The Nine Swords of Dugu (simplified: 独孤九剑, traditional: 獨孤九劍, pinyin: Dúgū Jiǔ Jiàn, jyutping: duk6 gu1 gau2 gim3) was a legendary sword technique in Laughing in the Wind, created by the “Sword Demon” Dugu Qiubai. Its philosophy was that “all that has form can be broken,” and when mastered completely, it could make one invincible under heaven.
Overview
The Nine Swords consisted of nine forms, each designed to counter a specific type of weapon or attack. The technique emphasised formlessness, adaptability, and exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses rather than relying on set patterns. Feng Qingyang taught it to Linghu Chong during Linghu Chong’s confinement on the Cliff of Contemplation on Mount Hua.
Nine Sword Categories:
- General Sword Stance (总诀式): Universal principles for all weapons
- Breaking Sword Stance (破剑式): Countering sword users
- Breaking Sabre Stance (破刀式): Defeating saber techniques
- Breaking Spear Stance (破枪式): Overcoming long weapons
- Breaking Whip Stance (破鞭式): Handling flexible weapons
- Breaking Club Stance (破索式): Countering heavy blunt weapons
- Breaking Palm Stance (破掌式): Unarmed combat counters
- Breaking Projectile Stance (破箭式): Defending against projectiles
- Breaking Qi Stance (破气式): Countering neili attacks
Linghu Chong never fully mastered the Breaking Palm Form or Breaking Qi Form, but his partial mastery was sufficient to defeat most opponents. Chongxu of the Wudang Order admitted he could not think of a way to counter the technique.