The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 37: The Mysterious Sword

Since it had been decided to start with the sword and the broadsword, Xiaoyaozi prepared a wooden sword and a wooden broadsword for Nameless, along with two manuals: one on the Xiaoyao Broadsword Style and one on the Xiaoyao Sword Style. The Xiaoyao Sword Technique emphasizes lightness, agility, and speed; it inflicts damage not through the sharpness of the blade, but through the impact of rapid strikes. To master the Xiaoyao Sword Technique, one must have a foundation in lightness skills. Unlike the Sword Art, the Xiaoyao Blade Art focuses on sweeping, chopping, deflecting, and slicing; it relies on the blade’s sharpness to inflict damage. To master the Xiaoyao Blade Art, one must have a foundation in hard martial arts. Watching Ake wield her sword, Nameless naturally decided to begin by learning sword techniques, starting with the Xiaoyao Sword Style. To learn the Xiaoyao Sword Style, one must combine it with lightness skills. The Xiaoyao Sect has two basic lightness skills: the Xiaoyao Formula and the Xiaoyao Wild Goose Formation. Their origins are the same as before. The Xiaoyao Formula emphasizes grace, agility, and a carefree, unrestrained spirit,Master Xiaoyaozi and Senior Brother Gu Yuntian both built their skills on the Xiaoyao Jue, whereas the Xiaoyao Wild Goose Formation emphasizes rapid movement without concern for outward form—Ake practices the Xiaoyao Wild Goose Formation. These two martial arts styles each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The advantage of the “Xiaoyao Jue” is that it is easy to learn and, when used, appears ethereal and otherworldly—true to the meaning of “Xiaoyao.” When executed well, to an outsider, the practitioner looks like an immortal riding the wind. However, its drawback is that, due to its focus on outward aesthetics, it sacrifices speed; it is much slower than the top-tier lightness skills in the Martial Arts World. The Xiaoyao Wild Goose Formation is the exact opposite: it is more difficult to master, but its speed far exceeds that of the Xiaoyao Formula. Its purpose is to deliver a single, fatal strike, prioritizing practical effectiveness. When practiced to a high level, it can even reach a realm where one appears without a trace and vanishes without a sound; it serves as the internal cultivation technique that complements the Xiaoyao Sword Style. Under these circumstances, Nameless should have studied the Xiaoyao Wild Goose Formation so that the Xiaoyao Sword Technique could truly unleash its full power. However, Nameless claimed he lacked natural aptitude and decided to choose the Xiaoyao Formula instead. This surprised Xiaoyaozi greatly, but seeing Nameless’s determination, he ultimately passed on the Xiaoyao Formula’s inner cultivation teachings to him. In fact, Nameless had his own ulterior motive for choosing the Xiaoyao Art. He had already mastered the Martial Arts World’s most supreme lightness technique—the Nine Heavens Mystic Separation Art—which, in terms of speed alone, far surpassed the Xiaoyao Wild Goose Formation. which is why Ake was so easily toyed with by Yechacha. However, the “Nine Heavens Mystic Separation Art” requires the inner energy of the “Ice-Fire Mystic Maiden Art,” and its moves are more feminine in nature—and it was precisely these feminine moves that Nameless found impossible to overcome. whereas the Xiaoyao Art emphasizes external form, perfectly compensating for the shortcomings of the Nine Heavens Mystic Separation Art. If he could merge these two great lightness arts into one, he would be unrivaled in the martial arts world—a vision Nameless held dear. After obtaining the three manuals, Xiaoyaozi taught Nameless the methods for practicing them and warned him that under no circumstances should he practice internal cultivation at this time. He must thoroughly purge his energy to avoid a backlash from the Mystic Maiden Art; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. Nameless agreed to everything. Once the instruction was complete, it was getting late, and Xiaoyaozi still needed to cultivate his qi and refine his skills. Thus, Nameless bid farewell to his master and returned to his quarters with the three manuals. Back at his residence, Nameless looked at the three manuals in his hands and couldn’t help but ponder. He then took out the manual he had found earlier as well, and, faced with the six manuals, found himself hesitating. Nameless now possessed three internal cultivation manuals: Shangguan Feihong’s “Three Origins Return to One,” Yechacha’s “Bridal Robe Divine Art,” and the Xiaoyao Sect’s “Xiaoyao Heart Method.” He also had some of the “Ice-Fire Mystic Maiden Art” within his body. In terms of lightness skills, he had already mastered the “Nine Heavens Mystic Departure Technique,” and he also possessed two other manuals: “Startling Swan Reflecting Shadow” and the “Xiaoyao Manual.” In terms of fist and foot techniques, he had mastered the “Spiritual Insight Finger,” as well as the manuals for the “Iron Palm Fist” and the “Wind and Cloud Kick.” As for sword and blade techniques, he possesses only the *Xiaoyao Sword Art*. As things stand, Nameless’s *Nine Heavens Mystic Separation Formula* and *Spirit-Resonant Finger* are both top-tier martial arts; mastering just one of them would be enough to dominate the Martial Arts World. However, the main reason Nameless remains so vulnerable is his lack of inner energy, which prevents him from channeling the power of his existing skills. If he were to follow his master’s advice—which would require several more months to expel the remaining traces of the Xuan Nu Gong from his body before he could learn the new Xiaoyao Jue—the process would be far too lengthy. Moreover, if he were to completely expel the Xuan Nu Gong, he would likely be unable to use the Nine Heavens Xuan Li Jue anymore, effectively crippling his own martial arts abilities. In Nameless’s view, this method was both slow and a waste of time—truly not worth the effort. If he could assimilate the Xuan Nu Gong within his body by practicing the internal cultivation of the Xiaoyao Heart Method, and then combine it with the Xiaoyao Jue and the Nine Heavens Xuanli Jue to create a new martial art, not only would he achieve twice the result with half the effort, but his martial arts would also advance rapidly. Nameless couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild. After all, Nameless had only just transferred his soul and was unaware of the dangers involved. Once he’d made up his mind, he put the manuals away. Since he wouldn’t need the “Bridal Robe Divine Art” or the “Three-Source Unity” for the time being, he stored these two manuals in a safe place. It was already afternoon, and it was a bit late to start practicing now. Nameless decided to wander around the valley some more to familiarize himself with the surroundings and, while he was at it, look for his long-lost senior brother. He hadn’t seen Gu Yuntian since returning, and since his senior brother was such a nice guy, he really should go say hello. Of course, it would also be nice if he happened to run into his junior sister—Nameless found her quite interesting as well. So, after lunch, Nameless wandered around Xiaoyao Valley. Although it was just a valley, it was rich in natural treasures and boasted stunning scenery. As he admired the views and strolled about, he found himself, without realizing it, standing in front of a cave. Nameless was quite surprised to find a cave in Xiaoyao Valley; his curiosity piqued, he walked inside. The caves in Xiaoyao Valley were much cooler than those on Mogan Peak. Combined with the bright afternoon sunshine, walking inside the cave felt surprisingly comfortable. After walking for a while, Nameless suddenly noticed a massive boulder looming ahead, standing tall in the center of the cave. Carved into its surface were two rugged, large characters: “Sword Tomb.” What is the Sword Tomb? Nameless, Wuming walked curiously toward the back of the boulder and discovered another stone standing there—one that stood out strikingly. Right in the center of that stone was a sword embedded in it; the blade was sunk deep into the stone, with only the hilt protruding. “Is there a place like this in Xiaoyao Valley?” Nameless’s curiosity grew even more; his master had never mentioned it. He looked closely at the hilt, which seemed to bear several characters: “Mo Ming Sword.” What did “Nameless Sword” mean? Nameless was even more baffled. Judging by the appearance of the hilt, it seemed weathered and worn, as if it had been embedded in the rock for many years. Nameless couldn’t help but reach out to touch the sword. With a buzzing sound, the very moment Nameless touched the “Moming Sword,” he instantly felt the world spinning around him, as if he’d been struck by electricity. Immediately afterward, a series of images seemed to rush into his mind at breakneck speed. The scenes shifted rapidly, leaving him even more dizzy and with a splitting headache. Amid the pain and dizziness, an alert female voice rang out in Nameless’s mind once more: “Remember.”