Chapter 130: Blocking the Door and Assassinating the Heart

Qin Mu's face flushed slightly; he knew the Hall Master of the Sword Hall was referring to him.

The Hall Master had evidently reflected deeply on that defeat and worked diligently on the fundamentals of swordsmanship. His strength was now formidable, perhaps on the verge of another breakthrough. It would be almost impossible for Qin Mu to defeat him with a single strike again.

As the Hall Master taught the students the most basic sword techniques, Qin Mu secretly nodded. The Hall Master's years of contemplation had allowed him to grasp the essence of fundamental swordsmanship. While there were still some imperfections, he had made significant progress compared to before.

After class ended, Qin Mu was about to leave Hanguang Hall when the Hall Master of the Sword Hall suddenly said, "Qin Mu, stay behind."

Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and Yun Que's hearts tightened. They exchanged glances and walked out of Hanguang Hall. Ling Yuxiu had intended to approach Qin Mu but, seeing the situation, had no choice but to give up and was pulled away by several princes and princesses.

Once the students had left Hanguang Hall, only Qin Mu and the Hall Master remained.

"Young Cult Master, what do you think of my swordsmanship?" the Hall Master asked, rising to his feet and speaking solemnly.

Qin Mu replied, "You've made great progress."

The Hall Master's eyes burned with intensity. "How do I compare to you?"

After thinking for a moment, Qin Mu shook his head. "You're still lacking a bit. Your foundation isn't as stable as mine. Even if your foundation were as solid as mine, you still wouldn't be my match. At the same cultivation realm, my cultivation is far stronger than yours, and my cultivation techniques are also much better. You focus too much on the sword and neglect other aspects. You're still not my match at the same realm. However, your progress has been significant."

The Hall Master performed a disciple's bow and solemnly said, "Therefore, I earnestly request the Young Cult Master to stay and offer some guidance. I just taught them; now I implore the Young Cult Master to teach me!"

Qin Mu calmly sat down. "Very well. After all, you are a Hall Master of our cult, so guiding you is no problem. Swordsmanship is not just about the sword; movement techniques, cultivation techniques, fist arts, Spirit Embryo, and intent are equally important. When you just taught them sword practice, you hadn't yet achieved the unity of all elements."

The Hall Master asked, "How does one achieve unity?"

Qin Mu taught him the Piercing Sword Form that the Village Chief had taught him. The Hall Master suddenly understood, mumbling, "So this is how to apply force... wrong, all wrong. I've been practicing swordsmanship for a hundred years, and I've been doing it wrong all this time... Thank you for your guidance, Young Cult Master!"

Outside Hanguang Hall, Shen Wanyun and the others wore solemn expressions. Yue Qinghong indignantly said, "The Imperial College is showing favoritism, giving him special treatment and private lessons in swordsmanship! His swordsmanship is already not weak; if the Imperial College intentionally nurtures him, how will we ever have a chance to defeat him?"

Shen Wanyun calmly said, "You don't need to worry. No matter how profound the swordsmanship the Imperial College teaches him, it won't be a match for me. As long as I grasp the flaws in his cultivation technique, I can defeat him!"

"That may be true, but we still need to be wary," Yun Que reminded them.

Shen Wanyun nodded. "Don't worry, he's progressing, and so am I. These past few days, I've been suppressing my realm, and I feel I'm on the verge of the Six-Directions realm. With my combat power at the peak Five-Yao realm, how could I not defeat him? If he receives guidance from the Imperial College, he'll instead expend his energy cultivating new sword techniques, leaving no time for other cultivation! Defeating him at the Five-Yao realm is my earnest desire; otherwise, I'll have regrets even if I become a divine arts practitioner."

The three of them had no idea that what was happening inside Hanguang Hall was completely different from their conjectures. The Hall Master of the Sword Hall was now like a student, and Qin Mu was the teacher, guiding him in his sword practice! If the three of them had witnessed this scene, their eyes would probably have popped out!

The Hall Master took the concept of "unity of all elements" to heart. Qin Mu recalled something and said, "Although my foundation is solid, I don't have much expertise in swordsmanship and still need your guidance, Hall Master. You just mentioned that the Sage has Three Swords, but you only spoke of the first, Hanguang. What are the other two swords?"

The Hall Master of the Sword Hall said, "The First Sword: Hanguang, the Second Sword: Chengying, and the Third Sword: Xiaolian, are actually the three realms of Dao Sword. These words come from the Sword Treatise written by the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace, and the Emperor praised them as the Emperor's Three Swords. You want me to guide your swordsmanship? I wouldn't dare. Teaching swordsmanship depends on the master. I can teach them, but I cannot teach you."

Qin Mu understood his meaning: when teaching cultivation techniques, it is best to have a renowned master. For example, Monk Mingxin of Great Thunderclap Temple; his master had not thoroughly refined the Eight Thunderclap Forms, so the Eight Thunderclap Forms he taught Mingxin had flaws. Similarly, if the Hall Master did not thoroughly comprehend a certain move, teaching it to Qin Mu would mean Qin Mu would inherit his flaws. Therefore, to learn profound martial arts, one must have an excellent teacher!

Qin Mu's expression stirred slightly, and he asked, "Where can I see the Sword Treatise?"

"The Heavenly Records Tower."

The Hall Master of the Sword Hall said, "Young Cult Master, the book token is your pass to the Heavenly Records Tower. With a book token, you can enter and borrow the collected works within."

Qin Mu's spirits lifted. He had never been to the Heavenly Records Tower, which housed the classics of various sects and schools from across the empire. How could he not go?

"Young Cult Master, haven't you had lunch yet?" The Hall Master of the Sword Hall rarely smiled, but he did now, inviting, "I'm also about to have lunch. Why don't we go to my humble abode? Coincidentally, I still have some difficult questions I'd like to ask the Young Cult Master; we can discuss them while we eat."

Qin Mu hesitated. "I have a little fox at home..."

"Bring her along then."

Qin Mu left Hanguang Hall with him and returned to the scholars' quarters. Fox Spirit was cultivating the Spirit Creation Technique. Hearing about lunch, she immediately ran out excitedly. "Is there wine?"

"Yes," the Hall Master of the Sword Hall replied.

Fox Spirit cheered and immediately rode the demon wind to follow them. The two people and one fox arrived at the Hall Master's residence. The Hall Master's living space was very simple: a two-entrance, two-exit courtyard, with no servants.

Qin Mu looked around, noting there was no one else there. The Hall Master cooked the meal himself, stir-frying and preparing rice very skillfully. Clearly, it was not his first time cooking at home.

"Hall Master, don't you have a wife?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.

"A wife?" The Hall Master moved quickly, cooking with true fire; how could he not be fast? The middle-aged man quickly served the dishes, then brought rice, saying, "What would I need a wife for? Too much trouble."

Fox Spirit tasted his cooking and exclaimed in surprise, "It's really delicious! Hall Master, your cooking is so good, better than many chefs in the capital. Why don't you find a wife?"

"I did once. When I was young, I was involved with a woman from the cult. I was still young and ignorant back then." The Hall Master of the Sword Hall reminisced, shaking his head. "Later, I discovered that the sword could bring me more joy, and the happiness a woman could bring me was less than what my sword offered. So I thought, why bother? And we separated. Young Cult Master, women are trouble. Never get involved with women. They will demand your careful attention, coaxing, and pampering. They will constantly whine and nag you, and scratch you. We must focus on cultivating the Dao. Practicing swordsmanship can bring us more joy, a joy that women cannot provide. So, resolutely avoid women."

Fox Spirit was stunned and argued, "Hall Master, that's not right. What's wrong with women?"

The Hall Master's vital qi resounded like countless sharp swords clashing and ringing. He calmly said, "The joy that practicing swordsmanship brings me, you simply would not understand. There's no point in explaining it to you."

Qin Mu blinked. The Hall Master's realm was too high; he did not yet understand that level.

After the two people and one fox finished lunch, the Hall Master of the Sword Hall asked Qin Mu several more questions, then fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a long while. Just as Qin Mu was about to take his leave, the Hall Master roused himself again, stood up, and said, "Young Cult Master, no need to see you off."

Qin Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry, and waved goodbye to him.

"The Hall Master of the Sword Hall has such an odd temper." He shook his head. "I wonder who the woman he was once in love with was. Maybe I could try to set them up. But with his strange temper, they would probably separate again even if they got back together."

He returned to the scholars' quarters and suddenly noticed many scholars heading down the mountain. Not only the scholars from the Scholars' Residence, but also those from the adjacent Princes' Abode and Divine Arts Practitioners' Residence, had emerged and were making their way down the mountain.

Qin Mu was puzzled when a voice suddenly called out, "Brother Qin, over here!"

Qin Mu looked and saw Wei Yong among the crowd, so he walked over. Fox Spirit asked, "Wei Fatty, what happened?"

Wei Yong chuckled, "You don't know? I heard a Daoist from the Dao Sect came down the mountain. He calls himself Dan Yangzi and is sitting with a disciple, whom he calls the Dao Son, right at the entrance of our Imperial College, blocking the path."

Qin Mu was surprised. "That's blocking the gate!"

Wei Yong nodded. "Exactly! He's blocking the gate! The Dao Sect, the foremost orthodox sect. The Daoist blocking the gate calls himself Dan Yangzi, and the young man beside him is referred to as the Dao Son. Just now, an official from the Imperial College went to inquire, and Dan Yangzi said they were not there to cause trouble, but to engage in an exchange. He said he had long heard that the Imperial College is the number one sacred ground under heaven, gathering talented individuals from all corners, so he brought the Dao Sect's Dao Son to pay respects to the Imperial College and verify the Dao methods and divine arts of the Dao Sect against those of the Imperial College."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He exhaled slowly, saying, "A clever tactic."

Wei Yong was puzzled.

"This is psychological warfare." Qin Mu's eyes flashed as he explained, "Outside the capital, various factions are taking advantage of the situation to cause unrest, raising banners to denounce the Imperial Preceptor. However, inside the capital, it remains relatively peaceful, and the populace's support is clear at a glance. The Imperial Preceptor reformed the sects, establishing elementary schools, universities, and the Imperial College, gathering talented individuals from across the land to become disciples of the Emperor. I've heard people say that Eternal Peace Nation is essentially a sect disguised as a country. If the Dao Sect's Dao Son blocks the gate, and the Imperial College's scholars cannot defeat him, then what use are the Imperial Preceptor's reforms?"

Wei Yong was stunned and muttered, "This isn't just psychological warfare; it's a strike at the very heart of morale..."