Ch. 609 - Martial Techniques of Nine Heavens Imperial Sect

The small room was home to the guardian of the Martial Tower.

Xu Zimo walked inside. The room wasn’t large, and the center was taken up by a table. Books covered both the table and the floor, there was hardly any space to stand.

Sitting across from the table was a woman in black robes. She was reading intently, flipping through the sea of books in front of her.

“I’m here to request martial techniques,” Xu Zimo said as he took out his token.

“Wait a bit,” the woman said calmly, not looking up.

Xu Zimo nodded without rushing her.

Sunlight gently spilled onto the floor, a few white clouds drifting lazily in the sky. The sunset’s glow slowly faded toward the horizon.

Bored, Xu Zimo sat on a pile of books nearby and pulled out the Strange Meridian Sutra given to him by the old man at the Scripture Repository. He opened it slowly, and what he read shocked him, it was something he’d never heard before.

The world only knew of twelve meridians in the human body. Once all twelve were opened, one could transcend and reach the peak of martial cultivation.

But the human body was full of mysteries and transformations. Beyond the twelve main meridians, there were also thirty-six “strange meridians.”

These strange meridians weren’t as powerful as the main ones, but they were still important.

If the twelve main meridians and thirty-six strange meridians worked together in harmony, the benefits would be immense. Potential would greatly increase, and both cultivation and comprehension would improve exponentially.

As night fell, Xu Zimo finally turned to the last page. He rubbed his sore eyes and looked up. The woman was still buried in her books.

“Senior, can I get the techniques I requested now?” Xu Zimo asked, standing up.

“Oh, you’re still here?” the woman said, patting her head as if she had forgotten about him.

“What techniques do you want?”

Xu Zimo listed the three he had decided on earlier.

“The other two are fine, but are you sure you want Six Cuts of Ghost Zen?” the woman asked. “That one’s infamous in the sect. Almost no one’s been able to cultivate it.”

“I know,” Xu Zimo nodded.

“Alright then,” she replied.

She drew a line through the air with her hand, opening a spatial gate. She stepped into it, and shortly after, came back out holding two books.

“These are handwritten copies of Six Cuts of Ghost Zen and A Speck in the Vast Sea,” she explained.

“As for Heaven Derivation Blade, it’s a bit special. It was originally a third-floor technique, but due to its unique nature, it’s been placed on the first floor.”

“Unique nature?” Xu Zimo asked curiously.

“Yes. This technique involves the origin of the blade. It only teaches the basics, easy to learn and accessible to all. But how you comprehend it and what it eventually becomes depends on your own talent and luck,” she said. “That’s why it has no formal moves. You must enter the Inheritance Room to receive the blade’s origin transmission.”

Xu Zimo nodded, took the other two books, and headed to the Inheritance Room, located in a small building beside the Martial Tower, specifically built for passing on the blade’s origin.

…

By the time he left the hall, night had completely fallen.

A few stars dotted the sky, and a crescent moon peeked out through the clouds.

For martial artists, the higher their realm, the less they needed sleep. Some people trained twenty-four hours a day.

When Xu Zimo arrived at the small building, there was still a long line of disciples waiting. He wasn’t in the mood to wait and walked straight to the front.

“Hey bro, mind if I cut in line?” he asked.

“Who the hell dares to cut in-” the man turned his head mid-sentence, but when he saw Xu Zimo, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Oh! It’s Senior Brother Lin! Please, go ahead!” he said, startled and overly polite as he stepped aside.

Everyone at Grand Heaven Mountain knew Lin Qiu’s infamous reputation as a spoiled troublemaker. Most kept their distance.

“You’re pretty decent. What’s your name?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Disciple Jiang Changsheng,” the young man quickly replied.

“Changsheng, Longevity. Good name,” Xu Zimo nodded. “‘Pursue the Dao, and forget everything else for eternal life.’”

“Eh, just average. I’m a humble man. I only claim to be the second most handsome in the world,” Jiang Changsheng said, then added dramatically, “Before I met you, I thought I was number one. But now I know I was a frog in a well. You, Senior Brother, are truly the most handsome man under the heavens.”

“Hey now, quit spouting so much truth,” Xu Zimo laughed and waved. “Keep it low-key. Don’t show off so much. As punishment, go to the disciples' dorm tonight and shout that line 100 times.”

Jiang Changsheng forced a smile, hiding his annoyance and mumbling in his head, What a shameless bastard.

“What’s that? You don’t want to?” Xu Zimo frowned.

“No, no,” Jiang Changsheng quickly shook his head. “I’m just worried all those ugly guys will get jealous. After all, you’re the face of Nine Heavens Sect. You and I, our looks are unmatched. How many men wouldn’t envy us?”

“You’re alright,” Xu Zimo chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Starting tomorrow, stick with me.”

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped into the Inheritance Room.

Jiang Changsheng was left outside, now facing a crowd of angry glares.

…

The room wasn’t very large. The walls were made of black crystal stone. In the center floated a small blade-shaped embryo.

Surrounding the blade were multiple layers of protective formations. Spiritforce gathered into a transparent crystal barrier.

Xu Zimo stepped forward and placed his hand on the barrier. Before he could react, his consciousness was pulled into another world.

Black and white energies swirled around him. Blade light of both colors swept through the sky.

“One gave birth to two, two to three, and three to all things.”

As the blade lights split, countless sword forms rained down.

Slashes, chops, stabs, thrusts, sweeps, hooks, jabs, breaks, blocks…

Every kind of blade energy and form unfolded before Xu Zimo. Time seemed to slow down a hundredfold.

All of it sank into Xu Zimo’s body, and in that moment of death-like stillness, his consciousness awakened.

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