Chapter 462: Shattered Jade
Chapter 462: Shattered Jade
The day before Chen Chuan embarked on his journey back to the Central City, on the 25th, under pressure from the Ferris Wheel Corporation, the Heavenly Jade Sect reluctantly handed over what was said to be the only remaining piece containing the Celestial Jade Core. The item was delivered into the hands of Jian Chengsheng.
"Celestial Jade."
Jian Chengsheng stared intently at this object.
It was a piece of pure white jade, the size of a pigeon egg, standing upright at this moment. Its outer edge was surrounded by a blue halo, and when gazed upon, it seemed like staring into an endless clear sky.
When he asked for an indestructible item, he was merely following his intuition, not knowing what the Ferris Wheel Corporation would bring back.
But upon seeing this object, he knew it was exactly what he needed.
And all of this was the essence of the blade technique taught to him by Feng He Shou: "Mind's intent, spirit knows not I." With a single slash, without deliberate searching or observation, he could find what he desired and expose the enemy's illusions.
This wasn't about taking chances but required prolonged and arduous training, day and night meditation, continuous consumption of special drugs to nurture alienated organizations, and repeated life-and-death battles to achieve a spiritual resonance between the self and the alienated organizations within the body.
However, this resonance had to be sought on the brink of life and death, not always available for use unless the next stage of "As my spirit knows" was reached. Only then could he attempt to break the boundaries.
He looked at the Celestial Jade, reaching out to caress it, feeling its hard and icy texture between his fingers.
It was said that when the first master of the Wave Pavilion, Zen Blade, came from the East, he claimed that all things in the world could be cut. So, the Celestial Jade Sect presented this piece of hard jade, hoping to make him retreat. However, Zen Blade was there to teach martial arts, and he casually drew his blade, shattering the jade. This act earned him the grant of land from the Gong Clan, and he established the Wave Pavilion on Erwen Island.
And now, Jian Chengsheng also faced this piece of hard jade.
Wasn't this some kind of metaphor?
He focused on the jade for a moment, then suddenly drew his blade from its sheath and slashed forward. But just as his blade was about to strike the jade, he abruptly stopped, a finger's distance away.
It was as if facing that phantom, even without actually striking, but he knew he couldn't cut it because his heart had already told him the outcome.
And if his heart couldn't get past it, neither could his blade.
He didn't lose heart but retreated a few steps, sat down on the training hall floor, and began deep meditation.
While he meditated, news from outside was being relayed back and forth, quickly gathering on this warship.
"According to our intelligence analysis, the two targets we need to eliminate are very likely to return to the Central City together."
Those involved in planning frowned upon hearing this news.
The two targets departing together seemed to facilitate their actions, but they didn't want that.
This was because both targets were difficult to deal with, and being together increased the complexity of the situation, especially when certain government forces got involved, adding many variables.
The leader asked, "When are they leaving?"
The intelligence officer replied, "Most likely tomorrow or the day after, at the latest, not exceeding the day after tomorrow."
The leader asked the manager beside him, "How's the preparation going for Jian Chengsheng?"
The manager immediately answered, "He just obtained the Celestial Jade. He's currently alone in the training hall, possibly preparing something."
The analyst on the other side looked at the leader and reminded him, "Leader, there's only one or two days left now. If he doesn't come out by then, we'll have to change the original plan. Should we..."
But the leader said, "Wait."
He glanced at everyone, "We need a sharp and obedient blade, not a hastily delivered dull one. That's useless and wastes our previous arrangements."
Time passed quickly, and there was no response from the training hall.
New intelligence was relayed to the conference room.
"Leader, according to the radio intelligence, the two targets have already departed from the Peripheral City half an hour ago and are now returning to the Central City."
The analyst took the report, looked at it, and handed it to the leader, saying, "It will take about six to seven hours for them to reach the Central City. Even if we set off now, land, and intercept them, omitting the necessary advance arrangements, it will still take at least four hours.
So, we only have about two hours left. If we miss them, they will enter the Central City." He looked up and said, "Leader, there's been no news from Mr. Jian Cheng for a day now. Should we ask him?"
Everyone in the conference room looked at the leader, awaiting his decision.
The leader raised his hand and looked at everyone, saying firmly, "Wait."
Inside the training hall, after each meditation session, Jian Chengsheng would stand up and try to cut the Celestial Jade with his blade. But each time, his blade would stop just before reaching the jade.
He was not in a hurry, and after his unsuccessful attempt, he sat back down to meditate, preparing for the next try.
This was not a useless attempt; instead, he honed his mental state and resonated with the Alienated Organization. With each knife strike, his state improved slightly.
However, after several attempts, he realized he was still falling short by a tiny margin. Not only did he fail to boost his state further, but there were even signs of regression.
He understood that this was like rowing against the current; without progress, he would retreat.
If he failed this time, he might carry a shadow in his heart, forever unable to take that one step he envisioned.
With this in mind, he laid the knife horizontally on his palm, slowly lifting it to his face. After a moment of staring, he sprayed the essence blood concealed within onto the blade.
The long knife slowly absorbed the essence blood, and after about ten breaths, it became as clean as new, but a subtle tremor emanated from it.
Jian Chengsheng exhaled deeply, not wiping the crimson bloodstain on his lips. Instead, he abruptly stood up, gripped the knife handle, and slashed forward with a horizontal cut.
This knife strike went smoothly, and halfway through the air, he maintained the posture of the strike. After a while, the upper part of the jade stone tilted and fell to one side, clattering onto the table.
Hearing the sound, he couldn't help but relax, feeling a sense of fatigue in his mind.
However, his eyes shone brightly, as he had grasped the essence of this knife strike.
From a material perspective, it was impossible to cut through this so-called hardest substance, but Celestial Jade contained a "divine" element. He didn't need to cut through the shape of the jade; he needed to sever the divine within it.
When the divine was broken, the shape could not persist.
In the 1619th chapter of the original novel, there is no mistake in this version!
This was what the first Hall Master, Zen Blade, meant by "Cut Intent, Not Shape."
However, he didn't believe he had reached the first Hall Master's realm, as he could only strike with such precision after a long accumulation of power. Perhaps only when he reached the level of "As My Spirit Knows" could he achieve such precision with each strike.
At this moment, he noticed a flash of light where the jade stone had been broken.
It wasn't light; it was the glow revealed from within the jade after its outer layer was broken.
He straightened up and walked towards the table. As he approached, the originally exhausted spirit seemed to be nourished and gradually recovered.
He knew this was the jade core of Celestial Jade, the abode of the "divine." Once this core was shattered, the entire Celestial Jade would be destroyed.
This core inherently had the effect of enhancing the spirit, especially after being worn down. By using it to replenish, he could stabilize his mental state.
After quietly sensing for a moment, he picked up several tiny jade core fragments and placed them in his palm. He turned the knife over, removed the locking pin at the handle, inserted the fragments, and then reinserted the pin.
After slightly rotating the knife, he adapted to the subtle changes in its weight. Then, he turned around, facing the rear, where the phantom resembling Chen Chuan reappeared.
He stared for a moment, then with a heave, stepped forward, swinging the knife swiftly and charging through the phantom's side. After a few steps, he halted.
After a while, the phantom behind him flickered and completely dissipated.
He shook the knife, then sheathed it, slowly drawing it back.
At this moment, he felt his state had reached its peak, and the jade core fragments stored in the sword could help him maintain this state.
Holding the knife, he strode towards the training hall and pushed open the main door.
Outside, the sky was gloomy, and in the distance, the waves were surging, seemingly foreshadowing an impending storm.
At the entrance, several people were waiting, including the manager. Seeing him, the manager hurriedly approached and bowed, "Mr. Jian Cheng, you're out." He looked up again, "Mr. Jian Cheng, our time is limited."
Jian Chengsheng asked, "How much time is left?"
"At most, five hours," the manager said in a low voice. "We only have five hours left."
Jian Chengsheng bowed slightly, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm ready."
The manager's expression brightened, and he immediately contacted the responsible person via the interdimensional link. Then, he said, "Mr. Jian Cheng, time is pressing. If you're ready, we should depart now."
At the same time, Chen Chuan's car was just driving out of Yangzhi City. Above him in the sky, Chao Ming was flying, following his car.
His car stopped at the last checkpoint, and he raised his hand to check his watch.
Less than ten minutes later, a whistling sound came from the sky, and after a while, he saw through the rearview mirror that a convoy was approaching from behind.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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