Chapter 615: A Curtain and a Single Word Please

Wang Sheng swallowed, pointed towards the city wall, and said with a trembling voice, "Master, so many people have come!"

Xu Fengnian, holding the zitan sword-box, smiled and asked, "Are you afraid?"

Wang Sheng muttered with a bitter expression, "How could I not be afraid?"

Xu Fengnian said softly, "This time, we don't need to make a quick escape."

The outer city wall of Wudi City was densely packed with martial arts masters. Most of them had been hiding for years, finding refuge with the old eccentric Wang to evade the imperial court's pursuit. They also understood better than any other martial artists how thick the dark cloud above them was, casting a shadow over everyone and filling them with despair. As long as Wang Xianzhi lived, martial artists would have no chance to rise. This was the greatest truth in the martial arts world for sixty years, and over time, no one believed the old monster would ever die. But Wang Xianzhi not only failed to ascend but was also defeated by a young junior, and ultimately died by his hand. This was perhaps the most astonishing news in the martial arts world in a century, even more incredible than when Li Chungang's Wooden Ox broke for Wang Xianzhi back then.

There was no shortage of experts on the city wall; any one of them, even if their reputation or nickname hadn't been used for years, could still make well-informed sects retreat three paces if they reappeared in the martial arts world. These true masters coveted the weapons on the wall more than many show-offs. After Wang Xianzhi left the city, many people, hearing the rumors, secretly infiltrated Wudi City. When the news of Wang Xianzhi's death seemingly spread across the world overnight, even more people rushed to the East Sea. No one would rise early without profit; naturally, they were all after the coveted divine weapons. They banded together, hoping to rely on each other during the upcoming chaos, to survive and claim a share, rather than die in the melee. Originally, if any of Wang Xianzhi's disciples had remained in the city, no one would have dared to be so impatient. But Wudi City now was like a once-flourishing family whose male line had suddenly died out, leaving only a house full of unprotected, beautiful young women, varying in their charms. Even the pickiest man, if quick enough to act upon entering the house, could take a beauty for himself. The result was that suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere and took possession of all the women, not sparing even the family's wives and concubines, nor a single maid. How could the hungry men, who had been painstakingly peering over the wall, endure this sight of such tempting spectacles within?

Everyone on the city wall was restless, eyeing the situation like tigers. However, at first, no one wanted to be the first to act, adhering to the principle of 'let others die, not me.' Yet, they also feared that if no one made a move, by the time that person turned to leave, no one would have the courage to intercept him.

Finally, a man leaped down from the city wall, a slender, unsheathed precious saber in hand, trailing a dazzling glint of light. He declared loudly, "Wang Shanu of Yanshan, I request your guidance!"As soon as he left the wall, more than a dozen renowned masters, unwilling to be left behind, followed. For a moment, their self-introductions rose and fell in succession.

"Ink-Stain Sword Zhou Mu of Fangshan Commandery, I seek guidance!""Pipa Player Xu Wangfeng of Jianzhou, respectfully requesting your instruction!""Thousand-Armed Guanyin Fang Baigu of Southern Jiang, I am here!""Recluse Situ Hongzhu of Yandang Mountain, boldly seeking battle!""I am the Spirit-Wielding Monk of Yusi Mountain, and today I wish to learn!"These dozen or so masters, full of vigor, each spoke louder than the last.

These were only the first wave of people leaving the city. Soon, a second, larger wave leaped down from the city wall. These brave men were a bit more reserved than the first group, with most silently jumping down without a word.

By the time most of the first wave of masters had landed and were running forward, the second wave was still in the air, and the third wave began descending in a continuous stream.It was like a cascading waterfall, adorned with large and small pearls.

This magnificent and dazzling scene was destined to be long remembered in the martial arts world.

Wang Sheng lowered the curtain, sat closer, and whispered, "Master, many of them are famous heroes and devils, even I've heard of them."Xu Fengnian nodded and smiled, "Then I'll tell you about some you haven't heard of."

Xu Fengnian looked in one direction and calmly stated, "He Baiquan, the foremost swordsman of the Northwest before the Jiazi cycle, carried the Elm Pod sword."His gaze shifted slightly, and he continued, "Song Nianqing's fourth sword from Dongyue Sword Pond, 'Grass on the Path'."Looking to a third spot, he added, "Wei Miao, the top figure of Nanzhao, once wielded the ancient spear 'Dragon Coiling Beam,' traversing three thousand li across the martial world.""Jiang Baishi's saber, 'Peck'.""The 'Great Frost Long Saber,' handled by over a dozen sabermen within a century.""The 'Sword Grave's' two generations of 'Sword Champions,' who carried swords and lived and died in the martial world, first with 'Ease,' then with 'Seriousness'."

Like a general inspecting his troops on a battlefield, Xu Fengnian unhurriedly recited the names and origins of more than a dozen weapons. With each name he called out, a weapon would either shoot out from the carriage and hover, or rise from the ground and float in the air.

Xu Fengnian surveyed his surroundings, a smile on his face, but said nothing more.

The inexperienced Wang Sheng was truly astonished today. He no longer wondered how his master could achieve such an unprecedented feat; if he were to ask for a reason, it was simply because she was his master. Watching the martial arts masters rush forward like a surging tide, Wang Sheng quickly warned his master, "They're only about ten zhang away!"

Xu Fengnian chuckled softly, "I'm just a paper-thin façade right now, but the question is, can they get close enough to tear it down?"

Xu Fengnian raised a hand and gently clapped.Following the clap, not only did the named famous weapons like Elm Pod, Grass on the Path, and Great Frost Long Saber react, but more than twenty other weapons, long dormant, instantly joined their ranks.

Each weapon, like a mystical spirit, either swept low, arced and descended, or gracefully hovered, each finding an opponent and flying to strike. Not one of the first dozen or so people was missed, and the other weapons did not interfere but leaped over those masters' heads to seek out the second group of martial artists behind them.

Xu Fengnian paid no further attention to the outcome of the battle. He turned to look at his disciple's slightly tanned, radiant face and began to explain the fundamentals of martial arts in a clear and concise manner: "Buddhism speaks of tethering the mind-ape, Taoism of slaying the three corpses, and Confucianism of cultivating vast qi—all these describe the forging of one's own physique. Simply put, the human body itself is a battlefield. For example, if an ordinary person catches a cold, someone with a good constitution can just drink some hot water and recover on their own. But a person with a weak constitution needs external help like medicine, acting as reinforcements to rush to the battlefield, otherwise, their body will collapse like a defeated army. As for how to temper the physique, there are countless methods, but ultimately, they follow the six-character path of skin, flesh, sinews, bones, qi, and spirit. You can easily understand skin, flesh, sinews, and bones; besides those born with divine strength, ordinary martial artists don't differ greatly in these aspects. The difference lies in the 'qi' character. There's a saying in martial arts, 'one sees the embryo at three,' meaning that one should start practicing martial arts early. At that age, a child's body isn't deeply tainted by impurities, making it easier to cultivate meridians and nourish acupoints. These meridians are like the 'vital energy' pathways of a person, circulating endlessly. A very small number of masters can make their qi flow hundreds of li in an instant. And acupoints are inherently the body's own 'grotto-heavens and blessed lands.' Ancestor Lu once had a saying passed down, 'After visiting immortals in the mountains for sixty years, only then do you realize the treasure mountain is within yourself.' When people speak of someone's talent, they are referring to these two things."

Wang Sheng listened in a daze, but the analogy of meridians as pathways was easy enough to grasp. He quietly asked, "Master, I've traveled to many places these past few years. Regular roads are often winding and slow to navigate, and small paths are even worse; none compare to the effortlessness of post roads built for military use. Is it like the qi of masters, which is equivalent to traveling on a post road?"

Xu Fengnian replied with satisfaction, "Precisely. Roads outside the city are legally divided into five grades: lu, dao, tu, zhen, jing. Post roads are undoubtedly the fastest for conveying messages. However, once you truly achieve mastery in martial arts, you'll know there are no fixed rules to this. Many unorthodox paths in the martial world are about taking shortcuts in the flow of qi, finding a 'Zhongnan shortcut.' The four realms of the first rank—the Vajra Realm, derived from the Buddhist indestructible golden body, and the Profound-Finger Realm, representing a Taoist true immortal's query for immortality—in my view, have no inherent superiority over one another in terms of realm. It's just that martial artists outside the Three Teachings usually cultivate a powerful physique first to generate 'vital energy,' and then rely on combat to determine victory, with the latter often having an advantage."

As master and disciple chatted, most of the first wave of martial artists, sensing danger, wisely retreated. Among them, Fang Baigu, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, who had countless hidden weapons and was overly confident, was pierced through the neck by the saber 'Peck' the moment he unleashed a single concealed dart. The robust man from Southern Jiang staggered a dozen steps, clutching his neck with both hands, before collapsing and dying. A white-clad middle-aged swordsman had even worse luck. He encountered the Great Frost Long Saber, one of the top ten famous sabers in the world. He turned to flee but was still impaled through the back by this divine weapon, which hadn't appeared in the martial world for decades, completely destroying his heart. He fell face down, dead on the spot. Only Ink-Stain Sword Zhou Mu remained, the sole swordsman capable of contending with the flying sword Elm Pod, but only to a stalemate.

Wang Sheng wondered, "Master, why are masters so worthless now? They're like the fake martial arts manuals I bought for a few silver taels. Is it because you are too powerful, Master?"

Xu Fengnian did not answer directly but said, "Wang Xianzhi once claimed that even if nine of the top ten martial experts joined forces, he was confident he could kill all nine, even if it cost him his life. This demonstrated Wang Xianzhi's confidence as the foremost expert under heaven, and the spirit required to stand against the world alone."

Wang Sheng said with a look of longing, "Master, the Grandmaster of Fist Arts, Lin Ya, whom your disciple admires, is also a disciple of the old immortal Wang."

Xu Fengnian hummed in acknowledgment.

Someone on the city wall shouted, "Let's team up and kill that kid together! Whoever succeeds gets the lion's share! I refuse to believe that hundreds of us can't take down one person!"Soon, others chimed in, fanning the flames, "Exactly! Call on our friends in the city, hundreds, even thousands of us. A single spit from each of us would be enough to drown that guy!"

Wang Sheng said indignantly, "Master, these people are shameless!"

Xu Fengnian smiled, stood up, held the zitan sword-box upright, placed one hand on it, raised the other high, and said in a deep voice, "Proceed."

Who would care about a Wooden Ox broken in two, after the death of such a charismatic figure, one who appeared only once every five hundred years, like the man in the sheepskin robe?And what about 'Peck,' once held by Jiang Baishi? Or the 'Seriousness' and 'Ease' of the Sword Grave's two generations of Sword Champions?The martial world had forgotten them.But Xu Fengnian intended to make the martial world remember them anew!

After uttering "Proceed."The nine swords from the box were the first to burst forth, lining up in front of Xu Fengnian in the air.The weapons that had flown towards Wudi City now turned back, while the weapons inside the carriage and around the chariot simultaneously glowed with their respective brilliance.

Four hundred and eighteen weapons, four hundred and eighteen streams of martial energy.Their qi soared to the heavens.Heaven and earth were moved.

Over four hundred weapons lined up in a single row.Both in front of Xu Fengnian and beyond Wudi City.

There was a surging tide of weapons.Who could get close?