Ye Qiu knew Master Du’e wouldn’t say something like that without reason. Could it be…?
“Master, what do you mean by that?” Ye Qiu asked tentatively.
Master Du’e smiled kindly. “Benefactor Ye, that day at the Bai residence, this old monk personally witnessed you in action and even sparred with you. I must say, your martial talent is a rarity seen once in a century.”
“So, I have a thought.”
“I’d like to pass the Six Meridians Divine Sword to you. I wonder if you’re interested in it?”
Of course he was interested.
After all, the Six Meridians Divine Sword was a legendary, peerless sword technique.
“Master, to be honest, I’m very interested in the Six Meridians Divine Sword,” Ye Qiu said, not hiding his true feelings. He continued, “But I do have some concerns.”
“Please, Benefactor Ye, speak freely.”
Ye Qiu said, “As far as I know, the Six Meridians Divine Sword is the supreme martial art of Dali’s Tianlong Temple, a closely guarded secret not taught to outsiders. Why would you pass it to me, a stranger?”
“By doing this, aren’t you afraid of breaking temple rules?”
“And by teaching me, are you hoping I’ll join Tianlong Temple?”
Master Du’e smiled faintly. “Benefactor Ye, you possess a root of wisdom, and it’d be wonderful if you joined the Buddhist path. But I can see you’re entangled in worldly affairs and unable to let go of your romantic ties. Even if I forced you into the temple, it’d be futile.”
“Besides, this old monk has always been guided by compassion and would never force anyone to join Tianlong Temple.”
“You’re quite right, Benefactor Ye. The Six Meridians Divine Sword is indeed our temple’s highest martial art, a secret not passed down lightly. But alas…”
Master Du’e sighed softly, pausing for a moment before continuing:
“Since the Yuan Dynasty—nearly eight hundred years—Tianlong Temple has produced many talents, yet not one has fully comprehended the Six Meridians Divine Sword.”
“My master, the only divine monk of Tianlong Temple in the past two centuries, was exceptionally gifted and boundless in Buddhist wisdom. Yet even he, after a hundred years, only mastered three of the swords.”
“So, years ago, when I took over as abbot of Tianlong Temple, my master did something bold.”
“He abolished the temple’s old rules. Anyone devout and sincere in their pursuit of Buddhism could enter Tianlong Temple.”
“The second thing he did was task me with finding someone with exceptional martial talent to pass the Six Meridians Divine Sword to. He hoped, before his passing, to see the complete Six Meridians Divine Sword reborn, bringing back the peerless sword art that had lain dormant for nearly eight hundred years.”
“That’s why I entered the Dragon Ranking contest all those years ago—to find someone with extraordinary martial talent.”
“Over the past thirty years, I found two such individuals to whom I wanted to pass the Six Meridians Divine Sword.”
“The first was Champion Marquis Xiao Jiu, and the second was the head of Wudang Mountain.”
Master Du’e gave a wry smile. “The Champion Marquis was obsessed with the saber and had no interest in swordsmanship, so he declined.”
“As for the Wudang head, he looked down on the Six Meridians Divine Sword.”
No way—someone actually scorned a peerless technique like the Six Meridians Divine Sword?
Noticing Ye Qiu’s confusion, Master Du’e explained, “Since its founding, Wudang has been renowned across the land, standing alongside Shaolin as one of the twin pillars of the martial world. For a time, it even outshone all other sects, surpassing even Shaolin in glory.”
“And that was all because of one man.”
Ye Qiu immediately thought of a legendary figure.
“Are you talking about Zhang Sanfeng?” he asked.
Master Du’e nodded. “Master Zhang, the founder of Wudang, had mastery over the Dao that reached the heavens and was revered by emperors across generations. Beyond that, he was a martial arts grandmaster.”
“During his lifetime, Master Zhang collected over ten thousand martial arts manuals from across the world and built a scripture pavilion to house them.”
“He also created numerous techniques himself, laying a solid foundation for Wudang’s martial arts.”
“That’s one reason why, after centuries, Wudang has remained ever-prosperous.”
“During that Dragon Ranking contest, I met the Wudang head and offered him the Six Meridians Divine Sword. But he dismissed it, saying, ‘Wudang’s arts are unrivaled. Be it your Six Meridians Divine Sword or the seventy-two supreme skills of Buddhism, how could they compare to Wudang’s techniques?’”
Ye Qiu was astonished. This Wudang head was awfully arrogant!
“Later, I learned he was immersed in studying the arts left by Master Zhang and had no energy to spare for the Six Meridians Divine Sword.”
Master Du’e continued, “After that, I intended to pass it to the then-acknowledged greatest master, Ye Wushuang—Ye Wudi’s older brother.”
“But to my shock, before I could reach the capital, I heard it had been struck by upheaval. Ye Wushuang was ambushed by a crowd and his fate became unknown.”
“That incident left me with deep regret.”
“Since then, I’ve stayed at Tianlong Temple, quietly cultivating Buddhism while trying to comprehend the Six Meridians Divine Sword. Alas, my talent is limited. After all these years, I still haven’t grasped the second sword.”
Hearing this, Ye Qiu roughly understood.
Following his master, Divine Monk Kongjian’s wishes, Master Du’e was seeking a destined one to pass on the Six Meridians Divine Sword, hoping someone could fully master it and revive the long-lost art.
Ye Qiu asked, “Master, if I understand you correctly, I can learn the Six Meridians Divine Sword without joining the Buddhist path, right?”
“Exactly,” Master Du’e said with a smile. “And if one day Benefactor Ye wishes to join, Tianlong Temple would warmly welcome you.”
Dream on. I haven’t even gotten married or had kids—I’m not becoming a monk!
“Master, in that case, I won’t stand on ceremony. When can you teach me the Six Meridians Divine Sword?”
“Right now.”
“Then let’s begin!”
Master Du’e’s expression grew solemn. “The Six Meridians Divine Sword consists of the Shaoshang Sword, Shangyang Sword, Zhongchong Sword, Guanchong Sword, Shaochong Sword, and Shaoze Sword.”
“The human body is primarily governed by the twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians. The extraordinary meridians include the Ren and Du meridians, while the regular meridians include the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, and so on.”
“As the saying goes: Heaven is yang, Earth is yin; the back of the hand is yang, the palm is yin; the six yin organs are yin, the six yang organs are yang.”
“The Six Meridians Divine Sword harnesses the six meridians of the hand…”
Over the next ten minutes, Master Du’e meticulously explained the cultivation method for the first sword, the Shaoze Sword.
After listening, Ye Qiu began circulating his inner energy and started practicing.
“Benefactor Ye, once you’ve comprehended the first sword, come find me at Tianlong Temple in Dali. I’ll let you study the complete sword manual then.”
“Also, the path of martial arts requires gradual progress. Don’t rush for quick gains.”
“It took me decades to fully grasp the Shaoze Sword. Benefactor Ye, prepare yourself—it might take you five years, ten, or even decades to master this one sword…”
Before he could finish, Ye Qiu pointed a finger.
Whoosh—
Sword qi burst forth!
