Chapter 26: On Martial Arts

The Tang family was in complete disarray today, having suffered significant losses. However, fortunately, their fate was not to end. With Shen Bai's help, the damage at the Sword Forge, which had been attacked by evil masters, was greatly minimized. Concurrently, Gu Mo's assistance enabled the Tang family to successfully navigate their crisis and avoid ruin.

However, with Tang Tianqi dead, Patriarch Tang Tianhao gravely poisoned, and many high-ranking members either injured or killed, the Tang family was left with no choice but to push the somewhat frivolous young master, Tang Buyi, into a leadership role to stabilize the situation.

Fortunately, few people were aware of Tang Tianqi's death, preventing the Tang family from facing a public relations storm. In a way, the Tang family also turned misfortune into a blessing. The incident involving numerous evil masters attempting to seize the Sword of Immaculate Purity would soon become widely known, adding a rare and valuable buzz to the sword's emergence.

Gu Mo stayed with the Tang family for three days.

His three-day stay was specifically because Shen Bai had to depart after that time.

During those three days, Gu Mo and Shen Bai engaged in continuous martial arts discussions, often staying up late. Both benefited immensely from the exchange, and when it was time to part, they both felt they still had much more to discuss. However, Shen Bai had urgent commitments that limited his stay to three days.

"Alas, Brother Gu," Shen Bai said regretfully, "if only I had known I would meet you, I wouldn't have agreed to a fight with Mo Buyao of Lingyun Villa."

Inside a pavilion on the Tang family estate, Shen Bai expressed his deep regret: "It's just a pity that I've already committed to a duel with Mo Buyao. My initial reason for challenging him was to explore my true martial arts essence, but that can't compare to the insights I've gained from our discussions, Brother Gu. It's truly regrettable, but I cannot break my promise!"

For the past few years, Shen Bai had been challenging various martial arts masters throughout the jianghu. Recently, he had arranged a duel with Mo Buyao, the young master of Lingyun Villa, one of the foremost martial arts powers in Linjiang County. This was why he had taken a detour to Zhushan County to retrieve a sword for his master.

This duel had been arranged long ago, and in the jianghu, one's reputation is paramount.

Even though Shen Bai was extremely reluctant to leave, he knew he had to.

Gu Mo smiled faintly and said, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future; our paths will surely cross again."

"Exactly, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Gu Mo's martial arts cultivation was higher than Shen Bai's, though not as high as Shen Bai's master. He was just slightly above Shen Bai, placing him at a level where Shen Bai could easily grasp his insights. The guidance Shen Bai received from Gu Mo was invaluable, offering perspectives that even a Grandmaster might not be able to provide in such an accessible way.

This wasn't to say Gu Mo understood martial arts more profoundly than Ye Liuyun. Instead, Ye Liuyun's level was simply too advanced; the insights he provided for Shen Bai's current stage were less practical and relatable than those offered by Gu Mo.

Meanwhile, Gu Mo also gained significant insights from Shen Bai.

As a direct disciple of a Grandmaster from the Canglan Sword Sect, Shen Bai possessed knowledge of martial arts secrets that most people would never encounter in their lifetime. He commanded a top-tier and comprehensive martial arts knowledge system, which proved immensely beneficial to Gu Mo, who hailed from a less formal background.

Furthermore, since Gu Mo had saved Shen Bai's life, and Gu Mo was eager to befriend this promising Grandmaster's disciple, the two quickly formed a bond. Their martial arts exchange proceeded smoothly, and upon parting, they exchanged contact information, agreeing to continue their discussions through letters.

The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly.

On the main road, Gu Mo sat in a carriage driven by Gu Chutong, slowly departing from Zhushan County town. Shen Bai and his junior sister, each on horseback, rode off in a different direction.

Tang Tianhao and his son Tang Buyi personally escorted them out of the city. The Tang family had initially arranged for an escort specifically for the Gu siblings, but Gu Mo had politely declined.

"Brother, are you about to become famous throughout the jianghu?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You killed Feilong!" Gu Chutong exclaimed.

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Killing one Feilong isn't enough to make me famous throughout the jianghu; it's not as if I killed an evil Grandmaster. Still, I should gain some recognition within the bounty hunter community. Yan Sanniang will certainly spread the word, and it might get me some attention, but it won't make me universally famous."

"That will happen soon enough then," Gu Chutong insisted. "You're bound to become famous in the jianghu quickly. After all, you're even more powerful than Shen Bai, and he's incredibly renowned. If you're stronger than him, you'll definitely surpass his fame very soon!"

"Oh, you can't really say that," Gu Mo responded. "Shen Bai is very strong, and we haven't actually competed, so there's no way to say who is stronger or weaker."

"But he did!" Gu Chutong countered. "Shen Bai himself said you're stronger, that your cultivation realm is higher, and your internal and external martial arts have reached the perfected stage, while he only has half a step of sword intent."

Gu Mo smiled, "Our paths are different; how can our realms be directly compared? Furthermore, a cultivation realm isn't directly correlated with combat prowess. A person's strength in battle primarily stems from the profoundness of their martial arts and their personal understanding of the techniques they practice."

"Hmm... I don't quite understand."

Gu Mo explained, "Martial arts cultivation has distinct stages. For instance, you and I, with your primary focus on the Profound Void Saber Art, are currently in the first stage. This stage requires diligent cultivation to master the Profound Void Saber Art, also known as reaching the perfected stage. Attaining this realm signifies that you have achieved superb proficiency, able to wield the Saber Art as effortlessly as moving your own arm.

"Next, if you don't have other, more advanced martial arts, you would continue to practice the Profound Void Saber Art. However, once you've already mastered it, where else can you go? That leads to the second stage: understanding personal will. This transforms the Profound Void Saber Art from a basic set of learned techniques and forms into another realm, imbuing the saber art with your individual will. At that point, your cultivation would indeed be very high, wouldn't it?

"However, consider this: our Profound Void Saber Art is, at best, a second-rate technique in the jianghu. Even if you practice a specific move to absolute perfection and imbue it with immense personal will, it won't necessarily be stronger than someone who has mastered a first-rate martial art, let alone a super-first-rate Grandmaster's technique.

"Now, Shen Bai practices Grandmaster Ye Liuyun's ultimate technique, the Flowing Cloud Sword Art. This sword art emphasizes 'intent' over 'form,' and once its underlying will is unleashed, its true power is incredibly difficult to gauge. Moreover, Grandmaster-level martial arts are exceptionally challenging to cultivate. Generally, the higher the level of the martial art, the more profound and difficult it is to master, and the more potent the 'intent' that can be comprehended from it. Even just a 'half-step' into such an intent is beyond common comprehension."

Gu Chutong seemed to grasp it, yet not entirely, and pressed further: "So, is it more powerful to cultivate internal martial arts techniques, or to cultivate the true martial arts essence?"

Gu Mo gently shook his head. "There is no inherent stronger or weaker. Whether it's different cultivation paths or different martial arts, to determine superiority, one can only engage in combat. Whoever wins is stronger. Beyond different approaches, even individuals practicing the same martial art can develop unique understandings. It's even possible for a single martial art to possess multiple core interpretations. Furthermore, with various methods such as saber arts, sword arts, lightness skills, and hidden weapons, who can truly say which one is the strongest?

"Ultimately, there is no strongest martial art, nor is there a single strongest cultivation path—there is only the strongest person!"