Chapter 20: Gu Qingcheng's Blade Qi?

After passing by Su Yunlong, Gouchen swiftly rode his horse to the foot of the hill opposite Black Wind Mountain. He casually tied his horse to a small tree on the nearby slope and then displayed his "Crane Dance Lingyun" light skill, leaping like a large bird towards the peak of the mountain.
As Su Yunlong observed Gou Chen's display of lightness skill, he couldn't help but secretly admire it. Gou Chen's current level of internal strength was actually still shallow, only slightly higher than the first level of internal strength. However, with his current level of cultivation, he effortlessly demonstrated this set of lightness skill, which was both agile and graceful, appearing light and elegant. It didn't seem like the practice of a beginner, nor did it resemble the power and skill of someone at only the first level of internal strength.
The book "Five Animal Forms" obtained by Gou Chen truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient immortal martial art passed down by Qi refining masters. It proves to be extremely intricate and brilliant, presenting unique insights. What's even more crucial is that Gou Chen is able to comprehend the training methods from it. His talent in this aspect truly makes him feel a bit inferior.
The martial arts inherited from ancient Qi cultivators are said to involve both the use of magic and weapons. As practitioners advance in their training, their power becomes even greater, rumored to be capable of splitting rivers and moving mountains. This form of martial arts is fundamentally different from the various martial arts practices that exist today. In modern times, martial arts typically begin with physical training if one cultivates external forces, while those who cultivate internal forces start with the Twelve Primary Channels regardless of the specific school or technique they learn. It is rare for anyone to deviate from this framework. Please note that the translation provided is a literal interpretation and may not capture all nuances of the original text.
Su Yunlong is not familiar with the other cultivator's inheritance, but the book "Five Animal Great Law" obtained by Gou Chen requires starting from cultivating the essence of the five internal organs, making it even more difficult for beginners. Because this inheritance is completely different from what Su Yunlong knows, even to the point of being two different systems. That's why he couldn't provide any guidance when Gou Chen consulted him.
Unexpectedly, he couldn't guide him, but this kid Guo Chen somehow managed to practice on his own, which really surprised him. Not only did he succeed in practicing, he also comprehended advanced martial arts related to it, such as the set of "Thirteen Strikes of the Spirit Crane" that Guo Chen had once taught him.
When Gou Chen transmitted it to him, it was through the connection of the puppet restrictions between the two of them, directly transmitting the image of the white crane shadow practice that he comprehended at that time. Therefore, Su Yunlong speculated that this set of "Spirit Crane Thirteen Strikes" was not directly written in the book "Five Animal Great Method". It needed to be practiced for a long time in order to stimulate and comprehend from it. Translated: When Gou Chen transmitted it to him, it was through the connection of the puppet restrictions between the two of them, directly transmitting the image of the white crane shadow practice that he comprehended at that time. Therefore, Su Yunlong speculated that this set of "Spirit Crane Thirteen Strikes" was not directly written in the book "Five Animal Great Method" and requires a long period of practice to stimulate and comprehend it.
When he asked for advice about the book "The Five Animal Frolics," Gong Chen also took a look at it. Although he only read a copy of Gong Chen's handwritten manuscript, not the original, there was no mention of the "Thirteen Strikes of the Spiritual Crane" in it, not even a single word. Besides this set of "Thirteen Strikes of the Spiritual Crane," there were no other techniques or martial arts mentioned, only internal cultivation methods, without any accompanying martial skills.
Of course, Gou Chen didn't show him the original book, so he must have withheld something from him. But after he read it and judged it for himself, he found that the handwritten copy given to him by Gou Chen was relatively complete and had very few omissions. Therefore, the original book should only contain internal martial arts techniques and not external martial arts moves. The set of "Thirteen Strikes of the Spirit Crane" that Gou Chen later obtained was probably derived from his own comprehension while visualizing the true form of the white crane.
It was precisely because Su Yunlong learned the "Thirteen Strikes of the Spirit Crane" from Gouchen that he could instantly recognize the similarity between Gouchen's current lightness skill and the body movement during the execution of the "Thirteen Strikes of the Spirit Crane". It is undoubtedly of the same origin. However, the set of "Thirteen Strikes of the Spirit Crane" that Gouchen passed on to him does not include this complete set of lightness skill. It seems that this kid is still holding back something from him.
However, despite this, Su Yunlong still believed that Gouchen had been very generous to him. He was casually shown the handwritten manuscript of the "Five Animal Exercises" and was casually taught the "Thirteen Strikes of the Spirit Crane," and it was even taught using the original version of the comprehension at that time.
Such profound martial arts, placed in any sect, would definitely be kept secret and not casually taught, even if they formally accepted disciples. There would surely be various assessments and requirements before teaching. However, Gou Chen easily passed it on to him. Although Gou Chen had the reason of passing it on to Su Yunxiu, the fact that he didn't hide anything and his care for Su Yunxiu has deepened his trust in Gou Chen even more.
As he watched Gou Chen's figure disappear over the opposite hill, Su Yunlong immediately turned his horse's head and hastened towards Gu Qingcheng's location ahead.
Gu Qingcheng had already caused some damage to the "Ten Thousand Ghosts Prostrate Formation" with two consecutive strikes, increasing the previously opened gap. However, it was unknown whether the people inside the Ghost Gate were using the principle of "eliminating internal threats before dealing with external enemies," intending to quickly eliminate the martial artists inside and then turn their attention to the outside, or if they were confident that the "Ten Thousand Ghosts Prostrate Formation" could hold its ground, completely disregarding the minor disruptions caused by Gu Qingcheng outside.
In short, until now, none of the people inside the ghost gate have come out to deal with Gu Qingcheng, seemingly believing that the automatic repair mechanism provided by the formation can ensure that any intruders on the outside will be unsuccessful.
Gu Qingcheng still had some strength left, in case the Ghost Gate apprentice inside the formation showed up and counterattacked. But after two consecutive strikes, no one appeared or responded from inside. Although she couldn't figure out the specific reason for this, she believed it was the opportune moment to seize. She immediately shouted and increased her strength, causing countless blade rays to surge from the tip of her sword. They danced and fluctuated on the edge of the blade, constantly expanding and contracting.
Su Yunlong, who was catching up from behind, was immediately shocked by this scene.
Internal strength is a substance that is both intangible and can be sensed but not seen. Its origin is also in the form of empty qi, which is why it is also called internal qi. Therefore, even experts who have reached the tenth level of internal strength cultivation can only barely achieve the ability to release internal strength externally and strike from a distance. At this point, what is released is mostly an invisible flow of qi, which is basically invisible. It is only when they break through to the True Qi realm that their internal strength cultivation becomes more solid, allowing them to transform from empty to substantial, converting qi into form, and producing visible traces upon striking.
So after releasing internal energy, one can see specific manifestations such as fist imprints, palm imprints, sword aura, and knife radiance. This is also the most intuitive expression of a high-level martial artist, as they can be recognized at a glance.
Breaking through from internal power to true qi is not just a matter of accumulation, but a qualitative breakthrough. After reaching the true qi realm, internal power undergoes a qualitative transformation and is converted into a more refined true qi.
External force, internal force. True Qi, innate, these four realms of martial arts cultivation, every breakthrough in a realm leads to a change and evolution in the essence of power. Breaking through from the realm of external force to the realm of internal force means transforming all external force into internal force; breaking through from the realm of internal force to the realm of true Qi means transforming all internal force into true Qi; breaking through to the realm of innate goes even further, transforming into more exquisite and powerful innate true Qi. The translation is complete.
At this moment, Gu Qingcheng's sword suddenly surged with a bright and dazzling blade, which was clearly visible to the naked eye. This is obviously a manifestation of breaking through to the realm of true qi.