Chapter Twenty-Nine: Learning Martial Arts

Leaving some snake meat for food, he stripped the snake’s skin and laid it out to dry, intending to keep it for making soft armor in the future. Once everything was settled, Yuan Ye stepped into the cave once more.

He advanced no more than ten feet before entering the cavern. Now that the giant serpent no longer obstructed him, Yuan Ye could finally survey the cave’s interior clearly.

Inside, apart from a stone table and a stone stool that had rolled onto the floor during the previous fierce battle, there was nothing else. Yet on the intact half of the cave wall, he found three lines of deeply carved script. The strokes were fine, but the grooves cut deep into the stone, clearly made by an exceptionally sharp weapon. The inscription read:

"For more than thirty years, I have roamed the martial world, slaying all foes and defeating every hero. No one remains who can withstand me. I am left with nothing but retreating to this secluded valley, keeping company with the eagle. Alas, a lifelong search for a worthy adversary has proved fruitless—such loneliness is unbearable."

Beneath was signed: "Sword Demon, Solitary Defeat."

In the corner of the cave lay a pile of scattered stones, resembling a grave. The giant serpent’s rampage had sent many of the stones flying. Looking over, Yuan Ye caught sight of the pale bones among the rubble. "This must be the remains of the senior Solitary Defeat. I cannot allow his passing to be so desolate; it is only right to lay him to rest."

With this thought, Yuan Ye moved the stones aside, removed his outer robe, and carefully wrapped the remains of Solitary Defeat. He exited the cave and summoned the others to dig a grave in the valley. They laid the bones to rest, covered them with earth, and erected a monument inscribed: "The Grave of the Sword Demon, Solitary Defeat."

"Young master, who is this Solitary Defeat?" Bear One asked curiously.

"In the future, Senior Solitary Defeat will be your master. He left behind a martial art well-suited for you brothers. Should you master even a third of his skill, you will be able to roam the world unhindered," Yuan Ye replied, thinking of what he had found beneath the rubble, unable to suppress his emotion.

Truly, when fate decrees, one cannot force what is not meant to be. While moving the stones and collecting Solitary Defeat’s remains, Yuan Ye had also discovered something wrapped in oil paper.

Opening it, he found several sword manuals and the inner cultivation method practiced by Solitary Defeat.

The method was unnamed, but Yuan Ye saw at once that it was profound and mysterious, equal to any legendary martial art of the present age. The internal energy cultivated would be unmatched and unstoppable.

Among the sword manuals were the Sharp Sword Style, Heavy Sword Style, Wooden Sword Style, and the ultimate creation of Solitary Defeat: "The Nine Swords of Solitude."

The first few styles summarized the swordsmanship realms of Solitary Defeat’s earlier years, while the Nine Swords were his late-life masterpiece.

The highest realm of Solitary Defeat’s martial arts was having no sword in hand, nor sword in heart. No sword meant no murderous intent, treating adversaries with mercy.

Since ancient times, martial arts have always had tangible techniques, and wherever there is a technique, there is a flaw. Thus, the greatest martial realm is no technique.

No technique does not mean the absence of technique, but rather not being bound by fixed forms, adapting freely.

"The Nine Swords of Solitude" are exquisitely subtle, reaching the pinnacle—each move is elusive, the principle of "winning with no technique against technique" fully realized. The swordplay is ethereal, unpredictable.

Yuan Ye did not know how the Heavy Sword Style he had obtained compared with what the Divine Eagle had taught Yang Guo. After all, the Divine Eagle had only taught Yang Guo the Heavy Sword Style it had seen, not a systematic practice.

"Do you two know how to read?"

The next morning, Yuan Ye summoned Bear One, Bear Two, and Skinny Monkey, preparing to teach them the fundamental Wudang inner cultivation method, intending to introduce other methods once they could sense qi.

Unexpectedly, he encountered a difficulty at the outset—Bear One and Bear Two had wandered since childhood and could not read at all.

"Young master, I can read," Skinny Monkey replied, seeing Yuan Ye troubled.

Looking at Skinny Monkey and recalling his inner perception of him yesterday, Yuan Ye said promptly, "Very well, you’ll learn first and then teach them to read."

"As for you two, each morning you’ll learn to read with Skinny Monkey, and in the afternoon, you’ll train fists and kicks with me," Yuan Ye instructed Bear One and Bear Two.

"By the way, Skinny Monkey, do you have a name?"

Now Yuan Ye realized he had never known Skinny Monkey’s name or origins.

"Reporting to young master, I’m originally from Hejian. As a child, I was sold to the Zhao family as a servant. Later, I became the page of Young Master Zhao, who named me Zhao Fan," Skinny Monkey answered.

"So that’s how it is. From now on, I’ll call you Little Fan," Yuan Ye said with a smile.

"Thank you, young master," Zhao Fan replied, his face filled with joy. Since being kidnapped to the bandit stronghold, he had nearly forgotten his real name. Now, being able to reclaim it brought him immense happiness.

From the second day onward, Yuan Ye rose early to practice before dawn, experimenting with integrating Solitary Defeat’s inner cultivation method into his own practiced Pure Yang Infinite Art.

He did not consider specializing in Solitary Defeat’s method, as his inner energy had already reached significant achievement and was not suited for starting over. Only if he acquired the Nine Yang Divine Art, which shared roots with his Pure Yang Infinite Art, could he switch without worries.

Moreover, Pure Yang Infinite Art was a supreme method painstakingly created by his master. The further he progressed, the faster its cultivation became, and it was not inferior to Solitary Defeat’s method.

What Yuan Ye sought now was to study the top methods of all schools, hoping one day to create his own supreme martial art.

After sunrise, Yuan Ye began to practice the Nine Swords of Solitude. The version he practiced was fundamentally different from that taught by Feng Qingyang and Linghu Chong in "The Smiling Proud Wanderer." Their world’s limitations were greater, their innate abilities restricted, and few could break through to the top tier of internal energy, so more emphasis was placed on technique.

Thus, the Nine Swords of Solitude became a set of fixed techniques, enabling Linghu Chong to learn almost all of them in a single night.

Yuan Ye, however, practiced a version with no fixed techniques; Solitary Defeat only left behind principles for countering all styles of martial arts.

Therefore, practicing these Nine Swords of Solitude resulted in ten practitioners producing ten entirely different forms, according to their own depth of skill, understanding, and accumulated experience.

Categorizing Solitary Defeat’s martial principles and combining them with the Wudang arts he had studied, Yuan Ye devised his own set of Nine Swords of Solitude:

Sword-Breaking Style: counters all sword techniques of every school.

Blade-Breaking Style: counters single, double, willow-leaf, ghost-head, broadsword, and horse-chopping blade techniques.

Spear-Breaking Style: counters spear, halberd, snake-spear, quarterstaff, wolf-tooth cudgel, wax staff, monk’s staff, and shovel techniques.

Whip-Breaking Style: counters steel whip, iron baton, acupoint spike, crutch, Emei needle, dagger, hatchet, iron shield, octagonal hammer, iron mace, and other short weapons.

Cord-Breaking Style: counters long cords, soft whips, three-section staff, chain-spear, iron chain, fishing net, flying hammer, meteor hammer, and other flexible weapons.

Palm-Breaking Style: counters fist and palm techniques, including long and short punches, grappling and acupoint attacks, tiger claws, iron palms, and all manner of fist arts.

Arrow-Breaking Style: covers all hidden weapons—training this style requires mastering the art of listening to the wind and recognizing weapons, striking aside incoming projectiles, and even using an opponent’s own hidden weapons to counterattack.

Qi-Breaking Style: used against opponents with superior internal energy; if the adversary is stronger, remain fearless and clear-minded, relying on intent.

In the afternoons, Yuan Ye instructed Bear One and Bear Two in fist and kick techniques. After half a month, under Zhao Fan’s guidance and supervision, the brothers mastered the basic Wudang inner cultivation method and gained knowledge of acupoints and meridians.

Seeing their training on track, Yuan Ye also began his own practice.

In the open space of the valley, Yuan Ye stood quietly, sword in hand. The sword itself was unremarkable, but it had accompanied him for years and fit his hand perfectly.

As he slowly drew the blade from its sheath, a palpable aura rose from him, soaring skyward.

When the blade was fully drawn, the aura reached its peak; the air seemed to hum with sword energy. Within a hundred yards of the valley, all insect and bird sounds vanished—an utter stillness descended.

From afar, the three others witnessed this scene and turned pale with fright. Especially Bear One and Bear Two, who, after learning several sets of fist techniques, could shatter stone with a single blow and had felt quite pleased, thinking themselves masters of the martial world.

Now, seeing the young master’s sword-drawing aura so formidable, Bear One thought, if the young master wished to kill me, he wouldn’t even need a sword.

Bear Two, amidst his shock, felt seven parts delight, thinking how one day he too might learn such divine skills, filling him with joy.

Zhao Fan had fewer thoughts—he was simply glad to see the young master’s skill greatly improved. As for martial arts, he had no ambitions. Knowing his own weakness since childhood, frail and sickly, Zhao Fan lacked Bear One and Bear Two’s talent. Content just to remain by the young master’s side, serving tea and water, he was satisfied.

Unbeknownst to him, Yuan Ye had already used his keen insight to examine Zhao Fan’s body and had thought of a martial art perfectly suited for him.

A month later, Yuan Ye had integrated all his learned sword techniques into his version of the Nine Swords of Solitude. His swordplay now could be both firm and gentle, dominating yet as soft as flowing water.

A sharp sword is unintentional—fierce and unstoppable, nothing can withstand it.

A soft sword is unpredictable—changing at will, wherever the mind leads, the sword follows.

Thus was the summary of Solitary Defeat’s swordsmanship in his earlier years.

A heavy sword has no edge—great skill appears clumsy. This marked Solitary Defeat’s pinnacle in middle age.

This meant that one need not rely on intricate techniques; with sufficient strength and power, one could overwhelm and defeat the adversary.

This was the realm Yuan Ye could now reach; in his Nine Swords of Solitude, he could anticipate and defeat opponents, triumph with technique-less skill.

But compared to Solitary Defeat’s late-life realm of "Wooden Sword unmatched"—no sword in hand, all things become sword—he was still far from that peak.

Yet Yuan Ye was satisfied. Still only at the acquired realm, thanks to Solitary Defeat’s profound sword principles, he had already grasped the rudiments of swordless, technique-less mastery.

Through this period of sword training, Yuan Ye also discovered the path to breaking through to the innate realm: the true intent of martial arts.

His skill was already no less than innate masters; he only lacked the comprehension of martial intent. Once he attained it, he could break through at any time.

In the following two months, seeing Bear One and Bear Two cultivating basic Wudang inner methods to the point of generating internal energy, Yuan Ye consolidated his own skills while having the brothers consume the gallbladders of the dozen giant snakes, teaching them Solitary Defeat’s inner method and the fierce Heavy Sword Style.

When storms came, he emulated the Divine Eagle’s teaching methods for Yang Guo, sending the brothers deep into the valley to resist the torrents, using knives to deflect rocks carried by the floodwaters. Each time, they trained to exhaustion, falling into the water before Yuan Ye pulled them out.

This method honed their sword skills; in only two months, both brothers’ swordsmanship and internal energy improved greatly. Wielding their mountain-splitting knives—each weighing twenty to thirty pounds—they could exert a force of a thousand pounds, even surpassing Yuan Ye in sheer strength.

Since they lived deep in the mountain valley and had no suitable heavy swords, Yuan Ye had them use these heavy knives as swords.

Now, Yuan Ye estimated that the brothers could defeat third-rate masters and together withstand second-rate experts. With one or two more years, once their internal energy was refined, their strength and domineering swordplay would enable them to surpass first-rate practitioners.

One day, after training, the group climbed into the treetops and watched the fiery red sunset over the mountain. Calculating silently, Yuan Ye realized more than three months had passed since he left the mountain. He decided that tomorrow, they would depart.