Ding Songyan withdrew his right palm and turned his attention back to that secret manual, leafing through to the introductory saber technique that corresponded to it.
That saber art had a beauty of clearly defined order.
"Fine saber work," he praised, and returned the manual to Tao Wenshu.
Tao Wenshu looked it over a few more times, then raised her head and said to Pan Yunzhou:
"Young Hero Pan, you don't mind if I show this manual to the grandmasters of our sect, do you?"
"That is precisely my wish; I simply did not dare presume to ask." Pan Yunzhou clasped his hands in salute without hesitation.
When he had been led by the reception steward to Warm Lamp Tower to stay for the time being, Tao Wenshu turned and looked at Ding Songyan:
"You've mastered the 'Star Sequence true qi'?"
"Not exactly. I've only derived it. Next time I need to use it, I'll still have to consult the visualization chart again and spend quite a bit of effort deriving it." Ding Songyan did not boast; he told the truth.
"Then what's the story with the 'Myriad Stars true qi'?" Tao Wenshu asked, puzzled.
Ding Songyan smiled sheepishly:
"That uses a secret method Yan Changqing taught his disciples, turning the corresponding state into a bodily instinct. It consumes root source and lifespan, so for now this disciple only plans to use it with the 'Myriad Stars true qi' and the 'Candle Radiance true qi.'"
He spoke openly and without concealment, so that his master would not overestimate him and later, whenever she obtained a good cultivation method, say, "Songyan, come practice this."
How could he possibly have that much root source and lifespan to spare?
Tao Wenshu understood at once and did not press further.
From the fact that Ding Songyan could conceal the abnormalities in his appearance, she had long since formed a guess; it was just that since the disciple did not bring it up, she did not ask either. She had only told him that this method of concealment could fool grandmasters of the same realm, but not grandmasters who possessed unique cultivation methods—such as those of the Xiaoming Sect—and that, moreover, this concealment method was of little use in changing one's appearance: it could only revert to a former look or reveal a future one within a certain range, and body build worked the same way. It could not fool someone who knew you well.
"Good. Very steady, not blindly rushing for progress. In the world today, things that can extend one's lifespan are growing ever rarer." Tao Wenshu offered a word of praise, mulled it over, then said, "In a bit, go visit Pan Yunzhou and test a few moves against him."
Ding Songyan understood at once: his master had also realized that the "Firm Order and Clear Sequence" of the Canon of the Myriad Stars might be usable to fill in the key parts of the "Universal Stars Grand Array," and that this would show in the moves themselves.
Though, with the abilities of Tao Wenshu and Ding Songyan, they could easily master the introductory saber technique recorded in that manual within a few days, they still lacked the "Star Sequence true qi," making it hard to fully present its wondrous subtleties. It was better to spar with Pan Yunzhou and grasp it through actual combat—that would come across deeper and clearer.
"Yes, Master." Ding Songyan agreed happily, even a little excited.
Was his first real battle of his life finally coming?
Killing Master Yan did not count—Master Yan could neither strike back nor move his legs; even his "Heaven Heart imprint" had been suppressed by that Ji demoness, and if he wanted to writhe away, he still had to mind his laid-open chest.
As for the sparring with Senior Brother Wan and Senior Sister Zheng, both sides used familiar swordplay, and they mostly just fed moves to each other—that could hardly be called real combat at all.
............
Following the reception steward back to Warm Lamp Tower, Pan Yunzhou went up to the second floor of this building of wood and stone, pushed open the window, and gazed out at the vast, calm Level Lake with its gently rippling waves.
His hands still trembled faintly—truly the result of being overly stirred and agitated when he had just met Sect Master Tao.
Others did not know, but he himself was well aware that coming to the Xiaoming Sect this time was his last desperate gamble.
For three years he had traveled all across the prefectures of Great Zhao, reaping disappointment after disappointment, until the disappointment was on the verge of turning into despair.
He felt his own ambition and drive were about to run out too, that he was on the verge of resigning himself to fate like the rest of his clan.
Knock, knock, knock—a very courteous rapping reached Pan Yunzhou's ears.
Wearing a Xiaoyao kerchief, his features plain and weathered, Pan Yunzhou turned around:
"Come in."
The door was slowly pushed open, and the one who stepped inside was unexpectedly that direct disciple of Sect Master Tao from before.
"Young Hero Pan, are you satisfied with Warm Lamp Tower?" Ding Songyan, in black martial garb with his hair bound by a cloth strip, clasped his hands in salute and exchanged pleasantries.
Pan Yunzhou hurriedly returned the salute:
"It truly feels like home."
Ding Songyan looked around the room—furnished with a bed, table, stools, chairs, and the like—then said to Pan Yunzhou with a smile:
"Young Hero Pan, I wonder if you would be willing to spar a few rounds with me?"
Pan Yunzhou was taken aback for a moment and did not answer at once.
"My master wishes to see whether the profound saber techniques recorded in the Canon of the Myriad Stars can supplement our sect's 'Universal Stars Grand Array,' and so she specifically instructed me to come and ask for your guidance." Ding Songyan explained with a smile.
This... open and sincere, with nothing that could not be spoken of openly—truly worthy of being the direct disciple of Tao Wenshu, the "Upright Sword"... Pan Yunzhou sighed inwardly with genuine feeling.
Joy surged up in him at once:
The very fact that there was to be a test of moves showed that the Xiaoming Sect did indeed have some interest in the Canon of the Myriad Stars!
This was a good thing!
What Pan Yunzhou feared most was that the Xiaoming Sect would show no interest, ask nothing, make no probes, and after a few days simply send him down the mountain.
"I also wish to witness the divine sword arts recorded in the Book of Universal Stars." He answered swiftly.
"Then let's go to the training ground." Ding Songyan pointed to the wooden staircase outside the door.
Pan Yunzhou nodded slightly and followed Ding Songyan out of the guest room, covertly sizing up the other man.
His first impression of this Xiaoming Sect disciple had been that the man was not young in years yet still had a childlike heart—he had actually been playing with ants beside the boundary marker. Later, discovering that Tao Wenshu greatly valued this disciple's opinions, Pan instinctively felt the man was no ordinary person, that his martial talent in certain areas might be quite outstanding.
"Young hero, might I know your honored name?" On the way out of Warm Lamp Tower, heading toward the Dou Training Ground, Pan Yunzhou lowered his stance and said with a smile.
"No need for 'honored'—my surname is Ding, my given name is Songyan." Ding Songyan gave his full name, without falsely claiming to be Yan Changqing.
When the two stepped into the Dou Training Ground, Wan Guhong was already there.
Though his nature was lazy, he was, after all, someone who had walked the jianghu and knew how perilous the martial world was, so he was quite diligent in his daily tempering—he just never trained extra.
Even so, his cultivation progress and mastery of swordplay surpassed those of the former eldest senior brother, Xu Julong.
Xu Julong had once sighed to Ding Songyan that "no two people can be compared." Through painstaking effort, he too had reached perfection in the Dayan Realm, but to take another step forward and become a grandmaster, his hopes were extremely slim. Meanwhile, among Tao Wenshu's six disciples, apart from Zheng Zhuxi, Wan Guhong was the one most likely to set foot into the Dharma Realm.
After exchanging greetings with Wan Guhong, Ding Songyan drew an unsharpened long sword from the weapons rack and stepped into the field.
"Young Hero Ding, what realm are you in now? I've already completed a great many aperture craftings; though I haven't yet been graded by the Register of Orchids Under Heaven, I should be a fifth-grade 'Kanxuan.'" Since they were to spar, Pan Yunzhou certainly had to gauge the other's strength, or he would easily make a fool of himself.
Ding Songyan said with an even smile:
"I've just reached aperture refinement mastery."
Aperture refinement mastery? Wan Guhong, who stood with his sword cradled to his chest, ready to watch his junior brother spar with another, nearly raised a hand to dig at his ear.
Didn't you only start aperture refinement yesterday?
Truly not a single honest word!
And you love to pilfer—making off with other people's steamed buns!
Only aperture refinement mastery? Pan Yunzhou was somewhat astonished.
He had assumed that since Ding Songyan was so highly valued by Sect Master Tao, he would at least be on par with himself, with a "Kanxuan." Who would have thought he had not even entered the Dayan Realm yet!
Was his appearance mature while his actual age ran a bit younger? That made sense—otherwise he would not still be so childlike.
Pan Yunzhou picked up an unsharpened waist saber, weighed it to gauge its heft, and said:
"Then I'll do my best to hold my strength down to the aperture refinement level."
Me too... Ding Songyan silently answered in his heart.
"Please!" He made a gesture, indicating that the guest should go first, and not to worry about the difference in realm.
Pan Yunzhou did not stand on ceremony and said earnestly:
"Rather than insist on courtesy, I'll comply—my saber art is the 'Sun-Moon Divine Blade,' not the introductory saber technique recorded in that manual just now."
"The Sun-Moon Divine Blade?" The one who asked was Wan Guhong, watching the fun.
He had never heard of it.
Pan Yunzhou had been waiting for exactly this question, and went along with it:
"It is the strongest saber art recorded in the Canon of the Myriad Stars. The stars and constellations of the heavens are by nature pairs of sun and moon—yang is the sun, yin is the moon; brightness is the sun, darkness is the moon."
But it's more than just sun and moon... Then again, this was originally a mythological world—whether there were other astronomical phenomena was still uncertain... Ding Songyan did not force the knowledge from his previous life onto the current situation; such things had to be verified first before he could be sure.
"The first blade is 'Sun at High Noon.'" Pan Yunzhou clearly harbored the intent to demonstrate and feed moves.
As soon as the words fell, he lowered his stance slightly and strode forward quickly, chopping the waist saber in his hand down at Ding Songyan's head.
As it came down, the blade's edge kept quivering subtly and making small adjustments, as if both accommodating the sunlight streaming in through the window and concealing countless variations.
In an instant, the saber took on a golden hue, reflecting a dazzling light that made Ding Songyan instinctively shut his eyes.
With that blink, Pan Yunzhou's long saber suddenly sped up, its direction shifting slightly—from a vertical chop into a diagonal slash.
Though his eyes could not see, within a radius of five zhang, everything was clearly imprinted in his mind, touched one by one by his naturally extending spirit.
The saber's trajectory was no different. Ding Songyan flicked his long sword, and it shot like lightning to the side, like the light that suddenly spills out when a candle is lit.
The "Faint Light in Dark Night" of the "Dawnbreak Sword Art."
With a clang, Ding Songyan's long sword struck accurately against Pan Yunzhou's blade, using clever force to push it aside, away from himself.
The saber's momentum was undiminished; it merely chopped into empty air.
The "Faint Light in Dark Night," derived from the "Seven Swords of Candlelit Night," never prevailed by force; it took the meaning of the candle flame—not dazzling, yet warmly illuminating one small corner, resisting the dark night.
Pan Yunzhou's move had reached its limit, and a trace of surprise at once surfaced in his eyes.
Though his saber technique had held back, meant more to display the subtleties of the "Sun-Moon Divine Blade" and where it suited the Book of Universal Stars, he had never imagined that Ding Songyan could catch it so effortlessly—and using nothing but an ordinary, simple introductory sword technique.
So this was his martial talent? No wonder Sect Master Tao valued him so highly, even letting him look at that manual on the spot... Seeing that his own guard was wide open, Pan Yunzhou quickly pressed down with his heel and spun his body, and the long saber suddenly vanished from Ding Songyan's sight.
With his back to Ding Songyan, he followed through by chopping the long saber diagonally backward, the motion turning his body sideways.
His hands had a strange transparency to them, so that the saber seemed to vanish eerily, then cut in from nowhere.
"Sun Sets, Moon Rises."
Ding Songyan, who had blocked Pan Yunzhou's first blade, silently apologized in his heart:
Sorry—I forgot to turn off my cheat...
He hurriedly reined in his spirit, pulled his arm back, and brought his sword across to block in front of him, catching Pan Yunzhou's turning diagonal chop.
Clang!
As Ding Songyan's long sword rebounded, he suddenly turned his wrist and used the force to counter.
After tracing an exquisite small circle, the sword, instead of retreating, advanced—its light surging brilliantly, and like a shooting star slicing across the sky, it shot swiftly toward Pan Yunzhou's chest.
"Candlelight Like Stars"!
What a fine parry... Wan Guhong, watching from the side, could not help but draw a sharp breath.
Chapter 71