Chapter 62: Frost Rises from the Unseen

At Mingbaipo, Yin Shiniang had said the very same thing to Qiu Baiyu when he unleashed his "Locust Vibrating Wings."

"The Floating Cloud Sword Technique of your Floating Cloud Sword Sect is nothing more than a foundation-laying sword technique."

Now, even the saber technique of a grandmaster like Liang Fengning was just a foundation-laying technique?

Were there things that were not meant merely for laying foundations?

Yin Shiniang saw through what Gu Liubai was thinking at that moment with a single glance, yet the expression on her face remained entirely unchanged. She only said calmly: "The Grand Illusion Absolute Slash is a grand-path saber technique. It cares little for the bizarre or wondrous, and it doesn't even have many stances. A slash to the neck is simply a slash to the neck, and it won't aim for anywhere else. What it values is solely the application of physical force and the coordination of the flesh."

Gu Liubai's expression quickly turned solemn, for this was indeed the truth.

"You have truly grasped the profound intent of the Canglang Sword Technique. If you were to cultivate solely the Canglang Sword Technique, your true qi cultivation would undoubtedly advance to the eighth rank in the future, evolving divine abilities, and you would inevitably achieve the status of a Great Swordsman," Yin Shiniang continued.

If these words were spoken by a practitioner from any cultivation ground in Chang'an to their disciples, spreading them would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

Yet Yin Shiniang spoke these words as if they were entirely natural, and Gu Liubai, listening to them, also felt them to be completely natural, his expression remaining unchanged.

"It's just that the sword intent of the Canglang Sword Technique contradicts Granny Long's saber technique," Yin Shiniang continued indifferently. "If you use this saber, your hands and feet will only be more constrained."

Gu Liubai pondered. Before he had a chance to reply, Yin Shiniang's voice sounded once more: "Strike me with another sword."

"Alright."

Gu Liubai did not hesitate in the least. He swung his saber forward in a slash.

The blade light was like a shimmering bolt of silk. His entire person, including the saber in his hand, merged into a single entity, resembling a giant wave suddenly surging up, fiercely charging straight at Yin Shiniang's centerline.

This move was called "Waves Striking the Heavenly Gate," one of the rare slashing and hard-confrontation moves within the Canglang Sword Technique.

Instead of retreating, Yin Shiniang advanced.

She stepped forward and glanced at Gu Liubai.

Gu Liubai was startled, the firewood chopper in his hand abruptly turning horizontally to protect his lower abdomen.

He felt instinctively that if he did not change his stance, his abdomen would be pierced directly by a sword.

However, Yin Shiniang merely came to a halt.

The firewood chopper in Gu Liubai's hand emitted a faint clicking sound.

He focused his gaze and saw some tiny fragments falling away. The firewood chopper, which had previously only borne subtle cracks, now genuinely developed several distinct fractures.

Certain that her judgment was flawless, Yin Shiniang turned and walked away directly, saying at the same time: "Your mother's target from the very beginning was never my Frost Sword. Therefore, she didn't just want you to become a Great Swordsman; her goal is Granny Long's Wind Saber, aiming for you to reach the true, peerless ninth rank of the mortal world. As for what I taught you tonight and how you proceed from here, figure it out yourself."

Gu Liubai did not rush back to his tent; instead, he sat down directly beneath the pine tree.

Top-tier figures among these cultivators all seemed to share the same temperament, always leaving behind some lingering mystery for him to ponder on his own.

A Great Swordsman was certainly not his limit.

At this, he felt not the slightest bit of surprise.

If that were his limit, he wouldn't need to go to Chang'an to complete his current true qi cultivation method.

His current true qi method supporting him in entering the eighth rank was not a problem at all.

Even Yin Shiniang, who watched from the sidelines, was entirely certain of this.

Laying a foundation...

Liang Fengning's saber technique was laying a foundation.

Could the Canglang Sword Technique taught to him by Guo Beixi also be merely for laying a foundation?

Yin Shiniang had made him strike twice and had countered once; there had to be a profound purpose hidden within this.

It was so difficult to fathom.

Gu Liubai sat for a full half-gourmet hour when suddenly, his heart began to beat violently.

He suddenly thought of what Yin Shiniang had said to Luo Qing before the latter drew his final breath, back when she killed him.

"It is not that the sword is fast, but that it strikes where least expected."

At the time, he had felt this was definitely Yin Shiniang mocking Luo Qing to make his death even harder to accept.

Killing Luo Qing certainly didn't require arrows to divert his attention, nor did it require that dazzling illusory sword, and Yin Shiniang's casual sword strike certainly wasn't executed at full strength; that sword could not truly be considered fast for her.

According to Gu Liubai's understanding, Yin Shiniang's Frost Sword was unquestionably the fastest in the world!

Among the existing sword sects within the Great Tang territory, there was no sword technique faster than the Frost Sword method.

Yet Yin Shiniang was usually serious, disliked joking, never mocked people, and couldn't be bothered to tell lies.

Therefore, what she said—that it was not the sword being fast, but catching the opponent unawares—was true!

Tonight, she had merely glanced at him once, and he had felt as though his abdomen was about to be pierced by a sword.

But where would her subsequent sword truly have pierced?

Thus, the true meaning of the Frost Sword was likely not extreme speed, but the misdirection of perception!

While speed was undeniably the number one in the world, its ability to strike unawares and misdirect perception was even more peerless!

Having thought of this possibility, Gu Liubai took a deep breath. He did not calm down as a result; instead, his heart began to beat even more violently.

The Frost Sword!

It was not the residual true qi left in the wound that formed frost after piercing an opponent.

The frost in this name most likely referred to frost arising from the chill.

When chill arises, frost congeals without form.

Whether in the desolate desert, in the vegetable gardens of ordinary households, or on the untrodden tiles of streets and alleys, no one knows when the very first flower of frost begins to form, or when it coalesces.

Extreme speed combined with the misdirection of perception made this sword, when it truly arrived, seem genuinely formless!

This was the true interpretation of the name Frost Sword!

Speed ultimately had its limits, but this formless congealment of frost had no bounds.

Guo Beixi's Canglang Sword Technique, whether in physical movement or sword intent, was naturally extremely fast.

Could it be that because Yin Shiniang held Guo Beixi in such high regard, and felt that if Guo Beixi were still alive, he might remain ahead in the path of the sword, she felt too embarrassed to state outright that this Canglang Sword Technique was actually meant to lay a foundation for him as well?

One understanding opens all understandings!

The Frost Sword was also meant to lay a foundation for Granny Long's Wind Saber!

When chill arises, frost congeals without form; when the wind rises, it permeates every crevice.

Thinking of the saber strike Granny Long had unleashed against He Huoluo, everything suddenly became clear to him, and he understood it all.

The advancement from the seventh rank to the eighth rank, evolving divine abilities, was about how to melt and fuse the cultivation methods one practiced into a single, ultimate path!

According to the principle Yin Shiniang wanted him to comprehend tonight, even if Yin Shiniang had a fellow disciple who also practiced the Frost Sword method, and even if their true qi cultivation levels were identical, if their comprehension of the Frost Sword differed—if one merely pursued extreme speed while failing to travel far on the path of misdirecting perception with the Frost Sword—that person would probably still be utterly incapable of blocking a single sword strike from Yin Shiniang.

Yin Shiniang had made him use this firewood chopper to execute Liang Fengning's saber technique and Guo Beixi's sword technique, specifically making him perform the Canglang Sword Technique twice, to make him figure out for himself that during the upcoming period, he should use the Canglang Sword Technique to wield this firewood chopper.

For the Canglang Sword Technique valued sudden bursts and sudden halts.

Whether it was footwork or sword technique, it was like a surge of waves that either instantly reined in its momentum or surged even more fiercely with the next wave. Amidst these rises and falls, true qi rolled and stacked like successive waves. Without causing this firewood chopper to shatter, it was truly exceedingly difficult.

In contrast, Liang Fengning's saber technique was rigidly disciplined, and the application of true qi was not nearly so arduous.

As Yin Shiniang walked through the open pasture, Granny Long appeared beside her.

Granny Long merely glanced at her with a cheerful smile, whereupon Yin Shiniang turned her head and said, "He will figure it out tonight."

Granny Long seemed equally certain, nodding with a smile.

"Chen Tu told me in the carriage that this fellow and Zhou Lüer used to listen to Gu Shiyi's mother tell all sorts of terrifying stories before going to sleep ever since they were children, and she told an immense number of them every time."

Knowing that Granny Long enjoyed hearing stories related to Gu Shiyi, Yin Shiniang elaborated in detail, "I suspect his mother knew her days were numbered and impatiently crammed countless things into his mind."

Granny Long nodded silently.

Yin Shiniang continued, "Yet I suspect Gu Shiyi could sense it when he was very young, which seems to be why he managed to remember all those stories and terrifying things so vividly."

"He has a good memory, which probably was also honed through practice."

"He is adept at pondering matters, possesses a sharp mind, and high comprehension. Even if he were to practice only the sword, his future achievements will surpass my own."