your master means?!

A few breaths later, Li Che raised his head and met Yue Buqun's gaze. He said firmly, "Disciple understands!"

"This disciple will certainly live up to Master's high expectations. I am willing to share the burdens of the Huashan Sect with Master!"

"Excellent! Che'er, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

Yue Buqun handed the manual to Li Che, then bowed and helped him up. "You should continue your seclusion. I will come to make copies of the sword techniques in the next few days to protect you."

Your internal strength is already quite strong, but you must not be impatient or restless.

"To cultivate the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, one must be free of distracting thoughts; otherwise, it is extremely easy to suffer a qi deviation. Have you remembered that?!"

"Your disciple will remember this!"

"Alright, today you should familiarize yourself with the incantation of the technique. There's no need to rush into practice. Starting tomorrow, I will come to the Cliff of Repentance to guide your practice!"

"yes!"

Li Che watched Yue Buqun leave, his eyes filled with a sense of relief as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart, and he seemed much lighter than when he arrived.

He turned the pages, and the opening summary came into view: "All martial arts under heaven prioritize the cultivation of inner energy. This righteous energy is something ordinary people fail to cultivate properly, instead letting their temper overwhelm it. The dangers of martial artists lie in their violent, spoiled, cruel, and treacherous natures..."

After sitting quietly and turning several pages, Li Che was suddenly startled. The ice jade in his Niwan Palace, which he had almost forgotten, seemed to tremble.

He focused his mind and examined the area closely for a long time, but found nothing else unusual.

After a while, he stopped paying attention to it.

Li Che sat there blankly for a moment, then suddenly remembered his senior brother Linghu Chong, recalling that Yue Buqun in the original novel had said he intended to teach Linghu Chong the Zixia Divine Skill.

In retrospect, Yue Buqun was indeed more than he appeared to be. It was just a pity that Linghu Chong was preoccupied with love at the time and his mind was disturbed by the swordplay in the cave.

I never imagined that this fate would actually befall me.

It's true that he studied diligently and practiced assiduously over the past three years, and it's also true that he deliberately tried to please others. In this strange world, in order to become stronger and to survive, Li Che never felt that there was anything wrong with it.

Whether it's acting or pretending, it's become a habit after three years.

Now, he can't tell whether he's really like this or if he's just pretending.

Ultimately, the outcome was good.

......