Chapter 1153: An Eagle Turns Into a Dove

Please indicate the source:The ancient text says: "The hawk of Mount Wen turned into a dove, but forgot its nature and cried like a hawk, and the flock of birds drove it away."This means there was a hawk that transformed into a dove, but forgot its identity and still cried like a hawk, thus being expelled by the flock of birds.Losing the strength of a hawk yet still crying like one is an unwise act.This move, as the third候 (hòu, period or season) of the Startled Insects Sword, carries the meaning of spring's decline.Transforming a hawk into a dove, preventing it from crying!As this move was unleashed from afar, the Gengjin sword in Deng Qi's hand began to destabilize, its structure gradually collapsing, and sword energy dissipating!But Deng Qi merely pushed forward with a thrust, and the entire Gengjin sword dispersed into thousands upon thousands of strands. Countless Gengjin sword energies surged like a swarm of bees, attacking Yin Wenhua.Though a hawk may turn into a dove, how can a dove not kill!If not by hawk, then by dove.The densely packed Gengjin sword energies filled the air, like golden needles, like piercing awls, like a sky-spanning rain of arrows.They filled the field of vision, their killing intent reaching the heavens.Yin Wenhua held his sword vertically before him, his left hand joined fingers, pressed against the sword body, wiping upwards from below.A paulownia tree rose high before him, its white blossoms opening across the sky. They fell as a rain of flowers, drifting and scattering.The white paulownia blossoms formed by sword energy collided with the black-gold threads one by one.Yin Wenhua's sword, named Pure Brightness.It was the fifth sword of spring in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual.The first候 (hòu) of Pure Brightness is called "Paulownia begins to blossom."This sky filled with white paulownia blossoms was precisely the Pure Brightness sword energy confronting the Gengjin sword energy.Sword energy clashed, grinding and tearing like threads.The sharp whistling of sword energy rose and fell in succession.And Yin Wenhua strode forward, behind the sky-dancing white paulownia blossoms, facing the rain of black-gold sword energy, he shook the long sword in his hand, and unleashed the second variation of the Pure Brightness sword.The second候 (hòu), "Field mice transform into quails!" (or乳 - rǔ, meaning small birds).See him stride forward, his long sleeves fluttering. The ancient sword Candlestick Light, passed down through generations of the Dragon Gate Academy, seemed like a paintbrush in his hand, depicting the richness of spring.Wind Yuan transformed into docile, light blue field mice, scurrying about. One by one, they suddenly buried their heads, drilling into the ground.And the Candlestick Light sword shone with sword light, detaching from the sword, turning into graceful, flying birds, soaring and gliding, each one taking flight.This scene was as beautiful as a painting.Xu Xiangqian on the viewing platform couldn't help but praise, "For his age, to be able to use the Startled Insects and Pure Brightness swords to such an extent, truly astonishing sword talent!""Not just that!" Zi Shu casually said, "Among the younger generation of disciples at Dragon Gate Academy, only three cultivate all twenty-four solar terms sword techniques. Senior Brother Yin Wenhua is one of them."Xu Xiangqian frowned: "You mean, he cultivates all twenty-four solar terms sword techniques?"Li Longchuan understood clearly. Although Xu Gao'e was not very serious, his insight was undeniable. Since he expressed doubt, it meant that cultivating all twenty-four solar terms sword techniques at such a young age was extremely difficult.In fact, was it merely "difficult"?The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual is all-encompassing, known as the "Classic of the Ages."Meaning this sword can be called a timeless classic, and it is also a model that sword cultivators throughout history should refer to.It is the foundational sword manual of the Dragon Gate Academy.People say that the creator of this sword manual was the Dragon Gate Mountain Master Yao Fu. However, Yao Fu repeatedly emphasized that this sword manual was not the result of his efforts alone, only attributing it to the collective efforts of powerful cultivators throughout the history of Dragon Gate Academy.Looking at the entire Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword, it was indeed not created by Yao Fu alone, but it was truly the result of this great Confucian master summarizing the excellent sword techniques of past generations of Dragon Gate Academy, independently organizing, compiling, integrating, completing, and sublimating them into an unparalleled sword manual.Nearly half of the sword techniques were summarized based on the foundations of predecessors. The other half, however, were truly his own original creations. To finally integrate them into one, achieving the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual, required countless painstaking efforts and hard work.Only Yao Fu could have accomplished this.Based on this sword manual, Yao Fu's contribution to Dragon Gate Academy is enough to rank among the top five of all past mountain masters.Inferring from this, the power of this sword manual is self-evident.Each of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms swords is a brilliant sword technique. Most true disciples of Dragon Gate Academy focus on cultivating a few of them, refining them throughout their lives.It's not that the more one cultivates, the better.Even extraordinary cultivators only have twelve hours in a day. What to do and what not to do requires making choices.Sword technique cultivation cannot be rushed; each sword technique, from mastery to application, requires a large amount of hard work and careful refinement. Trying to be proficient in all techniques often results in being proficient in none.It's not impossible for old scholars who are stuck in their cultivation realms and find it difficult to progress to cultivate all twenty-four solar terms sword techniques.For a prodigy like Yin Wenhua, dedicating all his time to murderous techniques like the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual seems like putting the cart before the horse and delaying his cultivation progress. It is very difficult to understand.Zi Shu looked at the competition on the stage and only smiled, "Hehe, it's not difficult at all. Sister Zhao also cultivates them all!""Ahaha." Xu Xiangqian let out a dry laugh.Qingya Academy and Dragon Gate Academy are both among the Four Great Academies of the world. He understood the difficulty of cultivating all twenty-four solar terms sword techniques very well.He really couldn't respond to Zi Shu's remark.Zhao Wuyan spoke at this moment, "Junior Brother Yin obtained the Empty Bright Sword Heart in his second inner mansion. This divine ability is known as 'Clear and luminous, seeing the origin of all swords.' Therefore, his progress in sword technique cultivation is much faster than ordinary geniuses."Her voice was soothing, like floating clouds, and also peaceful, like a bright moon.Xu Xiangqian mumbled, "So that's how it is."He surprisingly didn't seize the opportunity to climb the pole.His heart was actually already stirring with excitement.It was this feeling... it was this feeling.She could always easily soothe your heart.Being with her, you could attain a peace of mind that you couldn't get from others.Judging by appearance, she might not be considered a peerless beauty of this era. Far from being comparable to beauties like Ye Lan'er.But she could stir Xu Xiangqian's heart more than any beauty.It was because of this temperament.At Dragon Gate Academy, she was extremely loved and was an inviolable presence in the hearts of many young disciples. Outside of Dragon Gate Academy, her admirers were also like a steady stream.Young talents like Xu Xiangqian of Qingya Academy and Yang Liu of Diaohai Tower were not considered rare.She had her own unique beauty.It was a charm more captivating than delicate features.Xu Xiangqian put in a lot of effort to keep his gaze on the martial arts stage.On the stage, facing Yin Wenhua's "Pure Brightness Second Hou Style."Deng Qi's choice...Was to move forward.The heavy bronze mask prevented one from seeing his face, but his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and figure were already perfect. His sword-holding hand, with its long and powerful fingers, possessed both strength and beauty.At this moment, his sword energy was fully unleashed, and he no longer held a sword in his hand, yet he still maintained the posture of holding one virtually.As he walked forward, his steps were leisurely and casual.First, his index finger flicked open from the virtually held hand. A black-gold Gengjin sword energy directly fell to the ground, coating the ground of the martial arts stage with a black-gold light.The sword energy Yin Wenhua had hidden underground was thus blocked.Next was the middle finger, the black-gold sword energy spiraled into a sharp cone, moving forward in a helix, as if drilling through the air and also through the distance between him and Yin Wenhua.Following were the ring finger, thumb, and little finger.The five fingers opened in succession, like a blooming flower.Deng Qi, at this moment, seemed to be walking through a field of flowers, plucking them idly.His posture was extremely graceful and extremely beautiful, making one unable to resist wanting to glimpse the true face beneath the bronze mask.The sky-dancing white paulownia sword flowers and the chirping Pure Brightness sword energy birds were actually swept away, leaving a vast and clear view!It was precisely...Minor Formless Flower-Nipping Sword Finger!Ps: 鴽 (rǔ): a small birdThose interested in the anecdote of the hawk turning into a dove can find it and read it. The original has a long passage, which I have simplified into one sentence here.