Chapter 56 — A Thrust in the Dark
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 3
This old cripple had, with a few scant words, made Shen Mu erupt with terrifying potential; his attainments in swordsmanship were indeed exceedingly high. "Still not enough.
" The village head said, "Your strength is not yet fully brought out. You have put your own strength into the sword — but what of your spirit fetus?
Where is the power of your spirit fetus? Your spirit fetus must grip the sword as well.
Thrust again!
" Shen Mu steadied himself. Within the spirit treasury of his primal fetus, the spirit fetus moved in concert with his own body, fingers joined, thrusting forward! "Not good enough!
Where is the Crimson Heart Art? The Crimson Heart Art does not merely require you to forge a cinnabar heart — it requires you to plant your cinnabar heart in the sword!
Plant the sword for me! " "Still not enough — again!
Planting the cinnabar heart in the sword: that is the very crux of the Crimson Heart Art!
" "Your legs connect to the earth; they are the source of strength.
Use the leg arts the Lame Elder taught you and borrow force from the earth!
" "And your eyes? Where is the Heaven Eye the Blind Elder taught you? Let your sword grow eyes too!
" "You learned the fist from Elder Huo, forged your sinews and flesh like a dragon, and have even seen a true dragon — so why is there no dragon's vast grandeur in your sword, none of the withering sweep of Elder Huo's fist?
" . . . Shen Mu thrust again and again, and the village head's demands rose higher and higher: first merely to summon his own strength, then to summon the power of his qi, the power of his spirit fetus, and then to fuse Elder Huo's fist and the Lame Elder's legs into his swordsmanship — each harder than the last.
In but a short while he had thrust he knew not how many times, yet the village head remained dissatisfied and bade him keep practicing. Granny Zhu, the Lame Elder, and the others watched Shen Mu at his sword practice, each wearing a look of astonishment.
They saw Shen Mu ride his flying sword with qi, and at a single thrust came a short, urgent shriek; then a gale rose and blew to either side, so that even the banners of the smithy, the herb plot, and the butcher's shop snapped and streamed backward! And with every thrust, a sword scar appeared on the ground — the work of the sword wind grazing the earth! Granny Zhu found it almost unbelievable. She murmured, "In so short a time, the village head has trained Shen'er into a master of the sword. That is really too.
. .
" The village head shook his head. "I have not taught him any swordsmanship.
I have only helped him consolidate his strength, to bring together what you have all taught him. For now he has only just begun to understand the single motion of the thrust; he is still a fair distance from truly mastering it. And the most basic motions of the sword also include the chop, the upward flick, the hang, the cloud, the point, the burst, the cut, and the shear. Only when he has mastered these basic motions will he have entered the gate and be fit to learn swordsmanship. Shen'er — thrust once more at the Butcher's Knife! " Scarcely had he spoken when Shen Mu tossed up the Butcher's Knife, rode his flying sword with qi, and thrust like lightning! Clang — The keen sword met the Butcher's Knife and pierced clean through the precious blade forged of dark-iron cold-crystal, the tip emerging from the spine of the knife. Both the Butcher's Knife and the keen sword fell to the ground.
Shen Mu was stunned; he stepped forward to examine them, never having imagined he could make such progress in so brief a span.
The most basic motion of swordsmanship — the thrust — could hold such tremendous power!
"Hold! " The young patriarch opposite raised his hand in haste.
A wooden stick drifted over from the woods; the young patriarch extended a finger and pared at it, and in the blink of an eye had whittled it into a wooden sword three feet long, which he handed to Shen Mu. "Go meet him with this sword.