Hidden Moth-Chapter 438 - 247: Flying Sword Across a Thousand Miles, a Xianxia Dream
Mei Guyu’s swordsmanship fulfilled many people’s youthful fantasies of martial arts. And if magical techniques were added, it seemed to open the door to Xianxia. If there was a chance, why wouldn’t He Kao want to learn?
He answered with the truth, but as soon as he spoke, he felt a twinge of conflict.
Such exquisite swordsmanship surely required starting from the basics. His mind already painted a picture: every morning before heading to work, in the nearby public park amidst the exercising elderly, Mei Guyu would guide him hand-in-hand on the essentials of swordsmanship.
The déjà vu of this scene was strong because he had seen it before—just last year when Meng Ya instructed Huang Xiaopang in cultivating the Observing Body Skill and Foundation Establishment skills...
But not long ago, He Kao had just decided to keep his distance from Mei Guyu, considering the trouble, so how did he inexplicably agree to learn swordsmanship after just turning his head and finishing work? Was this a case of actions contradicting intentions?
Finally, Mei Guyu revealed a faint smile, like a budding flower softly blooming, nodding as she said, "Alright, I will teach you."
He Kao was just about to ask how she would teach when his mouth opened but no words came out, as Mei Guyu sent a Divine Thought Heart Seal, which was a transmission of the Sword Control Skill.
The Sword Control Skill is a practice system independent of all other techniques. It’s a typical ’technique’, purely an applied technique, and practicing it would not enhance cultivation realms.
In contrast, each realm of the Sword Control Skill is associated with a corresponding cultivation foundation. One needs suitable cultivation to execute sword techniques, achieving mastery over time.
Theoretically, cultivators of any technique can attempt to study the Sword Control Skill, but whether one can learn or to what extent varies from person to person.
As for why the Alchemy Sect alone possesses such a unique legacy, the answer lies with the founder’s heritage.
A thousand years ago, the key figure who ended the chaos of Yin Niang and the Woodcutter, reorganizing the Magic Sect and establishing the Ancestral Hall, was Leidunzi, the founder of the Alchemy Sect. Leidunzi’s master was the renowned Tan Jun, the Immortal Tan, documented to have ascended to Immortality in the Magic Sect records.
Leidunzi also left behind his mastery of the Sword Control Skill for disciples to rely on as protection while traveling the Jianghu.
To low-tier sorcerers, the Sword Control Skill was no different from mundane swordsmanship, and even ordinary people could train in it. However, to perceive its subtleties well, it was best to have Tier One Cultivation, and to ensure actions could match judgment, Tier Two Cultivation was recommended.
For instance, in Wuxia novels, the ability to stab a flying mosquito requires not only seeing it but also piercing it.
Once cultivation reached Tier Three or higher, the Sword Control Skill had many variations, potentially integrating with other applied techniques, such as the separating Flying Sword or the Blind Intent Sword techniques, all incorporating Heart Methods of nurturing Sword Intent.
After reaching Tier Four, the term ’Sword Control Skill’ truly lives up to its name, with sword qi flying freely. While ’decapitating over a thousand miles’ is an exaggeration, at this realm, it already exudes legendary brilliance.
As for Tier Five and beyond, the changes in the sword control realms were still unknown to He Kao because his cultivation was only at Tier Four, and the related content in the Divine Thought Heart Seal remained undeciphered.
Although ordinary people could train in the Sword Control Skill, few in the Magic Sect specialize in it due to the low "cost-effectiveness", deeming it unworthy of extensive effort.
Many study the Sword Control Skill just to understand it as a reference for other techniques. Practitioners like Mei Guyu, who focus solely on Sword Control Skill, are extraordinarily rare.
The higher the realm in the Sword Control Skill, the more challenging it becomes to practice. Mei Guyu specifically told He Kao that with his precise control of Divine Sense, he was capable of training, implying that not everyone met the criteria.
The Magic Sect offers various applied techniques, making it unnecessary to rigidly adhere to the Sword Control Skill. For instance, the Wind Blade Technique cultivated by high-tier sorcerers is a fierce combat method.
The Wind Blade Technique itself is challenging to master, and controlling it doesn’t require Sword Control Skill, but having a foundation in Sword Control makes adjustments at Tier Four or higher simple.
He Kao hadn’t trained in the Wind Blade Technique, as he had only recently broken into high tier and devoted much of his effort elsewhere. Besides, even if he mastered Wind Blade, its power wouldn’t surpass a machine gun.
The magical treasure "Moth Wings" given by Gu Chun had an additional use for unleashing wind blades, but He Kao rarely used it since he didn’t need to shoot birds in flight or battle drones. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
It’s often said that practicing martial arts strengthens the body, but this sword technique is an exception. If the fundamentals are lacking, forcing practice would only harm the body, though fortunately, He Kao already had the basics.
Learning this technique required application submission to the Alchemy Sect. However, He Kao had no such issue.
For He Kao, the Sword Control Skill provided another advantage in that it’s a relatively independent system. Performing it wouldn’t expose his identity as Hidden Moth.
He Kao didn’t expect what Mei Guyu meant by teaching was just a simple Divine Thought Heart Seal. He sighed in relief yet felt inexplicably disappointed.
Coming to his senses, Mei Guyu had long since disappeared, probably returning to the apartment. Originally here to pick up his car, he went straight to the parking lot downstairs.
After closing the car door, he didn’t start the engine immediately. Instead, he subconsciously closed his eyes, and in the next moment, his consciousness floated out of his body.
He Kao felt that the divine technique included in the Insect Concealment Skill was different from the Yin Spirit Travels described in some novels, unaffected in broad daylight, not even by sunlight.
He locked onto a target, finding one of the hooligans he had seen earlier, as if by instantaneous movement.
Originally, He Kao didn’t intend to interfere, remembering their features randomly, but somehow he changed his decision and started a tracking game.
The three hooligans hadn’t separated yet; they had gotten up, crossed a side street, passed two intersections, and arrived at an older neighborhood.
Some neighborhoods in the city center were built in the late 20th or early 21st century. At the time, they looked quite high-end, but now they appear old, though living here is still convenient and many people choose to rent apartments in these areas.
Luckily this place isn’t more than 1.5 kilometers away from Sesame Apartment, so He Kao just floated in the air following along; no one could see him anyway, like a ghost.
The three of them entered a home on the seventh floor. One person, rubbing his belly, said, "Brother Liang, so each of us gets thirty thousand just like that?"
Brother Liang: "Hasn’t the money already been received?"
"Is it really that simple? The money came faster than a robbery. They won’t ask for it back, right?"
Brother Liang: "Ask for it back? The money doesn’t have any names on it, who can prove it was given by them! When they gave the money, they made it clear; this matter can’t be admitted... They don’t admit it themselves, what more do they want?"
"Brother Liang, who exactly are these people?"
Brother Liang scratched his head, "Weird, I can’t quite remember! Anyway, it was just about getting paid for the job, and it’s done now."
"Who was that girl, and why is she so formidable?"
Brother Liang: "I don’t know either, but she must be a practitioner, otherwise how could she be worth so much? Someone hired us, probably just to feel out the situation and test us."
"So what do we do now?"
"We’ve got the money, the job’s done, let’s change our clothes and have a good time tonight."
While they were talking, He Kao just floated on the ceiling watching them, working better than any surveillance camera or sniffer dog. These three hooligans were indeed acting on someone’s orders, and they received quite a sum of money.
The money came too easy, but He Kao thought they might not have the chance to spend it. As the three hooligans got ready to leave, the moment they opened the door, they found a few people standing outside.
Before they could even ask, those people came in. The three hooligans didn’t even have the chance to scream before their mouths were covered and they were subdued, then dragged into separate rooms.
It’s clear they intended to interrogate separately. These must’ve been people arranged by the Magic Sect, but they hadn’t noticed He Kao. He Kao was planning to continue watching when he suddenly sensed something was off and his consciousness quickly returned to his body.
Just then, someone had gotten into He Kao’s car, sitting nonchalantly in the back seat; who knows how they even opened the car door.
He Kao nearly broke into a cold sweat, glanced in the rearview mirror, and patted his chest, "How can you appear out of nowhere like that? It’s terrifying!"
It was none other than the avant-garde old artist Li Xiuyuan. He had one leg crossed over the other and said, "You just looked like you’d lost your soul. Did you go wandering?"
He Kao: "I went to check on those three hooligans and found out someone gave them thirty thousand each to deliberately cause trouble for Elder Mei on the street... They just got nabbed; was that arranged by you, sir?"
Li Xiuyuan: "Someone dared to do such a thing, thinking the Ancestral Hall wouldn’t trace it back to them. But since they’ve shown their hand, the Ancestral Hall will surely investigate. They need to display an attitude; whether they can pull them out, that depends on their divine techniques."
He Kao: "Whether or not they can trace them, the Ancestral Hall has already seen the outcome today."
Li Xiuyuan nodded, "Indeed, they’ve seen it already!"
What kind of coded language are these two speaking? Regardless of who’s behind those three people, one thing is clear: the information has been leaked, and there’s someone in the Magic Sect’s leadership not adhering to the Ancestral Hall’s confidentiality order.
He Kao: "The Ancestral Hall’s confidentiality order is like a joke, and it’s only the first day on the job!"
Li Xiuyuan: "Even though she just started today, the Ancestral Hall’s confidentiality order was issued two months ago. If someone leaked it, there’s been plenty of time for the information to spread."
He Kao: "Did you notice any suspicious characters while accompanied by beauties doing street art today?"
Li Xiuyuan laughed, "There were quite a few deliberately observing, but the most suspicious one was you."
He Kao: "Your demeanor alone makes it hard not to notice you; many were just ordinary passersby."
Li Xiuyuan: "Exactly, I want to give people that impression. Since even regular passersby would take a second look, some people will think there’s no harm in doing so."
He Kao: "Actually, to know the results of those three hooligans’ tests, there’s no need to hide nearby and spy. Surveillance cameras are everywhere these days, and there’s no telling which agency installed them, so modern technology could easily be used to observe."
Li Xiuyuan pondered, "You’ve thought it through quite well! Now it’s confirmed someone leaked the information, but perhaps it wasn’t intentional. There’s always someone doing something contrary to their original intention, which means they’re not yet cultivated fully, much like you."
He Kao, puzzled, "Me, what about me?"
**
