Mount Hua Sect.
Reflection Cliff.
The cliff wall was plastered with white papers, each bearing a Tang dynasty poem.
A thirteen-year-old boy, clad in the sect’s simple uniform, held a precious sword, studying the Tang poems while reciting them, his long sword dancing in time.
“Thoughts in the Still Night. Moonlight before my bed, I fear it’s frost on the ground. I raise my head to look at the bright moon, and lower it to think of my home.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
“Evening Berth at Maple Bridge. The moon sets, crows caw, frost fills the sky. River maple and fishing fires against my sorrow I lie. Outside Gusu city, Cold Mountain Temple stands. At midnight, the bell’s sound reaches the traveler’s boat.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
“Early Departure from Baidi City. In the morning, I left Baidi, amidst colorful clouds. A thousand miles to Jiangling, I returned in a single day. The monkeys on both banks cannot stop my cries, the light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
As each Tang poem was recited, sword flashes danced across Reflection Cliff.
A sophisticated sword technique was performed by the boy, flowing like water and clouds.
When thirty-six Tang poems were recited, the boy sheathed his sword, a sense of accomplishment on his face.
[Narrator: Your comprehension is heaven-defying. You have created Tang Poetry Swordsmanship by comprehending the essence and rhythm of Tang poetry.]
The boy smiled and muttered to himself, “Tang Poetry Swordsmanship is a move for every verse, integrating the essence and rhythm of Tang poetry, and combining the fluidity and sharpness of calligraphy strokes. It’s a swordsmanship filled with cultural charm. My name is Lian Cheng, so this swordsmanship should be called Lian Cheng Swordsmanship!”
The boy, Lian Cheng.
Lian Cheng wasn’t originally from this world.
Thirteen years ago, he was born in a village. He thought he had simply traveled to ancient times, until the age of eight, when a band of thieves stormed the village, slaughtering everyone. As he was about to be killed, a couple of heroic figures saved him.
That was when he realized he had traveled to the world of *Swordsman*.
The heroic couple were none other than the Mount Hua Sect leader, Yue Buqun, and the Mount Hua heroine, Ning Zhongze.
Seeing his young, pitiful state, they decided to bring him back to Mount Hua and accept him as their second disciple.
That’s right, Lian Cheng became the second senior brother of Mount Hua!
When he was brought to Mount Hua Sect, there were only a handful of disciples. Aside from Yue Buqun and his wife, there was only a twelve-year-old Linghu Chong and a two or three-year-old Yue Lingshan. In the years that followed, Yue Buqun gradually took on other disciples, such as third disciple Liang Fa, fourth disciple Shi Daizi, fifth disciple Gao Genming, and sixth disciple Lu Dayou.
As for Lao Denuo, the undercover spy, he hasn’t arrived yet.
Upon entering the Mount Hua Sect, Lian Cheng immediately demonstrated exceptional talent.
Firstly, he learned the Mount Hua basic swordsmanship, practically mastering it instantly. Then, he learned the Snake-Hawk Life and Death Struggle boxing technique, also quickly mastering it.
Such talent surpassed even that of his elder brother, Linghu Chong, greatly surprising Yue Buqun and his wife.
Afterward, Yue Buqun taught him the Mixed Yuan Skill.
This was the basic internal energy cultivation method of the Mount Hua Sect. Although its level might not be high, its greatest advantage was safety, with no risk of going awry or becoming possessed by demonic energy, even for children.
Lian Cheng didn’t disappoint Yue Buqun’s hopes, and diligently cultivated for a year, developing internal energy, successfully entering the ranks of third-rate masters.
Martial artists are categorized by rank: those who learn some basic boxing and kicking are considered unranked. Those who develop internal energy reach third-rate. Those who have internal energy flowing through the twelve main meridians become second-rate. Those who have internal energy flowing through the eight extraordinary meridians are considered first-rate. As for higher levels like super-first-rate or peak, they are beyond the comprehension of a child.
Lian Cheng, at the age of nine, entered the ranks of third-rate martial artists, demonstrating remarkable aptitude.
Therefore, Lian Cheng wasn’t shy about it and constantly pestered Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze to learn more martial arts. In the years that followed, he consecutively learned Jade Maiden Eighteen Swords, Nurturing My Swordsmanship, and Xiyi Swordsmanship, while his internal energy steadily increased.
Upon reaching adulthood, he would surely be able to enter the second-rate ranks smoothly and become a pillar of the Mount Hua Sect.
Second-rate was no small feat. Many major sects relied on second-rate masters as their backbone. First-rate masters were either sect leaders or elders. There weren’t many in major sects. Currently, only Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were first-rate in Mount Hua Sect.
It can be said that Lian Cheng fulfilled all of Yue Buqun’s expectations for an outstanding disciple.
A disciple with exceptional talent, diligent in cultivation, and rapid growth, such a disciple was practically a treasure to be sought after.
Compared to Linghu Chong, Lu Dayou, and other disciples who enjoyed playing, Lian Cheng was undoubtedly more pleasing to Yue Buqun, making him value Lian Cheng even more.
However, Lian Cheng wasn’t concerned with this. He was focused on his comprehension.
He was certain that his comprehension was heaven-defying!
But his heaven-defying comprehension differed from those found in online novels. The protagonists in those novels could learn the *Nine Yang Divine Skill* with a single glance at the sun, not truly heaven-defying comprehension, but rather bestowed by a system, nothing to be proud of.
True heaven-defying comprehension refers to extraordinary learning and application abilities, and the ability to create something new using what one has learned!
Creation requires a foundation!
Who would believe that someone who doesn’t even know how to stand in a horse stance can learn an unparalleled martial art with a single glance at a landscape, without the aid of a system?!
Lian Cheng was different. He truly didn’t have a system, and his comprehension was truly powerful. Even the heaven-defying comprehension narration was a self-amusement, unrelated to any system.
To test the extent of his heaven-defying comprehension, Lian Cheng thought of his name and decided to try creating Lian Cheng Swordsmanship.
It wasn’t that the Mount Hua Sect’s swordsmanship was bad, but it wasn’t good enough. After mastering the Mount Hua swordsmanship, Jade Maiden Eighteen Swords, Nurturing My Swordsmanship, and Xiyi Swordsmanship, Lian Cheng immediately realized that he couldn’t improve further without sufficient internal energy.
Internal energy couldn’t be increased rapidly in a short period of time, so he could only rely on learning stronger swordsmanship to improve himself.
In the world of *Swordsman*, there were powerful swordsmanship techniques like the Dugu Nine Swords, Taiji Swordsmanship, and the Unforgiving Swordsmanship. However, these were beyond Lian Cheng’s reach for now. The closest one, the Dugu Nine Swords, depended on whether the old man Feng Qingyang would be willing to appear and teach it. Lian Cheng naturally wouldn’t pin his hopes on this.
As for the swordsmanship in the cave behind Reflection Cliff, Lian Cheng naturally had plans for it. However, he needed to discover it naturally.
That was why he requested to retreat to Reflection Cliff.
He wasn’t in a hurry to open the cave. He had time and decided to first experiment whether he could create the Lian Cheng Swordsmanship. With heaven-defying comprehension, combined with the foundation of various Mount Hua swordsmanship techniques, there should be a certain success rate.
Furthermore, he specifically chose to create swordsmanship on Reflection Cliff to attract Feng Qingyang’s attention. If Feng Qingyang appreciated talent, he might appear.
Dugu Nine Swords, everyone who traveled to the *Swordsman* world coveted it!
Learning it earlier would be best!
However, Lian Cheng didn’t expect that within a month, he had created Lian Cheng Swordsmanship. Truly, heaven-defying comprehension was incredibly heaven-defying!
Lian Cheng Swordsmanship was one of the three major martial arts in the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*.
Apart from the Divine Illumination Skill, which was the most powerful, Lian Cheng Swordsmanship and the Blood Blade Scripture were only considered first-rate, but they could easily defeat other martial arts in the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*. In the world of *Swordsman*, they might not compare to Dugu Nine Swords and the Unforgiving Swordsmanship, but they were far more sophisticated than the Mount Hua Sect’s swordsmanship techniques.