Chapter 113: Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade, Dividing True Qi

Chapter 113: Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade, Dividing True Qi

Li Xuan looked at his second disciple, Meng Chong, with anticipation in his eyes. He hoped that Meng Chong would be able to comprehend a powerful method of nurturing his blade, nourishing it with his mind and the soul of the blade itself.

He wanted his disciple to develop a killer move, a powerful trump card.

Standing beside them, Xu Yan also fell into deep thought. Although his master was speaking about nurturing a blade and nourishing it with one's mind, Xu Yan himself practiced the way of the sword. Nonetheless, he found parallels and began to form his own ideas.

"Give yourself a killer move, a trump card," Li Xuan said slowly. "One that you do not use unless absolutely necessary. This killer move, this trump card, should be able to surpass your own strength when deployed."

"A true martial artist must always have a trump card!" Li Xuan continued. "Only something that surpasses your own strength can be considered a true trump card, capable of turning crises into opportunities."

"Your desire to nurture your blade and develop a deadly technique is commendable," Li Xuan praised.

Both Xu Yan and Meng Chong straightened up, feeling the weight of their master's words as he imparted valuable martial arts experience that they knew they must commit to memory.

"A martial artist must always have a trump card!" Meng Chong thought back to his battle with Xu Lingzi. If he hadn't successfully nurtured his blade, how could he have turned the tables and slain his opponent? That blade could indeed be considered his trump card!

"You have already entered the path of the blade," Li Xuan said solemnly. "Today, I shall impart to you the second state of the Way of the Blade."

"The second state of the Sword Path is the Heart Sword State, where everything becomes a sword," Li Xuan explained. "As for the blade, the second state is the Hidden Blade State!"

Hidden Blade State! Meng Chong listened respectfully, but his face showed confusion.

The second state of the Sword Path was the Heart Sword State, where the sword existed within the heart, and everything could become a sword.

Why, then, was the second state of the Blade Path the Hidden Blade State?

"In the Hidden Blade State," Li Xuan said in a deep voice, "the blade is hidden within the heavens and the earth, where there is no place without a blade. And within the blade, the heavens and the earth are concealed, where only the blade stands alone!"

Meng Chong's heart trembled as he murmured, "The blade is hidden within the heavens and the earth, where there is no place without a blade. And within the blade, the heavens and the earth are concealed, where only the blade stands alone..."

He sensed an overwhelming aura of dominance over heaven and earth from those words.

Where in the world is there no blade?!

"You must understand the essence of this state," Li Xuan said gravely. "To hide is not merely to conceal, but also to hide the blade within your heart, within the heavens and the earth, and to contain the heavens and the earth within the blade.

"Once you understand this, where in the vastness of heaven and earth can you not go? Where will you not find a blade to wield?"

Meng Chong's heart shook, and he felt that it was all too profound.

When would he be able to comprehend the second state of the Blade Path?

From his current state, it seemed too distant.

"Disciple will keep this in mind, Master!" Meng Chong replied respectfully.

Xu Yan, too, sank into contemplation. Hiding the blade within the heavens and the earth? It seemed to have a similar essence to the Sword Path's concept of everything becoming a sword.

"Can I also hide my sword within the heavens and the earth?" Xu Yan wondered.

Li Xuan glanced at his first disciple. "The Sword Path is a path, and so is the Blade Path. Meditate on it, and you will surely gain enlightenment."

This statement was directed at Xu Yan, who, with his exceptional talent and powerful imagination, might be able to derive something new.

"Yes, Master!" Both Xu Yan and Meng Chong replied respectfully.

Li Xuan raised his hand, and the serrated blade flew into his grasp.

"The second state of the Blade Path is far beyond your current reach," Li Xuan said. "However, I shall teach you a blade technique today. Your blade intent is overwhelmingly dominant, so I shall impart to you the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade!"

Meng Chong was thrilled.

Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade!

"Watch closely!"

Li Xuan gripped the serrated blade, his true qi flowing as he gathered his perfected Dominating Blade Intent. With a lift of his hand, he slashed out, the blade light slicing across the sky as if tearing apart the heavens and the earth.

One blade to dominate heaven and earth.

To give his disciple room for enlightenment, Li Xuan executed this move with his full strength, infusing his perfected Dominating Blade Intent with a hint of ruthless sword intent capable of toppling mountains and rivers.

With his strength far surpassing that of Meng Chong and Xu Yan, this move naturally exuded unmatched dominance and left the two disciples shaken.

After the demonstration, Li Xuan thrust the blade into the ground.

"This move was executed with strength comparable to yours, Meng Chong," Li Xuan emphasized. "This is the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade, a blade that dominates heaven and earth!"

Meng Chong was deeply shaken.

Such a terrifying move, performed with strength similar to his own?!

The Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade was indeed incredibly powerful.

The aura of dominance over heaven and earth had already been imprinted deep into his mind. Under the might of that blade, Meng Chong felt insignificant.

"Yes, Master. I will meditate on this diligently!" Meng Chong replied.

Li Xuan, with his hands behind his back and a casual gait, began to walk away. "Mmm. Meditate well."

Xu Yan watched his master depart, marveling at his state of being. "Master's realm is too high. His every action is effortless and graceful, imbued with the wondrous principles of the grand dao.

"Watching Master walk away, so carefree and unfettered, I feel the essence of great freedom. When will I be able to attain such a state?"

After imparting the second state of the Blade Path to Meng Chong, Li Xuan began to contemplate the realms beyond the Insightful State. He considered how to fabricate the cultivation theories for those higher realms and connect them to the Insightful State.

Meng Chong practiced the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade but had not yet gained much enlightenment.

Xu Yan, on the other hand, returned to Donghe County and Qi Country's capital city with the Qi and Blood Pills refined by Su Lingxiu.

Li Xuan knew that with his family's entry into the martial path, their safety was now assured. Xu Yan couldn't wait to venture into the Inner Domain.

Su Lingxiu continued her cultivation and pill refining, working on tempering her Golden Bones, which were not far from perfection.

In addition to pill refining and cultivation, she also delved deeper into the Dao of Alchemy and began to explore the Golden Needle Technique, expanding her knowledge based on the Alchemy Compendium.

"I've finally succeeded!" Su Lingxiu exclaimed with excitement one day. She had finally refined the Evergreen Pill, a pill of her own creation. With this pill, she felt much more confident about tempering her Evergreen Bones.

Li Xuan's mood improved as well. If Su Lingxiu succeeded in tempering her Evergreen Bones, he would also benefit greatly. What kind of transformation would he undergo with the combination of Jade Bones, Diamond-Glass Bones, and Evergreen Bones? They would definitely be stronger than his current innate spirit bones!

On a hillside, Meng Chong gripped his precious blade and slashed out again and again, his mind filled with the image of his master executing the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade, exuding that overwhelming aura of dominance.

Between heaven and earth, there stood only that solitary, domineering figure, and that single blade seemed to rip apart the sky!

"The Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade relies on the aura of dominating heaven and earth, of looking down on all beneath the heavens," Meng Chong mused. "My blade intent is indeed overwhelmingly domineering, but compared to Master's move, it falls far short. I lack that aura of looking down on all creation, of standing alone amidst heaven and earth."

"Senior Brother said that Master's every action is in harmony with the grand dao, containing profound truths," Meng Chong continued. "I must observe and meditate more."

The image of his master appeared in his mind, walking with carefree ease and unfettered grace. Yet, on that day, when Master had unleashed his move, his dominance had been absolute, as if heaven and earth belonged solely to that single blade.

From unfettered grace to overwhelming dominance, from humble submission to ruling over all—such control and freedom of action were truly in line with the grand dao. No wonder Senior Brother said that Master was already close to the existence of the grand dao itself.

Meng Chong closed his eyes, and in that moment, his blade soul became clearer. The image of that blade gradually became sharper in his mind.

Clang!

Meng Chong opened his eyes, drew his blade, and slashed out. An unmatched blade light pierced through the air, as if to tear the firmament itself!

Slash after slash, Meng Chong was immersed in his enlightenment. At that moment, the blade light swept across the four directions, and an overwhelmingly dominant blade intent gradually merged into the light.

At a certain moment, Meng Chong slashed out with a strike, and the heavens and earth seemed to pale in comparison.

The might of this strike was no weaker than when his blade soul awakened. This strike surged forward relentlessly, overwhelmingly dominant!

Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade!

"I've entered the initial stage of the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade!"

Meng Chong was overjoyed. At this moment, his understanding of the blade had reached an extremely high level.

"The next thing I need to do is to be able to release and recall my blade at will, with ease and freedom. Every strike should be a dominating one, and that's the state a true martial artist should possess."

"The foundation of the second state of the Blade Path should also lie in this. Only by achieving this level of control can I further comprehend the Hidden Blade State."

After comprehending the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade, Meng Chong's strength had increased significantly.

He continued to cultivate the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade on the hillside.

As Li Xuan was pondering how to fabricate cultivation theories for the realms above the Insightful State and connect them to the current state, he suddenly saw a flash of golden light.

"Your disciple, Meng Chong, has successfully cultivated the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade you taught him. Your Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade has reached perfection!"

Li Xuan was delighted. Meng Chong had comprehended it so quickly.

"This Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade is truly overwhelming."

Li Xuan had relied on his strength, far surpassing Meng Chong's, to slash out that overwhelmingly dominant strike, but he had not truly understood the essence of the Heaven and Earth Dominating Blade.

It was Meng Chong who had truly grasped its essence.

If Li Xuan were to use that strike now, its power would be almost ten times stronger than the demonstration he had given.

...

In Donghe County, within the residence of the Xu family.

Xu Yan was having a meal with his parents. Although after breaking through to the Precelestial State, he only needed to absorb the celestial qi to maintain his peak condition and didn't need to eat.

However, this meal was different. It was a warm family moment, and he hadn't had a meal with his parents since he started cultivating the martial path.

Moreover, he would be leaving for the Inner Domain soon.

"Yan'er, don't worry. With the pills you gave me, I'll be able to enter the martial path soon."

Seeing that her son was a little distracted, Xu Yan's mother thought that he was worried about her cultivation, so she comforted him.

"Mother, I might be leaving for a while."

Xu Yan looked up and said to his mother.

Ever since he was little, although he had often gone out in search of masters, he hadn't stayed away from home for too long, except for the period when he cultivated in the small mountain village.

This time, he would be going to the Inner Domain, and it would probably be half a year or more before he returned.

"Yan'er, you're all grown up now, and you're already a powerful martial artist. Just be careful out there, and there's no need to worry about the family. Your father is also a martial artist, and we have Pan Lao and the guards here. Nothing will go wrong."

A father knows his son best, and Xu Junhe immediately understood that his son wanted to venture out and make his mark.

Xu Yan's mother's eyes turned red, and she got up to return to her bedroom, bringing out a package.

"These are clothes I sewed for you. Be careful out there, and don't lose your vigilance just because you have strength..."

Xu Yan's mother babbled on.

Holding the package in his hands and listening to his mother's nagging, Xu Yan waited for her to finish before saying, "Mother, don't worry. My strength is much stronger than an ordinary Grandmaster. There won't be any danger.

"Moreover, Xie Lingfeng is quite famous in the Inner Domain. If I encounter any trouble, I can just mention his name."

Xie Lingfeng had said that no matter what happened in the Inner Domain, he could always rely on his name!

Xu Yan kept that in mind.

"Mother, this time I go to the Inner Domain, I will definitely buy spirit medicine to refine Rejuvenation Pills and many other cultivation pills. Mother, you can also break through to the Precelestial State and maintain your youthful appearance."

Xu Yan's mother showed a doting expression, "Mother believes in you, wait for you to come back!"

"Mother, don't worry."

Xu Yan assured her, patting his chest.

After the meal, Xu Yan and Xu Junhe strolled in the garden of the Xu family mansion, neither of them speaking for a while.

"Ever since you were little, you've been obsessed with martial arts novels and seeking masters everywhere. Everyone said that I, Xu Junhe, had a foolish son. I used to think that I would accumulate some wealth for you, find you a good wife, and let you live a life of luxury and honor.

"Who would have thought that there really are masters in this world, and my son has become a powerful martial artist. Even I, your father, have entered the martial path."

Xu Junhe sighed with emotion, breaking the silence.

"Father, I know your concerns. My heart is set on the martial path, and I assure you, there's no need to worry about the family. The borderlands are safe, and Qi Country won't fall into chaos. Almost all the guards in the family have entered the martial path as well.

"They are all loyal and devoted people, so you don't have to worry."

Xu Junhe stopped walking and looked at Xu Yan with a solemn expression. "Your maternal grandfather is in the capital, and he holds a high position. Your cousins will naturally become arrogant and forget themselves.

"If you teach them the martial arts, I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before it leaks out. Are you prepared for that? Will your master blame you?"

Xu Yan was taken aback. The possibility of the martial arts leaking out was indeed significant. His cousins would become arrogant, and his uncle, Guo Yunkai, who controlled the Divine Might Army, would naturally cultivate his own confidants.

Teaching his confidants the martial arts.

With more people cultivating, it would only be natural for it to leak out eventually.

"Father, don't worry. If the Precelestial State cultivation method leaks out, then so be it."

Xu Yan dismissed the concern.

When his master agreed to teach him the cultivation method to pass on to his family, he probably already knew that there would be a day when it would leak out.

"Perhaps, Master also has the intention of spreading the martial path to the borderlands?"

Xu Yan thought to himself.

"Father, I'll teach you a sword technique tomorrow. Although you can't enter the Sword Path, cultivating a martial sword technique will still greatly increase your strength."

Xu Yan spoke up.

Before he left, he wanted to enhance the strength of his family.

"Good!"

Xu Junhe nodded and took a step forward, saying, "Yan'er, go to bed early."

Xu Yan returned to his residence and sat cross-legged on the bed. A stream of true qi appeared on his finger, followed by another. He began to divide the true qi, comprehending its mysteries.

"I can already divide a single stream of true qi into three parts. If I continue to divide it further, until each stream is as thin as a needle, my understanding and control of true qi will greatly improve.

"Moreover, as I divide the true qi, it becomes more condensed and purer, and my strength increases."

Xu Yan was in the process of dividing his true qi. A single stream of true qi was about as thick as his finger.

As he divided it, the true qi became more scattered, but now, even after dividing it, the true qi remained as dense as before, and it even became slightly stronger.

He knew that his idea was correct. Once he finished dividing the true qi and comprehended its mysteries, he would also be able to comprehend the transformation of true qi into true yuan in the Insightful State.

Xu Yan was about to go to the Inner Domain, and a new chapter of the story was about to unfold.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end