Xu Xian wasn't at all surprised that his sword technique was so easily countered by Ye Wen; he had witnessed this countless times recently, and after a while, he stopped dwelling on it, focusing instead on perfecting his own swordsmanship.

He recalled his senior brother suggesting he create thirteen moves, which left Xu Xian completely bewildered, wondering why it had to be exactly thirteen.

"Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate—that name sounds better," was the answer.

Such a reason only deepened Xu Xian's confusion, as, in his view, the Divine Gate Seventeen Swords or the Divine Gate One Hundred and Eight Swords made no real difference. Moreover, this time was vastly different from when he was devising the Returning Wind and Falling Goose Sword; Ye Wen had merely proposed the idea and offered no further advice, at most just helping him spar against the moves.

"Senior Brother, you have so many ideas, why can't you give your junior brother a little guidance?" After struggling for half a month without developing a single proper move, Xu Xian couldn't help but feel frustrated and immediately sought help from his senior brother. In his eyes, Ye Wen’s creativity in martial arts was simply unmatched in the world. Even as a novice with little experience in the pugilistic world, he now understood how difficult it was to create a martial art, yet this senior brother of his could produce a respectable technique every now and then.

Of course, he hadn't ruled out the possibility that his senior brother acquired these skills elsewhere, but Ye Wen spent all his time with him and their senior sister, frequenting only a few familiar locations. Where could he possibly find so many profound manuals?

He naturally could not know that Ye Wen’s manuals were all stored within the ring on his finger—an item that looked like a small, extremely shabby iron ring, utterly unremarkable. Furthermore, such miraculous functionality was beyond the imagination of people in this era, so naturally, no one suspected it.

After much contemplation, the only conclusion he could reach was that Ye Wen was a true genius in creating martial arts, the kind that inspired envy from heaven. Otherwise, there was no rational explanation for the continuous stream of martial arts manuals Ye Wen possessed.

It was a pity that Ye Wen hadn't summoned the Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate this time, allowing Xu Xian to figure out such a sword style on his own, simply because Ye Wen had mentioned the style offhandedly while recalling it. If Xu Xian could develop it, his junior brother's strength might increase again, and Ye Wen could, in turn, learn some exquisite sword techniques from him to enrich his own skills.

After all, compared to Ye Wen, who focused more energy on internal cultivation, Xu Xian, who loved swordplay more, was already forging his own path in understanding swordsmanship. If they were to compare pure sword skill right now, Ye Wen might even be inferior to his junior brother. Naturally, if Ye Wen chose to use his Purple Mist Skill to overwhelm him with sheer power, Xu Xian, who had only reached the introductory stage of the Pure Yang Limitless Skill, would be unable to cope.

Thus, concerning the Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate, other than acting as an opponent to help Xu Xian spar, Ye Wen could offer no real assistance. At most, he might occasionally have a flash of inspiration during their exchanges, leading to a brief discussion with Xu Xian on its feasibility before returning to work on the style.

The two discussed for a while when Xu Ping arrived again to learn from his master.

To better guide his disciples, Ye Wen had established a rule: they could come to him daily to ask about any cultivation difficulties, or simply share their recent insights if they had no specific problems. Ye Wen didn't always have to refute their words or forcibly instill his own ideas into his disciples; rather, he encouraged them to bravely advance along the paths they discovered.

Of course, if a path strayed too far, Ye Wen would offer appropriate guidance to steer them back onto the right track. Take Xu Ping, for instance, who almost followed the old ways of some figures from the Huashan School in a certain novel by overly emphasizing changes in techniques, even asking Ye Wen if he could reduce the time spent on internal energy cultivation.

In Xu Ping's view, practicing internal energy was arduous, and the progress each day, despite the long hours spent cultivating, was minuscule. Since the improvement was so slight, he thought it better to further compress the time, dedicating more hours to practicing saber and sword techniques. Any sudden inspiration gained during that extra time could lead to a rapid increase in strength.

Ye Wen was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and immediately exclaimed, "Internal energy is the foundation of all martial arts! I have told you this before; how could you harbor such thoughts?"

Seeing his master seemed displeased, Xu Ping quickly replied respectfully, "Disciple feels the progress of internal energy is slow. Practicing for so many hours daily yields only a tiny increase. Since it’s all just a little bit anyway, why not reduce it to one hour or even half an hour? The effect on internal energy improvement shouldn't be significant. Moreover, the saved time could be used to practice saber and sword moves, and any occasional insight gained might actually boost immediate combat strength."

Ye Wen instantly retorted, "If you feel one hour doesn't make much difference today, perhaps tomorrow you'll feel half an hour is enough too. You must understand the principle of water dripping wears away stone; internal energy is built up through such gradual accumulation. If everyone were as eager for quick success as you, martial arts would have long ceased to have internal energy!"

He immediately reprimanded Xu Ping, even ordering him to increase his daily internal energy practice to three hours, divided into morning, noon, and evening sessions—not a single one could be missed.

However, after administering the reprimand, Ye Wen knew the importance of offering a carrot after the stick; unrelenting force was not a fundamental solution. Knowing his disciple was obsessed with saber and sword arts, he offered him an idea.

"In my leisure these past few days, I have indeed considered methods for saber and sword fighting on your behalf. I’ve actually conceived of a technique that uses both saber and sword against an opponent simultaneously. But it’s merely an idea; whether it can materialize requires your own careful deliberation."

Hearing this, Xu Xian, who had been sitting quietly, rolled his eyes dramatically, thinking to himself, Here we go again. Why does Senior Brother's mind always conjure up such bizarre ideas?

Ye Wen, oblivious to this internal reaction, excitedly continued to his disciple, "This technique isn't inherently profound; it relies on a clever trick. It requires the user to wield weapons in both hands, placing quite a high demand on your own abilities."

Xu Ping, hearing his master seemingly about to impart a profound skill, immediately composed himself and listened intently, not daring to breathe deeply lest he miss a single word.

"This technique requires the user to wield a saber in one hand and a sword in the other, alternating between saber and sword moves to attack the enemy."

At these words, Xu Xian rolled his eyes even more fiercely, thinking, What kind of manual is this? It’s just making someone use two sets of skills. However, the switching would be quite troublesome, as the routines are different and connecting between them would be difficult.

Xu Ping, however, didn't see any fault in it, only thinking that if one could truly use a sword in one hand and a saber in the other, unleashing two different sets of techniques simultaneously, an opponent with insufficient reaction speed would truly risk defeat under the assault of both weapons.

Little did he know Ye Wen wasn't finished. He continued directly, "But there are many subtleties to the application. Initially, using saber moves with the saber and sword moves with the sword is the basic level. Only when you practice deeply, reaching the realm where the sword becomes the saber and the saber becomes the sword, will it truly become formidable. Only upon reaching this level can this technique be considered accomplished."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian finally stopped rolling his eyes. He began to carefully ponder Ye Wen's words in his mind.

Saber becomes sword, sword becomes saber—easier said than done. Executing it correctly would be enough to make someone with a slow mind chop themselves, let alone use it against an opponent.

Whether using the great saber to execute sword techniques or the long sword to execute saber techniques, both are incredibly difficult feats. More importantly, due to the physical differences in the weapons, doing so seemed not only to yield no destructive power but to be a thankless effort.

Yet, Xu Xian remained silent, knowing Ye Wen surely had more to say.

Indeed, seeing his disciple appearing somewhat confused, Ye Wen finally revealed the core secret: "Do not be puzzled. The essence of this technique's incantation consists of only twelve characters: Sword becomes saber, saber becomes sword; sword is sword, saber is saber."

With this declaration, Xu Xian's mind cleared instantly. He finally grasped the exquisite nature of this skill, secretly praising his senior brother’s brain as being full of bizarre ideas for conceiving such a marvelous technique. He then calmly sat to the side, watching his junior nephew contemplate the twelve-character mantra.

Just as Xu Xian wondered how long it would take Xu Ping to comprehend it, Xu Ping’s eyes lit up, and he immediately understood his master’s meaning.

Simply put, this skill used the saber to execute sword moves and the sword to execute saber moves to confuse the enemy's senses. However, the true killing blows still relied on the routines inherent to the weapons themselves. The myriad transformations of saber and sword moves were merely feints; victory still depended on the weapon's original techniques.

However, Xu Ping mused that if one's cultivation was profound, the killing strikes wouldn't be limited to the 'original moves,' because with deep internal power, even using the saber to execute sword moves could still generate destructive force. But considering this would be twice the effort for half the result, the true trump card lay in the words, sword is sword, saber is saber.

After further consultation with his master, Xu Ping soon departed to cultivate on his own. Today's session was extremely rewarding; not only did he receive detailed guidance from his master, but he also obtained a marvelous technique which the master named the 'Yin-Yang Reversing Blade Technique.' Although this technique still required personal contemplation, achieving mastery would elevate his martial prowess, which was the greatest joy for any martial artist.

As for Ye Wen, after seeing off his disciple, he smacked his lips while watching Xu Ping’s receding silhouette. That’s right; he had shamelessly plagiarized another martial art.

The Yin-Yang Reversing Blade Technique was certainly not something he invented on a sudden whim, though calling it a sudden inspiration to recall such a technique was almost accurate.

This technique originated from the Valley Master of Desolate Emotion in The Return of the Condor Heroes. Although the novel didn't detail the exact method of cultivation, the few crucial incantations were the essence of the entire martial art. Once these incantations were known, Ye Wen was confident that with sufficient effort, he could successfully copy the wondrous skill.

Perhaps most of the moves would differ, but as long as the ultimate intent aligned, he would be worthy of the name 'Yin-Yang Reversing Blade Technique.'

In reality, Ye Wen hadn't thought of just this one dual-wielding saber and sword technique. However, this was the easiest one to practice, and its essential principles were clearly written in the original text.

Many other techniques described were formidable, but he had no idea how to practice them; he couldn't even form a clear picture of what they looked like, leaving no starting point. Moreover, considering his disciple didn't possess such profound skill, creating an overly powerful technique would be useless as he wouldn't be able to learn it, so a simpler one was better.

It's better to be popular... Popularity allows for dissemination, he mused.

Just then, he saw Ning Ruxue approaching with a stern expression. "Senior Brother, I'm back." Ning Ruxue had just returned from the foothills and came straight to greet her senior brother, but her expression was far from friendly.

It seems this girl’s state of mind has yet to settle.

Ever since Ning Ruxue acquired the Minor Limitless Skill, she had cultivated diligently day and night. However, this technique was too profound, and she lacked close guidance. Although Ye Wen had helped considerably, cultivation ultimately relied on oneself, causing her to remain stuck in the introductory phase despite all her efforts. Seeing her senior brother’s Purple Mist Skill steadily deepening, and even her junior brother practicing a new technique alongside her achieving minor success, while she remained stuck at the entry level with no discernible progress, made Ning Ruxue increasingly frustrated each day.

But cultivation was something that couldn't be rushed; the more anxious one became, the more it hindered progress. Once Ye Wen noticed her unbalanced state of mind, he immediately sent her to lead a few disciples down the mountain to inspect the various industries owned by the Shu Mountain Sect, hoping she could calm down before resuming her practice, lest excessive impatience lead to qi deviation.

He had expected that after these few days, her agitation would have subsided. Now it seemed this was not Ye Wen’s wish.

What he didn't know was that Ning Ruxue had been closely monitoring the movements of the Changle Gang's branch in Pingzhou. As time ticked by, she grew increasingly convinced that the Gang's unnervingly quiet reaction was the calm before a major storm. Thus, she desperately wished to enhance her strength so she could help the sect defend against external threats.

The last time the Book Mountain Sect was massacred, she was powerless, unable to even protect her own sect grounds, forced to watch enemies swagger before her eyes. This time, she absolutely refused to endure such humiliation again.

However, she kept these concerns hidden from everyone. Ye Wen merely assumed she was displeased because Xu Xian's cultivation was progressing remarkably smoothly, and as the senior sister, she felt surpassed by her junior brother. He didn't consider the deeper implications.

In truth, the Heavenly Joy Gang's reaction did strike Ye Wen as slightly odd, but since the timeline remained within his projections, he wasn't unduly anxious.

Two months had passed since the rumors were first spread. While the rumors still circulated, they were not as intense as before, but the area they affected was spreading wider, showing faint signs of expanding from Pingzhou to the entire nation—in fact, it had already spread considerably.

The Heavenly Joy Gang's lack of action was partly related to these rumors. Upon receiving the news, with some rumors already circulating in other prefectures, the Gang Master immediately decided that these rumors had to be contained first. Even if Pingzhou had to be neglected for a while, these sparks must not be allowed to engulf the entire country.

He could afford to neglect Pingzhou because the martial strength there was weak. Even if the Heavenly Joy Gang suffered a temporary setback, the local forces lacked the ability to completely expel them—even after that mysterious Shu Mountain Sect killed their branch leader and an executive.

But other regions were different. The Heavenly Joy Gang's branches elsewhere were at best second, third, or even fourth-rate factions, often facing deeply entrenched major sects locally. If these major sects seized the opportunity, the forces the Heavenly Joy Gang had painstakingly developed could be annihilated overnight. Therefore, stabilizing those areas was the priority.

Based on this consideration, the Heavenly Joy Gang Master did not immediately address the Pingzhou situation, focusing first on stabilizing the branch forces elsewhere.

Of course, he couldn't entirely ignore the Shu Mountain Sect, as they had killed one of his branch leaders and an executive. Although he didn't know their methods, the extent of the sect's power, or the level of their master’s martial arts, doing nothing at all would lead the heroes of the world to underestimate the Heavenly Joy Gang.

Thus, after initially stabilizing the situation elsewhere, the Heavenly Joy Gang headquarters immediately dispatched a contingent to handle the Shu Mountain Sect’s affairs, with orders to give them a taste of their might if necessary.

"Of course, if their strength proves negligible, destroying them in the process would be fine—let those country bumpkins in Pingzhou understand that the Heavenly Joy Gang is not to be trifled with."

Carrying the headquarters' instructions, Guo Nu, one of the four great elders of the Heavenly Joy Gang, set off with several gang members. His only frustration was that this trip had another assignment attached, requiring him to take a detour before reaching Pingzhou. Furthermore, transport options like riding horses were controlled by the imperial court, forcing him to rely on carriages, boats, or simply walking the entire distance to Pingzhou.

"Why send me? Doesn't the leader know I was planning to take on my twelfth concubine?" Of course, he dared not voice such complaints to the Gang Master’s face, only muttering a few words in private.

While sitting in a tavern drinking strong liquor, reminiscing about the tender skin of the girl he’d recently taken an interest in and the three-inch golden lotuses used to pour his wine that day, Elder Guo felt a surge of heat, which he could only quell with a pot of cheap tea due to the distance.

As he was downing the tea, he suddenly noticed a man entering the main hall, seemingly looking for a meal as well. Guo Nu glanced at the man, something sparked in his mind, and he immediately stood up to greet him, "Might this be the world-renowned Scarlet Sun Divine Lord, Pei Gonglie?"

The man paused upon hearing this, turned to look at Guo Nu, and casually responded, "Indeed." His demeanor was rather arrogant, suggesting he held Guo Nu in low regard.

Guo Nu was inwardly annoyed, but his smile remained fixed on his face. "Divine Lord Scarlet Sun's fame precedes him; I have admired you for a long time. If you do not disdain, perhaps we could share a drink?"

Pei Gonglie offered no reply, merely glancing around. Seeing the hall already full of guests with no empty seats, only Guo Nu's table had some space. He finally conceded, "In that case, my thanks." Yet, the words were polite, but the tone held no gratitude, remaining cool and detached, truly irritating.

Seeing his attitude, Guo Nu lost interest in trying to get closer. As soon as Pei Gonglie sat down, Guo Nu immediately delivered the words he had prepared, "I heard that the Divine Lord had a conflict, even a fight, with members of the Tiger Mountain Sect in Pingzhou a few months ago. Is this true?"

P.S: I recommend a book. This book shares quite a fate with mine; we launched around the same time, entered the same recommendation lists, and even went on sale almost simultaneously. Given such synchronicity...

For a world filled with love, justice, and peace, today I recommend a book by my good friend—The King of Basketball V.