Volume 2 Tian Nan ? Xuan Qing Volume Chapter 37 Xuan Qing Liu Yang, Martial Arts First Obstacle

  The old man shot the sky and laughed: "Are you still not satisfied? I'm afraid many people in the south of the sky have never seen it in their lifetime! The nine-colored fire phoenix is probably already spiritual, and it's not often that it stays here. Since the death of the Moon Ancestor, according to legend, it only appears when the eldest disciple of each generation of the Cangpai sect grants the sword at the grand ceremony, blessing the eternal existence of the Cangxiang fire. The last time it appeared was probably still 23 years ago!"

  On the ninth day of the ninth month, Huo Feng was filled with curiosity and said, "Fortunately, she really came yesterday, she's indeed a spiritual being! But I don't know how to communicate with her."

  Shooting the old man thought for a moment, nodded and said: "This is unknown, but it is said that only when the Qingyang Xuanqing gas is cultivated to the 'Yu Jianjie' boundary, the nine-color fire wind can sense it and come down automatically to accompany!"

  On the ninth day, he couldn't help but think: "Master Yu is indeed a divine being, able to have such a divine bird as a friend."

  "Well, not bad. The ancestors behind the founder did not reach the 'Sword Emperor Realm'. Now it depends on your master's exceptional talent whether he can achieve it in his lifetime. And among the seventh generation of disciples after you, you should also take this as a goal!" said Shetian Laoren.

  Chu Jiu smiled and said, "Grandfather is teasing me again. I'm just the youngest disciple of Master, how can I have such a wild imagination? But I wonder if Master also knows about the Nine-Colored Flame Wind?"

  "What about the pool? He naturally knows! Do you think your master isn't nervous either? Haha, on the ninth day, I'll tell you, these two days, your master has also been calculating and divining whether the nine-colored fire phoenix will appear or not?" said Old Man She Tian.

  On the ninth day, he was startled, but didn't believe it. He asked: "Master is worried too? This is not something I know about. The ninth only knows Grandfather's mysterious measuring technique, which is incredibly accurate. Last time, it accurately predicted when the superior would come to find me and Ming'er to play. Of course, I believed it, but Master also...

  The old man shot at the sky and couldn't help but laugh and cry. His divine trigrams, earth wind water fire, decades ago, under the vast sky, countless people begged for a divination but to no avail. These past few years, however, he only played with calculating for the ninth day of the month. Suddenly, he heard the ninth say: "Grandfather, grandfather, please help me calculate another divination, is there any big event happening between Point Cang and the ninth recently?"

  The old man shot a bitter smile, but did not refuse. He also wanted to know why he had been restless lately. Was it because of the ninth day?

  He casually picked up a handful of stones from the ground, neither too many nor too few, seven in total. He closed his eyes, muttered to himself, and cleared his mind. He silently recited the Heavenly Mystery Incantation, then carelessly scattered the stones in front of him onto the ground. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see that the seven stones had formed an inverted pattern of the Big Dipper constellation. From this divination symbol, it appeared to be the Li Zhua hexagram from the 64 hexagrams of the Fuxi divine divination, which meant that at the beginning of the ninth day, he would leave Mount Cang and go into the world.

  The old man was startled as he carefully examined the divination, and to his surprise, the journey after the ninth day of the new year would be extremely perilous. Six out of seven positions in the divination had reversed, with a dark and ominous tone, indicating great calamity. However, fortunately, the position of Tian Xuan showed that there would always be someone to assist, allowing him to escape with his life. Although the road ahead would be treacherous, he could still survive after nine near-death experiences. The old man couldn't help but worry whether this young man, with such exceptional martial arts skills, could overcome the layers of danger that lay ahead.

  The old man finally let out a sigh of relief, he was also frightened earlier. He had never thought that this young man, who seemed to have a bright future ahead of him, with a robust physique and a sunny disposition, would also face such twists and turns in life. But he knew deep down that this was fate, and no one could change it, not even himself.

  After more than a decade of exposure, I have some understanding of the mysteries. Today, I see that the small stone's star pattern is different from its usual shape. This is his heavenly mechanism, related to his own destiny. It seems to be a puzzle for those in power, making them dizzy and confused. Upon closer inspection, the stones on the ground seem to be shifting and changing, causing eye strain and indicating an unfavorable fate. I hastily asked: "Grandfather, what kind of divination is this? Why is it so strange?"

  The old man who shot the sky knew that it was difficult to go against heaven's will, and talking more would not be beneficial. He said: "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed, knowing or not knowing, what difference does it make? In any case, one can only follow heaven's orders and cannot change fate!" And so the two of them also stopped paying attention to this display of destiny.

  The old man urged Chu Jiu to practice for a while, "Shooting the Heavenly Dragon, Thirty-six Steps". After seeing that Chu Jiu was proficient in both the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, with eighteen steps of Yang movement and eighteen steps of Yin stillness, he thought that in this world, among the rivers and lakes, there were not many people who could harm Chu Jiu with their body techniques. Even if Chu Jiu couldn't defeat others in the future, escaping would be more than enough, and his heart felt quite relieved.

  However, within the first nine days of his training, he was only a few years into his practice, and compared to the top masters of each major sect's first generation, there was still a huge gap.

  He saw that Chujiu was already drenched in sweat, so he told him to stop practicing. After finishing, he took a deep look at Chujiu and let out a long sigh. He thought about how many years it would take for them to meet again after Chujiu left the cave, and it was unpredictable what year or month that would be. In these dozen or so years, he had been fortunate to have Chujiu by his side, and in his loneliness, there was a thread of comfort. Although he had long since reached the realm of breaking free from the cycle of cause and effect through his ascetic practices, his feelings for Chujiu were still very deep.

  He thought for a moment and finally made up his mind. "On the ninth day," he said, "come over, I have something to give you!"

  After he finished speaking, he took out an object from his bosom. At first glance, it was a plain-colored cord with something attached to it. It turned out to be a piece of jade pendant, only three inches square, with an ancient color and a purple hue that was also transparent. A faint glow flickered within, and in the center was a large seal character "Xu" (Void), very clear and distinct. Chuyi had never seen it before and did not know that Shoten Old Man had this treasure on him, so he was perplexed.

  The old man only said: "This jade ring is called 'Soul Flying and Scattering, Profound Clearness Six Yang Ring'. It was given to me by an old friend many years ago, and has been with me for nearly 40 years. I've always carried it on my person. Now, on this ninth day of the first lunar month, I'm giving it to you!"

  "Grandfather, the Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring is extremely precious. How can I, Chu Jiu, be worthy of it? Why are you suddenly giving it to me today?"

  The old man shot the sky and laughed: "You take it first, and then get up. I have something to say to you." The ninth day is busy bowing his head to receive the Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring, getting up, the jade is slightly warm and moist, as soon as it reaches the ninth day's hand, a burst of light suddenly appears from the "void" character, rushing towards the sky, five colors and ten colors, the entire stone cave is bright, the ninth day feels interesting, also scared, the old man who shot the sky is just smiling slightly on the side, looking at the ninth day.

  After a while, Xuan Qing Liu Yang's ring finally calmed down, its light completely retracted, and it returned to normal.

  "Grandfather, this Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring is really strange, why does it have such changes?"

  The old man sighed and said, "This is because the Xuan Qing Liu Yang Huan met its new master today! On the ninth day of the lunar month, you are still young, and many things cannot be told to you. However, remember what Grandfather says today."

  Chu Jiu seemed to understand and yet not understand, but nodded hastily and said: "Grandfather's orders, Chu Jiu will definitely remember!"

  Shooting the old man said: "Chu Jiu, in this world of martial arts, it is about to reach the peak of martial arts. Each door and each faction are all masters gathered." Chu Jiu smiled and said: "Grandfather, the world is at peace, martial arts are flourishing, isn't that good?"

  The old man said: "If everyone is beneficial to the world, it's naturally good. But there are also evil people who have learned unparalleled martial arts and divine powers, only fearing that they will harm the common people!" Chi Jiuxiao exclaimed: "Grandfather, the Pointing Sky Sect has always been chivalrous and just. If a bad person encounters Chi Jiuxiao, I will definitely eliminate the harm for the people!"

  The old man laughed and said, "Not bad, not bad, a young man's ambition should be like this. However, on the ninth day of the first month, do you know that people who practice martial arts are often limited by their innate abilities? After reaching the highest level of martial arts, there is no further progress, and it is difficult to break through one's own limits!"

  Chu Jiu shook his head and said, "I don't know."

  The old man laughed and said, "When you reach that limit, you'll know it. This self-limit is called the Martial Arts Barrier!" Chi Jiu asked, "Why haven't Master and Great Master mentioned this Martial Arts Barrier before?" The Shooting Heaven Old Man smiled and said, "This is normal. In every generation of top-notch martial artists, only a handful can reach the point just before the Martial Arts Barrier! Your master has exceptional talent, but still hasn't reached that point!"

  Chu Jiu was shocked: "Unexpectedly, both Master and Grandmaster didn't know, Chu Jiu naturally didn't know about the Martial Arts Barrier either. But when we reach the Martial Arts Barrier, what should we do?" The old man sighed and said: "This question has been asked by countless predecessors, it's really hard to solve. For hundreds of years, countless martial arts masters have asked this question but there is no result. The Martial Arts Barrier can be said to have stumped several hundred years, dozens of generations of top martial artists!"

  On the ninth day, I didn't fully understand what the old man said, and could only say: "Well, Grandpa, is there any other way?"

  Shooting the old man said: "This has to be said that more than a hundred years ago, Wudang, Emei and Diancang successively created schools. The founder of Wudang, Zhang Zhenren, and the Moon Ancestor were very good friends with the founder of Emei School. The three people had already reached the front of the martial arts barrier in their middle age, and they jointly realized how to break through the martial arts barrier. Unfortunately, the founder of Emei School passed away first, while the Moon Ancestor and Zhang Zhenren broke through the martial arts barrier!"

  Chiou Nine heard this, thought of the portrait of Moon Ancestor in Yunyan Temple, and couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. He asked: "After Master Yue broke through the martial arts barrier, did he achieve the 'Cangyang Xuanqing Qi' cultivation and reach the 'Yu Jian Jie' realm?"

  The old man nodded in approval, saying: "You are indeed clever, just like Master Moon! And as for Zhang Zhenren of Wudang, decades later some people said he sat in meditation and ascended to heaven, while others said he crossed the sea on a single reed, disappearing into the Eastern Sea. It seems that he too had broken through the barriers of martial arts!"

  "Chu Jiu was curious and asked, 'The magical powers of Zhang Zhenren and Yue Zu Shi are probably unattainable even after a hundred years of practice. Why did Grandfather tell me about it? And what does this have to do with the Xuan Qing Liu Yang Huan?'"

  The old man laughed and said, "These are all old friends of the martial arts world. Listen carefully. The Moon Ancestor's final achievement was when he reached the pinnacle of human power, his martial skills transcended, his heart and spirit cultivated to the truth, and he sensed the creation of heaven and earth. The Great Way is formless, invisible, and inaudible, yet it encompasses all of heaven and earth, nourishing and giving birth to all living things. Only then did he undergo a transformation, shedding his old self!"

  At the beginning of the ninth day, he couldn't help but think: "It turns out that to break through the obstacles of martial arts, one must cultivate the true and only way of the original spirit! The first nine days were regretful, born nearly two hundred years late, with no chance to see Master Moon."

  The old man nodded and smiled, taking over the conversation: "Both Taoism and Buddhism have supreme mysterious methods. Once martial arts cultivation reaches the Martial Arts Barrier, only by cultivating the truth can one ascend to a higher level! Unfortunately, many famous mountains and rivers now have many cultivators who haven't reached the limits of human life, yet they rashly think of cultivating immortality! Even if they practice superior techniques, this is just abandoning the root to pursue the branches!"

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "Not bad, you were born nearly two hundred years late and had no chance to meet Master Moon, but you are destined to receive his blessings. This Xuan Qing Liu Yang Huan is the sacred object he left behind before his death!"

  Chu Jiu was startled and said, "This Xuan Qing Liu Yang Huan is actually a relic left by Master Moon? It's so precious and rare? It seems that even Master and Grandmaster didn't know about it, how dare Chu Jiu take it?"

  Shooting the sky old man said: "Not bad, you Dashi Bo, Shifu is also unknown, because this Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring was given to a friend of Shu Mountain by Moon Ancestor before his immortal ascension, and 40 years ago, I just got it, finally returned to Diancang!"

  "What a twist! Why didn't Grandfather give me to Master as my teacher?" Chu Jiu asked again.

  The old man shot into the sky and laughed, saying: "Good horse, precious sword, waiting for someone with fate, this Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring is afraid that only you have fate. Just now, from that light, it can be confirmed that it is brighter than when I first received it. You don't need to decline! Besides, if it's just placed on me, it can't go down the mountain to protect the way and eliminate demons, it would be a waste of heaven's treasure! Come here, I'll teach you the mystery and driving method of Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring!"

  On the ninth day, the old man's mind was made up, and he followed his words to move forward. The old man continued: "This Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring is a supreme law instrument of Taoist orthodoxy, it is the result of Yue Zu Shi's 30 years of cultivation in his early years, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, gathering the two energies of yin and yang, and casting it on the Wuxing Huajingyu above the dragon vein of Ma Long Peak with Taoist rituals. Its power is boundless! In the vastness of the universe, at the beginning of the kalpa, sometimes far and sometimes near, or sinking or floating. When fighting with ordinary people in the martial arts world, there is nothing special about it, but when encountering Xuan Huang Xiuzhen practitioners or their refined instruments, the Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring becomes a supreme powerful treasure that makes the opponent's soul fly away!"

  On the ninth day, he didn't know the specific reason, but seeing the old man say it was so important, he asked: "Grandfather, what if the Xuan Qing Liu Yang ring encounters an ancient five-elemental four-directional strange beast or flying creature?"

  The old man shot into the sky and laughed, saying: "Under the universal heavens, as long as it is among the five elements, strange beasts and flying birds encounter the Xuanyuan Six Yang Ring, they will all actively avoid you and cannot harm you in the slightest!"

  On the ninth day, I was overjoyed and no longer had any doubts. I devoted myself to listening to the old man from Shooting Heaven teach me the way of driving and the Supreme Taoist method: "Clearly visible is what it has, obscurely hidden is what it doesn't have. Sinking into illness can be cured by oneself, being trapped in worldly dust can be supported. The transmission of the mysterious and obscure will rely on this, all ordinary people will ascend to immortality..."

  It wasn't until two hours later, when the sky had completely darkened, that Chu Jiu finally mastered the driving method of the Xuan Qing Liu Yang Huan and the Wu Shang Dao Zong Fa Jue. After practicing it a bit, it was indeed not bad.

  The old man sighed again, gazed at Chuyi for a long time and said: "In the world, fate arises and perishes, fate is born from the heart, everything follows fate. Chuyi, you can go down the mountain now!"

  On the ninth day, he was busy hanging the Xuan Qing Liu Yang pendant on his chest, sticking it to his heart and letting go. He bid farewell: "Grandfather, I'll be back on the ninth!" In his heart, he felt strange, tonight's Tian Lao shot was indeed strange, as if the two were bidding farewell!

  But he was full of doubts in his heart, yet his feet did not stop; soon he had left the "Cave of No Worries" and gone down the mountain.