Chapter 316 - Learning the de


    The sword was the mostmonly seen weapon, as well as the weapon that held the greatest status. To countless sects and schools, their greatest Daoist skills were sword techniques. The reason why the Longevity Sect could control countless other sects, and why it truly had the confidence in allowing this southern sect to be important enough to contend against the Li Pce, was still because of the Mount Li Sword Sect, perhaps because of this reason.


    The de was normally only used in the army, to kill the enemy on the battlefield. It was always unqualified to take a ce in the higher circles, until a thousand years ago, when Zhou came into being. Only after he had used the de to defeat all the experts in the world did a change in this situation ur. However, after Zhou Dufu, there were still very few famous people that used the de.


    Why was it like that? It was because Zhou Dufu’s de was too sharp, and also because he had created his own universally shocking de technique.


    This de technique was named the same as his de: Halving.


    This was the legendary Halving de Technique.


    Looking at those words and images on the wall of the obsidian coffin, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong were both dumbstruck. There was always the rumor that Zhou Dufu’s legacy was in the Garden of Zhou. Only after seeing it with their own eyes did they confirm that this rumor turned out to be real.


    Compared to this de technique, the secret manuals of martial arts, valuable pills and treasures from the nine stone rooms were not worthy of being mentioned at all. Time indeed was very strong. It could cause pills to lose effectiveness and treasures to dull, but it could not cause intelligence and knowledge to depreciate. Without a question, the Halving de Technique was the first-rate intelligence and knowledge in the world of cultivation.


    They were willing to hear the truth even if they had to die for it. The monster tide was currently approaching the mausoleum, and the huge shadow in the sky that represented death was about to envelop them. Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong hadpletely forgotten about these matters, and began to read and view the words and images on the wall of the coffin. They wished that they could learn even more in their final moments.


    Their gazesnded at the beginning of the text. This was the entire outline of the Halving de Technique. The words were extremely clear and easy to understand, however, the ideas they presented were actually extremely profound. In the images created from the words, there was the perspective of a simple de, an edge connecting with the world. It was a hitherto unimagined way of looking at things. This was truly a uniquely and finely written article.


    The Halving de Technique had a total of one hundred and eight de moves, forming three parts. The entire outline called them sections, and each section had thirty-six de moves.


    The first section was named “Rise”, and it detailed the one word. How to raise the de, how to raise the edge, how to create wind, and how to begin the technique were all the most basic parts in the section. It was also the section that had the most on manner. The second section was called “Endure”, and mainly focused on defense. If trained to the limit, it could endure the changes of the world, but the thirty-six styles did not only focus on defense. The edge of the de was hidden within it, like a dragon in the clouds, able to reach out and eat people at any moment. As a result, it was the steadiest and most dangerous section. The third section was called “Fall”. This word, fall, could easily describe the fall of the de, but actually, it carried the definition of extracting from the heavens. Wherever the edge of the de went, it possessed the vast image of an azure sky, able to envelop the world and cut through everything before the eye.


    (TL: The first section is “Rise” 起, which can hold a lot of different meanings. Basically, the author is doing some wordy for the how to xxx part. They all contain the word 起. In the third section, “Fall” (落), basically it is saying that the 落 is referring to 碧落, which means heavens, and has nothing to do with actually falling.)


    After reading the entire outline of the Halving de Technique, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong did not stop at all, and began to look at an image and the words on it closely afterward. That was the first move from the section “Rise”.


    This was also the first move of the Halving Sword Technique. It had an especially simple name: Origin.


    (TL: Again, more word y. The Chinese name is 缘起, which again has 起 (“Rise”), but has nothing to do with actually rising.)


    The image did not have a de, nor did it have someone using the de. There were only several simple lines.


    Chen Changsheng had the experience fromprehending monoliths in the Mausoleum of Books, and Xu Yourong had the homework of studying andprehending monoliths every day at the Holy Maiden Peak. They each had their own perspectives, and understood that these lines were pathways that true essence could travel in, and at the same time, de intent. However, exactly because it was simple, it was difficult toprehend. The images of very few lines on the coffin walls caused them to be immersed, and they actually slowly forgot the flow of time. Thissted all the way until a certain moment when the two of them finallyprehended this de move, and woke up at almost the same time. They subconsciously looked at each other, and saw the astonishment in each other’s hearts.


    When the metal de left the sheath and was raised into the vast sky, no matter how they looked at it, it was a very simple action, so how could there be so manyplicated changes? How could theseplicated changes be remembered and used in battle? This de technique was just like Zhou Dufu, extremely overbearing but also profound and confusing. To their knowledge and experience, it felt outrageous.


    Other than the fact that Zhou Dufu was an expert who possessed the intelligence that exceeded normal people, there were no other reasonable exnations.


    This seemingly simple first move of the “Rise” section actually caused them to spend a lot of effort before finally grasping it. Of course, once they hadprehended the move, they were suddenly ovee by an onrush of fierce delight, like water bursting from a silver vase, or horsemen charging forward. It caused them to feel a period of carefreeness, and they actually wanted to yell loudly a few times to release their wonderful feelings.


    Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng only looked at each other quietly, and the shock in their eyes slowly turned into uneasiness. They had used this much time only on the first move, so just how much more time did they need toprehend the entirety of the one hundred and eight de moves to the level that they could use it smoothly and fluently? Currently, their biggest problem was that they did not have time.


    If it was just not enough time, they could just try to remember as many moves as they could. However, as mentioned before, the Halving de Technique was a unique, finely-written article and its most special area was that although the one hundred and eight moves seemed separate, they were actually one whole entity. Only after all of the de moves werepletelyprehended could the idea of the article be known.


    Even when they seemed to grasp the first move, this type of fluency was far from enough, and could not even be considered as a true fluency.


    “Memorize first.” Chen Changsheng looked at her and said, “Make use of all the time we have and remember all of these words and images.”


    Even if it was notprehending, and only copying this de technique into their minds, it was still an extremely difficult matter.


    Xu Yourong calcted the amount of time the monster tide would take to arrive and the amount of time she needed to memorize all of it, and confirmed that it was not enough. She said, “Memorize separately.”


    “Okay.” Chen Changsheng looked at her slightly pale face, and paused a little before saying, “I’ll memorize from the end, you memorize from the beginning.”


    If the de technique was said to be an article, reading from the beginning to the end was naturally easier than the opposite. Memorizing was even more so.


    Xu Yourong knew that he thought about how she had not recovered from her injuries, and intentionally did this. She did not decline, and walked before the images and words of the second move. She began recording it in her head.


    Chen Changsheng nced at her and confirmed that she could stand by herself for a little while now. He walked to the left side of the obsidian coffin, before thest image.


    This was thest move of the “Fall” section. It had an especially overbearing name: The World Aze.


    His gazended on the lines of the image, and at the same time, those words entered his eyes.


    With only a moment, the images and words disappeared. The image of a dusky sky appeared before him. There were falling stars everywhere with long, fiery tails, as if the world was about to be destroyed...


    In the next moment, he discovered that the paths of the falling stars were actually somewhat familiar. He remembered that these paths were actually the energy of the first move of the Halving de Technique, Origin. As it turned out, the very end and the very beginning were indeed connected. He finally confirmed the content of the entire outline. This de technique actually required the mastery of all de moves to grasp it.


    The de technique was a whole entity that could not be divided. In other words, the one hundred and eight de moves in the Halving de Technique were actually one de.


    As it should be.


    Only with one de could there have been two halves.