Chapter 49: A Heart of Sincerity

Qin Mu thought to himself, Mu Beifeng, the sect master of Lijiang Sect, was a second-rank official. This old man named Gu Lihuan is a first-rank official, so he must be even more powerful!

"What this senior elder said is true," he told Hu Ling'er.

Hu Ling'er wondered, "How do you know he's telling the truth?"

"The mist is exhaled by the dragon soul."Qin Mu pointed at the Dragon Mother's wandering soul in the hall. Wherever the dragon soul passed, the mist gradually thickened, and wherever the mist spread, dried corpses would rise again, seeming to sense Qin Mu's location and drifting actively towards him.

"This mist puts these bodies into a state between life and death. It's a method to protect her son and also to protect this hall," Qin Mu analyzed.

Hu Ling'er also noticed this. When the mist exhaled by the Dragon Mother's soul dissipated, the dried corpses would fall to the ground, motionless. However, when the mist enveloped them again, the corpses would reanimate, attempting to attack anyone who entered the area.

These dried corpses seemed to be the guardians of the hall, protecting it to prevent anyone from taking the dragon pearl or disturbing the young dragon's "healing." The origin of these corpses was likely as the old man had stated: the dragon pearl was at work, draining the lifeblood from martial artists who intruded into the Dragon Palace, using their vitality to sustain the young dragon in the ice.

Qin Mu looked troubled. "Senior Gu, although I wish to help, my strength is meager. I'm afraid I'm willing but unable."

Gu Lihuan chuckled. "Of course, you don't have enough power to dissolve the dragon pearl's profound ice, but I do. As long as you follow my instructions, you can rescue me! Once I'm free, you can have anything you desire!"

His words carried an air of arrogance, clearly indicating his high status as the Grand Tutor's Protector.

"Although I am trapped by this profound ice, my cultivation remains. This profound ice cannot freeze me to death." Gu Lihuan continued, "I will exert my last bit of cultivation to move this sword from my waist outside the ice. You, holding this sword, go and slay the Dragon Mother's soul! Once her soul is severed, the dragon pearl will no longer be able to trap me! And after I am free, I can even give you this dragon pearl!"

Qin Mu was startled and exclaimed, "Slay the Dragon Mother's soul? Senior, I've only just cultivated to the Spirit Embryo realm. I'm just an insignificant martial artist; how could I possibly slay the Dragon Mother's soul?"

Gu Lihuan sneered, "Naturally, you cannot, but you will be able to once you use my sword! This sword of mine is no ordinary item, nor is it the low-grade item you carry on your back. This sword is a first-rank ceremonial sword of the imperial court! It was forged by the Yan Kang court, gathering the finest craftsmen from across the land and using the most superior treasures! In Yan Kang, there are only sixteen first-rank official positions, and only sixteen such swords, each with its own name! This sword of mine is called the Grand Tutor's Protector Sword!"

Qin Mu hesitated, saying, "How does this sword compare to the monastic staff in my hand?"

Gu Lihuan scoffed, "While the old monk's 'Xi Qiluo' is indeed quite good, and Great Thunderclap Temple is one of the few renowned sects in the world, how can a treasure forged by the power of one sect be compared to one forged by the might of an entire nation? Within Yan Kang, there are still two or three other renowned sects similar to Great Thunderclap Temple."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he was still somewhat puzzled. He asked, "Since you possess such a treasure, Senior, why don't you slay the Dragon Mother's soul yourself?"

Gu Lihuan was speechless. After a moment, he said, "I didn't realize the crucial point initially. After seeing the dragon pearl, I intended to eliminate this hidden danger for future generations. I was caught off guard and struck, and by the time I realized I couldn't escape the ice, it was too late! After being frozen, I could only preserve my primordial qi to prevent myself from freezing to death in the profound ice. Manipulating this sword has become somewhat beyond my ability. Do you know how many years I've been sealed here?"

He sighed with emotion, "A full two hundred years! For two centuries, I've been sealed here. To have survived until now is truly remarkable!"

Qin Mu was filled with sympathy. "Two hundred years of ice imprisonment... if it were me, I would have gone mad long ago. It's truly amazing that you've endured until now, Senior."

Gu Lihuan sighed, "It's a good thing you arrived. I'll use my remaining primordial qi to send this Grand Tutor's Protector Sword out of the profound ice. You slay the Dragon Mother's soul for me and rescue me!"

Qin Mu nodded solemnly. "This junior will certainly do his best!"

Gu Lihuan stirred his remaining primordial qi. The sword at his waist began to move slowly within the ice. Its movement was very sluggish. After more than an hour, the Grand Tutor's Protector Sword barely revealed its hilt.

After another period, the entire hilt was exposed, but the scabbard remained sealed by the profound ice.

Gu Lihuan appeared somewhat fatigued, his voice hoarse. "My primordial qi is almost exhausted, young man. Slay the Dragon Mother as quickly as possible!"

Qin Mu acknowledged him. A strand of primordial qi, as thick as an arm, flew out, wrapped around the hilt. With a clang, the Grand Tutor's Protector Sword was unsheathed, instantly radiating a cold gleam!

Both Qin Mu and Hu Ling'er felt a sharp pain in their eyes, as if injured by the sword's light. It took a while for their vision to return to normal, allowing them to clearly see their surroundings.

"What are you doing?" Gu Lihuan watched Qin Mu's incredibly thick strand of primordial qi wrap around the Grand Tutor's Protector Sword, chasing after the Dragon Mother's soul to chop it, yet missing every strike. He couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. "What are you doing? Is that how you control a sword with qi? Who taught you sword control techniques? Who taught you swordsmanship?"

Qin Mu stopped, embarrassed. "I don't know sword control techniques, nor have I learned swordsmanship."

Gu Lihuan was utterly enraged, his head swelling. He fumed, "If you don't know sword control techniques or swordsmanship, why are you carrying a sword scabbard on your back?"

Qin Mu said, ashamed, "This scabbard is very heavy. I carry it on my back as a form of cultivation..."

Gu Lihuan nearly spat blood. Such clumsy swordsmanship made him wish he could leap out of the profound ice.

"Alright, I'll teach you sword control techniques for controlling a sword with qi, and swordsmanship." He suppressed his anger and said, "Once you learn them, you can slay the Dragon Mother."

Qin Mu shook his head. "I won't learn."

Gu Lihuan was livid. If he hadn't been sealed by the profound ice, he would have long since leapt out and given that brat a good beating.

"Grandma said someone would teach me better swordsmanship. If I learn other people's swordsmanship, that person won't teach me anymore."

Gu Lihuan choked with exasperation, then burst into laughter. "Better swordsmanship? Do you know that the best swordsmanship under heaven is that of Yan Kang! The Imperial Preceptor gathered all the swordsmanship in the world, brought together all the masters of swordsmanship, and together they created new sword arts! Is swordsmanship created by combining the wisdom of all the world's sword masters not the best? Does it not surpass the sword arts independently developed by those so-called sect founders? Those so-called sword sects merely cling to their ancestors' legacy, standing still and believing themselves invincible, unaware that they've long been left ten thousand miles behind!"

Qin Mu was stunned, feeling that his words were indeed very reasonable and impossible to refute.

Because of the incident with the Lijiang Sword Sect, he didn't actually have much goodwill towards the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor in his heart, yet the Imperial Preceptor's magnanimity also impressed him.

To possess such great vision and spirit, to disregard sectarian biases and differences, to gather collective wisdom, and to bring together all the world's sword masters in Yan Kang to jointly create swordsmanship—such a person cannot but inspire admiration.

"No," Qin Mu shook his head.

Gu Lihuan wished he could shatter the profound ice, rush out, hang Qin Mu up, and thoroughly spank him. Despite all his efforts to persuade, the boy still refused to learn; he truly deserved a beating.

A moment later, Gu Lihuan suddenly chuckled. "Fine, I won't teach you swordsmanship. I'll teach you sword control techniques. Sword control techniques are not swordsmanship, so learning them won't hinder you from learning others' swordsmanship."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he nodded reluctantly.

"It seems you're not entirely incorrigible wood; you know what's good and what's bad. This sword control technique is called the 'Crimson Heart Art.' It teaches you how to control a sword, not swordsmanship."

Gu Lihuan's spirit lifted. He said, "What is a 'Crimson Heart'? 'Crimson' is red, it's flawless jade, it's a nine-turn spirit elixir. A Crimson Heart is a heart of pure sincerity, a flawless and crystal-clear heart, a heart purified through nine transformations with not a single trace of impurity. This sword control technique emphasizes purity of mind, possessing the heart of a newborn child. When you control a sword with the heart of a child, wherever your thoughts go, the sword follows, achieving anything effortlessly! No sword control method in the world can surpass it! The first step to forging a Crimson Heart: The heart is like fire, the furnace is in the field; the heart-fire refines true essence, the furnace-field ploughs the furrows, the fiery seed planted between the ridges! Dare to command the Yang God to emerge in ten days, the scorching sun's holy fire illuminates and consumes the heart..."

Qin Mu quickly committed it to memory. The 'Crimson Heart Art' for sword control was profound in its subtle words. Even with the incantation, one wouldn't understand how to cultivate it without a master explaining its mysteries.

Gu Lihuan recited the entire 'Crimson Heart Art,' then explained the profound workings of its cultivation, word by word and phrase by phrase. Qin Mu listened, his heart fluttering like a restless monkey scratching its ears and cheeks, leaping up and down.

After a long time, Gu Lihuan finished explaining the 'Crimson Heart Art.' He said, "First, cultivate it, then try controlling the sword. In as few as two days, or at most ten, you'll be able to control a sword with qi, wielding the Grand Tutor's Protector Sword to slay the Dragon Mother's soul! That little fox in your arms has also benefited from your good fortune, learning the best sword control technique under heaven. Consider it a fortunate encounter."