Chapter 349: Chapter 257: Palace Master Yan’s great kindness and virtue, this humble girl has nothing to repay, only to offer herself in marriage!_2
"’Xingyi Boxing’ assists me in practicing the Inner Family lineage."
"’Innate Skill’ and ’One Yang Finger’ assist me in practicing the Inner Strength lineage."
"I never expected that after reaching the stage of Innate Skill, I would still need to rely on this young friend!"
Jiang Bianliu simultaneously practiced the root method of both lineages, which surprisingly all originated from Yan Chuan. If this were to be spoken of, it would be earth-shattering.
...
"True Qi is Yang, True Water is Yin. Yang is hidden in water, Yin is hidden in Qi. Qi mainly rises, and there is True Water within Qi. Water mainly descends, and there is True Qi within Water. True Water is True Yin, and True Qi is True Yang."
"One Yang represents Shaoyang. When Shaoyang reaches its peak, it becomes the transition of One Yang. Thus, the separation and convergence of the three Yangs, when the Greater Yang has not yet opened, Yangming is the enclosure, Shaoyang is the pivot, and the three meridians cannot be separated, holding tightly but not lightly, is named One Yang."
Jiang Bianliu concentrated intensely, continuously pondering "Innate Skill" and "One Yang Finger."
With Yan Chuan’s aid of "Mutual Teaching and Learning," Jiang Bianliu felt as if divinely assisted, easily understanding various profound doctrines that seemed vague. These two extraordinary Divine Skills appeared to be highly advanced and exquisitely profound, yet he could effortlessly comprehend them.
"Marvelous, marvelous, marvelous!"
Jiang Bianliu was overjoyed!
On the other hand, beads of sweat poured from Yan Chuan’s brow like rain, causing Jiang Bianliu to anxiously watch.
"Though possessing ’Innate Skill,’ exerting ’One Yang Finger’ inevitably drains power. "
"Even with ’Cang Mountain Sword Discussion’ approaching, he exerts such effort and pays such a price just to save these two women—"
Even Jiang Bianliu couldn’t help but speculate whether Yan Chuan had fallen for Zhou Yan or Zhou Hao.
Yan Chuan cultivated his strength.
Jiang Bianliu pondered.
Looking again at Zhou Yan, her clothes were also soaked in sweat, her brow furrowed and lips clenched, though still unconscious, she instinctively endured the pain.
At this moment.
"Whoosh!"
Yan Chuan finally stopped his cultivation, collapsing in front of the bed, his face pale, his blue robe equally soaked, while Zhou Yan lay motionless, life or death unknown.
"This——"
Jiang Bianliu was startled and hurried forward to check, first smelling a stench, then seeing Zhou Yan’s face, pale and tinged with green, without a trace of blood. But Jiang Bianliu, having cared for Zhou Yan for many days, instantly noticed that the faint black aura that had once hovered over her face had vanished.
"Phew!"
Jiang Bianliu quickly extended his hand to check Zhou Yan’s breath, feeling her calm breathing, and marveled: "She’s truly healed!"
Though he learned the intricacies of "Innate Skill" and "One Yang Finger" from Yan Chuan and personally witnessed Yan Chuan’s cultivation, it was a life-threatening wound he had treated for a month without success. Yet with just one cultivation session, Yan Chuan had already healed most of it, eliminating the threat to her life.
It was indeed incredible!
"Innate Skill!"
"One Yang Finger!"
Jiang Bianliu was dazzled and increasingly anticipated mastering these two extraordinary Divine Skills.
...
"This young woman thanks Palace Master Yan for the life-saving grace!"
Zhou Yan awoke, still weak, but knew that Yan Chuan had saved the lives of her sisters and herself from the Cultists, and immediately got up to bow in thanks.
"Your injuries have healed and will fully recover in two to three days; for now, refrain from exertion and focus on rest." Yan Chuan waved his hand.
Beside him.
Zhou Hui supported her elder sister, whispering in her ear: "Elder sister and younger sister were unconscious for over a month. If not for Palace Master Yan’s rescue, we would have long perished. Second sister, third sister, and I were also treated by Palace Master Yan."
Zhou Hui, though young, saw clearly that Wang Zhengyi, Jiang Bianliu, and others helped them all for Yan Chuan’s sake.
The true root of saving the lives of the five sisters was Yan Chuan.
"Thank you, Palace Master Yan!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan thanked again, bowing gracefully.
"As for what exactly happened recently, let Zhou Jiao and Zhou Hui tell you afterward. Though you just recovered from serious injuries, the time left for you is limited. Here is a new sword formation I’ve created, combining your sisters’ Plum Blossom Sword Formation with various swordsmanship and formations from different states and sects, called the ’Five Elements Sword Formation.’"
Yan Chuan handed the Sword Manual and Array Map to Zhou Hui, then introduced to the four sisters: "This ’Five Elements Sword Formation’ consists of five people forming an array to fend off enemies. Its ingenuity lies in fully exploiting their strengths and covering their weaknesses, allowing the synergy of five to multiply its power, becoming greater than the combined power of twenty-five people. Utilizing the secret mental method, whether through sword clashes or palm resistance, any two, three, four, or five people’s Inner Strength can merge into one, charging toward the enemy with overwhelming force."
The ’Five Elements Sword Formation,’ created by Yan Chuan, was a synthesis of his experiences and his own swordsmanship, essentially a simplified version of Wudang Sect’s ’True Martial Seven Styles’ and Quanzhen Sect’s ’Heavenly Gang Beidou Formation.’
The ’Heavenly Gang Beidou Formation’ requires seven people; the Zhou Sisters lacked the numbers.
The ’True Martial Seven Styles’ does allow any two or three people to form an array with great power, but the array was too profound and strong to be quickly developed, so Yan Chuan chose a secondary approach, developing the ’Five Elements Sword Formation’ as a gap-filler upon finalizing "One Yang Finger" and "Innate Skill."
The ’Five Elements Sword Formation’ is seamless and flawless, integrating the principles of the Five Elements’ interrelated transformations. One person leads, enticing the opponent’s attack, feigning weakness, while the other four engage continuously, targeting the opponent’s vulnerable points until the enemy perishes or surrenders, never stopping. The five people’s moves defend each other, their stepping techniques complementing any gaps, facing the enemy as one entity, constantly transforming without end.
The synergy even allows the merging of five people’s Inner Strength, greatly enhancing individual limits.
...
"If this ’Five Elements Sword Formation’ is practiced to proficiency, anytime the five’s Inner Strength can converge into one, sometimes within me, sometimes with younger sister, sometimes with elder sister, mastering it essentially multiplies our Inner Strength fivefold. None of us fights alone when facing the enemy; it’s the combined strength of five. The collision of sword stances and Inner Strength duel is also the power of all five combined."
Zhou Jiao carefully pondered over the ’Five Elements Sword Formation’ with delight.
Zhou Hui also expressed joy: "This is far superior to the ’Plum Blossom Sword Formation’!"
Their previous formation of the ’Plum Blossom Sword Formation’ made them nearly invincible in the mortal realm.
But what about the ’Five Elements Sword Formation’?
Though Zhou Yan had just recovered from severe injuries and could not exert herself or comprehend the ’Five Elements Sword Formation,’ listening to Zhou Jiao and Zhou Hui, she understood that this ’Five Elements Sword Formation,’ though rooted in their former ’Plum Blossom Sword Formation,’ was countless times more powerful, utterly incomparable.
Once mastered.
Their combat strength as five sisters could increase tenfold or a hundredfold.
"We have no relation to Palace Master Yan, yet he saved our lives and healed our injuries, even gifting this precious sword formation. How can we ever repay him adequately?"
Zhou Yan, having been unconscious, was unaware that Zhou Jiao and Zhou Hui had already pledged the rest of their sisters’ lives to Yan Chuan.
Zhou Jiao and Zhou Hui exchanged a knowing look.
Zhou Jiao teased: "Others say Palace Master Yan has taken a liking to elder sister, and isn’t repaying this simple?"
She stood up slightly bowing, playfully feigning a bashful tone while saying: "Palace Master Yan’s great kindness and virtue, this humble woman can only offer herself to repay this benefactor! No, not ’benefactor,’ but ’husband!’"
"Haha!"
"Palace Master Yan is good-looking, so it’s ’offering oneself.’ If he weren’t, it would be ’become an ox or horse in the next life.’"
Zhou Hui laughed heartily.
Over these days, elder sister and younger sister teetered on the brink of death, leaving them emotionally repressed. Now with Zhou Yan finally awakening, her injuries healed, and younger sister soon recovering, they could finally relax, giving Zhou Jiao and Zhou Hui the room to tease Zhou Yan playfully.
"Nonsense!"
Zhou Yan mocked playfully.
Surviving their ordeal, the sisters laughed and talked as Zhou Jiao and Zhou Hui embraced their elder sister, recounting everything that occurred after she fell unconscious in detail.
Group advancing!
Cult riot!
Grand competition finals!
Rushing to Cang Mountain!
Innate helplessness!
Yan Chuan’s healing!
In the month of Zhou Yan’s coma, many significant events indeed unfolded.
At that moment.
Zhou Hui spoke, and Zhou Jiao supplemented.
Zhou Yan listened, feeling as if from another world.
...