379 A New Sword Style

As he watched the unconscious Chen Changsheng, Su Li raised his eyebrows incontemplation. This was because of those final words Chen Changsheng had saidbefore falling unconscious, and because over the past few days, Chen Changshenghad said and done many things. Over his hundreds of years of wandering the world, he had encountered manyexcellent youths. Amongst them, some of the youths were extremely talented,while others had exceptional willpower. Those youths which he most admired wereall at the Mount Li Sword Sect. However, he had never encountered a youth like Chen Changsheng. He had always believed that youths had a manner that was unique to them, theso-called morning sun and dew, the newly-developed butterfly and the youngchick; the aura of those youthful existences was clear and passionate. ChenChangsheng also had this sort of temperament, but it was much more tranquil andcalm.  This youth was also like a gust of spring wind, but it was the wind ofthe beginning of spring, very light, and thus clean and refreshing, causingothers to feel carefree and relaxed. Su Li watched the sleeping Chen Changsheng in silence, studiously observinghim. When an ordinary youth would wake up, they would often intentionally lowertheir voice and feign a calm expression, thereby being lauded by their eldersas mature and admired by their peers as calm. Moreover, while they slept, theywould often return to an appearance appropriate for their true age, exposingtheir naive and innocent side. But Chen Changsheng was not like this. Hisappearance was that of a youth, pure and young like a tea garden before therain, but his expression had the same sort of calmness that it had when he wasawake, even…. actually somewhat sorrowful. Why was it that even in a deep sleep, this youth's forehead was still creasedso tightly? What was he thinking about? What was he worrying about? What was heanxious about? If he could not even escape from this pressure in his slumberingdreams, then why was it that when he was awake, he would always appear so calmand refuse to let others see the slightest hint of it? Su Li could clearly tell that there was something wrong in Chen Changsheng'sheart, but he did not want to ask about it, nor did he want to probe it out. Itwas not that he was not curious, but because there were even more importantthings that needed to be done. He lifted his head towards the boundlessmountains and plains, his face expressionless and his pupils like stars. Thecoldness around him gradually grew denser, and while the hand gripping thehandle of the Yellow Paper Umbrella seemed slightly more relaxed, it wasactually positioned more suitably to pull out the sword. The assassin called Liu Qing was, at this very moment, somewhere amidst thesemountains and plains, probably keeping a close watch over this location. To anordinary person, the third place on the Ranking of Assassins was absolutely avery frightening existence. However, under normal circumstances, it would noteven be enough for Su Li to lift his head and take a glance. It was just thatthese were not normal circumstances. Chen Changsheng was unconscious and he washeavily injured. No matter what angle it was viewed from, this was theassassin's best chance to strike, unless the assassin was resolved to continuecarrying out the doctrine of conservatism. Su Li suddenly felt somewhat nervous, causing the emotion on his face to growincreasingly indifferent. It had been many years since he was this nervous,because it had been many years since anybody was able to threaten his life. Hethought that he had long since gained an understanding of life and death, butafter Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang appeared, he finally understood that even ifhis sword heart was brightly lit, his mind could no longer keep it so brightlylit in the face of death. Or perhaps it was because he had just experienced avery challenging life-or-death ordeal. Over his life, he had encountered many life-or-death ordeals, and woncountless battles against powerful opponents he should not have been able tobeat. Compared to those opponents, people like Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang didnot even deserve to be mentioned. However, he clearly understood that over thecourse of his entire life, the moment in which he had been closest to death wasnot on that snowy plain outside Xuelao City, nor on the banks of that coldstream in the Longevity Sect, but a short time ago on that nameless mountain,in that instant when Liang Hongzhuang's dancing dress had attacked like fire. The reason that was the closest he had ever been to death in his life was thatLiang Hongzhuang would assuredly have killed him, because Liu Qing wasdefinitely concealed close by. The most important reason was that he had nomeans of taking his fate into his own hands. Whether facing off against the Demon Lord's shadow and tens of thousands ofdemon soldiers outside Xuelao City, or confronting around a dozen LongevitySect elders with unfathomable levels of cultivation on the banks of the coldstream, he had always had a sword in hand that he could brandish. As long as a sword was in his hand, the world was Su Li's. Even if the god ofdeath stood in front of him, he would not be afraid. But… in that previousmoment, he could not do anything. He could only place his fate in the hands ofthat youth called Chen Changsheng. Fortunately, this youth had proved that he was very worthy of his trust. "This time, I really do owe you a life." As he gazed at the youth's wrinkled forehead, Su Li shook his head. The assassin continued to conceal himself in the wilderness. For some reason,he never chose to strike. Perhaps it was because Chen Changsheng's performanceor status had made him fearful, or perhaps it was because Su Li's hand hadnever once left the Yellow Paper Umbrella. With the arrival of dusk, Chen Changsheng finally woke up. His face was paleas snow, his eyes not as clear and bright as they usually were, like he wasrecovering from a hangover. Thankfully, it seemed like his sea of consciousnesshad finally calmed down, so it seemed like he was out of danger. He looked at Su Li, but before he had time to say anything, Su Liemotionlessly asked, "Do you have anything you want to say?" After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng said, "On matters of the past, as ajunior, I don't know the stories behind them, so it's not right for me todetermine right or wrong. Perhaps Senior truly did not kill wrongly, but a sonavenging his father's death is also not wrong. If everyone is not wrong, andyet goes killing back and forth, there must something wrong with thissituation." Su Li replied, "As expected, you're still lecturing." Chen Changsheng said, "On the snowy plains, Senior was always saying that youweren't a good person, because you've killed too many people. From this, it canbe seen that Senior also knows that killing too many people is not too good ofa thing in the end, so why not change?" Su Li creased his forehead, then gave a smile that was not a smile. "But whendid I ever say that I wanted to be a good person? Since I don't plan to be agood person, why do I need to change? Why should I kill people less?" Chen Changsheng was struck speechless. Finally, he helplessly asked, "Senior,is there any need to compete over every matter, to dispute every little thing?" "Courageously advancing, but not being able to express one's thoughts throughwords, not competing and not debating. what sort of way to live life is that?" Su Li said this very calmly and serenely. Chen Changsheng fell into a longperiod of silence. From the moment he became self-aware, he had been readingbooks. After he found that his body was not healthy, he had thought about howto live a little longer. He felt that life was indeed the best thing aboutlife, that living was the most beautiful thing. He had very rarely thoughtabout which way to live could be considered living. He thought and thought, then decided to no longer think about this question. He understood that in the aspect of life, he was a rustic youngster who couldnot even eat to a full stomach, while a person like Su Li was a person who hadfeasted lavishly for many years. Now that he began to pursue lighter meals andtake care of his health, he began to search for inheritance and spirit in hisfood. He had never been a person of the world, but this did not mean that hehad some sort of conflict or resentment to the people of the world. On thecontrary, he envied the people of the world. This was because the people of theworld made up the vast majority of the people on this world. Living hadoriginally been to live in that sort of manner. At the very least, it was moremeaningful to live that way than the way some other people lived. "The Mount Li disciple called Liang Xiaoxiao…" The things that he had encountered in the Garden of Zhou, the matters that hewas willing to talk about, had mostly been said to Su Li. He had also spoken ofLiang Xiaoxiao, but it was only today that he finally filled Su Li in on thefiner details of what had happened by the lake. He thought that since the gate to the Garden of Zhou had once again opened,then as long as Qi Jian and Zhexiu were still alive, Liang Xiaoxiao would havedefinitely already been punished for his crimes. It was just after goingthrough this battle with Liang Hongzhuang, he had become much more sensitive tothe family name of 'Liang'. Thus, he explained everything so that Su Li couldanalyze it, but he had not imagined that Su Li's response would be so huge. When he heard that Liang Xiaoxiao had stabbed through Qi Jian's abdomen, SuLi's face grew very dark, like a torrential rain was gradually forming aroundhis face, like thunderbolts could stab out at any time. At the end, Su Li declared, "He will die." Chen Changsheng thought to himself, this is an affair for your Mount Li. Inaddition, he really should die. He could never have imagined that LiangXiaoxiao had already died, and that he had used his death to leave behind agreat deal of trouble. Su Li already understood why Liang Xiaoxiao would join with the demons. It wasjust that the matter involved the good name of Mount Li. Crucially, it involvedthat bloody affair more than ten years ago concerning the Longevity Sect andthe north which he had caused, so he was unwilling to say too much to ChenChangsheng. "In the end, how did you see through it?" He looked at Chen Changsheng andchanged the subject. This question was naturally asking about what method Chen Changsheng had usedto break through Liang Hongzhuang's Star Domain. If the first strike was aguess, what about the following seven strikes? Blow after blow had struck true,so naturally it could not be a mere guess. Could it be that he actuallyfinished learning the Intellectual Sword? Chen Changsheng very carefully thought about his answer, confirming thecircumstances at the time, then replied, "It really was a guess." Of course, Su Li did not believe him, but Chen Changsheng's expression was onethat said he was absolutely not lying. Most importantly, Chen Changsheng had noreason to deceive. And even more important than that was that there truly wasno basis for Chen Changsheng to have learned the Intellectual Sword so quickly. To guess which star amongst the vast sky of stars would move was already aninconceivable matter. To guess where the gap in the Star Domain of a StarCondensation cultivator would appear was even more unimaginable, let alonedoing it seven times in a row. "If you really are relying on luck, then your luck is already so good that itexceeds luck." Su Li looked at him and said, "You are a person with a lot of good karma." Chen Changsheng did not understand, so he asked, "Good karma?" "What is the most important thing for cultivation?" "Willpower? Comprehension?" Su Li shook his head. "No, it's luck. Every single expert that managed todominate a region, the so-called Saints, all possessed extremely good luck, andso were able to escape many dangers. Of course, luck is only momentary, butgood karma is for a lifetime, so they are all people that have a lot of goodkarma. That includes me." Chen Changsheng thought about it, then asked, "How is good karma decided?" "Of course, it's fate." Su Li looked into his eyes and said, "So in other words, your fate is reallygood." Hearing these words, Chen Changsheng could not find any words to respond—fromthe moment he was born, he had felt that his fate was bad. Who could havethought that there was someone that told him his fate was actually very good?This made him feel somewhat ridiculous, somewhat comforted, and somewhatsaddened. As they continued their journey south, the two people and two deer finallydrew close to Tianliang County. His education in the sword had also reached anew stage. After experiencing that battle with Liang Hongzhuang, Chen Changsheng clearlyunderstood where his weak points were. The first was that he required an even more powerful spiritual sense andwillpower. He finally understood why Su Li had said, “Only after experiencingit will you have the qualifications to understand using the Intellectual Swordrequires sufficient strength.” This was because the Intellectual Sword requiredan even more extraordinary strength, or else the swordsman would findthemselves simply incapable of bearing the massive amount of calculations. Theymight even fall unconscious before they even managed to take out their sword. Secondly, to defeat a Star Condensation expert, he needed to increase hisoutput. Only this way could he grasp those fleeting opportunities and deliver aheavy blow to his opponent. Only this way could he avoid the situation where hecould land eight consecutive blows and still not be able to kill LiangHongzhuang. That sort of situation was very dangerous. If Liang Hongzhuang hadbeen a little bit stronger, if he could have held on for a moment longer, ChenChangsheng would have collapsed from the shock to his sea of consciousness andhe and Su Li would have undoubtedly died. Thus, at twilight by a stream, Su Li began to teach him a second swordtechnique. "The output of your true essence is too awful. It's just like a little kidwielding an embroidery needle. Even if you were faster and you prickedthree-thousand-six-hundred holes on your opponent's body, you still wouldn't beable to poke him to death. So in the past few days, I've thought of a swordstyle.” Su Li gazed at Chen Changsheng in the waters of the stream. "Do you want tolearn it?" Chen Changsheng did not answer, because this question did not need an answer.Amongst all the people who used swords, there was no one that did not want tolearn the sword from Su Li, let alone the fact that it was very obvious thatthis sword style had been especially developed by Su Li for him. And finally,at the moment, he was incredibly shocked. Staring at the middle-aged man standing on the shore, Chen Changsheng openedhis mouth, but he could not even make half a sound. According to these words,did that mean that Su Li realized that day that there was a problem with theoutput of his true essence, began to think about this problem, and designed acompletely new sword style in just a few days? What was a true genius? What wasa master of the path of the sword? This was it. Su Li acted like he hadn't even seen Chen Changsheng's appearance andcontinued to talk. He calmly introduced this newly developed sword style, andas for whether he felt somewhat proud inside, one could detect it a little fromthe way the ends of his brows perked upward. This sword style was called the Blazing Sword. Although it only consisted ofone move, it was more accurate to say that it was a method for moving thesword. If the Intellectual Sword could assist the swordsman is seeing throughthe weak points of a Star Condensation expert, the Blazing Sword would assistthe swordsman in exploding forth with his sword energy and true essence. In ashort time, one could obtain extraordinary benefits, and thus be more of athreat to Star Condensation opponents. The two sword styles that Su Li had taught him were all very relevant, as ifthey were meant for helping upper level Ethereal Opening cultivatorssuccessfully surpass cultivation levels and kill Star Condensation opponents.Chen Changsheng had trouble with outputting true essence, so the Blazing Swordassisted him in solving this problem. The catch was that if one wanted to solve a problem, a price had to be paid.The Intellectual Sword which had not even taken shape had almost turned ChenChangsheng into an idiot. This Blazing Sword that could solve his true essenceoutput problems would require him to pay even more. "Similar to the demons' Body Release Art, although you won't die, you'lldefinitely be very miserable." Su Li continued, "As I said before, the swordstyles I pass down to you are for protecting me until I return to Mount Li, notout of any good intentions for you. So learning or not learning is all on you." Chen Changsheng walked out of the stream, the tree branch in his hand piercingthrough a fat and tender whitefish. As his bare feet stamped through theblazing sun reflected on the surface of the stream, he laughed, but didn't sayanything. Su Li teased, "So stubbornly honest and straightforward, not making a personhappy in the slightest. He's far inferior compared to my family's Qiushan." Chen Changsheng thought, Senior obviously wants to teach me this sword style,and yet he needs to find so many excuses. It's because he doesn't want there tobe any feelings between us. That is what it means to be truly stubbornly honestand straightforward. Only it's actually rather interesting. Su Li looked at him and said, "The sword energy comes from the Burning HeavenSword, while the sword move comes from the Secrets of the Golden Crow Sword.However, the absolutely most crucial point is that in the instant that youignite your true essence, I need your manner to be exactly in line with theimposing manner of the last move of the Mount Li Sword Style." Chen Changsheng was just using his dagger to slice open the fish, but when heheard these words, he stopped and turned his head in shock. "The Mount Li SwordStyle?" "Correct, this is the Blazing Sword's most difficult point." Su Li explained, "The Burning Heaven Sword increases the sword form, the swordmove increases the radiance, and when the true essence explodes, you need adaring attitude that does not care for life." Chen Changsheng was silent for a while, then said, "I understand." Su Li stared into his eyes. "When you attack, you must have the resolve todie; do you really understand?" Chen Changsheng lifted his head and said, "Senior, I've used that move before." Su Li was very surprised. He stared silently into his eyes for a long time,then finally said, "How could this little guy completely not understandcherishing his own life? Remember, don't think that because your fate is sogood, you can act wantonly." Chen Changsheng answered, "Senior, you know that I'm not that sort of person."