Chapter Thirty-One: Turning the Tide, Swordsmanship Realm

  "Ahhh..."

  The gigantic Plesiosaur let out a mighty roar towards the sky, and the sound wave came, like a thunderclap ringing in one's ears.

  Suddenly the huge shadow disappeared from the water surface, as if it had dived into the bottom of the water. Then, ripples appeared on the water surface, wave after wave, surging from downstream to upstream.

  "Hurry up, hurry up, the Nian is going to catch up!"

  The old captain personally stood on the mast to observe, and saw that below, wave after wave of surging waves burst forth one after another, with turbulent tides and rushing undercurrents. Countless large and small fish in the river leapt out of the water's surface, jumping up. It seemed as if something enormous was chasing from behind, driving them forward.

  At this time, Wu Ming was no longer smiling, and his face had become solemn. Such a scene, it's not something that the small snake-necked beast from before could compare to. This aura, this ability to overturn the seas, this is what a true aquatic fierce beast looks like! If he were to catch up to them, less than one-tenth of the people on the boat would be able to survive.

  The giant beast roared, its fury shaking the heavens. At this moment, even the sky and earth seemed to lose some of their color, the sky turning somewhat dark and gloomy, with massive clouds gathering in the distance, as if a heavy downpour might fall at any moment.

  Walking up to Wu Ming's side, Lin Bufan looked up and said: "Shi Yun Bu Yu, I didn't expect this adult snake-necked beast to have such abilities, it's probably going to transform into a dragon soon? How could an ancient monster that has lived for over a thousand years appear here? It's really strange, alas, I don't know if we can escape this calamity! Wu brothers, if we can escape this calamity, I think..."

  Last time we met, a few people also exchanged names and sects, and it can be said that they knew each other. Making friends with fellow martial artists is just that simple, perhaps just having eaten together or drunk wine together.

  "Stop it, I don't have time to compare sword skills with you! Besides, I'm just a handyman from the Xuantian Sect. Even if I escape, I won't be comparing with you. But to be honest, Linzi, your sword skills are not that great. Wait until you've mastered the way of the sword, then talk to me about this!"

  Wu Ming curled his lip, expressing his disdain. But to be fair, Lin Bu Fan's swordsmanship didn't look bad, it was fast and had a bit of simplicity, but that wasn't enough. Compared to the Holy Spirit Swordsmanship with its rhythmic moves, Lin Bu Fan's Lightning Sword was really too ordinary.

  In other words, the two are fundamentally incomparable. The profundity of the techniques is not on the same level. The Lin family's Lightning Sword is simply a simplification of sword moves, repeated practice to increase one's speed, and possibly accompanied by a set of footwork. That's it. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit Sword Technique is different. It's just a sword technique, without any footwork or body method. What it has is a difficult-to-master rhythm that merges with space, which means it has already reached the realm of the sword path.

  Wu Ming remembered that in the previous life of the game, a top player had summarized some realms of swordsmanship, and now Lin Bu Fan was always mentioning it in his ear, and he suddenly thought of it too.

  The way of the sword has its boundaries. One is the foundation, like Lin Bufan, who applied his swordsmanship to the extreme, but ultimately could not escape the constraints of the moves, and can only be said to have rules and squares, which can only be called sword skills.

  The second is the heart sword, practicing sword with the heart. This sword dance moves like a deer hanging its horns and a heavenly horse running in the sky. It looks like a dance, but it actually kills people without a trace. The movement of the sword is difficult to capture, also known as sword dance.

  The third level of mastery is the unity of man and sword, where the sword in hand is like one's own arm, moving without any hindrance or gap. The heart moves, and the sword is already there. No matter how fast the sword moves, it cannot be faster than the human heart. As soon as a thought arises in the mind, the sword in hand has already completed the action.

  The fourth stage of the sword path is the realm of the way. This is where one truly begins to enter the sword path. This realm emphasizes the unity of heaven, man, and sword, with the three seemingly connected in a special way. As a pseudo-divine technique, the starting sword move begins from this realm, which shocked Wu Ming while also making him think about filling up his foundation, which is why he chose to practice under water, where the effect on the Holy Spirit Sword Technique was not great, but it could solidify his foundation.

  Wu Ming didn't dare to compare himself with the Sword Saint, who had started practicing swordplay at the age of five and was known as the Sword Saint by eighteen. He had even created the Holy Spirit Sword Technique, which showed just how deep his understanding of swords was and how solid his foundation was!

  The way of the sword, apart from these four points, also includes advancing upwards. Wu Ming knew that there was also the Sword Domain, where within it, you are the heavens and earth, and you are an invincible existence. As long as you have a sword in hand, who can be your match? Unless someone's strength is great enough to forcefully break through this small world of the Sword Domain. Above this, Wu Ming knew of a legendary existence, where with no sword in hand, all things can become swords!

  Wu Ming didn't know if this was the ultimate swordsmanship, but he knew that in the world of martial arts, only Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai and Wulin Mythical Unnamed had reached such a level. Perhaps the creator of the Six Pulse Divine Sword from the Dali Segment Clan also reached this standard, but in the game, because it was a family heirloom martial art, not much of its power was revealed, belonging to a more hidden type.

  Dugu Qiubai doesn't even need to be mentioned, after Jianzhuang was exposed, the lonely and snowy last words, countless warriors have been yearning for it. If Wuming's later period hadn't been ruined by being poisoned and breaking his dantian inner power, who could be his opponent with his later learned Wan Jian Gui Zong? Dugu Qiubai? Or Mo Shi Pangban? Or the legendary Li Xunhuan?

  Time flies, and it has been hundreds of years. Those masters either ascended to heaven, went into seclusion, or have long turned to dust. Who still remembers their legendary stories from back then?

  "Jiǎn dào? What is jiǎn dào? Entering the way with a sword? I've heard my father mention it before, but I've never seen it. Not even my father has reached jiǎn dào, it's probably just an unattainable myth!" Lin Bufan shook his head, then saw Wu Ming and his eyes lit up.

  "Could it be that you've seen a warrior who has entered the realm of swordsmanship? Can you tell me, who is he? I want to go and learn from him!"

  As soon as the swordsmanship was mentioned, Lin Bufan didn't mind Wu Ming calling him Xiao Linzi and had already forgotten about the huge danger that was approaching from beside him, no wonder he was known as a sword fanatic.

  "Have you seen it? More than just seeing it, I am it myself!" Wu Ming patted his chest and said with a smile.

  Lin Bu Fan pulled on Wu Ming's sleeve and said, "Little brother, I'm talking serious business with you, no joking around."

  "Kidding? Who's kidding you? I'm telling the truth!"

  Wu Ming didn't intend to make anyone believe it, who would believe it anyway? With a sword entering the path, not even reaching the distant One-Character Flashing Lightning Sword Forest, how could Lin Bu Fan possibly believe he had already reached it?

  "Never mind, the Snake-Necked Beast is coming. Whether I live or die is still unknown, what's the use of saying so much?" Lin Bufan shook his head and gripped the divine sword in his hand tightly.

  "Whoosh..."

  A gigantic dragon head suddenly rose from the water, its two huge eyes staring fixedly at the crowd on the ship. At this time, only Fu Weibiao and Wu Ming were left on the deck, while the others, although having some martial arts skills, had not even reached the level of a postnatal boundary, so they naturally did not dare to come out.