Chapter 29

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Power has become the ultimate pursuit for nearly all warriors of the ancient era, an obsession that overshadows the art of skillful martial arts. Such subtleties are often overlooked, with the sole desire being directed towards martial prowess and the secrets that amplify it.

The Art of Disguise stands as a testament to the subtler side of martial arts. Prior to his ascension, Fengyun Wuji, known as the Sword God, was sought after by many warriors eager to refine their skills. It was one such warrior who bestowed upon him the Art of Disguise.

In the realm below, mastering the Art of Disguise demanded a high level of expertise. It hinged on the profound technique of bone contraction and muscle stretching, which allowed the user to manipulate their bodily muscles with their will and internal strength. Before ascension, even Fengyun Wuji, with all his strength as the Sword God, could not wield this art effortlessly. But with the ascension and the acquisition of You Wuxie’s million-year-old power, these obstacles dissolved.

The path of martial arts offers no shortcuts; the creation of his own “Willow Catkin With the Wind Body Technique” marked a significant milestone for Fengyun Wuji. It illuminated the path to defeating stronger adversaries even when power is constrained, or at the very least, ensuring survival.

Once the Heavenly Demon Sword was drawn, Fengyun Wuji knew he could not linger. A host of powerful auras approached from behind, and he was acutely aware that he had become the hunted. With masterful finesse, he concealed himself within a cloud and activated the Art of Disguise, instantly towering two meters tall and donning an entirely new visage.

“How about it, have you seen Fengyun Wuji?” Fengyun Wuji casually inquired as he passed by a warrior from a free faction.

The warrior, taken aback, shook his head, thinking, “Is this man foolish? News of the Xuanming Scroll should naturally be kept secret, best enjoyed alone.” He then swiftly flew away, continuing his patrol in the sky.

Fengyun Wuji offered a nonchalant smile before continuing to feign a search below. After an extended period with no success, the Zi Xiao Sword Sect and other free factions dispersed and returned to their abodes. Fengyun Wuji had no intention of lingering, fearing that a hasty departure might draw unwanted attention. However, just as he was about to leave, he halted and turned back.

After ensuring no one was watching, he hurriedly approached a man adorned in the Blade Domain’s attire, his hand diving into a prominent bulge on the man’s chest. The shape of the bulge suggested a book, more specifically, a secret manual.

His deduction was spot on. The cyan cover bore stark ancient seal characters that read: “Blade Path Exegesis.”

Half of this blood-soaked book was damp with blood. Fengyun Wuji quickly flipped through it, his heart swelling with joy, and he promptly secured the “Blade Path Exegesis” within his robes.

Greed should know its bounds! With the manual in his possession, Fengyun Wuji made a cursory search before departing hastily. As he anticipated, he was not the only one with such intentions. As he was about to leave, several free faction members began ransacking the fallen without a hint of decorum, while in the distance, a group of white-clad warriors with the Blade Domain emblem, exuding even more formidable auras, were swiftly approaching.

Fengyun Wuji journeyed eastward without pause, covering over a thousand miles until he was certain he was alone. He then found himself surrounded by towering mountains, thousands of feet high and stretching for hundreds of kilometers. He forcefully created a cavern within the mountainside, just large enough for a single person. Hidden within, he could study the “Blade Path Exegesis” by the light of the cave’s entrance while also monitoring the movements of any passing warriors, ready to flee at the slightest sign of danger.

The “Blade Path Exegesis” was but a common martial art among the Blade Domain warriors, not of the highest order. However, Fengyun Wuji valued it greatly due to an ingenious idea that had formed in his mind.

Everyone knew Fengyun Wuji cultivated the Xuanming Scroll and practiced the sword path, a path with few practitioners, making him an easier target to pinpoint. But what if he were to switch to the blade path?

The light outside the cave was dim, yet sufficient to read the characters in the “Blade Path Exegesis.” As the name suggested, it was a book on the blade path, delving into its principles. At the end of the slender volume, Fengyun Wuji discovered what he sought: a set of internal energy verses for a blade technique.

He studied diligently, practicing on the spot with each new insight. But theory and practice were not the same. The conflict between blade intent and sword intent was well-known to him, but he had not anticipated the intensity of their opposition, almost as if they were irreconcilable. A mere trace of blade energy within him would trigger a backlash from his sword energy, immediately devouring the blade energy derived from the blade technique verses.

For several days, Fengyun Wuji immersed himself in the “Blade Path Exegesis,” attempting to cultivate blade energy within his body. The conclusion he reached was disheartening. Following the internal energy verses in the manual, it seemed nearly impossible to cultivate blade true energy within his body. Even if he could, when the blade energy and sword energy were equally strong, their conflict would tear him apart.

“Is it truly impossible for blade energy and sword energy to coexist?” Fengyun Wuji pondered, no longer practicing the blade technique but instead simulating the operation of the blade and sword techniques within his mind.

“Perhaps my willow sword body is too dominant, leaving no room for any blade energy to exist,” Fengyun Wuji thought for a long time and finally found a seemingly reasonable explanation, but this reasoning made him even more disheartened.

Fengyun Wuji did not give up. He kept thinking and seeking solutions. The spirit of research and creation that he had before his ascension appeared again. In the past, in the cave of the mountain, watching the green bamboo withstand the storm, Fengyun Wuji realized the “Willow Catkin With the Wind Body Technique,” which was amazing. This time, still in the mountain cave, Fengyun Wuji once again had the feeling of success that he had at that time.

The conflict between blade energy and sword energy was only because there were intersections between the two in the meridians. But what if they could be integrated into one, without interfering with each other? If he followed the blade technique formula in the “Blade Path Exegesis,” the conflict between the two was inevitable. Once he identified the key to the problem, the rest became simpler. It was just a matter of creating a new blade technique that would not conflict with the other.

After more than ten days, Fengyun Wuji finally created a new blade technique based on the blade technique formula in the “Blade Path Exegesis.” To be precise, it was a set of internal energy formulas for the blade path that was completely different from any other blade technique. The uniqueness was reflected in the fact that this blade technique only passed through one meridian, using only one, specifically the left-hand Shaoyang meridian, which was the only one not utilized by the sword technique.

Undoubtedly, the blade technique he developed over dozens of days was not perfect; it was a rough product, but even this rough product showed its formidable power. Practicing a single meridian was undoubtedly much easier than practicing all the meridians throughout the body, and it was also easier to achieve great success. Moreover, Fengyun Wuji had a faint feeling that the power of this set of blade techniques would surpass his imagination.

However, the shortcomings of this set of blade techniques were also obvious. The blade path that took a detour had great power, but it could never reach the highest realm of the blade path. But even so, Fengyun Wuji was already very satisfied, after all, he did not want to truly change from the sword path to the blade path.

Left Path! This was the name of this set of blade formulas!