After eating, Little Monkey remembered to examine the entire cave. He moved forward a little and began to read the inscriptions on the stone tablet.
Although many years had passed, the inscriptions on the stone were still clearly legible. At the very top of the tablet, the following was written:
> "The Tomb of Master Wang Chongyang
> Recorded by the Master's third disciple, Elder Qu Qu, former Second Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect, for the warning and reflection of future generations."
>
As Little Monkey read the inscription, he muttered to himself:
"The Quanzhen Sect was incredibly famous over 300 years ago. My first master once told me that the Internal Energy Technique he taught me was the Quanzhen Technique. This is interesting. I must read on."
The stone inscription continued as follows:
> "After the Master's passing, his disciples failed to fully inherit his teachings, and the essence of Quanzhen martial arts began to decline. Due to the misfortune of nurturing petty and inferior disciples, by the time of the third generation, Yi Ji, the unity fractured, and the great Quanzhen Sect, which had shone like the sun and moon in the Master's time, collapsed.
> Fearing that unscrupulous individuals would disturb and destroy it, the Master's tomb was moved from its original location to where it is now buried. The Thousand Fiends Vine the Master brought from the borderlands was planted on the cave wall.
> This vine, which bears fruit only once every 100 years and only produces three fruits each time, is the rarest medicinal plant in the world. This plant, which can grow by piercing through hard rock and stone, is entirely useful.
> The roots and trunk produce potent poison. The three fruits, however, are an antidote for all poisons. Not only that, they can cure any internal injury and open the eight main meridians crucial for martial artists.
> If you have unexpectedly consumed this Thousand Fiends Vine fruit, you are a lucky person from the past 100 years. Since your eight main meridians have opened, the path is now open for you to ascend to the rank of a Supreme Grand Master of Internal Energy.
> This vine and its fruits are the Master's legacy, and the Master's gratitude has now been transferred to you. Pay your respects to the Master's tomb and accept him as your eighth disciple. I, Elder Qu Qu, will be your third Senior Brother.
> You are the last heir of the Quanzhen Sect and must work to make the Quanzhen Sect famous again. You must serve as the Fourth Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect.
> If you accept this duty, bow to the Master's tomb. Then, bury my skeleton where I fell. No inscription is needed."
>
There was a lot of writing inscribed on the stone tablet. As the writer neared the end of the text, he seemed to be running out of strength. The letters became irregular, slanted, and broken.
It appeared that Qu Qu, the former Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect, ran out of energy while carving the inscription and died right beside the stone tablet. His skeleton was resting right next to the tablet.
The saying, Gratitude for a single bite, is not meaningless. A person who knows how to repay kindness is a good and righteous person. Little Monkey respectfully bowed to Wang Chongyang's tomb.
Then, he dug a small pit under Qu Qu's skeleton. The soil was loose and easy to dig. After digging for a while, Little Monkey felt something mixed in with the soil. He felt it with his hand and pulled out a small packet wrapped neatly in oiled paper.
Little Monkey set the packet aside and gently placed Qu Qu's skeleton into the pit, burying it. The funeral of a Sect Leader who was once famous in his time was silent and desolate. It was truly a sad sight.
Little Monkey buried Qu Qu's skeleton and bowed respectfully. Then he picked up the small packet. It took some effort to open the packet as it was wrapped in layers of oiled paper. Inside, there was a small book that was yellowed from many years, and a letter.
Little Monkey opened and read the letter first. It stated:
> "Only the person who carefully buries my skeleton will see this letter and this book. Since you are now reading this letter, I assume you have buried my skeleton with care. Fulfill the duty that has been entrusted to you. Work to make the Quanzhen Sect famous in the jianghu again. This small book is the Master's handwritten manuscript. The book contains the principles and essence of martial arts that my Master studied and analyzed throughout his life. I was not intelligent enough to grasp the meaning. Do not be discouraged if you don't understand it easily. Read it again and again. Analyze the principles carefully. You will reap the rewards of perseverance. Don't be disappointed that there are no martial moves in the book. Martial arts are derived from nature. Try to see these principles."
>
The twist of fate was astonishing. Little Monkey, who had considered himself a dead man until yesterday, was now saved from the threat of death by a change of luck.
Due to the power of the Thousand Fiends Vine fruit, not only were his internal injuries cured, but the eight main meridians, which martial artists spend their whole lives trying to open, were now open.
Currently, no one in the jianghu is known to have opened all eight main meridians. Even the Shaolin Abbot is said to have only opened seven. However, Little Monkey still needed to strive to become a Supreme Grand Master of Internal Energy. Simply opening the eight main meridians does not mean one's internal energy is high.
Opening those meridians only makes it easier to cultivate internal energy than for ordinary martial artists. It means he only needs to train for one year to achieve the internal energy that would take an ordinary martial artist ten years to attain.
Furthermore, it was an additional stroke of luck for Little Monkey to become the Eighth Disciple of Wang Chongyang, the Martial World Leader of a bygone era, and to inherit Wang Chongyang's handwritten manuscript. However, Little Monkey did not forget that this good fortune came with a great responsibility. He was a man who knew how to repay kindness. He was committed to the duty of restoring the Quanzhen Sect.
As Little Monkey pondered, he felt grateful to the young ape. He owed his current state to the young ape's kindness. He realized that this was the result of his action of saving the young ape's life. He reflected that helping others also brings good fortune to oneself. This was the first time he had viewed the world with optimism.
This nascent optimism, which would one day grow from a seedling into a strong, robust tree, greatly influenced Little Monkey's goal of establishing the Quanzhen Sect.
Little Monkey decided to study Wang Chongyang's manuscript right there in the cave. He didn't have to worry about food or water. He had already found a small, natural spring-fed pool in the corner of the cave. And as long as the young ape was around, he didn't have to worry about food.
What else could he possibly need? Everything was ready, like a lake prepared for the lotus. All he needed to do was practice martial arts with a calm mind. Little Monkey began to read Wang Chongyang's small handwritten book.
On the very first page, he found an extensive and detailed description of the correct breathing, sitting, and standing techniques—which were the same techniques he had already known and practiced diligently for many years, taught by his first master.
As he read, Little Monkey felt disappointed. These are all things I already know. What am I supposed to do? he thought. However, a single line written further down re-piqued his interest.
That line read: "My martial arts, Wang Chongyang's martial arts, are based on nature. Everything must be natural. If humans cannot perform their most basic daily activities naturally and comfortably, it will be difficult for them to successfully perform other tasks. Doing things hastily is merely a waste of energy."
"Hmm, that's true," he realized. "It is more comfortable to live and eat naturally."
From that day on, he stopped reading the remaining pages and returned to practicing the basic internal energy technique of the Quanzhen Sect, as taught by his first master, with a calm mind. The detailed explanations in Wang Chongyang's manuscript were able to fill the gaps and correct the flaws in his first master's technique.
In fact, Wang Chongyang's Internal Energy Technique was a discipline that was perfectly aligned with human nature. The principle he revealed was simple. It was easy. Yet, sometimes, something that is too simple appears strange.
All the various martial artists in the jianghu dedicate time to the deliberate practice of internal energy. But in their ordinary daily activities, they are often careless and wasteful, spending time without intention.
Wang Chongyang's technique, however, was about practicing internal energy continuously while performing all daily human actions—sitting, standing, breathing, sleeping, and eating.
In this way, Little Monkey's internal energy grew like the tide day by day. He felt a powerful heat current rapidly circulating throughout his entire body. Although he had not yet become a Supreme Grand Master of Internal Energy, he was now rarely matched in the jianghu in terms of internal energy.
About a year later...
"Hmm, just sitting, standing, sleeping, and eating has become boring. I think it's time to read the Master's next page."
Little Monkey pondered and then began to read the next pages of the manuscript. The next chapter was titled "The Fundamental Principles of Swordsmanship." Little Monkey was delighted.
This was because he knew absolutely nothing about swordsmanship. However, he had wanted to study and learn it for a long time. After all, his grandfather Gongsun Yang's Wind-Following Spirit Sword was known to be peerless in the world.
Below, he found some sword forms clearly described with illustrations. There were a total of seven sword forms. In the bottom right corner, there was a small note from the Master, Wang Chongyang. The note read:
> "Here are the Seven Star Sword Forms, the basic sword forms taught to all disciples of the Quanzhen Sect."
>
Little Monkey was disappointed as he studied the sword forms. This was because the forms were extremely simple, containing no intricate twists, feints, or stratagems. The Seven Star Sword Forms were not much different from the basic forms practiced by ordinary martial arts performers.
Little Monkey angrily tossed the book away and sat down dejectedly. If he were to use this sword technique, he would only be publicly humiliated.
But then, as he sat, a thought struck him. The Master wouldn't have written this technique for nothing. I should continue reading the book. He picked the book up again.
The following pages contained no sword forms whatsoever, only a detailed exposition of the fundamental principles of swordsmanship. Huh? What am I supposed to do with these principles? What I need are the techniques! Little Monkey thought in frustration.
Finally, Little Monkey decided he would practice the forms first and then study the principles. That was the only option he had left, wasn't it?
Using a tree branch as a sword, he tried to practice the Seven Star Sword Forms. Little Monkey felt the urge to laugh. Then he burst into loud laughter. These sword forms were indeed the basic forms practiced by martial artists who were just starting to learn martial arts!
Could the seven sword forms of Wang Chongyang, a martial world leader, be so mediocre? Or was there some secret? Little Monkey couldn't figure it out. As he looked at the sword forms, he grew only more discouraged. He couldn't take them seriously. How could he establish the Quanzhen Sect with such forms? His grandfather, Gongsun Yang, would surely laugh scornfully at him.
No, that can't be right. Something is wrong. Master Wang Chongyang would not have wasted his energy writing down these mediocre forms. He must have intended for him to realize something. Little Monkey had been persistent since childhood. His intelligence was also not to be underestimated.
How could a person with half of the Gongsun Family's blood be inferior? Little Monkey sat and thought hard as he stared at the sword forms.
Time passed slowly. Little Monkey had been thinking for many hours. Gradually, he felt as if he was beginning to grasp something. Was it possible that he wrote down only the basic forms to convey that the appearance and posture of the forms were unimportant in swordsmanship?
Something that had been blocked in Little Monkey's mind felt as if it had opened up. It was like a blocked drain: when a great volume of water flowed in, the force of the water cleared away the debris.
New concepts of swordsmanship flooded into Little Monkey's mind. Because he had achieved this breakthrough understanding of the great secret of swordsmanship, it became easy for Little Monkey to comprehend the subsequent swordsmanship principles written by Wang Chongyang.
Wang Chongyang was a genius who appeared only once in an era. Little Monkey realized that the Quanzhen Sect had collapsed only because no one had understood the essence of his martial arts. He instantly understood that his seven senior brothers had focused only on the sword forms and disregarded the principles.
Then, Little Monkey calmly read the swordsmanship principles written by Wang Chongyang. As Little Monkey read the principles of swordsmanship, he felt like a forest dweller who had entered a grand palace.
How magnificent! How amazing! Everything written was a new revelation.
Concepts he had never heard of in his life left him breathless. He was stunned with wonder. He was thrilled and enchanted. Every time he grasped a new concept, he was so happy he felt like jumping for joy.
Wang Chongyang was indeed a genius who emerged only once in an era. This man's martial arts had transcended the bounds of measurement. Little Monkey deeply respected the Master's wisdom. As he read on, he understood more and more. He could say that he had grasped the principles and the essence. But that was not enough.
He still needed practical practice. Only by combining practice with theory could he reach the state of an Unrivaled Sword Emperor.
Nothing valuable in the world comes for free. A price must always be paid. The higher the value, the higher the price. To become an Unrivaled Sword Emperor, an immeasurable amount of effort and diligence would be required.
Wang Chongyang's decision to write down only the basic sword forms was not for any other reason. It had only one underlying principle:
Memorizing the fixed forms of sword techniques—whether they be basic or advanced—will never lead one to the end of the road of swordsmanship. No matter how secret or profound a sword form is, if one practices it rigidly and fights with each move individually, one will certainly be destroyed if they meet someone superior.
If all the sword forms are combined and used, it will be harder to destroy. However, as long as there are fixed forms, there is still a chance of being destroyed. This is because as long as there is a form, there is a flaw. Look at the random strikes of an ordinary farmer. Since there are no fixed forms, his attacks cannot be predicted. However, since the farmer is not a martial artist, he will surely lose to a skilled fighter.
But what if the farmer was replaced by a top martial artist? That would be vastly different. How would one predict, dodge, or destroy the attack of a top martial artist who uses no fixed forms? If there is no form, there can be no counter-form. If there is a form, there will be a counter-form. In other words, the final goal of martial arts can be said to be the absence of forms.
Martial artists in the jianghu think they have become top masters if they skillfully master the techniques of their master or sect. They become arrogant.
In reality, they are merely people who have embraced the wrong concept and are walking the wrong path. They are but frogs in a well. As long as they crave fixed forms, they will never reach the end of the road of martial arts.
What value would it be if the Seven Star Sword Forms written by Wang Chongyang were not basic forms but the most unrivaled forms in the world? As long as there is a form, a counter-form will eventually appear. This was Wang Chongyang's ultimate conclusion on swordsmanship.
Little Monkey had understood. His consciousness had opened up. The great, magnificent library of knowledge was beckoning him. Little Monkey had grasped the fundamental principles of swordsmanship and the essence that at the end of the road of swordsmanship, there are no forms. However, his understanding was only theoretical.
To build the golden palace of the Sword Emperor or the End of the Road of Swordsmanship upon the two pillars of theory and practical application, he needed to combine and practice both. Therefore, Little Monkey decided to begin practicing swordsmanship. To practice swordsmanship, he needed a good sword. A dry tree branch was not suitable for Little Monkey's practice.
With just a little bit of internal energy, the branch in his hand would shatter into pieces. A dry branch is not a sword. Especially not a sword that has tasted blood.
At the very least, he needed a real, authentic sword, even if it hadn't tasted blood. Little Monkey decided to descend the peak and go to the ruins of the Chongyang Palace. His intention was to find a sword. If there were no old swords at the Chongyang Palace, he would have to waste three days to travel to the nearest town to buy one.
Autumn had come sooner than expected. Strong winds were blowing on the mountain peak. The angry, powerful wind could not blow away the densely falling snow.
The ruins of the Chongyang Palace, now piles of bricks, were covered in white snow. Little Monkey slowly approached the Chongyang Palace.
"Hmm, I should first search the old guest hall of the Chongyang Palace. Since it was a hall, there might be old weapons displayed there."
Little Monkey thought this as he searched the area of the old Chongyang Palace guest hall, going from place to place, room to room.
In one spot, in front of a crumbling ruin, he saw two antique lion statues with severed necks. Even though the statues were broken and collapsing, they still retained a sense of grandeur and magnificence. Inside the ruin, he saw a pile of rusty swords and spears. It seemed to be the training hall of the Quanzhen disciples.
From the large pile of swords and spears, Little Monkey chose a sword to his liking. While the other weapons were rusty, this sword was bright and shiny.
The blade was a dark raven color, shining brightly, and a chilling aura emanated from it. It was a truly excellent sword. It looked like a sword that was wielded by one of the top figures of the Quanzhen Sect.
In fact, the sword Little Monkey picked up belonged to a martial artist named Sun Bu'er, one of the seven top figures of the Quanzhen Sect. She was the only swordswoman among Wang Chongyang's seven disciples. Although the sword she wielded was not a legendary sword, it was indeed a fine, excellent weapon.
Having found a sword he liked, Little Monkey did not return to the peak but went back to his small house at the foot of the mountain. He felt that his little house at the foot of the mountain was closer to nature.
A few years ago, Little Monkey was lucky enough to learn ten forms from the White Horse Fort Master's martial arts notes. The form, essence, and posture of those ten forms were not identical. However, through rigorous practice, or perhaps through obsessive practice, he was able to seamlessly combine those forms.
According to Wang Chongyang's manuscript, he had already automatically advanced from the stage of using the forms one by one to the stage of combining them.
Little Monkey only needed to advance to the stage of forgetting the forms—in other words, the stage of erasing the forms.
One day, Little Monkey accidentally saw a weasel and a snake fighting. The snake swayed its head, trying to strike the weasel in various forms, while the weasel quickly circled the snake, trying to attack it.
Watching the weasel and snake fight, he derived a new swordsmanship principle. He thought about creating a sword technique that combined the snake's movement and the weasel's speed.
About a month later, Little Monkey combined this sword technique with the Quanzhen Internal Energy Technique and invented a unique form of swordsmanship. Little Monkey simply named his swordsmanship the Snake and Weasel Sword Technique.
Although Little Monkey had not yet reached the stage of formless swordsmanship, it was still quite impressive that he had invented his own original sword technique. To reach the goal of swordsmanship, Little Monkey would have to strive hard for the rest of his life.
Beneath the great wave is the boat, beneath the great mountain is the foot. For those who have will, diligence, and perseverance, the goal is not far. All one needs to do is get back up when one falls.
All the martial arts that exist in the world are merely inventions created by humans through the study of nature. They did not descend from the pity of the gods.
The truth is, whether in martial arts or any other field, one will never reach the top if one relies on others. As long as one relies on the skills of others, one will remain inferior with a low self-esteem.
Little Monkey had realized that one should only take another's martial arts for reference when learning martial arts. When this realization combined with Wang Chongyang's swordsmanship principles, a new martial arts discipline called the Snake and Weasel Sword Technique was born.
The Snake and Weasel Sword Technique was a fresh technique in the martial world. Since it had not been tested, no one could definitively say how powerful or effective it would be. This 12-form technique would surely have flaws and weaknesses. Little Monkey would have to spend his entire life correcting and improving those flaws and weaknesses.
Time slowly passed. The three seasons of spring, summer, and winter changed repeatedly. Little Monkey had been living in this forest and on this mountain for about three years.
During the three-year period, his internal energy grew higher and higher. The power of the Thousand Fiends Vine fruit, which opened his eight main meridians, made it even easier for him to cultivate internal energy.
Due to his constant and dedicated practice of the pure and righteous internal energy technique for three years, he had achieved the internal energy that would normally require about 30 years of practice. Before long, a Supreme Grand Master of Internal Energy would emerge. This time would be the time for Little Monkey to re-enter the jianghu.
After studying the fundamental principles of swordsmanship, Little Monkey decided to continue reading Wang Chongyang's manuscript. He found that the next chapter was titled "The Fundamental Principles of Movement Technique" (Lit. Body Floating Technique) by Master Wang Chongyang. This chapter thoroughly explained the basic methods for starting the practice of movement technique, how to combine internal energy and movement technique, how to combine martial arts forms with movement technique, and the various uses of movement technique.
In the end, it was noted that the best movement technique master in the jianghu was a thief named Long Se.
Thus, another year passed. Little Monkey's progress was astonishing. His internal energy grew to a frightening level, and he was able to analyze and perfect the Snake and Weasel Sword Technique more and more.
However, Little Monkey could not train his movement technique to a top level. His two feet were short and crooked compared to ordinary people, which created a limitation in practicing the movement technique.
Nevertheless, Little Monkey could be said to have become a legitimate martial artist, having trained the three main pillars of martial arts—internal energy, swordsmanship, and movement technique—to a certain level.
Wang Chongyang's manuscript had also reached its final chapter. What kind of martial arts would be written in the final chapter?
It wouldn't be ordinary. As the saying goes, the most important things are usually written in the final pages—the last piece of luggage to carry.