Chapter 124: The Sword Art of Elder Ape

"What is the Sword Manual of the Ape Sage?" Zhou Qian asked, puzzled.

"It is the set of forty-nine sword-handling techniques created by my ancestor. When he was alive, he often taught us, but after his passing, I, an old ape, was incompetent and failed to learn the complete set. I never imagined the full manuscript would be here. Truly, the ancestors have blessed us! The ancestors have blessed us!" the old white ape exclaimed with excitement.

"An old monkey can create a sword technique? This old monkey is quite impressive!" Lu Xiaoxian tilted her little head, asking curiously.

"The ancestor was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. Within a hundred years of his birth, he refined his bones. Afterward, he traveled over mountains and across rivers, seeking immortality and the Way. Despite suffering through countless hardships, the sects of the immortal path refused to teach him because he was a Lingming stone ape, not belonging to the ten categories of beings and lacking status in the mortal realm. Filled with sorrow and indignation, the ancestor resolved to steal the sword techniques of various sects, painstakingly studying their flaws and refining them into perfection. It took three hundred years, but he finally created this sword technique, which he named the Ape Sage Sword Manual."

"Apes have spiritual nature—that is truly no lie! No wonder I could never defeat you in our sword duels," Zhou Qian sighed with emotion.

"So, if this old monkey's sword manual can counter the sword techniques of every sect in the world, doesn't that make it invincible?"

"Not necessarily," the old ape said, lowering his head to explain to Lu Xiaoxian. "Though the ancestor was brilliant, the masters of the various immortal sword sects were no pushovers. He could only counter their forms, not break their essence. Furthermore, although the ancestor could absorb the essence of the sun and moon, he did not understand the methods of cultivation. Thus, the sword manual lacks supernatural powers. These are the two great flaws of the Ape Sage Sword Manual."

"That was merely a limitation of perspective; it cannot be blamed on the Elder Ape Sage. Even so, being able to counter the sword techniques of the world is a rare and formidable feat." For some reason, Zhou Qian suddenly thought of his master, Zhou Xun; perhaps there were some similarities between this man and this monkey.

"Elder Ape, may I study this Ape Sage Sword Manual?" Zhou Qian asked suddenly.

"Immortal Zhou, your Qingcheng Sword Manual is mysterious and profound, supplemented by immortal heart-cultivation methods and various mystical powers. Why would you want to learn my ancestor's unorthodox sword techniques?" The old white ape was stunned.

"I simply wish to witness the true power of your ancestor's sword art. May I? If not, that is perfectly fine."

"Naturally, you may. If the ancestor knew that a disciple from a renowned sect wished to study his sword art, he would surely be deeply gratified."

"Then thank you, Elder Ape!"

The two, accompanied by the monkey, continued forward and soon encountered another stone monkey statue, holding a sword and clenching a fist, looking majestic and imposing.

"This is the statue of the ancestor. I must pay my respects!"

"I shall do the same," Zhou Qian said hastily.

The man and the monkey bowed and offered silent prayers with great solemnity. With a few thuds, the stone monkey split in the middle, revealing an immortal sword plunged into the ground, a golden inner elixir the size of a bowl, and a large gourd.

"Oh? There are treasures!" Lu Xiaoxian craned her neck to look.

On the wall, there were several crooked, scribbled lines of text: "Old Ape is about to kick the bucket. I have three treasures in my life: first is the immortal sword Baizhi, carved from ten-thousand-year-old cassia wood; second is the essence of a thousand-year golden elixir; third is a large gourd of Monkey Wine. It is extremely difficult to brew, yet far too easy to drink; the wine demon is at work, and I cannot guarantee if I will have finished it before I die. I intended to leave these three treasures to my monkey descendants, but since there are both virtuous and wayward descendants, I have designed this trial. If one has the heart, they shall obtain them. If a stranger obtains them, for the sake of these treasures, perhaps you could look after my mountain ape clan. When I reach the underworld, I will certainly put in a good word for you."

"Though I, the old ape, had no fate with the Dao, I have lived freely and unrestrained, no less than an immortal—"

"The ancestor was always the most magnanimous and unrestrained, full of laughter and mockery. I never expected him to have such foresight even after death," the old white ape said with a bitter smile and a shake of his head.

***

True to the Ape Sage's words, the immortal sword and the golden elixir were intact, but only a small portion of the Monkey Wine remained—he had been quite self-aware.

"Since Immortal Zhou joined me in paying respects to the ancestor, these treasures should naturally be shared. How about I take the golden elixir, and you take the Baizhi sword and the Monkey Wine?" the old white ape offered generously.

Zhou Qian refused. What was the point of doing a favor and expecting a reward? Even humans would disdain such a thing, let alone an immortal. However, the old white ape was simple and insisted, so Zhou Qian said helplessly: "Elder Ape, if you take the Baizhi sword, your original wooden staff sword will be of no use. Why not give it to me? My bamboo sword was broken by that big black ape and has lost all its spiritual energy."

The old white ape thought for a moment and agreed, saying, "Then this Monkey Wine shall also be gifted to you, Immortal Zhou. Although I cannot brew this wine as well as the ancestor, I have no shortage of it."

Zhou Qian nodded, but Lu Xiaoxian snatched the wine gourd away, laughing, "I haven't tasted wine before! I'll test it for you, Senior Brother, to see if it's poisonous!"

She removed the stopper; the liquid was clear green and fragrant, detectable within a hundred paces. Lu Xiaoxian sniffed with her little nose and nodded in satisfaction. Not knowing her limits, she took a long gulp, her cheeks bulging. After a while, she swallowed and praised, "So sweet, so good!" Immediately, her face turned bright red, her steps staggered, and she stammered, "Eh? Why do you have three heads, Senior Brother?" Before long, she collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.

"Monkey Wine has a potent kick. It seems this little immortal will have to sleep for three days and three nights," the old white ape said, shaking his head.

After settling his little junior sister, Zhou Qian took the wooden staff. The core of this sword was a thousand-year-old willow wood; after the white ape's crude refining, it still possessed impressive power, likely due to the quality of the immortal willow material.

Zhou Qian followed the refining incantations passed down by the old ape, barely managing to exhale a breath of azure energy to cleanse it with the Qingyun heart-cultivation method. On the other side, the old ape was also refining the Baizhi sword.

The methods of the immortal path are infinite, but there are only three ways to command a flying sword that already has an owner: first, to know its specific refining incantation; second, to share a bloodline or source of magic power; and third, for the artifact to become sentient and choose its master. Forcibly erasing the previous owner's consciousness would surely damage the artifact's spirit, causing more loss than gain. There are also treasures like Heavenly Wonder Water or Nine-Heaven Divine Sand that can cleanse artifacts, but such divine items are rare, even more precious than the artifacts themselves.

The man and the monkey spent a day and a night in hard labor, finally finishing the refinement of the two flying swords. After consuming the golden elixir, the old white ape appeared even more radiant, his fur growing thicker, looking quite extraordinary.

"Little Immortal Zhou, shall we go pick the Jade Fruit next?"

"But my little junior sister is still fast asleep. How should we arrange for her?" Zhou Qian asked, worried.

"Only I, the old ape, know of this secret passage. Immortal Lu will be very safe here."

The old white ape was incapable of lying, so Zhou Qian felt slightly relieved. Leaving a note on the ground, the man and the monkey walked deeper into the cave. The passage went from wide to narrow, leading from below to above. Finally, they had to use both hands and feet to climb, eventually reaching a secret door. The old white ape bit his finger until it bled and dripped blood onto it. With a 'pop,' the stone door quietly opened.

Pushing the stone door open slightly, they saw it was covered in vines. Zhou Qian peeked through the gap and saw a cave a hundred paces to the left. Two ape demons with long arms were patrolling back and forth, and on the cliff face in front of the cave grew a plant with green branches and red leaves, adorned with strange fruits. Their shape was like emerald jade, with a glassy luster and transparency; without a doubt, they were the Jade Fruits.

But with the ape demons guarding them, how were they to pick them?

Suddenly, Zhou Qian's eyes lit up. He whispered a few words into the old white ape's ear. The thunder-god-faced ape first appeared troubled, then thought for a moment and replied with a few sounds, reluctantly agreeing. He quietly crawled down from the vines...

Before long, a large black-haired ape walked over from the other side of the cliff, drawing the attention of the two patrolling long-armed apes. The ape was a bit far away, making it difficult to see its features clearly, but judging by the color of its fur, it should be of their own kind.

The ape first swayed its waist, then wiggled its hips, jumping and screeching, shaking its rear in a display of bizarre behavior that immediately caught the attention of the two monkeys. They split their thunder-god mouths, roaring and mocking, completely unaware that a streak of white sword light was moving under the cover of the vines, quietly reaching the green vines where the Jade Fruits grew. It plucked four or five fruits and flew back. After three or four trips, Zhou Qian was finally satisfied. He closed the stone door and hurried back. A while later, the black ape also vanished.

Two or three hours later, Zhou Qian and the old white ape met again at the stone monkey statue. The only difference was that the old white ape was covered in black fur—he had become an old black ape.

***

"Little Immortal Zhou, you have made me suffer. I have read some poetry and books and know something of propriety, justice, integrity, and shame. This act has left me with no face at all..." the old white ape complained with a miserable face.

It turned out that Zhou Qian had first asked if there were any fruit juices or tree saps in the forest that could dye fur black. The old white ape replied that there was a fruit called the "black fruit," whose juice was black, sticky, and hard to wash off. Thus, he came up with this plan: let the ape attract the attention of the two guards while he used his flying sword to pick the fruits.

"Haha, books also record that benevolent people and men of high ideals should bestow kindness and righteousness, disregarding their own bodies, let alone their faces! Elder Ape, you truly possess the spirit of an ancient gentleman!" Zhou Qian said, half-teasing and half-comforting.

Zhou Qian carefully observed the translucent, emerald-green immortal fruit and asked, "How should this fruit be consumed?"

"The Qingcheng immortals who came to pick the fruit in the past said that three is the optimal amount; any more would have no effect. Why don't you wait until you return to the immortal sect to consume them, Immortal Zhou? Having an elder to protect you would be safer."

Zhou Qian shook his head; he had his own plans. He swallowed one Jade Fruit and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes. Immediately, the juice turned into a warm current sliding down his throat, and he quickly guided it to circulate along the path of his first-level heart-cultivation method.

Back when he was refining the willow sword, Zhou Qian had already felt his innate Taiqing immortal energy increase by a fraction, faintly reaching the threshold of a breakthrough. Even without this Jade Fruit, he would have been confident in reaching the second level after a period of quiet cultivation. This second level was called 'Sealing the Essence,' where the Taiqing immortal energy begins from the lower Dantian, moves up the Governing Vessel, down the Conception Vessel, passes through the three barriers of the Tail, the Spinal Column, and the Jade Pillow, travels through the upper, middle, and lower Dantians, and the upper and lower Magpie Bridges. With the Dantian as the axis, the Yang fire rises, the Yin symbol descends, water and fire harmonize, and the Ziwu small heavenly cycle is completed.

After consuming three immortal fruits in succession, his immortal energy surged, breaking through the three barriers. His head and tail intersected, and suddenly his Qihai acupuncture point opened. His mind cleared, and the innate Taiqing energy flowed slowly along the small heavenly cycle, circulating endlessly. This second barrier was now complete!

Not to mention the growth of his internal Taiqing energy, the other benefits alone were sufficient: first, the internal energy cycle would naturally generate strands of magic power, so it would not only be spent without replenishment, requiring constant cultivation to recover; second, with the essence sealed, the acquired transforms into the innate, freeing him from the afflictions of a hundred illnesses and increasing his lifespan. In Taoist terms, he had refined the 'Small Returning Elixir.' The outer elixir seals the blood and sweat, while the inner elixir holds the essence, spirit, and marrow. Only then does the body truly become a unity of spirit and form, reaching the state of 'Seeing the Divine and Not Breaking.'

Opening his eyes, he spread his hand, and wisps of azure energy emerged, manifesting outside his body, laying the foundation for practicing spells in the future.

"Congratulations to Immortal Zhou on your breakthrough in the Dao!" The old white ape smiled and bowed.

"Elder Ape, after consuming the Ape Sage's golden elixir, aren't you even a step ahead?"

"Stinky junior brother, I have been waiting for you for seven days and seven nights!" Lu Xiaoxian said, pouting.

It had been that long? Zhou Qian was surprised. Truly, in the cultivation of the Dao, time passes unnoticed.

"Little Junior Sister, let me ask you: if there is a task to be done, if you let others do it, it is naturally foolproof, but if you do it yourself, there are various dangers, yet it is tremendously satisfying—which would you choose?" he asked suddenly.

"Naturally the second one!" She was stunned for a moment, then answered without hesitation.

Zhou Qian smiled and said, "Given our current strength, perhaps we can plan to deal with the Red-Haired King!"

"Little Junior Brother is the best!"