Six Meridians Divine Sword

The Six Meridians Divine Sword is an elite technique associated with the Duan family of Dali, and its reputation has consequences well beyond a contest of skill. Xiao Feng watches the Duan family’s internal duel hoping to assess its power; later, his fear that its masters could threaten him helps explain why he will not postpone his revenge, while A'Zhu recognizes that the same danger could endanger him after he kills her father.

Identity and Reputation

Xiao Feng regards the Six Meridians Divine Sword as one of the Duan family’s two elite skills, alongside the Purely Yang Finger. Before the duel between Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yanqing, he sees the unusual opportunity to observe how powerful the family’s arts are. His interest is practical: he has long worried about facing these techniques, so the duel offers information relevant to his own safety and plans.

The technique’s standing is also apparent in Xiao Feng’s comparison of Duan Zhengchun with his sworn brother, Duan Yu. Watching Duan Zhengchun’s performance, Xiao Feng concludes that he cannot use the Six Meridians Divine Sword and judges him inferior to Duan Yu in that respect. The comparison makes clear that the art’s prestige rests not merely on its family association but on the ability of particular practitioners to wield it.

The Duel and Xiao Feng’s Assessment

Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yanqing fight using Duan family swordsmanship, though Duan Yanqing wields iron canes in place of a sword. Xiao Feng observes the contest closely, including the point at which their weapons lock and the struggle turns to internal strength. Duan Zhengchun’s sword bends under pressure, and Xiao Feng wonders whether he is avoiding the Six Meridians Divine Sword because he knows he cannot match his opponent with it.

Duan Zhengchun instead uses the Purely Yang Finger against Duan Yanqing’s cane. Xiao Feng initially takes this as evidence that Duan Zhengchun cannot employ the more formidable art. He continues to interpret the duel through the danger posed by the Six Meridians Divine Sword: the technique is absent from the exchange, but its possible presence governs what Xiao Feng expects and fears.

Revenge and the Cost of Delay

That fear later shapes Xiao Feng’s decision about when to seek revenge on Duan Zhengchun. A'Zhu asks him to wait a year before pursuing the matter, so that they can first go beyond Yanmen Pass together. Xiao Feng explains that delaying would require him to travel to Dali, where the Duan family has many experts; if he encountered a master of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, he might lose. He therefore treats the technique not as an abstract family distinction but as a real strategic risk.

Xiao Feng’s reasoning also exposes a conflict between vengeance and his new attachment to A'Zhu. He says that, alone, he would enter even a dangerous stronghold without concern for his life, but now he wants to care for her and spend his life with her. The prospect of facing the Duan family’s art thus bears on a change in his priorities: the danger is no longer one he weighs only against his own survival.

A'Zhu’s Sacrifice and the Technique’s Consequences

A'Zhu understands the danger that Xiao Feng has not fully reckoned with. As she lies dying, she tells him that the Duan family possesses the Six Meridians Divine Sword and would not leave him alone if he killed its South-Stabilizing Prince, Duan Zhengchun. Her warning reveals why she acted for Xiao Feng’s sake: she is trying to spare him the consequences of killing her father and provoking the family’s retaliation.

The art’s narrative significance lies in this widening chain of consequences. First, it draws Xiao Feng’s attention during the duel as a measure of the Duan family’s power. Then it makes revenge seem more dangerous if delayed until a journey to Dali. Finally, it becomes part of A'Zhu’s reason for intervening, turning the technique’s reputation into a force shaping a personal sacrifice. The Six Meridians Divine Sword matters in these scenes even when it is not used: the threat associated with its practitioners alters decisions and relationships.