The drinking continued until the hour of Ji before they dispersed. When Li Ji returned home, he washed his face with cold water and eagerly began to study. The Six-Combined Sword Technique consists of six styles: the First Combining Heaven and Earth, the Second Combining Yin and Yang, Breathing Energy with the Body, Circular Movements, Merging Heart and Intention, and Combining Force...
The entire set of sword techniques does not include specific stabbing or slashing methods; it emphasizes how to maximize the power of internal energy. Undoubtedly, this is a rare and superior swordsmanship, vastly different from the several books of mediocre sword techniques he had collected over the past year.
Li Ji did not place much importance on techniques; this attitude stemmed from his more than ten years of fencing experience in his previous life. In his view, flashy but impractical techniques are the cancer of swordsmanship. Even so-called ultimate skills are useless if executed at the wrong moment.
For example, the triple strike of Chu Sancha was too deliberate, making the intent to unleash a big move glaringly obvious; using ultimate skills this way is meaningless.
The essence of swordsmanship lies in being fast, accurate, and ruthless. Speed can prevent the opponent from reacting, accuracy can exploit the slightest defensive vulnerabilities, and ruthlessness is the penetrating power needed to break defenses. With these three points, one does not need to learn those so-called techniques; one can easily defeat the opponent.
Li Ji had always adhered to his previous combat philosophy, but in this new world, due to the emergence of internal energy, he also had to make some changes.
For instance, as for speed, Li Ji had already reached the peak of this body's capabilities, but that was merely pure muscle strength. How to combine internal force to elevate speed to a new level was still quite vague to him.
The First Combining Heaven and Earth of the Six-Combined Sword Technique seemed to address this issue. This point was clearly written in the sword manual: the energy rises from the Yongquan point on the soles of the feet, flowing through the Chongyang point to the knee, then up the waist and abdomen, invigorating the energy within, while coordinating with the muscles to direct the sword. The momentum should be like thunder; those with profound skills can even release sword energy outward...
Reading this made Li Ji feel an itch in his heart. He dared not think about releasing sword energy, but he would be satisfied if he could just be faster and have stronger sword strikes.
Li Ji knew very well that he had a significant flaw in combat: his movement style was too singular, limited to advancing and retreating. This was a bad habit left from his fencing competitions in his previous life, and changing it would be quite difficult. In a place like Cixi, this was manageable, but in other areas, encountering real experts could make this habit fatal. The Third Style, Breathing Energy with the Body, was exactly a method to train the application of internal energy in movements; it was like finding a good pillow to sleep on...
Yes, just like that. In the future, his practice would focus on the First Combining Heaven and Earth and Breathing Energy with the Body. As for the other four styles, they seemed a bit more sophisticated and might be beyond his understanding at this moment. Li Ji made up his mind.
Li Ji had a clear understanding of his strength. Old Guo was considered average in this world, and when Li Ji first arrived, he was not as skilled as him. However, after becoming familiar with the operation of internal energy, he could easily defeat Old Guo. At this stage, Li Ji could barely be considered at the peak of the third tier. With the acquisition of the Six-Combined Sword Manual, he believed he would experience a qualitative leap into the second tier. At that time, he would be able to travel the world with his sword.
Time passed unnoticed in the mountains, and two months had gone by. One afternoon, while Li Ji was pondering the sword techniques alone in the courtyard, someone knocked on the courtyard door. The loud voice of the helper Huang Er rang out:
"Brother Youjiao, Lord Xu has requested your presence. He said there's an urgent matter to discuss at the town office."
"What is it? Do you know?" Li Ji replied somewhat impatiently. He had just returned from a business trip to Shuangcheng a few days ago, and according to the usual practice, he should be able to rest for a few days. He had just made some new insights into the Six-Combined Sword Technique, and this fellow interrupted him.
"I don't know, but I heard from Xiao Mazi that it seems a Daoist from Shuangcheng has come," Huang Er replied.
Xiao Mazi was the nickname of the miserly official Xiao Ziming, and the helpers privately called him that.
"I understand. You may leave," Li Ji said.
Returning to his room, he washed up a bit and changed his clothes while pondering. There must be a story behind the Daoist being summoned from Shuangcheng.
Just over ten days ago, the usually peaceful Cixi experienced a strange incident. The wealthiest man in town, Wang Dahu, unexpectedly encountered a monstrous creature at a manor outside the town. It happened when Wang Dahu's family members went for a brief stay at the manor to enjoy the scenery. That evening, a favored concubine of Wang Dahu was killed by the monster, and in addition, a maid and two guards also died. Those who managed to escape reported that a monster appeared in the back garden of the manor and was eating people.
Since lives were lost and they were members of Wang Dahu's family, the town could not afford to ignore this. Several influential merchants in the town discussed the matter and suspected it could be either revenge by enemies, bandits on the run, or a so-called monster that had never been heard of before.
Since the town's Youjiao, Li Ji, had not yet returned from his business trip to Shuangcheng, the town's head, Xu Jihai, gathered ten or so brave ruffians to investigate. However, what was intended as an adventure ended in a miserable retreat. Among the ten or so somewhat skilled young men, three were dead, and two were seriously injured. Xu Jihai was lucky to have been far away at the time; otherwise, he might have lost his life too.
With this, the situation became clearer. Everyone was spreading rumors that a snake-like monster was coiled around an ancient well in the back garden of the manor. It was as thick as a water barrel, and its length was unknown. It was described as vicious and brutal, with a human face, green beard, blood-stained steel teeth; the more it was spread, the more terrifying it became.