Chapter 136: How One Sleeve Turns Into Two Green Snakes

Xu Fengnian was utterly stunned when he heard the old Sword God planned to teach him the Two-Sleeve Green Snake technique. Before he could react, Li Chungang snorted, "Lend me your sword!" Xu Fengnian's Spring Thunder, worn at his waist, vibrated incessantly, and he instinctively pressed down on the ancient short blade, trying to keep it in its sheath.

The old man in the sheepskin coat scoffed. "First, let me show you the Wu Family Sword Mound's Sword Riding to Kunlun!" After a struggle of qi, how could Xu Fengnian possibly defeat the old Sword God who had been in secluded cultivation under the Tingchao Pavilion for years? Spring Thunder was still drawn by the old Sword God's finger, leaping into the air.

Li Chungang pressed his finger down, and Spring Thunder descended. Then, with a flick of his finger, Spring Thunder spun rapidly in front of him, eventually forming a bright circle of blade-shadow, its physical form no longer visible.

The old Sword God let Spring Thunder continue to spin in the air. He reached out and grasped the hilt. Instantly, two streaks of green qi erupted from the ancient Spring Thunder blade, coiling and swirling like two mystical green snakes. The old Sword God didn't warn Xu Fengnian to be careful. Wielding the blade as a sword, with an imposing sword aura, he slashed at Xu Fengnian, who was still trying to understand the intricacies of the sword-riding technique. The sword qi swept out, rushing directly towards Xu Fengnian's face in an instant. The last time Xu Fengnian had fought on Wudang Mountain, it was against an imperial guard from the Eastern Yue imperial family. That swordsman had used a pair of Barbarian Brocade Twin Blades, and what Xu Fengnian admired most was his unique blade-drawing technique. Now, seeing the green snakes surge towards him, Xu Fengnian had a sudden epiphany, somehow grasping the ineffable profound meaning.

Since the green snake sword qi was unavoidable, Xiudong was drawn from its sheath in a flash of lightning. With a surge of qi to his Huangting, Xu Fengnian held the blade and braced himself against the chilling sword qi. Standing at the top of the slope, he was instantly pushed down to the mid-slope by the two coiling green snakes. Dust flew up from the ground, and the Prince's cuffs and shoes were ruined. Yet, the old man in the sheepskin coat pressed his advantage, striking sword after sword, with the sword qi growing stronger and the green aura denser. Xu Fengnian didn't even have time to catch his breath. Fortunately, his Huangting's fourth level allowed for "two qi giving birth to green lotus." After enduring another Green Snake Exits Cave attack, he was forced directly from the mid-slope down to the foot of the hill.

The old Sword God stood at the top of the slope, his eyes narrowed. "Your blade-drawing technique is quite interesting. If I'm not mistaken, it's a famous skill of the Eastern Yue imperial family, never written down in secret manuals but passed down by word of mouth. How did you learn it, young man?"

Xu Fengnian's qi surged like a tide within him; his Huangting, which had just stabilized, immediately became terribly uncomfortable. He said bitterly, "I once saw a member of the Eastern Yue imperial family draw his blade. You could say I 'stole' the technique."

The old Sword God nodded, unconcerned, and asked with a smile, "Had enough rest?"

Xu Fengnian immediately and emphatically replied, "Not yet!"

The old Sword God was hardly so kind-hearted. He chuckled, and the green snake technique flared up in his hand again, more ferocious than before. It wasn't that Xu Fengnian didn't want to avoid its sharpness; he simply couldn't escape. He could only resort to the clumsiest method of meeting it head-on. Fortunately, Li Chungang seemed to be deliberately holding back. Each strike wasn't lethal; compared to the hundred-zhang sword qi on the main road, this was like cutting flesh with a dull knife, likely to test how many green lotuses his Huangting could produce. Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth, sinking his feet into the muddy ground. He used the "armor-like" sword moves taught by his aunt to resist the green snake sword qi.

Yet, the old Sword God's sword qi was devastating. Xiudong was bent by waves of sword qi, like reefs pounded by crashing waves, until it could bend no further. With a *bang*, Xu Fengnian and Xiudong were sent flying backward. After several clumsy rolls, just as he got up, another green snake snaked towards him. Xu Fengnian desperately switched to the "Holding Sheng" move from the *Dunhuang Flying Sword* manual to counter. As he was knocked back again, a flicker of understanding appeared in his dazed mind: high-level swordsmanship divides into sword-riding and qi projection. Abandoning sword intent for sword forms is why the Wu Family Sword Mound reigned supreme, but this has a flaw: the deeper a swordsman's cultivation, the more they need a divine weapon, like Wu Liuding taking Suwang with him when he left the mound. In the latter case, the long sword itself is merely a tool; the sword aura is paramount, like Li Chungang wielding an umbrella or even water droplets as a sword, already capable of making everything in the world a sword. However, it was only when truly facing these "Two-Sleeve Green Snakes" that Xu Fengnian realized Li Chungang's peak in swordsmanship years ago was due to the old Sword God's mastery of both sword-riding and qi projection. The green snakes seemed to dart in a straight line, but in reality, they could freely twist their direction under the guidance of qi, showing such precise qi control down to the smallest detail that it created such a grand and vast spectacle.

The old Sword God, holding Spring Thunder, slowly walked down the slope. "Still not dead, young man?"

Provoked, Xu Fengnian, bluffing with a swollen face, laughed, "Not yet! Again!"

Li Chungang dismissed it with a smile, saying softly, "Small grievances in one's heart are resolved with wine; great injustices in the world can only be resolved with the sword. Young Xu, whether it was my Wooden Horse Ox, or the Suwang now in Wu Liuding's hands, or the Great Liang Dragon Sparrow your mother held back then, if you don't even dare to imagine flattening the world with a single sword, how can you reach the Land Immortal realm? Once you've become accustomed to my 'Two-Sleeve Green Snakes,' you will naturally develop your own spirit, and then your Huangting will truly be *your* Huangting. When facing an enemy, never contemplate retreat before the battle. I'm teaching you this principle tonight, and it's no less valuable than the 'Two-Sleeve Green Snakes' itself."

From the two bonfires, they could only see sword qi soaring near the hillside. Ning Emei, wielding his great halberd, was somewhat worried and wanted to lead a contingent of White Horse Righteous Retainers to keep watch, but he was smilingly stopped by the old Daoist Wei Shuyang.

Ning Emei, a little way off from the fire, quietly asked the old Nine-Duan Rice Daoist, "Daoist Master, is that senior the old Sword God Li?"

The old Daoist, nearly seventy, looked utterly enraptured, as if recalling his youthful, reckless days when he learned from Li Qingdan, a swordsman in green robes roaming the Jianghu. Stroking his beard, he smiled and said, "Indeed, it is the old Sword God! Thinking about it now, it feels like a dream. I can't imagine having the great fortune to travel with this senior in this lifetime!"

Ning Emei, who was always shy, reserved, and good-tempered in private, just smiled, seemingly unsure how to continue the conversation. To him, Li Chungang was merely a top-tier Land Immortal mentioned by older Jianghu martial artists, associated with rumors and accolades like having the face of a baby at a hundred years old, traversing a hundred miles in an instant, and possessing sword skills that overlooked the world. Meeting him in person, however, was somewhat jarring; the old man in the sheepskin coat certainly behaved unconventionally in his eating and sitting habits. What was particularly regrettable was that the senior's cherished sword, Wooden Horse Ox, had been broken by Wang Xianzhi of Martial Emperor City, and now, for unknown reasons, he only had one arm. Ning Emei couldn't help but sigh with regret. Seeing the green snake sword qi so overwhelmingly powerful, Ning Emei wondered what it would have been like if he had both hands.

But how could "Two-Sleeve Green Snakes" be performed with only one sleeve (arm)?

Wei Shuyang seemed to see through Ning Emei's thoughts and shook his head. "General Ning, it's not that simple."

Ning Emei, with his great halberd, remained silent. Then he turned and saw the Prince, who had changed into new clothes just at dusk, now approaching in rags, while the old Sword God leisurely followed behind him, with a faint, unreadable smile.

Seeing there was still some distance to the bonfire, Xu Fengnian gave a bitter, soft laugh. "Senior, you said you'd teach me 'Two-Sleeve Green Snakes,' but what kind of teaching method is this? I've been getting beaten from start to finish, and I couldn't even escape."

Old man Li bristled, glaring. "Fool! What's the point of telling you all those grand theories? My famous ultimate technique isn't so easy to learn."

Xu Fengnian mumbled, "You're just lazy and don't want to talk."

The old Sword God, instead of getting angry, chuckled. "Indeed. 'Two-Sleeve Green Snakes' is named for two sleeves, and setting aside the sword aura, the sword moves alone number sixty-six. If I were to explain each one to you, how much saliva and energy would I waste?"

Xu Fengnian put on a pitiful expression, as if to say, "I knew it."

The old man sneered. "Boy, don't take advantage of a good thing and then complain. Just endure it. Only when you can truly break through the 'Green Snake' with a single blade will you be considered to have mastered this martial path."

Xu Fengnian asked with a pained expression, "Are you implying I'll be beaten every day, Senior?"

Li Chungang glanced at him sidelong. "Otherwise?"

Xu Fengnian immediately flattered with a smile, "This is an immense blessing for me, something people pray for with incense and Buddha worship, but can't obtain!"

Li Chungang stared at the Prince's face with a strange expression, then kicked Xu Fengnian in the backside. Watching the stumbling figure, he laughed, "You do look quite presentable, young man. How are your skills in bed? Go on, roll over there and practice with Princess Jing'an!"