Chapter 1447: Swordsmanship Five Types

“Jian Qinsheng? He’s too stubborn… Forget it. Meeting him would waste too much time. I just want to go see Zhang Xuan right now… Let’s take a detour!”

Meng Jiansheng nodded.

“Alright!”

Knowing that encountering Jian Qinsheng would inevitably lead to old grievances and endless arguments, the middle-aged man nodded immediately and lightly tapped his foot. The Holy Beast immediately soared into the clouds and disappeared without a trace.

“Hmm?”

As the Holy Beast vanished, Jian Qinsheng, inside the room, frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan looked over. Under normal circumstances, no one would continuously release their spiritual sense, so he hadn’t seen the Holy Beast ascend into the clouds ahead.

“A high-level Holy Beast flew away… It’s fine; it probably didn’t notice us. Otherwise, we would have been in trouble!” Jian Qinsheng shook his head.

As the head of the Zhang Clan, Meng Jiansheng didn't have just one Holy Beast; he could choose any one with good speed for travel. The two parties were far apart, and the beast moved quickly to evade. Jian Qinsheng hadn't clearly seen who was on the beast's back, but he was certain that this Holy Beast was far superior to the Cloud-Light Holy Beast they were riding.

Its level was superior, yet it turned and left, meaning it likely hadn't detected them. Otherwise... they would have inevitably faced a tough battle. Although their cultivation had reached the Saint realm, allowing them to fly without fear of falling and injury, confronting a super Holy Beast in mid-air would still put them at a disadvantage. It was always better to be as cautious as possible.

“That’s good…” Zhang Xuan also understood this and breathed a sigh of relief.

“The Zhang Clan is not far from here now. If we speed up, we should arrive in about half a day!” Not dwelling on the Holy Beast that hadn't discovered them, Jian Qinsheng reconfirmed their location and smiled.

“I’m going to compete in swordsmanship with someone from the Zhang Clan. I wonder… who are the formidable geniuses in the Zhang Clan, and what kind of true insights have they comprehended?” Zhang Xuan looked over.

As the saying goes, 'know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Although he possessed absolute confidence that any opponent of his level challenging him in swordsmanship would only bring themselves humiliation, it was still better to be cautious. Otherwise, not only would he fail to help others seek revenge, but he might also end up beaten to a pulp... What right would he then have to thoroughly beat that 'little genius' or marry Luo Ruoxi?

Therefore, his purpose in going to the Zhang Clan this time was singular: to establish his authority! No mistakes were allowed. Even if that 'little genius' who had never appeared showed up, Zhang Xuan would still make sure they knew his prowess!

“The Zhang Clan member who currently has the deepest understanding of swordsmanship is… Zhang Xu. Meng Jiansheng once gave him guidance. Last time he came to see me, I spotted him at a glance and immediately sent him away…” Jian Qinsheng said.

“Zhang Xu?” Zhang Xuan nodded. He had heard Shui Qianrou mention this once and had concluded that the person before him had a somewhat peculiar temperament. It turned out that he had long-standing grievances with the Zhang Clan head, which was why he disliked him and merely found an excuse to drive him away. It wasn't his inherent nature that was unpredictable.

“There are a total of five types of True Insights in swordsmanship. You have comprehended the Sword Elder's offensive insight, which is the so-called Law of Strength, and you have also comprehended the Flowing Water Ancestor's defensive insight. The remaining three are Agility, Speed, and… Void!” When speaking of sword arts, Jian Qinsheng's expression became solemn.

“Void?” Zhang Xuan was puzzled. He could understand Agility and Speed, but what was 'Void'?

“I don't know what 'Void' truly is, only that I've heard legends,” Jian Qinsheng explained. “It's said that Master Kong himself reached this realm back then. With a casual move, the speed wasn't fast, the power wasn't strong, and the defense was full of openings, yet… he could disregard the opponent's moves and effortlessly defeat them! Void means non-existence; it is empty space, truly integrating with the Great Dao. My guess is that this realm is achieved by integrating the remaining four True Insights… However, comprehending just one True Insight requires boundless effort from a person. Four… aside from Master Kong, no one has been able to achieve it yet.”

“Oh!” Zhang Xuan nodded. Having comprehended two True Insights himself, Zhang Xuan's understanding of swordsmanship was not inferior to Jian Qinsheng's. Although Jian Qinsheng's explanation was vague, Zhang Xuan quickly understood. The True Insights of Swordsmanship are sword arts that align with the Great Dao, but they are still a significant distance from the true pinnacle of swordsmanship. 'Void' should be a realm closer to that pinnacle.

“The True Insight comprehended by the Zhang Clan is 'Speed,'” Jian Qinsheng continued. “When they execute their sword arts, their speed becomes incredibly fast, as if transcending time. Therefore, it's extremely formidable…”

“Speed?” Zhang Xuan's expression turned solemn. He had personally encountered the Zhang Clan's bloodline power, which could control time, and it was indeed very powerful. Their comprehension of 'Speed' should be directly related to this bloodline talent.

In the martial arts world, there's a saying: 'No defense is impenetrable; only speed triumphs!' Speed is always a potent weapon in battle. His 'One Sword Sundering Sea,' though incredibly powerful and devastating, required time to gather momentum when executed. If the opponent was truly extremely fast and didn't give him time to charge, it would be almost impossible to win.

“Yes, their sword arts are so fast they transcend time. The Flowing Water Sword Intent won't last long before being pierced. Furthermore, our attacks can't match their speed, so… in multiple contests, my students have all lost!” Jian Qinsheng shook his head. Although he knew the foundation of their sword arts and what needed to be done, he couldn't find a better solution.

“So, by your logic, it's impossible to win?” Zhang Xuan frowned. “If you have no solution, even if my swordsmanship is a bit stronger than yours, it would still be difficult to win, wouldn't it?”

“Winning is indeed difficult, but it's not impossible,” Jian Qinsheng said. “Of the five great True Insights of swordsmanship, apart from 'Void' which no one truly understands, the other four are almost all mutually reinforcing and restraining! If speed is high, power inevitably lacks. The Sword Elder's True Insight combined with the Flowing Water True Insight is precisely the best way to break their technique!”

Zhang Xuan was puzzled. Just now he thought gathering momentum required time, which the opponent surely wouldn't allow. How did it suddenly become easy in Jian Qinsheng's words?

“You're too caught up in it!” Seeing how deeply Zhang Xuan usually understood combat, yet was somewhat confused at this moment, Jian Qinsheng chuckled: “The Flowing Water Sword Intent, once unleashed, won't hold for long, but for you, a few breaths are enough. As long as you use that time to accumulate power, you can unleash the Sword Elder's ultimate move and crush them with absolute offense!”

“All techniques, all moves, are useless in the face of absolute power!”

“This…” Zhang Xuan's mouth fell open, then he chuckled wryly. Indeed, he had been thinking of using the two True Insights separately, never considering this point. Combined, their power would be incomparable. The Flowing Water True Insight for defense, and the Offensive True Insight for crushing.

One strength conquers ten techniques… Even if the opponent is fast, even if they have mastered a special True Insight, in the face of absolute power, they will still be unable to resist and become completely ineffective! Power is the most formidable asset. Skill without power is also futile. It's like a kingdom trying to challenge an empire; no matter how much it struggles, it's useless. The gap is too vast to be bridged by the emergence of one or two powerful individuals.