Chapter 79: Xu Yan Breaks Through, Meng Chong Enters the Martial Way

Chapter 79: Xu Yan Breaks Through, Meng Chong Enters the Martial Way

Li Xuan stood up, his expression solemn as he said, "Disciple, a clear sword heart is merely the foundation of the sword path. You still have a long way to go, for the path of the sword is endless, and you must never become arrogant!"

Xu Yan's expression turned serious as he took a deep breath and replied respectfully, "Yes, Master. I will calm my heart and be steadfast on the path of the sword, resolutely moving forward."

"Good!"

Li Xuan nodded, a look of relief on his face. "Now that you have achieved a clear sword heart and entered the door of the sword path, I will point you toward the right direction from now on."

Xu Yan listened intently, his heart pounding with excitement.

"The second state of the sword path is the Heart Sword Realm.

'My heart holds a sword, and all things in heaven and earth can become my sword.

'When I encounter a mountain, the mountain becomes my sword. When I encounter rivers and lakes, they too become my sword... Even a blade of grass or a tree can be my sword.

'Mountains have their own sword momentum, and water has its own sword momentum... All things in heaven and earth can be the sword of my heart...'

The second state of the sword path is the Heart Sword Realm! Xu Yan's heart raced as he contemplated the idea that all things in heaven and earth could become swords.

Even mountains could be his sword, and so could rivers!

It was truly too profound. At that moment, he felt his own insignificance.

The Heart Sword Realm!

It seemed so distant and out of reach.

What kind of sword path state was that?

In his mind, he couldn't help but imagine raising his hand, causing a mountain to transform into a sword and surging forward to annihilate his enemies.

"Disciple, to break through to the Heart Sword Realm, you must first comprehend the sword intent," Li Xuan said with a slight smile, looking at Xu Yan, whose face was flushed with excitement and eyes burning with fervor.

It sounded very mystical, didn't it?

As expected, the more mystical it sounded, the more motivated Xu Yan became. He would never doubt whether such mystical things were real or achievable.

Instead, he would be spurred on like a shot of adrenaline, striving toward that goal.

What an excellent disciple! Li Xuan marveled. Taking Xu Yan as his disciple had been the best decision he'd made in his two lifetimes.

"Yes, Master!" Xu Yan nodded respectfully.

Sword intent!

To comprehend sword intent!

"All things in heaven and earth can help you comprehend sword intent, but you must remember that when it comes to comprehending a state, obsession is the biggest hindrance. If you become too obsessed, you will end up trapped and unable to grasp the true meaning.

"Moreover, do not blindly seek to comprehend sword intent at the expense of neglecting your own cultivation.

"Now that you have a clear sword heart, comprehending sword intent is only a matter of time. Perhaps one day, while cultivating the Dragon Subduing Palm, you will suddenly understand it.

"Sword intent is not something that can only be comprehended through the practice of the sword path."

Li Xuan imparted his wisdom earnestly.

He couldn't let his disciple neglect the cultivation of the Dragon Subduing Palm in favor of the sword path.

After all, the true path for Xu Yan was to excel in both sword and palm.

"If you understand the intent of the Dragon Subduing Palm, you can draw parallels and understand sword intent as well. Conversely, if you understand sword intent, you should also be able to understand the intent of the Dragon Subduing Palm.

"How much you can understand depends on you, my disciple."

Li Xuan pondered that it was about time for Xu Yan to try and comprehend the palm intent of the Dragon Subduing Palm.

If he truly grasped it, his strength would surely soar.

"Master, I understand!" Xu Yan said respectfully.

"Good, then continue your cultivation," Li Xuan said as he sat back down.

There was no need to rush teaching Xu Yan about the sword path states beyond the Heart Sword Realm. It would be better to wait until he had fully comprehended the Heart Sword Realm before imparting more knowledge.

Otherwise, giving him too much information at once might hinder his comprehension, which would be a misstep.

It was better to be steady and take one step at a time.

"Yes, Master!" Xu Yan nodded.

Li Xuan glanced at Meng Chong and said, "Your junior brother has encountered a bottleneck. Spar with him to stimulate his qi and blood, and help him break through this obstacle!"

Xu Yan was taken aback and turned to look at Meng Chong, instantly understanding what his master meant.

When he had broken through the golden bone bottleneck and successfully refined his bone into a jade bone, it was with the help of the Fire-Maned Wolf.

His junior brother, Meng Chong, cultivated the physical martial arts, and was stuck at the peak of the golden bone stage, unable to further refine his bones into the Vajra Diamond Bone.

He needed external force to temper his physical body, stimulate his qi and blood, and break through this bottleneck.

"Yes, Master!" Xu Yan nodded in agreement.

Meng Chong's cultivation focused on the physical martial arts, and the best way for him to break free from his shackles was through external force. Not only would it push him to his limits, but it would also stimulate his potential and help him break through the bottleneck.

The method was actually quite simple.

Of course, it also depended on one's aptitude. If one's aptitude was lacking, no amount of tempering or pushing would help, and it would only end up harming one's foundation instead of breaking through the bottleneck.

Clearly, Meng Chong had excellent physical aptitude, so there was no worry of him damaging his foundation.

He would only stimulate his potential through this tempering and break through the bottleneck, refining his bone into the Vajra Diamond Bone.

Meng Chong had broken through the copper bone bottleneck back then due to the stimulation of Blood Heartless' cold internal energy, which had triggered his potential and caused his qi and blood to boil, resulting in him breaking through.

The two of them left Yunchuan County and headed into the wilderness outside the city to begin their practice session.

Although it was called a spar, the real purpose was to temper Meng Chong's physical body, stimulate his potential, and help him break through his current bottleneck.

In the mountains outside Yunchuan County, the sound of rumbling filled the air.

Xu Yan's qi and blood surged as he unleashed a series of palm strikes, each one sending scorching hot waves crashing into Meng Chong's body.

Meng Chong channeled the Great Sun Golden Bell Cloak, his body becoming as resilient as a bell, vibrating with a deep hum as his muscles trembled under the relentless bombardment.

"It's not enough! Make it stronger!" Meng Chong urged, his muscles rippling.

"Alright!" Xu Yan's eyebrows furrowed as he admired his junior brother's resilient physique, a true testament to his dedication to the path of physical martial arts.

A loud boom reverberated as Xu Yan increased the intensity, engulfing Meng Chong in a torrent of qi and blood.

After enduring this for half an hour, Meng Chong could no longer hold on. He panted heavily, his skin flushed and muscles quivering as his bones emitted a faint rattling sound.

Tempering one's physical body and forcing a breakthrough was not something that could be achieved in just a day or two.

"Junior brother, that's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow," Xu Yan said as he withdrew his palms.

"Thank you, senior brother!" Meng Chong replied gratefully.

The two returned to the courtyard, and Li Xuan, who had been observing, nodded in satisfaction.

Although Meng Chong had not yet broken through his bottleneck and entered the Tempering Vajra Diamond Bone stage, there was a noticeable improvement. The bottleneck seemed to have loosened slightly.

Over the next few days, Meng Chong continued to temper his body under Xu Yan's relentless qi and blood attacks, but he always fell just short of breaking through.

Li Xuan contemplated the situation and realized that while this method would eventually lead to a breakthrough, it would take a considerable amount of time.

After another session of tempering, Meng Chong's bottleneck had loosened further, but he still needed a final push to completely shatter it. A little stimulation was required.

Li Xuan took out a Spirit Crystal and, recalling the techniques from the Blood Devil Sutra on absorbing essence and blood, he made some adjustments and began to absorb the spiritual energy from the crystal with his true qi.

This was not a difficult task for Li Xuan at his current level.

With his strength, it was well within his capabilities.

He extracted a wisp of spiritual energy from the crystal and, with a flick of his finger, sent it surging into Meng Chong's body.

A sizzling sound filled the air as Meng Chong's qi and blood began to boil, as if stimulated and supplemented at the same time. A thunderous rumble echoed within his body.

Meng Chong's eyes lit up with joy.

He quickly channeled his qi and blood, beginning to cultivate the Great Sun Golden Bell Cloak once more.

A dull thump resounded within his body as the bottleneck shattered, and his qi and blood began to temper his bones once more.

A faint lustrous light appeared on the golden bones, a sign of the Vajra Diamond Bone.

"Thank you, Master!" Meng Chong exclaimed, his voice filled with gratitude as he bowed.

"Cultivate diligently and strive to enter the next realm soon," Li Xuan nodded.

He put away the Spirit Crystal, cherishing the two crystals he had. At his current stage, they were precious resources.

If Xu Yan were to break through to the Innate Realm and encounter any bottlenecks, these crystals could provide the boost he needed to speed up his progress.

The faster his disciples progressed, the faster he could strengthen himself as well.

"Yes, Master!" Meng Chong nodded excitedly.

"Junior brother, once you've entered the next realm, let's spar again," Xu Yan said eagerly.

"Sure!" Meng Chong agreed.

"Master, I need to make a trip home," Xu Yan said after a moment's thought. He felt it was time to return and guide his family in their cultivation.

"Go ahead," Li Xuan nodded in agreement.

Xu Yan was close to perfecting his Qi and Blood Realm, and it seemed that a breakthrough was imminent within the next few days.

These events transpired over the course of a few days.

However, perfecting the Qi and Blood Realm did not mean that one could immediately break through to the Innate Realm.

It required a period of consolidation before one could attempt the next step.

And even then, breaking through would take time.

Meanwhile, Meng Chong was in the process of tempering his Vajra Diamond Bone, growing stronger with each passing day. It wouldn't be long, perhaps less than a month, before he completed this stage.

Shi Er watched with envy.

He, too, had started the bone refining process, but it was only then that he realized how challenging it was.

The initial stages of bone refining brought an agonizing sensation akin to thousands of ants biting at his bones. It was excruciating, and those with weaker willpower would inevitably cry out in pain.

Once they cried out, their qi and blood would be disrupted, halting the bone refining process.

As a result, successfully completing bone refining became incredibly difficult.

Shi Er possessed strong willpower, and even he had come close to losing control several times.

However, he persevered and eventually made it through the most challenging phase.

Now, he could feel the changes brought about by bone refining, and his strength had increased significantly.

"I won't aim for a Golden Bone; a Copper Bone will do!" Shi Er set a more realistic goal for himself.

He knew his limits; a Golden Bone was too lofty a goal, beyond his natural talent and aptitude.

But a Copper Bone was still within reach.

"It's one realm short, so the feedback is a little lacking, but my true qi has still doubled."

Li Xuan heaved a sigh.

Although his true qi had doubled, he was still at the introductory stage of the Innate Realm. Nonetheless, his strength had indeed improved.

"My sword heart has achieved great clarity, and my foundation in the sword path is now established. Should I try to comprehend sword intent?"

Li Xuan fell into deep thought.

After a long while, with no clues on how to comprehend sword intent, he could only set the matter aside for now.

"Forget it, this arduous task is better left to my disciple."

Now that Xu Yan had perfected the Qi and Blood Realm, he was not far from the Innate Realm. Li Xuan looked forward to Meng Chong's entry into the martial path, hoping that he would break through the Qi and Blood Realm before Xu Yan entered the Innate Realm.

"What kind of feedback will I get from my second disciple when he masters the newly compiled cultivation technique?"

More importantly, it was a physical martial art. With the enhancement of the Great Sun Golden Bell Cloak, his defense would surely improve.

"Could it be that when I stand still, even an Inner Domain Master martial artist won't be able to breach my defense?"

After Xu Yan achieved perfection in the Qi and Blood Realm, he returned to the small courtyard to consolidate his realm and prepare for his breakthrough into the Innate Realm.

He also frequently went outside Yunshan County, sitting on a mountain, attempting to comprehend sword intent, cultivating the Dragon Subduing Palm, and trying to grasp the palm intent.

However, he had not made any significant progress so far.

Ten days after Xu Yan perfected his Qi and Blood Realm, Meng Chong, who was cultivating, began to emanate a faint vitreous golden light.

His aura was transforming.

Li Xuan watched quietly as his second disciple was about to enter the martial path.

Shi Er looked on from a distance, his face filled with envy. Meng Chong was about to enter the martial path, while he was still far from achieving the same.

"No wonder the master took him as a disciple. His talent is truly exceptional. I am also very fortunate to be able to come into contact with the martial path, cultivate it, and serve the master."

Shi Er marveled inwardly.

At that moment, Meng Chong was enveloped in vitreous golden light, which gradually seemed to transform into a bell that covered him.

As time passed, Meng Chong appeared to turn into a golden figure, exuding a fiercely powerful aura that was in the process of solidifying.

Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction, "My second disciple exhibits the image of an Arhat Vajra. Teaching him the Great Sun Golden Bell Cloak is truly a perfect match."

Crackling sounds filled the air as the vitreous light emanating from Meng Chong grew stronger. His muscles trembled, and a series of thunderous roars resonated within his body.

His qi and blood transformed into vitreous light, refining into a golden bell that fused with his physical body.

A wild and fierce aura, like a storm, emanated from Meng Chong's body.

A thunderous boom echoed as a golden bell appeared!

Dong!

With the emergence of the golden bell, the sound of a tolling bell seemed to reverberate.

The Qi and Blood Golden Bell, enveloped in vitreous golden light, surrounded Meng Chong, and the thunderous roars grew louder.

Neighbors poked their heads out, confusion written on their faces. Why would there be thunder on a clear day?

Was it because the county magistrate had lost his virtue?

Or was there a great grievance in Yunshan County?

Li Xuan frowned and flipped his palm, causing his true qi to surge out and cover the courtyard, obscuring the commotion caused by Meng Chong's breakthrough.

Meng Chong let out a loud roar, his muscles trembling as the thunderous roar of his bones reverberated. His qi and blood solidified into a golden bell, and his entire body was enveloped in vitreous golden light. His muscles became even more robust, and as he circulated his qi and blood, his entire body seemed to grow taller.

His tall and sturdy frame became even more imposing.

The leather pants he was wearing almost tore apart from the expansion of his muscles.

"I... I've entered the martial path! The Great Sun Golden Bell Cloak has been mastered!"

Meng Chong was thrilled.

At that moment, he felt his own power.

Even steel could not compare to the toughness of his physical body.

With a single thought, the golden bell would envelop him, rendering all attacks useless.

There were no weak spots in his defense, and the only way to harm him would be to forcefully break through his defenses.

He felt invincible, as if he could sweep away all opponents of the same realm.

Shi Er was stunned by Meng Chong's formidable aura. Was this the power of merely entering the martial path?

He felt that even if he himself achieved perfection in the Qi and Blood Realm, he would still be no match for Meng Chong, who had just entered the martial path.

The gap between them was simply too vast.

"Come, try cutting me with the precious sword!"

Meng Chong excitedly waved at Shi Er.

He wanted Shi Er to use the precious sword that Xu Yan had given him.

"Okay!"

This time, Shi Er did not hesitate.

Gripping the sword tightly, he charged forward and swung the blade with all his might, aiming to slash Meng Chong.

As his second disciple finally entered the martial path, Li Xuan revealed a brilliant smile, paying no heed to Meng Chong testing his physical body with the sword. The long-awaited feedback from the cheat had finally arrived.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end